"More than one in three smokers worldwide is Chinese, and a million Chinese people die each year from cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and other smoking-related causes. (Secondhand smoke gets credit for another hundred thousand deaths, give or take, every year in China.) But tobacco companies knew they could be doing even better, so, according to internal documents that were disclosed in the course of litigation in recent years, transnational tobacco companies took matters into their own hands. Combing through internal company documents, a team of researchers, led by the Mayo Clinic and published in 2008 by the Public Library of Science Medicine, concluded that cigarette makers launched “a multifaceted strategy for undermining the adoption of restrictions.” How exactly?" [emphasis added]
Bizarre. "Little Rabbit, Be Good," a Chinese New Year satire horror tale that was quickly banned from the Chinese interwebs.
Translation below the video, with h/t to ChinaGeeks. (Click that link for an interesting analysis, with translated Chinese netizen reactions to the vid.)
Translation
It’s a little tough to translate a video, so we’ll go by time code here. 0:00: Disclaimer: 1) This film may make people uncomfortable, and children are forbidden to watch it. 2) This film is meant as an adult fairy tale, and has no connection to real life. 3) This film is only meant to be shared during the 2011 New Years’ (Spring Festival) Greetings period, so please don’t pass it around after that. 0:00-0:06: Opening titles: A 2011 Spring Festival Greetings Card 0:14: Kuang Kuang: Wishing you a happy Spring Festival, from Xiao Hong. 0:17: Book cover: “Little Rabbit Kuang Kuang” 0:21: Text in book: Far far in the future, there was a beautiful forest… 0:21-0:26: Singing: “Little white rabbit, white as snow, two ears standing upright” 0:27-0:29: Side of truck reads: “Three Tiger Milk1. Good tiger milk so rabbit moms can relax.” 0:27-0:36: Singing: “They jump and bounce around, so cute, they like eating carrots and vegetables, they like eating vegetables.” 0:42-0:50: Singing: “Little rabbit, be good, open your mouth, open it up quickly, and drink up your happy future.” 0:52: Text on cave wall: Big Tiger Cave. Serve the rabbits. Build a harmonious forest. 0:55: Text on red banner: Build a Harmonious Forest2. 1:00-1:03: “No one move. Let the leaders go first!”3 1:05-1:13: Singing: “Little rabbits, be good, get out of the road, quickly get out of the way, the leaders will exit first.” 1:10: Speech bubble text: “Help!” 1:15: Text on buildings: “Demolish.” 1:17: Text on slot machine: “Demolish.” 1:19: Text on TV screen: Tiger leader: “Condolences” Rabbit: “Thanks” 1:20: Text on house: “Demolish.”4 1:25: Text on old rabbit’s face: “Protest” 1:27-1:35: Singing: “Little rabbit, be good, quickly demolish the house, demolish it faster, we must put the new one up.” 1:47: Speech: “My Dad is Tiger Gang! 1:49: Text on rabbit in car’s face: “Son, drive!” 1:49-1:55: Singing: “Little rabbit, be good, get out of the way, get off the road, Gang’s son wants to drive over here.” 2:02-2:10: Singing: “Little rabbit. Be good. Listen! Be good. Don’t just say whatever you want.”5 2:15: Growling: “Be careful or accidents will happen.” 2:30: Text on rabbit’s face: “Kill” 2:30-2:54: “Little white rabbit, white as snow, two fangs standing upright. Don’t make me angry, when I’m pushed6 I can bite hard, too. When I’m pushed I can bite hard too.” 3:00: Speech: Kuang Kuang, Kuang Kuang! 3:07-3:14: Singing: “Little white rabbit, white as snow, two ears standing upright” 3:15: Kuang Kuang: This is a really meaningful year! 3:18: Kuang Kuang, come help your mom make dumplings! 3:22-3:25: The song is ending: “…like eating carrots and vegetables. They like eating vegetables7.” 3:28: Text: “The year of the rabbit has come. Even rabbits bite when they’re pushed.”
Interesting forum entry from the History of China graduate course I'm taking right now:
When I teach religion in my World History I class, we organize each of the five major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam) into what Emile Durkheim called "the Five Functions of Religion." These functions are that it
1) Provides psychological support,
2) Provides social cohesion,
3) Gives meaning to the mundane,
4) Serves a prophetic function and
5) Provides social order.
Normally my fellow teachers and I treat Confucianism as part of our section on Chinese philosophy rather than as a religion in and of itself and haven't in the past put it into this framework. However, in looking at these readings I didn't realize how easily I could structure my teaching of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism in the same way I do religions. The reading on "The Nature of Chinese Religions" was especially helpful in helping me see a different way of teaching.
1) Psychological support comes from the worship of ancestors and using their wisdom to better your own and your society's life
2) Social cohesion is inherent in Confucius' "Five Key Relationships"
3) Giving meaning to the mundane can be found in how Chinese religions connect everyday activities with the supernatural
4) The prophetic function is a bit trickier, since Confucius isn't really seen as a religious figure, however, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi were also not deities, but leaders who used religious teachings to bring about social change.
5) Providing social order exists not only in the five key relationships, but also is inherent in pretty much everything Hanfeizi wrote about!
China is passing anti-smoking laws in many public places. British and American Tobacco companies are doing all they can to keep China addicted.