|
Photography
Mountains, seas, and official reading materialPosted by Joel Martinsen, May 28, 2007 6:42 PM
In early February, Wen Jiabao took a trip to two cities in Jilin Province, where he toured businesses, villages, schools, and hospitals. In this Xinhua photo, the premier laughs with students in the library of Northeast Normal University in Changchun. Oddly, the cover of the book in the lower left corner has been blurred. It's a copy of The Classic of Mountains and Seas (this edition), an ancient mythical geography. Why was it blurred? Is the Classic unscientific claptrap detrimental to the harmonious society? Is it a generous face-saving gesture to the student in the front row who was reading mythology when he ought to have been studying engineering? Was Xinhua afraid that the fabulous mythological beasts would upstage the premier? And why blur it only half-way with the title still decipherable? We bring this up at such a late date only because the photo was reprinted this week as part of an Oriental Outlook cover feature on the reading habits of Chinese officials:
The survey collected the responses of 100 officials - mostly ranging from departmental to divisional officials, with a few sectional officials included - from Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Guangdong, and Shaanxi. Some notable results:
Links and Sources
There are currently 2 Comments for Mountains, seas, and official reading material.
Comments on Mountains, seas, and official reading materialIs it possible the picture was not blurred, and what we're seeing instead is a type of translucent covering? I suppose that's possible, Inst, but it doesn't really look like a cover in the print version of the photo. |
Jobs in China
Recent Comments
Joyce Lau on
"I just went to take a bath"
Anon on
The Grabbing Class
Yan Xishan on
How to be cool in Beijing
kangnick on
A handbook for staying healthy and regular
Mike on
National Geographic Goes Chinese
Danwei.TV
Danwei Model Workers
![]() Recommended blogs and new media
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Books on China
In Wang Shuo's No Man's Land: Geremie Barme addresses Wang Shuo's 千万别把我当人.
Swimming with Mao, a memoir essay: This memoir piece is by Xujun Eberlein, author of the new short story book Apologies Forthcoming'.
Long Hair Drama, by Zhang Lijia: An except from Zhang Lijia's book 'Socialism is Great!: A Worker's Memoir of the New China'.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ Some like them uncut (2007.06): Hu Tong (胡同) of Booyee Bookshop (布衣书局) writes about the popularity of uncut editions. + 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. + The Three Stooges in China (2004.09): "Can you do the laugh?" I ask him. "You know, that laugh?" He nods. He knows what I'm talking about. "Nyuk nyuk nyuk!" he suddenly erupts, in an imitation of Curly so compelling that I'm suddenly transported from Beijing to my family's living room floor in Eureka, Kansas, circa 1959...
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky
or Feedburner |


