Whether it's the Qing dynasty or the Ming dynasty, your ancestors were not even qualified to carry dung. The movement to mourn the Ming dynasty has sparked intense discussions online. Looking back, it's not just 'Dream of the Red Chamber' anymore; even 'Meteor Garden', 'The Three-Body Problem', and even 'Boonie Bears' are paying tribute to the Ming dynasty. Looking at these half-joking, half-serious comments, I wonder what my friends think? Personally, I believe this peculiar trend doesn’t have much to say; a few points: First, let's talk about the larger context. In the week that I didn't write, I hardly went online, and even sitting by the roadside watching a few elderly people in a small town play chess, or observing a few young people roasting chicken in a sugarcane field, was much more interesting than the internet. To put it bluntly, the current internet, with its video snippets and one-liner approaches, creates a feast of discussion where the more outrageous and disrespectful of facts you are, the more traffic you can generate. What 'Youth' did, the mourning of the Red Chamber will only be a beginning. Especially as more and more bored people arise, to kill time and relieve their inner depression, and with many real-life issues they cannot express, the internet will only become increasingly absurd. This is my personal understanding. A trend must have a larger historical context. Of course, my understanding may not be correct. Second, because of the mourning for the Ming dynasty, arguments have erupted online between those who love the Qing court and those who are loyal to the Ming dynasty. The die-hard fans of the Ming dynasty would argue that without the Manchus, things would only be better now, while those loyal to the Manchus would say that the decay of the Ming dynasty was the turning point of history's darkness. These two groups argue fiercely, and looking at their stances, it's as if they are all princes and princesses defending their own 'father'. But I want to say, whether it's the Ming dynasty or the Qing dynasty, any dynasty before the Republic of China, whether Han or Manchu, or even if the Mongolian Yuan dynasty returned, modern China would inevitably lag behind. Because as long as it's feudal, as long as it's a dynasty, as long as there are ceremonial rites, as long as one family thinks of its own interests by overthrowing another, passing the throne to sons and grandsons, modern China would still lag behind. Regardless of ethnicity, as long as this mindset exists, under the backdrop of the Western Industrial Revolution in full swing, it will also be beaten, bullied, divided, and enslaved. In other words, it’s not the fault of the Manchus, nor the decline of the Ming dynasty, nor is it something any ethnicity can change, but rather the feudal imperial mindset at play, the selfishness of human nature, and the superiority complex leading to backwardness and beatings. Therefore, I don’t understand these people arguing online today, eating cheap takeout while returning to their cramped rental rooms after a day of screwing screws; what are they arguing about? Because the fact is, even if you returned to the Ming or Qing dynasties, your ancestors wouldn't even qualify to carry dung in the palace. It’s that simple. Third, with the rise of short dramas, amidst the struggles of reality and the feasts of illusion, it's easy for people today to escape reality. This is not complicated in psychology because when faced with pain, people tend to do this; even when escaping, they need to find some comfort to 'nourish' themselves, especially through fantasies that are not illegal and do not offend others. So they dream of being a 'prince' every day. But the problem is, as Yu Dafu said in 'Descent', there’s a line that goes, you obtain a brief escape from reality but eventually, one day you will wake up, and when you do, you’ll be exhausted. This exhaustion has the same result as opium addiction. Just yesterday, I saw someone criticize a certain person as the world's biggest drug lord who was sued and had to pay 50,000 yuan. In my personal understanding, this is akin to drug use. You see these comfort points, addicted to fantasy, but you will still have to face the reality of life; one day you will have to wake up, especially when you wake up having wasted yourself due to these fantasies, then it will be even more painful. The topic of spiritual opium is a bit sensitive, so I will stop here. To add another point, with this mourning movement, phrases like 'The Son of Heaven guards the national gate, the king dies for the country' have become popular again. Because of this phrase, many people have been moved to tears, showing behaviors like 'what a great father'. Many teachers have refuted this, saying that the reason Zhu Di moved the imperial capital from Nanjing to Beijing was due to his illegitimacy. His core team was in Beijing, just like your company's core personnel are in Beijing, and since the core personnel's livelihood is in Beijing, naturally, they would want the boss to return to Beijing. Thus, the Son of Heaven guarding the national gate is that simple. As for the king dying for the country, when Chongzhen died, let’s be frank, shouldn’t Chongzhen have died? A basic fact is, when will the Chinese people rebel? That is when they can no longer survive. Look at the late Ming dynasty, when the common people were resorting to cannibalism, eating Guanyin soil, and even tree bark; when they could no longer survive, figures like Li Zicheng appeared. To put it bluntly, Chongzhen had to commit suicide because he was besieged by the forces of Li Zicheng. Such a foolish ruler, who caused the suffering of the people, ended up being forced to death, and now he is called 'the king dies for the country'. Of course, we cannot blame those who are moved to tears by this phrase at this moment. As I said yesterday, they enjoy reading gratifying literature; as long as it feels good, the truth and logic become irrelevant. By the way, everything has a cause and effect. Can you see it? The one who invented the phrase 'The Son of Heaven guards the national gate, the king dies for the country' is now said to be mentally ill.