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(2314, 1, '2020-05-14 06:23:40', '2020-05-14 10:23:40', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=“https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Liu Cixin</a> (刘慈欣) is China\'s most famous contemporary science fiction writer, and is most well-known as the author of <em>The Three Body Problem</em>, which won significant critical acclaim worldwide, and spawned a series of movies. \n\nBut Liu Cixin has written several other novels and short stories, of which《赡养人类》<em>Support Human Beings</em> is one. It\'s good fiction, if you like spaceships, but more than that, it\'s super short - only around 70 pages or so - so if you\'d like to try your hand at finishing a whole novel, this is a pretty solid choice. You can pick up the book on Amazon (<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">kindle</a>). China actually has a great tradition of novella-length fiction in a way that the West seems to lack. Modern authors often put out works longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel, which lowers the barrier to entry nicely.\n\nIn this post, we\'ll read the first part of Chapter One, which introduces one of the main characters: the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛). When we first him, he\'s in the process of taking on a new hit. \n\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\nFirst, the proper nouns: We\'ve got the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛), a wealthy tech magnate named Zhu Hanyang (朱汉杨), who owns Huaruan Group (华软集团), we\'ve got some guy named Yage (齿哥), and we\'ve got a mention of the Forbes Fortune 500 list (福布斯财富500排行). There\'s also mention of a person only named 哥哥, Big Brother, who\'s a central character in the rest of the book, but only comes up for a second in this passage. \n\n玩艺儿 [pinyin]wan2 yi4 er[/pinyin] - Another pretty useful and commonly-used word. When the you add the 儿, 玩艺 does not mean \"toy\", it becomes the colloquial equivalent to 东西, \"thing\". It\'s often used derogatorily, like \"Ew, what is that thing you\'re wearing?\", or dismissively, as in, \"Hand me that thing.\" In this passage, Smoothbore uses this word to describe some ostentatious jewelry that a flashy rich guy wears, so the use of 玩艺儿 adds a note of contempt to the sentence.\n\nParagraph five highlights the essential difficulty of reading sci-fi in a foreign language: it\'s hard to know if you got it right when what is being described is a made-up thing, so you can\'t gut-check your understanding against reality. You may have to check the translation here. \n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>《赡养人类》第一章</h4>\n\n业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。\n\n首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。\n\n服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。\n\n大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。\n\n[SCI-FI PART]滑膛知道他们在看什么：<span class=\"highlightText\">哥哥</span>飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。\n\n看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱汉杨</span>，他的<span class=\"highlightText\">华软集团</span>的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在<span class=\"highlightText\">福布斯财富500排行</span>的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。\n\n这些人与<span class=\"highlightText\">齿哥</span>是绝对不一样的，滑堂暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的<span class=\"highlightText\">玩艺儿</span>。\n\n但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。\n\nBy <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">Kindle</a>.\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nBusiness is business, and nothing else. This was the principle by which Smoothbore abided, but this time, the client had left him feeling puzzled.\n\nFirst of all, the way the client commissioned him was wrong, he wanted to meet face-to-face, and in this business, that was a curious matter. Three years earlier, Smoothbore had heard his drillmaster say more than once, their relationship with their clients was like the relationship between the forehead and the back of the head, never to see one another in this world, and this of course was out of consideration for the interests of both parties. The meeting place surprised Smoothbore even more, it was in the most luxurious presidential hall of the city\'s most luxurious five-star hotel, which was the least suitable place in the world for commissioning this type of work. According to what the client let slip, this job had three parts, though that was no big deal, even if it had been a few more [Smoothbore] wouldn\'t have minded.\n\nThe server pulled open the gold-inlayed door of the presidential hall, and before Smoothbore walked in, he surreptitiously moved his hands inside his jacket, lightly flicking open the snap of the gun holster beneath his left armpit. In truth this was unnecessary, no one would do anything too untoward to him in a place like this.\n\nThe hall was magnificent, as if it had no connection to the outside world, the huge crystal chandelier was this world\'s sun, and the crimson carpet was this world\'s grass. At first glance the place was open and spacious, but Smoothbore quickly found the people [inside], they gathered around the floor-to-ceiling windows in one corner of the hall, pushing aside the thick curtains to look at the sky outside, and Smoothbore swept his gaze around [the room], quickly counting that there were 13 people there. That the clients were many and not just one was also unexpected, as the drillmaster had said, the relationship between themselves and their clients was like the relationship between lovers - though there may be several, at each meeting you only have contact with one.\n\nSmoothbore knew what they were looking at: Big Brother\'s spaceship had taken off to move to the southern hemisphere again, and now it could be seen clearly. It had already been three years since the gods left Earth, and that big visit from outer space [lit: the universe] greatly strengthened mankind\'s psychological acceptance of alien civilizations, besides, the gods\' civilization had 20,000 spaceships that blanketed the sky, and this time Big Brother only had one. [The spaceship\'s] shape also wasn\'t as peculiar as the ones the gods had, it was just a big pillar rounded at both ends, like a big cold [medicine] capsule [out there] in the universe.\n\nWhen they saw Smoothbore enter, those 13 people all left the window, and came back to the big round table in the center of the hall. Smoothbore recognized most of them, and immediately felt that the resplendent hall had become shabby [in comparison to them]. The most interesting person among them was Zhu Hanyang, his Huaruan Group\'s \"Oriental 3000\" operating system had already replaced decrepit WINDOWS the world over. As for everyone else, they were all in the Forbes Fortune 500 Top 50, and their annual profits were probably equal to a middling country\'s GDP, so Smoothbore was [standing] in a small forum of world\'s wealthy.\n\nThese people were completely different from Yage, Smoothbore thought to himself, Yage was <em>nouveau riche</em>, but these guys were from three generations of nobility, and although the timeline [probably] wasn\'t really that long, they were nobility indeed, [in the] riches had transformed into a reserved moral elevation, just like the diamond ring on Zhu Hanyang\'s hand, fine and exquisite, understated on his slender finger, occasionally glinting with a soft, gentle light, but it was worth several of the gaudily-glittering walnut-sized things [that] Yage [wore on his] hand. \n\nBut right now, these thirteen noble magnates were collected here to hire an assassin to commit murder, moreover to kill three people, and according to his first contact, that was just the first part [of the job].\n\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start reading Chinese sci-fi novella 《赡养人类》by Liu Cixin', 'Assassins and spaceships and evil doings! Start reading Chapter One of the novel <em>Support Human Beings</em> by Liu Cixin, author of China\'s most famous sci-fi <em>Three Body Problem</em>. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1953-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-05-14 06:23:40', '2020-05-14 10:23:40', '', 1953, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/14/1953-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2315, 1, '2020-05-14 06:21:30', '2020-05-14 10:21:30', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=“https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Liu Cixin</a> (刘慈欣) is China\'s most famous contemporary science fiction writer, and is most well-known as the author of <em>The Three Body Problem</em>, which won significant critical acclaim worldwide, and spawned a series of movies. \r\n\r\nBut Liu Cixin has written several other novels and short stories, of which《赡养人类》<em>Support Human Beings</em> is one. It\'s good fiction, if you like spaceships, but more than that, it\'s super short - only around 70 pages or so - so if you\'d like to try your hand at finishing a whole novel, this is a pretty solid choice. You can pick up the book on Amazon (<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">kindle</a>). China actually has a great tradition of novella-length fiction in a way that the West seems to lack. Modern authors often put out works longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel, which lowers the barrier to entry nicely.\r\n\r\nIn this post, we\'ll read the first part of Chapter One, which introduces one of the main characters: the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛). When we first him, he\'s in the process of taking on a new hit. \r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nFirst, the proper nouns: We\'ve got the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛), a wealthy tech magnate named Zhu Hanyang (朱汉杨), who owns Huaruan Group (华软集团), we\'ve got some guy named Yage (齿哥), and we\'ve got a mention of the Forbes Fortune 500 list (福布斯财富500排行). There\'s also mention of a person only named 哥哥, Big Brother, who\'s a central character in the rest of the book, but only comes up for a second in this passage. \r\n\r\n玩艺儿 [pinyin]wan2 yi4 er[/pinyin] - Another pretty useful and commonly-used word. When the you add the 儿, 玩艺 does not mean \"toy\", it becomes the colloquial equivalent to 东西, \"thing\". It\'s often used derogatorily, like \"Ew, what is that thing you\'re wearing?\", or dismissively, as in, \"Hand me that thing.\" In this passage, Smoothbore uses this word to describe some ostentatious jewelry that a flashy rich guy wears, so the use of 玩艺儿 adds a note of contempt to the sentence.\r\n\r\nParagraph five highlights the essential difficulty of reading sci-fi in a foreign language: it\'s hard to know if you got it right when what is being described is a made-up thing, so you can\'t gut-check your understanding against reality. You may have to check the translation here. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《赡养人类》第一章</h4>\r\n\r\n业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。\r\n\r\n首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。\r\n\r\n服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。\r\n\r\n大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。\r\n\r\n[SCI-FI PART]滑膛知道他们在看什么：<span class=\"highlightText\">哥哥</span>飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。\r\n\r\n看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱汉杨</span>，他的<span class=\"highlightText\">华软集团</span>的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在<span class=\"highlightText\">福布斯财富500排行</span>的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。\r\n\r\n这些人与<span class=\"highlightText\">齿哥</span>是绝对不一样的，滑堂暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的<span class=\"highlightText\">玩艺儿</span>。\r\n\r\n但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。\r\n\r\nBy <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">Kindle</a>.\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBusiness is business, and nothing else. This was the principle by which Smoothbore abided, but this time, the client had left him feeling puzzled.\r\n\r\nFirst of all, the way the client commissioned him was wrong, he wanted to meet face-to-face, and in this business, that was a curious matter. Three years earlier, Smoothbore had heard his drillmaster say more than once, their relationship with their clients was like the relationship between the forehead and the back of the head, never to see one another in this world, and this of course was out of consideration for the interests of both parties. The meeting place surprised Smoothbore even more, it was in the most luxurious presidential hall of the city\'s most luxurious five-star hotel, which was the least suitable place in the world for commissioning this type of work. According to what the client let slip, this job had three parts, though that was no big deal, even if it had been a few more [Smoothbore] wouldn\'t have minded.\r\n\r\nThe server pulled open the gold-inlayed door of the presidential hall, and before Smoothbore walked in, he surreptitiously moved his hands inside his jacket, lightly flicking open the snap of the gun holster beneath his left armpit. In truth this was unnecessary, no one would do anything too untoward to him in a place like this.\r\n\r\nThe hall was magnificent, as if it had no connection to the outside world, the huge crystal chandelier was this world\'s sun, and the crimson carpet was this world\'s grass. At first glance the place was open and spacious, but Smoothbore quickly found the people [inside], they gathered around the floor-to-ceiling windows in one corner of the hall, pushing aside the thick curtains to look at the sky outside, and Smoothbore swept his gaze around [the room], quickly counting that there were 13 people there. That the clients were many and not just one was also unexpected, as the drillmaster had said, the relationship between themselves and their clients was like the relationship between lovers - though there may be several, at each meeting you only have contact with one.\r\n\r\nSmoothbore knew what they were looking at: Big Brother\'s spaceship had taken off to move to the southern hemisphere again, and now it could be seen clearly. It had already been three years since the gods left Earth, and that big visit from outer space [lit: the universe] greatly strengthened mankind\'s psychological acceptance of alien civilizations, besides, the gods\' civilization had 20,000 spaceships that blanketed the sky, and this time Big Brother only had one. [The spaceship\'s] shape also wasn\'t as peculiar as the ones the gods had, it was just a big pillar rounded at both ends, like a big cold [medicine] capsule [out there] in the universe.\r\n\r\nWhen they saw Smoothbore enter, those 13 people all left the window, and came back to the big round table in the center of the hall. Smoothbore recognized most of them, and immediately felt that the resplendent hall had become shabby [in comparison to them]. The most interesting person among them was Zhu Hanyang, his Huaruan Group\'s \"Oriental 3000\" operating system had already replaced decrepit WINDOWS the world over. As for everyone else, they were all in the Forbes Fortune 500 Top 50, and their annual profits were probably equal to a middling country\'s GDP, so Smoothbore was [standing] in a small forum of world\'s wealthy.\r\n\r\nThese people were completely different from Yage, Smoothbore thought to himself, Yage was <em>nouveau riche</em>, but these guys were from three generations of nobility, and although the timeline [probably] wasn\'t really that long, they were nobility indeed, for them riches had transformed into a reserved moral elevation, just like the diamond ring on Zhu Hanyang\'s hand, fine and exquisite, understated on his slender finger, occasionally glinting with a soft, gentle light, but it was worth several of the gaudily-glittering walnut-sized things [that] Yage [wore on his] hand. \r\n\r\nBut right now, these thirteen noble magnates were collected here to hire an assassin to commit murder, moreover to kill three people, and according to his first contact, that was just the first part [of the job].\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start reading Chinese sci-fi novella 《赡养人类》by Liu Cixin', 'Assassins and spaceships and evil doings! Start reading Chapter One of the novel <em>Support Human Beings</em> by Liu Cixin, author of China\'s most famous sci-fi <em>Three Body Problem</em>. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1953-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-14 06:21:30', '2020-05-14 10:21:30', '', 1953, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/14/1953-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2317, 1, '2020-05-14 11:21:47', '2020-05-14 15:21:47', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSong dynasty warrior-poet and folk hero <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yuefei (岳飞)</a> gets a tattoo to remind himself of his duty to his country. This is an \"advanced\" post for three reasons: one, there are some words in here that can\'t be found in the dictionary, two, there are quite a few proper names, and three, to understand this, you need to know a little bit about Song history. \r\n\r\nLong story sort, The Song dynasty had two main enemies, both on their northern border. The Liao (辽) to the Northeast, and the Jin (金) to the Northwest. The Song bickered with the Liao for 150 years, and then both the Song and Liao were invaded by the Jin who took the Song capital at Kaifeng and forced them to relocate it south, to modern-day Hangzhou. The pre-invasion period is called the \"Northern Song\", because the song capital was in the north, and the post-invasion period the \"Southern Song\", because the capital was moved south. The way history remembers it, the Song Dynasty was corrupt and broken, which is why the Jin were able to take the capital city, and the nation only survived thanks to heroes like Yuefei. \r\n\r\nThe story of Yuefei\'s tattoo is full of machismo and to-the-death loyalty, and gossip is that gangsters or military will sometimes get this same tat. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nWe\'ve got a few proper nouns, here: we\'ve got the dynasty names, the Liao (辽), the Jin (金) and the Song (宋); we\'ve got the name of the Song capital Kaifeng (开封), we\'ve got people like Yuefei (岳飞), his mother Madam Yaotai (姚太夫人), and Deputy Marshall Zongze (副元帅宗泽). \r\n\r\nWe\'ve also got some things that no longer exist, such as 醋墨, which is a mix of vinegar and ink paste used to smear on wounds to seal them. There\'s also an official / military rank, 秉义郎, which I\'ve translated as \"Minister of Righteous Justice\", which only existed during the Song Dynasty. \r\n\r\nAnd finally, we have classical-ish Chinese being used in a quote: “智勇才艺，古良将不能过”. Breaking this down word-by-word clears its meaning right up:\r\n\r\n智 - Intelligent\r\n勇 - brave\r\n才 - talented\r\n艺，- artistic\r\n古 - antiquity\r\n良 - Good\r\n将 - general (military)\r\n不能 - cannot\r\n过 - defeat\r\n\r\nIn other words, \"Even the good generals of antiquity couldn\'t have defeated [someone with] so much intelligence, courage, talent and artistry.\"\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%B2%B3%E6%AF%8D%E5%88%BA%E5%AD%97/2635978\">Source here</a>.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>岳飞纹字</h4>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">岳飞</span>十五六岁时，北方的<span class=\"highlightText\">金</span>人南侵，<span class=\"highlightText\">宋</span>朝当权者腐败无能，节节败退，国家处在生死存亡的关头。岳飞投军抗<span class=\"highlightText\">辽</span>。不久因父丧，退伍还乡守孝。\r\n\r\n1126年，金兵大举入侵中原，岳飞再次投军。临行前，<span class=\"highlightText\">姚太夫人</span>把岳飞叫到跟前，说：\"现在国难当头，你有什么打算？\"\r\n\r\n\"到前线杀敌，精忠报国！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人听了儿子的回答，十分满意，\"精忠报国\"正是母亲对儿子的希望。她决定把这四个字刺在儿子的背上，让他永远铭记在心。\r\n\r\n岳飞解开上衣，露出瘦瘦的脊背，请母亲下针。\r\n\r\n姚太夫人问：\"孩子，针刺是很痛的，你怕吗？\"\r\n\r\n岳飞说：\"母亲，小小钢针算不了什么，如果连针都怕，怎么去前线打仗！\"\r\n\r\n姚太夫人先在岳飞背上写了字，然后用绣花针刺了起来。但“国”字没有一点，象征国内无首。刺完之后，岳母又涂上<span class=\"highlightText\">醋墨</span>。从此，\"精忠报国\"四个字就永不褪色地留在了岳飞的后背上。 母亲的鼓舞激励着岳飞。岳飞投军后，很快因作战勇敢升<span class=\"highlightText\">秉义郎</span>。这时宋都<span class=\"highlightText\">开封</span>被金军围困，岳飞随<span class=\"highlightText\">副元帅宗泽</span>前去救援，多次打败金军，受到宗泽的赏识，称赞他“<span class=\"highlightText\">智勇才艺，古良将不能过</span>”，后来成为著名的抗金英雄，受历代人民所敬仰。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nWhen Yuefei was fifteen or sixteen, the Northern Jin invaded [across] their southern [border]. Those who held power within the Song Dynasty were corrupt and incompetent, were pushed back through gradual defeats, and the country\'s continued existence hung by a thread. Yuefei [had originally] joined the army to resist the Liao. But before long his father died, and he left the military to return to his hometown and pay his respects. \r\n\r\nIn 1126, the Jin launched a large-scale incursion into the central plains, and Yuefei once again enlisted. Before he set out, Madam Yaotai [Yuefei\'s mother] called Yuefei before her, and said: \"Right now the country is facing great difficulty, what do you plan to do?\" \r\n\r\n\"Go to the front lines and slaughter the enemy, and serve my country with perfect loyalty.\" \r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai listened to her son\'s answer, and was quite satisfied, as \"serve the country with perfect loyalty\" was precisely what she hoped her son would do. She decided to take these four words and tattoo them onto her son\'s back, so they would be forever engraved on his heart. \r\n\r\nYuefei opened his shirt, exposing his thin back, and invited his mother to begin.\r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai asked, \"Child, tattoos are quite painful, are you afraid?\" \r\n\r\nYuefei said: \"Mother, a little needle is nothing. If I was afraid of a needle, how could I [face] going to war on the front lines?\" \r\n\r\nMadam Yaotai first drew the words on his back, then used an embroidery needle to tattoo him. But she left the dot off the character \"国\", to symbolize that the country had no [real] leader. When she was done, she spread a mix of ink and vinegar [over the wound]. From then on, \"serve the country with perfect loyalty\" [were engraved], never-fading, on his back. His mother\'s encouragement inspired Yuefei. After Yuefei joined the army, he was promoted quickly to the rank of Minister of Righteous Justice due to his courage on the battlefield. During this time, the Song capital of Kaifeng was surrounded by the Jin army, and Yuefei went to Deputy Marshall Zongze\'s rescue, defeating the Jin army many times, and he won Zongze\'s appreciation, who said of him, \"Even the good generals of antiquity couldn\'t have defeated [someone with] so much intelligence, courage, talent and artistry.\" Later he became a famous hero of the anti-Jin resistance, and receive the admiration of later generations.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Folk tales of real people: 《岳飞纹字》Yue Fei\'s Tattoo', 'Song dynasty warrior-poet and folk hero <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Yuefei (岳飞)</a> gets a tattoo to remind himself of his duty to his country. This is an \"advanced\" post for three reasons: one, there are some words in here that can\'t be found in the dictionary, two, there are quite a few proper names, and three, to understand this, you need to know a little bit about Song history. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2050-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-14 11:21:47', '2020-05-14 15:21:47', '', 2050, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/14/2050-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2318, 1, '2020-05-14 11:24:42', '2020-05-14 15:24:42', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn the second and final part of this series, we\'ll read acclaimed author <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a>\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. If you haven\'t read Part I yet, <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/letters-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-i/\">go check it out</a>. In Part I, I introduce Ba Jin and the context in which this letter was written. Part I is intermediate, likely as it was written by children, but Part II was written by an adult author, and veers well into advanced territory, in length, subject matter and language.\r\n\r\nI\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. Ba Jin may have been well into his later years when he put pen to paper, but he had lost none of his literary talent. My translation does this no justice at all - I struggled between writing in a way that made the language clearer to understand, and writing for beauty, and the former won out in most cases, so if you want get the feelz from this, you\'ll have to look to the original. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ideal vs. ideals</strong> - One of the beautiful things about this letter is that it illuminates the connection between the definitions of the word \"ideal\", or 理想 [pinyin]li4 xiang3[/pinyin]. In English, we use the word \"ideal\" to talk about what we wish would happen: our \"ideal life\", our \"ideal future\", our \"ideal partner\". Quite separately, we use the word \"ideals\" to describe our values, what we believe to be important. We never really use these things in the same context; the word is the same, but the definitions are divorced. \r\n\r\nIn Chinese, and specifically in this letter, these definitions are much more connected, and this underscores a deeper truth: the things we find important frame the future we most desire. If we care most about money, then what we most want is lots of money. And if we most value generosity of spirit, then what we most want is a life full of the same. So, you\'ll understand this piece better if you understand the word 理想 from both of these perspectives simultaneously - it is both the values we hold dear, and the future we most yearn for. You\'ll see that I struggle to choose which English word to use. Sometimes I use \"ideal\" and sometimes \"ideals\", and my choice changes the English meaning significantly, but in the Chinese, it all makes sense. \r\n\r\n<strong>“向前看” vs. “向钱看”</strong> - These two phrases sound similar, and Ba Jin uses this play on words to juxtapose those who \"look to the future\" and those who only \"look towards money\".