Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Istanbul Canal project, which has been planned for more than a decade, has finally broken ground.
The discussion of the news, however, became a carnival of seemingly completely unrelated crowds. They are the "Jingluo" on the Internet.
In fact, this kind of thing is not new. For example, in Turkey's high-profile celebration of the 568th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul, the Weibo comment area has become a carnival for all kinds of "Jingluo".
(All kinds of "Jingluo" are angry)
Without him, simply because Istanbul was once the "Constantinople".
Turkish President Erdogan, nicknamed "Ethiopian Sudan", once publicly declared that "you can't turn Istanbul into Constantinople", and hagia Sophia, which became a museum during the Kemal period, has also been re-transformed into a mosque under Erdogan, which can be described as a high-intensity "humiliation".
In the Chinese network world in recent years, "Jingluo" has long been everywhere. On different occasions, even if there is a little factor related to Rome, the "Jingluo" in the comments section will appear uninvited and appear for the first time.
(The Euro 2019 opener with Italy's 3-0 victory over Turkey can be "jingluo" below)
(The various videos under the Greek theme are definitely "jingluo" frequently)
More and more "Jingluo" swept Chinese the network world, and various "Jingluo" memes and memes appeared in an endless stream.
The Jingluo Terrier will also be updated with the style of the popular meme on the Internet, such as in the era when "reminding the little assistant to drink water" is popular, and the little assistant who reminds the reconstruction of Rome is also tirelessly reminding everyone.
However, the "Luo" of "Jing" at home and abroad does not seem to be the same "Luo".
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Rome, a familiar and unfamiliar word, is only a distant historical concept for most Chinese; but for modern Western society, Roman influences are everywhere.
The connection between the "emperor" in European languages, The English Empirer and the Latin Imperator is self-evident; the German Kaiser is also directly related to Caesar, one of the titles of the Roman Emperor. It can be said that "Jingluo" has existed in Western society for a long time.
(Etymology of "emperor" in European languages, with the exception of the blue block is the Bashkir language spoken by the Bashkir people in the Russian Federation, which belongs to the Turkic language family)
On the remains of the Western Roman Empire, which had collapsed in 476 AD, the Germans, who had destroyed the empire, became "Jingluo" in action. Charlemagne of the Frankish Kingdom was crowned "Imperator Romanorum", or "Emperor of the Romans", by Pope Leo III in 800 AD. The more direct "masterpiece" of western Europe is the Holy Roman Empire in The Land of Germany.
"Neither sacred nor Roman, nor imperial", this famous quote of the French Enlightenment thinker Voltaire is backwards for "Jingluo". Medieval Germany, the Holy Roman Empire like a loose confederation, is indeed difficult to compare with the Roman Empire in classical times. In 962, Otto I, who had just completed his unification, marched south to Italy and, at his request, was crowned Roman Emperor by the Pope. Since then, the "illegal organization" of the Holy Roman Empire has appeared on the stage of history, and it has also become the object of ridicule by many "Jingluo".
(Europa Europa 4 famous mod "Voltaire's Nightmare")
When the Eastern Roman Empire collapsed in 1453 by the Ottoman Conquest, a large number of Texts written in Greek and Latin, with the fled Byzantine scholars coming to Italy, greatly accelerated the Renaissance.
Since Ivan III, Grand Duke of Moscow, married the niece of the last Byzantine monarch, Constantine XI, Russia also claimed to have inherited Roman orthodoxy. To distinguish the Roman Empire from the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital was Constantinople, monarchical Russia often called itself the "Third Rome".
(Statue of Ivan III)
In English, there is a word that can correspond to "Jero" "Romanophile", that is, "the one who loves Rome". "Glory belongs to Greece, greatness belongs to Rome", this is the famous sentence of the American writer Edgar Poe's poem "To Helen", and it is also a high summary of the admiration of the classical era by Western intellectuals.
