The Land of Chinese Opera
China is the land of the Chinese Opera. A lot is hidden behind the elaborate masks, turns, flips and sabre rattlings.
The TV serial Liangjian 亮剑 (literally “to show the sword”) is cast against the background of the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), when the Kuomintang 国民党 and the Communist Party 共产党 had an uneasy alliance to fight the Japanese together. This particular episode I watched has all the makings of the opera that goes on all the time in companies here in China.
The Kuomintang has occupied a strategic town that would enable them to immediately wipe out an entire regiment of the Communist Party’s army, headed by this astute commander Li. A direct attack is out of the question, since both the Communist Party and the Kuomintang are supposed to be fighting a common enemy.
He cut off communications lines to the town, and conducted exercises around it. All food supplies were intercepted, as well as despatches in and out of the town. When the commander of the trapped companies within the town paid a diplomatic visit, an interesting show was staged.
Li was “shocked” to hear of the problems being faced by the town, and summoned his Aide de Camp. He was told that the exercises were orders from the Battalion, and he was not informed because he happened to be drunk. The Aide de Camp was “berated” for this lapse, and Li apologised to the regiment commander, telling him that he would take the matters to Battalion headquarters in about 5 days.
Exasperated, the Kuomintang commander requested a space be given for his troops to withdraw from the town, to which Li simply told his Aide de Camp to prepare a farewell party for their “fellow esteemed warriors”.
I see such shows all the time here in Chinese companies. It is a very interesting place indeed.
The TV serial Liangjian 亮剑 (literally “to show the sword”) is cast against the background of the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), when the Kuomintang 国民党 and the Communist Party 共产党 had an uneasy alliance to fight the Japanese together. This particular episode I watched has all the makings of the opera that goes on all the time in companies here in China.
The Kuomintang has occupied a strategic town that would enable them to immediately wipe out an entire regiment of the Communist Party’s army, headed by this astute commander Li. A direct attack is out of the question, since both the Communist Party and the Kuomintang are supposed to be fighting a common enemy.
He cut off communications lines to the town, and conducted exercises around it. All food supplies were intercepted, as well as despatches in and out of the town. When the commander of the trapped companies within the town paid a diplomatic visit, an interesting show was staged.
Li was “shocked” to hear of the problems being faced by the town, and summoned his Aide de Camp. He was told that the exercises were orders from the Battalion, and he was not informed because he happened to be drunk. The Aide de Camp was “berated” for this lapse, and Li apologised to the regiment commander, telling him that he would take the matters to Battalion headquarters in about 5 days.
Exasperated, the Kuomintang commander requested a space be given for his troops to withdraw from the town, to which Li simply told his Aide de Camp to prepare a farewell party for their “fellow esteemed warriors”.
I see such shows all the time here in Chinese companies. It is a very interesting place indeed.
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