\r\n\r\n<strong>起了作用</strong> - This comes up a couple of times, and its meaning is a little amorphous. The characters seem to say \"to be of use\", but this definition doesn\'t illuminate the phrase\'s true meaning. 起了作用 means \"to have a hand in\", or \"to play a part in\". This can have both positive and negative connotations, depending on context. Negative, as in \"to have a hand in his demise\", positive as in \"to play a role in his advancement\". This has stuck in my head since one of my Chinese friends, who had recently been divorced and had a new girlfriend, told me that his mother hated his girlfriend because she erroneously believed that his girlfriend \"起了作用\" in his divorce, in other words, that his girlfriend had a hand in manipulating him to get a divorce from his wife. But in this piece, the positive definition of 起了作用 is used. \r\n\r\n<strong>定风珠 and 风信鸡</strong> - These are two physical objects that Ba Jin uses to represent bigger concepts. <a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AE%9A%E9%A3%8E%E7%8F%A0/2099916?fr=aladdin\">定风珠</a> is a mythological pearl that can stop the wind. In this story, he uses it to describe the power to put a stop to negative social trends. 风信鸡 is a weathervane, which can really only reflect the direction that winds (negative social trends, in this case) are blowing. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n亲爱的同学们：\r\n\r\n你们的信使我感到为难。我是一个有病的老人，最近虽然去北京开过会，可是回到上海就仿佛生了一场大病似的，一点力气也没有，讲话上气不接下气，写字手指不听指挥，因此要“以最快的速度”给你们一个回答，我很难办到。我只能跟在你们背后慢慢地前进，即使远远地落在后面，我还可以努力追赶。但要带着你们朝前飞奔，不是我不愿意，而是力不能及了。这就说明我不但并无“神奇的力量”，而且连你们有的那种朝气我也没有，更不用说什么“神秘钥匙”了。\r\n\r\n不过我看你们也不必这样急，“寻求理想”不是一天两天的事。理想是存在的。可是有的人追求了一生只得到幻灭；有的人找到了它一直坚持到生命的最后一息。各人有各人的目标，对理想当然也有不同的理解。我听广播、看报纸，仿佛人们随时随地都在谈论“理想”，仿佛理想在前面等待人，只要你一伸手就可以把它抓住。那么你们为什么还那样着急地向我“呼救”呢？你们不是都有了理想吗？你们在<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>的社会风气中感觉到窒息，不正是说明你们的理想<span class=\"highlightText\">起了作用</span>吗？我不能不问，你们是不是感到了孤独，因此才把自己比做“迷途的羔羊”？可是照我看，你们并没有“迷途”，“迷途”的倒是你们四周的一些人。\r\n\r\n我常常想，我们生活在其中的社会有时会是十分古怪，叫人难以理解。人们喜欢说，形势大好，我也这样说过。这种说法不是没有道理，我也有自己的经验：根据我耳闻目睹，舍身救人、一心为公的英雄事迹和一人有难、八方支援的好人好事，每天都在远近发生。从好的方面看，当然一切都好；但要是专找不好的方面看，人就觉得好像被坏的东西包围了。尽管形势大好，总是困难很多；尽管遍地理想，偏偏有人惟利是图。你们说这是“新的现象”，我看风并不是一天两天刮起来的。\r\n\r\n面对着这种现象，有人毫不在乎，他们说这是支流，支流敌不过主流，正如邪不胜正。即使出现这样的情况，譬如说钞票变成了发光的“明珠”，大家追求一个目标：发财，人人争当“能赚会花”的英雄；又譬如说从喜欢空话、爱听假话，发展到贩卖假药、推销劣货，发展到以权谋私、见利忘义……也不要紧，因为邪不胜正。还有人说：“你不要看风越刮越厉害，不久就会过去的。我们有<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>嘛！”同他们交谈，我也感到放心，我也是相信邪不胜正的人，我始终乐观。\r\n\r\n同学们，请原谅，我不是在这里讲空话。束手等待是盼不到美好的明天的。我说邪不胜正，因为在任何社会里都存在着是与非、光明与阴暗的斗争。最后的胜利当然属于正义、属于光明。但是在某一个时期甚至在较长的一段时期，是也会败于非，光明也会被阴暗掩盖，支流也会超过主流，在这里斗争双方力量的强弱会<span class=\"highlightText\">起大的作用</span>。在这一场理想与金钱的斗争中我们决不是旁观者，斗争的胜败关系到我们每个人的命运。我们是这个社会的成员，是这个国家的公民，要是我们大家不献出自己的汗水和才智，那么社会的发展和国家的腾飞，也不过是一句空话。我常常想为什么宣传了几十年的崇高理想和大好形势，却无法防止黄金瘟疫的传播？为什么用理想教育人们几十年，那么多的课本，那么多的学习资料，那么多的报刊，那么多的文章！到今天年轻的学生还彷徨无主、四处寻求呢？\r\n\r\n小朋友们，不瞒你们说，对着眼前五光十色的景象，就连我有时也感到迷惑不解了。我要问，理想究竟是什么？难道它是虚无缥缈的东西？难道它是没有具体内容的空话？这几十年来我们哪一天中断过关于理想的宣传？那么传播黄金疫的病毒究竟来自何处、哪方？今天到处在揭发有人贩卖霉烂的食品，推销冒牌的假货，办无聊小报，印盗版书，做各种空头生意，为了带头致富，不惜损公肥私、祸国害人。这些人，他们也谈理想，也讲豪言壮语，他们说一套，做另外一套。对他们，理想不过是招牌、是装饰、是工具。他们口里越是讲得天花乱坠，做的事情越是见不得人。<span class=\"highlightText\">“向前看”</span>一下子就变为<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>也会变成<span class=\"highlightText\">风信鸡</span>。在所谓“不正之风”刮得最厉害、是非难分、真假难辨的时候，我也曾几次疑惑地问自己：理想究竟在什么地方？它是不是已经被狂风巨浪吹打得无踪无影？我仿佛看见支流压倒了主流，它气势汹汹地滚滚向前。然而即使在这个时候我也没有理由灰心绝望，因为理想明明还在我前面闪光。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nDear students:\r\n\r\nYour letter embarrassed me. I\'m a sick old man, and though I recently attended a conference in Beijing, when I returned to Shanghai it was as if I had contracted a serious illness, I had not even the slightest bit of energy, it was hard to catch my breath when I spoke, when I wrote my fingers wouldn\'t heed my commands, and because of this replying \"as quickly as possible\" [which the students asked him to do in Part I] was difficult for me to accomplish. I can only slowly forge ahead at your back, and though I lag far behind, I can still diligently pursue you. So as for dashing forward with you, it\'s not that I\'m not willing, but rather that I don\'t have the strength. This only shows that not only do I not have \"mystical powers\" [which students attributed to him in Part I], but that I don\'t even have your dynamism, and even less do I have any \"mysterious key\" [reference to Part I].\r\n\r\nBut as I see it you also needn\'t be in such a rush, [because] \"seeking ideals\" is not a matter of a day or two. Ideals exist. But some people seek them all their lives and all they find is disillusionment, some people find them by persevering until their last breath. Everyone has their own goals, and of course everyone has a different understanding of ideals. I listen to broadcasts, read newspapers, and it seems like people are all casually discussing \"ideals\", as if an ideal is [always] waiting just ahead, and all you must do is reach out your hand and you can grasp it. So, why do you so anxiously \"call for my aid\"? Do you not already have ideals? [The fact that] you feel so stifled in a social atmosphere that looks only to money, does that not precisely show your ideals are already playing a role? I can\'t not ask, is it [perhaps] that you feel lonely, and because of this compare yourselves to \"lost lambs\"? But as I see it, you haven\'t \"lost your way\", on the contrary, those who have \"lost their way\" are the people all around you.\r\n\r\nI often think, our life in society is sometimes so odd, and [can be] hard for us to comprehend. People like to say, \"life [literally: circumstances] is pretty good\", I\'ve also said this. This isn\'t without logic, as I\'ve experienced myself: from what I\'ve witnessed personally, [acts of] sacrificing one\'s life to save others, heroic deeds of wholehearted [dedication] to the public, and when one person is in trouble, good people [appear from] all directions to offer assistance, these things happen near and far every day. From a positive perspective, of course everything looks great; but if you flip it around and look from a negative perspective, you may feel you are surrounded by bad things. Although life is largely good, there are [still] always many troubles; although there are [grand] ideals everywhere, there is also always someone bent solely on profit. You say this is a \"new phenomenon\", but as I see it, this wind didn\'t blow in over the last couple of days.\r\n\r\nFaced with this phenomenon, some people pay it no mind, they say [the people who behave this way] are just a tributary [of the river], and a tributary can\'t overwhelm the mainstream, just like evil cannot triumph over good. Although [bad] situations [make frequent] appearances – for example [when] cash becomes [seen as] a shining \"treasure\", everyone chasing after one goal: to get rich, and everyone vying to be a hero of \"earning and spending\"; or for another example, when the love of speaking empty words and listening to falsehoods develops into the selling of fake medicine and poor-quality goods, which develops into using power for personal gain and forgetting what is right as soon as there is profit to be made – you still needn\'t be anxious, because evil cannot triumph over good. Still others say: \"You needn\'t pay attention to the wind blowing ever more violently, it will pass in a while. We have a Wind Stopping Pearl!\" As they talk, I also feel reassured, I\'m also someone who believes evil cannot triumph over good, I\'m ever the optimist. \r\n\r\nStudents, please forgive me, I don\'t mean to speak empty words here. [Simply] waiting with our hands tied, we cannot look forward to a beautiful tomorrow. I say evil can\'t triumph over good, because in any society there exists a struggle between right and wrong, light and darkness. Final victory of course belongs to justice, belongs to light. But in any age, [perhaps] even for long periods of time, right can lose to wrong, light can also be covered by darkness, the tributary can engulf the mainstream, and in this fight the weakness and strength of both sides will matter greatly. In this struggle between ideals and money we are certainly not spectators, which side wins and which loses the struggle is dependent upon our own destinies. We are the members of this society, we are the citizens of this country, if we do not offer our sweat and wise ability, then \"social development\" and \"national advancement\" are nothing but empty words. I often wonder why the noble ideals and general positivity propagandized over the last few decades have not been able to prevent the sickness of gold from spreading? Why is it that we have used ideals to educate people for decades, so many textbooks, so many study materials, so many newspapers, so many articles! And [yet] today\'s young students pace about without [moral] guidance, seeking everywhere? \r\n\r\nYoung friends, I won\'t lie to you, facing all the multifarious scenes [that unfold] before my eyes, I also sometimes feel befuddled. I want to ask, what <em>are</em> ideals, really? Could it be that they are illusionary things? Could it be that they are empty words without substance? On what day over the last few decades did we stop propagandizing ideals? And then from which direction, which place, did the spreading plague of gold sickness come? These days, everywhere we uncover people selling rotten food, pushing imitation goods, making boring tabloids, printing pirated books, doing all kinds of phoney business, to be the first to get rich, not hesitating to make personal gain at public expense, bringing calamity on the country and harming the people. These people, they also talk about ideals, they speak in grand language, they say one thing, but they do another. To them, ideals are shop signs, ornaments, tools. The more they speak of flowers cascading from the sky, the more their actions are unfit for the world of men. \"Looking ahead\" in an instant becomes \"looking towards money\", and the Wind Stopping Pearl becomes [nothing but] a weathervane. In all times when the so-called \"winds of injustice\" blow strongest, when right and wrong are hard to distinguish, when true and false are hard to recognize, I have also doubtfully asked myself: where <em>are</em> [our] ideals? Have they already been blown away without a trace by the violent winds and mighty waves? It\'s as if I can see the tributary overwhelming the mainstream, its momentum roaring tumultuously forward. But even in these times I have no reason to despair, because an ideal is still clearly sparkling just ahead of us. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letter: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part II', 'In Part II of this two-part series, we\'ll read acclaimed author Ba Jin\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. I\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2060-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-14 11:24:42', '2020-05-14 15:24:42', '', 2060, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/14/2060-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2319, 1, '2020-05-14 11:36:56', '2020-05-14 15:36:56', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn the second and final part of this series, we\'ll read acclaimed author <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_Jin\">Ba Jin</a>\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. If you haven\'t read Part I yet, <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/04/27/letters-ba-jins-correspondence-with-young-friends-searching-for-ideals-part-i/\">go check it out</a>. In Part I, I introduce Ba Jin and the context in which this letter was written. Part I is intermediate, likely as it was written by children, but Part II was written by an adult author, and veers well into advanced territory, in length, subject matter and language.\r\n\r\nI\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. Ba Jin may have been well into his later years when he put pen to paper, but he had lost none of his literary talent. My translation does this no justice at all - I struggled between writing in a way that made the language clearer to understand, and writing for beauty, and the former won out in most cases, so if you want get the feelz from this, you\'ll have to look to the original. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ideal vs. ideals</strong> - One of the beautiful things about this letter is that it illuminates the connection between the definitions of the word \"ideal\", or 理想 [pinyin]li4 xiang3[/pinyin]. In English, we use the word \"ideal\" to talk about what we wish would happen: our \"ideal life\", our \"ideal future\", our \"ideal partner\". Quite separately, we use the word \"ideals\" to describe our values, what we believe to be important. We never really use these things in the same context; the word is the same, but the definitions are divorced. \r\n\r\nIn Chinese, and specifically in this letter, these definitions are much more connected, and this underscores a deeper truth: the things we find important frame the future we most desire. If we care most about money, then what we most want is lots of money. And if we most value generosity of spirit, then what we most want is a life full of the same. So, you\'ll understand this piece better if you understand the word 理想 from both of these perspectives simultaneously - it is both the values we hold dear, and the future we most yearn for. You\'ll see that I struggle to choose which English word to use. Sometimes I use \"ideal\" and sometimes \"ideals\", and my choice changes the English meaning significantly, but in the Chinese, it all makes sense. \r\n\r\n<strong>“向前看” vs. “向钱看”</strong> - These two phrases sound similar, and Ba Jin uses this play on words to juxtapose those who \"look to the future\" and those who only \"look towards money\".\r\n\r\n<strong>起了作用</strong> - This comes up a couple of times, and its meaning is a little amorphous. The characters seem to say \"to be of use\", but this definition doesn\'t illuminate the phrase\'s true meaning. 起了作用 means \"to have a hand in\", or \"to play a part in\". This can have both positive and negative connotations, depending on context. Negative, as in \"to have a hand in his demise\", positive as in \"to play a role in his advancement\". This has stuck in my head since one of my Chinese friends, who had recently been divorced and had a new girlfriend, told me that his mother hated his girlfriend because she erroneously believed that his girlfriend \"起了作用\" in his divorce, in other words, that his girlfriend had a hand in manipulating him to get a divorce from his wife. But in this piece, the positive definition of 起了作用 is used. \r\n\r\n<strong>定风珠 and 风信鸡</strong> - These are two physical objects that Ba Jin uses to represent bigger concepts. <a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AE%9A%E9%A3%8E%E7%8F%A0/2099916?fr=aladdin\">定风珠</a> is a mythological pearl that can stop the wind. In this story, he uses it to describe the power to put a stop to negative social trends. 风信鸡 is a weathervane, which can really only reflect the direction that winds (negative social trends, in this case) are blowing. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AF%BB%E6%89%BE%E7%90%86%E6%83%B3%E7%9A%84%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E6%9C%8B%E5%8F%8B/15130105?fr=aladdin\">Source here</a>\r\n\r\n</ul>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《寻找理想的少年朋友》</h4>\r\n亲爱的同学们：\r\n\r\n你们的信使我感到为难。我是一个有病的老人，最近虽然去北京开过会，可是回到上海就仿佛生了一场大病似的，一点力气也没有，讲话上气不接下气，写字手指不听指挥，因此要“以最快的速度”给你们一个回答，我很难办到。我只能跟在你们背后慢慢地前进，即使远远地落在后面，我还可以努力追赶。但要带着你们朝前飞奔，不是我不愿意，而是力不能及了。这就说明我不但并无“神奇的力量”，而且连你们有的那种朝气我也没有，更不用说什么“神秘钥匙”了。\r\n\r\n不过我看你们也不必这样急，“寻求理想”不是一天两天的事。理想是存在的。可是有的人追求了一生只得到幻灭；有的人找到了它一直坚持到生命的最后一息。各人有各人的目标，对理想当然也有不同的理解。我听广播、看报纸，仿佛人们随时随地都在谈论“理想”，仿佛理想在前面等待人，只要你一伸手就可以把它抓住。那么你们为什么还那样着急地向我“呼救”呢？你们不是都有了理想吗？你们在<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>的社会风气中感觉到窒息，不正是说明你们的理想<span class=\"highlightText\">起了作用</span>吗？我不能不问，你们是不是感到了孤独，因此才把自己比做“迷途的羔羊”？可是照我看，你们并没有“迷途”，“迷途”的倒是你们四周的一些人。\r\n\r\n我常常想，我们生活在其中的社会有时会是十分古怪，叫人难以理解。人们喜欢说，形势大好，我也这样说过。这种说法不是没有道理，我也有自己的经验：根据我耳闻目睹，舍身救人、一心为公的英雄事迹和一人有难、八方支援的好人好事，每天都在远近发生。从好的方面看，当然一切都好；但要是专找不好的方面看，人就觉得好像被坏的东西包围了。尽管形势大好，总是困难很多；尽管遍地理想，偏偏有人惟利是图。你们说这是“新的现象”，我看风并不是一天两天刮起来的。\r\n\r\n面对着这种现象，有人毫不在乎，他们说这是支流，支流敌不过主流，正如邪不胜正。即使出现这样的情况，譬如说钞票变成了发光的“明珠”，大家追求一个目标：发财，人人争当“能赚会花”的英雄；又譬如说从喜欢空话、爱听假话，发展到贩卖假药、推销劣货，发展到以权谋私、见利忘义……也不要紧，因为邪不胜正。还有人说：“你不要看风越刮越厉害，不久就会过去的。我们有<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>嘛！”同他们交谈，我也感到放心，我也是相信邪不胜正的人，我始终乐观。\r\n\r\n同学们，请原谅，我不是在这里讲空话。束手等待是盼不到美好的明天的。我说邪不胜正，因为在任何社会里都存在着是与非、光明与阴暗的斗争。最后的胜利当然属于正义、属于光明。但是在某一个时期甚至在较长的一段时期，是也会败于非，光明也会被阴暗掩盖，支流也会超过主流，在这里斗争双方力量的强弱会<span class=\"highlightText\">起大的作用</span>。在这一场理想与金钱的斗争中我们决不是旁观者，斗争的胜败关系到我们每个人的命运。我们是这个社会的成员，是这个国家的公民，要是我们大家不献出自己的汗水和才智，那么社会的发展和国家的腾飞，也不过是一句空话。我常常想为什么宣传了几十年的崇高理想和大好形势，却无法防止黄金瘟疫的传播？为什么用理想教育人们几十年，那么多的课本，那么多的学习资料，那么多的报刊，那么多的文章！到今天年轻的学生还彷徨无主、四处寻求呢？\r\n\r\n小朋友们，不瞒你们说，对着眼前五光十色的景象，就连我有时也感到迷惑不解了。我要问，理想究竟是什么？难道它是虚无缥缈的东西？难道它是没有具体内容的空话？这几十年来我们哪一天中断过关于理想的宣传？那么传播黄金疫的病毒究竟来自何处、哪方？今天到处在揭发有人贩卖霉烂的食品，推销冒牌的假货，办无聊小报，印盗版书，做各种空头生意，为了带头致富，不惜损公肥私、祸国害人。这些人，他们也谈理想，也讲豪言壮语，他们说一套，做另外一套。对他们，理想不过是招牌、是装饰、是工具。他们口里越是讲得天花乱坠，做的事情越是见不得人。<span class=\"highlightText\">“向前看”</span>一下子就变为<span class=\"highlightText\">“向钱看”</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">定风珠</span>也会变成<span class=\"highlightText\">风信鸡</span>。在所谓“不正之风”刮得最厉害、是非难分、真假难辨的时候，我也曾几次疑惑地问自己：理想究竟在什么地方？它是不是已经被狂风巨浪吹打得无踪无影？我仿佛看见支流压倒了主流，它气势汹汹地滚滚向前。然而即使在这个时候我也没有理由灰心绝望，因为理想明明还在我前面闪光。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nDear students:\r\n\r\nYour letter embarrassed me. I\'m a sick old man, and though I recently attended a conference in Beijing, when I returned to Shanghai it was as if I had contracted a serious illness, I had not even the slightest bit of energy, it was hard to catch my breath when I spoke, when I wrote my fingers wouldn\'t heed my commands, and because of this replying \"as quickly as possible\" [which the students asked him to do in Part I] was difficult for me to accomplish. I can only slowly forge ahead at your back, and though I lag far behind, I can still diligently pursue you. So as for dashing forward with you, it\'s not that I\'m not willing, but rather that I don\'t have the strength. This only shows that not only do I not have \"mystical powers\" [which students attributed to him in Part I], but that I don\'t even have your dynamism, and even less do I have any \"mysterious key\" [reference to Part I].\r\n\r\nBut as I see it you also needn\'t be in such a rush, [because] \"seeking ideals\" is not a matter of a day or two. Ideals exist. But some people seek them all their lives and all they find is disillusionment, some people find them by persevering until their last breath. Everyone has their own goals, and of course everyone has a different understanding of ideals. I listen to broadcasts, read newspapers, and it seems like people are all casually discussing \"ideals\", as if an ideal is [always] waiting just ahead, and all you must do is reach out your hand and you can grasp it. So, why do you so anxiously \"call for my aid\"? Do you not already have ideals? [The fact that] you feel so stifled in a social atmosphere that looks only to money, does that not precisely show your ideals are already playing a role? I can\'t not ask, is it [perhaps] that you feel lonely, and because of this compare yourselves to \"lost lambs\"? But as I see it, you haven\'t \"lost your way\", on the contrary, those who have \"lost their way\" are the people all around you.\r\n\r\nI often think, our life in society is sometimes so odd, and [can be] hard for us to comprehend. People like to say, \"life [literally: circumstances] is pretty good\", I\'ve also said this. This isn\'t without logic, as I\'ve experienced myself: from what I\'ve witnessed personally, [acts of] sacrificing one\'s life to save others, heroic deeds of wholehearted [dedication] to the public, and when one person is in trouble, good people [appear from] all directions to offer assistance, these things happen near and far every day. From a positive perspective, of course everything looks great; but if you flip it around and look from a negative perspective, you may feel you are surrounded by bad things. Although life is largely good, there are [still] always many troubles; although there are [grand] ideals everywhere, there is also always someone bent solely on profit. You say this is a \"new phenomenon\", but as I see it, this wind didn\'t blow in over the last couple of days.\r\n\r\nFaced with this phenomenon, some people pay it no mind, they say [the people who behave this way] are just a tributary [of the river], and a tributary can\'t overwhelm the mainstream, just like evil cannot triumph over good. Although [bad] situations [make frequent] appearances – for example [when] cash becomes [seen as] a shining \"treasure\", everyone chasing after one goal: to get rich, and everyone vying to be a hero of \"earning and spending\"; or for another example, when the love of speaking empty words and listening to falsehoods develops into the selling of fake medicine and poor-quality goods, which develops into using power for personal gain and forgetting what is right as soon as there is profit to be made – [even when this happens,] you still needn\'t be anxious, because evil cannot triumph over good. Still others say: \"You needn\'t pay attention to the wind blowing ever more violently, it will pass in a while. We have a Wind Stopping Pearl!\" As they talk, I also feel reassured, I\'m also someone who believes evil cannot triumph over good, I\'m ever the optimist. \r\n\r\nStudents, please forgive me, I don\'t mean to speak empty words here. [Simply] waiting with our hands tied, we cannot look forward to a beautiful tomorrow. I say evil can\'t triumph over good, because in any society there exists a struggle between right and wrong, light and darkness. Final victory of course belongs to justice, belongs to light. But in any age, [perhaps] even for long periods of time, right can lose to wrong, light can also be covered by darkness, the tributary can engulf the mainstream, and in this fight the weakness and strength of both sides will matter greatly. In this struggle between ideals and money we are certainly not spectators, which side wins and which loses the struggle is dependent upon our own destinies. We are the members of this society, we are the citizens of this country, if we do not offer our sweat and wise ability, then \"social development\" and \"national advancement\" are nothing but empty words. I often wonder why the noble ideals and general positivity propagandized over the last few decades have not been able to prevent the sickness of gold from spreading? Why is it that we have used ideals to educate people for decades, so many textbooks, so many study materials, so many newspapers, so many articles! And [yet] today\'s young students pace about without [moral] guidance, seeking everywhere? \r\n\r\nYoung friends, I won\'t lie to you, facing all the multifarious scenes [that unfold] before my eyes, I also sometimes feel befuddled. I want to ask, what <em>are</em> ideals, really? Could it be that they are illusionary things? Could it be that they are empty words without substance? On what day over the last few decades did we stop propagandizing ideals? And then from which direction, which place, did the spreading plague of gold sickness come? These days, everywhere we uncover people selling rotten food, pushing imitation goods, making boring tabloids, printing pirated books, doing all kinds of phoney business, to be the first to get rich, not hesitating to make personal gain at public expense, bringing calamity on the country and harming the people. These people, they also talk about ideals, they speak in grand language, they say one thing, but they do another. To them, ideals are shop signs, ornaments, tools. The more they speak of flowers cascading from the sky, the more their actions are unfit for the world of men. \"Looking ahead\" in an instant becomes \"looking towards money\", and the Wind Stopping Pearl becomes [nothing but] a weathervane. In all times when the so-called \"winds of injustice\" blow strongest, when right and wrong are hard to distinguish, when true and false are hard to recognize, I have also doubtfully asked myself: where <em>are</em> [our] ideals? Have they already been blown away without a trace by the violent winds and mighty waves? It\'s as if I can see the tributary overwhelming the mainstream, its momentum roaring tumultuously forward. But even in these times I have no reason to despair, because an ideal is still clearly sparkling just ahead of us. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Letter: Ba Jin\'s Correspondence with \"Young Friends Searching for Ideals\" - Part II', 'In Part II of this two-part series, we\'ll read acclaimed author Ba Jin\'s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. I\'m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I\'m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2060-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-14 11:36:56', '2020-05-14 15:36:56', '', 2060, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/14/2060-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2320, 1, '2020-05-18 00:00:40', '2020-05-18 04:00:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n翡翠 [pinyin]fei3 cui4[/pinyin] - My translation software has this as \"jadeite\", but this can be both jade or emerald, and since I usually see \"jade\" translated as 玉 [pinyin]yu4,[/pinyin] I\'m going with \"emerald\" here.\r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last clause is a bit long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which in this case means 比 [pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在<span class=\"highlightText\">翡翠</span>宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-fable-freedom-in-heaven', '', '', '2020-05-23 22:01:54', '2020-05-24 02:01:54', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2320', 0, 'post', '', 12),
