Tag: Culture

Beijing Parade Marks 80 Years Since China’s WWII Victory | August 31 2025, 14:02

On September 3rd in Beijing, a military parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II will take place. Apparently, I did not pay enough attention during history lessons at school: it turns out that China’s losses during WWII were almost comparable to those of the USSR, considering the official figures (in both cases, they are significantly lower than the actual ones). However, there is a catch – the war between China and Japan began in 1937, and later merged with World War II when Japan attacked the USA and its allies in 1941, officially making China part of the anti-Hitler coalition. Germany in 1937 was just preparing: a year later, in 1938, the Anschluss of Austria began, and another year later (1939) – the invasion of Poland, and at the same time the USSR attacked Finland.

Meanwhile, in Germany, it is considered that the precision of German accounting was incomparably higher, and the cumulative losses of the aggressors, together with Japan, turned out to be four times less than the cumulative losses of the defenders.

The figure of China’s losses mainly consists of civilian population. Their military losses were 3-4 million, while 12-17 million suffered from bombings, punitive actions, diseases (remembering Japanese Unit 731 and biological warfare) and other war consequences.

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Below I quote my post from January 25th of this year – just relevant and timely:

Who won the Second World War? Interestingly, note that no one paid attention to Trump’s words about the Second World War in his recent tweet-ultimatum.

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He writes “Russia helped us win the Second World War” — everyone noted the incorrect figure of 60 million losses, but somehow not this.

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I found an interesting study from 2017. It was a survey (1,338 people) from 11 countries including 8 allied countries and 3 Axis countries.

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It showed significant differences in how the former Soviet Union and 10 other countries remember the war.

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Events marked by representatives of the Soviet Union were almost completely different from those mentioned in other countries. Besides, Russians stated a greater responsibility for the victory in the war (75% of military efforts), than representatives of any other nation (although the USA and Great Britain also estimated their contribution as more than 50%).

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However, when people from each country assessed the contribution of other countries to the war, they attributed a greater role to the USA than to the former Soviet Union.

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An interesting finding is that, when asked why the USA dropped atomic bombs on Japan, most people from ten countries responded that it was to win the war, except for Russians.

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Moreover, the older the respondents were in 7 of these countries, the more often they agreed with the statement that the USA dropped the bombs to end the war.

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Russia (USSR) in the survey results demonstrates a unique narrative centered on the Eastern Front, unlike Western countries.

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Most countries (including former Axis countries) focus on events related to the USA and Great Britain, such as Pearl Harbor, the Normandy landing, the atomic bombings of Japan, and the Holocaust.

USSR holds a central place in the Russian narrative (75% contribution to victory). The USA and Great Britain also overestimate their evaluations, stating their contribution exceeds 50%, focusing on the Western Front and the Pacific Campaign. The total estimates of the contribution of the eight allied countries amount to 309%, showing the effect of “national narcissism”. Most countries prioritize the USA (27%), while the USSR — 20%.

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Four events gained the status of “key” (mentioned by more than 50% of respondents): the attack on Pearl Harbor, the atomic bombings of Japan, the Normandy landing, and the Holocaust. The Russian narrative concentrates on events termed in Soviet and contemporary Russian historiography as the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945). Russians highlighted unique events: battles near Stalingrad, Kursk, Moscow, Berlin, and the blockade of Leningrad. Thus, although the USA and Russia fought together as allies, research shows that there is almost no overlap in which events are remembered as most important. Members of each group mainly remembered those events related to their own country. However, this is not surprising.

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On the subject of atomic bombings, most respondents believe that the purpose of the bombings was to end the war. Russians see this event as an act of intimidating the USSR. Opinions within countries vary by age: older generations are more likely to support the official version of ending the war.

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In France in 1945, 57% of the population considered the USSR the main victor. By 2004, this figure had dropped to 20%, while the share of the USA increased to 58%.

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The reasons are clear: history textbooks and popular culture reinforce national emphasis. In the USA and Great Britain, films and books praising their role in the war predominate. The USSR and the USA fought on different fronts and represent different ideological systems, which determined the narratives. And of course, all countries overstate their role in historical events.

Aladdin’s Chinese Roots and the French Connection | August 30 2025, 11:39

In the original tale of “One Thousand and One Nights,” Aladdin is a boy who lives with his mother in China (!). It is often emphasized that the story takes place in China, but the names of the characters are still Arab. Some believe that Aladdin is Chinese, although of course nationalities did not exist back then.

