"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."
This chart titled “A Psychoanalysis of Contemporary Chinese Society” is illustrative of popular attitudes towards “Xianzhong.” The X and Y axes are arranged from avoidant-to-conformist and passive-to-active, respectively, connoting one’s willingness to participate in Chinese society and desired level of effort in enacting that choice. In the avoidant-active quadrant is “run,” i.e. escape from China through emigration. In the avoidant-passive quadrant is “lie flat,” i.e. withdraw from the rat race and do nothing. In the conformist-active quadrant is “involute,” i.e. strive meaninglessly in a manner memorably described by The New Yorker as reminiscent of “Sisyphus spinning the wheels of a perpetual-motion Peloton.” In the conformist-passive quadrant is “chive,” i.e. allow oneself to be used and abused by the system. The only “exit” from the matrix comes from the Z axis, “Xianzhong”.
Zhang Xianzhong was a Chinese peasant leader who led a peasant rebellion from Yan'an wei, Shaanxi (today Yulin, Shaanxi province) during the Ming-Qing transition. He conquered Sichuan in 1644, and named himself king and later emperor of the Xi dynasty. His rule in Sichuan was brief, and he was killed by the invading Qing army. He is commonly associated with the massacres in Sichuan that depopulated the region.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.