Liu Xiaobo 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017
Archive for the ‘China’ Category
R.I.P. Liu Xiaobo
Posted by MyLaowai on Friday, July 14, 2017
Posted in Censorship, China, Democracy, History, Human Rights, Newsflash | 158 Comments »
An Book Review – Party Members
Posted by MyLaowai on Thursday, October 13, 2016
Party Members, the new book by Arthur Meursault, is finally out. And the eagerly-awaited review of this book, by MyLaowai, is also out.
I probably should start out with a few trigger warnings. But I won’t, because trigger warnings are for people who are so intellectually weak and emotionally inadequate that they might as well be vegetarianists or poofs or Trump supporters*.
*For anyone who wants to be offended by that statement, but who doesn’t feel quite entitled, please feel free to consider yourself a cunt in a very general sense.
There are many reasons to buy this book, and one of them is that I know the author is struggling under the crushing weight of unforgiven student debt and is forced to give blowjobs in exchange for bowls of noodles on the streets of Anyuan*.
*This is a lie. The author does not live in Anyuan.
But the real question is, is this book right for you? Here’s a handy Q and A to help you decide:
Q. Is this book right for me?
A. I don’t know. Are you an American?
Q. Yes, I am as it happens. How did you guess? Was it the perfect teeth? It was, wasn’t it?
A. No, it was the smart suit and matching power-tie that looked so stylish. Bad news chum, this book probably isn’t for you.
Q. Oh? Why not?
A. You will be offended by it. You should have read all those trigger warnings. Plus, you probably have some sort of romantic notions about China and how it would be lovely if only the Communist Party would let the humble and very ordinary people get on with their lives, but things are no doubt improving and anyway people are basically the same everywhere and it isn’t their fault they are poor and besides…
Q. Um, no. I intend voting Trump.
A. You will still be offended by it. You should have read all those trigger warnings. Plus, you probably have some sort of notions about China stealing all your jobs and coming over here and buying all our real estate and obviously they want to start WW3 because Alex Jones said so, just like the Chinese killed millions of Americans during 9/11 and they are jealous because we beat them in the last war and besides…
Q. Um. Sorry. I lied, I’m actually English.
A. Really? Fascinating. Which part of Blighty doest thou hail from?
Q. Newcastle.
A. This book might not be for you. I checked on the results of the last referendum and it’s clear that you are 49.3% likely to be unable to read. Although, that said, the pages are nice and soft so you will at least be able to make some use of them. I’m a Daily Express man myself, when it comes to these sorts of things. Your call.
Q. Is this book really as offensive as everybody says?
A. Is your screen-name Robert Black, by any chance? Because if it is, you’ll hate it. It’s well written, descriptive, and essentially accurate. Though, there are rather a lot of references to sexual assault, so maybe you’ll be turned on by it after all.
Q. No, my name is Mike Hunt.
A. Righto. Thanks. Well, as a work of literature it’s definitely on the rough side. Not for persons of a delicate disposition, certainly. Not easy to read if you are sensitive or a delicate snowflake. But fairly factual.
Q. Factual?
A. Certainly. Not in the sense of being about a real person or being set in a real place, but more in the sense of being about facts in a general sense of the word. Sort of thing.
Q. So, what do you reckon? Is it for me? Should I buy it?
A. Honestly, I don’t know. Look, I’ve been very patient but I’m incredibly busy getting these Christmas decorations made and these coolies don’t work all that hard without a good beating from time to time, so why not just buy it and then let me know what you think, hmmm? Tell you what, if you buy it and don’t like it, I promise on my first-born’s grave that I’ll totally reimburse you*, alright? Get it on Amazon here: Party Members
*This is a lie.
And for what it’s worth, this reviewer has a copy, liked it a lot, and is now going to pour a gin and tonic and try to think of a creative yet unfair way to be cruel to his workers. Again.
Have a nice day.
Posted in Ask MyLaowai, China, Media, Newsflash, Propaganda, Zhang Ziyi | 1 Comment »
#Chexit
Posted by MyLaowai on Wednesday, July 13, 2016
#Chexit: China out of the South China Sea
I guess you can’t just pick and choose which international agreements you have to honour, eh?
Posted in China, History, Media, Newsflash | Leave a Comment »
Party Members
Posted by MyLaowai on Saturday, June 25, 2016
Party Members: A Book by Arthur Meursault
Got so much money you don’t know how to spend it? Yeah, I know. It’s tough. I mean to say, there are only so many times you can have your Aston detailed before the shine blinds you. And frankly, I’m a bit over bathing in champagne. Which is why I was so delighted to be introduced to a new book, priced at a level that ensures you can afford it, and your coolies cannot. Read about it here:
https://arthurmeursault.com/2016/06/23/announcing-my-book-party-members/
I’ve read this, and it’s my considered and very important opinion that you should, too. At the very least, it’ll give you something to do while you’re waiting for the champagne bath to fill. Again.
Posted in Ask MyLaowai, China, Media, Newsflash | 7 Comments »
Lest You Forget
Posted by MyLaowai on Saturday, June 4, 2016
Posted in Censorship, China, Festivals et al | 2 Comments »
Happy Chinese New Year, Xi Dada
Posted by MyLaowai on Friday, February 12, 2016
Best wishes to you, Mister Chairman, and to your lovely wife as well.
