您是不是断掌, anyone can help me what this mean when Mr Chen ask Gui Mei? Is it an Chinese idiom.
It's likely some reference to her personality, based on palm reading. Can't remember the scene and context it was said. But it could have been used sincerely or sarcastically. Interpretation of that palm pattern varies, but it seems to generally imply some negative qualities in females.
Thanks for the review. I mean to watch this at some point but I have to be in the right mood for it or I will…
Yeah I'm sure you have a pretty good idea when's the best mood for this show. Though with only a few dozen watchers, this very high quality show is unfortunately invisible to most MDL users. I suspect most people might be hesitant due to how serious the show appears, when in fact it quickly becomes an engaging, easy watch with a lot of organic comedy. It should have broad appeal when given a chance, as evidenced by the comments and few reviews.
I'm also in the situation with a couple of high quality shows like The Long Season and Blossoms Shanghai. It's mostly because I want to dedicate a watch time where I can be fully engaged as to not degrade my viewing experience. Though I've been pleasantly surprised by quite a few 'serious shows' that I feared might be tougher to get into, like Trilateral Slopes, Ordinary Greatness, and this one.
In order to appropriately answer this question, you have to understand the context of China before the West, during…
As far as movies go, I hear '800' is a pretty good film about the Battle of Shanghai.
And a personal favorite of mine is Bodyguards and Assassins. It's about events leading up to the end of Qing and beginning of the Republic. I found it really touching for a big budget action film, as it also captures the pain, tragedy, hope, and spirit of that turbulent era.
In order to appropriately answer this question, you have to understand the context of China before the West, during…
1) I wouldn't be surprised if such sentiment existed, though depiction of the KMT in Mainland dramas often are biased. After all it was the KMT who did 80% of the fighting and dying. My general sense through some limited survey of the history (which is still highly contested) is that the KMT really got shortchanged in the blame/credit department in the Mainland, in the US, and even in Taiwan today. They made terrible mistakes, committed terrible atrocities, and led terrible failures. But at the same time, they inherited a shitty hand and took the brunt of the IJA assault, while trying to hold together a warlord coalition that also created its own problems. And everyone blamed them because they were nominally in charge. And then they lost the Civil War so couldn't write the history.
One important thing to note though, the very habitual American notion of Good vs. Evil still doesn't apply here. Neither side are close to what you'd consider 'good', and it's simply trying to figure out which outcome makes a really terrible situation a little less terrible. Choosing between the good vs. evil side is not a moral luxury that China or many countries get to enjoy. Rather than trying to figure out and lament whether the good or bad side won, it's far more useful to understand history and the present through all its complexities so we make less terrible choices. Which brings us to ...
2) Despite some historical tensions and bad events, there's also ample reservoir of cooperation, goodwill, and ingredients for friendship and respect between US and China. For example, many of the top Chinese universities were built by American missionaries, American entry into the Pacific Theater saved China from Japanese conquest, US has been the biggest adopter of Chinese orphans, and only until recent years US was the one of the most admired countries in China and top destination for business, travel, study, and immigration. The full list would be very long and contain entries from both sides.
There's a lot of genuine differences between US and China, and the two cultures. But for those that know the actual realities and people, we know that if Chinese and Americans actually knew each other as people, they would find actual conflict and the existing political rhetoric to be utterly insane. For example, I'm certain that if Red American working class saw the lives of the workers in China, including the small business owners and factory workers, they would find greater resonance than even with the American white-collar workers. And most Chinese would be surprised and touched by how most Americans sincerely want to make the world a better place, even if they find the execution somewhat misguided. Ultimately people are people everywhere, and that extends beyond Americans and Chinese.
But historical tragedies are quite common. I'm reminded of the story of Germans and British soldiers celebrating Christmas in the trenches of WWI, before their brief moment of fraternity was ended by commanders that ordered them to resume killing, in a war that was ultimately terrible for everyone and never should have been fought.
And unfortunately, there's the possibility of conflict of unprecedented catastrophe between US and China, where both sides and the rest of humanity would be destroyed. And it won't be because both sides are selfish and cynical. Selfish and cynical is normal and actually good for survival. Selfish and cynical kept prevented nuclear armageddon between US and USSR despite far greater differences and vitriolic polemics. Because whatever the difference, it's not even remotely close to risking mutual destruction.
But a conflict could start by panic, delusions, or miscalculation. And I can't even fathom what level of guilt and moral condemnation both sides would need to bear. Oh Father, forgive them for they know not what they do? Unfortunately, I can't say that I didn't see the signs and risks.
So my modest hope to make the world a little less terrible is the prevention of such catastrophic conflict. And then with time, everything else will sort itself out, and people will learn, understand, come to their senses, and work out solutions, because there are no irresolvable differences between US and China and people have far more in common than many realize.
