Deng Xiaoping Jokes
Deng Xiaoping Visits the US
Note: This joke is usually told in Chinese and requires the listener to
understand both English and Chinese.
Deng Xiaoping is visiting the US. Tired
of being shadowed by his entourage at all times, he decides to go for
a walk on his own. This
alarms his translators and bodyguards who fear that Mr.
Deng will get into trouble since he does not speak any English. However, realizing that they
cannot change his mind, they decide to at least prepare
him in case he gets stopped by the police. "If you get stopped", they coached him, "they'll
first ask for your surname and then they'll ask for your
given name.
Just tell them and everything will be fine". So Mr. Deng goes out
and enjoys himself. A policeman recognizes him. Having heard that
Mr. Deng prides himself in his knowledge of American history, he decides
to start a conversation with an appropriate subject.
| Policeman: | Who was the first president of the U.S? |
| Mr. Deng: | Wo xing Deng [我姓鄧: My surname is Deng] |
| Policeman: | Yes, Washington. And what are you doing in the U.S? |
| Mr. Deng: | Xiaoping [小平] |
| Policeman: | Ah, shopping. Very good. Have nice day!. |
Deng Xiaoping Interviewed on Taiwan
Note: This joke is normally told in Chinese for best effect.
Deng Xiaoping is giving an interview about Taiwan back in the late 90s.
The interviewer wants to test Mr. Deng's knowledge of Taiwanese politics.
| Interviewer: | Who is the current president of Taiwan? |
| Mr. Deng is stumped so he decides to stall |
|
| Mr. Deng: | Deng huir [等會兒 Wait a minute] |
| The interviewer is surprised
to hear Mr. Deng say the given name of Lee Teng-hui [李登輝] but he
decides to continue. |
|
| Interviewer: | And who should be the next President of Taiwan? |
| Mr. Deng: | Sui bian [隨便; Whoever they want] |
| The interviewer is totally impressed by Mr. Deng's apparent familiarity with Chen Sui-bian, the man who would indeed become President of Taiwan. | |
Deng Xiaoping Hung in Effigy
True story. Deng Xiaoping was a popular leader during the post-Mao era due to the success of his economic liberalization program. However, in the days preceding the Tiananmen Square massacre, it was also becoming clear to many students that Mr. Deng was favoring the use of force to stop the occupation of the square. Some students showed their disapproval of Mr. Deng by hanging a small bottle from their belts. This was a pun on Mr. Deng's given name. Xiaoping [小平], which means Little Peace, has the same pronunciation as Xiaoping [小瓶], which means Little Bottle. Hence by hanging a little bottle from their belts they were hanging him in effigy.