Scholarship and education

Ultraman's ideological crusade

Nifty links blogger ProState In Flames posted this scan of what appears to be a student composition (I've managed to trace it back to a blog post on August 31, but that might not be the source, either):

JDM081127ultraman.jpg

If I Were Ultraman

If I were Ultraman, the best would be Ultraman Ace. I'd keep peace in the universe. I wouldn't be like my brothers, fighting monsters in Japan all day. I'd universalize "peace-keeping." I'd set up hotlines in all the major countries of all the continents in the world, so that I'd be able to make it there whenever something happened. And I'd fight the aliens who invaded Earth, and I'd also take the initiative and defeat the strongest Baltans who have their eye on Earth. And I'd patrol all throughout the galaxy, rooting out everything that would harm Earth. Of course, I couldn't simply rely on myself, a single Ultraman, to accomplish such a large-scale monster destruction. I'd have to unite the world of Ultra and start up a military service, and then bring the fine suggestions of Earth's Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Jiang Zemin Theory to the world of Ultra so that they can excel at both thought and combat. And build a harmonious universe, which needs to start from the very young. So bring up good "little Ultras."*

To be able to unite the universe and keep peace is my greatest desire.

The red underlines are for the "hotline" and Earth ideology.

Whether or not this essay is the real deal, the assignment is no joke. A lesson posted in 2005 to the Beijing Pre-School Education Web presents kids with the question of what Ultraman could do after he finished wiping out all the monsters in the world. And searching on the title (假如我是奥特曼) returns lots of unrelated results that appear to be real, honest composition.


Note: 环平研究小奥特 - can someone more familiar with the show clue me in on what this is supposed to mean?

Links and Sources
There are currently 4 Comments for Ultraman's ideological crusade.

Comments on Ultraman's ideological crusade

Woo, can't believe you translated this. :)

The '环评研究小奥特' was probably just a phrase coined by this talented young writer. It's supposed to mean something that people 从娃娃抓起 and want them to be, like a role model working in some environmental evaluation projects.

It's great sci-fi up until the Mao Zedong sentence... when it becomes utterly compelling sci-fi!

Kind of like a Chinese Ken MacLeod!

Not bad for his/her age. I can only recite Three Hundred Tang Poetry when I was five!

impressive writing...and equally scary.

Post a comment

All comments are moderated and subject to review by Danwei contributors and editors, but well-grounded and articulate comments will be published regardless of which way they lean. Because comments published on any website ultimately contribute to the character of that website, we may decline to publish comments that are irrelevant, redundant, or that do not adhere to generally accepted standards of courtesy; if you are looking for a fight, there are plenty of other venues available online.


Some useful html: <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>,
<a href="http://www.danwei.org">link</a>

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
Danwei Model Workers
laomo2008fpA.jpg
Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
Diamond Hill by Feng Chi-shun: Feng's memoir Diamond Hill describes an era of gambling and gangsters, Suzie Wong and squatter villages, fires and food stalls, and the Kowloon Walled City and its white powder. "A time when people were poor, but life was rich," he says. The world that he grew up in no longer exists, but his book - the first ever on the Diamond Hill refugee settlement, in either Chinese or English - offers a candid picture of what life was like for most Hong Kong residents in the 1950s.
William A. Callahan's China: The Pessoptimist Nation: China: The Pessoptimist Nation shows how the heart of Chinese foreign policy is not a security dilemma, but an identity dilemma. Through a careful analysis of how Chinese people understand their new place in the world, the book charts how Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings in a dynamic that intertwines China's domestic and international politics.
The WTO ruling: a half victory at best: In August 2009, a World Trade Organization panel ruled against China's system of monopoly control over entertainment products. Was this the victory supporters hailed as the dawn of a new day for American and global entertainment companies in the China market?
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ Street hawker cries of Beijing (2006.12): Yang Changhe demonstrates hawker's cries in a video shot by Muzimei.
+ New Weekly: Do Chinese kids know anything about traditonal Chinese culture? (2004.06): Q: Do you know what China's four great inventions are? Paper, printing, the compass and gunpowder 49.3% know all four, 37.3% get one or more wrong, 13.3% don't know at all (2004.06.12)
+ Some questions about SARFT's full-stop for Red Question Mark (2007.09): SARFT axes Red Question Mark (红问号). He Dong (何东) responds.
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