The South China Morning Post celebrates its 115th anniversary with a special pullout for nostalgia fans. I hear there will be a staff fancy-dress party this evening with such themes as ‘The Opium War’ and ‘Jack Ma lookalike’. Most impressive – today’s paper has an article that includes a reasonably generous dose of humour. It might not be the most side-splittingly hilarious thing since Oscar Wilde, but you are surprised to find it done at all (to quote another wit).
While superficially politically safe, the column is amusingly daring – mocking old white guys’ CCP-skepticism at a time when pretty much every reputable non-white, non-aged and non-male observer is increasingly doubting and disputing the wise-and-cuddly-Panda economic-miracle story.
(By the way – if you find the piece too funny, you’ll be glad to hear that Nury Vittachi is back with a column at the Standard.)
This is also, roughly, the 115th anniversary of the Younghusband expedition to Tibet – surely the ultimate in grumpy-old-white-guy-not-taking-China-seriously statements.
Mr. Vittachi couldn’t possibly be paid for that shite, could he?
He is also factually incorrect. Total cow and buffalo numbers on Lantau are not “several hundred”….
He’s some wit, that Mr Vittachi. He should conspire with Dr Adams in Stanley.
Nury’s column is more self-parody than usual. He can’t be getting enough money.
“Takki” on a van..hehehehehehheheh…..and he explains the joke. Poor guy.
Long live the Vibbrachi!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MgkkmaUB5ik/UVjtgdNTP9I/AAAAAAAAAiM/d1r78GvxuH4/s1600/Vibbrachi.jpg
I thought ‘Lee Kee Plumbing Co.’ was quite funny.
And how about ‘Wanko’ ? Didn’t we all recently laugh about ‘Wanka’ ?
Sorry, Mr Hemlock, your link as to Younghusband is fairly turgid but, worse, also not informative as to what actually happened, as distinct from background. The dreaded wikipedia is rather better, assuming it be accurate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_expedition_to_Tibet
No idea why it does not work as a link, simply copied and pasted, or google younghusband expedition and is the first response
I found the SCMP bit to be disingenuous rambling whataboutery unconvincingly dressed up as a humour, no doubt appealing to the frothing wumao who infest that platform nowadays, but maybe I’m just a grumpy OWG.
I took photos of amusing signs in the early sixties:
Lee Kee Boot & Shoe
Sik Art
Hup On Motors
Hung On Building
And now in Sai Kung we have:
Wan King Path and
Fuk Man Road