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Economics and Falling Bridges | 76 comments (76 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: i don't follow (none / 1)
i mean wu ming.

i thought that name meant something back in the democracy movement a couple of decades ago...

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Fri Aug 10th, 2007 at 08:08:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
ah, yes (4.00 / 2)
the name wu ming is mandarin for "no name" or anonymous. although, with a different character for "ming" it could also be read as "without a mandate."

to be clear, my only contact with the chinese democracy movement has been conversations with random people on trains, and the occasional language teacher or interesting landlord. i'm american, and chose the name while studying in a language program a couple of years ago.

by wu ming on Fri Aug 10th, 2007 at 02:42:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: ah, yes (4.00 / 2)
Gotcha.

I was trying to remember where I had heard this (don't speak a lick of chinese obviously) name because it was super familiar so I looked it up and it came back to me - a lot of people in the democracy movement took that name. Probably because of what it means. That must be where I heard it - no other reason to have - back in university, when I was dating someone from there and Tienanmen was happening (her sister was actually there at the square when it happened) and we were all quite involved with many other friends trying to find out what was happening.

It seems like so long ago.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Fri Aug 10th, 2007 at 04:12:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
it's a very popular pseudonym (none / 1)
there have got to be zillions of chinese bloggers and people on BBS networks called "wu ming."

i find that 89 was a watershed year for a lot of things, but i relate far better with those who were paying attention before 89 than after 89. there's a sort of gut sense of tragedy and wounded idealism of the 6/4 generation that is quite simpatico with myself as a gen x'er.

by wu ming on Sun Aug 12th, 2007 at 11:30:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Economics and Falling Bridges | 76 comments (76 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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