Newspapers

Tall poppy syndrome in China: Sun Mingming is not a blockhead

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn, June 3, 2005 3:11 PM
sun_ming_ming_block.jpg

Australians often say that their society suffers from 'tall poppy syndrome'; in other words, success is treated as something that should be cut down to size rather than admired or emulated.

'Sun Mingming is not a blockhead', an article in Beijing's Mirror newspaper (法制晚报) on June 1, criticizes China for the same mentality, using the example of a particularly tall poppy: the giant basketball player Sun Mingming, currently in the U.S. hoping to make it into the NBA.

Roughly translated excerpts from the Mirror:

When he was 12 years old, some seniors said that Yao Ming was 'totally unfit for playing basketball'; now he is the most successful giant of the NBA. Now the guy that is called a 'blockhead' in China is being pursued in America by the NBA.

The same kid, a different conclusion. Here you can clearly see the differences between the way China and America look at talent: Americans always enthusiastically develop the strong skills of young players, while in China we first look for their weaknesses...

...If it wasn't for lengthy reports in the American media, we in China wouldn't know anything about [Sun Mingming].

LINKS:
- The Mirror: Sun Mingming is not a blockhead (in Chinese)
- The image is taken from this article on Northeast.cn (in Chinese)

twitterchiclet.pngtweet facebook.pngfacebook Deliciousbookmark hhrHaoHao diggdigg

<< IOC: Beijing Olympics to make lots of $$$ | Poll Disconnect >>
Partner Links
China Quest - 2010 Summer language camp in Beijing China
China in a Box: Video production services and China stock footage
Popup Chinese: Chinese lessons, HSK tests and a Beijing-based community
ChinaTechNews.com: Technology, Internet and digital news from China
Jobs in China
+ Beijing: Latin teacher wanted
+ Shanghai: Editor for English language magazine
+ Beijing: Office manager / research assistant for accredited journalist office
more...
Recent Comments
Hu Kebi on To the Chinese media, is Obama "aobama" or "oubama"?
Mark on The case of the missing Obama front page
Nemo_sum on "Suicide note" from Shishou makes matters more confusing
JJ on RMB 3 million foreign douche bag in Shanghai
Wang H. on 2012: a disaster movie not suitable for children
affordabe on Blogspot unblocked, but Blogger is blocked
Adam J. Sc on Snow in Beijing
Peter Kauf on Bound feet in China
Media Partners
Visit these sites for the latest China news
090609guardian2.png 090609CNN3.png
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
+ 1978-1988
+ 1988-1998
+ 1998-2008
Danwei Model Workers
laomo2008fpA.jpg
Recommended blogs and new media
+ English-language blogs about China
+ Chinese blogs, aggregators, and forums
Books on China
AXL091030storiesforthcoming.jpg
Xujun Eberlein's Apologies Forthcoming: Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books has published a short story collection by Xujun Eberlein.
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine － 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
more...
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ The 'national' in National Day (2006.10): Xiao Feng writes about China's national flavor, national curse, national bird, national car, and so forth, Dongfang Yu writes on the true meaning of China's National Day in the age of angry youth.
+ Don't ask so laowai don't have to tell (2008.07): An essay was written by Geremie Barmé, scholar, filmmaker and author of the new book The Forbidden City.
+ Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet.
more...
Popular Tags
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky rsschiclet2.png (on the mainland)
or Feedburner rsschiclet.gif (blocked in China)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Main feed: Main posts (FB has top links)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Top Links: Links from the top bar
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Jobs: Want ads
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Digest: Updated daily, 19:30
twitterchiclet.png Danwei's Twitter feed