(2321, 1, '2020-05-16 06:43:05', '2020-05-16 10:43:05', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nxxx\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\nhttps://www.51test.net/show/9430844.html\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉说道。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙其它别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，大得我飞都飞不到边，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里跟住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉说道。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙其它别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，大得我飞都飞不到边，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里跟住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-16 06:43:05', '2020-05-16 10:43:05', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/16/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2322, 1, '2020-05-20 00:00:38', '2020-05-20 04:00:38', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>父亲这儿</strong> [pinyin]fu4 qin zhe4 er[/pinyin] - 父亲, as we know, means \"father\", and \"这儿\" usually means \"here\". But this phrase does not mean \"father is here\". In this case, 这儿 is colloquial Chinese meaning \"place\". So, 父亲这儿 means \"father\'s place\" - most often, \"place\" refers to someone\'s house, but it can also mean \"hometown\", or simply \"where someone is\". \r\n\r\n<strong>给我当个帮手</strong> [pinyin]gei3 wo3 dang1 ge bang1 shou3[/pinyin] - You can probably figure this one out for yourself if you break down the meaning of each character: \r\n\r\n给 - Give\r\n我 - me\r\n当 - be / act as\r\n个 - a\r\n帮手 - helping hand\r\n\r\nThe difficulty here lies in the fact that both 给 and 当 are used simultaneously, since in English, we\'d only either say \"give me a helping hand\", or \"be my helping hand\", not \"give me be a helping hand\". But we can probably parse this a little better if we understand the definition of 给 not as \"give\", but as \"for\". In that case, the sentence becomes \"be a helping hand for me\". And that makes more sense.\r\n\r\n<strong>干活</strong> [pinyin]gan4 huo2[/pinyin] - Beginners usually first see the character 活 in the word 生活, \"life\". But 活 in this case means \"labor\". So 干活 is \"to do labor\", usually labor done with the hands. It\'s also sometimes used derogatorily to describe mindless busywork, as in \"This isn\'t a career, it\'s just 干活.\" \r\n\r\nFinally, we\'ve got two idioms at the very end. Those are:\r\n\r\n恃才傲物 [pinyin]shi4 cai2 ao4 wu4[/pinyin] - To be conceited and contemptuous.\r\n\r\n夜郎自大 [pinyin]ye4 lang2 zi4 da4[/pinyin] - I\'ve actually got a whole post on this idiom <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/11/01/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here</a>, if you\'d like to dig deeper， but in essence, it means \"to think too highly of oneself\".  \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\r\n\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到<span class=\"highlightText\">父亲这儿</span>。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，<span class=\"highlightText\">给我当个帮手</span>。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子不愿<span class=\"highlightText\">干活</span>，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的<span class=\"highlightText\">活</span>我全都忘记了。草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而<span class=\"highlightText\">恃才傲物</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">夜郎自大</span>。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA college student came back from the city to [his] village, returning to his father\'s place.\r\n\r\nHis father said, \"Today we\'re going to cut the grass, go get the rake, and be my helping hand.\" \r\n\r\nBut his son wasn\'t willing to do the work, and he said, \"I studied science, and I\'ve forgotten all [the particulars of] village work. What kind of thing is a rake?\" \r\n\r\n[The son] had just walked into the yard, when he trod upon the rake with his foot, and the rake\'s handle suddenly [sprung up and] hit him in the head. That\'s when he finally remembered was a rake was.\r\n\r\nPeople must not forget their roots, and moreover [they] shouldn\'t be full of themselves just because they\'ve learned a few things. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', 'In this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-fable-the-learned-son', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:35:04', '2020-05-20 05:35:04', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2322', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2323, 1, '2020-05-16 07:01:42', '2020-05-16 11:01:42', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nxxx\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\nhttps://www.51test.net/show/9307666.html\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\r\n\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到父亲这儿。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，给我当个帮手。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子好逸恶劳，不愿干活，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的活我全都忘记了草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n他揉揉脑门儿恼怒地说：“这是哪个傻瓜把草耙扔在这儿的?”\r\n\r\n寓言启示：做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而恃才傲物，夜郎自大。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到父亲这儿。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，给我当个帮手。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子好逸恶劳，不愿干活，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的活我全都忘记了草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n他揉揉脑门儿恼怒地说：“这是哪个傻瓜把草耙扔在这儿的?”\r\n\r\n寓言启示：做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而恃才傲物，夜郎自大。\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2322-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-16 07:01:42', '2020-05-16 11:01:42', '', 2322, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/16/2322-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2324, 1, '2020-05-16 22:02:21', '2020-05-17 02:02:21', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">In the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/tag/novels/\">Novels</a> series, I get you started reading the first few paragraphs of classic Chinese fiction. If you like the beginning, you can <a href=“https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">buy the book</a> and keep reading.</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Hua\">Liu Cixin</a> (刘慈欣) is China\'s most famous contemporary science fiction writer, and is most well-known as the author of <em>The Three Body Problem</em>, which won significant critical acclaim worldwide, and spawned a series of movies. \r\n\r\nBut Liu Cixin has written several other novels and short stories, of which《赡养人类》<em>Support Human Beings</em> is one. It\'s good fiction, if you like spaceships, but more than that, it\'s super short - only around 70 pages or so - so if you\'d like to try your hand at finishing a whole novel, this is a pretty solid choice. You can pick up the book on Amazon (<a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">kindle</a>). China actually has a great tradition of novella-length fiction in a way that the West seems to lack. Modern authors often put out works longer than a short story but shorter than a full-length novel, which lowers the barrier to entry nicely.\r\n\r\nIn this post, we\'ll read the first part of Chapter One, which introduces one of the main characters: the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛). When we first him, he\'s in the process of taking on a new hit. \r\n\r\n<h3>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nFirst, the proper nouns: We\'ve got the assassin Smoothbore (滑膛), a wealthy tech magnate named Zhu Hanyang (朱汉杨), who owns Huaruan Group (华软集团), we\'ve got some guy named Yage (齿哥), and we\'ve got a mention of the Forbes Fortune 500 list (福布斯财富500排行). There\'s also mention of a person only named 哥哥, Big Brother, who\'s a central character in the rest of the book, but only comes up for a second in this passage. \r\n\r\n玩艺儿 [pinyin]wan2 yi4 er[/pinyin] - Another pretty useful and commonly-used word. When the you add the 儿, 玩艺 does not mean \"toy\", it becomes the colloquial equivalent to 东西, \"thing\". It\'s often used derogatorily, like \"Ew, what is that thing you\'re wearing?\", or dismissively, as in, \"Hand me that thing.\" In this passage, Smoothbore uses this word to describe some ostentatious jewelry that a flashy rich guy wears, so the use of 玩艺儿 adds a note of contempt to the sentence.\r\n\r\nParagraph five highlights the essential difficulty of reading sci-fi in a foreign language: it\'s hard to know if you got it right when what is being described is a made-up thing, so you can\'t gut-check your understanding against reality. You may have to check the translation here. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《赡养人类》第一章</h4>\r\n\r\n业务就是业务，无关其他。这是滑膛所遵循的原则，但这一次，客户却让他感到了困惑。\r\n\r\n首先客户的委托方式不对，他要与自己面谈，在这个行业中，这可是件很稀奇的事。三年前，滑膛听教官不止一次地说过，他们与客户的关系，应该是前额与后脑勺的关系，永世不得见面，这当然是为了双方的利益考虑。见面的地点更令滑膛吃惊，是在这座大城市中最豪华的五星级酒店中最豪华的总统大厅，那可是世界上最不适合委托这种业务的地方。据对方透露，这次委托加工的工件有三个，这倒无所谓，再多些他也不在乎。\r\n\r\n服务生拉开了总统大厅镶金的大门，滑膛在走进去前，不为人察觉地把手向夹克里探了一下，轻轻拉开了左腋下枪套的按扣。其实这没有必要，没人会在这种地方对他干太意外的事。\r\n\r\n大厅金碧辉煌，仿佛是与外面现实毫无关系的另一个世界，巨型水晶吊灯就是这个世界的太阳，猩红色的地毯就是这个世界的草原。这里初看很空旷，但滑膛还是很快发现了人，他们围在大厅一角的两个落地窗前，撩开厚重的窗帘向外面的天空看，滑膛扫了一眼，立刻数出竟有十三个人。客户是他们而不是他，也出乎滑膛的预料，教官说过，客户与他们还像情人关系一一尽管可能有多个，但每次只能与他们中的一人接触。\r\n\r\n[SCI-FI PART]滑膛知道他们在看什么：<span class=\"highlightText\">哥哥</span>飞船又移到南半球上空了，现在可以清晰地看到。上帝文明离开地球已经三年了，那次来自宇宙的大规模造访，使人类对外星文明的心理承受能力增强了许多，况且，上帝文明有铺天盖地的两万多艘飞船，而这次到来的哥哥飞船只有一艘。它的形状也没有上帝文明的飞船那么奇特，只是一个两头圆的柱体，像是宇宙中的一粒感冒胶囊。\r\n\r\n看到滑膛进来，那十三个人都离开窗子，回到了大厅中央的大圆桌旁。滑膛认出了他们中的大部分，立刻感觉这间华丽的大厅变得寒碜了。这些人中最引入注目的是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱汉杨</span>，他的<span class=\"highlightText\">华软集团</span>的“东方3000”操作系统正在全球范围内取代老朽的WINDOWS。其他的人，也都在<span class=\"highlightText\">福布斯财富500排行</span>的前50内，这些人每年的收益，可能相当于一个中等国家的GDP，滑膛处于一个小型版的全球财富论坛中。\r\n\r\n这些人与<span class=\"highlightText\">齿哥</span>是绝对不一样的，滑膛暗想，齿哥是一夜的富豪，他们则是三代修成的贵族，虽然真正的时间远没有那么长，但他们确实是贵族，财富在他们这里已转化成内敛的高贵，就像朱汉杨手上的那枚钻戒，纤细精致，在他修长的手指上若隐若现，只是偶尔闪一下温润的柔光，但它的价值，也许能买几十个齿哥手指上那颗核桃大小金光四射的<span class=\"highlightText\">玩艺儿</span>。\r\n\r\n但现在，这十三名高贵的财界精英聚在这里，却是要雇职业杀手杀人，而且要杀三个人，据首次联系的人说，这还只是第一批。\r\n\r\nBy <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2zEEBIo\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paperback</a> or <a href=\"https://amzn.to/2Z7Japj\">Kindle</a>.\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBusiness is business, and nothing else. This was the principle by which Smoothbore abided, but this time, the client had left him feeling puzzled.\r\n\r\nFirst of all, the way the client commissioned him was wrong, he wanted to meet face-to-face, and in this business, that was a curious matter. Three years earlier, Smoothbore had heard his drillmaster say more than once, their relationship with their clients was like the relationship between the forehead and the back of the head, never to see one another in this world, and this of course was out of consideration for the interests of both parties. The meeting place surprised Smoothbore even more, it was in the most luxurious presidential hall of the city\'s most luxurious five-star hotel, which was the least suitable place in the world for commissioning this type of work. According to what the client let slip, this job had three parts, though that was no big deal, even if it had been a few more [Smoothbore] wouldn\'t have minded.\r\n\r\nThe server pulled open the gold-inlayed door of the presidential hall, and before Smoothbore walked in, he surreptitiously moved his hands inside his jacket, lightly flicking open the snap of the gun holster beneath his left armpit. In truth this was unnecessary, no one would do anything too untoward to him in a place like this.\r\n\r\nThe hall was magnificent, as if it had no connection to the outside world, the huge crystal chandelier was this world\'s sun, and the crimson carpet was this world\'s grass. At first glance the place was open and spacious, but Smoothbore quickly found the people [inside], they gathered around the floor-to-ceiling windows in one corner of the hall, pushing aside the thick curtains to look at the sky outside, and Smoothbore swept his gaze around [the room], quickly counting that there were 13 people there. That the clients were many and not just one was also unexpected, as the drillmaster had said, the relationship between themselves and their clients was like the relationship between lovers - though there may be several, at each meeting you only have contact with one.\r\n\r\nSmoothbore knew what they were looking at: Big Brother\'s spaceship had taken off to move to the southern hemisphere again, and now it could be seen clearly. It had already been three years since the gods left Earth, and that big visit from outer space [lit: the universe] greatly strengthened mankind\'s psychological acceptance of alien civilizations, besides, the gods\' civilization had 20,000 spaceships that blanketed the sky, and this time Big Brother only had one. [The spaceship\'s] shape also wasn\'t as peculiar as the ones the gods had, it was just a big pillar rounded at both ends, like a big cold [medicine] capsule [out there] in the universe.\r\n\r\nWhen they saw Smoothbore enter, those 13 people all left the window, and came back to the big round table in the center of the hall. Smoothbore recognized most of them, and immediately felt that the resplendent hall had become shabby [in comparison to them]. The most interesting person among them was Zhu Hanyang, his Huaruan Group\'s \"Oriental 3000\" operating system had already replaced decrepit WINDOWS the world over. As for everyone else, they were all in the Forbes Fortune 500 Top 50, and their annual profits were probably equal to a middling country\'s GDP, so Smoothbore was [standing] in a small forum of world\'s wealthy.\r\n\r\nThese people were completely different from Yage, Smoothbore thought to himself, Yage was <em>nouveau riche</em>, but these guys were from three generations of nobility, and although the timeline [probably] wasn\'t really that long, they were nobility indeed, they transformed riches into a reserved moral elevation, just like the diamond ring on Zhu Hanyang\'s hand, fine and exquisite, understated on his slender finger, occasionally glinting with a soft, gentle light, but it was worth several of the gaudily-glittering walnut-sized things [that] Yage [wore on his] hand. \r\n\r\nBut right now, these thirteen noble magnates were collected here to hire an assassin to commit murder, moreover to kill three people, and according to his first contact, that was just the first part [of the job].\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Novels: Start reading Chinese sci-fi novella 《赡养人类》by Liu Cixin', 'Assassins and spaceships and evil doings! Start reading Chapter One of the novel <em>Support Human Beings</em> by Liu Cixin, author of China\'s most famous sci-fi <em>Three Body Problem</em>. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '1953-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-16 22:02:21', '2020-05-17 02:02:21', '', 1953, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/16/1953-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2325, 1, '2020-05-19 00:00:41', '2020-05-19 04:00:41', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nYou can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. \r\n\r\nI threw up <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/07/chinese-essays-seed-of-a-butterfly-lin-qingxuan/\">another essay of his</a> about butterflies a couple weeks ago, and if you read both of them, you\'ll start to get a sense of Lin\'s style, his wide-eyed marveling, how he rejoices at every little thing. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>因... 而...</strong> [pinyin]yin1 ... er2 ...[/pinyin] - You\'ve probably already come across this sentence construction, but it bears pointing out: 因 in this case is 因为, \"because of ______\", and 而 is \"as a result ______\".\r\n\r\n<strong>生起</strong> [pinyin]sheng1 qi3[/pinyin] - You won\'t find this in the dictionary, and it\'s a little difficult because 生 has so many meanings. Depending on context, it can mean \"to give birth to\" as in (生孩子), or \"to grow\" (as in 生长), or \"be afflicted with\" a sickness (as in 生病), or it can just mean \"life\" (as in 生活). But in all of these definitions, there\'s a general sense of nothing expanding into something. So, if you understand 生起 that way, as an expansion or growth, the sentence will make sense.\r\n\r\n寄情 [pinyin]ji4 qing2[/pinyin] - This isn\'t in the pop-up dictionary, but this means \"to express one\'s feelings\" about something, usually in writing. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201211/12523.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>感谢困难</h4>\r\n\r\n我做了一个梦。\r\n\r\n梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”\r\n\r\n所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”\r\n\r\n那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我<span class=\"highlightText\">因</span>找不到愿意折磨我的人<span class=\"highlightText\">而</span>惊醒。\r\n\r\n我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会<span class=\"highlightText\">生起</span>智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？\r\n\r\n如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能<span class=\"highlightText\">寄情</span>于来生呢？\r\n\r\n我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。\r\n\r\n也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI had a dream.\r\n\r\nI dreamed that I asked someone on the street: \"Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?\" \r\n\r\nEveryone refused me, and anxiously I begged someone else: \"Then, I\'ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!\" \r\n\r\nThose strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start. \r\n\r\nI sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights? \r\n\r\nWithout difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could express their feelings about the next life? \r\n\r\nI deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain. \r\n\r\nAnd I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn\'t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life\'s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan', 'You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-essay-thanking-lifes-challenges', '', '', '2020-05-18 20:23:57', '2020-05-19 00:23:57', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2325', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(2327, 1, '2020-05-21 00:00:26', '2020-05-21 04:00:26', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nDoesn\'t it seem like humankind has a collective memory of some prehistoric natural disaster built into our DNA? So many cultures have ancient myths about close calls with total destruction, be it Noah\'s Ark, or the story of Atlantis, or in China\'s case, \"Nvwa Mends the Heavens\" (女娲补天). \r\n\r\nThis ancient myth is old, very old. The goddess Nvwa is not really part of any modern Buddhist or Taoist pantheon, she appears to come from shamanistic folk legends that predate these religions. Early versions of this myth were included in texts from the Western Han (206 BC – 9 AD), so the story of Nvwa has been floating around for at least 2000 years. There are two main myths regarding Nvwa, our post today is one of them. In the other one, she creates human beings out of mud and clay. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nAs always, I\'ve highlighted the proper nouns. We\'ve got the water god Gonggong (共工), the fire god Zhurong (祝融), Buzhou Mountain (不周山), and the heroine of our tale, the goddess Nvwa (女娲).\r\n\r\nI didn\'t see anything in here that might trip up advanced readers, probably just new vocab, but there was one weird thing: the placement of the character 晨 seems a little weird to me. It means \"morning\", as in 早晨, but I\'m only 80% sure I translated its usage in this context correctly. If you have more insight, let me know in the comments. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>女娲补天</h4>\r\n传说当人类繁衍起来后，忽然水神<span class=\"highlightText\">共工</span>和火神<span class=\"highlightText\">祝融</span>打起仗来，他们从天上一直打到地下，闹得到处不宁，结果祝融打胜了，但败了的共工不服，一怒之下，把头撞向<span class=\"highlightText\">不周山</span>。\r\n\r\n不周山崩裂了，撑支天地之间的大柱断折了，天倒下了半边，出现了一个大窟窿，地也陷成一道道大裂纹，山林烧起了大火，洪水从地底下喷涌出来，龙蛇猛兽也出来吞食人民。\r\n\r\n人类面临着空前大灾难。<span class=\"highlightText\">女娲</span>目睹人类遭到如此奇祸，感到无比痛苦，于是决心补天，以终止这场灾难。她选用各种各样的五色石子，架起火将它们熔化成浆，用这种石浆将残缺的天窟窿填好，随后又斩下一只大龟的四脚，当作四根柱子把倒塌的半边天支起来。\r\n\r\n女娲还擒杀了残害人民的黑龙，刹住了龙蛇的嚣张气焰。最后为了堵住洪水不再漫流，女娲还收集了大量芦草，把它们烧成灰，埋塞向四处铺开的洪流。\r\n\r\n经过女娲一番辛劳整治，苍天总算补上了，地填平了，水止住了，龙蛇猛兽佥欠迹了，人民又重新过着安乐的生活。但是这场特大的灾祸毕竟留下了痕迹。从此天还是有些向西北倾斜，因此太阳、月亮和众星<span class=\"highlightText\">晨</span>都很自然地归向西方，又因为地向东南倾斜，所以一切江河都往那里汇流。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLegend has it that when humans had just begun to multiply [upon the earth], a great battle suddenly broke out between the water god Gonggong and the fire god Zhurong, disrupting tranquility in every quarter. In the end, Zhurong was victorious, but Gonggong would not accept his defeat, and in a fit of anger, smashed his head against Buzhou Mountain. \r\n\r\nBuzhou Mountain split apart, the giant pillars that held up the heavens were broken, and half of the sky caved in, leaving a large hole. Great cracks also appeared in the earth, the mountain forests went up in flame, floodwaters spurted forth from under the ground, and dragons and monsters came out and began devouring the people. \r\n\r\nMankind was facing an unprecedented catastrophe. When Nvwa witnessed the unexpected disaster that befell humanity, she was terribly agonized, and so she decided to patch up the sky, in order to put an end to the present calamity. She chose to use a selection of multi-colored stones, set a great fire to smelt them into a slurry, and used the smelted rock to paste over the hole in the firmament. Then she chopped the four feet off a giant tortoise, and used them as the four pillars to prop up half the heavens.\r\n\r\nNvwa also captured and slayed a great black dragon that was cruelly slaughtering human beings, putting a stop to the dragon\'s arrogance. Finally, in order to stem the floodwaters, Nvwa collected many reeds and grasses, burned them into ash, and stopped up the streams that were spreading in all directions. \r\n\r\nAfter Nvwa had toiled through the repairs, the sky was mended, the earth was even, the waters had been stopped, no trace remained of the dragons and monsters, and the people once again lived in peace and happiness. But of course, some vestiges of this huge calamity remained. From then on, the sky was slightly tilted to the northwest, and because of this the sun, moon and stars all naturally return to the west each morning, and also because the earth is tilted to the southeast, all of the rivers flow in that direction. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 女娲补天 - Nvwa Mends the Heavens', 'Doesn\'t it seem like humankind has a collective memory of some prehistoric natural disaster built into our DNA? So many cultures have ancient myths about close calls with total destruction, be it Noah\'s Ark, or the story of Atlantis, or in China\'s case, \"Nvwa Mends the Heavens\" (女娲补天). ', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-myths-fables-nvwa-mends-the-heavens', '', '', '2020-05-20 03:04:47', '2020-05-20 07:04:47', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2327', 0, 'post', '', 0),