Moreover, it’s generally complicated with where the tale originates. In “1000 and One Night” (or Arabian Nights) Aladdin was added by the French translator Antoine Galland, who was told the tale by “Maronite Hanna from Aleppo” Hanna Diyab, even the date from the diaries is known – May 5, 1709. Over the course of a month, Diyab told him fifteen more tales. Ten of these, including “Ali Baba,” were later published in the last four volumes of Galland’s “Nights” (1712–1717). Thus, “1000 and One Night” was written by a French translator based on motifs from various places.

Writes twenty-year-old Diyab, the one who told the translator.

“There was an old man who often visited us. He was in charge of a library of Arab books. He read well in Arabic and translated books from this language into French. At that time, he translated the book Tales of 1001 Nights. This man asked for my help with some issues he did not understand, and I explained them to him. The book was missing several nights, and I told him the stories I knew. Then he supplemented the book with these stories and was very pleased with me.” (MS Sbath 254, f. 128a)

Cycling for History: A Book and An Unexpected Glimpse into 1930s Migration Trends | August 24 2025, 18:27

I couldn’t resist and bought the book Great Depression in Perceville, VA, where I arrived by bike. I still don’t know how to carry it back for an hour in cycling clothing without a backpack. Interesting note on a random page

Translation:

AMTORG RECEIVES 100,000 APPLICATIONS FOR 6,000 QUALIFIED JOBS IN RUSSIA

(Business Week, October 7, 1931, pp. 32–33)

NEW YORKERS make up the bulk of Americans who have decided, at least for now, to tie their fates with the Russians. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois contribute the highest number of applications for the new call for “6,000 qualified workers,” with Michigan, Ohio, California, and Massachusetts also being well represented.

The “Amtorg” office in New York received over 100,000 applications for these 6,000 job slots. Just one morning alone saw 280 applications. All states except ten were represented. Alaska and Panama also contributed one applicant each, and 18 Canadians wanted “to try their luck in Russia.”

Industrial states, naturally, provided the largest number of applications, but others were represented as well. Iowa, Texas, and Idaho also contributed some number of qualified workers.

Since it is widely known that Russia is “industrializing,” most applicants are skilled workers in machinery, railroads, metallurgy, automotive manufacturing, or the construction industry. A look at the qualifications of 280 applicants from one “typical” morning showed that specialists of all professions were looking for work, even if it meant moving to Russia and being paid in rubles. Among them were: 2 hairdressers, 1 funeral director, 2 plumbers, 5 painters, 2 cooks, 36 “clerical” workers, 1 lathe operator, 9 carpenters, 1 aviator, 58 engineers, 14 electricians, 5 salespeople, 2 printers, 2 chemists, 1 shoemaker, 1 librarian, 2 teachers, 1 cleaner and dyer, 11 auto mechanics, 1 dentist.

About 85% of the applicants are U.S. citizens, only 40% of whom were born in the country. 60% of the foreigners primarily come from Eastern Europe. A few African Americans applied, but their numbers are small, as most of them are unskilled workers.

Women constitute only a small portion of applicants, although many wives decided to accompany their husbands in this endeavor. Most workers applying are married and have children.

Three main reasons for wanting to get a placement are named: (1) unemployment; (2) dissatisfaction with conditions here; (3) interest in the Soviet experiment. Almost all foreign workers declare that they do not intend to stay in the USSR. Among engineers, only 10-20% plan to stay.

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This is 1931, one of the most challenging years of that period. Somewhere in the mid-thirties, it started to improve, and it must be said, WWII ultimately defeated it.

Exploring Shepherdstown: A Hidden Gem in West Virginia | August 20 2025, 13:00

From the trip to Shepherdstown, WV. A small town an hour’s drive from home, founded over 260 years ago. Hardly any tourists, but the few small restaurants and shops compete against each other for the attention and interest of passing travelers.

From the street, there’s an open window at the Lost Dog Coffee cafe. Inside works a very colorful bartender and owner, Garth Emmery Janssen. The coffee shop’s Facebook tagline reads “Founded in 1995 by two crazy punk rockers. We are not normal. We do things correctly. it’s ❤️”

Oat milk latte, please. Dear sir, Garth answers me, that wouldn’t exactly be a latte then. But if you insist, of course. Okay, I say, make it the right way, it doesn’t matter to me. The coffee turned out delicious.