For anyone who sees this, I'm desperately seeking a brief history of how China went from being an ally with America…
In order to appropriately answer this question, you have to understand the context of China before the West, during colonial period, the leadup to 2nd Sino-Japanese War, Cold War history, and how geopolitics work in general. But the short and partial answer to your question is:
1) There was a convergence of interests during the WWII years as US (and USSR) supported both the CCP and KMT to fight Japan. Then between 1945-1949 China resumes its bloody Civil War and Mao won instead of Chiang. So the side with more Soviet backing won over the side with more US backing. So naturally China would lean more towards USSR.
2) Genuine threat and paranoia of communism - before Hitler, communism was seen as the biggest threat by the West, so it's no surprise hostilities resumed between the West and Soviet Union after WWII. Where public sentiment erred in the US was viewing all communist countries as a unified bloc, and not understanding conflicting interests between them. The primary reason most 3rd world countries became communist was for the very simple reason that USSR was far more supportive of countries gaining independence from colonial powers. In comparison, despite the liberal values practiced at home, Western countries did not apply that to their colonial interests. So the less knowledgeable people in US began lumping China with the USSR enemy. And those that had previously worked on US-China engagement were branded as failures who 'lost China'.
3) Korean War happened and Domino Theory took hold - but there were still many that thought it would be beneficial to have some relationship with China, until Korean War broke out. The history is quite interesting as neither US or China wanted this war. Even though it's not the official discourse in China, basically NK roped a reluctant China into its war effort, by making a gamble on the South, and after triggering an American counteroffensive, basically forced China's hand in bailing him out. Because it would be extremely geopolitically threatening to have US on China's border (and McArthur's rhetoric to nuke China before Truman reined him in definitely didn't help), China intervened at great human and material cost. That also had huge consequences on the current Taiwan conundrum, as US was not committed to Taiwan before Korean War, but now saw it as part of wider struggle against international communism. So the 7th fleet was dispatched to the Taiwan Strait, and this issue has been a major area of sensitivity ever since. Also funnily enough, China had to send regimens of soldiers originally assembled to 'liberate' Taiwan to Korea, where a lot of them froze to death.
4) Vietnam happened - of course it feels very threatening to China who sees US fighting two wars in Korea and Vietnam right on its borders, while the Cold War rhetoric was raging. So China became the primary backer of North Vietnam. Though apparently beneath the rhetoric, both sides at least learned some lessons from Korea and were keen to limit the confrontation. Supposedly US was very careful to stop the bombing raid clear of the Chinese border to not trigger a Chinese response, even though that's where Vietcong would locate their safe haven.
5) But guess what, US and China then became Cold War allies (which many in the US and China seems to have forgotten) - both saw USSR as the bigger threat. And many point to US-China entente as the inflection point where the tide turned in the Cold War. If this part is confusing, it's because of the common American misperception of history through ideology and Good vs. Evil. When it's much better explained by clinical national interests of different states. USSR cared more about its national interest than communism, which often ended being communism by name, imperialism by deed. And China has always been wary of Russian/Soviet expansionism, both Chiang and Mao. Two powerful countries on each other's border makes for very uncomfortable bedfellows.
6) And fun story as a bonus: then China and US worked together to counter USSR in Afghanistan, by backing the Mujahadeen. And this evolved into blowback in the form of Al Qaeda for US and Uyghur extremists for China.
I rarely read reviews and don't think I've ever commented on one before this. But I had to stop and say I enjoyed…
I made the mistake of watching and dropping a bunch of TSY dramas last year after Go Ahead. Now I pace myself with the annual is-she-doing-better-projects checkup.
No I didn't. I thought about it but haven't had a chance to. You want to watch it and let me know? LOL
ok, it was actually pretty good when I sampled it last year. I didn't feel compelled to continue because the sequel got mixed reviews. So now I might check it since you are vouching for the sequel.
5 
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1 
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1 
You can translate machine translate this article https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1778871129313921433
I'm also in the situation with a couple of high quality shows like The Long Season and Blossoms Shanghai. It's mostly because I want to dedicate a watch time where I can be fully engaged as to not degrade my viewing experience. Though I've been pleasantly surprised by quite a few 'serious shows' that I feared might be tougher to get into, like Trilateral Slopes, Ordinary Greatness, and this one.
And a personal favorite of mine is Bodyguards and Assassins. It's about events leading up to the end of Qing and beginning of the Republic. I found it really touching for a big budget action film, as it also captures the pain, tragedy, hope, and spirit of that turbulent era.
One important thing to note though, the very habitual American notion of Good vs. Evil still doesn't apply here. Neither side are close to what you'd consider 'good', and it's simply trying to figure out which outcome makes a really terrible situation a little less terrible. Choosing between the good vs. evil side is not a moral luxury that China or many countries get to enjoy. Rather than trying to figure out and lament whether the good or bad side won, it's far more useful to understand history and the present through all its complexities so we make less terrible choices. Which brings us to ...
2) Despite some historical tensions and bad events, there's also ample reservoir of cooperation, goodwill, and ingredients for friendship and respect between US and China. For example, many of the top Chinese universities were built by American missionaries, American entry into the Pacific Theater saved China from Japanese conquest, US has been the biggest adopter of Chinese orphans, and only until recent years US was the one of the most admired countries in China and top destination for business, travel, study, and immigration. The full list would be very long and contain entries from both sides.