(2326, 1, '2020-05-17 02:10:25', '2020-05-17 06:10:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nYou can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, this . \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\nhttp://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201211/12523.htm\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>感谢困难</h4>\r\n\r\n我做了一个梦。\r\n\r\n梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”\r\n\r\n所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”\r\n\r\n那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我因找不到愿意折磨我的人而惊醒。\r\n\r\n我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会生起智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？\r\n\r\n如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能寄情于来生呢？\r\n\r\n我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。\r\n\r\n也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI had a dream.\r\n\r\nI dreamed that I asked someone on the street: \"Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?\" \r\n\r\nEveryone refused me, and anxiously I begged them: \"Then, I\'ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!\" \r\n\r\nThose strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start. \r\n\r\nI sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights? \r\n\r\nWithout difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could feel wonder at the origins of life? \r\n\r\nI deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain. \r\n\r\nAnd I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn\'t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 感谢困难 - Thanking life\'s challenges', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2325-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 02:10:25', '2020-05-17 06:10:25', '', 2325, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2325-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2328, 1, '2020-05-17 10:12:22', '2020-05-17 14:12:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIntro\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>女娲补天</h4>\r\n\r\n传说当人类繁衍起来后，忽然水神共工和火神祝融打起仗来，他们从天上一直打到地下，闹得到处不宁，结果祝融打胜了，但败了的共工不服，一怒之下，把头撞向不周山。\r\n\r\n不周山崩裂了，撑支天地之间的大柱断折了，天倒下了半边，出现了一个大窟窿，地也陷成一道道大裂纹，山林烧起了大火，洪水从地底下喷涌出来，龙蛇猛兽也出来吞食人民。\r\n\r\n人类面临着空前大灾难。女娲目睹人类遭到如此奇祸，感到无比痛苦，于是决心补天，以终止这场灾难。她选用各种各样的五色石子，架起火将它们熔化成浆，用这种石浆将残缺的天窟窿填好，随后又斩下一只大龟的四脚，当作四根柱子把倒塌的半边天支起来。\r\n\r\n女娲还擒杀了残害人民的黑龙，刹住了龙蛇的嚣张气焰。最后为了堵住洪水不再漫流，女娲还收集了大量芦草，把它们烧成灰，埋塞向四处铺开的洪流。\r\n\r\n经过女娲一番辛劳整治，苍天总算补上了，地填平了，水止住了，龙蛇猛兽佥欠迹了，人民又重新过着安乐的生活。但是这场特大的灾祸毕竟留下了痕迹。从此天还是有些向西北倾斜，因此太阳、月亮和众星晨都很自然地归向西方，又因为地向东南倾斜，所以一切江河都往那里汇流。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 女娲补天 - Nvwa Mends the Heavens', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2327-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 10:12:22', '2020-05-17 14:12:22', '', 2327, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2327-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2329, 1, '2020-05-17 10:23:09', '2020-05-17 14:23:09', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nxxx\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\nhttps://www.51test.net/show/9307666.html\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\r\n\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到<span class=\"highlightText\">父亲这儿</span>。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，<span class=\"highlightText\">给我当个帮手</span>。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子不愿干活，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的活我全都忘记了。草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而恃才傲物，夜郎自大。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA college student came back from the city to [his] village, returning to where his father\'s place.\r\n\r\nHis father said, \"Today we\'re going to cut the grass, go get the rake, and be my helping hand.\" \r\n\r\nBut his son wasn\'t willing to do it, and he said, \"I studied science,  and forgot all about village work. What\'s kind of thing is a rake?\" \r\n\r\nHe had just walked into the yard, when he trod upon the rake with his foot, and the rake\'s handle suddenly hit him in the head. That\'s when he finally remembered was a rake was.\r\n\r\nPeople must not forget their roots, and moreover shouldn\'t be full of themselves just because they\'ve learned a few things. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2322-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 10:23:09', '2020-05-17 14:23:09', '', 2322, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2322-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2330, 1, '2020-05-17 10:39:39', '2020-05-17 14:39:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nMan, you could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. Make of it what you will. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.51test.net/show/9430844.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里<span class=\"highlightText\">有什么区别呢</span>?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 10:39:39', '2020-05-17 14:39:39', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2331, 1, '2020-05-22 00:00:53', '2020-05-22 04:00:53', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nOne picky little horse doesn\'t appreciate the food he is served, until he sees what everyone else is eating. Upper-beginner, bordering on intermediate, HSK 4.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nQuite a bit of the harder vocab in this piece revolves around eating. We\'ve got  津津有味 [pinyin]jin1 jin1 you3 wei4[/pinyin], to eat something with joyous relish, 啃 [pinyin]ken3[/pinyin], to gnaw on, 狼吞虎咽 [pinyin]lang2 tun1 hu3 yan4[/pinyin], to fiercely gobble something up, and 饥肠辘辘 [pinyin]ji1 chang2 lu4 lu4[/pinyin], to be so hungry one\'s stomach is rumbling. \r\n\r\n饥肠辘辘 is actually a pretty interesting phrase. 饥肠 means \"an empty stomach\", and 辘辘 is being used as an onomatopoeia, <em>lu lu</em> being the sound of one\'s stomach grumbling from hunger.  \r\n\r\n<strong>爱挑食</strong> [pinyin]ai4 tiao1 shi2[/pinyin] - Three different words here, 爱, to love, 挑, to be picky, and 食, food. The literal translation here is \"loves to be picky about food\". It bears pointing out that in this case, \"love\" does not really mean \"to have fondness for\", but rather, \"to do something often\". We use \"love\" this way in English as well, as in, \"You just love to start an argument, don\'t you?\"\r\n\r\n<strong>转一圈</strong> [pinyin]zhuan3 yi1 quan1[/pinyin] - 转 is \"to turn around\" and 一圈 is \"a circle\" or \"a loop\". That might sound like it means \"to spin around in a circle while standing in place\", but it doesn\'t. It means \"to make a circular pass through a place\" - imagine shopping at a farmer\'s market or something, you walk all around to the different stalls to see what everyone is selling. \r\n\r\n<strong>一幕</strong> [pinyin]yi1 mu4[/pinyin] - You\'ll notice my popup dictionary translates this as \"a curtain\", a \"screen\" or \"an act of a play\". A 幕 is indeed the measure word for \"an act of a play\", but this is being used figuratively, what it means here is \"scene\", as in, \"When my eyes came to rest upon that ugly scene...\" \r\n\r\n<strong>那儿</strong> [pinyin]na4 er[/pinyin] - Literally means \"there\", but when it comes after a noun, it means \"over where [noun] is\", or \"[noun\'s] place\". I just covered a similar usage of \"这儿\" in the <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/20/chinese-fable-the-learned-son/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">last beginner post</a>. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>最可口的食物</h4>\r\n\r\n在一个农场里养着很多动物。其中有一匹<span class=\"highlightText\">爱挑食</span>的小马，它总是不满意农场主给它的食物。于是它决定去转<span class=\"highlightText\">一圈</span>，看看别的动物们<span class=\"highlightText\">那儿</span>有什么好吃的。\r\n　　\r\n它很快就发现了几只鸡正在愉快地吃着什么，上前一看，是谷子，它尝了一口，却马上又吐了出来，“一点味没有，不好吃！”说着就走了。\r\n　　\r\n不久它又看到一只狗在<span class=\"highlightText\">津津有味</span>地<span class=\"highlightText\">啃</span>着骨头，还有一只猫一边唱着歌一边<span class=\"highlightText\">撕咬</span>着一条鱼。这些食物，它看了都害怕，那气味快使它呕吐。它赶紧走开了。\r\n　　\r\n走了好一会儿，小马有点渴了，它来到水塘边喝水。看到两只鸭子正在抢夺一条蚯蚓，蚯蚓被它们拉扯的又细又长，最后断成两截，两只鸭子<span class=\"highlightText\">狼吞虎咽</span>地吃下了各自的半截，又开始寻找起来。看到这残忍的<span class=\"highlightText\">一幕</span>，小马水也<span class=\"highlightText\">顾不上</span>喝就跑开了，“真恐怖！”它说。\r\n　　\r\n跑了<span class=\"highlightText\">一大圈</span>，它看到的动物吃的东西，都不合它的胃口，有的甚至还让它感得恶心。小马饥肠辘辘的回到马厩，才发现主人为它预备的草料，才是它最喜爱最可口的食物。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThere was a farm where many animals were raised. Among them was one little horse that was very picky about his food, he was always unsatisfied with what the farmer gave him to eat. So he decided to go walk around, to see what yummy things the other animals had to eat. \r\n　　\r\nHe quickly discovered a few chickens happily eating something, so he went over to look, it was grain, so he tried a mouthful, but he spit out, \"[This] has no flavor, it\'s gross!\", he said and left.　\r\n　　\r\nNot long after he saw a dog gnawing on a bone with relish, and a cat singing a song while tearing into a fish. Just looking at these foods frightened him, and the smell made him retch, so he quickly took his leave. 　\r\n　　\r\nAfter walking for a while, the little horse was a bit thirsty, so he went to the pond to drink some water. He saw two ducks fighting over an earthworm, they stretched the earthworm out long and thin, and finally broke it into two pieces, and the two ducks each gobbled down their piece, and started looking about [for another]. Seeing this cruel scene, the little horse couldn\'t even stand to drink any water and quickly ran away, \"Truly horrifying!\" he said. \r\n　　\r\nHe ran all around, and everything he saw the other animals eating didn\'t suit his own tastes, and some even disgusted him. He returned to his pen with his stomach rumbling, and found that the grass master had prepared for him to eat was his favorite delicious food after all.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 最可口的食物 - The most appetizing meal', 'One picky little horse doesn\'t appreciate the food he is served, until he sees what everyone else is eating. Upper-beginner, bordering on intermediate, HSK 4.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'chinese-childrens-story-most-appetizing-meal', '', '', '2020-05-21 19:55:31', '2020-05-21 23:55:31', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2331', 0, 'post', '', 3),
(2332, 1, '2020-05-17 11:52:31', '2020-05-17 15:52:31', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIntro\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://www.51test.net/show/9430844.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>最可口的食物</h4>\r\n\r\n　在一个农场里养着很多动物。其中有一匹爱挑食的小马，它总是不满意农场主给它的食物。于是它决定去转一圈，看看别的动物们那儿有什么好吃的。\r\n　　\r\n　　它很快就发现了几只鸡正在愉快地吃着什么，上前一看，是谷子，它尝了一口，却马上又吐了出来，“一点味没有，还扎嘴，不好吃！”说着就走了。\r\n　　\r\n　　不久它又看到一只狗在津津有味地啃着骨头，还有一只猫一边唱着歌一边撕咬着一条鱼。这些食物，它看了都害怕，那气味快使它呕吐。它赶紧走开了。\r\n　　\r\n　　走了好一会儿，小马有点渴了，它来到水塘边喝水。看到两只鸭子正在抢夺一条蚯蚓，蚯蚓被它们拉扯的又细又长，最后断成两截，两只鸭子狼吞虎咽地吃下了各自的半截，又开始寻找起来。看到这残忍的一幕，小马水也顾不上喝就跑开了，“真恐怖！”它说。\r\n　　\r\n　　跑了一大圈，它看到的动物吃的东西，都不合它的胃口，有的甚至还让它感得恶心。小马饥肠辘辘的回到马厩，才发现主人为它预备的草料，才是它最喜爱最可口的食物。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nTranslation\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 最可口的食物 - The most appetizing meal', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2331-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 11:52:31', '2020-05-17 15:52:31', '', 2331, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2331-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2333, 1, '2020-05-17 11:52:56', '2020-05-17 15:52:56', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIntro\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>最可口的食物</h4>\r\n\r\n　在一个农场里养着很多动物。其中有一匹爱挑食的小马，它总是不满意农场主给它的食物。于是它决定去转一圈，看看别的动物们那儿有什么好吃的。\r\n　　\r\n　　它很快就发现了几只鸡正在愉快地吃着什么，上前一看，是谷子，它尝了一口，却马上又吐了出来，“一点味没有，还扎嘴，不好吃！”说着就走了。\r\n　　\r\n　　不久它又看到一只狗在津津有味地啃着骨头，还有一只猫一边唱着歌一边撕咬着一条鱼。这些食物，它看了都害怕，那气味快使它呕吐。它赶紧走开了。\r\n　　\r\n　　走了好一会儿，小马有点渴了，它来到水塘边喝水。看到两只鸭子正在抢夺一条蚯蚓，蚯蚓被它们拉扯的又细又长，最后断成两截，两只鸭子狼吞虎咽地吃下了各自的半截，又开始寻找起来。看到这残忍的一幕，小马水也顾不上喝就跑开了，“真恐怖！”它说。\r\n　　\r\n　　跑了一大圈，它看到的动物吃的东西，都不合它的胃口，有的甚至还让它感得恶心。小马饥肠辘辘的回到马厩，才发现主人为它预备的草料，才是它最喜爱最可口的食物。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nTranslation\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 最可口的食物 - The most appetizing meal', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2331-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 11:52:56', '2020-05-17 15:52:56', '', 2331, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2331-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2334, 1, '2020-05-17 20:39:50', '2020-05-18 00:39:50', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. \r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last sentence is very long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which is this case means 比[pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 20:39:50', '2020-05-18 00:39:50', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2335, 1, '2020-05-17 20:40:46', '2020-05-18 00:40:46', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last sentence is very long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which is this case means 比[pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 20:40:46', '2020-05-18 00:40:46', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2336, 1, '2020-05-17 20:42:32', '2020-05-18 00:42:32', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last clause is a bit long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which is this case means 比[pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在翡翠宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 20:42:32', '2020-05-18 00:42:32', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2337, 1, '2020-05-27 21:59:29', '2020-05-28 01:59:29', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\n\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \n\n翡翠 [pinyin]fei3 cui4[/pinyin] - My translation software has this as \"jadeite\", but this can be both jade or emerald, and since I usually see \"jade\" translated as 玉 [pinyin]yu4,[/pinyin] I\'m going with \"emerald\" here.\n\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\n\n大 - Big\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\n我 - I\n飞 - fly\n都 - but even\n飞 - fly\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\n边 - the edge.\n\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \n\nFinally, the last clause is a bit long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which in this case means 比 [pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \n\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\n\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\n\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\n\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\n\n画眉沉默了。\n\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在<span class=\"highlightText\">翡翠</span>宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\n\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\n\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \n\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\n\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \n\nThe thrush was silent.\n\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\n\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\n\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-05-27 21:59:29', '2020-05-28 01:59:29', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2338, 1, '2020-05-17 20:47:26', '2020-05-18 00:47:26', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n翡翠 [pinyin]fei3 cui4[/pinyin] - My translation software has this as \"jadeite\", but this can be both jade or emerald, and since I usually see \"jade\" translated as 玉 [pinyin]yu4,[/pinyin] I\'m going with \"emerald\" here.\r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last clause is a bit long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which is this case means 比[pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在<span class=\"highlightText\">翡翠</span>宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-17 20:47:26', '2020-05-18 00:47:26', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/17/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2339, 1, '2020-05-18 00:18:06', '2020-05-18 04:18:06', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nA little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.\r\n\r\nYou could take a lot of lessons away from this story. Maybe it\'s trying to tell us that money is immaterial without friends and loved ones around us. Or maybe that God is fallible. Or that the grass is always greener. You read it, you decide. \r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin] - Usually, when we first start reading dialogues, we learn that \"说\" means \"said\", as in \"He said,\" (他说). There are actually a few different ways to say \"said\" in Chinese, three off the top of my head. 说 is the \"beginner\" way. At the intermediate level, this can become 说道 [pinyin]shuo1 dao4[/pinyin], or simply 道. In ancient Chinese, they often use 曰 [pinyin]yue1[/pinyin], which looks like 日 [pinyin]ri4[/pinyin], but if you look closely you\'ll see it\'s a little wider, and the line crossing it in the middle doesn\'t quite touch the right side of the character. In this piece, we\'ve got 说道 and a 问道 - don\'t let that \"道\" confuse you, it just means \"to say\". \r\n\r\n翡翠 [pinyin]fei3 cui4[/pinyin] - My translation software has this as \"jadeite\", but this can be both jade or emerald, and since I usually see \"jade\" translated as 玉 [pinyin]yu4,[/pinyin] I\'m going with \"emerald\" here.\r\n\r\n<strong>大得我飞都飞不到边</strong> [pinyin]da4 de wo3 fei1 dou1 fei1 bu dao4 bian1[/pinyin] - We\'ve also got one slightly rough sentence construction here. This clause is being used by the thrush to describe a house, let\'s break it down:\r\n\r\n大 - Big\r\n得 - To the extent that / to the point that\r\n我 - I\r\n飞 - fly\r\n都 - but even\r\n飞 - fly\r\n不到 - can\'t arrive at / can\'t reach\r\n边 - the edge.\r\n\r\nIn other words, the house is so big that even if the bird starts flying at one side of the house, he can fly and fly but still won\'t reach the other side. \r\n\r\nFinally, the last clause is a bit long, so here\'s a trick for figuring it out: find the 跟 [pinyin]gen1[/pinyin], which is this case means 比 [pinyin]bi3[/pinyin], a comparative word. Everything before 跟 is being compared to what\'s after it. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-1746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>天堂里的自由</h4>\r\n\r\n一只可爱的画眉被主人关在笼子里，上帝于是对画眉说：“跟我到天堂去生活吧。”\r\n\r\n“我现在生活的很好啊，为什么要去天堂呢?”画眉<span class=\"highlightText\">说道</span>。\r\n\r\n上帝反问道：“那你有自由吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉沉默了。\r\n\r\n画眉跟着上帝来到了天堂，上帝把它安排在<span class=\"highlightText\">翡翠</span>宫里住下，自己便去忙别的事情。\r\n\r\n过了很长一段时间，上帝突然想起了画眉，便去翡翠宫看它。他问画眉：“我亲爱的孩子，你现在过得还好吗?”\r\n\r\n画眉哀叹一声，说：“房子很漂亮，<span class=\"highlightText\">大得我飞都飞不到边</span>，可是我一个人孤零零地生活在这大房子里<span class=\"highlightText\">跟</span>住在笼子里有什么区别呢?”\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA cute little thrush was shut in a cage by its master, so God said to the thrush: \"Come and live with me in Heaven.\" \r\n\r\n\"My life is very good now, why should I go to heaven?\" the thrush said.\r\n\r\nGod answered, \"Well, do you have freedom?\" \r\n\r\nThe thrush was silent.\r\n\r\nThe thrush followed God to Heaven, and God arranged for it to settle down in an emerald palace, and then he went to deal with other matters.\r\n\r\nAfter a long time had passed, God suddenly thought of the thrush, and so he went to the emerald palace to see it. He asked the thrush: \"My dear child, are things going well now?\"\r\n\r\nThe thrush uttered a sorrowful sigh, and said: \"The house is beautiful, so big that [no matter how long] I fly I can\'t reach its edges, but how is living by myself alone in this big house any different than living in a cage?\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Fable: 天堂里的自由 - Freedom in Heaven', 'A little thrush (画眉 [pinyin]hua4 mei2[/pinyin]) trades one cage (笼子 [pinyin]long2 zi[/pinyin]) for a bigger one, and doesn\'t much like the upgrade. Suitable around HSK 3.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2320-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-18 00:18:06', '2020-05-18 04:18:06', '', 2320, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/2320-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2340, 1, '2020-05-18 20:21:39', '2020-05-19 00:21:39', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nYou can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. \r\n\r\nI threw up <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/07/chinese-essays-seed-of-a-butterfly-lin-qingxuan/\">another essay of his</a> about butterflies a couple weeks ago, and if you read both of them, you\'ll start to get a sense of Lin\'s style, his wide-eyed marveling, how he rejoices at every little thing. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>因... 而...</strong> [pinyin]yin1 ... er2 ...[/pinyin] - You\'ve probably already come across this sentence construction, but it bears pointing out: 因 in this case is 因为, \"because of ______\", and 而 is \"as a result ______\".\r\n\r\n<strong>生起</strong> [pinyin]sheng1 qi3[/pinyin] - You won\'t find this in the dictionary, and it\'s a little difficult because 生 has so many meanings. Depending on context, it can mean \"to give birth to\" as in (生孩子), or \"to grow\" (as in 生长), or \"be afflicted with\" a sickness (as in 生病), or it can just mean \"life\" (as in 生活). But in all of these definitions, there\'s a general sense of nothing expanding into something. So, if you understand 生起 that way, as an expansion or growth, the sentence will make sense.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201211/12523.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>感谢困难</h4>\r\n\r\n我做了一个梦。\r\n\r\n梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”\r\n\r\n所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”\r\n\r\n那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我<span class=\"highlightText\">因</span>找不到愿意折磨我的人<span class=\"highlightText\">而</span>惊醒。\r\n\r\n我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会<span class=\"highlightText\">生起</span>智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？\r\n\r\n如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能寄情于来生呢？\r\n\r\n我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。\r\n\r\n也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI had a dream.\r\n\r\nI dreamed that I asked someone on the street: \"Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?\" \r\n\r\nEveryone refused me, and anxiously I begged someone else: \"Then, I\'ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!\" \r\n\r\nThose strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start. \r\n\r\nI sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights? \r\n\r\nWithout difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could express their feelings about the next life? \r\n\r\nI deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain. \r\n\r\nAnd I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn\'t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life\'s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan', 'You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2325-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-18 20:21:39', '2020-05-19 00:21:39', '', 2325, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/2325-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2341, 1, '2020-05-18 20:31:04', '2020-05-19 00:31:04', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nYou can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄), about one of those things that most religions seem to be keen to teach us: that suffering is to be welcomed as a path to the divine. HSK 4-5. \n\nI threw up <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/07/chinese-essays-seed-of-a-butterfly-lin-qingxuan/\">another essay of his</a> about butterflies a couple weeks ago, and if you read both of them, you\'ll start to get a sense of Lin\'s style, his wide-eyed marveling, how he rejoices at every little thing. \n\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\n<strong>因... 而...</strong> [pinyin]yin1 ... er2 ...[/pinyin] - You\'ve probably already come across this sentence construction, but it bears pointing out: 因 in this case is 因为, \"because of ______\", and 而 is \"as a result ______\".\n\n<strong>生起</strong> [pinyin]sheng1 qi3[/pinyin] - You won\'t find this in the dictionary, and it\'s a little difficult because 生 has so many meanings. Depending on context, it can mean \"to give birth to\" as in (生孩子), or \"to grow\" (as in 生长), or \"be afflicted with\" a sickness (as in 生病), or it can just mean \"life\" (as in 生活). But in all of these definitions, there\'s a general sense of nothing expanding into something. So, if you understand 生起 that way, as an expansion or growth, the sentence will make sense.\n\n寄情 [pinyin]ji4 qing2[/pinyin] - This isn\'t in the pop-up dictionary, but this means \"to express one\'s feelings\" about something, usually in writing. \n\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201211/12523.htm\">Source here</a>\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>感谢困难</h4>\n\n我做了一个梦。\n\n梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”\n\n所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”\n\n那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我<span class=\"highlightText\">因</span>找不到愿意折磨我的人<span class=\"highlightText\">而</span>惊醒。\n\n我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会<span class=\"highlightText\">生起</span>智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？\n\n如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能<span class=\"highlightText\">寄情</span>于来生呢？\n\n我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。\n\n也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nI had a dream.\n\nI dreamed that I asked someone on the street: \"Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?\" \n\nEveryone refused me, and anxiously I begged someone else: \"Then, I\'ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!\" \n\nThose strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start. \n\nI sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights? \n\nWithout difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could express their feelings about the next life? \n\nI deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain. \n\nAnd I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn\'t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life\'s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan', 'You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2325-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-05-18 20:31:04', '2020-05-19 00:31:04', '', 2325, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/2325-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2342, 1, '2020-05-18 20:23:57', '2020-05-19 00:23:57', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nYou can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. \r\n\r\nI threw up <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/07/chinese-essays-seed-of-a-butterfly-lin-qingxuan/\">another essay of his</a> about butterflies a couple weeks ago, and if you read both of them, you\'ll start to get a sense of Lin\'s style, his wide-eyed marveling, how he rejoices at every little thing. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>因... 而...</strong> [pinyin]yin1 ... er2 ...[/pinyin] - You\'ve probably already come across this sentence construction, but it bears pointing out: 因 in this case is 因为, \"because of ______\", and 而 is \"as a result ______\".\r\n\r\n<strong>生起</strong> [pinyin]sheng1 qi3[/pinyin] - You won\'t find this in the dictionary, and it\'s a little difficult because 生 has so many meanings. Depending on context, it can mean \"to give birth to\" as in (生孩子), or \"to grow\" (as in 生长), or \"be afflicted with\" a sickness (as in 生病), or it can just mean \"life\" (as in 生活). But in all of these definitions, there\'s a general sense of nothing expanding into something. So, if you understand 生起 that way, as an expansion or growth, the sentence will make sense.\r\n\r\n寄情 [pinyin]ji4 qing2[/pinyin] - This isn\'t in the pop-up dictionary, but this means \"to express one\'s feelings\" about something, usually in writing. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rain8.com/article/class4/201211/12523.htm\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>感谢困难</h4>\r\n\r\n我做了一个梦。\r\n\r\n梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”\r\n\r\n所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”\r\n\r\n那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我<span class=\"highlightText\">因</span>找不到愿意折磨我的人<span class=\"highlightText\">而</span>惊醒。\r\n\r\n我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会<span class=\"highlightText\">生起</span>智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？\r\n\r\n如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能<span class=\"highlightText\">寄情</span>于来生呢？\r\n\r\n我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。\r\n\r\n也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nI had a dream.\r\n\r\nI dreamed that I asked someone on the street: \"Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?\" \r\n\r\nEveryone refused me, and anxiously I begged someone else: \"Then, I\'ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!