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To: cloudmountain
--I took a summer class in Cantonese, just for the heck of it.

Can you still speak any of it? I've always heard that Chinese has two dominate languages. Mandarin and Cantonese. I thought Mandarin was the dominant one though.

--My husband and I also traveled to China with a group of ARAMCOns way back in 1981. WHAT an eye-opener that was. --Our final dinner, for 5000 people, obviously with other tour groups, was in a HUGE dining hall-500 tables. There was ONE huge carpet, of silk, of course, for the entire banquet hall. There were FOUR wall hanging, one for each wall...made of jade carvings...all colors of jade as well. So when I write about some BAD stuff I DO remember some good stuff.

China used to be considered far more civilized and powerful than the European powers, but Europe grew in capability while China remained the same. It has been claimed that Confucius-ism is the cultural force which held China back from further development like that of the Western world.

I did watch it. I didn't quite believe all that was said but THOSE folks believed it.

I thought it was pretty impressive the way he translated those ancient Chinese symbols in light of later events surrounding Jesus. It seems as if they were prophetic.

52 posted on 02/17/2020 2:54:08 PM PST by DiogenesLamp ("of parents owing allegiance to no oither sovereignty."/)
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To: DiogenesLamp
--I took a summer class in Cantonese, just for the heck of it.
Can you still speak any of it? I've always heard that Chinese has two dominate languages. Mandarin and Cantonese. I thought Mandarin was the dominant one though.

No, I can't though I can still say "How are you?" Nay ho ma?
And answer: "Good, very good" Ho, gei ho

And you are correct about Mandarin and Cantonese.
The former is what mainland China speaks.
I don't think that Mandarin is spoken much here in the USA.
The Cantonese is generally what Chinese in America (FOB--fresh of the Boeing) speak and those ABC's (American Born Chinese) learn from their family or want to learn.

Before the emergence of modern China there was a myriad of dialects spoken but the Chinese could ALWAYS communicate with their writing...pictographs.
I remember China PROMISING to develop an alphabet but it hasn't come through and it's been decades. So, the Chinese stick with their VERY old fashioned and HIGHLY misogynistic pictographs. It's their country and they can do what they choose.

53 posted on 02/17/2020 5:22:46 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: DiogenesLamp
--My husband and I also traveled to China with a group of ARAMCOns way back in 1981. WHAT an eye-opener that was. --Our final dinner, for 5000 people, obviously with other tour groups, was in a HUGE dining hall-500 tables. There was ONE huge carpet, of silk, of course, for the entire banquet hall. There were FOUR wall hanging, one for each wall...made of jade carvings...all colors of jade as well. So when I write about some BAD stuff I DO remember some good stuff.
China used to be considered far more civilized and powerful than the European powers, but Europe grew in capability while China remained the same. It has been claimed that Confucius-ism is the cultural force which held China back from further development like that of the Western world.

The Chinese are EXTREMELY clannish and do believe that they are superior in many ways. They aren't stupid though and have come out of their shell in some ways.

When they entered the world sports arena they lost with impunity. They just didn't have the strength. So, MEAT is protein which is the basis of muscle.
China HAD been feeding whatever meat they produced to their military. Meat is very expensive to produce so it made sense.
But, they wanted to compete in world sports and WIN. So they started giving their ATHLETES more protein...meat. Since then their athletes have been pretty good.

Side note: When the Hindus gave up meat, somewhere in the 15-16 century, they never won another war.
Sports? From Google -India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) ... India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games beginning in 1964. ... sent its first athlete to the Summer Olympics for the 1900 Games, but an Indian national team did not compete at the Summer Olympics until 1920.

===================================

The military and police are Sikhs. They do not practice the same "brand" of Hinduism...and they are meat eaters. They are unmistakable with their turbans.
So India does compete, but they AIN'T no Russians.

Someday I MUST tell you about a Sikh in California who wouldn't wear a helmet on his motorcycle.

====================================

Finally, Confucianism was developed in China by Master Kong in 551-479 BC, who was given the name Confucius by Jesuit missionaries who were visiting there. However, the fundamental principles of Confucianism began before his birth, during the Zhou Dynasty--1046 or so.

Confucianism might have contributed to the "holding back" on technical development but it's my guess that the total package of the Chinese culture did that.
They are making up for it now, aren't they?

54 posted on 02/17/2020 5:41:02 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: DiogenesLamp
I did watch it. I didn't quite believe all that was said but THOSE folks believed it.
I thought it was pretty impressive the way he translated those ancient Chinese symbols in light of later events surrounding Jesus. It seems as if they were prophetic.

I wouldn't put too much credence in that demonstration. It was a media package.

55 posted on 02/17/2020 5:44:11 PM PST by cloudmountain
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