When Cui Bai painted for the Northern Song Dynasty in 1027, he didn't worry about the shortage of
Truck drivers or,
Super cargo ships getting stuck in the Suez Canal
Cui painted birds and animals that would make Lafontaine drool
Emperor Shenzong of Song loved his work
He probably could have received him with his favorite musician, Tom Waits, playing
Phantom 309, singing his ballad with a raunchy nicotine rasp
Cui would have been good at drawing 18 wheelers
Racing down a highway
Stuffed with Chickens and pigs
It's driver on a cell phone trying to remember the latest access code to
NeuroNations
An app that saves your memory from being distracted
The Song Dynasty was hard working but appless -not hapless
They grew apples and watched the birds
Mao Zedong could have learned some lessons watching those sparrows
(He tried to eradicate them in 1958 and that led to the great Chinese famine)
They were innovative: introducing the first paper money in history, inventing gun powder,
Fire arrows and astronomical clocks
They believed in culture and entertainment
And probably would have loved Netflix and Amazon Prime
Pity we didn't know Cui Bai was ahead of his time.
