China's "ant tribe" poses policy challenge for Beijing
“蚁族”向北京提出政策挑战
TANGJIALING, China (Reuters) - They sleep in boxy rooms crammed into dingy low-rises and spend hours commuting to work on crowded buses as part of a trend of poorer white-collar workers being forced to the fringes of China's wealthiest cities.
中国唐家岭——他们住在低矮昏暗小楼里的盒子间里，每天花几小时搭乘拥挤的公交车去上班。作为收入水平较低的白领的一部分，他们正逐步被推到中国最富有的城市的边缘。
Some say these struggling college graduates who swarm out of their cramped accommodations and head to work in the urban sprawl each morning are reminiscent of worker insects in a colony. Not surprisingly, they are often referred to as China's ant tribe.
这些大学毕业生每天早上从拥挤的住处蜂涌而出前往无限扩张的城区上班。有人说，他们让人联想起一个动物群落中的劳动者。不足为奇的是，他们常被称作中国的蚁族。
The growing ranks of 'worker ants' poses a policy challenge for Beijing's Communist Party leaders as high property prices and dim career prospects thwart the ambitions of many graduates for a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.
随着高房价和渺茫的职业前途给一心追求舒适的中产阶级生活方式的大学毕业生带来重重阻挠，逐渐增长的“工蚁”阶层给北京的党的领导人提出了一个政策挑战。
In Tangjialing, a dusty suburban Beijing village laced with dirt roads, college-educated software technician Kong Chao typifies the spartan existence of many such graduates.
在北京郊区的一个被脏兮兮的小路围绕的灰蒙蒙的村子——唐家岭，大学毕业的软件技术员孔超（音）是这群强悍艰苦的毕业生的典型代表。
"This is hard, but there's no other way," said Kong, 24, who is relatively fortunate as he has a toilet and cooking area in his cramped room and doesn't have to share with other tenants.
“这样的确很艰难，但是没有其它的办法。”现年24岁的孔超如是说。他算是相对幸运的，因为他的狭窄的租住房有厕所和一块儿可以烧饭的地方，而且不用和其他人合租。
Kong pays 550 yuan ($81) a month in rent, about 10 percent of his monthly wage. A similar room in a central area of Beijing would eat up most of his salary.
孔超每月要付550元房租，大约是他月收入的10%。而若在北京的中心区域租一处相似的住处，他的工资就所剩无几了。
"You see what a crowded city Beijing is," he said. "We younger people all come to seek work. But we can take it."
孔超说：“你看到北京城太拥挤了。我们年轻人都来这儿找工作，但是我们受得了。”
The rising number of graduates living on the edge of poverty in China's biggest cities could become a socio-economic challenge for the Chinese government, whose biggest fear is that economic stagnation could stoke discontent among educated urban classes, fuelling protests that challenge Communist Party rule.
在中国最大的几个城市中，生活在贫困边缘的大学毕业生数量的增长可能成为中国政府面临的几大的社会和经济挑战。而政府最大的担忧是经济的停滞可能激起受过教育的城市阶层的不满并刺激对共产党领导的抗议。
Although Chinese officials have sought to create a broad urban tier of middle class families with "well-off characteristics" nationwide, a lack of concerted policy action to tackle the proliferating "ant" problem could unleash potential political risks for Beijing in the coming years.
尽管中国官员已经设法在全国范围内创建一个宽泛的具有“富裕特征”的城市中产家庭阶层，但是，由于缺乏应对激增的蚁族问题的一致政策，这在未来的几年内的北京可能会引发潜在政治风险。
"When they're 26, 27 or 28, they'll say 'I need to buy a house', because that means eligibility for marriage," said Tom Doctoroff, a Shanghai-based consumer trends author. "If the time comes to get married and you can't buy, that causes anxiety."
“当他们26、27或者28岁的时候，他们会说‘我需要买套房子’，因为那样才有条件结婚”，上海的一位消费趋势作者汤姆-多克托洛夫说：“如果到了结婚的时候你还买不起房，会导致焦虑情绪。”
The population of 20-something graduates struggling to live on the cheap has been estimated by the state-run China Daily newspaper to reach about a million, with 10 percent in Beijing.
