Legend of the Grass Mud Horse 草泥马

So, the latest craze sweeping the internet is the legend of the 草泥马 / cao ni ma ('grass mud horse'), an alpaca like creature, fighting censorship in China. I have been keeping myself amused reading all about Male and Gebi...

Growing up, I didn't hear my parents swear a great deal but even when they did I didn't know they were. I mean, I didn't know the literal meaning of the words they were saying and it wasn't till much much later that I did! so when I read this (Modern Chinese profanity) I was very shocked and surprised... (warning: not for the easily offended or prudish). It also explains why there is a Canon G7 and G9 (and now G10) camera but no G8.

Anyway back to the 草泥马 / cao ni ma (which sounds like another phrase I heard my father say when he was driving (but that's another story)) I think the plushies are adorable... pity it's not a real animal, but that's not the point, is it? Of course the YouTube videos/songs are much funnier if you understand Mandarin and the double meanings of the words but the China Digital Times site explains it well. I have re-posted the lyrics and video (second video here) from their site.

There is a herd of Grass Mud Horses
In the wild and beautiful Ma Le Desert
They are lively and intelligent
they are fun-loving and nimble
They live freely in the Ma Le Desert
They are courageous, tenacious, and overcome the difficult environment

Oh lying down Grass Mud Horse
Oh running wild Grass Mud Horse
They defeated river crabs in order to protect their grass land
River crabs forever disappeared from Ma Le Desert

在那荒茫美丽马勒戈壁
有一群草泥马，
他们活泼又聪明，
他们调皮又灵敏，
他们自由自在生活在那草泥马戈壁，
他们顽强勇敢克服艰苦环境。

噢，卧槽的草泥马！
噢，狂槽的草泥马！
他们为了卧草不被吃掉 打败了河蟹，
河蟹从此消失草泥马戈壁

Read more about it here:

New York Times

International Herald Tribune

China Digital Times

Male and Gebi who happen to come from the desert called Malegebi 马勒和歌碧

Shanghaiist

DanWei

Dan Wei 2

Wikipedia entry about the 10 Mythical Chinese creatures, including the Fa Ke You, a squid.

Chinese Description of the cao ni ma

China Makes Internet Addiction an Official Disorder

Link here

China could become first nation to make Internet addiction a medical disorder

China is expected to become the first country in the world to officially classify internet addiction as a mental disorder. Chinese government officials would be required to register the term with the World Health Organization, which has seen an increased interest in internet- and game-related addiction.

Around 253 million of China's 1.2 billion population use the internet, with the number expected to grow as remote parts of the country build necessary infrastructure to support the internet.

Dr. Tao Ran studied at least 3,000 patients over a four-year period to help him classify internet addiction, which will be a condition similar to alcoholism or compulsive gambling.

A person who spends at least 6.13 hours online each day can be considered an addict. InterActiveCorp research indicates 42 percent of young internet users feel they are addicted to the internet, while only 18 percent of American youth feel they are addicted.

Around 50 percent of internet users in China are between the ages of 18 and 30.....

Read more at the site.