The earliest recorded spiritual Romans were Holahu in Shakespearean's play Hamlet. He has a line in the final act: "Although I am a Dane, I am spiritually an ancient Roman." And the United States, which was built on the New World, its founders can be said to be the most famous batch of "Jingluo" in modern times.
(U.S. Capitol)
In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson made it clear that he was deeply influenced by Cicero; that the Roman Senate (Senatus) was a direct source of the U.S. Senate; and that the term "Capitol" on Capitol Hill, which had just been "occupied" a few days earlier, was directly derived from Capitolium, one of the seven hills of Rome; Also named Cincinnati after the legendary Roman consul Cincinnatus...
The Western world prefers to compare the United States to "New Rome", and the world order dominated by the United States since World War II imitates the "Roman Peace" Pax Romana of the Roman Empire as the "Pax Americana", "Jingluo" has a totemic symbolic meaning in Western society.
As for the Legend of Rome's founding of the city next to the Seven Hills, the Western cities that claim that the city was built on the banks of the Seven Hills are so numerous that Wikipedia has a special entry for them.
(Countless "copycats" of the Roman city)
The use and admiration of Roman culture by Western academic circles is even more long-standing. Although the Latin language of the Roman Empire died out as a colloquial language, it continued to be used for about 1,000 years as the written common language of European society. From the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century, Latin was not only the ceremonial language and common language of the Catholic Church, but also the language of writing academic works, academic papers, and even literary works.
(Cover of "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy")
Newton's book, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, was written in Latin; the two-name method of modern biological naming, founded by the Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus, is inseparable from Latin. Even the 18th-century Swedish scholar aristocracy, including Linnaeus, liked to Latinize their names as a sign of nobility.
(Portrait of Linnaeus, whose Swedish name is Carl von Linné, Latin name is Carolus Linnaeus)
(King Carl XII of Sweden, who suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Poltava, was known as the "Little Napoleon of the 18th Century" in Russia, latin for Carolus Rex))
This pursuit of Rome by Western intellectuals still exists today, such as the motto on the emblem of Harvard University, which is the Latin "truth" Veritas, and the use of Latin to give speeches is their "glorious tradition" that continues to this day.
As for the Rome-related "memes" on the Western Network, they have emerged in an endless stream with the development of the Internet era, such as the Reddit forum, the more famous ones are the r/RoughRomanMe plate of the terrier and the r/Ancient Rome plate of the serious discussion. But from the quantitative point of view, the better is obviously the "Jingluo" netizens who play the terrier.
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In the Western world of "acknowledging the ancestors and returning to the ancestors", the "Jingluo" is still understandable everywhere. But how can the "Rome", which cannot be beaten by eight rods, attract a large number of netizens to devote themselves to the cause of "Jingluo" and become "spiritual Romans"?
As the only ancient civilization that has survived to this day without interruption, historical records detail the direct contact with Rome in the history of our country. Although thousands of miles apart, Rome and the Han Dynasty, which were also classical military empires, knew of each other's existence very early through trade, and Rome called China "Cyris", which means "the country of silk", while in the "Book of Later Han" and other historical books, Rome was called "Great Qin".
(The Roman geographer Ptolemy drew a map of the world in his book Geography, and the SINAE circled is the Han Empire in the Romans' cognition.)
Rome's initial connection with the Han was established through the silk trade, which is recorded in Pliny the Elder's Natural History. In 97 AD, Ban Chao also sent Gan Ying to try to contact the Roman Empire at that time, but was blocked by the Sabbath Empire on the Iranian plateau and did not make the trip. In 166 AD, Roman envoys came to Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the meeting is recorded in the Later Han Book of the Western Regions.
Although China and Rome did not have real large-scale direct contact, the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty, The Tale of the Western Regions", which describes the Roman Empire in detail through the paraphrasing of merchants, is a very rare use of praise.
