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ecause the meaning of this song is so widely known in China, the Chinese Internet is full of individuals expressing amazement that Lang Lang played it. The simple message “OMG”—“Oh my God”—expressed the shock of Chinese netizens at what is seen as Lang Lang’s arrogance.
“Prof. A.,” writing on the website China Elections and Governance, laid out the alternatives as many see them: “If he knew the song’s background and still chose to play it, then you can guess his motivation or intellectual capacity. If he didn’t know, then mainland China’s education system is in more of a mess than I thought.”
But perhaps Lang Lang really did not know that “My Motherland” is meant to inspire anti-Americanism. Or, perhaps he is a businessman who fears that he may lose some concert bookings and is giving his fans a fig leaf of an explanation that would allow them to ignore his insulting behavior.
But what Lang Lang did or didn’t intend doesn’t really matter in the end.
In preparation for a state dinner, every detail is gone over meticulously by both sides. The Chinese delegation knew in advance what Lang Lang intended to play, and they allowed him to go ahead.
If the delegation knew that Lang Lang intended to play a song that would insult Hu Jintao’s host in his own home, Hu would certainly have known this was going to happen.
Hu allowed the insult to the United States and to President Obama to happen and celebrated the insult as soon as it was delivered.
The CCP surely feels it has gained from this incident. A search for the keywords “Lang Lang,” “White House,” and “My Motherland” yields tens of thousands of hits on the Chinese Internet, including on the major Web portals.
Xinhua, the state propaganda agency, has circulated the news. The Lang Lang White House performance means credibility for the Communist Party in front an increasingly nationalistic domestic audience.
Since last Wednesday, there has not been a word of explanation or apology from the Chinese dictator. Don’t hold your breath waiting for one.
