[Reader-list] The deeper meanings of Chinese classical poems

[Vivek Narayanan]

Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad
Science journal mistakenly uses flyer for Macau brothel to illustrate 
report on China

By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
The Chinese script on the journal cover, which was actually a brothel advert



A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn 
its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special 
report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty 
details of stripping housewives in a brothel.

Chinese characters look dramatic and beautiful, and have a powerful 
visual impact, but make sure you get the meaning of the characters 
straight before jumping right in.

There were red faces on the editorial board of one of Germany's top 
scientific institutions, the Max Planck Institute, after it ran the text 
of a handbill for a Macau strip club on the front page of its latest 
journal. Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the 
cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the MaxPlanckForschung 
journal, but instead of poetry they ran a text effectively proclaiming 
"Hot Housewives in action!" on the front of the third-quarter edition. 
Their "enchanting and coquettish performance" was highly recommended.

The use of traditional Chinese characters and references to "the 
northern mainland" seem to indicate the text comes from Hong Kong or 
Macau, and it promises burlesque acts by pretty-as-jade housewives with 
hot bodies for the daytime visitor.

The Max Planck Institute was quick to acknowledge its error explaining 
that it had consulted a German sinologist prior to publication of the 
text. "To our sincere regret ... it has now emerged that the text 
contains deeper levels of meaning, which are not immediately accessible 
to a non-native speaker," the institute said in an apology. "By 
publishing this text we did in no way intend to cause any offence or 
embarrassment to our Chinese readers. "

But publication of the journal caused some anger among touchier internet 
users in China who felt the institute had done it on purpose to insult 
China, or that it was disrespectful to use Chinse as a decoration. But 
generally, the faux-pas sparked much amusement among Chinese readers.

On anti-cnn.com, a foreigner-baiting website set up after a commentator 
on the US broadcaster made anti-Chinese comments following the crackdown 
in Tibet in March, the reaction was mostly "evil fun". One wrote, "Next 
time, please find a smart Chinese graduate to check your translation", 
and another said they should try writing "I am illiterate".

The journal has since been updated online and its cover now carries the 
title of a book by the Swiss Jesuit, Johannes Schreck (1576–1630). The 
Jesuit text in question was "Illustrated Explanations of Strange Devices".

Chinese is a tonal language, which means words sounding the same can 
often have very different meanings depending on how they are spoken.

There are tales of drunken teenagers walking out of tattoo parlours with 
characters reading, "This is one ugly foreigner" or "A fool and his 
money are easily parted".

Another web-user wrote: "I recently met a German girl with a Chinese 
tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so 
loud, I could hardly breathe."