Tag Archives: Dr. Lin Yutang

Dr. Lin Yutang on Fenqing and their Patriotism

I wrote my own definition and analysis of Fenqing in this post — What is a Fenqing.

The quote below is from the preface of My Country and My People by Lin Yutang. I quote Lin Yutang because I am disgusted by the so-called patriotism of the self-righteous Fenqing (literally means ‘angry youth’, who are brain-washed and know nothing about such concepts as citizenship, the role of a party, and the legitimacy of the government). Stupid but fervent, they are pitiful as well. They never realized they are just being used and the very thing they proclaim to worship and die for is enslaving them. What’s more sad about them is that they are easily manipulated and highly disposable after finishing the “jobs”.

Read More »

Read Lin Yutang’s Books Online

I found a web site called Internet Archive that hosts some of Lin Yutang’s books, including my favorite The Importance of Living and My Country and My People. I am yet to dig this site for other valuables, but this finding is already sweet enough.

You can download his books here.

The First Chinese Typewriter

The English alphabet only has 26 letters while Chinese has roughly over 80 thousand characters. It was very

difficult to come up with a solution to be able to type in Chinese. Read More »

Noisy Eaters? Not a Big Deal in China

The Importance of Living by Dr. Lin Yutang was once the best-selling book in America in 1938. In this book, he explains why Chinese don’t think it is a big deal to make noises when eating. Read it with a sense of humor:

Read More »

The Chinese Table Manners

When you eat with Chinese people, the general rule of thumb is: just enjoy your food and don’t worry too much about the table manners. Still, the following tips may prove helpful when you are in China:

  • It is quite alright to smack the lips or make “noises” when eating.
  • Use two hands when passing things to other people (such as dishes or cups).
  • Nobody licks the fingers. Chinese never lick their fingers.
  • Don’t stick the chopsticks upright inside the bowl of rice (it is a funeral ritual).
  • You can lift the bowl up and eat from it. This avoids dropping the rice on the table.

You may also want to know:

Read More »

  • Site Statistics

    • Pages displayed : 3430
    • Unique visitors : 1268
    • Pages displayed in last 24 hours : 23
    • Unique visitors in last 24 hours : 20