Massimo

Pixar could never

Apparently, long before Trump, the White House was already figuring out how to handle "gotcha questions" from the ever-so-impartial media. I was a little surprised by the enthusiasm for my stories about Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China, especially the Moutai bajiu served during that trip. But the truth is, when I was doing research at the Nixon Presidential Library ten years ago, I came across many more fascinating documents. As I mentioned in a post about six months ago, on February 17, 1972, Nixon arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, ahead of his historic visit to China. He and First Lady Pat Nixon spent the next two days at a Marine Corps installation, immersing themselves in briefing materials before their scheduled arrival in Beijing on February 21. I can only imagine how much the picturesque Aloha State helped sharpen their minds, inspire their thinking, and boost their productivity for the historic diplomatic breakthrough Years later, I had the opportunity to examine the original memos they had read. There were thick stacks of documents, many bearing handwritten notes and annotations. It was clear that the Nixons had really done their homework. And some of the advice for Pat was particularly interesting. Asked about differences between the United States and China? Answer cautiously. Asked about Taiwan? Leave that to the President. Asked about the people's communes? Focus on the crops, the farmers, and what you personally observed. Avoid getting drawn into ideological debates. But what if a reporter asked: The manager of a Communist factory in China claims that his system is superior to America's. What do you think? The White House staff actually suggested that the First Lady respond with a little humor: "I think that fellow was a Democrat." When I came across that line, I nearly burst out laughing. Remember, Nixon was a Republican president. A reporter might attend to draw the First Lady into a debate over whether capitalism or communism was superior. Instead, the White House suggested deflecting the question with a joke about America's own partisan politics. But beyond the humor, there was something more interesting about the thinking behind these carefully prepared responses: Answering a question does not mean you have to accept the premise behind it. You can admire the hard work, courtesy, and hospitality of the Chinese people. You can express a sincere desire for greater mutual understanding. And you can do all of that without accepting a reporter's framing or feeling compelled to declare, on the spot, which country or political system is superior. I've never had a problem with journalists asking tough questions. Quite the opposite. A good question deserves a serious answer, and it leads to great reports. But when a question comes with its conclusion already baked in, waiting for the interviewee to walk straight into the trap, the real test may not be just for the person answering. It may also be a test of the journalist's professional standards. Good journalism should pursue the truth, not set traps. It should expose genuine contradictions, bring readers closer to the truth, not manufacture conflict for clicks and attention. More than half a century later, some media tactics seem remarkably unchanged. And apparently, neither has the usefulness of a well-timed joke about Democrats.

