For those of you who have been reading my journal for some time, I think you'd remember those few rants about some Sinocentric people in my social circle. These friends of friends are typical Chinese-educated traditionalists with backward ideas on social and political issues, are pro-China and anti-Japan but think Japanese AV idols are hot and drive supped up Hondas and Toyotas. Oh and they just enjoy making fun of my love for J-rock music, among other insufferable things.

Well, today I had the misfortune to spend lunchtime with them. If I knew these idiots would be there, I wouldn't have gone. Seriously. They had nothing better to say other than stupid stuff and to show off photos from their China trip, which they just got back from last week. Yadda yadda they went on and on about beautiful China and beautiful Chinese girls. ~_~

The purpose of this post is to point out an unforgettable (but decidedly daft) opinion from one of the guys, who gushed about historical sites and the extensive Chinese empire of bygone days:

You notice, we were never a "bowing" culture. People bow to show respect and awe for superiors, but only like a servant bowing to his lord. Bowing is for lowly serfs. Ordinary Chinese people don't bow to each other. I mean, not to every Tom, Dick and Harry they meet. Not like the Japanese or Koreans, who bow to everyone, regardless of status. That kind of mentality has been in practice for so many centuries. I think it began when they were lowly ancient states, in comparison to the Chinese empire. Chinese contributed so much to Japan and Korea, like our language and traditions. Japan even paid tribute to us in the old days. That shows we're actually a more sophisticated and confident race. We don't bow every second or grovel at people's feet but walk and talk with confidence. I'm definitely proud to be Chinese in that sense.

(Bear in mind the guy didn't use those exact words. I'm interpreting from his Manglish usage, which was a mishmash of broken English and Hokkien.)

Soooo... what the friggin nut is that all about?!

THAT is a sad lot of distorted and outrageous trash. The fool had the gall to speak them out. I felt sooo embarrassed listening to him, but his two other equally stupid friends agree with him. Please read up on actual Asian history and cultures before you speak, you peabrain. "Bowing" is about being respectful AND courteous, not being inferior. The way he put it, made it sound a lot like as if Chinese people are arrogant and impolite who refuse to give in to a simple bow, although he meant it the other way round. Stupid huh?

The other two guys couldn't stop talking about "hot authentic Chinese girls" and the clubbing scene in Shanghai. They described everything in such a show-offish, we-are-so-elite manner that it was seriously intolerable. Our other lunch companions looked like they could punch them in the face or something. Well, it ain't my idea to invite those primates along and put us through an ordeal over pizza! It's a wonder I didn’t suffer from indigestion after lunch.

Fuktards. I seriously wonder what people learnt at those independent Chinese schools? Was their education really that nationalistic? Most of my Chinese friends were from national Malay/English-medium schools like myself, so I don't really know. I think it's high time I find out, so at least I know where these fools stand.

Hah! Chinese lent its language and culture to its neighbors eh? Now, I don't think the fools would fancy having nationalistic Koreans hear a word of that! They'll probably get shredded to pieces for daring to suggest that the Chinese had anything to do with the 5000 years of unique Korean culture. I guess they have yet to encounter a first-hand experience with true "Korean Pride" and its intensity. :P

In a couple of days' time, the Chinese and the Korean people around the globe will be celebrating what is known as Chap Goh Mei (literally, 15th Night, in Chinese Hokkien dialect) and Daeboreum (First Full Moon, in Korean) respectively. This is the last day of the fifteen-day festival and it's also the night of the first full moon in the lunar new year.

Despite the close cultural ties that these two cultures shared, the ways of celebrating the traditional festivals are very different. For the Chinese, the arrival of the Nungli Xinnian or Lunar New Year (celebrated on Jan 29 this year) is a bigger hooha than the last day of the 15-day celebration. We welcome the new year with resounding firecrackers and vibrant lion/dragon dances. The first few days are dedicated to paying visits to relatives and friends to wish them good fortune in the new year. It's also a season of getting hung bao or "red packets", tokens in the form of cash given to children and unmarried youth by their seniors.

