The following Chinese American girl has a good summary (Quote from Yahoo comment). BTW, "scare me to death" is just Chinese way of saying "my Goodness".
Michelle Lu3 days ago
Okay. I don't think many people understand that it's not about the dragon being scary (which is a really stupid comment, by the way) that the Chinese people are complaining about. It's the concept behind it! ...and somewhat the appearance.
During Chinese New Year we are not celebrating the "rise of China's self-confidence", we are supposed to be celebrating new luck, new fortune, new health, new love, and...well...a new year. If China wants to celebrate their rise of whatever, then save it for their national holiday! This is not the time!
Also, Chinese dragons are supposed to be strong and lively looking. Unlike European dragons, they are supposed to help people, be friendly looking, and are considered heavenly creatures. What the Chinese people are complaining about is that this dragon looks kind of on the ugly side and it has what my folks called a "bitter-face". In Chinese New Year, Chinese people (especially the superstitious ones) want a happy, lively dragon and not a "bitter-face" one because it might bring bad luck and an unfortunate future. We want happy, smiles, optimism, YAY!
Anyway... Thanks for those who took the time to read my comment/ rant. I know it's very time consuming and not many people have that kind of patience (including myself), so thanks again. You make me feel... special.
Also, if you would ask any other ACTUAL or traditional thinking Chinese person out there about what they thought of the stamp, they would most likely give the same response as what I did here. My comment is not an opinion, it is an actual fact because this is how most Chinese people view things.
...And for those who are curious, I am actually pure-blood Chinese. However, I'm not from China or Taiwan and neither is anyone in my family. Chinese people identify themselves base on their ancestry background rather than the location of where they were born (I know, it's a bit confusing). I also don't speak Mandarin, I speak American English and Cantonese (but I'm not from Hong Kong or Canton). And hey... I'm not Communist.
Happy Chinese New Year everyone! ... it's on January 23rd this year!
