I’ve just taken delivery of a package containing copies of the English-language propaganda magazine China Reconstructs, dating from the Cultural Revolution. Most are from the early seventies, although there are a couple from 1966. They are amazing pieces of source material, given as they represent one of the very few windows on China for the West from the mid-sixties and until Mao’s death in 1976. From just from a quick flick through some of the copies, it is clear how in the West – and particularly in Britain, given the influence of left-wing politics on the intellectual environment - China must have seemed like a utopian vision; the ultimate expression of socialist society. All those smiling, happy faces: the abundant harvests and technological progress. Once I’ve had a chance to digest I’ll write more…
February 20, 2007
My attempts at learning Chinese
As my previous post may have hinted, my Chinese-language skills are next to nothing. (I think) they say you need only know around 3,000 characters to read a Chinese newspaper – I can recognise less than ten! But as I’ve only been learning Mandarin formally for around eighteen months, perhaps I should cut myself some slack. I’m never going to reach an adequate level of fluency – starting to learn a new language at the age of 29 is really difficult, and it’s not like I have a natural aptitude for languages anyway. I’ll be happy if, in a year’s time I can just about get the gist of a slogan on a propaganda poster (I can already recognise the character for people (ren)!) and perhaps, write basic sentences in characters. Watch this space!
