Dear Log,
«Although the news presenters on the [Chinese] national CCTV channel are as starchily dressed and coiffured as ever, the hosts of entertainment shows have been dyeing their hair, showing a little skin and spicing up their Mandarin with trendy words and phrases from English and Cantonese. This has proved popular with urban audiences, who are familiar with the words "cool", "darling" and "Sars".Interwang indeed.Many admit they do not even know the official Mandarin word for DVD or CD. The mixing up of languages is also increasing, with words such as "interwang", which means internet, in common parlance. At the same time, necklines are falling and hemlines rising.
Some of the more daring fashions have sparked controversy. Zhang Yue, a famous CCTV host, was publicly castigated for wearing a silk scarf that appeared to look like the Japanese national flag.»
I am prepared to say now, about China, what Laurie Anderson once said about television:
"I don't believe there's such a thing as TV [ => China]. I mean, they just keep showing the same pictures ooover and ooover. And when they talk they, just make sounds that moooore or less synch up with their lips. That's what I think."
