A special treat: “The Hobbit” in Russian

Our friend Ivan has sent us this clip of a Russian version of Tolkien’s story, “The Hobbit.”

The animation and the interpretation of the story were all done by Russians.

Ivan’s opinion is that Tolkien’s very deeply English stories are especially beautiful when translated into Russian.    But you can judge for yourselves.   Meanwhile, please enjoy:

China catches up to 17th century Russia

From Radio Free Asia:

Authorities in China’s westernmost city of Kashgar are stepping up pressure on government employees to go clean-shaven, and the city’s large ethnic Uyghur population, whose adult males overwhelmingly sport moustaches, aren’t happy about it, residents say.

…

In an online posting, one teacher reported that, as part of the campaign against facial hair, officials at his school had even removed from the auditorium and classrooms portraits of mustachioed Communist icons Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin.

2007 rule

Authorities appear to be enforcing a 2007 regulation from the Kashgar City Party Committee, which stipulates that employees must be secular in appearance or face penalties ranging from fines of 100-300 yuan (U.S. $15-45) to dismissal, an employee at Kashgar City No. 1 Upper School said.

This is not the first time China has borrowed a bad idea from Russia in the name of modernisation.   Nor is it the first time that the irony of looking to Russia as a model of modernity has been lost on the Chinese Communists.  But it is a milestone on China’s determined path to become ever more backward, because now China has jettisoned the 19th century model of Lenin for the 17th century model of Tsar Peter the Great.

In Praise of Jack Reed, American Communist

The discussion on our previous post, “Headlines”, inspired me to write a bit about Jack Reed, an American Communist who had – and still has – the honour of having his remains interred in the Kremlin Wall, because he was instrumental in assisting Russia’s Communist Revolution of 1917.

Why have I been inspired to remember Jack Reed?  Well, as the previous post’s discussion and some related blogosphere discussions have indicated, I (and my China Blogosphere friend, “Ivan”) seem to be regarded by many, as rabid anti-communists who hate the Chinese Communist Party (and all “Communists”) for blinkered, unthinking, ideological reasons.

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

A Guest Post by Ivan, for Red Army Day

Last night I received another drunken phone call from Ivan.   He has asked me to post this song on 23 February, Russia’s “Defender of the Fatherland Day”, the anniversary of the founding of the Red Army:

And for good measure,