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Xi says Ball is Life
(hexbear.net)
Gavin Newsom gifted Xi Jinping a custom Golden State Warriors jersey. Xi is printed on the back.
Lmao fucking what why would you do this.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in China. Xi is passionate about sports. They are in San Francisco for this meeting, it's a San Francisco NBA team jersey, the jersey is for the local NBA team. Gavin Newsom is the governor of California. To me, the gesture of the gift is meant to symbolize to Xi, "you are on our team". It is common for sports fans to wear team jerseys when they watch a sport, to support the team.
In the video, upon receiving the gift, Xi jokes "Would I be great if I wear this?" Gavin jokes that Xi would be the MVP (Most Valuable Player). It seems like a very thoughtful gift, in my opinion, and Xi looks genuinely happy to receive it. I think it's a great photo. The dudes are rocking.
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202109/15/WS614129b4a310e0e3a68218f9.html
I very much appreciate you explaining the cultural implications. I would not have picked up on that but it seems obvious when you lay it out.
Tbf it's hard to understand the foreign and backwards culture of California. Most Califonologists aren't even proficient in their language, let alone understand the cultural subtleties of a gift like a Golden State jersey
Xi has a photo with the Golden Gate Bridge that he really likes, it's probably a reference to that.
I get why he likes it. The bridge is a delicate body of wire cable musculature and iron bones born from a nation's collective struggle. It is held together by a tension that connects the people to earth, to the waters and to the sky, all with golden ratio arcs that align perfectly with the curvature of the mountains in the backdrop.
The young Xi Jinping leans on a fence in the foreground, illuminated by the faint glow of the foliage. The fence provides him with support while firmly placing him on the same side as the people observing the bridge in the background. The wooden fence is solid, firm and simple in contrast to the majestic feat of engineering that demands your focus, but it forms the foundation of his connection with the people.
Standing slightly slouched with his hands behind his back, Xi's crown is perfectly balanced at the central tension point of the image. His face sits at the exact place where two lands meet in the middle of the bridge. All the lines in the photograph extend through this point, forming the final place of connection between Xi, the people, the lands and the labor.