From the beginning of his Presidency, Barack Obama has been criticized for bowing to foreign heads of state.
But those missteps are nothing compared to the insult hurled at America by a Chinese pianist in the White House.
According to an article at The Blaze, America was humiliated when Lang Lang played the theme from a 1956 Chinese war movie entitled Battle on Shangganling Mountain, a propaganda film from the Korean War.
Matthew Robertson writes at The Epoch Times that:
Lang Lang the pianist says he chose it. Chairman Hu Jintao recognized it as soon as he heard it. Patriotic Chinese Internet users were delighted as soon as they saw the videos online. Early morning TV viewers in China knew it would be played an hour or two beforehand. At the White House State dinner on Jan. 19, about six minutes into his set, Lang Lang began tapping out a famous anti-American propaganda melody from the Korean War: the theme song to the movie “Battle on Shangganling Mountain.”
The film depicts a group of “People’s Volunteer Army” soldiers who are first hemmed in at Shanganling (or Triangle Hill) and then, when reinforcements arrive, take up their rifles and counterattack the U.S. military “jackals.”
The movie and the song has been used as anti-American propaganda by the Chinese Communists for decades.
The New York Times sought to minimize the impact of the song, calling it "regrettable":
If, in retrospect, “My Motherland” might seem to be a regrettable choice for a state dinner, it clearly was unintentional. Mr. Lang, an American-trained pianist who divides his time between the United States and China, is an artist who melds American and Chinese cultures.
But Robertson writes that Lang chose the piece, and the Chinese Communist Party likely knew of the choice. In an interview broadcast on Phoenix TV, Lang said:
“I thought to play ‘My Motherland’ because I think playing the tune at the White House banquet can help us, as Chinese people, feel extremely proud of ourselves and express our feelings through the song. I think it’s especially good. Also, I like the tune in and of itself, every time I hear it I feel extremely moved.”
According to Robertson, the Phoenix TV interview was taped before the White House event. Lang was more frank on a Chinese-language blog, writing:
“Playing this song praising China to heads of state from around the world seems to tell them that our China is formidable, that our Chinese people are united; I feel deeply honored and proud."
Did the White House staff understand the nature of the song when it was played? Worse yet, do they realize that people in China see this as a propaganda victory against an old enemy?
Yang Jingduan is a Chinese psychiatrist now living in Philadelphia who once served as a doctor in the Chinese military. “It’s like insulting you in your face and you don’t know it, it’s humiliating,” he said, according to the Epoch Times.
In China, young people are taught that the United States lost the Korean War, even though the War officially never ended.
Robertson writes that while most in China appear to support Lang's choice and revel in the insult handed to America, some expressed more moderate views:
Another Chinese commenting on a forum responded to the Lang Lang performance by writing, “Defeat America, defeat Obama” (writing Obama’s name with the wrong first character, one meaning “sunken” or “dented.”)
Others wrote comments like: “omg!”; “Didn’t they know?”; “Where was the U.S. foreign affairs?” and “Very good. My impression of Lang Lang has really changed.”
More moderate Chinese have expressed disappointment at the attitudes of their countrymen.
A sinovision blog quotes “Professor A” saying : “Everyone knows this Shangganling is from a ‘Resist America, Support Korea’ film, and I think Lang Lang would know that too. If he knew the song’s background and still chose to play it, then you can guess his motivation, or intellectual capacity. If he didn’t know, then mainland China’s education system is in more of a mess than I thought...
“Suppose for a moment that Obama was invited to a banquet in China, and he invited an American artist who had performed in China for many years to play an American war song against China, what kind of reaction do you think the Chinese government and people would have? … I think the American government still doesn’t know the background of this song—if they knew, wouldn’t they be offended
This insult demands an apology, and the Administration needs to take a stand. But will they?
Update: White House says insult not an insult.
On Monday, January 24, 2011, at 7pm Pacific time, Joe will discuss this and other issues with Sharon Russell at blogtalkradio.com. Be sure to listen and call with your thoughts - we want to hear from you. The call-in number is (917) 932-1661. You can also follow Joe on Twitter @jnewby1956.
Comments
Why would this be allowed? Did they even know, or why would they not go over the music choices before they were played?
I think the Chicoms knew. The Obama admin, not so much. They haven't really been the best at foreign relations...
Is the American people that dumbed-down by the media, processed food and McDonalds that they cannot see this for what it truly is??? China has taken over the USA and they are rubbing our noses in it....last week they told us our dollar is dead, now they sing a "kill the dumb americans" song...with our corporate/cia created puppet Obama enjoying it all the while!!!!!!!!!
Wake up people, it's time to say enough is enough of this crap. Stop buying chinese inferior products, stop plugging yourselves in to the mainstream media's lies, pull up your skirts and do something about it. Peacefully yet FIRMLY protest of the USA's take over by the deliberate corporate elite destruction plan. Do you really think the Administration didn't know this was going to be performed? Really.....? Come on, think about it. They're selling us out and most of this country is asleep, watching American Idol and eating Twinkies. History - Nero played his violin while Rome was burning....and who set the fire? Nero did.
Why you arrogant little bastard! But then again, that pretty much sums up most of the Chinese these days. Hey Lang, get ready for the firestorm you've just created for yourself. Spends his time between the U.S. and China? REVOKE his visa now!!! SCREW YOU LANG!!!!! SCREW YOU CHINA!!!!! Kiss my Yankee born ASS you commies!!!!! Believe me, I read the lables and when I see Made in CHINA... you better believe I wont buy it. USA - USA - USA - USA!!!!! China SUCKS - China SUCKS - China SUCKS - China SUCKS!!!!! Thank you.
You might want to google "China's God Bless America" to see what this song is really about.
Epoch Times is Well known for it's anti-China slant.
To say the song is anti-American is like saying Star Spangled Banner is anti-British. We play it to the Queen, does it mean we are rubbing her nose in? The Revolutionary War and Korean War are both historical facts, so what does it have to do with respective state visits today?
Lang Lang picked a song for the visiting guest, don't read too much into it. It was also sang during the Olympics, in front of President Bush.
Spoken like a good little communist apparatchik. We know what the song is about, and how it was seen as a communist victory in China. I'm appalled that our Pres let it happen in our White House!
Are we really surprised? I'm disgusted, but not surprised.. Our President is a disgrace to us a nation and a people. Remember this when it's time to vote in 2012...
you people nitpick over the stupidest shit. what a paranoid country.
remember,5,6 years ago, when hu came, u.s. insulted him by a woman shouting out, so this time, it's their turn. we need borrow money from china, let them happy.
What??? Do you work for MSNBC?
anti america?who's not in this world?u.s. was wrong in korean war,you were on other people's land.how could people not be anti america?
Who's not? How about the millions of people who love this country enough to serve in her military? Or the many millions more who have been freed from tyranny by the US? Or the millions who live here who love freedom?
And it probibly got a standing ovation from our dictator and his cronnies
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