Posted in China, Festivals et al | 7 Comments »
Welcome Back
Posted by MyLaowai on Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Posted in China, History | Leave a Comment »
Merry Christmas. Humbug et al…
Posted by MyLaowai on Thursday, December 24, 2015
I won’t bore you with a lot of blah blah blah about Christmas. You’re probably fed up with the whole thing by now and I don’t blame you. Unless of course you live in a non-Christian country, or under a rock, or in China, all of which amount to the same vis-a-vis Yule. Here, deep in the Arsehole At The End Of The World, known by brave travelers as A Bloody Awful Place, and by those who have never visited simply as China, Christmas is officially banned. Students caught celebrating it are expelled from skool or university and their families put on a watch list. Officials are sacked, shot and their families sent a bill for the bullet. I merely put a red coat and hat on the statue of that other fat, red cunt Mao Zedong we have outside the factory reception building.
I fancied going to a show or performance this year, something to take my mind off the never-ending pollution (now officially known as “Fog” according to the stern, Poe-faced man from The Government who personally came to see me, and who was surprised when I laughed in his face and told him to fuck off pronto chop-chop quick-quick) and endless political bullshit that we’ve been enduring since the current monster came to power. I saw that Rhythm Of The Dance was in town, so booked a ticket.
Now, I’m not normally one for all that tippy-tap nonsense, but I figured if anyone could pull it off, it would be the old bog-leapers. And Irish music is generally the best music for the chronically depressed to listen to, as evidenced by thousands of generations of chronically depressed Irish peasants. And, after all, it is a world famous production. Which might just be slightly taking advantage of the success of Lord Of The Dance, which just a wee bit took advantage of the success of Riverdance. But whatever, even a copy of a copy of some Paddy tip-tap is better than what we normally get in China.
And, indeed, it really was a good performance, and one that I heartily recommend you go and see. In fact, the only thing about it that wasn’t first-rate, was the fact that is was performed in China, at the very expensive, and very imposing, Shanghai Grand Theatre.
The sound system was shit, with the speakers distorting the sound badly and the levels so out of whack that some instruments and voices you couldn’t hear while others hurt your ears. The lighting was atrocious, with the idiots running the spots never able to find the performers or keep up with them. One of the computer-controlled lights had either been programmed wrong, or was in need of repair, or had recently been repaired by a Chinaman. And two of the ushers had brought along laser pointers in order to try to blind the performers and distract the audience, which even for Chinese is a new low. If you fired the entire staff and replaced them with kindergartners, it would be a damned sight better.
SO, this year my Christmas Message is aimed at anyone thinking of bringing any of The Arts to China:
“Don’t come, for your own sake. But also, please do come, because no matter how much the Chinese will try to fuck you up, there are some of us here who need you badly, and it’s getting harder every day.”
To the National Dance Company of Ireland, a special Thank You from me. And to all the rest of you, a special Thank You from our very own Christmas Eve:
Stay tuned for more Sinocidal, from the vaults…
Posted in China, Festivals et al, Media | Leave a Comment »
The Fashionista’s – A MyLaowai Exclusive
Posted by MyLaowai on Saturday, September 19, 2015
If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you will be only too aware that we here at MLHQ stand squarely and solidly behind the position on the field of play, that is referred to as ‘reasonableness’. Oh yes indeed, we have dedicated ourselves to being reasonable and moderate in all things. And so it continues to this day.
With that in mind, let us turn our gaze to the very unreasonable state of fashion in what is laughably referred to as The Celestial Empire. Now, I am not one to tell others how to live, as long as they do so in a civilised manner. Yet there is unquestionably and certainly a need in this modern world for someone to play the role of a fashion inspector of sorts – a Fashion Policeman, if you will. I am sure I am not the first person who thought so.
And we here at MLHQ know a thing or to about what looks good. We know, for instance, that Adolf Hitler was the only man ever to look good in the back of a convertible. If you are in the back of a convertible and you are a man, but you are not Adolf Hitler, then kindly step out, at once.
A Fashion Policeman – Fashionista? – should have powers that are clearly and sharply defined. We would not, for instance, want to have folks fined merely for wearing last years’ Calvin Klein jeans, would we? Not when the real crime being committed was the wearing of Calvin Klein jeans, of any year. Obviously, there was a time when an empty brassiere was considered acceptable – though in the modern era it really ought to be a capital offense: It’s false advertising, at the very least.
The wearing of glasses without lenses is wrong, clearly, but it needn’t warrant more than a small fine, nor would taking a selfie, though in combination the dual crimes of wearing glasses without lenses whilst taking a selfie really ought to be punishable by being shot in front of your own children. And when I say “ought to be”, I mean “on my land you will be”.
As I say, reasonableness in all things. If you want to be dressed like a street whore, that’s fine – as long as you actually are a street whore. And in my street, that really is practically everybody. So that’s all good. Want to dress like a Middle Kingdom version of Princess Leia (with the brass bra and Heidi von Glockenstrudle hairstyle, obviously)? Not a problem, as long as you actually are either a/ Princess Leia; b/ actually are Carrie Fisher; or c/ attending one of those events where you dress up in weird clothes and call it ‘cosplay’ because ‘German hardcore porn’ would freak your mother out.
And, if you want to have a shoe covered in rabbit fur, at least have the decency to ensure the rabbit is dead before you slide your boot up it’s arse.
Thank you for your attention.
Posted in Ask MyLaowai, China | Tagged: Advice, Education | Leave a Comment »
The Hong Kong Free Press
Posted by MyLaowai on Monday, August 31, 2015
A lovely article from the Hong Kong Free Press:
Well done, Richard Scotford. You have earned the respect of this humble bloggist.
Posted in China | Tagged: China, Foreign Media, History, Hong Kong | 13 Comments »
Wo Shi Laowai - Wo Pa Shui 