Happy Chinese New Year of the OX

Will China be Obama's Scapegoat?

Timothy Geithner, President Barack Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary, that Obama believe's China is manipulating its currency" is causing a stirr in political circles, not just economic ones. The issue is one of the value of the yuan, and trade protectionsm, and trade wars. Li YanPing reported on this on Bloomberg today.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a8LmQm3ouhJs&refer=asia#

China's commerce ministry called Geithner's allegations "Untrue ans misleading." These comments are a change from the Bush administration, therefore a cause of concern for good relations between China and the US. Obama many times when campaigning, mentioned that China is our banker. Chine overtook Japan as the biggest overseas owner of US debt last year.

That should mean that China has a serious interest in seeing the US economy recover. However, damaging the Chinese economy will not help the US, as right now, China, India and Brazil are reported to be the groth engines of the world's economy. I am not sure if this is "just" more of the same old China Bashing, or if the Obama administration is setting up China as his economic policy's scape goat. We will have to watch how this develops.

Serfs Emancipation Day

50 years ago, on March 28, 1959, some 1 million serfs and slaves were emancipated in Tibet. The Dalai Lama, who himself owned more than 100 slaves, and thousands of serfs, left Lasha after a "rebellion" to postpone emancipation failed. The CIA paid the Dalai Lama $180,000, yearly, to leave Tibet voluntarily, and lie about China. The dalai Lama did not "flee," but was guided out of Tibet by radio. Both of the Dalai Lama's elder brothers were also paid CIA opperatives. The CIA worked with the dalai Lama to train his Tibetan followers at Camp Hale Colorado, and droped them back into China, to terrorise the country side. Later terror camps were set up across the border from China in Mustang. (Now northern Nepal.)

Legqog, director of the of the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Autonomous Regional People's Congress said that 382 legislators had voted unanimously to set March 28th as the annual Serfs Emancipation Day.
This was reported in Xinhuanet.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/19/content_10681877.htm

Many serfs cheered this commemoration, and said many children did not understand their own history. Several who had been serfs under the Dalai Lama described their ordeals, poverty, and humiliation at the hands of Lords, and high Lamas. Gaisang, 62, recalled that in 1954, due to flooding crops were spoiled, but "Thousands of kilograms of grain rotted in the warehouses of the aristocrats, while serfs died from starvation."

Professor Gaisang Yeshes compared the day to Sept. 22, 1862, when slaves were freed in the United States by the milestone "Emancipation Proclamation" signed by then U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

"But the difference is, Tibetan people soon gained the right to vote, while black people still struggled for voting rights 100 years later," he said.

Gaisang from Xigaze said he was proud to have become a lawmaker when he started life as the son of a serf. "Now I can vote, with a say in the decision-making of the government," he said. "This was unimaginable half a century ago. People were then praying all day not to be beaten."

"I didn't dare to dream about this when I was young, in patched clothes and shivering at the sight of the leather whip," he said. March 28, 1959 was "the day that changed my life." 　

Happy Mother's Day

Wu Zi

In Chinese baobao means precious treasure, and babies are called baobao to reflect how dearly beloved children are. In the photo above is a Nan Haidz, a boy, with his dad, participating in a tradition from his ethnic culture. His robes are bright red, with colourful embroidery, a serious ecpression on his face as he concentrates. He has cymbols, and clashes them to make a wonderful if exotic to my ears sound.

A popular song's lyrics say "teach your children well," and we see in this photo a parent teaching a todler about the different cultural expression they have chanced upon. I was so lucky to catch this intimate moment! These photos were taken in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. USA

Wu Zi, or year 4705 on the Chinese Calendar is also known as the year of the Rat. 2008 is the 7th year in the current 60 year cycle. The Chinese calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, and is interesting to study. Some folks call this Spring Festival.

This lovely beauty sports a classical hairdo, which we saw displayed in Xian, when we visited in 1989. We also enjoyed black rice and wine. Women's lives have changes over the centuries in China, and the first law passed after Mao established the People's Republic of China and declared "The Chinese People have stood up," was the Marraige Act. Thanks to Soong Ching Ling's vision, women have equal rights in China today, and children go to school.

I love this photo, showing both modern and traditional Chinese, the men with the drums are born in America American, and the folks in modern dress are born in China Chinese! How ironic! That shows that connection to one's cultural identity need not be lost because one moves to another land. I hope you all will add to this, leave your comments, we would all like to learn more about Chinese New Year's celebrations.