Chinese Pianist Plays Propaganda Tune at White House

[JG55]

"Chinese Pianist Plays Propaganda Tune at White House: US humiliated in eyes of Chinese by song used to inspire anti-Americanism."

Memeorandum points us to this article in the Epoch Times:

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 movie and the tune are widely known among Chinese, and the song has been a leading piece of anti-American propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades....

The song Lang Lang played describes how beautiful China is and then near the end has this verse, “When friends are here, there is fine wine /But if the jackal comes /What greets it is the hunting rifle.†The “jackal†in the song is the United States....

“In the eyes of all Chinese, this will not be seen as anything other than a big insult to the U.S.,†says Yang Jingduan, a Chinese psychiatrist now living in Philadelphia who had in China been a doctor in the Chinese military. “It’s like insulting you in your face and you don’t know it, it’s humiliating...

[One] 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.â€)

[Garufa]

Why am I not surprised?

[JG55]

For what is claimed to be the best PR team in the United States, the Obama administration is a big failure that continues to stumble.

World-renowned pianist Lang Lang from China played the tune, “My Motherland” during the State dinner for China in the White House.

Problem is, according to the Epoch Times, is that the song is a pro-communist, anti-American propaganda piece. The tune is a staple among the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades. The song refers to the Korean War as the “movement to resist America and help [North] Korea.” The song also names the United States as the “the Jackal” that should be hunted down.

Of course, the Chinese is abuzz that their countryman would play such a tune in America.

The song Lang Lang played describes how beautiful China is and then near the end has this verse, “When friends are here, there is fine wine /But if the jackal comes /What greets it is the hunting rifle.” The “jackal” in the song is the United States.

The name of the song is “My Motherland,” originally titled “Big River.” In an interview broadcast on Phoenix TV, the first thing Lang Lang is quoted as saying is that he chose the piece.

He then 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.”

“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.”

What’s worse is, the White House knew Lang Lang would play this song in advance. Either they knew what the tune is about and simply ignored it hoping no one would notice, or didn’t even bother to check what the song is about.

Or this can simply be misreporting on the part of the Epoch Times. I am hoping that’s the case.

Wall Street Journal reports more on this event.

[mcurrier]

Come to think of it, Obama does have a slight Chinese resemblance. I’m sure he (Obama) was the first one to stand and applaud when Lang finished playing.

[eapking]

Come to think of it, Obama does have a slight Chinese resemblance. I’m sure he (Obama) was the first one to stand and applaud when Lang finished playing.

He probably bowed so low he kissed the floor.

[LagerHead]

He probably bowed so low he kissed the floor.

Or his own butt.

[JG55]

White House Says Pro-Commie Anti-American Song Played at Obama White House State Dinner Was Not an Insult

Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 5:04 AM

When Commie Anti-American Songs Are Not Commie Anti-American Songs…

The White House claims that the anti-American song played at the Obama White House State Dinner was not an insult.

That’s bold… Maybe they liked it?

Obama has been in office for only 2 years and already they’re playing Red Chinese commie songs at State Dinners in the White House.

The US was humiliated in eyes of Chinese by a song used to inspire anti-Americanism at the Obama State Dinner for Hu Jintao.

Internet users in China praised the pianist after this great act of courage.

On Monday, the Obama White House and state-run media insisted it was not an insult.

ABC News reported, via The Examiner:

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told ABC News that “any suggestion that this was an insult to the United States is just flat wrong.

As Lang Lang has stated before, he plays this song regularly because it is one of his favorite Chinese melodies, which is very widely known and popular in China for its melody. Lang Lang played the song without lyrics or reference to any political themes during the entertainment portion of the State Dinner. He simply stated the song’s title and noted it was well known in China.â€

Lang has issued a statement saying that he “selected this song because it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody.†His goal is to “bridge cultures together through the beauty and inspiration of music.â€

Asked what he thought of the controversy,

Kenneth Lieberthal — director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution and a former special assistant to President Clinton for national security affairs and senior director for Asia on the National Security Council – said “I have enough confidence to be easily able to accept Lang lang’s assertion that this is simply a favorite melody of his, that is obviously a Chinese melody, and that he used it without any thought that it might have a political resonance for some that simply never occurred to him.â€

Lieberthal added that “It did occur to me that had the situation been reversed I can easily imagine many Chinese bloggers weighing in along the same way some of our more conservative media have weighed in, but frankly it’s ridiculous. If a musician had no such intent I don’t feel compelled to assign intent to him. The US is confident enough, secure enough and open enough to easily accept his assurance that he didn’t mean anything by it.â€

But Nick Eberstadt, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, tells ABC News that

the song is “classic Mao-era anti-American invective and it’s astonishing that none of the China experts on the American side called it out before it was put into the program for the banquet.â€

Who knows… In another couple of years with Obama regime in charge we might all be forced to sing this at public events

[mcurrier]

Or his own butt.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Lang has issued a statement saying that he “selected this song because it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody.” His goal is to “bridge cultures together through the beauty and inspiration of music.”

And to let us know that they own us when we all figure out the song's meaning. Everything done by the

administration is very much orchestrated, and I'm confident playing that song was encouraged by the

resident commies. I haven't kept count but there have been so many veiled threats and face slapping

episodes in the last two years. It amazes me how much this country will take from the messiah.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

In this current White House Administration.. I am sure it was not considered propaganda