that waistlet reminds me of a Beijing afternoon in 2005...
...and that's yet another story. but a very nice one.
good for u, SEAJ, i like that this mamasan trusted you and made a connection that clearly benefitted both ofyou. such arrangements aren't as common as they SHOULD be IMHO--The Life can be difficult for myriad reasons, but what harm is there, really, in treating a girl well and giving her an intro and basis for future opportunities, should she decide to pursue them?
even without seeing her face, she looks fab, and i'm glad to hear things worked out.
just my two cents on the language thing: there seems to be no disagreement that English standards are declining. ironic as most cultures, in the global village McLuhan posited in the 60s and that we now LIVE IN, are keen on promoting English-language studies. i think a full understanding isn't complete unless you analyze the lingua franca: HK-style Cantonese.
Hong Kong was essentially Chinese yet ruled by the British for generations. while people from different regions of China (with differing dialects, older folks in North Point still speak Shanghainese) helped form HK, the dominant dialect is Cantonese of a sort that developed differently from any other region. during the Cultural Revolution, when "culture" on the mainland was warped to say the least, HKers were enjoying films made by Hong Kongers--ironically, many of these were in Putonghua as the films earned critical and box office success in Taiwan and overseas Chinatowns.
but "The House of 72 Tenants" (1973), shot in Cantonese and reflecting the trials/tribulations of overcrowded Hong Kong, was a huge hit for Shaws. more Cantofilms followed, spearheaded by the comedies of the Hui Brothers and the excellent martial arts films of Lau Kar-leung. by the 80s, HK-Canto was the dominant dialect of local culture.
and thus, in a British Crown Colony that was 95% Chinese, HK-style Canto (complete with local puns and references to local popular culture) became a cultural identifier. young people everywhere need a sense of belonging, and HK-Canto is that connective tissue that young HKers identify with. it's distinctive: people from Guangzhou don't speak it, and HKers living overseas don't connect with the latest slang and jokes.
another fly in the ointment: the post-handover emphasis on "mother-tongue teaching." this whole concept was flawed from the start: what's the mainland's "mother tongue"? Putonghua of course, yet the HK's govt idea was to enforce Cantonese. the result? masses of mothers openly weeping on-camera upon learning their child would not get into a school with English-language instruction. they knew the importance of English in a young person's career path. the whole "mother-tongue" nonsense (remember those TV messages with Tung Chee-hwa? remember Tung Chee-hwa??) was shoveled under the rug, but a lot of young HKers freeze up when asked even simple questions in English.
of course, Putonghua is emphasized, and rightly so. many of my colleagues speak it with clients on the phone, and while they likely have accents, they're obviously understood on the other end of the line. they're professionals, so Putonghua is a huge plus. i know many who travel to China on biz routinely, and more than a few who have gone to work there for a few years (Beijing is the preferred destination), preferably during the Olympics, and returned with mainland-experience on their CV.
and...here's one of many shots i took of another wonderful PRC gal wearing a waistlet, and not much else...
JtB | |
