Mandarin language Video: Professor Ling-chi Wang of UC Berkeley: “The Last G-7,” by ‘Bantonglaoatang,” a Chinese artist in Mainland China. It is very clever, insightful, timely, powerful, and satirical painting/commentary, rich in political symbolism. 驚世諷刺政治畫作！最詳細破解《最後的G7》畫中隱藏的線索！最後的晚餐 It shows the G-7 badly divided, even with the two compliant countries, India and Australia, and a clown,Taiwan, represented by a “green frog” (DPP) at the bottom of the table, desperately begging for recognition and acceptance by G-7.
https://vimeo.com/567266638
https://youtu.be/xvNT2gxGPG4
https://www.facebook.com/100036400039778/posts/517104076179589/?d=n
The title of the painting is “The Last G-7.” Even before the meeting of the G-7 in England, several commentators had already declared the “irrelevance” of G-7, because they no longer represent the most powerful and influential economies of the world. None of the BRIC nations are represented. In spite of Biden’s valiant effort to round up G-7 against China, he came out of the summit long on same-old-tired rhetorics and short on substance and actionable policies. As the painting correctly depicted, each of G-7 had its own interests and agenda. They are down but not out.
It will be interesting to see if the Mainstream Media in the West will publish the painting without biased commentaries.
In the mean time, I came across the following article on the painting in the Month Review Online a well-establish leftist journal. Not bad. But, it is not as good as the Cantonese analysis and commentary on YouTube.
The Last G7’: Satirical cartoon mocking bloc’s attempt to suppress China goes viral
Political Economy Angola Newswire the Group of Seven (G7) members
Originally published: Global Times June 13, 2021
A Chinese cartoonist’s political satire, which mocked the Group of Seven (G7) members that attempt to suppress China, went viral on Chinese social media on Sunday, when the G7 summit was underway in Cornwall, the UK.
Titled The Last G7, the illustration, published by its author “Bantonglaoatang” on Sina Weibo on Saturday, was painted based on the renowned religious mural The Last Supper. This G7 summit is widely seen as an attempt by the U.S. to rally allies against China.
Similar to the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion that The Last Supper depicted, Bantonglaoatang painted a vivid picture of nine animals–respectively representing the U.S., the UK, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Australia and India–sitting around a table with a Chinese-map-shaped cake on it. On top of the painting is the words in quote:
Through this we can still rule the world.
These animals have different facial expressions and gestures, implying that each side of the G7 actually has its own axe to grind on the common conspiracies of suppressing China and upholding the Western hegemony, analyzed some observers and Chinese netizens.
Wearing a bowler hat with an American flag on it, a bald eagle sits in the middle like Jesus in The Last Supper, obviously the convenor of the meal. In front of the bald eagle there is a small banknote printing machine and a bill on the table. The machine is printing toilet paper into dollars, and the number on the bill gets bigger and bigger–from $2 trillion to $8 trillion.
There is also an iron hook under its feet, and two pieces of cotton with blood near its hands on the table, suggesting “the U.S.’ capital accumulation was built on racial oppression,” a vlogger nicknamed “sharp-tongued pumpkin” said in his latest video analyzing the illustration, which has gained over 700,000 views on video streaming platform Bilibili within a day after he uploaded it on Saturday afternoon.
The bald eagle image shows today’s aggressive yet feeble U.S. is trapped in its growing debt crisis and racial conflicts, but still points fingers at China, “sharp-tongued pumpkin” pointed out.
Sitting on the left of the bald eagle is a grey wolf, wearing a cap with an Italian flag on it. The wolf waves its hands as the apostle Andrew in The Last Supper, as if saying “No” to the U.S.’ suggestions of jointly cracking down on China. The grey wolf image shows Italy, the first European country that joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is reluctant to collaborate with the U.S. in suppressing China, commented “sharp-tongued pumpkin.”
Next to the wolf is an Akita dog that represents Japan. Without a seat, it is busy serving the others a “drink”–pouring green radioactive water into the glasses of the other animals. On Weibo some users said the green water is the contaminated water that Japan plans to release to the Pacific from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant.
Sitting next to the dog is a kangaroo, which is stretching its left hand to the banknotes that the U.S. is printing, while grasping a bag in its right hand. The kangaroo symbolizes the double-faced Australia which actively cooperates with the U.S. in containing China, but is also eager to earn money from China, its largest trading partner, according to “sharp-tongued pumpkin.”
On the left corner stands a black hawk, which obviously represents Germany as its pose is almost the same as that of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a widespread photo in the G7 summit in 2018. Germany, similar to the rooster (representing France) sitting in silence on the right side, seems more interested in its own European issues and shows less enthusiasm on the US’ propaganda, netizens found.
On the right side of the table also sits a lion and a nutria, respectively representing the UK and Canada, both the US’ close Five Eyes allies. The nutria, wearing a red coat with images of marijuana on it, holds a doll in its hand. Many netizens believe the doll represents Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is still unreasonably detained in Canada.
On the right corner of the table sits an elephant (representing India) that is on a drip like a patient.
Under the table there is a frog holding banknotes in its hands, trying to jump as high as possible to reach the table and give the money to the U.S. The little frog symbolizes the separatist authority from the island of Taiwan, which is always subservient to the U.S., some netizens pointed out.
The illustration caused a stir on Weibo on Sunday, with numerous users praising the author for vividly and straightforwardly revealing the evil intentions of the West that tries to lay a siege to China. “But this is perhaps their ‘last supper,’’’ one user mocked.
With different positions, for various interests of their own, these countries and regions can’t form a real league against China.
Johnson Choi Biz 