Three Years in Beijing

Thanks to Dr Tay Eng Hseon and Dr Chiu Jen Wun for a surgery that “went very well”. At least those were the few gratifying words that I remember as I was wheeled out of the operating theatre last week in a semi-conscious mode. But who uttered those words? Dr Tay or Dr Chiu? Hmmm.

Thanks also to friends who had visited, showered concerns, brought food and reading materials, both during and after hospitalization.

Particularly enjoyed LL’s fried beehoon (vermicelli), dang gui (angelica root) chicken soup and her book Three Years in Beijing, a compilation of articles written and published in Singapore’s Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao while she was based in the Chinese capital. (朱亮亮, 北京三年, 时报出版社, 2000)

Thanks LL for the common Beijing memories we shared, and for mentioning me in the article about China’s reaction to the 1999 NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade (pictured). Those were indeed the days. The article should also have mentioned how I was pushed, shoved, and sustained minor injuries while covering the student protests. :)

Two interesting snippets from LL’s book – the extreme actions taken by Chinese petitioners to get their grievances heard by the central authorities, and the changing perceptions towards soldiers in the country.

Some petitioners who wished to highlight their grievances apparently headed to CCTV (China Central Television), where one man was said to have dashed into the premises smeared in feces, and security guards who tried to stop him were also tainted with feces. Another man, an elderly farmer, whose brother was falsely accused and beaten to death showed up at the gates of CCTV where he knelt down while holding a bag with his brother’s head in it! Absolutely gruesome stuff, which reminds me of a television documentary I produced on petitioners in 2004 which was never aired due partly to its grisly details.

As for the changing perceptions of soldiers, there is the following ditty:

抗美援朝打美帝时是可爱的人
扑灭黑龙江大火时是可敬的人
拯救唐山大地震灾民时是最可靠的人
对付学生运动时是可恨的人

(When they resisted the American imperialists while assisting Korea during the Korean war they were the most lovable people.
When they put out the massive fires in Heilongjiang they were people to be admired and respected.
When they assisted those affected by the Tangshan earthquake, they were the most reliable people.
And when they cracked down on the student movement they were the most detestable people.)

Given China’s reform and opening up, soldiers had emerged as a less admired profession, and it was no longer a case of girls lining up to get married to men donned in army fatigues.

Hence, there is another saying about the kind of women that these soldiers can hope to marry – 搁在家里放心, 想起来伤心, 见了面恶心. (One’s heart can be at ease even if left at home, one’s heart will break whenever thoughts of them arise, and one’s heart will turn disgusted when comes face to face with them.) Hmm, not the best translation I guess.

Incidentally, this is the first national day I spent in Singapore in over a decade or more. I thought the national day parade was rather sleep-inducing. But nevertheless, happy 45th birthday Singapore.