中国国营报纸《中国日报》的一项评估显示，生活在这种便宜出租房内的二十来岁的大学毕业生人数达到了约一百万人，其中有10%集中在北京。
PROPERTY CONUNDRUM
房产难题
Surging property prices have been at the crux of the problem.
猛增的房产价格已经成为这个难题的关键。
Over the past 12 months, cheap lending has ramped up real estate demand by families and speculators, causing prices to rise by around a third in some cities and turning the possibility of owning their own home into a distant dream for many young couples.
在过去的一年中，信贷低利率催升了家庭和投机商人的房地产需求，导致一些城市的房产价格上涨了约三分之一，并使得许多年轻人拥有自己的房子的可能性变成了遥远的梦想。
With China's property sector crucial for the broader Chinese economy, accounting for nearly a quarter of fixed asset investment, authorities have been at pains to balance the needs of economic stability with those of ordinary citizens.
房产业作为中国经济的关键部门，占了固定资产投资的近四分之一。当局已经在平衡经济稳定的需要与普通百姓的需要间下了不少功夫。
Provincial and municipal governments are being urged to provide more land for affordable housing, and recent indicators suggest China will tighten its monetary policies after opening the taps during the financial crisis, which could alleviate the country's property market bubble.
省、市政府被强烈要求提供更多的土地建设百姓负担得起的住房，近期的指标显示，在金融危机中开放的货币政策之后，中国将紧缩货币政策，旨在缓解国家的房产市场泡沫。
In January, property prices in 70 cities across China rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier. The eighth consecutive year-on-year rise added to worries of a real estate bubble.
一月份，中国有七十座城市的房产价格比去年同期增长了9.5%。连续八年的增长使房地产泡沫进一步令人担忧。
GLUT OF STUDENTS 毕业生供过于求
Since Chinese cities began booming in the 1990s and the workforce began to favor degree-holders over traditional state-run factory workers, people from poorer parts of China have migrated into cities for an education and then a job.
上世纪90年代以来，中国的城市开始迅猛发展，劳动力市场开始冷落传统的国有工厂的工人而偏向有学历的劳动力。来自中国较贫穷区域的居民已经向城市转移接受教育，以期之后找到一份工作。
China began expanding university enrolment in 1996 to meet growing personnel demands, leading to a surge of graduates over the past decade. Some 6.1 million students graduated last year, about half a million more than in 2008.
自1996年以来，为了满足日益增长的人才需求，中国就开始大规模高校扩招，导致过去的十多年当中毕业生数量猛增。去年，约有610万毕业生，比2008年增长了约50万。
"This is one of those areas where the government put in a package of policies that were well intentioned but didn't go all the way," said Bessie Lee, China chief executive officer with the media communications group GroupM. "They didn't look to see if there would be enough jobs."
对此，传媒公司M的中国区总裁李女士说：“在很多方面，政府基于好的出发点出台了一系列政策但是没有取得预期效果，这（大学扩招）就是其中之一。他们没有仔细考虑过有没有足够的职位。”
Due to the glut of job seekers and the financial crisis, companies in popular cities such as Beijing have slashed monthly wages from between 50 to 100 percent to below 2,000 yuan in some cases, workers say.
由于就业市场供过于求以及金融危机的影响，诸如北京等热门城市的公司减薪率高达50%-100%（100%的减薪率？），据一些员工透露，有些公司员工的月薪直降至2000元以下。
Some experts suggest the government should divert young professionals into second-tier cities such as Chengdu and Xiamen to take pressure off Beijing and Shanghai.
有专家指出，政府应当鼓励年轻的专业人员前往成都、厦门等二线城市以减轻北京和上海的压力。
LIVING IN FARM HOUSES 为梦想宁住农舍
For now, educated workers live in tiny rooms carved out of lean-to farm houses or in low-rise flats outside urban job centers because they cannot afford to rent a private flat.
