Exercise your compare and contrast talents as we look back to the 1960s and alternate 21st century China. Just a sample of course…
First the ultimate in Personality Cult from the 60s. Reminds me of when in Cronulla on my short wave radio I would listen with mounting incredulity to Radio Peking, as they called it then, with its accounts of massive tumours removed from grateful patients with nothing but acupuncture and the Thought of Chairman Mao!
But in the 21st century it is more like:
Then of course in the good old days…
All those smiling peasants! But in the 21st century:
Enjoy the last one, even if you don’t understand the words. It is worth taking the 17 minutes. There are three songs: It’s Like a Summer Flower; Forever Young; Ordinary Road. Lyrics for the last one below. They are inspiring.
Pu Shu, the singer, was born and raised in China and became a singer in the 90s. After taking a break from the music scene for over a decade, “The Ordinary Road” was his first song in 11 years. It is the theme song for the Chinese road trip comedy movie “The Continent”. It has a neo-folk style, a laid back beat, and deeply thought-provoking lyrics describing the emptiness of fame/fortune and the importance of, as the title states, “walking the ordinary road.” — Source.
Lyrics in Colloquial English
To those who are wandering on the road, are you going to go? To those who are fragile, to those who are proud, I was once like you. To those who are boiling mad, to those who are uneasy, where are you going? To those who are secretive and silent, are you listening to the story?
I’ve crossed mountains and seas, passed through giant crowds. I once had everything, but it disappeared like smoke in the blink of an eye. I’ve been disappointed, despairing, and lost my direction, until I saw that the answer lay in the ordinary.
While you are fantasizing about tomorrow, wondering if it will be better or worse than today, to me, it’s just another day.
In the past I have destroyed everything, wanting to leave forever. I fell into a deep, dark pit, couldn’t extricate myself. I’ve been like you, like him, like all those random people. I’ve been hopeless, yet longing for something–I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve been ordinary.
Just keep walking, like this, even if you are given something. Just keep walking forward like this, even if something has been taken away from you. Just keep going, even if you miss something. Just keep on going, even if you…
I’ve crossed mountains and seas, passed through giant crowds. I once went around the whole world asking my questions, but never got an answer. I’m just like you, like him, like all those random people/things, and in the darkness I realized this is the only road I have to take.
Time does not speak, tomorrow is coming, the road is long and far. As for your story…where were we?
Neil's Commonplace Book 