When I watched the movie, one question punched me suddenly and, incidentally, espoused heftily by me, that instead of the maybe-pluralism – it may be idealism or “dreamism” (please forgive my innovation) -- what the gap between the two peoples existing for?
Initially, the obscure and susceptible definitions – or we can say people themselves' subjective, more or less, opinion-- of people “cultivated” in population's mind are there the fence of understanding of us. If we say one cultivated people should be highly educated and the society it belongs to would be obviously developed, industrialised and technological, the English was, of course, rather than the Hindu, at least at that time. It's a horse sense that the biggest kingdom with 1/3 of the universal population in this world was a decisive role to the discovery, destiny and the direction of the planet in which the “advanced” Caucasoid and many “barbaric” races with interesting skin colours living together but separated. The power of the nation was a real asset in that cruel competition.The also-rans in the wars – there must be many also-rans because there had plenty of wars -- which was flirted by the people clad in slim-cut suits with flowery excuses, even directly rude and unreasonable like to say “I will rape you just because I want”, were pliable and vulnerable to their enemies owing to the warships and canons. The stereotype vis-a-vis who were more cultivated would be shuffled thanks to the consequences caused by the ambitions and unmatched forces of both sides if we clarify them by the politeness and the attitude to the harmonious pluralism. The hunters and the bandits were always what the European countries were playing on in the stage of that disordered and survival-of-the-fittest era with the representative works such as black warship knocking down the gate of Japan protected by katanas, rusty,the War of Opium with the Central Empire who was a lion, called by Napoleon, but asleep, burning the Summer Palace in Peking, one exquisite garden priceless, and, very typical and classic one, invading and controlling the Moguls' realms lying on the Indian Subcontinent.
Personally I prefer the latter explanation to people cultivated for that what the powers stands for is the sufficiency of killing citizens and swallowing territories. Hence, a giant nation but not mercy while indifferent to other peoples especially the vulnerable should not be called as cultivated but nothing better but with good fighting skills. Or, a mincer.
Whilst, many scholars will condemn me for my academic mistake that a cultivated people should hold gorgeously fine arts and spine-tingly brilliant cultures. What I have represented is only from a narrow and objective but not extreme and absolutely not wrong vista which is not scientific enough – I admit -- whatever, I'm not expert, but a normal person with independent no one taught sympathetic feelings, originally gifted senses and natural perspectives – to do accurate research to clarify the boundary between the God-blessed nations and the dark world. Nonetheless, this conception -- or the preconception is a more reliable word – that the western art and culture were or are better than the “sub-races” is fake if we still remembered the Taj Mahal and the pagodas and the reliefs carved on their columns.It is tough even impossible work to distinguish the good and the not good in this sphere if the peoples have worn more cloths and abandoned their cave residences. They experienced different histories and spearhead the art, music and literature into varied directions but all exuberant and plentiful .
The other common sense people know nowadays and knew, theoretically, in that time also whilst in one facial level is that people are equal. It's not easy for me to research out with my poor knowledge and intelligence that whether the British gentlemen governing and colonizing India were out of spite. On the other hand, if persons are equal, peoples are equal, too.
Therefore, the picture is clear at present. Indians and the English are equal, at lowest in their basic living right, status and art – should be. The lack of chairs could be explained into the difference of custom. It's far-fetched if we associate the categories of household wares with cultivation, as when we watch people dancing with the hurried clicks of castanets, we will never know one instrument emitting the extremely familiar sound made by pieces of bamboo is being used in the oriental for comedians to entertain people. Moreover, the sanitary condition in such an extent with leisurely haunting flies could be the result of the corresponding economic condition.
Yet, riding the car on the road connecting the bazaar and the governor's residence is a process of jumping transmission of centuries, civilizations and classes. It's not my point to say the high and the low, the slaves and the masters which are as easy to see as the arrogance of the Anglo-Saxon sons and their prejudice to the descendants of one of the four great ancient civilizations, because people have complained about it thousands of times.
I write down this report not to condemn or complain things, instead of that , the doubt of the vacuum of people's mercy and compassion is a big question to me to meditate about. Otherwise, it's hard to discover the outline of this passage – I believe you should be in the same maze, settled by myself, like I am .
Apart from this, I wish to take this opportunity to mock at the maskers, the so-called cultivation and civilization, and stand in silent tribute to the real them.
Liu Xinyuan October 7, 2010 Haikou night with heavy rain
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