目前，由于无法独自负担整套公寓，一些受过教育的工作人员租住在农村单坡檐屋开辟出来的小房间里或是城区就业集中区域外低矮楼房的套间里。
In the evenings in Tangjialing, whose population has swelled to 50,000 from 3,000 before the rise of "ants" about two years ago, tenants hang laundry, socialize at greasy diners and use cheap Internet cafes.
由于“蚁族”人数的激增，唐家岭地区的居民数量从两年前的三千人暴涨至五万人。每到晚上，租户们会晾衣服、在油腻的晚餐间相互交际，去便宜的网吧上网。
"They're mostly from other parts of China, so their parents aren't at their side to help," noted Mou Jianmin, who follows the trend as head of a cultural promotion firm in Beijing.
“他们大多来自中国其它地区，所以他们的父母都不在身边给他们提供帮助，”北京一家文化推广公司老板、关注这一趋势的牟建民这样说。
In Wuhan, home to a cluster of universities, recent graduates live eight to 10 in a flat in low-rise apartment buildings without heat or hot water, said Swedish-born Maria Troein, who studies and teaches in the central China city.
在高校林立的武汉，据一位在武汉学习同时教书的瑞典人Maria Troein说，刚刚毕业的大学生八、九个人挤在低矮楼房的公寓里，没有暖气也没有热水。
"I wouldn't call it desperation, but there's definitely some anxiety," she said.
"There's a dream. (But) the ant people really can't afford to have it," Troelin added, referring to the goal of middle-class prosperity many "ants" pursue amid the squalor.
“我不会称之为绝望，但是绝对有焦虑。”Troelin说。在提到这些“蚁族”在这样的清贫中追求中产阶级的富足的梦想时，她补充道，“他们都有梦，但是现在的蚁族真的无力负担他们的梦想了。”
With millions of migrant workers having been laid off from coastal manufacturing hubs during the financial crisis, Chinese authorities have been trying to create more jobs in China's less developed interior to absorb this surplus labor, with increasing numbers of workers choosing to stay at home.
金融危机的大环境下，沿海城市生产制造中心成百上千万农民工失业，中国政府已经努力在略欠发达的内地城市创造更多的就业机会以吸收这部分过剩劳力，但越来越多的工人选择留在家中。
One pressure valve, however, may be to encourage graduates to move to cities in China's hinterland where they would have a better chance of buying their own home and could contribute to the government's efforts to stimulate these local economies.
For now, though, in Tangjialing, many residents such as high-tech company salesman Li Xingshen, want to stay and claw their way up. Li recently traded a 200-yuan room for a more comfortable 500-yuan one with a private toilet.
But this modest step up is all he can afford for now.
"If I lived in an actual flat, that would cost 1,000 yuan, then I'm out of money," Li said.
然而，一个压力阀可能就是鼓励大学毕业生向内地城市转移，在那里他们购买自己的房子的机会会大很多，同时也有助于政府促进当地经济的发展。但目前在唐家岭，还有很多像高科技公司销售员李兴申（音）这样的住户愿意留在那里希望有出人头地的一天。李兴申最近从租金200元每月的屋子换到了一个月租500元有卫生间的房间。但是，这个住宿条件的小小改善是他目前能负担的极限了。他说：“如果我住在一个真正的公寓里，每个月要花1000块，那样我就没钱了。”
link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61H01220100218
==================================
I believe it's not a unique phenomenon in China. For the group of people who don't earn a lot of money, if they want to stay in popular cities like Beijing or Shanghai, the prices are that they have to live in cheap places far from the center and spend much time commuting from their residence to work. It's happening in every major city around the world. Some of them are actually able to afford a better place, like Kong Chao in the news, but probably they want to save up for more; If they were willing to move to their hometown instead of struggling in Beijing, life would be much less pressure and much easier, I believe. But they made such a choice for themselves; so if they think it's worth all the trouble, it's good then.
