On November 11, 2018, the Chinese were busy emptying their shopping carts, and Poland was celebrating the important day of regaining its 100th anniversary. Everyone has hanged the national flag, and people have marched on the streets to express their infinite love for the motherland and to leave their own footprints in the course of history.
The Polish national anthem “Poland does not perish” wrote: “Poland does not perish, as long as we are still alive, the aggressors take away, we will recover with the sword in our hands.” It seems to be soaked in grief, but in fact Poland is a country full of literary and artistic .
Even poverty
In the past many centuries, Poland has been brilliant and has become a European power. It has been brutally divided and disappeared on the map. It was once heavily wounded in World War II and has been reborn.
Chopin Statue in the Lazienki Park, the capital of Poland
From the establishment of the first Polish feudal kingdom (1025) to the establishment of the splendid Polish Principality of Poland (1569), Poland has gone through five centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the alliance formed by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austrian Empire made three divisions to Poland, and the Polish aristocratic reigns were faltering and perishing.
In the 123 years since the foreign rule, the Poles have continually tried to resist and seek freedom and liberation. They had pinned their hopes of reviving the motherland on Napoleon and broke it; they had failed many armed uprisings and peasant riots and failed. Until the early 20th century, under the influence of the Russian October Revolution, under the recognition of the Allies and the United States, on November 11, 1918, Poland, which had been dead for a long time, finally resumed its independence.
In 1939, the German fascists abolished the “Bould Declaration of Non-Aggression” and launched a blitzkrieg against Poland. After the occupation of Poland, Germany began to implement the Jewish extinction plan, established thousands of concentration camps in Poland, and slaughtered about 4 million people from more than 30 countries. Today, the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp has become a world cultural heritage, and it is a must-see for tourists from all over the world.
After the victory of the anti-fascist war, Poland followed the Soviet big brother and became a socialist country. Around the 1990s, with the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe, the Polish Third Republic was born. However, decades have passed, and the influence of the Soviet era on Poland is still clearly visible: rows of units like replicas, dilapidated buildings and abandoned factories, dim lighting, old people who do not speak English in English, and poverty .
Poland has low wages and low prices. In general, wages and prices are matched, but not enough to have too much surplus. In the supermarket, the Poles carefully compared the prices of the goods, even compared to the prices of the same goods in the two supermarkets. Due to lack of spending power, there are no luxury stores in other cities except the capital Warsaw. In order to promote consumption, shops are often discounted, and the discount is very strong. For foreigners, it must be a shopping paradise.
Saving, expensive, became the national character of Poland. If the Poles are hanging out, it is “too expensive.” Even if the business is successful and the family is excellent, it is also carefully calculated and never spread.
It seems that the Poles seem to live humble. However, walking in the streets of Poland, I saw every Polish dressed neatly, women with refined makeup, men’s suits are quite good – even if they are poor, they live confidently; every holiday, the Poles will Going on vacation with family and friends – even if you are poor, you can enjoy life; and the bars in Poland are bustling with people at night, and they are overcrowded – even if they are poor, they laugh and live happily.
Wind and dust must also be art
Most of the airports in the world are named after place names. The capital airport of Poland is called Chopin Airport. At the Chopin Airport, where there is a place to enter and exit the customs, there is a grand piano, so there are often scenes like this: passengers carrying large-capacity mountaineering bags, dragging their tired bodies, stopping, sitting, and then gracefully playing One song. This may be the first impression of Poland: the servant of the wind is also art.
Located in the capital’s Watzinki Park, it is the largest park in Warsaw. When I first arrived, I was very surprised that such a famous park could not see too many tourists. However, walking around, I seem to hear the flow of music. Going by the sound, I climbed up the hill and came to an empty highland. Far from seeing a statue of Chopin, the statue is full of intoxicating piano players, and surrounded by audiences who are addicted to it. The original tourists are here. Every summer weekend, there are open-air concerts where people lie on the lawn while enjoying the beautiful sunshine while enjoying the charming Chopin tunes.
Some people say that Chopin “the soul belongs to Poland, and talent belongs to the world.” When listening to Chopin, you can feel his grief, his ethereal, his struggle, his infinite enthusiasm for the motherland. In short, it is a deep love.
As everyone knows, Chopin died in Paris when he was very young. His last wish is that his body can return to Poland, at least, his heart. However, due to political reasons, Chopin’s heart was sent back to the motherland nearly a hundred years later, embedded in the colonnade of the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw’s Old City. The inscription on this pillar cites a quote from the Bible Matthew: Where is your treasure, and where is your heart.