For example, the introduction of the source of the title "Great Qin" also praises the Roman people:
"Its people are all grown up and upright, and they are similar to China, so it is called Great Qin."
Examples include the praise of Roman architecture and the political system of meritocracy. Considering that Rome in the Eastern Han Dynasty coincided with the reign of the "Five Wise Emperors" of the Roman Empire, and the head of the empire was basically peacefully inherited by designating stepsons, this description, although exaggerated, is not without trace:
"The city where he lives is more than a hundred miles away. There are five palaces in the city, ten miles each. The palace chambers are all pillared with water essences, and the same is true for food utensils. His king traveled to one palace, listened to things for five days and then repeatedly. It is often made that a person carries a bag with the king's car, and the person who has something to say, that is, throws a book into the bag, and the royal palace sends the province, and it is rightful. Each has its own official Cao documents. Thirty-six generals, all meeting on state affairs. Its king has no ordinary people. All are simple and sages. Disasters and storms in the country from time to time, the ruins and the establishment, the release of the deposed do not complain. ”
(Schematic map of Eurasian commerce and trade in the 1st century, based on the "Weekly Voyage of the Sea of Elyteria")
When the Ancient Chinese recounted Rome, they did not forget to praise its economic prosperity, and explained why the Sabbath Empire obstructed Gan Ying from going to Rome:
"Take gold and silver as money, and silver money as money one." With the rest of the city and Tianzhu in the sea, the profit is tenfold. Its hostages are straight, and there is no price in the market. Grain is often cheap, and the country is rich. The neighboring countries who bring the head of their realms to the king's capital, and then give money. His king often wanted to communicate with han, and the sabbath wanted to make friends with him with Han, so he could not cover himself. ”
Similar descriptions can be easily found in Roman historical records of China. At both ends of the ancient Silk Road, although the two classical empires failed to contact each other directly, in the historical data, China and Rome were "as they were" to each other, crazy "blowing each other".
From this point of view, many of the ancient Chinese can also be said to be "Jingluo".
(The affection between classical empires)
The "spiritual Romans" active on the Internet today can "revive" more from the expansion of the subcultural circle, especially the popularity of a series of historical grand strategy simulation games published by Swedish game studio Paradox Interactive (P).
(Some games of the P Society, including publishing agency works)
P Society has developed a series of historical grand strategy games such as Kingdom Storm, Continental Storm, Victoria, and Iron Ambition, in which players can play as families or countries and experience the history of different eras, including the reconstruction of the Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire.
This reconstruction is usually challenging compared to other in-game gameplay, and is far from being easy for novices. However, in the historical simulation game, rebuilding the long-lost Roman Empire or rebuilding the empire and being the lord of ZTE when the dynasties are in a precarious state, such a huge emotional bonus and the challenge of the difficulty of the game naturally attract the interest of many players. Moreover, the unique game mechanics also specify the Roman standard for many Chinese network environments.
(For example, the "Roman elements" of the Inland Sea Strait are completely a recreation of China's "Jingluo")
(Icon of Constantine XI)
The Eastern Roman Empire, which died in 1453 in the Ottoman Empire, has always had a high popularity among world history lovers, and the tragic hero image of Constantine XI with its outnumbered enemies and defending the city and martyrdom has also attracted the sympathy of many people, which coincides with the feelings of "killing to become a benevolent" in traditional Chinese culture.
In recent years, "Turkey within the state" has been used in many predecessors of the Ottoman Empire; correspondingly, Byzantine fans have increased.
Therefore, choosing byzantium in the game from the 1444 script, with the strength of Constantinople alone, through military and political diplomacy, to recover the lost land from the old enemy Ottoman Empire and rebuild Rome, has become a major stage challenge and goal for many beginner players.
("Europa 4", which contributed the most to the "spiritual Romans")
And these P Society historical simulation gamers quickly became the first batch of "Jingluo" in the Chinese network environment. Many Jingluo terriers have also circulated from the 52PC forum, which was once the largest P society game discussion forum in China.