I have two friends, who have bought a small apartments outside the 5th ring road in Beijing and the commutation (home to work+work to home) takes around 4 hours every day. They bought the apartment because they were tired of paying the high rent every month (this is their claim. but I guess it's probably because they want to settle down, relationship-wise. It is deep-rooted in Chinese people's mind that we need a house of our own when you are starting a family; and for male citizens, they have to take on more responsibilities. It's been taken for granted that it's the male role to buy the house, which seems quite unfair to them. But there was some strange survey showing that it's more difficult for female graduates to find jobs than males. Can this make up for the unfairness males suffer from the home buying issue? :-p
After the TV show 《蜗居》, the ant tribe has gained a lot of media attentions. I know what happened in the TV show, but didn't see it; I still don't want to see it now. In China, there are not many TV shows that can invite so much discussions and debates in society. But failed marriage, kind wife, mistress and her living-under-much-pressure sister, corrupted official, power-money deal, subtle love etc, I'm sure there are true incidents in real life, and that's not a small number; but in my opinion, this show magnifies one of the social problems to its fullest degree, no wonder the mighty SARFT banned it from TV stations. Well, SARFT made ridiculous decisions all the time, but I kinda liked this one. The show totally has a very bad influence on a number of people, like girls who are willing to trade their youth and good looks or whatever for money. Some of them take pride in it. In this society, we already have way too many awful values and moralities.
What I usually do is pretend to not see the problems and live with a big heart(seriously, there is basically nothing I could do about them), because otherwise, living becomes too depressing.
2010年2月20日星期六
2010年2月18日星期四
Army men's Marriage-解放军的婚事 Part 2
Be in a relationship observing the disciplines and laws
"In-service members of the Army are not allowed to cohabit with their partners before marriage; not allowed to have sexual relations outside marriage; are not allowed to marry foreigners."
Once they've started a relationship, army men will have to be in a relationship observing the disciplines and laws.
Startin from his first day in the military, Li Xuxuan knew from elder soldiers or Politics-Ideology class by supervisors that in the army, there are regulations on love as well. Later on, regulations like 'army men are not allowed to participate in socializing activities organized by local mass media' are clearly written down on his notebook.
Restrictions on army men's marriage and love life brought by the strict rules in the military are manifested in a number of ways. The General Political Department issued "Regulations on the Army's implements of the Marriage Law and other issues"in November 2001, which provides clear and detailed rules on army men's age of late marriage, criteria of their spouses and other issues.
For example, in dealing with marital relations, in-service army men should be observing the Marriage Law and act as role models; they are not allowed to cohabit with their partners before marriage; not allowed to have sexual relations outside marriage; after starting a relationship with non-ranking officers, military officers should inform the Party organization in their unit; their partners are supposed to go through political examinations by political organs on regimental level or above;partners of naval vessel servicemen, air duty servicemen and staff in confidentiality departments should not have sophisticated social relations; in-serviece soldiers are not allowed to marry foreigners;if soldiers of Han group wish to marry ethnic partners with the custom to marry the same ethnic group, generally they are advised to give up the marriage; compulsory servicemen are not allowed to get married within their service period, and in principle, sergeants are not allowed to marry partners with those who are in the stationed place or in the same unit.
In grass-roots units, political organs would organize lessons on views and values on marriage and relationship, in order to help the army men to 'build up correct values on marriage and relationship'.
In recently years, love skills have become the content of the lessons, for example, "in daily life, soldiers should be considerate to their partners, make regular phone call ect., and make them feel the sweetness of love, and gain their understanding and support to our enterprise." There are other strategies like "open the bottle cap for your girlfriend, save seats for your girlfriend on public transportation vehicles, be a gentleman when you first meet someone etc." Meanwhile, the military also encourages the soldiers to achieve expertise on their position, learn computer operation, driving, cooking and other skills to strengthen their competitiveness.
Spouses of Li Yuxuan's fellow army man is busy holding a small gathering for him and has invited some single ladies. This fellow army man has passed his wisdom on 'love rules' to him: demonstrate your soldierly style in relationship; don't make girls disappointed on army men; win public praise for 'successors'; be honest; be responsible and so on.
"In-service members of the Army are not allowed to cohabit with their partners before marriage; not allowed to have sexual relations outside marriage; are not allowed to marry foreigners."