\" \r\n\r\nThose strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start. \r\n\r\nI sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights? \r\n\r\nWithout difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could express their feelings about the next life? \r\n\r\nI deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain. \r\n\r\nAnd I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn\'t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life\'s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan', 'You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here\'s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2325-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-18 20:23:57', '2020-05-19 00:23:57', '', 2325, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/2325-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2343, 1, '2020-05-26 00:00:54', '2020-05-26 04:00:54', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments - positive, negative, or neutral - are not allowed, and will be deleted.\r\n\r\nThis song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The melody was adapted from an old farmer\'s folk song back in 1942, and became popular when Mao Zedong\'s (毛泽东) cult of personality was in full swing. This rousing anthem worships the glory of Chairman Mao (毛主席) - I\'m not actually sure \"rousing\" really covers how enthusiastic this song is, it kind of punches you in the eardrums with patriotic fervor. To be clear: this is not the official Chinese national anthem, but during the height of the Cultural Revolution it was kind of an unofficial national anthem, and most folks on mainland usually remember at least some of the lyrics. \r\n\r\nI often get requests from readers to add audio to my posts, and I can\'t do it because of time constraints, but since this was such a popular song, there are still lots of places you can listen to it. So, if you want to listen to the song with music and lyrics, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GndAiU2qoDI\">you can check it out here</a> (and if that link breaks in the future, just look up 东方红 on Youtube, there are lots of vids). \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nI had an impossible time trying to find actual beginner-level reading on Communism. Even the children\'s stories are pretty hard. To read this smoothly without looking anything up, you\'d have to be an advanced reader. But this song is great for HSK 3-4 readers who are willing to put in a bit of effort, because it\'s a good overview of all the entry-level Communist vocab, the lyrics are very repetitive and bite-sized, and there are enough beginner-level words here to point you in the right direction, so with some study, you can get this. However, because there\'s a lot to parse, I\'m going to do a lot of explaining.\r\n\r\nFirst, some critical Communist-themed vocab: \r\n \r\n<strong>毛泽东</strong> [pinyin]mao2 ze2 dong1[/pinyin] - Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China, who died in 1976\r\n\r\n<strong>毛主席</strong> [pinyin]mao2 zhu3 xi2[/pinyin] - Chairman Mao, Mao Zedong\'s official title\r\n\r\n<strong>大救星</strong> [pinyin]da4 jiu4 xing1[/pinyin] - You can probably figure out the general idea here by looking at each character individually. 大 is \"big\" or \"great\", 救 is \"to rescue\", and 星 is \"star\". All together, this means \"great savior\", one of the many worshipful terms used to describe Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution.\r\n\r\n<strong>共产党</strong> [pinyin]gong4 chan3 dang3[/pinyin] - The Communist Party (CCP)\r\n\r\n<strong>人民</strong> [pinyin]ren2 min2[/pinyin] - The People. This is used in almost every line of this song, so I won\'t highlight every instance. \r\n\r\n<strong>解放</strong> [pinyin]jie3 fang4[/pinyin] - Liberation\r\n\r\nThen, some grammatical points of order:\r\n\r\n<strong>了</strong> [pinyin]le / liao3[/pinyin] - If you listen to the audio, you\'ll notice that the singers pronounce 了 as <em>liao</em>, rather than <em>le</em>. This is just a colloquial pronunciation thing, the meaning of this grammar word has not changed.\r\n\r\n<strong>出了</strong> [pinyin]chu1 le / liao3[/pinyin] - Grammatically speaking, the most difficult part of these lyrics for me is translating 出了, because it\'s a little abstract. The full lyric is 中国出了个毛泽东, which I\'ll break down here:\r\n\r\n中国 - China\r\n出了 - ???\r\n个 - A / one\r\n毛泽东 - Mao Zedong\r\n\r\nWe know that 出 means \"to go out\", \"to issue forth\". It\'s present in the word 出生 [pinyin]chu1 sheng1[/pinyin], \"to be born\", and also present in the word 出现 [pinyin]chu1 xian4[/pinyin], \"to appear\". So, this lyric means something like \"Mao Zedong appeared in China\", or \"China gave birth to one Mao Zedong\", or \"Mao Zedong comes from China\". None of those translations feel exactly right, but you get the point.   \r\n\r\n<strong>为</strong> [pinyin]wei4[/pinyin] - Another tricky grammar point here is the use of 为. We see this being used in two ways, once just by itself, and once as 为了. These two uses have different definitions. When 为 is by itself before a noun, it means \"for (noun)\". As in \"for the people\". When it is 为了, before a verb, it means \"in order to (do something)\". \r\n\r\n<strong>得</strong> [pinyin]de2[/pinyin] - The definition of 得 being used here is \"to receive\". \r\n\r\n<strong>呼儿嗨哟</strong> [pinyin]hu1 er hei1 yo1[/pinyin] - Don\'t get tripped up on this, these aren\'t real words. These are just sounds that round out the song, as in the \"ooooh\" or \"la la la\", that you might hear in English songs. You might best translate this as \"Hurrah!\", a sound that expresses joy and victory.\r\n\r\nAlright, ready? Let\'s do this.\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>东方红</h4>\r\n东方红,太阳升 \r\n中国<span class=\"highlightText\">出了</span>个<span class=\"highlightText\">毛泽东</span>\r\n他<span class=\"highlightText\">为</span>人民谋幸福\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n他是人民<span class=\"highlightText\">大救星</span>\r\n他<span class=\"highlightText\">为</span>人民谋幸福\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n他是人民<span class=\"highlightText\">大救星</span>\r\n\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">毛主席</span>爱人民 \r\n他是我们的带路人\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">为了</span>建设新中国 \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n领导我们向前进 \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">为了</span>建设新中国\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span> \r\n领导我们向前进\r\n\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">共产党</span>像太阳 \r\n照到哪里,那里亮\r\n哪里有了<span class=\"highlightText\">共产党</span>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n那里人民<span class=\"highlightText\">得</span><span class=\"highlightText\">解放</span>\r\n哪里有了<span class=\"highlightText\">共产党</span>\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n那里人民<span class=\"highlightText\">得</span><span class=\"highlightText\">解放</span>\r\n\r\n东方红,太阳升 \r\n中国<span class=\"highlightText\">出了</span>个<span class=\"highlightText\">毛泽东</span>\r\n他<span class=\"highlightText\">为</span>人民谋幸福\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n他是人民<span class=\"highlightText\">大救星</span>\r\n他<span class=\"highlightText\">为</span>人民谋幸福\r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">呼儿嗨哟</span>\r\n他是人民<span class=\"highlightText\">大救星</span> \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">大救星</span>\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe East is Red, the sun is rising\r\nMao Zedong appeared in China\r\nHe is working for the People\'s prosperity\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe is the People\'s great savior \r\nHe is working for the People\'s prosperity\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe is the People\'s great savior \r\n\r\nChairman Mao loves the People\r\nHe is our guide\r\nIn order to build New China\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\nIn order to build New China\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\n\r\nThe Communist Party is like the sun\r\nWherever it shines, there is light\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\nHurrah!\r\nThe People there receive liberation\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\nHurrah!\r\nThe People there receive liberation\r\n\r\nThe east is red, the sun is rising\r\nMao Zedong appeared in China\r\nHe is working for the People\'s prosperity\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe is the People\'s great savior\r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\nHurrah!\r\nHe is the People\'s great savior\r\nGreat savior\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist songs: 《东方红》- The East is Red', 'This song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The melody was adapted from an old farmer\'s folk song back in 1942, and became popular when Mao Zedong\'s (毛泽东) cult of personality was in full swing.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'communist-songs-the-east-is-red', '', '', '2020-05-24 22:47:26', '2020-05-25 02:47:26', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2343', 0, 'post', '', 5),
(2344, 1, '2020-05-19 02:07:03', '2020-05-19 06:07:03', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nHad a complaint a few days ago that my fable about pretty birds was too political, so I figured I\'d give ya\'ll something solid to complain about. Break out your Little Red Books, it\'s Communist history week at CRP. \r\n\r\nThis song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution, published in YEAR when Mao Zedong\'s cult of personality was in full swing. This rousing anthem worships the glory of Chairman Mao, with over-the-top . To be clear: this is not the Chinese national anthem, but it was almost as popular back when it was released, and most folks on mainland usually remember at least some of the lyrics. If you want to listen to the song with music and lyrics, you can check it out here.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>东方红</h4>\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星\r\n\r\n毛主席爱人民 \r\n他是我们的带路人\r\n为了建设新中国 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n领导我们向前进 \r\n为了建设新中国\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n领导我们向前进\r\n\r\n共产党像太阳 \r\n照到那里那里亮\r\n哪里有了共产党 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n那里人民得解放 \r\n哪里有了共产党\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n那里人民得解放\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe East is Red, the sun is rising\r\nChina GAVE BIRTH to Mao Zedong\r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\n\r\nChairman Mao loves the people\r\nHe is our guide\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\n\r\nThe Communist Party is like the sun\r\nWherever it shines, there is light\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist songs: 《东方红》- The East is Red', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2343-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 02:07:03', '2020-05-19 06:07:03', '', 2343, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2343-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2345, 1, '2020-05-19 03:23:09', '2020-05-19 07:23:09', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nHad a complaint a few days ago that my fable about pretty birds was too political, so I figured I\'d give ya\'ll something more exciting to complain about. Break out your Little Red Books, it\'s Communist history week at CRP. \r\n\r\nThis song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution, published in YEAR when Mao Zedong\'s cult of personality was in full swing. This rousing anthem worships the glory of Chairman Mao, with over-the-top . To be clear: this is not the Chinese national anthem, but it was almost as popular back when it was released, and most folks on mainland usually remember at least some of the lyrics. If you want to listen to the song with music and lyrics, you can check it out here.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>东方红</h4>\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星\r\n\r\n毛主席爱人民 \r\n他是我们的带路人\r\n为了建设新中国 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n领导我们向前进 \r\n为了建设新中国\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n领导我们向前进\r\n\r\n共产党像太阳 \r\n照到那里那里亮\r\n哪里有了共产党 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n那里人民得解放 \r\n哪里有了共产党\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n那里人民得解放\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe East is Red, the sun is rising\r\nChina GAVE BIRTH to Mao Zedong\r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\n\r\nChairman Mao loves the people\r\nHe is our guide\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\n\r\nThe Communist Party is like the sun\r\nWherever it shines, there is light\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist songs: 《东方红》- The East is Red', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2343-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 03:23:09', '2020-05-19 07:23:09', '', 2343, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2343-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2371, 1, '2020-05-22 22:40:44', '2020-05-23 02:40:44', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution, published in YEAR when Mao Zedong\'s cult of personality was in full swing. This rousing anthem worships the glory of Chairman Mao, with over-the-top . To be clear: this is not the Chinese national anthem, but it was almost as popular back when it was released, and most folks on mainland usually remember at least some of the lyrics. If you want to listen to the song with music and lyrics, you can check it out here.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>东方红</h4>\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星\r\n\r\n毛主席爱人民 \r\n他是我们的带路人\r\n为了建设新中国 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n领导我们向前进 \r\n为了建设新中国\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n领导我们向前进\r\n\r\n共产党像太阳 \r\n照到那里那里亮\r\n哪里有了共产党 \r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n那里人民得解放 \r\n哪里有了共产党\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n那里人民得解放\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe East is Red, the sun is rising\r\nChina GAVE BIRTH to Mao Zedong\r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\nHe is working for the people\'s prosperity\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe is the People\'s great emancipator \r\n\r\nChairman Mao loves the people\r\nHe is our guide\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\nIn order to build New China\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nHe leads us towards advancement\r\n\r\nThe Communist Party is like the sun\r\nWherever it shines, there is light\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\nWherever the Communist Party goes\r\n<em>Hu er hei yo</em>\r\nThe people there receive liberation\r\n\r\n东方红太阳升 \r\n中国出了个毛泽东\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟\r\n他是人民大救星\r\n他为人民谋幸福\r\n呼儿嗨哟 \r\n他是人民大救星 \r\n大救星\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist songs: 《东方红》- The East is Red', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2343-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-22 22:40:44', '2020-05-23 02:40:44', '', 2343, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/22/2343-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2346, 1, '2020-05-19 23:14:11', '2020-05-20 03:14:11', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n父亲这儿 [pinyin]fu2 qin1 zhe4 er[/pinyin] - 父亲, as we know, means \"father\", and \"这儿\" usually means \"here\". But this phrase does not mean \"father is here\". In this case, 这儿 is colloquial Chinese meaning \"place\". So, 父亲这儿 means \"father\'s place\" - most often, \"place\" refers to someone\'s house, but it can also mean \"hometown\", or simply \"where someone is\". \r\n\r\n给我当个帮手 [pinyin]gei3 wo3 dang1 ge bang1 shou3[/pinyin] - You can probably figure this one out for yourself if you break down the meaning of each character: \r\n\r\n给 - Give\r\n我 - me\r\n当 - be / act as\r\n个 - a\r\n帮手 - helping hand\r\n\r\nThe difficulty here lies in the fact that both 给 and 当 are used simultaneously, since in English, we\'d only either say \"give me a helping hand\", or \"be my helping hand\", not \"give me be a helping hand\". But we can probably parse this a little better if we understand the definition of 给 not as \"give\", but as \"for\". In that case, the sentence becomes \"be a helping hand for me\". And that makes more sense.\r\n\r\n干活 [pinyin]gan1 huo2[/pinyin] - Beginners usually first see the character 活 in the word 生活, \"life\". But 活 in this case means \"labor\". So 干活 is \"to do labor\", usually labor done with the hands. It\'s also sometimes used derogatorily to describe mindless busywork, as in \"This isn\'t a career, it\'s just 干活.\" \r\n\r\nFinally, we\'ve got two idioms at the very end. Those are:\r\n\r\n恃才傲物 [pinyin]shi4 cai2 ao4 wu4[/pinyin] - To be conceited and contemptuous.\r\n\r\n夜郎自大 [pinyin]ye4 lang2 zi4 da4[/pinyin] - I\'ve actually got a whole post on this idiom <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/11/01/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here</a>, if you\'d like to dig deeper， but in essence, it means \"to think too highly of oneself\".  \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\r\n\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到<span class=\"highlightText\">父亲这儿</span>。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，<span class=\"highlightText\">给我当个帮手</span>。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子不愿<span class=\"highlightText\">干活</span>，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的<span class=\"highlightText\">活</span>我全都忘记了。草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而<span class=\"highlightText\">恃才傲物</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">夜郎自大</span>。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA college student came back from the city to [his] village, returning to his father\'s place.\r\n\r\nHis father said, \"Today we\'re going to cut the grass, go get the rake, and be my helping hand.\" \r\n\r\nBut his son wasn\'t willing to do the work, and he said, \"I studied science, and I\'ve forgotten all [the particulars of] village work. What kind of thing is a rake?\" \r\n\r\n[The son] had just walked into the yard, when he trod upon the rake with his foot, and the rake\'s handle suddenly [sprung up and] hit him in the head. That\'s when he finally remembered was a rake was.\r\n\r\nPeople must not forget their roots, and moreover [they] shouldn\'t be full of themselves just because they\'ve learned a few things. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', 'In this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2322-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:14:11', '2020-05-20 03:14:11', '', 2322, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2322-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2347, 1, '2020-05-19 23:17:48', '2020-05-20 03:17:48', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\nIn this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.\n\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\n<strong>父亲这儿</strong> [pinyin]fu4 qin zhe4 er[/pinyin] - 父亲, as we know, means \"father\", and \"这儿\" usually means \"here\". But this phrase does not mean \"father is here\". In this case, 这儿 is colloquial Chinese meaning \"place\". So, 父亲这儿 means \"father\'s place\" - most often, \"place\" refers to someone\'s house, but it can also mean \"hometown\", or simply \"where someone is\". \n\n<strong>给我当个帮手</strong> [pinyin]gei3 wo3 dang1 ge bang1 shou3[/pinyin] - You can probably figure this one out for yourself if you break down the meaning of each character: \n\n给 - Give\n我 - me\n当 - be / act as\n个 - a\n帮手 - helping hand\n\nThe difficulty here lies in the fact that both 给 and 当 are used simultaneously, since in English, we\'d only either say \"give me a helping hand\", or \"be my helping hand\", not \"give me be a helping hand\". But we can probably parse this a little better if we understand the definition of 给 not as \"give\", but as \"for\". In that case, the sentence becomes \"be a helping hand for me\". And that makes more sense.\n\n<strong>干活</strong> [pinyin]gan1 huo2[/pinyin] - Beginners usually first see the character 活 in the word 生活, \"life\". But 活 in this case means \"labor\". So 干活 is \"to do labor\", usually labor done with the hands. It\'s also sometimes used derogatorily to describe mindless busywork, as in \"This isn\'t a career, it\'s just 干活.\" \n\nFinally, we\'ve got two idioms at the very end. Those are:\n\n恃才傲物 [pinyin]shi4 cai2 ao4 wu4[/pinyin] - To be conceited and contemptuous.\n\n夜郎自大 [pinyin]ye4 lang2 zi4 da4[/pinyin] - I\'ve actually got a whole post on this idiom <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/11/01/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here</a>, if you\'d like to dig deeper， but in essence, it means \"to think too highly of oneself\".  \n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\n\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到<span class=\"highlightText\">父亲这儿</span>。\n\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，<span class=\"highlightText\">给我当个帮手</span>。”\n\n可是儿子不愿<span class=\"highlightText\">干活</span>，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的<span class=\"highlightText\">活</span>我全都忘记了。草耙是什么样的东西?”\n\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\n\n做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而<span class=\"highlightText\">恃才傲物</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">夜郎自大</span>。\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nA college student came back from the city to [his] village, returning to his father\'s place.\n\nHis father said, \"Today we\'re going to cut the grass, go get the rake, and be my helping hand.\" \n\nBut his son wasn\'t willing to do the work, and he said, \"I studied science, and I\'ve forgotten all [the particulars of] village work. What kind of thing is a rake?\" \n\n[The son] had just walked into the yard, when he trod upon the rake with his foot, and the rake\'s handle suddenly [sprung up and] hit him in the head. That\'s when he finally remembered was a rake was.\n\nPeople must not forget their roots, and moreover [they] shouldn\'t be full of themselves just because they\'ve learned a few things. \n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', 'In this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2322-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:17:48', '2020-05-20 03:17:48', '', 2322, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2322-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2348, 1, '2020-05-19 23:18:05', '2020-05-20 03:18:05', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nIn this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n<strong>父亲这儿</strong> [pinyin]fu4 qin zhe4 er[/pinyin] - 父亲, as we know, means \"father\", and \"这儿\" usually means \"here\". But this phrase does not mean \"father is here\". In this case, 这儿 is colloquial Chinese meaning \"place\". So, 父亲这儿 means \"father\'s place\" - most often, \"place\" refers to someone\'s house, but it can also mean \"hometown\", or simply \"where someone is\". \r\n\r\n<strong>给我当个帮手</strong> [pinyin]gei3 wo3 dang1 ge bang1 shou3[/pinyin] - You can probably figure this one out for yourself if you break down the meaning of each character: \r\n\r\n给 - Give\r\n我 - me\r\n当 - be / act as\r\n个 - a\r\n帮手 - helping hand\r\n\r\nThe difficulty here lies in the fact that both 给 and 当 are used simultaneously, since in English, we\'d only either say \"give me a helping hand\", or \"be my helping hand\", not \"give me be a helping hand\". But we can probably parse this a little better if we understand the definition of 给 not as \"give\", but as \"for\". In that case, the sentence becomes \"be a helping hand for me\". And that makes more sense.\r\n\r\n<strong>干活</strong> [pinyin]gan4 huo2[/pinyin] - Beginners usually first see the character 活 in the word 生活, \"life\". But 活 in this case means \"labor\". So 干活 is \"to do labor\", usually labor done with the hands. It\'s also sometimes used derogatorily to describe mindless busywork, as in \"This isn\'t a career, it\'s just 干活.\" \r\n\r\nFinally, we\'ve got two idioms at the very end. Those are:\r\n\r\n恃才傲物 [pinyin]shi4 cai2 ao4 wu4[/pinyin] - To be conceited and contemptuous.\r\n\r\n夜郎自大 [pinyin]ye4 lang2 zi4 da4[/pinyin] - I\'ve actually got a whole post on this idiom <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2012/11/01/story-behind-the-idiom-yelang-zi-da/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here</a>, if you\'d like to dig deeper， but in essence, it means \"to think too highly of oneself\".  \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>有学问的儿子</h4>\r\n\r\n上大学的儿子从城里回到农村，回到<span class=\"highlightText\">父亲这儿</span>。\r\n\r\n父亲说：“今天你和我一起去割草，你去拿草耙，<span class=\"highlightText\">给我当个帮手</span>。”\r\n\r\n可是儿子不愿<span class=\"highlightText\">干活</span>，他说：“我学的是科学，乡下人的<span class=\"highlightText\">活</span>我全都忘记了。草耙是什么样的东西?”\r\n\r\n他刚刚走进院子，就一脚踩在草耙上，草耙的把儿一下子打在他的脑门上。这时他终于想起了什么是草耙。\r\n\r\n做人不能忘本，更不能因为学了一点本事而<span class=\"highlightText\">恃才傲物</span>，<span class=\"highlightText\">夜郎自大</span>。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nA college student came back from the city to [his] village, returning to his father\'s place.\r\n\r\nHis father said, \"Today we\'re going to cut the grass, go get the rake, and be my helping hand.\" \r\n\r\nBut his son wasn\'t willing to do the work, and he said, \"I studied science, and I\'ve forgotten all [the particulars of] village work. What kind of thing is a rake?\" \r\n\r\n[The son] had just walked into the yard, when he trod upon the rake with his foot, and the rake\'s handle suddenly [sprung up and] hit him in the head. That\'s when he finally remembered was a rake was.\r\n\r\nPeople must not forget their roots, and moreover [they] shouldn\'t be full of themselves just because they\'ve learned a few things. