erik lundegaard

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Wednesday May 09, 2018

So Much Winning

Still reading ”China in Ten Words“ by Chinese novelist Yu Hua, and his recollections of Mao's China remind me of someone. Particularly this state-sanctioned song that workers in the late ‘50s and early ’60s recited during their labors:

You‘re all heroes and we’re all champs, By the furnace here let's compare our stats. Good for you, you‘ve smelted a ton—But a ton and a half is what we’ve done! Right, you go off and fly your jet—Now watch as we launch our rocket! Your arrow can pierce the sky—But ours has gone into orbit!

You‘ll win so much you’ll be tired of winning. Which, yes, I am tired of it. 

BTW: After the above labors during the Great Leap Forward, millions of Chinese workers starved to death. 

Posted at 09:16 AM on Wednesday May 09, 2018 in category Books