Once they've started a relationship, army men will have to be in a relationship observing the disciplines and laws.
Startin from his first day in the military, Li Xuxuan knew from elder soldiers or Politics-Ideology class by supervisors that in the army, there are regulations on love as well. Later on, regulations like 'army men are not allowed to participate in socializing activities organized by local mass media' are clearly written down on his notebook.
Restrictions on army men's marriage and love life brought by the strict rules in the military are manifested in a number of ways. The General Political Department issued "Regulations on the Army's implements of the Marriage Law and other issues"in November 2001, which provides clear and detailed rules on army men's age of late marriage, criteria of their spouses and other issues.
For example, in dealing with marital relations, in-service army men should be observing the Marriage Law and act as role models; they are not allowed to cohabit with their partners before marriage; not allowed to have sexual relations outside marriage; after starting a relationship with non-ranking officers, military officers should inform the Party organization in their unit; their partners are supposed to go through political examinations by political organs on regimental level or above;partners of naval vessel servicemen, air duty servicemen and staff in confidentiality departments should not have sophisticated social relations; in-serviece soldiers are not allowed to marry foreigners;if soldiers of Han group wish to marry ethnic partners with the custom to marry the same ethnic group, generally they are advised to give up the marriage; compulsory servicemen are not allowed to get married within their service period, and in principle, sergeants are not allowed to marry partners with those who are in the stationed place or in the same unit.
In grass-roots units, political organs would organize lessons on views and values on marriage and relationship, in order to help the army men to 'build up correct values on marriage and relationship'.
In recently years, love skills have become the content of the lessons, for example, "in daily life, soldiers should be considerate to their partners, make regular phone call ect., and make them feel the sweetness of love, and gain their understanding and support to our enterprise." There are other strategies like "open the bottle cap for your girlfriend, save seats for your girlfriend on public transportation vehicles, be a gentleman when you first meet someone etc." Meanwhile, the military also encourages the soldiers to achieve expertise on their position, learn computer operation, driving, cooking and other skills to strengthen their competitiveness.
Spouses of Li Yuxuan's fellow army man is busy holding a small gathering for him and has invited some single ladies. This fellow army man has passed his wisdom on 'love rules' to him: demonstrate your soldierly style in relationship; don't make girls disappointed on army men; win public praise for 'successors'; be honest; be responsible and so on.
2010年2月16日星期二
WHO DRIVES THE CHILDREN CRAZY? 1
"My father said: “If you cannot get into a key university, you should go to hell. You’d better do that earlier. I wouldn’t even shed a damn tear over your death…” I have thought about killing myself, but I don’t want to reconcile myself to Chinese education. I do hate my father, but it’s not true hatred. I don’t hate my father as much as I hate Chinese education. It is Chinese education that makes the folks judge us only by grades."
Link: http://www.infzm.com/content/23337
It’s an extract from an article written by a high school student who has been pressured, in an appalling way, by his/her father to for good school performance and good grades. Well, I don’t think I am quite capable of dealing with this one in English. I’m going to write in Chinese this time.
