Further Social Phenomenon in China

One last entry based on Xie Sizhong's (解思忠) 国民素质忧思录 (A Chronicle of Worries and Contemplation about the Caliber of Our Citizens, 香港三联书店, 1998).

1. A Chinese elementary school student was found sleeping during a history class. Infuriated, the teacher asked: "Tell me, who burnt down Yuan Ming Yuan (圆明园, or the Old Summer Palace, pictured)?" The student replied: "It wasn't me."

Even more infuriated, the teacher ordered the student to go home and ask his parents. The next day, the parents showed up in school and exclaimed: "How can you accuse our son of burning down Yuan Ming Yuan! We can guarantee you that he didn't do it!"

2. Nobel laureate Yang Chen-ning (杨振宁) once visited Changchun (长春) and was greeted at the airport by well-wishers displaying welcoming posters and placards bearing his name. His arrival coincided with the arrival of a popular entertainer whose supporters were also holding up welcoming posters and placards. The latter group asked in bewilderment: "Who is Yang Chen-ning? What songs did he sing?"