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 有学问的儿子 - The Learned Son', 'In this short story, a garden rake (草耙 - [pinyin]cao3 pa2[/pinyin]) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2322-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:18:05', '2020-05-20 03:18:05', '', 2322, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2322-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2350, 1, '2020-05-25 00:00:33', '2020-05-25 04:00:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\nHad a complaint a few days ago that my <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/chinese-childrens-fable-freedom-in-heaven/\">fable about a pretty bird</a> was too political, so I figured I\'d give ya\'ll something more exciting to complain about. Break out your Little Red Books, it\'s Communism Week at CRP. \r\n\r\nBecause Chinese Communism is an increasingly touchy international topic, a quick note: I am putting up these stories because they are historically, academically and linguistically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. To maintain a pleasant, learning-focused environment, I don\'t allow political comments here. If you express your political opinions in the comments - positive, negative, or neutral - I will delete them. \r\n\r\nRight, so <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng\">Lei Feng</a> (雷锋) was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the personification of Mao Zedong Thought and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. He was held up by the Party propaganda machine as a person to emulate, someone with a perfect moral character and devotion to the socialist cause, so much so that children were encouraged to foster \"Lei Feng Spirit\" (雷锋精神).\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-history-stories-folk-tales-lei-feng.jpeg\" alt=\"Learn Chinese Reading Intermediate Chinese Reader Lei Feng Vintage Communist Stories\" width=\"268\" height=\"348\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2427\" />\r\n\r\nIn this post, I translate one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of a classic Lei Feng tale: over-the-top selflessness towards the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\nIf this is your first foray into Communist-themed reading, you\'ll learn a few new words that are common to writing from the 1940s-1970s: \r\n\r\n单位 [pinyin]dan1 wei4[/pinyin] - work unit\r\n解放军 [pinyin]jie3 fang4 jun1[/pinyin] - [People\'s] Liberation Army (PLA) \r\n同志 [pinyin]tong2 zhi4[/pinyin] - comrade \r\n毛主席 [pinyin]mao2 zhu3 xi2[/pinyin] - Chairman Mao\r\n党 [pinyin]dang3[/pinyin] - short for \"共产党\", the Party / the Communist Party.  \r\n\r\nThere are also a few names of places: Shenyang (沈阳), Liaoning (辽宁) and Jilin (吉林) - all places within northeastern China. \r\n\r\nThis post centers around good deeds that Lei Feng did while traveling around the northeast on army business. I had a little bit of trouble translating some of the travel-related sentences, because the way people talk about travel in Chinese is slightly different than the way we do in English. For one thing, if someone is traveling within China, the phrase 去外地 [pinyin]qu4 wai4 di4[/pinyin] is used. At first glance, \"去外地\" just means \"to go other places\", but this is specifically used to mean \"other places within China\", not \"other countries\". Trips outside of China are usually described as 去国外 or 去外国. Also, pay attention to the word 出差 [pinyin]chu1 chai1[/pinyin]. This specially means \"to travel on business\", as opposed to traveling for pleasure.\r\n\r\n<strong>想都没想</strong> [pinyin]xiang3 dou1 mei3 xiang3[/pinyin] - Phrase means \"without even thinking about it\" or \"without a second thought\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在<span class=\"highlightText\">沈阳</span>车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从<span class=\"highlightText\">辽宁</span>去<span class=\"highlightText\">吉林</span>看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个<span class=\"highlightText\">单位</span>的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫<span class=\"highlightText\">解放军</span>，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去<span class=\"highlightText\">沈阳</span>。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋<span class=\"highlightText\">想都没想</span>，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“<span class=\"highlightText\">同志</span>，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>和<span class=\"highlightText\">毛主席</span>啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>给的，光荣应该归于<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>，归于热情帮助我的<span class=\"highlightText\">同志</span>，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBeginning in 1961, Lei Feng was often invited to go to other cities to make reports, and [since] he had many opportunities to travel on business, he also had many opportunities to serve the people.   \r\n\r\nPeople often said [of him]: \"When Lei Feng travels for business, [he rides there] on a train of good deeds.\" \r\n\r\nOne time, [while] Lei Feng was out and about, he was changing trains at Shenyang station, and when he was at the ticket booth, he saw a group of people standing around a middle-aged woman who was carrying a small child on her back. Turns out this woman was going from Liaoning to Jilin to see her husband, and accidentally lost her ticket and her wallet, so Lei Feng quickly used his own allowance to buy a ticket to Jilin and pressed it into the woman\'s [lit: \"elder sister\'s\"] hand. Her eyes brimming with tears the woman [lit: elder sister] said: \"Little Brother, What is your name? Where do you live? What is your work unit?\" \r\n\r\nLei Feng answered: \"My name is Liberation Army, and China is my home.\" \r\n\r\nOne day in May, Lei Feng braved the rain to go to Shenyang. In order to catch the early train, he woke up at 5:00 A.M., took some dry steamed buns, put on his rain gear and set out upon the road. On the road, Lei Feng saw a woman carrying a small child on her back, and leading another little girl by the hand, and [she was] struggling towards the train station. Lei Feng didn\'t give it a second thought, he took off his own rain gear and draped it over the woman\'s body, picked up the little girl and accompanied them to the station. On the train, Lei Feng saw the little girl shivering from cold, so he took off the shirt on his back and gave it to her to wear. Lei Feng guessed that they hadn\'t eaten breakfast, so he took out the buns he had brought and gave them to the women. When the train reached Shenyang, it was still raining, and Lei Feng took the women to their home. \r\n\r\nThe women gratefully said: \"Comrade, how can I ever thank you?\" \r\n\r\nLei Feng said, \"You don\'t have to thank me, you should thank the Party and Chairman Mao!\"\r\n\r\nIn his diary, he wrote the following: \"Everything I have was given to me by the Party, and all glory should belong to the Party, should belong to those comrades who enthusiastically helped me. As for the work I\'ve done, it isn\'t very much, my tiny contributions don\'t measure up to what I need and hope [to give]....\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', 'It\'s Communism Week at CRP! I\'m kicking off with some classic stories about the good deeds of Communist folk hero Lei Feng, the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. HSK 4-5.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'communist-folk-tales-the-good-deeds-of-lei-feng', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:49:40', '2020-05-27 03:49:40', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2350', 0, 'post', '', 1),
(2351, 1, '2020-05-19 23:50:22', '2020-05-20 03:50:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\nLei Feng was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the living, breathing epitome of Mao Zedong Thought, and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. \r\n\r\nThis is just one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of Lei Feng: selflessly helping the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2350-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:50:22', '2020-05-20 03:50:22', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2350-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2352, 1, '2020-05-19 23:52:25', '2020-05-20 03:52:25', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng\">Lei Feng</a> was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the living, breathing epitome of Mao Zedong Thought, and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. He was held up by the Party propaganda machine as a person to emulate, someone with a perfect moral character and devotion to the socialist cause.\r\n\r\nIn this post, I translate one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of Lei Feng: over-the-top selflessness towards the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2350-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:52:25', '2020-05-20 03:52:25', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2350-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2373, 1, '2020-05-22 23:00:51', '2020-05-23 03:00:51', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\nHad a complaint a few days ago that my fable about pretty birds was too political, so I figured I\'d give ya\'ll something more exciting to complain about. Break out your Little Red Books, it\'s Communist Week at CRP. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng\">Lei Feng</a> was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the personification of Mao Zedong Thought and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. He was held up by the Party propaganda machine as a person to emulate, someone with a perfect moral character and devotion to the socialist cause, so much so that children were encouraged to foster \"Lei Feng Spirit\" (雷锋精神).\r\n\r\nIn this post, I translate one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of a classic Lei Feng tale: over-the-top selflessness towards the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2350-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-22 23:00:51', '2020-05-23 03:00:51', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/22/2350-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2353, 1, '2020-05-19 23:57:49', '2020-05-20 03:57:49', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communist History Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of CCP propaganda, and selected writings from China\'s old-school Communist heyday (1949-1976).</p> \r\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng\">Lei Feng</a> was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the personification of Mao Zedong Thought and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. He was held up by the Party propaganda machine as a person to emulate, someone with a perfect moral character and devotion to the socialist cause, so much so that children were encouraged to foster \"Lei Feng Spirit\" (雷锋精神).\r\n\r\nIn this post, I translate one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of a classic Lei Feng tale: over-the-top selflessness towards the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在沈阳车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从辽宁去吉林看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个单位的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫解放军，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去沈阳。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋想都没想，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“同志，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢党和毛主席啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是党给的，光荣应该归于党，归于热情帮助我的同志，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2350-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-19 23:57:49', '2020-05-20 03:57:49', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/19/2350-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2354, 1, '2020-05-27 00:00:40', '2020-05-27 04:00:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we do not say this lightly.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, even if we aren\'t unified in 100 years, we will be unified within 1000 years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', 'In June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past.', 'publish', 'open', 'open', '', 'political-speech-deng-xiaoping-addresses-the-hong-kong-handover-in-1984', '', '', '2020-05-28 09:42:10', '2020-05-28 13:42:10', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2354', 0, 'post', '', 8),
(2355, 1, '2020-05-20 01:26:33', '2020-05-20 05:26:33', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. Hcredited as the main for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to re-integrate Hong Kong when .  \r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, outlining China\'s views on the \"One Country, Two Systems\" policy - the experimental idea that different political systems could concurrently be implemented under one government. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words are a fascinating look into the past.\r\n\r\nBecause Hong Kong is such an incredibly sensitive topic, I feel the need to make some caveats here: I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, <em>not because I am promoting any political viewpoint</em>. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section, I will delete it, whether it\'s angry, patriotic, or neutral. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港特区政府派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n　　我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，全国人民代表大会已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n　　我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n　　“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n　　要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。目前中英谈判的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是国务院总理在第六届全国人民代表大会第二次会议的政府工作报告中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n　　港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n　　到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\n\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:26:33', '2020-05-20 05:26:33', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/20/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2356, 1, '2020-05-20 01:31:59', '2020-05-20 05:31:59', '', 'Politics & Communism', '', 'publish', 'closed', 'closed', '', 'politics', '', '', '2020-05-20 01:32:58', '2020-05-20 05:32:58', '', 0, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/?p=2356', 15, 'nav_menu_item', '', 0),
(2358, 1, '2020-05-20 03:04:47', '2020-05-20 07:04:47', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nDoesn\'t it seem like humankind has a collective memory of some prehistoric natural disaster built into our DNA? So many cultures have ancient myths about close calls with total destruction, be it Noah\'s Ark, or the story of Atlantis, or in China\'s case, \"Nvwa Mends the Heavens\" (女娲补天). \r\n\r\nThis ancient myth is old, very old. The goddess Nvwa is not really part of any modern Buddhist or Taoist pantheon, she appears to come from shamanistic folk legends that predate these religions. Early versions of this myth were included in texts from the Western Han (206 BC – 9 AD), so the story of Nvwa has been floating around for at least 2000 years. There are two main myths regarding Nvwa, our post today is one of them. In the other one, she creates human beings out of mud and clay. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nAs always, I\'ve highlighted the proper nouns. We\'ve got the water god Gonggong (共工), the fire god Zhurong (祝融), Buzhou Mountain (不周山), and the heroine of our tale, the goddess Nvwa (女娲).\r\n\r\nI didn\'t see anything in here that might trip up advanced readers, probably just new vocab, but there was one weird thing: the placement of the character 晨 seems a little weird to me. It means \"morning\", as in 早晨, but I\'m only 80% sure I translated its usage in this context correctly. If you have more insight, let me know in the comments. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>女娲补天</h4>\r\n传说当人类繁衍起来后，忽然水神<span class=\"highlightText\">共工</span>和火神<span class=\"highlightText\">祝融</span>打起仗来，他们从天上一直打到地下，闹得到处不宁，结果祝融打胜了，但败了的共工不服，一怒之下，把头撞向<span class=\"highlightText\">不周山</span>。\r\n\r\n不周山崩裂了，撑支天地之间的大柱断折了，天倒下了半边，出现了一个大窟窿，地也陷成一道道大裂纹，山林烧起了大火，洪水从地底下喷涌出来，龙蛇猛兽也出来吞食人民。\r\n\r\n人类面临着空前大灾难。<span class=\"highlightText\">女娲</span>目睹人类遭到如此奇祸，感到无比痛苦，于是决心补天，以终止这场灾难。她选用各种各样的五色石子，架起火将它们熔化成浆，用这种石浆将残缺的天窟窿填好，随后又斩下一只大龟的四脚，当作四根柱子把倒塌的半边天支起来。\r\n\r\n女娲还擒杀了残害人民的黑龙，刹住了龙蛇的嚣张气焰。最后为了堵住洪水不再漫流，女娲还收集了大量芦草，把它们烧成灰，埋塞向四处铺开的洪流。\r\n\r\n经过女娲一番辛劳整治，苍天总算补上了，地填平了，水止住了，龙蛇猛兽佥欠迹了，人民又重新过着安乐的生活。但是这场特大的灾祸毕竟留下了痕迹。从此天还是有些向西北倾斜，因此太阳、月亮和众星<span class=\"highlightText\">晨</span>都很自然地归向西方，又因为地向东南倾斜，所以一切江河都往那里汇流。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nLegend has it that when humans had just begun to multiply [upon the earth], a great battle suddenly broke out between the water god Gonggong and the fire god Zhurong, disrupting tranquility in every quarter. In the end, Zhurong was victorious, but Gonggong would not accept his defeat, and in a fit of anger, smashed his head against Buzhou Mountain. \r\n\r\nBuzhou Mountain split apart, the giant pillars that held up the heavens were broken, and half of the sky caved in, leaving a large hole. Great cracks also appeared in the earth, the mountain forests went up in flame, floodwaters spurted forth from under the ground, and dragons and monsters came out and began devouring the people. \r\n\r\nMankind was facing an unprecedented catastrophe. When Nvwa witnessed the unexpected disaster that befell humanity, she was terribly agonized, and so she decided to patch up the sky, in order to put an end to the present calamity. She chose to use a selection of multi-colored stones, set a great fire to smelt them into a slurry, and used the smelted rock to paste over the hole in the firmament. Then she chopped the four feet off a giant tortoise, and used them as the four pillars to prop up half the heavens.\r\n\r\nNvwa also captured and slayed a great black dragon that was cruelly slaughtering human beings, putting a stop to the dragon\'s arrogance. Finally, in order to stem the floodwaters, Nvwa collected many reeds and grasses, burned them into ash, and stopped up the streams that were spreading in all directions. \r\n\r\nAfter Nvwa had toiled through the repairs, the sky was mended, the earth was even, the waters had been stopped, no trace remained of the dragons and monsters, and the people once again lived in peace and happiness. But of course, some vestiges of this huge calamity remained. From then on, the sky was slightly tilted to the northwest, and because of this the sun, moon and stars all naturally return to the west each morning, and also because the earth is tilted to the southeast, all of the rivers flow in that direction. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Mythology: 女娲补天 - Nvwa Mends the Heavens', 'Doesn\'t it seem like humankind has a collective memory of some prehistoric natural disaster built into our DNA? So many cultures have ancient myths about close calls with total destruction, be it Noah\'s Ark, or the story of Atlantis, or in China\'s case, \"Nvwa Mends the Heavens\" (女娲补天). ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2327-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-20 03:04:47', '2020-05-20 07:04:47', '', 2327, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/20/2327-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2359, 1, '2020-05-20 18:58:17', '2020-05-20 22:58:17', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nUpper-beginner, HSK 4.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>最可口的食物</h4>\r\n\r\n　在一个农场里养着很多动物。其中有一匹爱挑食的小马，它总是不满意农场主给它的食物。于是它决定去转一圈，看看别的动物们那儿有什么好吃的。\r\n　　\r\n　　它很快就发现了几只鸡正在愉快地吃着什么，上前一看，是谷子，它尝了一口，却马上又吐了出来，“一点味没有，不好吃！”说着就走了。\r\n　　\r\n　　不久它又看到一只狗在津津有味地啃着骨头，还有一只猫一边唱着歌一边撕咬着一条鱼。这些食物，它看了都害怕，那气味快使它呕吐。它赶紧走开了。\r\n　　\r\n　　走了好一会儿，小马有点渴了，它来到水塘边喝水。看到两只鸭子正在抢夺一条蚯蚓，蚯蚓被它们拉扯的又细又长，最后断成两截，两只鸭子狼吞虎咽地吃下了各自的半截，又开始寻找起来。看到这残忍的一幕，小马水也顾不上喝就跑开了，“真恐怖！”它说。\r\n　　\r\n　　跑了一大圈，它看到的动物吃的东西，都不合它的胃口，有的甚至还让它感得恶心。小马饥肠辘辘的回到马厩，才发现主人为它预备的草料，才是它最喜爱最可口的食物。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThere was a farm where many animals were raised. Among them was one little hors that was very picky about his food, he was always unsatisfied with what the farmer gave him to eat. So he decided to go walk around, to see what yummy things the other animals had to eat. \r\n　　\r\nHe quickly discovered a few chickens happily eating something, so he went over to look, it was grain, so he tried a mouthful, but he spit out, \"[This] has no flavor, it\'s gross!\", he said and left.　\r\n　　\r\nNot long after he saw a dog gnawing on a bone with relish, and a cat singing a song while gobbling up a fish. Just looking at these foods frightened him, and the smell made him retch, so he quickly took his leave. 　\r\n　　\r\nAfter walking for a while, the little horse was a bit thirsty, so went to the pond ot drink. HE saw two ducks fighting over an earthworm, they stretched the earthworm out long and thin, and finally broke it into two pieces, and the two ducks each gobbled down their piece, and started looking about [for another]. Seeing this cruel scene, the little horse couldn\'t even keep down any water and quickly ran away, \"Truly horrifying!\" he said. \r\n　　\r\nHe ran all around, and everything he saw the other animals eating didn\'t suit his own tastes, and some even disgusted him. He returned to his pen with his stomach rumbling, and found that the grass master had prepared for him to eat, was his favorite delicious food after all.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 最可口的食物 - The most appetizing meal', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2331-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-20 18:58:17', '2020-05-20 22:58:17', '', 2331, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/20/2331-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2360, 1, '2020-05-20 19:09:06', '2020-05-20 23:09:06', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nThis is upper-beginner, bordering on intermediate, HSK 4.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nQuite a bit of the harder vocab in this piece revolves around eating. We\'ve got  津津有味, to eat something with joyous relish, 啃, to gnaw on, 狼吞虎咽, to fiercely gobble something up, and 饥肠辘辘, to be so hungry one\'s stomach is rumbling. \r\n\r\n爱挑食\r\n\r\n转一圈\r\n\r\n一幕\r\n\r\n那儿\r\n\r\n顾不上\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.rensheng5.com/xiaogushi/id-9965.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>最可口的食物</h4>\r\n\r\n　在一个农场里养着很多动物。其中有一匹<span class=\"highlightText\">爱挑食</span>的小马，它总是不满意农场主给它的食物。于是它决定去转<span class=\"highlightText\">一圈</span>，看看别的动物们<span class=\"highlightText\">那儿</span>有什么好吃的。\r\n　　\r\n　　它很快就发现了几只鸡正在愉快地吃着什么，上前一看，是谷子，它尝了一口，却马上又吐了出来，“一点味没有，不好吃！”说着就走了。\r\n　　\r\n　　不久它又看到一只狗在<span class=\"highlightText\">津津有味</span>地<span class=\"highlightText\">啃</span>着骨头，还有一只猫一边唱着歌一边<span class=\"highlightText\">撕咬</span>着一条鱼。这些食物，它看了都害怕，那气味快使它呕吐。它赶紧走开了。\r\n　　\r\n　　走了好一会儿，小马有点渴了，它来到水塘边喝水。看到两只鸭子正在抢夺一条蚯蚓，蚯蚓被它们拉扯的又细又长，最后断成两截，两只鸭子<span class=\"highlightText\">狼吞虎咽</span>地吃下了各自的半截，又开始寻找起来。看到这残忍的<span class=\"highlightText\">一幕</span>，小马水也<span class=\"highlightText\">顾不上</span>喝就跑开了，“真恐怖！”它说。\r\n　　\r\n　　跑了<span class=\"highlightText\">一大圈</span>，它看到的动物吃的东西，都不合它的胃口，有的甚至还让它感得恶心。小马饥肠辘辘的回到马厩，才发现主人为它预备的草料，才是它最喜爱最可口的食物。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThere was a farm where many animals were raised. Among them was one little horse that was very picky about his food, he was always unsatisfied with what the farmer gave him to eat. So he decided to go walk around, to see what yummy things the other animals had to eat. \r\n　　\r\nHe quickly discovered a few chickens happily eating something, so he went over to look, it was grain, so he tried a mouthful, but he spit out, \"[This] has no flavor, it\'s gross!\", he said and left.　\r\n　　\r\nNot long after he saw a dog gnawing on a bone with relish, and a cat singing a song while tearing into a fish. Just looking at these foods frightened him, and the smell made him retch, so he quickly took his leave. 　\r\n　　\r\nAfter walking for a while, the little horse was a bit thirsty, so he went to the pond to drink some water. He saw two ducks fighting over an earthworm, they stretched the earthworm out long and thin, and finally broke it into two pieces, and the two ducks each gobbled down their piece, and started looking about [for another]. Seeing this cruel scene, the little horse couldn\'t even stand to drink any water and quickly ran away, \"Truly horrifying!\" he said. \r\n　　\r\nHe ran all around, and everything he saw the other animals eating didn\'t suit his own tastes, and some even disgusted him. He returned to his pen with his stomach rumbling, and found that the grass master had prepared for him to eat was his favorite delicious food after all.  \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Children\'s Story: 最可口的食物 - The most appetizing meal', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2331-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-20 19:09:06', '2020-05-20 23:09:06', '', 2331, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/20/2331-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2419, 1, '2020-05-26 23:04:40', '2020-05-27 03:04:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the.   \r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, outlining China\'s views on the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy， which maintained that different political systems could concurrently be implemented under one government. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words are a fascinating look into the past.\r\n\r\nBecause Hong Kong is such an incredibly sensitive topic, I feel the need to make some caveats here: I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section, I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n全国人民代表大会\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港特区政府派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，全国人民代表大会已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。目前中英谈判的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是国务院总理在第六届全国人民代表大会第二次会议的政府工作报告中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One country, Two systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. The [false idea] that Hong Kong people have no self-confidence, this is not the real opinion of Hong Kong people. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:04:40', '2020-05-27 03:04:40', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2420, 1, '2020-05-26 23:30:05', '2020-05-27 03:30:05', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:30:05', '2020-05-27 03:30:05', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2421, 1, '2020-05-26 23:32:18', '2020-05-27 03:32:18', '[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\n\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\n\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\n\n\n\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \n\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \n\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\n\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\n\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\n\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\n\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \n\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]\n\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\n[su_row]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\n\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\n\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\n\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\n\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\n\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\n\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\n\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\n\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\n\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\n</div>\n[/su_column]\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\n\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\n\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\n\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\n\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \n\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\n\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \n\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\n\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\n\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\n[/hide-this-part]\n[/su_column]\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-autosave-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:32:18', '2020-05-27 03:32:18', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-autosave-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
