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Would Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu have met if they had had mobile phones?


StChris

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The 2nd in the series of public adverts encouraging intelligent of smartphones on the Chongqing subway, this one takes its inspiration from 红楼梦 (Dreams of the Red Chamber).

 

IMG_20180610_124852299_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg

 

Quote

这样能相遇吗?

 

有缘千里来相会,面对面来玩手机

 

有情人终成眷属,玩手机终成陌路。

为了自己的亲人和爱人,请合理正确使用手机。

 

It asks whether the protagonists would have met if they had had phones to play with. The second sentence is a play on a traditional Chinese saying: "有缘千里来相会, 无缘对面不相逢" (if it is fated to be then it will happen even if separated by one thousand miles, if it's not fated to be then it won't happen even if you are face to face). Instead, the second part in the adverts reads "面对面来玩手机" (side by side but playing on their phones). 

 

The first half of the third sentence is also a traditional Chinese saying: 有情人终成眷属 (if there is love between them then they will eventually become husband and wife). The second part is new and says that if they play on their mobile phones then they will remain strangers (玩手机终成陌路). It ends by exhorting the readers to use their phone responsibly (合理正确使用手机) for the sake of their loved ones (为了自己的亲人和爱人).

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I thought you were asking an actual question and got busy thinking about it! I think they would indeed have been on their phone all day, Baoyu playing games and chatting and never, ever studying, and Daiyu would probably have a poetry blog, and never, ever meeting each other. I can just picture it: grandma Jia is enjoying the opera her children organised for her birthday but she is the only one watching, all the others are on their phones.

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Haha, I think there would be a lot less drama in the Jia household if mobile phones did exist. Without a job, school or any kind of modern entertainment options, the only thing left to do (apart from the aforementioned poetry) was to gossip and fight.

 

As for whether or not they would have met and fell in love, well I suppose they could have matched on Tantan. Although Baochai is obviously the better girl, I still found myself attracted to Daiyu.

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