Little Chinese girl’s analysis of Russia-Ukraine conflict through the perspective of Romance of Three Kingdom receives praise from Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary
By Global TimesPublished: May 12, 2022
The Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., praised the girl's commantary of Russia-Ukraine conflict as the 'smartest'. Source: Twitter
A video footage of a Chinese girl comparing Russia-Ukraine conflicts to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has gone viral on the internet. The girl was then praised by the Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr., who commented that "Her generation of Chinese is the hope of China and the world", as reported by the media.
This little Chinese girl in school uniform is asked by her father
"What do you think about the situation between Russia and Ukraine?" Although the question seems to be a little "beyond basic" for a school-aged child, the girl appears to only think about it for a moment, and then she starts confidently answering it in English.
The little girl first expressed sympathy for those who suffered in the war, then said that she had recently read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and thought the situation between Russia and Ukraine was similar to it.
"The US-led NATO is like the Cao Cao force," she said. "Russia is like the Jiang Dong under Sun Quan." Ukraine is the battleground of Jingzhou, caught between both sides in the dispute, constantly teasing the nerves of the two.
The girl then further analyzed the situation: assuming that Jingzhou is captured by Cao Cao, "there is no strategic buffer zone." Cao Cao can directly go down the river, which is a great threat to Sun Quan who feels threatened by this. In this predicament, Sun Quan decides he cannot sit still and die, thus he starts the Battle of Chibi.
"Look at the conflict between Russia and Ukraine today, there is no difference from the time of the Three Kingdoms," the little girl says in the video. NATO wants to expand eastward in Ukraine, and Russia, which is close to the door, cannot sit still, so the conflict finally broke out.
When asked about the "fate" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the little girl said, "Think about Liu Cong." In history, Liu Cong directly surrendered to Cao Cao without a fight, causing Jingzhou to be acquired effortlessly, and then gradually disappeared from the stage of history.
"Although a comparison with the Three Kingdoms, is not rigorous enough to draw a perfect analogy of the situation between Russia and Ukraine, the little girl clearly realized that the essence of the conflict lies in the continuous eastward expansion of NATO led by the US. She has integrated what she has learned from the story with what she learned from the news and then she was able to express her opinions in fluent English, this level of analysis surpasses that of many of her peers and even some adults," said one netizen on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.
Many netizens praised the child for her clear thinking and personal views despite her young age, and also expressed appreciation for the family education she received and that has allowed her to think independently.
In particular, the video impressed Teodoro Locsin Jr., the Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary, who retweeted it many times on his Twitter account and was still recommending it as of May 9.
"This is the smartest commentary on the situation between Russia and Ukraine to date," the Foreign Affairs Secretary said, praising the little girl, "Her generation of Chinese is the hope of China and the world."
The Foreign Affairs Secretary even expressed his desire of possibly sending his granddaughter to China for education, "I want her to be a little girl with great insights like the one in the video."