這可能只是一個極端的案例，但的確能從某些方面反映一些社會現實和家庭的現實。中國的教育和考試制度的確是有很多缺陷和問題，但是不可否認這樣的制度有它合理之處，起碼在中國當前的國情下，考試是一條最為公平的途徑。
孩子被以成績的好壞來衡量，找對象時常以工作好不好、是不是多金來衡量，這就是目前的大環境。你看看那些家長，說到誰家孩子成績好就大呼：你看你多省心，女兒/兒子成績這麼好，將來肯定有出息云云。其實呢，我覺得自己就不是個好範例。我從小到大讀書都很讓爸媽省心，升學很順利，成績在我們這個教育水平一般的地方還算不錯，上了大學和讀了研以後也沒覺得自己比同學們差，但是我覺得自己在中學時代缺少了很重要的東西，那就是自己思考的能力。也許是性格使然，可能就是被這樣的教育給磨出來的，中學時的自己什麽都不懂，也沒機會對其它事物培養出什麽興趣來。但是幸運的是，我的中學時代過得還算簡單快樂（可能簡單就比較容易快樂，傻樂唄），學習效率比較高，也沒覺得多辛苦，上課做作業還算是樂在其中，比起文章作者，我的日子簡直就是神仙般。
其實，說自己，我只是想說，成績好壞是絕不能成為衡量一個人的唯一標準。因為我們會發現，那些‘有出息’的人不見得就是讀書的時候成績最好的學生。每個人的天賦有所不同，有些人就是能端坐在書桌前，有些人就是能說會道，有些人有商業頭腦，有些人愛動歪腦筋，有些人關心時政，有些人愛談八卦，有些人物理數學好到爆但語文英語不及格，有些人語言功底強悍就是不懂數學物理，有些人動手能力強愛拆電視機，有些人考試滿分但是不知道壺里水燒開了怎麼辦……所以說，人各有所長，重要的是發現自己的長短之處。但是，我們缺乏的是自我剖析的勇氣和能力，‘我們’包括家長和孩子自己。
對於家長而言，各個望子成龍。對於很多沒生在好時代沒機會上大學的家長來說，希望他們的孩子能夠圓了他們當初的夢，這也可以理解。但是，很多家長沒有注重和關心孩子在某些方面有長處，那些方面沒有優勢，做不到‘因地制宜’‘因材施教’，很多時候喜歡隨大流；而另一方面對於老師來說，恐怕很少有老師敢對家長說，你家孩子不適合這個或者那個，因為你要真敢這樣，家長真是跟你急呀！不是每個孩子都是推一推就能進步的。而對於孩子來說，他們爲什麽沒有認識自己的能力？因為他們成長過程中的一切基本都被父母代勞了。
對自己的長短之處沒有客觀的認識，對‘大學’的盲目追求，使得我們的社會出現了一些很不合理的狀況和結構。前兩天千山轉發來一篇文章，寫了不上大學的幾個理由：1）你會失去四年的工作時間；2）不上大學，你未必比上大學之後賺得少；3）如果你把昂貴的學費拿去投資，你可能會賺得更多；4）其他很多人沒上大學也過得很精彩，比如比爾-蓋茨；5）你要學東西不一定非得待在教室裡。其實關於這五點，我並不太同意，準確地說，我不知道在美國是不是這樣，但是顯然是不符合中國國情的。總體來說，大學是可以教會大家很多東西的，知識、如何做人做事等等，學到的更多的是一種能力，更清楚得認識自己。中國的孩子成熟得比較晚，大學的洗禮是很關鍵的。但是，並不是所有人在大學都有同樣的收穫。現在國內在繼續擴招擴招，擴招的結果就是很多畢業生根本找不到工作；而很多需要人的地方卻沒有對應的人力資源。比如，很多家長因為孩子文化課成績不好就讓他們去學廣播電視播音、繪畫、音樂等等，這樣文化課的門檻就降低了。但是，真的在這些方面有天分的人又有幾個，一堆堆的藝術生出來以後做什麽？而像技術工這樣的職位卻十分缺人，願意問津類似專業的職業學校的人卻寥寥無幾。
但是這也不是誰的錯，歸根結底，我們的經濟水平還比較落後，發達的領域是有，但是總體來說經濟還是落後。任何指標一算到人均我們就歇菜了。因為印象中跟農業沾邊兒跟工業沾邊兒的工作都太辛苦，因此家長希望孩子們上大學，去做智力勞動。但是，這種教育方面的激進選擇并不適應目前的經濟發展水平，大學並不一定是一條黃金通道。
I've gone too far here, but there are a lot of stuff to talk about. I'll try to finish later.
Link: http://www.infzm.com/content/23337
It’s an extract from an article written by a high school student who has been pressured, in an appalling way, by his/her father to for good school performance and good grades. Well, I don’t think I am quite capable of dealing with this one in English. I’m going to write in Chinese this time.
