Saturday, November 10, 2007

Remembrance Day in China.

I was hoping I would be able to wear a poppy today.  My parents had sent me a couple of the plastic lapel ones but I can't find them in the piles of junk we have in our currently small apartment. 

Yesterday, I told some students in one of my classes about Remembrance Day.  I told the students that on this day we honor the soldiers who lost lives fighting for Canada.  I then assumed and so said that June 1 (Army Day in China) was a similar day. 

The students then told me that June 1 was not a day for remembering the soldiers who died for China.  It only marked the establishment of the Chinese Communist Army.  Soldiers who for example fought for the KMT against Japan were not  to be honored.  The Chicoms want their people to only think about the party and its army because of the Civil war.

I was surprised that the students would inform me of this and of my naivety about the situation.

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