White House Says Chinese Folk Song Played During State Dinner Was Not An Insult; Experts Divided

[alp227]

At the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao, pianist Lang Lang played, among other ditties, the song “My Motherland.”

(snip)

Though there was no lyrical accompaniment when Lang Lang performed the song last week, one lyric translates as “When friends are here, there is fine wine /But if the wolves (or jackals) come /What greets it is the hunting rifle.”

A writer for the conservative website Human Events says: “Playing this song at a White House state dinner is the rough equivalent of an American president providing music from Rambo II during a state visit to Vietnam.”

(snip)

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told ABC News that “any suggestion that this was an insult to the United States is just flat wrong. As Lang Lang has stated before, he plays this song regularly because it is one of his favorite Chinese melodies, which is very widely known and popular in China for its melody. Lang Lang played the song without lyrics or reference to any political themes during the entertainment portion of the State Dinner. He simply stated the song’s title and noted it was well known in China.”

Lang has issued a statement saying that he “selected this song because it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody.” His goal is to “bridge cultures together through the beauty and inspiration of music.”

Full story and clips of the song: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/01/white-house-says-chinese-folk-song-played-during-state-dinner-was-not-an-insult-experts-divided.html

I saw Lang Lang performing in my city on Sunday evening and have been listening to him for many years now. He is a VERY talented pianist. But this is a pretty awkward moment for him playing a Chinese song at an American state dinner sans its anti-American lyrics.

[FSogol]

1. The Conservatives are really stretching it. Is that the best they can whine about?

Pathetic.

[ProSense]

2. ABC

"A writer for the conservative website Human Events says: 'Playing this song at a White House state dinner is the rough equivalent of an American president providing music from Rambo II during a state visit to Vietnam.'"

...browsing RW sites for news again?

[provis99]

3. it sounds like a right-wing song

what are the conservatives complaining about?

[tanyev]

4. First Rush Limbaugh complains that no one can understand anything Hu Jintao is saying,

now they're experts on lyrics that that weren't even performed. Riiight.

[Supersedeas]

5. there's always something