China 101
When I feared my luggage didn't make it with me to China to the Olympics, I was told this: Mao Tse-Tung didn't brush his teeth.
He rinsed with green tea.
"Does a tiger brush his teeth?" Mao asked.
Four out of five Chinese dentists nodded their heads and agreed with Mao, even as his teeth began to fall out. Fortunately, my luggage made it and I didn't have to go to the green-tea method of dental hygiene.
But here's what I realized upon hearing this: I know so little about Mao, about China, about this full culture. This country has upwards of 1.5 billion people. It seems to have the longest national history in ... well, history. But here's what I asked in a column that shows how little most of us know about China:
Name 10 Chinese.
Living or dead, politicians and celebrities. Name 10. I dare you to do so without Google.
I'll even spot you Mao.
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Comments
Alright, here we go:
Mao (Here we go)
Yao Ming(Bang, that's two)
Jet Li (Umm, I think he's chinese)
Jackie Chan (Rush Hour 2 was in Hong Kong, wasn't it?)
Shang Tsung (Mortal Kombat, at least the name sounds chinese)
Chung Li (Street Fighter, this list has officially taken a turn for the worst)
Ok, Mr. Hyde, point well taken.
But that can prety much be extended to many countries outside the U.S. Namy 10 Brazilians, or Australians, Or Japanese, or even Russians.
It just shows how detached we are sometimes to other cultures.
Posted by: Bigdog | August 8, 2008 12:17 PM
What's your point? Ask the average American to name 10 past U.S. Presidents and they wouldn't be able to do it. Knowledge isn't what you'd call rampant here.
Posted by: Walrus | August 8, 2008 12:23 PM
1) General Tso's Chicken
2) Sesame Chicken
3) Beef with Broccoli
4) Pork LoMein
5) Moo Goo Gai Pan
Posted by: Number 13 Combo | August 8, 2008 3:37 PM
1. George Washington
2. Sam Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. John Quincy Adams
5. Abe Lincoln
6. Gerald Ford
7. John F. Kennedy
8. Ronald Reagan
9. Jimmy Carter
10.Teddy Roosevelt
Posted by: Ruth | August 8, 2008 8:10 PM
Mao, Confucious, Jackie Chan, Chang Kai Chec, Dali Lama, Yao Ming, Ming of the Ming dynasty, Wang Zho Zho, and that new kid in the NBA. Spelling doesn't count.
Posted by: dave2 | August 10, 2008 11:58 AM
Ruth -
What country was Sam Adams President of?
FYI, the first VP later elected as our 2nd President serving from 1797-1800 was John Adams, father of John Quincy, husband of Abigail. Distant cousin to Samuel.
Posted by: tgd | August 14, 2008 5:40 PM
Outstanding Blog, Dave - hope you continue you this well past Beijing!
Posted by: Kathy Woeber Gardner | August 25, 2008 1:09 AM