Not only Chopin, the Polish pursuit of classical music is ubiquitous. That time I was practicing in the driving school, my old coach turned on the radio, FM classical music, and said that I especially liked this channel. Then, the sound of melodious violin came from the sound, and the boring driving class became a spiritual enjoyment.
A Polish child I have taught in my family. His mother has three pianos. A classical upright piano was used for piano when she was a child. A grand piano is now practiced, and there is an electronic piano that can be worn while playing. Put on the headphones so as not to disturb the rest of the neighbors and children. Later, I knew that she was a piano player, who continued to participate in piano competitions, held piano concerts, visited piano professors, and took children while fighting for a piano career.
In addition to classical music, music permeates the life of the Poles in various forms. In the Old Town Square in the city center, in the underground passage between the transportation hubs, there are often performers who play violins, guitars, saxophones and even a variety of quirky instruments. Perhaps their art is to make a little money, perhaps just to release the soul of music that has no place to put it.
Of course, young people also like pop music, hip hop, and disco Polo (Polish disco) with Polish characteristics. The Polish disco and the “Divine Comedy” that was popular in China have similarities. They combine folk customs and dances. The tunes are simple, witty and even a little kitsch. When I listened to the Polish disco, I wanted to laugh a little, but I couldn’t help but shake my body with the music and sing. From the party in the Polish bar to the big festival, the Polish disco is like a ecstasy, which stimulates the nerves and makes the audience excited.
Niche literature and film
When it comes to Polish literature, the first thing that comes to mind is Sinboska. This is a Polish poetess who is famous in the Chinese culture. In Poland, readers’ love for her is enduring. Simposka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996 and was evaluated by the Nobel Committee as “Mozart in the poet”.
She constantly tempered her writing techniques and tried new techniques. Her poems are simple, ethereal, and optimistic. She writes about life, nature, the universe, compassion and optimism. She claimed that “I prefer the absurdity of writing poetry, rather than the absurdity of not writing poetry.” In the famous poem “Love at First Sight”, she wrote: “Every beginning, after all, is just a sequel, and a book full of plots always starts from half.”
Another Polish writer who sang the literary world for the Nobel Prize was Mivosh. The Nobel Prize’s award to him is: “With a uncompromising and keen insight, it describes the naked state of mankind in a world of fierce conflict.” From both the text and politics, the life of Mivosh is the history of the 20th century. Witnessed, while he was wandering, reflecting and recording, he turned to many countries and he always insisted on writing in his mother tongue, telling his inner struggles and pains, reminiscing about the past and pity the world. His poetry and prose are no longer a song of good nature, but an essay on different political views and a profound analysis of history and society.
Polish films have been developed for more than 100 years. Today, we have to mention the landmark character of Krzysztof Kieslowski. If Chopin is a piano poet, then Kie is an undisputed film poet. Many of the films he directed are well known in the world.
“Blue”, “White” and “Red” trilogy are the three-color series of Kie’s, and his peak. “Blue” stills
The theme of “Love Short Film” is lust: Juvenile Tomak often uses a telescope to peek into the woman in the opposite apartment and gradually falls in love with her. It seems to be contrary to ethics, but under the director’s slow lens, the story is so sad and sentimental. In the 1980s, the director tried to use this film to explore secret love and confession, soul and desire.
The film “The Ten Commandments” is divided into ten sections. Kiehl uses the ten commandments of God in the Bible to describe the life. Complex humanity, unsolved moral predicament, melting in clean and rational lens and calm restraint thinking.
“Red” stills
“Two Flowers” (also known as “The Double Life of Veronica”) is an extremely literary film about the story of two girls of the same name in different places. The exquisite picture and sad atmosphere will lead to a discussion of feminism and fatalism.
“Blue”, “White” and “Red” trilogy are the three-color series of Kie’s, and his peak. The trilogy is named after the three colors of the French flag, representing freedom, equality, and fraternity, and is also the subject of the film.
Represented by the works of Chieslowski, Polish films almost always have a hint of dullness and melancholy. Of course, this is inseparable from the character of the Poles. Unless there is some stimulation of alcohol, the Poles in the day seem to be mostly serious and depressed. Therefore, watching Polish movies is a good preparation for the chest, and then immersed in it and enjoy a quiet feast.
Krzysztof Kieslowski is an undisputed film poet
Polish literature and movies are quite small, and even the Poles do not necessarily have to be involved. However, if you want to know Poland, it is a good idea to look for some traces in Polish literature and movies.