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(2423, 1, '2020-05-26 23:32:22', '2020-05-27 03:32:22', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:32:22', '2020-05-27 03:32:22', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2424, 1, '2020-05-26 23:40:47', '2020-05-27 03:40:47', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:40:47', '2020-05-27 03:40:47', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2425, 1, '2020-05-26 23:41:17', '2020-05-27 03:41:17', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', '', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:41:17', '2020-05-27 03:41:17', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2426, 1, '2020-05-26 23:47:35', '2020-05-27 03:47:35', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, and though we will not be reunified in one hundred years, we must also be unified in one thousand years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', 'In June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:47:35', '2020-05-27 03:47:35', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2427, 1, '2020-05-26 23:48:58', '2020-05-27 03:48:58', '', 'Learn Chinese Reading Intermediate Chinese Reader Lei Feng Vintage Communist Stories', '', 'inherit', 'open', 'closed', '', 'chinese-reading-practice-communist-history-stories-folk-tales-lei-feng', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:49:29', '2020-05-27 03:49:29', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-history-stories-folk-tales-lei-feng.jpeg', 0, 'attachment', 'image/jpeg', 0),
(2428, 1, '2020-05-26 23:49:40', '2020-05-27 03:49:40', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"] \r\nHad a complaint a few days ago that my <a href=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/18/chinese-childrens-fable-freedom-in-heaven/\">fable about a pretty bird</a> was too political, so I figured I\'d give ya\'ll something more exciting to complain about. Break out your Little Red Books, it\'s Communism Week at CRP. \r\n\r\nBecause Chinese Communism is an increasingly touchy international topic, a quick note: I am putting up these stories because they are historically, academically and linguistically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. To maintain a pleasant, learning-focused environment, I don\'t allow political comments here. If you express your political opinions in the comments - positive, negative, or neutral - I will delete them. \r\n\r\nRight, so <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Feng\">Lei Feng</a> (雷锋) was a larger-than-life Communist people\'s folk hero. Though tales of his good deeds spread like wildfire and took on a mythic quality, he was actually a real person: a People\'s Liberation Army solider who lived from 1940-1962, dying at the age of 22 when he was struck by a falling telephone pole in the line of duty. But his legend never really waned: he is still considered the personification of Mao Zedong Thought and the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. He was held up by the Party propaganda machine as a person to emulate, someone with a perfect moral character and devotion to the socialist cause, so much so that children were encouraged to foster \"Lei Feng Spirit\" (雷锋精神).\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-history-stories-folk-tales-lei-feng.jpeg\" alt=\"Learn Chinese Reading Intermediate Chinese Reader Lei Feng Vintage Communist Stories\" width=\"268\" height=\"348\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2427\" />\r\n\r\nIn this post, I translate one of many, many stories about Lei Feng\'s general do-gooding. I chose this one because it\'s got all the best elements of a classic Lei Feng tale: over-the-top selflessness towards the common people, grand statements of loyalty to the Party, and all the rest.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some Language Stuff</h4>\r\nIf this is your first foray into Communist-themed reading, you\'ll learn a few new words that are common to writing from the 1940s-1970s: \r\n\r\n单位 [pinyin]dan1 wei4[/pinyin] - work unit\r\n解放军 [pinyin]jie3 fang4 jun1[/pinyin] - [People\'s] Liberation Army (PLA) \r\n同志 [pinyin]tong2 zhi4[/pinyin] - comrade \r\n毛主席 [pinyin]mao2 zhu3 xi2[/pinyin] - Chairman Mao\r\n党 [pinyin]dang3[/pinyin] - short for \"共产党\", the Party / the Communist Party.  \r\n\r\nThere are also a few names of places: Shenyang (沈阳), Liaoning (辽宁) and Jilin (吉林) - all places within northeastern China. \r\n\r\nThis post centers around good deeds that Lei Feng did while traveling around the northeast on army business. I had a little bit of trouble translating some of the travel-related sentences, because the way people talk about travel in Chinese is slightly different than the way we do in English. For one thing, if someone is traveling within China, the phrase 去外地 [pinyin]qu4 wai4 di4[/pinyin] is used. At first glance, \"去外地\" just means \"to go other places\", but this is specifically used to mean \"other places within China\", not \"other countries\". Trips outside of China are usually described as 去国外 or 去外国. Also, pay attention to the word 出差 [pinyin]chu1 chai1[/pinyin]. This specially means \"to travel on business\", as opposed to traveling for pleasure.\r\n\r\n<strong>想都没想</strong> [pinyin]xiang3 dou1 mei3 xiang3[/pinyin] - Phrase means \"without even thinking about it\" or \"without a second thought\". \r\n\r\n<a href=\"https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9B%B7%E9%94%8B/5569?fr=aladdin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>雷锋小故事</h4>\r\n从一九六一年开始，雷锋经常应邀去外地作报告，他出差的机会多了，为人民服务的机会也就多了。\r\n\r\n人们流传着这样一句话：“雷锋出差一千里，好事做了一火车。”\r\n\r\n有一次，雷锋外出，在<span class=\"highlightText\">沈阳</span>车站换车，出检票口的时候，他发现一群人围着一个背着小孩儿的中年妇女。原来这名妇女从<span class=\"highlightText\">辽宁</span>去<span class=\"highlightText\">吉林</span>看丈夫，一不小心把车票和钱都丢了 ，雷锋连忙用自己的津贴费买了一张去吉林的火车票塞到大嫂手里，大嫂眼含热泪地问：“小兄弟，你叫什么名字？住哪的？是哪个<span class=\"highlightText\">单位</span>的？”\r\n\r\n雷锋回答道：“我叫<span class=\"highlightText\">解放军</span>，家就住在中国。”\r\n\r\n五月的一天，雷锋冒雨去<span class=\"highlightText\">沈阳</span>。他为了赶早车，早晨5点多就起来，带了几个干馒头就披上雨衣上路了。路上，雷锋看见一位妇女背着一个小孩，手还牵着一个小女孩，正艰难地向车站走去。雷锋<span class=\"highlightText\">想都没想</span>，脱下身上的雨衣就披在大嫂身上，又抱起小女孩陪她们一起来到车站。上车后，雷锋见小女孩冷得直发抖，就把自己的贴身衬衣脱下来给她穿上。雷锋估计她们早饭没吃，就把自己带的馒头给她们吃。火车到了沈阳，天还在下雨，雷锋便把她们送到家里。\r\n\r\n那位妇女感激地说：“<span class=\"highlightText\">同志</span>，我可怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n雷锋说 ：“不要感谢我，应该感谢<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>和<span class=\"highlightText\">毛主席</span>啊！”\r\n\r\n他在日记中写下了这样一段话：“我的一切都是<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>给的，光荣应该归于<span class=\"highlightText\">党</span>，归于热情帮助我的<span class=\"highlightText\">同志</span>，至于我个人做的工作，那是太少了，我这么一点点贡献，比起对我的要求和期望还是非常不够的……” \r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nBeginning in 1961, Lei Feng was often invited to go to other cities to make reports, and [since] he had many opportunities to travel on business, he also had many opportunities to serve the people.   \r\n\r\nPeople often said [of him]: \"When Lei Feng travels for business, [he rides there] on a train of good deeds.\" \r\n\r\nOne time, [while] Lei Feng was out and about, he was changing trains at Shenyang station, and when he was at the ticket booth, he saw a group of people standing around a middle-aged woman who was carrying a small child on her back. Turns out this woman was going from Liaoning to Jilin to see her husband, and accidentally lost her ticket and her wallet, so Lei Feng quickly used his own allowance to buy a ticket to Jilin and pressed it into the woman\'s [lit: \"elder sister\'s\"] hand. Her eyes brimming with tears the woman [lit: elder sister] said: \"Little Brother, What is your name? Where do you live? What is your work unit?\" \r\n\r\nLei Feng answered: \"My name is Liberation Army, and China is my home.\" \r\n\r\nOne day in May, Lei Feng braved the rain to go to Shenyang. In order to catch the early train, he woke up at 5:00 A.M., took some dry steamed buns, put on his rain gear and set out upon the road. On the road, Lei Feng saw a woman carrying a small child on her back, and leading another little girl by the hand, and [she was] struggling towards the train station. Lei Feng didn\'t give it a second thought, he took off his own rain gear and draped it over the woman\'s body, picked up the little girl and accompanied them to the station. On the train, Lei Feng saw the little girl shivering from cold, so he took off the shirt on his back and gave it to her to wear. Lei Feng guessed that they hadn\'t eaten breakfast, so he took out the buns he had brought and gave them to the women. When the train reached Shenyang, it was still raining, and Lei Feng took the women to their home. \r\n\r\nThe women gratefully said: \"Comrade, how can I ever thank you?\" \r\n\r\nLei Feng said, \"You don\'t have to thank me, you should thank the Party and Chairman Mao!\"\r\n\r\nIn his diary, he wrote the following: \"Everything I have was given to me by the Party, and all glory should belong to the Party, should belong to those comrades who enthusiastically helped me. As for the work I\'ve done, it isn\'t very much, my tiny contributions don\'t measure up to what I need and hope [to give]....\"\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales:  The good deeds of Lei Feng', 'It\'s Communism Week at CRP! I\'m kicking off with some classic stories about the good deeds of Communist folk hero Lei Feng, the ultimate socialist Boy Scout. HSK 4-5.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2350-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-26 23:49:40', '2020-05-27 03:49:40', '', 2350, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/26/2350-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2429, 1, '2020-05-27 00:45:09', '2020-05-27 04:45:09', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we say this with [great] calculation.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, even if we aren\'t unified in 100 years, we will be unified within 1000 years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', 'In June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-27 00:45:09', '2020-05-27 04:45:09', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/27/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
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(2435, 1, '2020-05-28 09:42:10', '2020-05-28 13:42:10', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p>\r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> I am posting this because it is historically, linguistically, and academically interesting, not because I am promoting any political viewpoint. This website is a language learning resource. It is not a political platform. I like history, I don\'t like arguing. If you post your political opinion in the comments section – positive, negative, or neutral – I will delete it. Dinner tables rules, please.\r\n\r\nSocialist reformer Deng Xiaoping is regarded as one of the main architects of modern China. He was credited as the man responsible for opening up China\'s economy after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. He was also given the unenviable task of figuring out how to approach the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the U.K. to China in 1997.\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-advanced-speech-deng-xiaoping-hong-kong.jpeg\" alt=\"Chinese Reading Practice Advanced Speech Mandarin Learning Deng Xiaoping\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2422\" />\r\n\r\nIn June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past. \r\n\r\nWhat\'s most interesting about this piece to me is that in it, Deng is addressing critics of this policy on both sides of the line. One side of this criticism we are familiar with, and still often hear today: that \"One Country, Two Systems\" was simply trickery and that China intends to slowly erode Hong Kong\'s Democratic freedoms over time. If you read between the lines, however, you also get a sense of the criticisms that came from within China a the time: the idea that allowing Hong Kong to remain capitalist was a threat to mainland socialism, that One Country, Two Systems was too lenient, and that Hong Kongers were ill-equipped to manage their own government. Deng was stuck in the middle of these arguments, and this is his response to both. This speech is all the more interesting now because we are seeing how his policy is playing out 35 years later.  \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nGrammatically, there isn\'t much here that\'s difficult for advanced readers, no colloquialisms, no literary sentence structures. But there is obviously quite a bit of high-level vocab, specifically a couple of words :\r\n\r\n<strong>特区政府</strong> [pinyin]te4 qu1 zheng4 fu3[/pinyin] - Special administrative regional government. An area of the country that has different rules of governance than other areas of the Chinese mainland.\r\n\r\n<strong>全国人民代表大会</strong> [pinyin]quan2 guo2 ren2 min2 dai4 biao3 da4 hui4[/pinyin] - The National People\'s Congress (NPC), China\'s national legislature.\r\n\r\n<strong>国务院</strong> [pinyin]guo2 wu4 yuan4[/pinyin] - The State Council, one of China\'s highest government bodies.\r\n\r\n<strong>政府工作报告</strong> [pinyin]zheng4 fu4 gong1 zuo4 bao4 gao4[/pinyin] - The government work report, a document published each year which outlines China\'s priorities for the following 12 months. The 2020 work report was just released last week. \r\n\r\n<strong>中英谈判</strong> [pinyin]zhong1 ying1 tan2 pan4[/pinyin] - Sino-British negotiations\r\n<a href=\"http://news.southcn.com/community/shzt/dxp/theory3/200407240281.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source here</a>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n\r\n中国政府为解决香港问题所采取的立场、方针、政策是坚定不移的。我们多次讲过，我国政府在一九九七年恢复行使对香港的主权后，香港现行的社会、经济制度不变，法律基本不变，生活方式不变，香港自由港的地位和国际贸易、金融中心的地位也不变，香港可以继续同其他国家和地区保持和发展经济关系。我们还多次讲过，北京除了派军队以外，不向香港<span class=\"highlightText\">特区政府</span>派出干部，这也是不会改变的。我们派军队是为了维护国家的安全，而不是去干预香港的内部事务。我们对香港的政策五十年不变，我们说这个话是算数的。\r\n\r\n我们的政策是实行“一个国家，两种制度”，具体说，就是在中华人民共和国内，十亿人口的大陆实行社会主义制度，香港、台湾实行资本主义制度。近几年来，中国一直在克服“左”的错误，坚持从实际出发，实事求是，来制定各方面工作的政策。经过五年半，现在已经见效了。正是在这种情况下，我们才提出用“一个国家，两种制度”的办法来解决香港和台湾问题。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”，我们已经讲了很多次了，<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>已经通过了这个政策。有人担心这个政策会不会变，我说不会变。核心的问题，决定的因素，是这个政策对不对。如果不对，就可能变。如果是对的，就变不了。进一步说，中国现在实行对外开放、对内搞活经济的政策，有谁改得了？如果改了，中国百分之八十的人的生活就要下降，我们就会丧失人心。我们的路走对了，人民赞成，就变不了。\r\n\r\n我们对香港的政策长期不变，影响不了大陆的社会主义。中国的主体必须是社会主义，但允许国内某些区域实行资本主义制度，比如香港、台湾。大陆开放一些城市，允许一些外资进入，这是作为社会主义经济的补充，有利于社会主义社会生产力的发展。比如外资到上海去，当然不是整个上海都实行资本主义制度。深圳也不是，还是实行社会主义制度。中国的主体是社会主义。\r\n\r\n“一个国家，两种制度”的构想是我们根据中国自己的情况提出来的，而现在已经成为国际上注意的问题了。中国有香港、台湾问题，解决这个问题的出路何在呢？是社会主义吞掉台湾，还是台湾宣扬的“三民主义”吞掉大陆？谁也不好吞掉谁。如果不能和平解决，只有用武力解决，这对各方都是不利的。实现国家统一是民族的愿望，一百年不统一，一千年也要统一的。怎么解决这个问题，我看只有实行“一个国家，两种制度”。\r\n\r\n世界上一系列争端都面临着用和平方式来解决还是用非和平方式来解决的问题。总得找出个办法来，新问题就得用新办法来解决。香港问题的成功解决，这个事例可能为国际上许多问题的解决提供一些有益的线索。从世界历史来看，有哪个政府制定过我们这么开明的政策？从资本主义历史看，从西方国家看，有哪一个国家这么做过？我们采取“一个国家，两种制度”的办法解决香港问题，不是一时的感情冲动，也不是玩弄手法，完全是从实际出发的，是充分照顾到香港的历史和现实情况的。\r\n\r\n要相信香港的中国人能治理好香港。不相信中国人有能力管好香港，这是老殖民主义遗留下来的思想状态。鸦片战争以来的一个多世纪里，外国人看不起中国人，侮辱中国人。中华人民共和国建立后，改变了中国的形象。中国今天的形象，不是晚清政府、不是北洋军阀、也不是蒋氏父子创造出来的。是中华人民共和国改变了中国的形象。凡是中华儿女，不管穿什么服装，不管是什么立场，起码都有中华民族的自豪感。香港人也是有这种民族自豪感的。香港人是能治理好香港的，要有这个自信心。香港过去的繁荣，主要是以中国人为主体的香港人干出来的。中国人的智力不比外国人差，中国人不是低能的，不要总以为只有外国人才干得好。要相信我们中国人自己是能干得好的。所谓香港人没有信心，这不是香港人的真正意见。\r\n\r\n目前<span class=\"highlightText\">中英谈判</span>的内容还没有公布，很多香港人对中央政府的政策不了解，他们一旦真正了解了，是会完全有信心的。我们对解决香港问题所采取的政策，是<span class=\"highlightText\">国务院</span>总理在第六届<span class=\"highlightText\">全国人民代表大会</span>第二次会议的<span class=\"highlightText\">政府工作报告</span>中宣布的，是经大会通过的，是很严肃的事。如果现在还有人谈信心问题，对中华人民共和国、对中国政府没有信任感，那末，其他一切都谈不上了。我们相信香港人能治理好香港，不能继续让外国人统治，否则香港人也是决不会答应的。\r\n\r\n港人治港有个界线和标准，就是必须由以爱国者为主体的港人来治理香港。未来香港特区政府的主要成分是爱国者，当然也要容纳别的人，还可以聘请外国人当顾问。什么叫爱国者？爱国者的标准是，尊重自己民族，诚心诚意拥护祖国恢复行使对香港的主权，不损害香港的繁荣和稳定。只要具备这些条件，不管他们相信资本主义，还是相信封建主义，甚至相信奴隶主义，都是爱国者。我们不要求他们都赞成中国的社会主义制度，只要求他们爱祖国，爱香港。\r\n\r\n到一九九七年还有十三年，从现在起要逐步解决好过渡时期问题。在过渡时期中，一是不要出现大的波动、大的曲折，保持香港繁荣和稳定；二是要创造条件，使香港人能顺利地接管政府。香港各界人士要为此作出努力。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nThe position, principles and policies adopted by the Chinese government to resolve the Hong Kong issue are unwavering. We have said many times that after the restoration of our government\'s sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the current social and economic system of Hong Kong will remain unchanged, the laws will remain basically unchanged, and [Hong Kong\'s] way of life will remain unchanged. The status of Hong Kong\'s free port as a center of international trade and finance will remain unchanged, and Hong Kong can continue to maintain and develop economic relations with other countries and regions. We have also said many times that Beijing will not send government cadres to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, except for troops, and this too will not change. We are sending troops to maintain national security, not to interfere in Hong Kong\'s internal affairs. Our policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for 50 years, so we do not say this lightly.\r\n\r\nThe \"one country, two systems\" policy that we are implementing, speaking specifically, means that in the People\'s Republic of China, our one billion-strong population will implement the socialist system, but Hong Kong and Taiwan will have a capitalist system. In recent years, China has been overcoming the mistakes of the \"left\", insisting on proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts, to formulate policies in all aspects of our work. After five and a half years, this is now paying off. It was precisely because of this situation that we proposed to use the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong and Taiwan issues.\r\n\r\n\"One Country, Two Systems\", as we have said many times, has already been passed by the National People\'s Congress. Some people worry about whether or not this policy will change, I say it will not change. The core issue, the deciding factor, is whether this policy is right. If it is wrong, it may change. If it is right, it will not change. Furthermore, China has implemented a policy of opening up to the outside world and invigorating the economy at home. Who can change this? If it changes, the [quality of] life of 80% of China\'s people will decline, and we will lose our hearts. As long as our way is right, and the people approve, then it will not change.\r\n\r\nOur policy towards Hong Kong has remained unchanged for a long time, and it will not affect socialism on the mainland. China must always principally be socialist, but allow certain regions of the country to implement a capitalist system, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. If the mainland opens up some cities and allows some foreign capital to enter, this is complementary to the socialist economy and is conducive to the development of socialist production. For example, if foreign capital [is allowed] into Shanghai, it is of course not the case that capitalism will be implemented throughout Shanghai. Shenzhen too, it will still implement the socialist system. China is principally socialist.\r\n\r\nThe concept of \"One Country, Two Systems\" was put forward by us in light of China\'s [domestic] situation, and it has now become a matter of international attention. China has issues with Hong Kong and Taiwan, where is the solution to these problems? Should socialism devour Taiwan, or should the \"Three People\'s Principles\" promoted by Taiwan devour the mainland? No one can devour anyone. If these [issues] cannot be resolved peacefully, they can only be solved by force, which is detrimental to all parties. The realization of national reunification is the desire of the people, even if we aren\'t unified in 100 years, we will be unified within 1000 years. As for how to solve this problem, I think the only [way] is the implementation of \"One Country, Two Systems\". \r\n\r\n[When considering how to solve many] of this world\'s disputes, we are faced with the issue of whether to resolve them by peaceful means or by non-peaceful means. A solution must always be found, and new problems require new solutions. The successful resolution of the Hong Kong issue may provide some useful clues [that may help to] resolve many international issues. From the perspective of world history, which government has formulated such enlightened policies? From the perspective of capitalist history, from the perspective of Western countries, which country has done this? We adopted the \"one country, two systems\" approach to resolve the Hong Kong issue not [based on] momentary emotional impulse or trickery, but entirely based on reality and with full consideration of Hong Kong\'s historical and actual [present] circumstances.\r\n\r\nWe must believe that the Chinese of Hong Kong can govern Hong Kong well. The belief that the Chinese do not have the ability to manage Hong Kong well is a state of mind left over from old colonialism. For more than a century since the Opium War, foreigners looked down on and insulted the Chinese. After the establishment of the People\'s Republic of China, the image of China has changed. China\'s image today was not created by the late Qing government, nor by the Northern Warlords, or by the Chiang Kai-shek and his son. It is the People\'s Republic of China that has changed China\'s image. All Chinese children, no matter what clothes they wear, no matter what their positions, [carry] the pride of the Chinese nation. Hong Kong people also [carry] this national pride. Hong Kong\'s people can manage Hong Kong well, we must have this self-confidence. Hong Kong\'s past prosperity was the work of Hong Kong\'s people who were principally Chinese. The intelligence of the Chinese is not lower than that of foreigners, the Chinese are not inferior, so don\'t always think that only foreign talents are [capable of] doing well. Believe that we Chinese can do well ourselves. Hong Kong\'s so-called lack of self-confidence, this is not really what Hong Kongers believe. \r\n\r\nAt present, no announcement has been made regarding the contents of the Sino-British negotiations. Many Hong Kong people do not understand the policies of the Central Government. Once they really understand it, they will be completely confident. Our policy regarding the resolution of the Hong Kong issue was announced by the Premier of the State Council in the Government Work Report of the second session of the Sixth National People\'s Congress. It was adopted by the General Assembly and is a very serious matter. If there are still those discussing the issue of confidence, those who have no sense of trust in the People\'s Republic of China, no sense of trust in the Chinese government, then nothing else can be said [at present]. We believe that Hong Kong people can govern Hong Kong well, we cannot continue to let foreigners rule, to anything else the people Hong Kong people will never agree.\r\n\r\nThere will be boundaries and standards for [the type of] Hong Kongers [that will] rule Hong Kong, that is, patriotic Hong Kongers must primarily govern Hong Kong. In the future, the main component of the Hong Kong SAR government will be patriots. Of course, other people must also be accommodated. Foreigners can also be hired as consultants. What is a patriot? A patriot respects his own nation and sincerely supports the motherland\'s restoration of its sovereignty over Hong Kong without compromising Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability. As long as these conditions are met, whether they believe in capitalism, feudalism, or even slavery, they are all patriots. We do not require them all to approve of China\'s socialist system, only that they love the motherland and Hong Kong.\r\n\r\nThirteen years remain until 1997, and from now on issues arising during the transition period must be resolved gradually. During the transition period, one [issue] is to avoid major fluctuations and major twists and turns to maintain Hong Kong\'s prosperity and stability; the other is to create the conditions [necessary] for Hong Kong people to take over the government smoothly. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong must make efforts to this end.