KISS ME, YOU REBEL!

Centuries ago, imperial troops sacked a monastery that supported a previous dynasty, killing thousands of ascetics. Five monks escaped, and fled south, finally meeting up again at the Red Flower Pavilion, to swear vengeance for their murdered brethren, and organize rebellion against the tyrant.

This tale is a fundament not only of the narratives of many Southern Chinese secret societies, but also of much of the Cantonese and Fujianese worldview.

There are two key elements:
ONE – Friendships are a bond stronger in many ways than all other relationships; your friends will stand by you.
TWO – The government and the forces of society are impersonal and often destructive to that which is most worth preserving.

It is, if you will, reflective of a rebellious character. Not surprisingly, revolutions and dissent have often originated south of the great river ('Taai Gong': 大江 ; Gong-naam, "South of the Great River": 江南), most notably in Fujian ('Fok-kien': 福建), where the loyalist of the Ming Dynasty fought desperately for nearly a century against the conquerors, withdrawing at last to Taiwan ('Toi-waan': 臺灣) to continue the struggle for another bitter generation, and in Guangdong (Canton, 'Kwong-tung': 廣東) and Guangxi ('Kwong-sai': 廣西) provinces, where activists for generation after generation joined secret societies and fomented unrest.

[Actual meanings of the names: 大江Big river; 江南 River south; 福建 Fortune builds; 臺灣Terrace bay; 廣東Expanse East; 廣西 Expanse West.]

反清復明 - Fan Ching Fuk Ming
["Counter the Manchus, restore the Ming dynasty!"]


Most of the secret societies ended up splitting into three distinct branches: a social and social welfare side, a hunted rebel side, and a criminal side.
All three sides told the tale of the five elders ('Ng-jou': 五祖) fleeing the destruction of Siew-Lam Ji (Shaolin Temple: 少林寺), and stressed the noble aspirations of the outlaws that populate the pages of China’s long fractious history.
For the length of the Ching Dynasty ('Cheng-chiu': 清朝), most Southerners regarded the ruling Manchus ('Mon-juk': 滿族) as vile barbarians opposed in every way to everything that was really Chinese.
It is ironic that the Manchu ruling-class became so thoroughly Chinese in education and outlook that today not even ten percent of them can speak their own native tongue - their flawless Peking pronunciation is envied as the very best Mandarin.

[The Five Elders: Fong Tai-Hong (方大洪), Lee Sik-Hoi (李式開), Wu Tak-Tai (胡德帝), Ma Chiu-Hing (馬超興), and Tsoi Tak-Chong (蔡德忠).]


RIVERS AND LAKES

The mental and mostly metaphoric world of Chinese outlaws and rebels is known as gongwu (江湖) – rivers and lakes, representing the wilds and the unsettled marshlands, where gallants (‘how-hon’: 好漢) and chevaliers (‘kiem-hap’: 劍俠) hid out from a repressive government. The embodiment of Chinese ideals was a hero ('yinghong': 英雄) who would risk his own life for his companions and the just cause. Righteousness ('yi': 義) was the most praiseworthy thing a person could possess; the loyalty that inspired that righteousness ('yi-hey': 義氣) was infinitely precious.


Given that most of Chinese history consists of short periods of honest government followed by very long periods of brutal exploitation, misery, and general bureaucratic misrule, it is quite understandable that the common man should seek comfort in such countercultural ideals. What is perhaps surprising is how much of this worldview still exists.

The Cantonese language, without the idioms and metaphors of rebellion and anarchy, would be much poorer, far less expressive. There is a feistiness and imaginary quality to how the Cantonese express themselves that permeates their emotions, their though-processes, their songs, movies, and popular culture.


友誼之光 (Yau-yi Ji Gwong')
[The Light of Friendship]

I mention these matters in order to present a song from the 1987 movie 'Prison On Fire' ('Gam Yuk Fong Wan': 監獄風雲) starring Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) and Leung Ka-fai (梁家輝) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmcXSrgIkFw


人生於世上有幾个知己
Yan-sang yu sai seung, yau gei ko chi kei
多少友誼能長存
To-sieu yau-yi nang cheung-chyun
今日别離共你雙雙两握手Kam-yat bit-lei gung ney seung-seung leung ak sau
友誼常在你我心里Yau-yi seung tsoi ney ngoh sam leui

['In the span of a life how often can one know someone well? How many friendships will long survive? Do not part today without warmly shaking hands, With a friendship that remains strong in our hearts.']



今天且要暫别
Kam-tien che yiu jaam-biet
他朝也定能聚首
Ta-chiew ya deng nang jeui-sau
縱使不能會面
Jung-si pat nang woei-min
始終也是朋友
Chi-chung ya si pang-yau

['Today we must distinguish the moment, On the morrow we shall meet again; Though we might never again be face-to-face, From beginning to end (for as long as we live) we shall remain companions.']



說有萬里山 隔阻兩地遙
Sut yau man lei san, gak-jo leung tei yiew;
不需見面 心中也知曉
Pat seui kien-min, sam-tsong ya chi-hiew;
友誼改不了
Yau-yi goi pat liew.

['Should it be that there are ten thousand mountains, or obstacles at both extremes; There is no need to actually meet, the heart still deeply knows; this a bond which shall not change.']


MORE THAN THE SONG AND THE MOVIE

One might think that the movie is a standard buddy flick, presenting two guys in the slammer going through hell together and coming out better for their friendship.
But that would be overlooking the Cantonese context, and the attitudes that Cantonese people have about loyalty and obligations towards each other. When you're in the same boat, sworn together ('tung-meng': 同盟), you stand in for each other like outlaws in the forests and marshes, rebels in the mountains and wastelands.
The movie is on one level a perfect expression of the Cantonese Weltanshauung, but on another level an entertaining tale of gallantry and stubbornness; both, as I have endeavored to explain, also perfect Cantonese ideals.


The song above is phrased in great part like an oath. It should therefore be no surprise that it is one of the anthems of the Hong Kong Democracy movement.


What may surprise you is that it was written by a woman.
Specifically, by a woman who is not, strictly speaking, Chinese.
Or even from Hong Kong.
Maria Cordero (肥媽瑪俐亞), from Macau, is an actress and singer of mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry.
You can't really get more Hong Kong than that!
And Hong Kong is, as you no doubt know, the most 'Cantonese' of cities.


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AFTERWORD


What prompted all this was a Facebook posting by the cute and vivacious Steffy Chou, who wrote:
"Kisses to whoever can guess which modern Cantonese song has the same tune as this sweet Mandarin oldie: ----------------- "

I was the only person who responded.
Well okay then.
I think I've won this round.
Heh.