SUMO AND GLOBALIZATION

Interesting thoughts and observations here.

"RED REVIVAL"

in Chongqing.

Many here, including Communist Party adherents, agree that this revival of revolutionary fervor is needed to instill a new sense of pride and common purpose, adding that they feared China’s decades-long rush to get rich has eroded the country’s moral bearings and created an ethos of unchecked materialism.

“When I sing red songs, I find a kind of spirit I never felt when singing modern songs,” said Zhang Chenxi, a third-year student at Southwest University here. “To surround yourself with material stuff is just a waste of time.”

I guess if you wait long enough, there may be nostalgia for anything.

At least there is some push-back:

Some critics said they were rattled by this apparent revival of Maoism and red culture, which seems to be gaining traction nationwide.

“To not forget history, we also have to remember the crimes committed during the Cultural Revolution, how they trampled on human rights, how Mao put all his colleagues who had been with him in the revolution in jail,” said legal scholar He Weifang in Beijing, who studied in Chongqing. “We cannot simply remember the beautiful parts of the history.”

UPDATE: Some commentary here.

JAPAN TSUNAMI CLEAN-UP

Pics here. Impressive.

CHINA: LIFE ON THE STREETS

of Chengdu. Interesting.