Insidious Naked Women Playing MAHJONG

Take a close look at the painting.

One of the surrealist paintings of Lui Liu

Interesting to see, I know because it even invited me to search more about it. As I did, I found out that before it reached my laptop, it has already come across countries, uploaded on facebook, drawn attention and created controversy o’er the internet. If you are the type of a person who is busy being a consumerist, you won’t pay any attention to such simply because you don’t know any whys.

As a rule of thumb, an artist is not obliged to explain the meaning behind his work; on the contrary, the audience assumes freedom of interpretation, thus highly subjective and opinionated. Let me throw a support to the controversial interpretation:

Right in front, the Asian lady with a tattoo on her back is China.
On the left, the lady full of concentration is Japan.
Dressed at the top looking sideways is USA. Lying rather seductively is Russia. The little girl standing by the side is Taiwan 

China “tripled” the Dong tiles (East Winds, this is a double up). This means that China has arisen with the circumstances (the winds); maybe that is the display of the “East Wind” missiles she possesses now. It looks like China is doing ok, but there is no clue about the other cards (tiles) since we don’t see them. Meanwhile she is up to no good under the table.

USA, appearing confident, is looking at Taiwan. Perhaps she is reading Taiwan’s expression since Taiwan has the freedom to look at the deck of the other girls. Maybe USA is trying to get information.

Russia may appear funny on her position but it is far from that. One leg is on USA and one hand is passing card(s) to China. There are some discreet exchanges going on, suspicious is it not?

Japan has all eyes on the cards, unaware of what others are doing. Ignorant of what is happening around. She neither pays enough attention to what is going on outside Japan nor knows what other countries consider Japan to be like.

Taiwan wears a red abdominal vest, maybe implying she is the last successor of the Chinese culture. She holds a tray of fruits in one hand and a fruit knife in the other, looking quietly at China with resentment. But she has no option. She is not in the game, all she can do is to cut and serve fruit (a little girl too young to play the game?). She seems to hate the great.

Dark clouds hang over the river outside the window implying an imminent cross-strait crisis. A storm is about to come.
And the portrait on the wall, it won’t be hanging there if he is no one. He has the mustache of Sun Yet Sun, the bald head of Chiang Kai Set, the face of Mao Tze Tong. If you don’t know them, they are the great men of China.

The painter is known for his naked works. However, in here, the way the ladies are dressed seems to imply something.
China bares her top, with panties and a skirt; USA is almost fully dressed but bares her bottom; Russia is left with only panties; Japan, naked. Do you see these as a reflection each nation’s status? The attire of USA appears to be most complete, probably because she is still the most powerful. Others are short of something here and there. Though USA is most presentable, she has nevertheless exposed her bottom (line). China and Russia look naked but keep their private parts covered.

We assume this is a stripping game where the loser removes a piece of clothing. A game it is where losing and winning matters.

In this game, if China loses, she will be like Russia today, lying down and broken like the collapse of Soviet Union. If USA loses, she will also be like Russia. If Russia loses again, then she has nothing left while Japan is already left with nothing.

Russia may appear to have drawn an extra tile (by the rule of the game, she cannot complete the game i.e. cannot win) and is hanging on for nothing BUT she is actually exchanging tiles with China. The other person hanging on is Japan since she has no more “chips”. She is out of the game if she loses.

In conclusion:

USA is pretending. She looks most glorious but faces great dangers. If she loses this game, she loses her dominating position. Shame. To win, she must use countries that can look over China. Like how she looks at Taiwan perhaps. Trying to guess what her face reads.

Russia has a leg each on a boat, most sly. Her situation is a little like China after liberation (when the communist took over China), sometimes with the USSR and sometimes with USA. Due to her lack of self sufficiency, she has to yo-yo between two parties for survival and room of development. She stays in both sides of the swing.

China has many tiles but they are not in view. Does that imply China keeps her strengths under wrap? And she is exchanging tiles with Russia under the table.

USA can only guess from the expression of Taiwan what may be happening between China and Russia.

Japan looks ignorant as she continues to focus on her cards.

China’s hand (of tiles) is most unpredictable.

Poor Japan … there are so many things happening around her. She has no chance of a win and she is out the moment she loses.

Taiwan keeps watch as a bystander. She sees all that transpired in the game and she understands. But she is not qualified to, nor capable of participating in the game. She has no right to speak. She is full of grievances and is utterly helpless. She can only be the maid, offering fruits to the winner(s). Does she want to be in the game and use the knife instead?

The winner should be a pick between China and USA, there is little doubt about this. Then again if you notice, they are playing Chinese Mahjong, not Western Poker.

Playing with the rules of a Chinese game, what are the odds for USA?