這可能只是一個極端的案例，但的確能從某些方面反映一些社會現實和家庭的現實。中國的教育和考試制度的確是有很多缺陷和問題，但是不可否認這樣的制度有它合理之處，起碼在中國當前的國情下，考試是一條最為公平的途徑。
孩子被以成績的好壞來衡量，找對象時常以工作好不好、是不是多金來衡量，這就是目前的大環境。你看看那些家長，說到誰家孩子成績好就大呼：你看你多省心，女兒/兒子成績這麼好，將來肯定有出息云云。其實呢，我覺得自己就不是個好範例。我從小到大讀書都很讓爸媽省心，升學很順利，成績在我們這個教育水平一般的地方還算不錯，上了大學和讀了研以後也沒覺得自己比同學們差，但是我覺得自己在中學時代缺少了很重要的東西，那就是自己思考的能力。也許是性格使然，可能就是被這樣的教育給磨出來的，中學時的自己什麽都不懂，也沒機會對其它事物培養出什麽興趣來。但是幸運的是，我的中學時代過得還算簡單快樂（可能簡單就比較容易快樂，傻樂唄），學習效率比較高，也沒覺得多辛苦，上課做作業還算是樂在其中，比起文章作者，我的日子簡直就是神仙般。
其實，說自己，我只是想說，成績好壞是絕不能成為衡量一個人的唯一標準。因為我們會發現，那些‘有出息’的人不見得就是讀書的時候成績最好的學生。每個人的天賦有所不同，有些人就是能端坐在書桌前，有些人就是能說會道，有些人有商業頭腦，有些人愛動歪腦筋，有些人關心時政，有些人愛談八卦，有些人物理數學好到爆但語文英語不及格，有些人語言功底強悍就是不懂數學物理，有些人動手能力強愛拆電視機，有些人考試滿分但是不知道壺里水燒開了怎麼辦……所以說，人各有所長，重要的是發現自己的長短之處。但是，我們缺乏的是自我剖析的勇氣和能力，‘我們’包括家長和孩子自己。
對於家長而言，各個望子成龍。對於很多沒生在好時代沒機會上大學的家長來說，希望他們的孩子能夠圓了他們當初的夢，這也可以理解。但是，很多家長沒有注重和關心孩子在某些方面有長處，那些方面沒有優勢，做不到‘因地制宜’‘因材施教’，很多時候喜歡隨大流；而另一方面對於老師來說，恐怕很少有老師敢對家長說，你家孩子不適合這個或者那個，因為你要真敢這樣，家長真是跟你急呀！不是每個孩子都是推一推就能進步的。而對於孩子來說，他們爲什麽沒有認識自己的能力？因為他們成長過程中的一切基本都被父母代勞了。
對自己的長短之處沒有客觀的認識，對‘大學’的盲目追求，使得我們的社會出現了一些很不合理的狀況和結構。前兩天千山轉發來一篇文章，寫了不上大學的幾個理由：1）你會失去四年的工作時間；2）不上大學，你未必比上大學之後賺得少；3）如果你把昂貴的學費拿去投資，你可能會賺得更多；4）其他很多人沒上大學也過得很精彩，比如比爾-蓋茨；5）你要學東西不一定非得待在教室裡。其實關於這五點，我並不太同意，準確地說，我不知道在美國是不是這樣，但是顯然是不符合中國國情的。總體來說，大學是可以教會大家很多東西的，知識、如何做人做事等等，學到的更多的是一種能力，更清楚得認識自己。中國的孩子成熟得比較晚，大學的洗禮是很關鍵的。但是，並不是所有人在大學都有同樣的收穫。現在國內在繼續擴招擴招，擴招的結果就是很多畢業生根本找不到工作；而很多需要人的地方卻沒有對應的人力資源。比如，很多家長因為孩子文化課成績不好就讓他們去學廣播電視播音、繪畫、音樂等等，這樣文化課的門檻就降低了。但是，真的在這些方面有天分的人又有幾個，一堆堆的藝術生出來以後做什麽？而像技術工這樣的職位卻十分缺人，願意問津類似專業的職業學校的人卻寥寥無幾。
但是這也不是誰的錯，歸根結底，我們的經濟水平還比較落後，發達的領域是有，但是總體來說經濟還是落後。任何指標一算到人均我們就歇菜了。因為印象中跟農業沾邊兒跟工業沾邊兒的工作都太辛苦，因此家長希望孩子們上大學，去做智力勞動。但是，這種教育方面的激進選擇并不適應目前的經濟發展水平，大學並不一定是一條黃金通道。
I've gone too far here, but there are a lot of stuff to talk about. I'll try to finish later.
