#zheng he would like a word. also everyone who was affected by 倭寇 pirates

[999-roses]

I think it's nice, sure, that people who aren't Chinese are interested in a Chinese classic...

BUT it's really fucking off-putting that a non-chinese westerner who has only casual knowledge on the literature or its contexts and next to no knowledge about wider Chinese culture is running the discussion & making commentary on it. answering questions confidently... sometimes incorrectly.

i think i'd have less issues with it if it was like clearly funny (yknow the type of humor on this web site where "people can just say anything") but no they're entirely straight serious about it.

also placing social context & commenting on it in terms of modern-day standards ,... and not like literally what other coeval societies (contemporaries like romans or w/e) were doing. great we have more racist 'look what these backwards people were doing. their social practices were so uniquely barbaric' good job stop reading this novel from my culture. :) now.

to be fair sometimes they do say 'hey i dont know this. does any chinese person know & want to share'. well, maybe just my personal opinion but looking at the lack of responses... maybe you've already lost their attention... anyway they don't always ask for help. there's been plenty of times where they answer confidently and they're just WRONG.