xitter.cf/ZhaiXiang5/status/2034… A seal once belonging to the earliest recorded empress in Chinese history was, astonishingly, picked up by a 13-year-old boy, from a muddy drainage ditch, two thousand years after her death. Today, this seal is housed in the Shaanxi History Museum and is considered one of its most prized treasures. It measures just 2.8 cm across, 2 cm in height, and weighs only 33 grams. Yet its value is beyond measure. Carved from fine Hotan mutton-fat white jade from Xinjiang, its texture is smooth and lustrous, and flawless. On the base are four characters: Seal of the Empress (皇后之玺). Surrounding them are cloud motifs, and the knob is a high-relief carving of a mythical beast, a fusion of dragon and tiger, majestic and lively. In 1968, a 13-year-old rural boy would go to a nearby drainage ditch after school every day to hunt for treasure-collecting ancient bronze nails and coins. One day, as usual, he was rummaging through the mud when he noticed an unremarkable white stone. He struggled to pry it out of the mud. After wiping it clean, he saw that it had characters carved on the bottom, and a small animal figure atop. He took the little stone back home, even thinking about polishing off the inscription and carving his own name. If not for his father taking a second look, Chinese history might have lost a national treasure. Sensing it could be something valuable, his father took him to the Shaanxi History Museum. There, it was identified as a national treasure, the imperial seal of a Western Han empress. That empress was Empress Lv (吕后), wife of Liu Bang (刘邦), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. In many ways, she stands as China's counterpart to Cleopatra. The museum rewarded the father and son with the equivalent of about half a month's wages, asking them to enjoy some lamb soup with crumbled flatbread and get a ride home. They enjoyed the meal, but decided to save the fare, walking several hours back instead, arriving at home after nightfall. What makes the story even more remarkable is that the seal's own disappearance reads like a historical mystery. It was found very close to the mausoleums of Liu Bang and Empress Lv. In 25 AD, those tombs were brutally looted. The seal may have come from the underground palace and got dropped by grave robbers in their haste. Or perhaps it was once kept in an above-ground structure, later destroyed, with the seal washed away and buried in mud, lying hidden underground for two thousand years. No one knew where it was. No one even remembered it existed. Until the child picked it up from a ditch. In 1974, China was still in a period of turmoil. Led by Jiang Qing, the Gang of Four wielded immense power. She held herself in high regard, projecting herself onto powerful women from history. She admired Empress Lv, and she admired Wu Zetian (武则天), the only female sovereign in the history of China, seeing them as reflections of herself. And so, she did something both absurd and yet entirely real-She had the jade seal transferred to Beijing. Taken away. Kept in her possession. Handled and admired for two full years. A seal that had lain buried for two thousand years, newly brought back into the light, was once again drawn into the orbit of power. It was not until 1976, when the Gang of Four fell and Jiang Qing was arrested, that the seal was finally returned to Shaanxi. It was as if it had completed a cycle spanning two millennia. As a side note: Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, is never recorded in historical texts as having an empress. Because of this, many believe he may not have established the institution of "empress" at all. It was Empress Lv who truly brought this title onto the historical stage. As for her husband, Liu Bang, I've introduced his story in a previous post. Empress Lv's own life was just extraordinary as well. She was named Lv Zhi (吕雉), with Zhi meaning "pheasant." Before the age of twenty, she moved with her father to Liu Bang's hometown. Because her father was a friend of the county magistrate, many people came to offer congratulations. Those who brought gifts worth a thousand coins could only dine outside the hall. Liu Bang, however, claimed he had brought ten thousand coins and strode into the banquet, despite having brought nothing at all. Lv's father did not expose him. Instead, he offered him a seat of honor. According to historical records, he was skilled in physiognomy, the practice of judging a person's character and destiny from their facial features. After the banquet, he even kept Liu Bang behind. What he saw was not the gift, but the man himself, his bearing and what he believed to be his infinite future potential. Therefore, Liu Bang, a bachelor around his forties, married Lv, who was 20 years younger than him. Soon, his life started to change dramatically. During Liu Bang's competition against Xiang Yu for supremacy, Lv was once captured, but she survived. From 202BC to 195BC, Liu Bang ruled China as the emperor. In the fifteen years after he died, she became the true holder of power in the Han dynasty. Strong-willed and decisive, she determined who lived and who died, who rose and who fell, who belonged to the empire, and who would be erased. She held no imperial title, yet possessed everything an emperor did. At the time, the head of the Xiongnu (Huns) sent a letter, probing and tinged with condescension: "I am a lonely ruler, born in the marshes and raised on the steppe. I have come to the borders many times, hoping one day to visit the Central Plains. Your Majesty rules alone as well, living in solitude. We are both solitary sovereigns, neither of us content. Why not exchange what we each have, for what we each lack?" Faced with such a subtle provocation, Empress Lv briefly considered military retaliation. But after weighing the strength of her state, she chose a far more measured response. In her reply, she wrote: "You have not forgotten our humble and remote land, and have personally sent us your letter, which fills me with awe and unease. I reflected carefully. I am now old and frail-my strength has waned, my hair and teeth have fallen, and I can't walk well. You must have heard exaggerated praise of my appearance. How could someone like me dare diminish your illustrious presence? I have committed no offense against you, and I trust you will be magnanimous. I now send you two imperial carriages and eight fine horses as a modest token." With a single letter, she defused the provocation, while preserving dignity on both sides. Today, the boy who once donated a national treasure for a bowl of lamb soup is in his seventies. People still travel to visit him, listening as he recounts that moment from long ago. He says he has never regretted it. Because what he gained back then was not just a meal, but the return of a piece of history that had been buried for two thousand years.