如果你是学生 - If you are a student

如果你是学生，你是大学生，我个人建议，东西你爱买不买，但是不要上街，不要集会。

游行和集会是可以上瘾的。今天你可以打着爱国的旗号对外，明天你就可以打着爱国的旗号……，所以，你是得不到支持的，整个过程里你只能面对中国人 民和中国防暴警察，你连一根黄毛都看不见。不要发生无畏的伤亡。爱国主义不是免死金牌，爱国主义有时候反而送你一程。在和平年代的激进爱国者和偶像的粉丝 是没有区别的，但他们还不能选择偶像，所以势必更加疯狂。

以前我觉得煽动是政府的一个托词，现在我相信人真的是可以被轻易煽动的。当然，人不容易被煽动，但是人立志要做炮灰的时候，灰就容易被煽起来。不要把现在和五四相提并论，情况是完全完全不一样的。我们现在需要安定，暂时不要再有任何的篓子，不要出任何的乱子，这是无谓的。

复述一次，这不是出口，也没有出路，现在还不是时候，现在还不是时候。

我愿被你们说成是汉奸和走狗，只为告诉你们，保留你们的热情，拿出你们的温柔，接受不同的声音，现在还不是时候

If you are a student

If you are a student, a university student, I have a suggestion for you. If you like something, buy it; if you don't like something then don't buy it, but don't demonstrate on the streets.

Protests and rallies are addictive. Today you carry the flag of patriotism against the outside world, tomorrow you carry the flag of patriotism against...

So you won't get support. During the whole process, all you can do is face the Chinese people and the Chinese riot police. You won't even see one blonde hair [i.e. foreigners]. Don't let pointless injury or death happen. Patriotism is not a golden talisman that will protect you from dying. In fact patriotism can be the death of you.

In an era of peace, radical patriotism is no different from a fan's adoration of his idol. But because people don't choose the object of their patriotic love, it's bound to be ever crazier. Previously, I thought inciting the masses was just government rhetoric, a pretext, but now I realize that people can be stirred up rashly. Of course, it's not easy to incite people but when they are determined to be cannon fodder, it's easy for them to blow up. Don't equate the current situation with the May Fourth movement [when patriotic students protested the Versailles treaty in 1919].

Student protest - May 4, 1919

The two situations are totally different. Right now what we need is stability. Don't cause disturbances or stir up trouble, it's pointless.

To repeat: that's not the way forward, now is not the time.

I am willing to be called a traitor or a running dog, if only to give you this message: hold back your passions and show a gentle face, accept different voices. It's not yet the time now.

by Han Han

Han Han (韩寒) is a novelist with a huge and dedicated fan base. He is also a racing driver and a blogger.

On his blog he has recently been discouraging his compatriots from getting too passionate about their patriotism. Here is a translation of a blog post he published on April 25

By way of the excellent Danwei

798

I paid a visit to the 798 'Art District' of Beijing on Friday for the 'Affordable Art Beijing' exhibition run by Tamsin Roberts of Red T Art.

The last time I was last in the area, it was for the Yen Countdown on New Years Eve. This time had a chance to walk about in the daylight and get a feel for the Bauhaus architecture and general post war 50's East German industrial influence.

Its pretty neat, in that way that only proper industry can do and the industrial estates of Basingstoke fail at miserably don't you think? Anyway here's some art.

I just liked the comical feel to these. We've been having a discussion on Facebook about art which could go on forever but I think good art should just send people up a bit as much as possible.


This one though in the green was just the right amount of sinister and beauty I like. I was really disappointed not to bag, it as it had been bought by the time I arrived, although I may be able to see the artist at his studio at some point.


I really loved this fading and aging Commie girl complete with pigtails from whatever revolution was being espoused at the time. She's just the wrong side of 50 and a little too old to be putting it about. Its the breasts and neckline that give it away. Brilliant.


Like most of the paintings this was part of a set and the eyes were amazing. Magnetic, hypnotic a little bit attractive, a little bit scary and very sexual.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Bacon

Bread in Asian shopping malls has an interesting positioning that is more like a dessert or indulgent snack. There are sandwich outlets but these mostly cater for Westerners or in some cases Asians who have lived or were educated abroad (a growing and highly influential population).

Easily the tastiest and best named bread snack in the world ever is the "Crouching Tiger Hidden Bacon" from Bread Talk here in Beijing. It costs 9 RMB (10 RMB to 1 Euro) and is most awesome.

I often like to buy one and drink one of their Yorkshire Tea lattes because even Northern Planner would crumble for a Yorkshire Tea latte if he hadn't had a single cuppa in months and months. Incidentally if any of you ever get round to reading Jeffrey Steingartens amazing book 'The man who ate everything' (and every planner should) you will discover that all taste is learned.