1591 - The Year China Conquered the Moon

Come on Gavin, you know you want to...


"According to one ancient legend, a Chinese official named Wan-Hoo attempted a flight to the moon using a large wicker chair to which were fastened 47 large rockets. Forty seven assistants, each armed with torches, rushed forward to light the fuses. In a moment there was a tremendous roar accompanied by billowing clouds of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the flying chair and Wan-Hu were gone."

(Illustration courtesy of United States Civil Air Patrol)

A Shop for Powerful Person

It's not as much fun when you know the Chinese because then you sort of know what they're trying to do. I like the idea that powerful people go there to buy their golf things and satisfy all their monopoly needs. I also just noticed that it is a "Powerful Person Golf Thing Monopoly store" with a little "s" Oh joy...

Numpties

Another one of the great New Zealand insults.

What a numpty!

A Pretender to the Throne?

Ha! Someone other than that rather unmaniacal church youth group in Germany has used the name Churchmania. He has the .com for it as well, and it's a kingdom! I guess that's my seldom written blog shoved into the back alley though. He looks like a creative and interesting chap though, this blog won't be the top result on Google for Churchmania much longer.... unless I get off my arse and start writing something more interesting. Check him oot!


And the throne? There never was one. This page is an anarcho-syndicalist commune.

China's New President 中國的新總統

Well, this news is a little late, owing to bandit-blockage of the internet. But with all the talk about Tibet people seem to have missed the big news. China has a new president, and his name is Ma Ying-jeou, nice name. 因爲大家在關心西藏和奧運，他們沒有注意到最重要的消息；中國有新總統。


The surname is 馬 Ma, meaning horse. That is stylish to begin with. Anyone remember Mr. Horse from the Ren and Stimpy Show?

The rest of the name 英九 Ying-jeou; 英 meaning "hero" and 九 meaning "nine". Yes, that's right...his name is "Horse Hero Nine" (see picture upper right).

Why do I say that he is the new president of China? Simple logic really...

我爲什麽說他是中國新總統呢？邏輯很簡單：

If Taiwan is really a part of China, then about ten million Chinese people voted for Ma Ying-jeou as the new president.

如果臺灣真的是中國的一部分，馬英九就是由一千萬左右的中國人選出來當總統。

How many Chinese voted for Hu Jintao? Certainly not more than a few hundred.
多少個中國人選了胡錦濤當國家主席，一定是幾百人以下吧。

So Ma Ying-jeou had the mandate of the Chinese people. Haha.

所以支持馬英九的中國人最多。 哈哈

中華民國萬萬嵗！Long Live the Republic of China!

NZ China Friendship Society not a Communist Front, but...

I have just noticed a few comments in some New Zealand blogs in defence of the New Zealand China Friendship Society which Trevor Louden had called a "communist front". Well, I don't think even the Communist Party of China is much of a "communist front" nowadays, at least economically.

However the New Zealand-China Friendship Society still pushes the line of the Chinese Communist Party on many issues especially the recent history of China, and the books they sell on their website do lionize Mao and the communist takeover of China which they routinely refer to as "liberation".

My main criticism of these China Friendship Societies (there are many scattered throughout the world) is that their functions are outdated. If you want to take a trip to China and make friends or do business with ordinary Chinese people it is very easy to do so without having anything to do with these organisations. The masquerade of these societies fostering "friendship between the people of New Zealand and the people of China" belongs to the same era as foreign exchange certificates and friendship stores. These were designed to keep foreigners at arm's length from the ordinary Chinese people in the street and make sure they were involved through official channels and that their knowledge of China and contact with Chinese people could be easily controlled.

Testing

Does this still work?