China’s new aircraft carrier, adorned for National Day.
China’s new aircraft carrier is easy an easy target for sardonic netizens. The latest incarnation of the Soviet Varyag, purchased from Ukraine, the Liaoning has not actually carried any aircraft yet. It did sport carnation pink lights on October 1, National Day. This lead to comparisons to “flower boats” (花船), decorated vessels which have lured passengers aboard with prostitutes for over a thousand years [zh]. Netizens speculated on the function of this gaudy piece of naval equipment:
And all this time, the foreign media worried about this carrier for nothing. Turns out it’s actually for ocean-top parties!
外媒白紧张了这么久，其实这艘航母是用来海上聚会用的While you’re at it, you could put up some pink lace and pretty bows during the day.
直接白天也挂粉色蕾丝和蝴蝶结在船边算了Ha! Just what kind of warship is the Liaoning? The Americans have Kittyhawks. This pink thing of ours should be called the Kittycat!
哈, 遼寧甚麼艦, 人家美國有小鷹號 Kittyhawk, 咱們這粉紅色的應叫做吉蒂貓號 KittyCat
Makes me think of a flower boat on the Qinhuai River.
我想到了秦淮河上的花船。So we really bought this to be used as a casino…
果然是买回来做Casino的No wonder there are female soldiers on board. I get it now.
怪不得船上有女兵，懂了Now this is a carrier that’s being used economically.
经济适用型航母This probably put quite a few Hope schools out of business…
挂掉了好几所希望小学- –It’s a moving TG nightclub! A mobile base of operations can prevent anyone from checking the water meter.
TG移动夜总会！移动打炮作战基地，航行时可防止各种抄水表They don’t have aircraft and they don’t have weapons. Of course all they can do is put up lights.
没有舰载机，没有武器，当然只能挂灯了。Well, what did you expect them to put up?
不然你让他放什么？PyongyangCuichenghao: A carrier for debauchery. I just can’t stand it. //@oscar0727: Let those North Koreans get a good look at what a real boat looks like!
平壤崔成浩:灯红酒绿航母，随时受不了。 //@曹振海oscar: 让朝鲜人民见识下，什么是一本正经的大船！China sure loves peace!
中国是爱好和平的！
Via Over the Wall. Translation by Little Bluegill.
Notes:
Flowing through Nanjing, at night the Qinhuai River is filled with the colored lights of boats, bridges and surrounding buildings. Back.