Next, there was an art studio, which I have already written about in previous posts, a handmade cosmetics store where the owner eagerly shares her chemical experiments on the quest for perfect creams and soaps, and where she sells prints drawn by her daughter, who, unfortunately, has grown up and no longer wants to draw.

A very homely atmosphere everywhere. And a nice little town. It lacked modernity, and yes, our regions are all like that, with dust from the past, modernity is somewhat cumbersome.

Exploring Gender and Identity in Michael Davis’s “Madam XY” | August 18 2025, 14:09

We arrived in Sheperdstown yesterday, where there is a studio of a local artist, Michael Davis. His works are very interesting. In the studio, an enormous painting hangs on the whole wall, which immediately brings a smile to those somewhat versed in art, as it’s a riff on Madam X, and the artist decided to add Y — clearly alluding to transgender identity. At first, I thought it was his wife he painted (she seemed to be in charge at the studio yesterday, but perhaps they just resemble the XY model, so I didn’t ask). The strap on Madam XY has fallen, just like in Sargent’s original version before he repainted it and relocated it to avoid complete moral outrage.

A very talented artist. I will definitely visit his classes. Initially, I said “as much as 50 minutes to ride”, but now I think about it and will say “only 50 minutes to ride”.

#artrauflikes

Michael Timothy Davis Fine Art

Tasting the Unexpected: Maple Bacon Onion Jam | August 18 2025, 00:52

Bought a tasty treat for tea today. Can you imagine onion-maple-bacon jam? Neither can I yet. But it exists and is waiting for me to get hungry. My jar is without onion, but the bacon and maple are there.

On the other hand, Americans might not understand aspic, they consider it to be a meat jelly made from cow’s feet, and at the mention of jelly, they think of dessert, and cow’s feet are totally out of the picture there

Gender Stereotypes in Global Symbolism: A Russian TV Perspective | August 15 2025, 14:43

They say this is broadcast on central TV in Russia. I don’t know what they mean by that, but here’s what I thought: people in the clip represent countries, and their gender choice is not random. When they want to depict Russia as a person, they somehow always choose a girl in a kokoshnik, and not a church-going man with a beard like Rasputin or Ivan the Terrible. You might say, well, the word “Russia” is feminine, just as the word America is, but when depicting America, you get some Superman or at least a capitalist like Uncle Sam. Yes, you might say, there’s the Statue of Liberty. True, but in such clips for some reason they don’t put a girl with a seven-point crown as America, and a warrior on a horse as Russia. It’s the other way around.

Though, one would think, girls shown in such a position in commercials are clearly in a submissive role to someone bigger and stronger. It’s interesting if such a clip was made in the USA, it would surely be the opposite — the USA would definitely be represented by a strong woman in a seven-point crown (not a girl), and Russia by some aged man, definitely in a warm tulup and a hat with ear flaps. But surely there would have arisen the question “who then leads whom” and the clip would just not have been released.

One might also recall that Russia is called “Mother Russia” (motherland), whereas for example in Germany it is established as Fatherland (Vaterland). France is definitely associated with the feminine — often depicted as Marianne (La Marianne), the United Kingdom symbolized by the figure of Britannia. Ukraine is definitively feminine, and sadly, the country currently has a serious gender imbalance. As for Mexico, it would surely be depicted as a man with a guitar.

From Miniare to Miniature: The Evolution of Book Illustration | August 14 2025, 14:52

How interesting, the word “Miniature” turns out not to derive from minimus (Latin), meaning “smallest”, but from miniare, meaning “to color with cinnabar or red lead”.

The word is connected to the practice of book illustration in the Middle Ages. You have probably seen images of medieval manuscripts with dense black text and a large, decorated initial letter. In the earliest bound books, they were not so ornate—just a big letter, colored red to stand out. In Italy, the verb miniare referred to the stage of painting red initials, usually left until last, and the art of illustration itself was called miniatura.

Over time, these initial decorations became increasingly complex, evolving into fully developed scenes with little figures, animals, and buildings. But, of course, since the scenes had to fit into the corner of a page, they were very small. And therefore, because a miniature in a book was like a tiny painting, the meaning of the word expanded—it came to denote any small version of something larger.

Nostalgic Games of Paper Battles and Guesses | August 14 2025, 12:45

I remembered how many hours I spent in class playing various games on paper like “Battleship”. So much paper was used up in childhood for all that! Everyone knows Battleship, but can you recognize the games in the attached pictures? There were more games, but I think I only played these. There was also a game where you see who can make more words from the letters of one long word, but that’s really for introverts 🙂