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Political speech: Deng Xiaoping addresses the Hong Kong handover in 1984', 'In June, 1984, thirteen years before the Hong Kong handover, he gave this speech, addressing critics of the \"One Country, Two Systems\" （一个国家，两种制度）policy, which determined China\'s approach to the handover. The policy maintained that different political systems would concurrently be implemented under one government. In other words, that mainland China would remain socialist, and that Hong Kong would remain capitalist (until 2047, anyway), but both would be ultimately overseen by the CCP. It was a radical notion at the time, and it still is in many ways. His words here are a fascinating look into the past.', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2354-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-28 09:42:10', '2020-05-28 13:42:10', '', 2354, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/2354-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2430, 1, '2020-05-28 00:09:37', '2020-05-28 04:09:37', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nZhu De (朱德 [pinyin]zhu1 de2[/pinyin]) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军 [pinyin]jie3 fang4 jun1[/pinyin]), also called the Red Army (红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin]). He was applauded as a people\'s general, and this popular revolutionary story - in which Zhu De helps his regiment carry grain (粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin]) up a mountain on a carrying pole (扁担 [pinyin]bian3 dan[/pinyin]) - shows his willingness to toil alongside the common soldiers. The story spawned many popular posters of him, like this one:\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-language-learning-zhude-carrying-pole.jpeg\" alt=\"Beginner Chinese Reading Practice Exercises: Communist Folk Stories Revolutionary Heroes\" width=\"425\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2387\" /> \r\n\r\nZhe De is a revolutionary from the early days of Chinese Communism. For those who don\'t know their CCP history: modern China was founded in 1949, but for the 20-odd years before that, the Red Army was fighting various wars for control of the country. Zhu De was instrumental in these wars, and after 1949, he became a key Party leader and politician. This story is set in the early days of the wars, in 1928. It\'s crazy to think that Zhu De, who was born in 1886 and died in 1976, lived to be 90 years old, but spent three or four decades of his life doing nothing but fighting battles. Considering how many people died in those wars, or were purged in political upheavals afterwards, this guy was a real survivor. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis is an example of a story that will look much harder on first glance than it actually is. That\'s because some of the vocab is intermediate, but the sentence structure is beginner. The intermediate vocab is also used repetitively, so once you look up the tougher words, you\'ll immediately have an opportunity to see them again in the text. The first two sentences are much rougher than the rest, because they\'re almost entirely made up of intermediate words, so push through those and it\'ll be easier going from there. If you break the sentences down patiently, and you are at HSK 3 or up, I promise you can get through this. \r\n\r\nWe have a few proper names here: \r\n朱德同志 [pinyin]zhu1 de2 tong2 zhi4[/pinyin] - Comrade Zhu De \r\n红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin] - the Red Army\r\n井冈山 [pinyin]jing3 gang1 shan1[/pinyin] - Jinggang Mountain \r\n\r\nWe also have some military words: \r\n队伍 [pinyin]dui4 wu[/pinyin] - troops \r\n敌人 [pinyin]di2 ren2[/pinyin] - enemy\r\n战士们 [pinyin]zhan4 shi4 men[/pinyin] - soldier \r\n打仗 [pinyin]da3 zhang4[/pinyin] - to fight a war\r\n\r\nAnother word that comes up quite a bit is 粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin] - Also just 粮 [pinyin]liang2[/pinyin]. This is a general term for \"grain\", could be wheat, rice, millet, oats, or whatever.\r\n\r\nAnd one phrase that might be a little hard to understand:\r\n\r\n<strong>争着去</strong> [pinyin]zheng1 zhe qu4[/pinyin] - 争 means \"to fight\" or \"to struggle\", 着 is a present-tense grammar word, and 去 means \"go\" or \"leave\". At first glance, 争着去 looks like it means \"fighting in order to leave someplace\", but it\'s not. In this case, it\'s describing a group of people pushing and shoving to be the first to volunteer to go somewhere. Imagine a group of soldiers asked to undertake a hard mission - one person says, \"I\'ll go!\" and someone else says, \"No, choose me, I\'ll go!\". This is 争着去. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>朱德的扁担</h4>\r\n1928年，<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>带领一支<span class=\"highlightText\">红军队伍</span>到<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>。山上是<span class=\"highlightText\">红军</span>，山下不远就是<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>上粮食不多，常常要派一些人到山下的田园去挑粮。<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>离田园很远，山高路窄，非常难走。可是每次挑粮大家都<span class=\"highlightText\">争着去</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>也跟<span class=\"highlightText\">战士们</span>一起去挑粮。他穿着草鞋，挑起满满的一担粮食，跟大家一起爬山。白天挑粮，晚上还常常整夜整夜地学习怎样跟<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人打仗</span>。大家觉得他要做的工作太多，就把他那根扁担藏了起来。可是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>又找到了一根扁担，写上“<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德</span>扁担，不要拿走”八个大字。大家见了，更敬爱<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>，不好意思再藏他的扁担了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn 1928, Comrade Zhu De lead a detachment of Red Army troops to Jinggang Mountain. The Red Army was on the mountain, but down the mountain not far away was the enemy. \r\n \r\nNot much grain was produced on Jinggang Mountain, so [they] often had to send a few people down to the fields below to tote back some grain. Jinggang Mountain was far from the fields, the mountain was high and the roads were narrow, it was very hard going. But each time grain had to be carried back, everyone fought to be the one to go.\r\n \r\nComrade Zhu De also went along with the soldiers to carry grain. He wore grass shoes, carrying a pole packed full of grain, and climbed the mountain with everybody else. During the day [he] carried grain, and during the evening he often spent the whole night studying how to make war on the enemy. Everyone felt he had too much work to do, so they took his carrying pole and hid it. But Comrade Zhu De found another carrying pole, and wrote 8 big words on it: \"Zhu Du\'s carrying pole, please don\'t take it\". Everyone saw this, and loved and respected Comrade Zhu De even more, and were too ashamed to hide his carrying pole again. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《朱德的扁担》- Zhu De\'s Carrying Pole', 'Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Army (红军). This popular revolutionary story highlights his willingness to toil alongside the rank and file soldiers. HSK 3-4. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2366-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-28 00:09:37', '2020-05-28 04:09:37', '', 2366, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/2366-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2432, 1, '2020-05-28 00:15:48', '2020-05-28 04:15:48', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nZhu De (朱德 [pinyin]zhu1 de2[/pinyin]) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军 [pinyin]jie3 fang4 jun1[/pinyin]), also called the Red Army (红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin]). He was applauded as a people\'s general, and this popular revolutionary story - in which Zhu De helps his regiment carry grain (粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin]) up a mountain on a carrying pole (扁担 [pinyin]bian3 dan[/pinyin]) - shows his willingness to toil alongside the common soldiers. The story spawned many popular posters of him, like this one:\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-language-learning-zhude-carrying-pole.jpeg\" alt=\"Beginner Chinese Reading Practice Exercises: Communist Folk Stories Revolutionary Heroes\" width=\"425\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2387\" /> \r\n\r\nZhe De is a revolutionary from the early days of Chinese Communism. For those who don\'t know their CCP history: modern China was founded in 1949, but for the 20-odd years before that, the Red Army was fighting various wars for control of the country. Zhu De was instrumental in these wars, and after 1949, he became a key Party leader and politician. This story is set in the early days of the wars, in 1928. It\'s crazy to think that Zhu De, who was born in 1886 and died in 1976, lived to be 90 years old, but spent three or four decades of his life doing nothing but fighting battles. Considering how many people died in those wars, or were purged in political upheavals afterwards, this guy was a real survivor. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis is an example of a story that will look much harder on first glance than it actually is. That\'s because some of the vocab is intermediate, but the sentence structure is beginner. The intermediate vocab is also used repetitively, so once you look up the tougher words, you\'ll immediately have an opportunity to see them again in the text. The first two sentences are much rougher than the rest, because they\'re almost entirely made up of intermediate words, so push through those and it\'ll be easier going from there. If you break the sentences down patiently, and you are at HSK 3 or up, I promise you can get through this. \r\n\r\nWe have a few proper names here: \r\n朱德同志 [pinyin]zhu1 de2 tong2 zhi4[/pinyin] - Comrade Zhu De \r\n红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin] - the Red Army\r\n井冈山 [pinyin]jing3 gang1 shan1[/pinyin] - Jinggang Mountain \r\n\r\nWe also have some military words: \r\n队伍 [pinyin]dui4 wu[/pinyin] - troops \r\n敌人 [pinyin]di2 ren2[/pinyin] - enemy\r\n战士们 [pinyin]zhan4 shi4 men[/pinyin] - soldier \r\n打仗 [pinyin]da3 zhang4[/pinyin] - to fight a war\r\n\r\nAnother word that comes up quite a bit is 粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin] - Also just 粮 [pinyin]liang2[/pinyin]. This is a general term for \"grain\", could be wheat, rice, millet, oats, or whatever.\r\n\r\nAnd one phrase that might be a little hard to understand:\r\n\r\n<strong>争着去</strong> [pinyin]zheng1 zhe qu4[/pinyin] - 争 means \"to fight\" or \"to struggle\", 着 is a present-tense grammar word, and 去 means \"go\" or \"leave\". At first glance, 争着去 looks like it means \"fighting in order to leave someplace\", but it\'s not. In this case, it\'s describing a group of people pushing and shoving to be the first to volunteer to go somewhere. Imagine a group of soldiers asked to undertake a hard mission - one person says, \"I\'ll go!\" and someone else says, \"No, choose me, I\'ll go!\". This is 争着去. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>朱德的扁担</h4>\r\n1928年，<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>带领一支<span class=\"highlightText\">红军队伍</span>到<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>。山上是<span class=\"highlightText\">红军</span>，山下不远就是<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>上粮食不多，常常要派一些人到山下的田园去挑粮。<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>离田园很远，山高路窄，非常难走。可是每次挑粮大家都<span class=\"highlightText\">争着去</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>也跟<span class=\"highlightText\">战士们</span>一起去挑粮。他穿着草鞋，挑起满满的一担粮食，跟大家一起爬山。白天挑粮，晚上还常常整夜整夜地学习怎样跟<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人打仗</span>。大家觉得他要做的工作太多，就把他那根扁担藏了起来。可是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>又找到了一根扁担，写上“<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德</span>扁担，不要拿走”八个大字。大家见了，更敬爱<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>，不好意思再藏他的扁担了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn 1928, Comrade Zhu De lead a detachment of Red Army troops to Jinggang Mountain. The Red Army was on the mountain, but down the mountain not far away was the enemy. \r\n \r\nThere wasn\'t much grain on Jinggang Mountain, so [they] often had to send a few people down to the fields below to tote back some grain. Jinggang Mountain was far from the fields, the mountain was high and the roads were narrow, it was very hard going. But each time grain had to be carried back, everyone fought to be the one to go.\r\n \r\nComrade Zhu De also went along with the soldiers to carry grain. He wore grass shoes, carrying a pole packed full of grain, and climbed the mountain with everybody else. During the day [he] carried grain, and during the evening he often spent the whole night studying how to make war on the enemy. Everyone felt he had too much work to do, so they took his carrying pole and hid it. But Comrade Zhu De found another carrying pole, and wrote 8 big words on it: \"Zhu Du\'s carrying pole, please don\'t take it\". Everyone saw this, and loved and respected Comrade Zhu De even more, and were too ashamed to hide his carrying pole again. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《朱德的扁担》- Zhu De\'s Carrying Pole', 'Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Army (红军). This popular revolutionary story highlights his willingness to toil alongside the rank and file soldiers. HSK 3-4. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2366-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-28 00:15:48', '2020-05-28 04:15:48', '', 2366, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/2366-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2431, 1, '2020-05-28 00:12:10', '2020-05-28 04:12:10', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nZhu De (朱德 [pinyin]zhu1 de2[/pinyin]) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军 [pinyin]jie3 fang4 jun1[/pinyin]), also called the Red Army (红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin]). He was applauded as a people\'s general, and this popular revolutionary story - in which Zhu De helps his regiment carry grain (粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin]) up a mountain on a carrying pole (扁担 [pinyin]bian3 dan[/pinyin]) - shows his willingness to toil alongside the common soldiers. The story spawned many popular posters of him, like this one:\r\n\r\n<img src=\"http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chinese-reading-practice-communist-language-learning-zhude-carrying-pole.jpeg\" alt=\"Beginner Chinese Reading Practice Exercises: Communist Folk Stories Revolutionary Heroes\" width=\"425\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2387\" /> \r\n\r\nZhe De is a revolutionary from the early days of Chinese Communism. For those who don\'t know their CCP history: modern China was founded in 1949, but for the 20-odd years before that, the Red Army was fighting various wars for control of the country. Zhu De was instrumental in these wars, and after 1949, he became a key Party leader and politician. This story is set in the early days of the wars, in 1928. It\'s crazy to think that Zhu De, who was born in 1886 and died in 1976, lived to be 90 years old, but spent three or four decades of his life doing nothing but fighting battles. Considering how many people died in those wars, or were purged in political upheavals afterwards, this guy was a real survivor. \r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\nThis is an example of a story that will look much harder on first glance than it actually is. That\'s because some of the vocab is intermediate, but the sentence structure is beginner. The intermediate vocab is also used repetitively, so once you look up the tougher words, you\'ll immediately have an opportunity to see them again in the text. The first two sentences are much rougher than the rest, because they\'re almost entirely made up of intermediate words, so push through those and it\'ll be easier going from there. If you break the sentences down patiently, and you are at HSK 3 or up, I promise you can get through this. \r\n\r\nWe have a few proper names here: \r\n朱德同志 [pinyin]zhu1 de2 tong2 zhi4[/pinyin] - Comrade Zhu De \r\n红军 [pinyin]hong2 jun1[/pinyin] - the Red Army\r\n井冈山 [pinyin]jing3 gang1 shan1[/pinyin] - Jinggang Mountain \r\n\r\nWe also have some military words: \r\n队伍 [pinyin]dui4 wu[/pinyin] - troops \r\n敌人 [pinyin]di2 ren2[/pinyin] - enemy\r\n战士们 [pinyin]zhan4 shi4 men[/pinyin] - soldier \r\n打仗 [pinyin]da3 zhang4[/pinyin] - to fight a war\r\n\r\nAnother word that comes up quite a bit is 粮食 [pinyin]liang2 shi[/pinyin] - Also just 粮 [pinyin]liang2[/pinyin]. This is a general term for \"grain\", could be wheat, rice, millet, oats, or whatever. In this story, Zhu De\'s troops go down the mountain to 挑粮 [pinyin]tiao1 liang2[/pinyin], or \"gather grain\".\r\n\r\nAnd one phrase that might be a little hard to understand:\r\n\r\n<strong>争着去</strong> [pinyin]zheng1 zhe qu4[/pinyin] - 争 means \"to fight\" or \"to struggle\", 着 is a present-tense grammar word, and 去 means \"go\" or \"leave\". At first glance, 争着去 looks like it means \"fighting in order to leave someplace\", but it\'s not. In this case, it\'s describing a group of people pushing and shoving to be the first to volunteer to go somewhere. Imagine a group of soldiers asked to undertake a hard mission - one person says, \"I\'ll go!\" and someone else says, \"No, choose me, I\'ll go!\". This is 争着去. \r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>朱德的扁担</h4>\r\n1928年，<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>带领一支<span class=\"highlightText\">红军队伍</span>到<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>。山上是<span class=\"highlightText\">红军</span>，山下不远就是<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>上粮食不多，常常要派一些人到山下的田园去挑粮。<span class=\"highlightText\">井冈山</span>离田园很远，山高路窄，非常难走。可是每次挑粮大家都<span class=\"highlightText\">争着去</span>。\r\n \r\n<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>也跟<span class=\"highlightText\">战士们</span>一起去挑粮。他穿着草鞋，挑起满满的一担粮食，跟大家一起爬山。白天挑粮，晚上还常常整夜整夜地学习怎样跟<span class=\"highlightText\">敌人打仗</span>。大家觉得他要做的工作太多，就把他那根扁担藏了起来。可是<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>又找到了一根扁担，写上“<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德</span>扁担，不要拿走”八个大字。大家见了，更敬爱<span class=\"highlightText\">朱德同志</span>，不好意思再藏他的扁担了。\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nIn 1928, Comrade Zhu De lead a detachment of Red Army troops to Jinggang Mountain. The Red Army was on the mountain, but down the mountain not far away was the enemy. \r\n \r\nNot much grain was produced on Jinggang Mountain, so [they] often had to send a few people down to the fields below to tote back some grain. Jinggang Mountain was far from the fields, the mountain was high and the roads were narrow, it was very hard going. But each time grain had to be carried back, everyone fought to be the one to go.\r\n \r\nComrade Zhu De also went along with the soldiers to carry grain. He wore grass shoes, carrying a pole packed full of grain, and climbed the mountain with everybody else. During the day [he] carried grain, and during the evening he often spent the whole night studying how to make war on the enemy. Everyone felt he had too much work to do, so they took his carrying pole and hid it. But Comrade Zhu De found another carrying pole, and wrote 8 big words on it: \"Zhu Du\'s carrying pole, please don\'t take it\". Everyone saw this, and loved and respected Comrade Zhu De even more, and were too ashamed to hide his carrying pole again. \r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《朱德的扁担》- Zhu De\'s Carrying Pole', 'Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Army (红军). This popular revolutionary story highlights his willingness to toil alongside the rank and file soldiers. HSK 3-4. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2366-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-28 00:12:10', '2020-05-28 04:12:10', '', 2366, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/2366-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0),
(2433, 1, '2020-05-28 09:23:18', '2020-05-28 13:23:18', '[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"yes\" class=\"\"]\r\n<p style=\"padding:25px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-style: italic; background-color:#ffeaee;\">It\'s Communism Week at CRP. All this week, we\'re learning Chinese through the lens of historical and modern CCP propaganda, speeches, stories, essays and songs.</p> \r\n\r\n<strong>Quick reminder:</strong> To maintain a polite, language learning-focused environment, political comments – positive, negative, or neutral – are not allowed, and will be deleted. Dinner table rules, please.\r\n\r\nWe\'ve really made the rounds on communist folk tales this week: we\'ve had a story about Zhu De, founder of the Red Army, one about socialist boy scout Lei Feng, and now, we\'re going to read one about the man himself, Mao Zedong. I didn\'t start out the week intending to illustrate a point, but a theme has definitely emerged. Taken as a whole, these stories underscore the friendly, paternalistic role that China\'s founding fathers were painted into at the time, described in populist stories as almost mythical, proletarian helpers of the common folk. Today\'s story drives that home.\r\n\r\n<h4>Some language stuff</h4>\r\n怎么回事?\r\n代耕队长\r\n下地\r\n两竿\r\n接着\r\n丢了个眼色\r\n撞个满怀\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]\r\n\r\n<div class=\"readingPassage\">\r\n[su_row]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n<div id=\"chinesetext\">\r\n<h4>《水缸的秘密》</h4>\r\n杨大娘是红军家属。大儿子参加红军以后，家里少了一个劳动力，里里外外什么事都要她自己操心。\r\n\r\n1933年7月的一个傍晚，杨大娘浇完菜园，回家准备挑水做饭。她刚拿起扁担，却发现水缸里的水满满的。大娘奇怪了：前天水缸满，昨天水缸满，今天水缸又满了。这是怎么回事？她问小儿子：“下午你挑水了吗？”\r\n\r\n11岁的儿子摇头说：“我没挑。”\r\n\r\n杨大娘越想越觉得奇怪，就跑到田头问代耕队长：“我屋里那口水缸，天天都满满的。是你派人给我家挑水了吧？”\r\n\r\n“没有啊，”代耕队长也感到奇怪， “真有这样的事？”\r\n\r\n正说着，二婶也提着菜蓝子走过来说：“是啊，我屋里的水缸也是干了又会满，不知道是谁在做好事。”\r\n\r\n代耕队长笑笑说：“毛主席主张调查研究，你们该去调查调查呀！”\r\n\r\n杨大娘和二婶觉得这话有道理，俩人商量了一阵，就各自回家了。\r\n\r\n第二天，杨大娘擦桌子、洗衣服，不到下午，满满一缸水就用完了。她故意不去挑，也不下地干活，拿起一双鞋底，坐在门口，和二婶一起纳起鞋底来。她俩四只耳朵听动静，两双眼睛观八方，边做针线活，边搞起“调查”来。\r\n\r\n太阳离西山只有两竿高的时候，杨大娘忽然听见屋里的后门响了，接着又听到水桶铁钩碰撞的声音。她俩惊喜地互相丢了个眼色，不约而同地喊了出来：“这回捉到了！”说着站起身就往屋里跑。\r\n\r\n杨大娘刚进门，差点跟一个挑着水桶的人撞个满怀。她抬头一看，见这人身材高大魁梧，穿一身红军制服，正冲着她和二婶笑。望着他那双明亮的大眼睛，她觉得很面熟，但是又记不起在什么地方见过。二婶一下就认出来了：“呀，这不是毛主席吗！”\r\n\r\n二婶拉着毛主席坐下，杨大娘赶忙端上一碗茶，说：“毛主席，你来这里不久，可处处爱护体贴老百姓，叫我们怎么感谢你呀！”\r\n\r\n毛主席喝着茶，和两位红军家属聊起家常来，问她们：生活有没有困难？房子漏雨不漏雨？小孩子在小学的功课好不好？一直谈到天擦黑，毛主席又要去挑水，非要把水缸挑满不可。杨大娘拗不过，只好答应了。 \r\n\r\n</div>\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[su_column size=\"1/2\" center=\"no\" class=\"\"]\r\n[hide-this-part morelink=\"Show English translation\"]\r\nAunt Yang was from a Red Army family. After her elder son went to join the Red Army, there was one less laborer at home, so she had to look after everything herself.\r\n\r\nOne night in July 1933, Aunt Yang had finished irrigating the vegetable garden, and returned home to fetch water for cooking. She had just picked up the carrying pole, when she noticed that the water jug was [already] full. Auntie thought this was strange: two days ago the water jug was full, yesterday the water jug was full, and now today the water jug was full again. How could this be? She asked her son, \"Did you fetch water this afternoon?\" \r\n\r\nHer 11-year-old son shook his head and said, \"I didn\'t fetch it.\"\r\n\r\nThe more Auntie Yang thought about it the more strange it seemed, so she ran to the field and asked the head contract laborer: \"The water jug in my rooms, they\'re full every day. Did you send someone to fetch water for our family?\" \r\n\r\n\"I didn\'t,\" the head contract laborer also thought this was strange, \"Did that really happen?\"\r\n\r\nJust as he said this, Second Brother\'s Wife walked over carrying a vegetable basket and said: \"Yes, the water jug in my room also fills up as soon as it goes dry, I don\'t know who\'s doing these good deeds.\"  \r\n\r\nThe head contract laborer smiled and said, \"Chairman Mao encourages us to investigate and research, you two should look into it!\" \r\n\r\nAuntie Yang and Second Brother\'s Wife thought what he said made sense, so they discussed it for a bit, and then each went back to their homes. \r\n\r\nThe second day, Auntie Yang wiped the table, washed the clothes, and before the afternoon had come, all the water in the full water jug had been used up. She purposefully didn\'t go fetch any more, nor did she go to the fields to work, but took up a pair of shoe soles, and sitting by the door with Second Brothers Wife, began to stitch the soles. The two of them listened with four ears for any sounds of movement, and with two pairs of eyes looked about in all directions, sewing while \"investigating\".\r\n\r\nWhen the sun [had sunk close] to the western mountains, Auntie Yang suddenly heard the back door of the house make a sound, and soon after she heard the iron hook of the water pot clang. Pleasantly excited, they winked at each other, and shouted in unison, \"We\'ve got him this time!\" As they spoke they stood up and ran into the house. \r\n\r\nAs soon as Auntie Yang entered the house, she almost ran smack into the person who was fetching water. She lifted her head up to look, and saw this person was tall and stalwart, wearing the uniform of the Red Army, and was smiling at her and Second Brother\'s Wife. Looking at that pair of big, bright eyes, she thought he seemed a little familiar, but she couldn\'t remember where she\'d seen him before. [But] Second Brother\'s Wife recognized him: \"Ah! If it isn\'t Chairman Mao!\" \r\n\r\nSecond Brother\'s Wife pulled Chairman Mao into a seat, and Auntie Yang quickly brought some tea and said, \"Chairman Mao, you haven\'t been [in town] long, but everywhere you go you are caring and considerate towards the common people, tell us how can we ever thank you!\"  \r\n\r\nChairman Mao drank his tea, and chatted with the two [ladies] from Red Army families about their daily lives, asking them: \"Are there any difficulties in your lives? Is your [roof] leaking water? How\'s your children\'s primary schoolwork?\" They talked until darkness swept over the sky, and then Chairman Mao once again made to go fetch water, insisting on filling the water jugs again. Auntie Yang couldn\'t talk him out of it, and she had to agree.\r\n[/hide-this-part]\r\n[/su_column]\r\n[/su_row]</div>', 'Communist folk tales: 《水缸的秘密》- The secret of the water jug', 'Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People\'s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Army (红军). This popular revolutionary story highlights his willingness to toil alongside the rank and file soldiers. HSK 3-4. ', 'inherit', 'closed', 'closed', '', '2416-revision-v1', '', '', '2020-05-28 09:23:18', '2020-05-28 13:23:18', '', 2416, 'http://chinesereadingpractice.com/2020/05/28/2416-revision-v1/', 0, 'revision', '', 0);
