We spent Mid-Autumn at my daughters house last night. In the dining room, I noticed the label on the thermos of my elder granddaughter, named "Julu." Then I asked her if she knew Julu, and she said it was just the brand name of the thermos. I checked it online; it is a brand name indeed. But it is a great name for something else.

Then I told her that Zulu was an old kingdom near South Africa that was invaded by British invaders and annexed during the late 19th century. She is just a first grader; certainly she wont know the history. Even her father, a lawyer of British descent, doesnt know the history either.

Why has the Zulu War been mentioned so frequently among many colonial wars?Partly because the Zulus with "cold" weapons did win a victory over British invaders with "hot" ones, whereas the contemporary Qing Empire could not do the same.

During the 1960s, the story of the Zulu War was also adapted into a Hollywood film. I guess you can find it on YouTube if youre interested.