On September 9th, a massive explosion caused by a ruptured gas pipeline rocked the town of San Bruno, California, USA. Having destroyed 37 homes, injured 52 people and claimed the lives of at least six residents, the damage caused by this accident is so extensive that California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had requested federal aid for disaster relief. To emphasize the extent of the destruction at a press conference the day after, Fire Chief Dennis Haag called the explosion “pretty devastating” and that the affected neighborhood “[looked] like a moonscape”.
This extremely loud gas explosion that some residents had mistaken for an earthquake was accompanied by an equally enormous fire that had at times reached heights of 90 meters (300 feet). Some of these fireballs have been caught on media, including the one pictured here. To witness such a phenomenon of unbridled power one may be in awe of the primal force of fire; conversely, one may be touched with sympathy and compassion for the victims of this horrible incident.
However, if you are Chinese and see the above picture, you may have another image in mind: that of the country of China. That said, such a comment would only come from a citizen not proud of his country, for a nationalistic Chinese full of pride for his homeland may see something very specific: China as a rooster pecking away at a worm above it. What makes this the vision of a proud Chinese is what the worm represents: the country of Japan.
Note from Fauna: This Mop post and these netizen comments were posted on September 9th only a few days after the Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese Coast Guard in the waters near Diaoyu Islands, and many days before the detained fishing boat captain was released.
From Mop:
The Strange Appearance That Fell From Heaven: Explosion at American Airport Foretells Chinese “Rooster” Will Peck the Japanese “Worm”
On September 9th in the evening local time, an explosion occurred near San Francisco International Airport in which many buildings were set afire and a nearby gas station was surrounded by the tall flames. Households affected by the fire have already been evacuated, and local authorities are currently investigating whether or not this incident was caused by a natural gas pipeline fracture.
Among the many thoughts that run through one’s head upon looking at this picture of the scene, one that sticks out is “A strange appearance fell from Heaven, the Chinese rooster pecks the Japanese little worm”. Could [it mean that] little Japan is going to be held accountable for tyrannizing our Diaoyu Islands and colliding with our fishing boat?
Comments from Mop:
嗯，值得深入。:
Indeed! Not Photoshopped?
公子的小受:
Peck little Japan!
秃驴，速还老衲师太:
Kill little Japan!
xiaopi孩:
If Japan is not beaten every three days, they will become demanding and make unreasonable requests. [taken from the feudal Confucian thought of the "three obediences and four virtues" in which a maxim is "If for three days you don't beat your wife, she will start to be demanding and make unreasonable requests."]
张凌灵:
Very good, very good…
来了就为灌水:
If the will of Heaven be this way, we must not disobey! Kill!
哪有猫可扑:
Chinese rooster pecking the Japanese little worm:
再来一碗孟婆汤:
Americans stand farther away… [because they are blocking the scene?]
金木水火土金木水火土:
This photograph is niu bi.
狂操马诺:
Ding this up to the front page.
Thanks_hi:
Little Japan needs water…
一条公路:
Been PS’ed, right? ..Kill little Japan.
秃笔喃啵完:
It’s time.
我是一大砣屎:
Complete fantasy!!!
萧白累:
What can this tell us?
滑过你的胸部的我的手:
This is clearly a chicken that died from a pestilence, waiting for the maggots to come eat it. And [you guys] are fucking cheering.
公交改线:
Very good; I support.
xufeng_9527:
Destroy Japan.
悠嘻大猴:
…[Let's just wait and] see what our great Heavenly Kingdom’s [China's government's] reaction is…
没钱去做鸭:
Attacking Japan is okay, but Japan’s ** culture must be kept~~~ [what do you think ** could mean?]
打不死的尕强:
No traces of PS.
园大宝贝:
Good phenomenon.
糖果盒子_guoguo:
PS’ed, right?
michaeljiang303:
From a patriotic perspective, [I will agree with] what the lou zhu said.
[But] there is another way of looking at this: the little worm is so high up that even with the big rooster government lifting up its head, it still can’t reach the little worm.
[Which] may be hinting that with regards to the recent Diaoyu Islands incident, China is powerless/has no means to do anything.
艾米莉琴：
I support this; this is a good post.
黑色de天空:
This must be ding‘d up!
爱让我憔悴:
Heaven bless the Heavenly Kingdom [China].
长亭无泪:
What this picture seems to be saying is that little Japan has climbed onto our head.
非线性机构:
The people of China – dire straits.
心若动_泪千行:
All these excellent youths and their wasted enthusiasm, can the big rooster [China] really eat the little shrimp [Japan]??
庞雅雯的狗狗:
Go motherland!
艾小悦:
I can’t see it [the resemblance to a rooster pecking/eating an worm].
水雾人:
It appears that even the Heavens know of Japan’s coming bad luck.
灵魂走秀丶维:
Very cool! Must ding!
张岩强袭:
With the way the Chinese government is, it will only protest, that’s all. [Many Chinese feel the Chinese government does not work to protect its citizens abroad, only protesting but not really accomplishing anything.]
Ｚ小七:
A strange appearance has fallen from Heaven, the Mandate of Heaven [be revealed] in this way.
RuShGoOn_:
Haha, lou zhu, I fuck your father. How come I thought the exact same thing you did when I first looked at this picture!
我是你家的老猫:
Japan should not exist anyway.
sun700:
Being able to YY with even this kind of picture~~~the LZ is very J8.
kukuxiao2009:
[If] we go to war with the devils [Japanese], I am willing to go to the front lines, as my elders [ancestors] tell me to kill some devils [for them, in retribution for the past].
Dangeryoo:
Good omen, I like it.
弦论andM论:
Isn’t this clearly a hint that we’ve “been bullied by little Japan so much that they’re now on top of our heads”?
haolangqian:
I don’t care if the picture is real or is fake, as long as we kill little Japan.
楚留香他爹:
Kill little Japan!
[Written on yellow sign:
Today you've purchased Japanese products.
Tomorrow you invest towards a China being led by Japan.
[The purchase of Japanese] bullets/shells are being supported by you.Written on large banner:
If Chinese don’t buy Japanese goods for one day, over one thousand Japanese companies will go bankrupt.
If for six months [China] doesn’t buy [Japanese goods], one half of all Japanese people will go unemployed.
If for one year [China] doesn’t buy [Japanese goods], the Japanese economy will be faced with eminent collapse!
If you’re Chinese then you boycott Japanese goods, no need to go onto the battlefield!]
永恒∮嘚噯:
Very good, very good; this item is something I don’t want to comment upon.
弦论andM论:
…..coincidence.
龙飞飞2009:
Murder those sons of bitches.
[Written: 欠 (qian1) and 小日本 (xiao3ri4ben3), roughly "Little Japan is begging to be put in its place or taught a lesson. You can interpret the nuclear explosion and middle finger as "begging to be fucked" or "begging to be nuked".]
八格路亚:
Little Japan’s women enslaved, the men killed!
hkai2010:
There are traces of Photoshop, appraisal complete!
假貓貓：
Hahaha, [everyone be more] low-key [don't be so ostentatious].
Burn your bridges of bachelorhood. chinaSMACK personals.
