Observer Network columnist Cen Shaoyu
A researcher of biology in Australia and an independent contributor
Today, a message came out on the Internet that the special stamp "Koi" issued on June 25 was postponed for some reason. Such temporary measures are indeed rare, and friends of stamp collecting have speculated that "koi first originated in China", but "all 8 fish in the stamp are Japanese species" and "especially the names of 'Taisho' and 'Showa' caused widespread dissatisfaction." ”
Although "Taisho" and "Showa" were only "era names", in those years, Japan acted arbitrarily in China, occupied Taiwan all the time, and then seized Germany's "colony" in Jiaozhou Bay, and finally launched a war of aggression against China. Chinese it is natural to be "widely dissatisfied" when they see Taisho and Showa.
However, these koi are "famous varieties selected after expert arguments", so why did they choose names with old Japanese overtones?
Experts really can't do it, because Japan did a lot of koi breeding work in those years. For example, the selected "Taisho Tricolor" and "Showa Tricolor" are famous categories.
Behind the Japanese willingness to spend efforts on breeding, it is also because there is a market, originally in the Edo period there was a custom of hanging carp flags, and naturally some people will buy new varieties that look good. Around 1880, "red and white" koi were widely raised in Niigata.
Not to mention the "halo" bonus of the Emperor's imperial family, niigata koi was exhibited in Tokyo in 1914 and presented to the crown prince (later Emperor Hirohito).
In terms of the popularity of stamps, it is natural to choose famous varieties. Since koi breeding and ornamentation have flourished in Japan, it is not surprising that experts have selected many Japanese koi. The only thing to blame is that the experts are too "honest" and not "think too much.".
However, not all of the 8 species of fish selected are Japanese. For example, Qiu Cui is an Ashkenazi koi. The golden koi is available in both Japanese and Ashkenazi. In fact, the Showa tricolor and Taisho tricolor are not entirely Japanese, and the so-called German Showa tricolor and German Taisho tricolor are all descendants of the hybridization of German armored carp and Japanese koi. Of course, the stamp should be presented in the pure Japanese system.
The most controversial is the red and white danding, which some people believe is a close-up of the "plaster flag". If the expert hears this accusation, it is estimated that he will cry and faint in the fish tank. Because among these 8 kinds of fish, red and white danding may be the most Chinese origin.
It is said that Ye Xianggao, the "elder of the Three Dynasties" of the Ming Dynasty, loved the Danding koi all his life, and the official luck was prosperous, and the families of the officials and eunuchs of later generations also liked it, who let this fish have a good color head of "hong luck as the head".
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the July 7 Incident, but it is also the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. The choice of koi, a subject that already has a strong Japanese color, may have something to do with it.
With the improvement of living standards, China's koi market is also expanding, the future may produce new famous koi varieties, there are more Chinese strains to choose from, wait until then to launch koi stamps, perhaps the most stable way to do it.