Seollal is the Korean equivalent of Nungli Xinnian. In contrast, Koreans ushered in the new year in much subdued manner compared to the Chinese. During this period, the cities will be quite deserted as most Koreans would be making their ways back to their hometowns/villages to meet with their families and relatives. In the new year the people will dress in their traditional hanbok costumes, perform rituals to pay homage to their ancestors, perform ceremonial bows to the elders of the family, exchange well wishes, among many other things.

Comparatively, the Korean celebration of Lunar New Year is more formal and solemn than the Chinese. The celebration continues with folk games and family-oriented activities, something that's still popular even in today's modern and hectic Korean society.

Chap Goh Mei is a less celebrated event for Chinese people. Prayers are offered on this day in hope to have a fruitful year ahead. On this day also, some families would make and consume tangyuan, a type of snack made from glutinous rice flour. Of course those still in the festive mood will continue to burn firecrackers/fireworks to brighten up the full-moonlit sky. Some cities would have cultural performances of lantern and flag processions to entertain the general public.

Chap Goh Mei is also a night of romance according to local Chinese folklore, because unmarried maidens gather to toss tangerines into seas, lakes or rivers. It is believed that by doing so, these girls would find themselves good husbands. If someone else sees the floating tangerine in the water and picks it up, that generally means that the girl who threw it would be able to find a good spouse. This tradition originates not from China but from right here in Malaysia, in the island state of Penang. Nowadays people practice this as a social activity out of fun.

Korean Daeboreum is celebrated with a whole lot of cultural performances, folk games and traditional feasting. While Seollal is mainly celebrated with family and relatives, Daeboreum is the time to come out with both family and friends in order to bring in good fortune and drive out bad luck in the presence of the full moon. The eating of borum, a kind of hard-shell nut, is the first thing many people do in the morning before anything is spoken. It is believed that such practice keeps away skin disease in the New Year. It is also tradition to bite into the shell with one's own teeth, out of belief that the noise resulting from the cracking sound drives away evil spirits. Of the many traditional Korean customs in regards to Daeboreum, this is among the many still practiced in today's modern society. In the night, Koreans will make gather and make wishes before the full moon.

Daeboreum is also known as the fire festival because in rural areas, daljib (bonfires in the form of small huts) are lit as prayers for good fortune and wellbeing are being offered. It is believed that the bigger and wilder the flames, the better that year's harvest will be.

Anyhow, be it Chinese or Korean, I wish all my friends a happy and safe Chap Goh Mei and Daeboreum this Sunday! I'll not be online for the next few days as I'll be quite occupied with some events in RL. Not to mention my Internet bills are skyrocketing and my mom ain't too happy about that. Heh.

I’m personally against the usage of racial slurs, deliberate or ignorant, by people who are not of the race being insulted. “chink”, “jap”, “gook”, “dothead”, etc, are common Asian-directed slurs. Someone who goes, “Chink chong chang” in front of you is not paying you a compliment, so you better wise up. It’s absolutely derogatory, unless a person of that particular race makes a joke out of it among friends (inside jokes: Gook Anarchy, Nip Tuck and Singhalot.. heheheh!).

Anyway, as far as it goes, we now have a new usage of the term “Chink”. “Chinked Out” is a new music term coined by none other than Mandarin pop musician Wang Leehom, an American-born Chinese from New York. It is a blend of Chinese traditional music and modern hip hop, a style which has seen one successful album and another due to be released on Dec 30th. Where did this unique music concept originate? To quote Leehom himself:

Chinese pop music does not have a strong enough sonic identity. Instead of being purely karaoke driven, instead of covering or imitating other countries’ popular songs, we can focus on developing our own sound, drawing from the rich resources that abound in Chinese culture. Derived from the historically derogatory racial slur “chink”, used to out-down Chinese people, “chinked-out” repossesses the word, turns its negative connotations upside-down, and uses them as material to fuel the new sound of this music. The term describes an effort to create a sound that is international, and at the same time, Chinese.

In this unique self-created genre, Leehom introduces music listeners to the traditional music of Chinese ethnic minorities. However, as the musician had warned, it is not just world music but a new vibe to humanity. Perhaps a musical message to the world that we “Chinks” are no longer living at the fringes of the Western societies, but instead have risen to be formidable equals..?

I’d like to think so.