There's a lot of genuine differences between US and China, and the two cultures. But for those that know the actual realities and people, we know that if Chinese and Americans actually knew each other as people, they would find actual conflict and the existing political rhetoric to be utterly insane. For example, I'm certain that if Red American working class saw the lives of the workers in China, including the small business owners and factory workers, they would find greater resonance than even with the American white-collar workers. And most Chinese would be surprised and touched by how most Americans sincerely want to make the world a better place, even if they find the execution somewhat misguided. Ultimately people are people everywhere, and that extends beyond Americans and Chinese.
But historical tragedies are quite common. I'm reminded of the story of Germans and British soldiers celebrating Christmas in the trenches of WWI, before their brief moment of fraternity was ended by commanders that ordered them to resume killing, in a war that was ultimately terrible for everyone and never should have been fought.
And unfortunately, there's the possibility of conflict of unprecedented catastrophe between US and China, where both sides and the rest of humanity would be destroyed. And it won't be because both sides are selfish and cynical. Selfish and cynical is normal and actually good for survival. Selfish and cynical kept prevented nuclear armageddon between US and USSR despite far greater differences and vitriolic polemics. Because whatever the difference, it's not even remotely close to risking mutual destruction.
But a conflict could start by panic, delusions, or miscalculation. And I can't even fathom what level of guilt and moral condemnation both sides would need to bear. Oh Father, forgive them for they know not what they do? Unfortunately, I can't say that I didn't see the signs and risks.
So my modest hope to make the world a little less terrible is the prevention of such catastrophic conflict. And then with time, everything else will sort itself out, and people will learn, understand, come to their senses, and work out solutions, because there are no irresolvable differences between US and China and people have far more in common than many realize.
1) There was a convergence of interests during the WWII years as US (and USSR) supported both the CCP and KMT to fight Japan. Then between 1945-1949 China resumes its bloody Civil War and Mao won instead of Chiang. So the side with more Soviet backing won over the side with more US backing. So naturally China would lean more towards USSR.
2) Genuine threat and paranoia of communism - before Hitler, communism was seen as the biggest threat by the West, so it's no surprise hostilities resumed between the West and Soviet Union after WWII. Where public sentiment erred in the US was viewing all communist countries as a unified bloc, and not understanding conflicting interests between them. The primary reason most 3rd world countries became communist was for the very simple reason that USSR was far more supportive of countries gaining independence from colonial powers. In comparison, despite the liberal values practiced at home, Western countries did not apply that to their colonial interests. So the less knowledgeable people in US began lumping China with the USSR enemy. And those that had previously worked on US-China engagement were branded as failures who 'lost China'.
3) Korean War happened and Domino Theory took hold - but there were still many that thought it would be beneficial to have some relationship with China, until Korean War broke out. The history is quite interesting as neither US or China wanted this war. Even though it's not the official discourse in China, basically NK roped a reluctant China into its war effort, by making a gamble on the South, and after triggering an American counteroffensive, basically forced China's hand in bailing him out. Because it would be extremely geopolitically threatening to have US on China's border (and McArthur's rhetoric to nuke China before Truman reined him in definitely didn't help), China intervened at great human and material cost. That also had huge consequences on the current Taiwan conundrum, as US was not committed to Taiwan before Korean War, but now saw it as part of wider struggle against international communism. So the 7th fleet was dispatched to the Taiwan Strait, and this issue has been a major area of sensitivity ever since. Also funnily enough, China had to send regimens of soldiers originally assembled to 'liberate' Taiwan to Korea, where a lot of them froze to death.
4) Vietnam happened - of course it feels very threatening to China who sees US fighting two wars in Korea and Vietnam right on its borders, while the Cold War rhetoric was raging. So China became the primary backer of North Vietnam. Though apparently beneath the rhetoric, both sides at least learned some lessons from Korea and were keen to limit the confrontation. Supposedly US was very careful to stop the bombing raid clear of the Chinese border to not trigger a Chinese response, even though that's where Vietcong would locate their safe haven.
5) But guess what, US and China then became Cold War allies (which many in the US and China seems to have forgotten) - both saw USSR as the bigger threat. And many point to US-China entente as the inflection point where the tide turned in the Cold War. If this part is confusing, it's because of the common American misperception of history through ideology and Good vs. Evil. When it's much better explained by clinical national interests of different states. USSR cared more about its national interest than communism, which often ended being communism by name, imperialism by deed. And China has always been wary of Russian/Soviet expansionism, both Chiang and Mao. Two powerful countries on each other's border makes for very uncomfortable bedfellows.
6) And fun story as a bonus: then China and US worked together to counter USSR in Afghanistan, by backing the Mujahadeen. And this evolved into blowback in the form of Al Qaeda for US and Uyghur extremists for China.
With the island a metaphor for loneliness. I'm guessing it was a note from Li Si. And the ocean/sea also came up quite a bit as metaphor before.
But someone will pass, it's the sad, but also moving and inspirational as well.