7 Aug, 2008 in
China . Tags:
China; documentary; english craze; mad about english;
Fili's world
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If you have seen this movie, go find it. I just accidentally bumped into Mad About English (我为英语狂) by Singaporean Lian Pek during late night on channel 8 and found it to be absolutely brilliant. See China and ways of learning English like you’ve never imagined before :)
Here’s the synopsis :
Since winning the bid to host the Olympics, China’s citizens have been stricken with what they call ‘ying wen re’ – English fever! Beginning a passionate love affair with what was once the forbidden tongue of the ‘decadent’ West, "Mad About English!" follows the inspiring and heart-warming efforts of a city preparing to host the world by learning English. With half a million or more visitors expected during the games, the stakes are high for our endearing cast of characters for whom speaking English is now national service!
Have you ever seen 10,000 students learning English from one teacher – all at the same time?
Have you ever met a detective whose ‘mission impossible’ is to arrest bad grammar? Or encountered a 74 year-old retiree who thinks nothing of ambushing foreigners on the streets just so he can practice his English? Or heard a Chinese policeman speak English in a New York Bronx accent?
If you haven’t, catch Mad About English! – the amazing story of 1,000,000,000 people and their MAD MAD MAD rush to learn English! As the clock ticks down to next month’s Olympics, China’s love affair with the English language has reached feverish proportions. With half a million or more visitors descending on Beijing for the Games, can the Chinese pull it off with their newly-acquired English? Mad About English! follows the inspiring and heart-warming efforts of a city preparing to host the world by learning a once-forbidden tongue.
Shot entirely in China by Singaporean filmmaker Lian Pek, Mad About English! is the first locally-made documentary feature that’s making its premiere as a full theatrical commercial release. As a genre, it single-handedly conjures up the word “docu-comedy”, screening more like a comedy than a traditional documentary.
[I don’t understand how come it’s on Israeli TV when it’s not out in China and Singapore yet. Strange.]
In an odd nationalist-fascist kind of way, it made me think I’m not doing enough to better my Chinese :P
cat | August 7th, 2008 at 7:51 am #
This crazy on English in China-by crazy I mean both the people’s enthusiam and the way they learn it-has largely been brought about by a single man called Li Yang, who has developed and promoted the so-called “crazy English” method which is specially designed for English learners of China. I think this movie, at least its title, most probably has been inspired from Li Yang’s method and deeds.
cat | August 7th, 2008 at 7:57 am #
But I think describing it as “nationlist-facist” is somewhat misleading.
cat | August 7th, 2008 at 7:59 am #
Hey,fili,what’s wrong with your blog? I just cannot see my comments which I have only just posted.
fiLi | August 9th, 2008 at 6:33 am #
cat – yeah, it is. You should really see the movie. They follow Li Yang around for about 20% of the movie.
fiLi | August 9th, 2008 at 6:39 am #
cat – I don’t know.
Poor folks paying thousands of yuans for their 11 years old kid to go to what Li Yuan describes as an “army training camp” with hordes of sleepless exhausted young kids shouting that they’re studying for the glory of China (and other more disturbing things)… how would you better describe that?
Watch the movie then suggest a more reasonable description…
fiLi | August 9th, 2008 at 6:45 am #
Cat – my fault. I turned on comment moderation by accident. It’s now back to normal, I hope.
cat | August 13th, 2008 at 2:05 am #
The name “army training camp” is not Li Yang’s invention. It is a customary phrase 军训 in Chinese, originally designating a training system for university’s freshmen, most like the Boy Scouts, which seeks to develop certain skills in its members, as well as character, self-reliance, and usefulness to others. Not only in mainland China, but also in Taiwan there is such training system (I think it is too called 軍訓 in Taiwan), for the details you may ask your friends there.
As of “for the glory of China”, I see no problem in it. Patriotism is the idealism cherished by every nation; in Israel we also say “for the glory of Israel”. Unlike the Germans, generally, the Chinese is a sophisticated people in politics and can hardly be instigated into anything like nationalists or facists. No, just on the contrary, if we try to find something that is lack in modern Chinese spirit, I think it’s just such vigorous things like Bushido of the Japanese. Well, we all know Bushido is the spiritual source of jingoism and is still cherished by the Japanese, though now few will suspect it’s anything to do with nationlism or facism.
fiLi | August 13th, 2008 at 8:10 am #
Cat – and you wonder why I don’t think you’re Israeli…
I wasn’t trying to suggest all Chinese or all those studying English in China are fascists or nationalists, but what I was trying to suggest is that some of the methods presented are extreme.
I have no problem with anybody calling paradise “army training camp” as long as it’s not an army training camp. What that 11 years old girl went through in her English training camp is more than I had to deal with in the Israeli officers course in Bahad-1.
I have no problem with loving your country and wanting to study English, but shouting out repeating motivational nationalist slogans with thousands of highly passionate others in an English class strikes me as something special.
I’m not judging them, I’m not saying they’re fascists, I’m not even sure they’re nationalists. That last remark was sarcasm actually suggesting that I do – in a way – sympathize with their passion for trying to learn a new language.
If anything, what I am trying to do is understand more about how things work and who the Chinese really are.
cat | August 14th, 2008 at 6:53 am #
Take it easy, fili. Is it important whether I am an Israeli or not?
I am not hostile to you; I even don’t intend to dispute with you or anyone else. What I am trying to do is just to point out mistakes and improprieties, if there are any, and give out facts. It has nothing to do with personal likes or dislikes.
fiLi | August 14th, 2008 at 12:42 pm #
cat – It’s not important. It’s just a feeling and since you asked… :P
Your comments and our dialog are always welcome here. I hope you didn’t feel anything otherwise. Us Israelis sometimes sin in being overly direct and sounding a bit aggressive ;)
cat | August 18th, 2008 at 9:55 pm #
That’s no problem. You will find I am even more direct and aggressive sometimes, even among Israelis.
Mad About English | Deivis D. Pothin | August 19th, 2008 at 6:37 pm #
[...] Ps. You can watch another part of the documentary here. [...]
jill | February 22nd, 2010 at 7:41 am #
its funny because the rest of the world is convinced we'll be forced to speak in chinese in the near future.