[Book Sip] China’s True Face: ‘Good China, Bad Chaina’

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

Professor Lim Dae-geun, who is currently teaching in the Department of Global Cultural Contents and the Department of Chinese Interpretation and Translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, is one of Korea's leading scholars specializing in Chinese cinema. He is also serving as the president of the Global Cultural Contents Society, making him an expert in Chinese content. His newly published book deals with various aspects of China through individual content in an easy and trendy manner, without losing scholarly depth. It broadly introduces the hidden sides of China that are difficult for non-experts to catch, such as the Chinese people's 'different outward appearance and inner nature' temperament and the secretive operating methods of the Chinese government. The book organizes the essence and reality of China objectively and neutrally, allowing readers to enjoy it as easily as reading art works or event reviews.

People from Beijing place great importance on ‘menzi’ (面子), or face. Because they pay close attention to social status and academic background, they sometimes come across as somewhat authoritarian. The buildings constructed in Beijing often have a heavy and grand appearance, which reflects this characteristic.

People from Shanghai are practical and calculating. Since it has been an open port city for 180 years, they show a gentle and open attitude when meeting foreigners. However, they are money-minded and excel in business tactics. Therefore, even among long-time friends, if personal interests become entangled, they may abruptly cut off contact.

_ From page 23, The Middle Kingdom, China

The word ‘Xiongmao’ means ‘bear cat.’ It was named because at first glance, it was hard to tell whether it was a bear or a cat. In 1939, when a specimen was exhibited at a zoo in Chongqing, it was written as ‘Maoxiong,’ meaning ‘cat bear,’ using the modern left-to-right writing style. However, at that time, Chinese people were accustomed to writing from right to left, so everyone read it as ‘Xiongmao.’ That is why pandas are called ‘Xiongmao’ in modern Chinese.

_ From page 53, Symbols Representing China

Stories related to cricket fighting have been widely passed down in China. There is a tale of a couple addicted to cricket fighting who borrowed money to buy a skilled cricket. However, they accidentally lost it, and the chicken they raised at home swallowed it whole. In their despair, they both passed away together. In a novel collection called Yaozhaizhiyi, published during the Qing Dynasty, which compiles strange stories of the world, there is also a cricket tale. A father had prepared a cricket to present to an official, but his son accidentally killed it. For his father, the son transforms himself into a cricket.

_ From page 114, Chinese Old Stories We Didn’t Know

Good China, Bad China | Written by Lim Dae-geun | Param Book | 17,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.