Tuesday, June 05, 2018

Thinking Critically about Yue Fei


"岳飞是民族英雄吗?

同学甲: “岳飞战功卓著,多次打败入侵的金兵,保卫了汉族大好河山,把他称为『民族英雄』,真是实至名归呢!"

同学乙:“金国的女真族现在已是中华民族的一分子。换言之,宋金战争不过是一场兄弟之战,而不属于民族战争。把岳飞视为『民族英雄』,当然并不恰当啊!""


Translation: "Was Yue Fei a ethnic hero?

Student A: Yue Fei distinguished himself in battle, repeatedly defeating invading [Jurchen] Jin soldiers and protecting the Han people's beloved motherland. Calling him an "ethnic hero" is to recognise his achievements!

Student B: The Jin Kingdom's Jurchen have since become part of the Chinese people. In other words, the Jin-Song war was only a fight between relatives, not a racialised war. Calling Yue Fei an "ethnic hero" is surely not appropriate!"


Since this is in traditional characters, this is probably from a Hong Kong or Taiwan textbook.
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