(Some "Green Rome" memes made by domestic P Society players)
In the internet world, playing with terriers doesn't require any principles. Corresponding to "Jingluo", whether Chinese or foreign, there are groups such as "Jingluluo". The name "Green Luo" originated from the Ottoman Empire's conquest of Eastern Rome, and added a very minor title "Qayser-i Rûm" to the title of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, that is, "Roman Emperor", and the State Religion of the Ottoman Empire, Islam, advocated green, so the Ottomans were jokingly called "Green Rome". Therefore, "Jingluluo" or "Jingluo" has become a group of people on the Internet who like to regard the Ottoman Empire as the successor of the Roman Empire and ridicule "Jingluo".
(Some "Green Rome" memes made by foreign netizens)
However, compared with the original "Jingluo" terrier, the more absurd and deconstructive "Green Luo" terrier spread much faster. The Turkish songs Ceddin Deden and Istanbul, written and composed during the Ottoman Empire, were completely spoiled in the Chinese network environment. Casually open any music app, the comments section under Ceddin Deden's songs is always unsurprisingly filled with "Jingluo Fury" and "Jingluo Ecstasy", and the people who play "Green Luo" Terrier are endless.
(Screenshot from a cloud suppression)
As for platforms such as B station, the relevant handling and creation of the extremely magical "green lotus" terrier is more, and due to the large number of young users of B station, the dissemination speed of related content is further accelerated.
(Human nature is a repeating machine)
During the Bosnian War, the demonic propaganda song Serbia Strong, also known as Revere Kebab, commonly known as Karadzic drinking water, was associated with Turkish kebab by domestic netizens and Turkish kebab, and was quickly integrated into part of the "Jingluo" terrier.
(The "Jingluo" of "Anger" in the Barrage)
Since then, the "spiritual Romans" have completely gone out of the circle, and under the relevant international news and various videos in Turkey, Greece, Italy and other countries, the "spiritual Romans" have begun to come uninvited, attracting more people to join the ranks of "Jingluo".
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In this way, it seems that the "Jingluo" of the West is more of a vassal and a self-congratulatory self-congratulation of the self-proclaimed heir of Rome. But if you "refine" yours, don't harm the interests of others. However, in reality, the Western "Jingluo" is even more contained by many scum who regard Rome as the orthodox representative of the Christian West and use the "Jingluo" as a cover for extreme ideas such as "white supremacy".
For example, the mastermind of the 2019 Christchurch Mosque shooting in New Zealand, Australian Brenton Tarrant, declared in his confession book that he had "taken back Constantinople from the pagans", and his gun was full of white supremacist hate speech.
Chinese's perception of Rome was something else entirely.
As classical empires separated at opposite ends of the Silk Road, the historical endings of China and Rome were very different. The same history is long and vast, one is to endure disasters and regain new life, and the other is to die and destroy the country, and continue to exert cultural influence with a broken body.
(World of Classical Era)
Putting aside the pure play of the "Jinglu Luo" fun people, Chinese the "spiritual Romans" in the network environment, many of the reasons for becoming "Jingluo" may be more pure:
Similar to the ancient Chinese people, many history lovers in the contemporary Chinese network world, out of admiration and appreciation for the Roman civilization with the same magnificent history and brilliant culture, and the descendants of the classical civilization, the regret and introspection of the powerful civilization that has passed away in the distance have gradually become the internal reasons of "Jingluo".
And, of course, Rome is already entirely history.
What could be more romantic than remembering the demise of a distant friend you have never met?
Resources:
Wikipedia：Sino-Roman Relations
Zhihu: Why did people like the Singular (Spiritual Romans) appear?
Observer Network: The Turkish president said "put Australians in coffins and sent them back" The Australian prime minister was annoyed
Al Jazeera：The New Zealand massacre and the weaponisation of history