China Airline?

On flight CI 118, from Tokyo to Honolulu,

The Japanese flight attendant is offering drinks
"Chinese tea, Chinese tea, anyone ?"

"If your tea is from Taiwan I'd like to have a cup ---
it is Oolong tea, why you called it Chines tea ?" I said.

"Yes, it is from Taiwan." she replied.

"Also the China Airline's base is in Taiwan, isn't it ?" I was pretending while she is pouring Taiwanese tea, now I feel safe to drink.

" Yes, ----"
" Well then this Airliner should change its name." I said with a smile. This is how I often get in "trouble" by asking too many questions.

"Yeah, I think so too. " her voice was tuning down a little, I understood her concern of her job

I am using ""China Airline" because it is convenient to go TPE from HNL.
I have asked the same question purposely every time the attendants passed by my seat and offered " Chinese Tea----Chinese--tea". The other time, I asked the same question to a Taiwanese attendant. She was politely saying that she's never thought about it, and she would relay my opinion to the company. But I doubt about it.

I remembered that in A-bian's era he tried to change China Airline to Taiwan Airline with no results because he met a huge resistance from KMT. They gave the reason saying that changing name would be a huge lost and with difficulties. The most buzzard excuse was that PRC would inherit the name gladly with China Airline's reputation, Taiwanese hospitality and services all together would handed to Chinese for free.

As you know PRC has an airliner called Air China because of the name "China Airline" was already taken.

What do you think of this ?
For me I like to feel proud of sitting in our own National flight called Formosa National Airline or Taiwan National Airline.

One day maybe this dream will come true----, I pray and hope.


Aloha Dennis

喝上四杯驚魂茶 從此仰般難入睡

日本自1636-1854年前後，曾經鎖國兩百多年，當1853年，美國海軍司令裴里( Commodore M. Perry)率領四艘軍艦，日本人叫黑船KUROFUNE (篜氣船steamship) 靠近日本 (現在橫須賀市) 外海，逼迫日本開港通商時，沉迷於太平世界夢的日本國民，莫不為此嘩然，尊王攘夷之言論四起，猶如目前臺灣之「九二共識」「一中原則」「一中一台」「歐盟模式」等情況，從此大家惶惶然，都再也睡不著覺。

當時，有一首叫「狂歌」的短歌詩，一時非常流行，因那首詩，跟喝茶有一點點關係，

所以拿出來欣賞一下，又何妨。

詩曰；「泰平の眠りを覚ます上喜撰、たった四杯で夜も眠れず」

意思說，「只喝四杯上等銘茶上喜撰，天下泰平的國民就惶惶然，再也睡不著覺了 」因上喜撰的發音與篜氣船 (jyo ki sen) 的音相同，四杯跟四艘黑船也有相關意思。 大意說；美國四艘軍艦來了，正在做太平世界夢的日本人醒了，從此大家惶惶然再也睡不著覺了。

「看到美國船

來到海邊正著驚

事態嚴重睡毋得」

「好茶好提神

喝上四杯驚魂茶

從此仰般難入睡」

這次世界衛生組織 ( WHA )的行文中，被發現老早就使用 TAIIWAN, CHIINA中國台灣省的名稱，我們的政府也沒提出抗議，馬總統好像看報才知道的樣子，大家惶惶然再也睡不著覺了，跟日本剛看到美國黑船時一般，驚慌失措了。 日本人一醒來，馬上全國振奮起來，明治維新，迎頭趕上西方文化國家，而我們現在好像還沉迷於「九二共識」，還在做大頭夢，乾脆不用醒了。

三行詩 曰；

「九二大騙局

馬統政權發大夢 ( 發夢 = Pot munn 做夢 )

醒正著驚國變省」 ( 正 = Zian 才)

「吂年選總統

綠營愛拼正會贏

提防藍營把戲多」

「藍營長透講

任何選舉莫師傅

有錢來買就有票」

With best regards

C S Lou

海峽又吹烏海風! 不見東鄉麼儕勇?

慶士仙 以兩朝人而憂國
真正讓晚輩感動

我印象中「日露戰爭」東來的艦隊
應該是以克里米亞為基地的「黑海艦隊」
而非「巴爾幹艦隊」
(巴爾幹當時應在鄂圖曼土耳其治下？)
黑海以博斯普魯斯海峽聯繫地中海
黑海艦隊穿越東南歐巴爾幹半島與亞洲的安納多利雅半島之間
越過地中海和整個印度洋
萬里迢迢來到西太平洋
據說經過苗栗通宵時被日軍觀測所發現
通知日本海軍作準備
今日通宵虎頭山上還有「日露戰爭紀念碑」
但戰後被國民黨政府竄改成「抗戰勝利紀念碑」
我剛好曾經擔任苗栗縣歷史建築審查委員
所以記得一些背景

最近中國的第一艘行航母「施琅號」正在準備要下水
該艦正是以原屬俄國黑海艦隊的伐亞戈號(也有翻成瓦良哥)改裝
所以慶士仙這首詩正好呼應了東鄉在那個時代的呼籲
這不知是歷史的巧合或諷刺

當年烏克蘭經濟跨台
把蘇聯分家分到的伐亞戈號拆掉電戰系統後拍賣
澳門一家娛樂公司買下
當時國際即盛傳幕後黑手是中國
但中國官方再三嚴辭否認
伐亞哥號後以拖船運到澳門當作遊樂設施
近年又以沒賺錢的理由再度賣出
這次就賣到青島去了
偷偷摸摸改裝了好幾年
總算即將成軍
這當然不會是中國唯一航母
92年我曾以雜誌記者身分去中國訪問
當時問了中國負責南海事務的幕後一位蕭姓顧問
他跟我否認買伐亞哥號是為了建立航母艦隊
但又說「中國那麼大一個國家，有航母也是正常的」
驕傲之情溢於言表

20年後，伐亞哥真的要下水了
中國20年迂迴苦心的航母艦隊夢終於要實現了
不管最後是不是真敢命名為施琅號
「她」貨真價實就是施琅號
就是針對台灣狀況而存在的武器
中國的黑海艦隊將要來到我們的家門口
我們的東鄉大將在何處？

因有詩云：

施琅號下水
海峽又吹烏海風!
不見東鄉麼儕勇?


長鎮 5/9/2011

This is the time...

Current political situation in Taiwan reminds me of the story in the text book of my elementary school days under Japanese occupation period.
It was in 1905 when Russo-Japanese War was proceeding into the most critical stage of war, a huge combined fleet of more than 30 Russian Navy ships marched toward Japan all the way from Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. While Russian Baltic fleet eventually came through Tsushima Island in between Japan and Korea, marching into Sea of Japan, Japanese Admiral of the Navy fleet, Togou Heihachirou (東鄉平八郎) on board of the flagship Mikasa, decided to hoist a Z-flag of morale mobilization with the declaration that “The Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty." ("The fate of Imperial Japan hangs on this one battle; all hands will exert themselves and do their best.")

「皇国の興廃此の一戦に在り、各員一層奮励努力せよ」

Let’s paraphrase this sentence for Taiwan,

「臺灣之興衰，取決於明年初之總統、立委合併選舉。
熱愛臺灣的人們，務必努力奮鬥，求得勝利，
確保臺灣之主權，維護我們安和樂利的家園。」

願以此句，與大家共同勉力。


臺灣愛繁榮
總統愛選蔡英文
綠營立委愛過半


God bless Taiwan and the Taiwanese!

With best regards

CS Lou 5/3/2011