Army men's Marriage-解放军的婚事 Part 1
Army Men’s Marriage
By Luo Erwen
“Editor: ‘On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of their dearest ones far away’. But nowadays in China, the ‘dearest ones’ sometimes refers to the ones you meet in blind dates. The first day of the lunar year 2010 happens to be St. Valentine’s Day. Before the new year arrives, South Weekend takes another glance at the Chinese Liberation Army. However, this time the focus is armymen’s marriage instead of posture or reformation. During this time of family reunion, let’s take a look at the ‘marriage codes’ behind their indomitable looks.”
Marriage could be very ‘Liberation Army-y’
“There is a well-accepted idea in the Army that female teachers and military officers make a perfect match, possibly because in military families, spouses are usually separated at the early stage and teachers can take advantage of their winter and summer vacations to visit the husband.”
As the Tiger year is approaching, one night, a Captain in the Liberation Army Li Yuxuan got back to the dorm at 10:00 p.m. after working overtime. He received a phone call from his parents right after he’d washed up. After a few words, there came the ‘usual question’. His father said: ‘We’ve been waited too long for you to get married.’
30-year-old Li Yuxuan has had a relationship when he was in a military university. However, after he was assigned to the grass-root unit, he was promoted to platoon commander, then company commander; then he was relocated to military institution as a colonel of military affairs and has been always busy since then. Several blind dates ended up in vain. As the only child in the family, his parents are worried about his marriage.
Above-the-average-age-of-marriage Li Yuxuan’s being single is not a special case in the Army. Besides frequent relocation from work, and similar reasons as civil citizens staying unhitched, the specific and distinctive nature of the Army also adds up to the difficulty for them to find a life partner.
First of all, armymen have limited time and circle to look for romance. The army camp is majorly composed of males, and often function in the form of group activities, as a result, they have few opportunities to have contact with women. Except for the fact that military officers and a very few number of sergeants are allowed to look for partners where the troops are based, the majority of the army can only maintain a relationship in the place of their origin. Strict regulations in the army (for example, they should always be ready to get back whenever visiting family or on vacation) is compressing their time for relationships to the fullest extent. According to a report from ‘Liberation Army Daily’ last year, no insurances of vacation has cause their difficulty in looking for a partner in marriage.
Moreover, two sides in the marriage or relationship stay separated for long times. They depend on letters and phone calls to maintain communication; after getting married, they are mostly faced with having to stay separated right away. The separation usually lasts for three to five years, during which they can only have one or two short reunions every year. Not after the military officers are promoted to secondary battalion grade, their spouses cannot accompany them in the Army. Even after the spouses can accompany then in the Army, they are still faced with possible separation due to relocation or task execution.
The most direct consequence is that the officer’s wife has to shoulder more family responsibilities, which is illustrated from the term we call them—family dependents (Jia Shu). As a result, those wives who deal with all the problems on their own like Han Suyun have become the typical examples of supporting military undertaking and have gained great publicity.
These facts may have made it prohibitive for some females to start a relationship with army men. However, favorable public image, steady income and relatively high political and social status have got them bonus marks. Surveys show that those military officers who stay stably in a certain unit without relocation tend to get married two to four years after graduation.
Besides free love, blind dates have become the major path for army men’s marriage. Comrades-in-arms, superior officers and their family members are likely to become their match-makers. With the concern of the match-makers, the Spring Festival holiday has become a great opportunity for single ‘elder’ army men to rush to the ‘battle of love’.
Another path is Military-Civilian gathering. It is usually organized jointly by military sections together with mass organizations like local Women’s Association and or so. It’s has made a number of matches.
However, for those who are stationed on plateau, on the mountains or sea islands and other places with extreme conditions, their love patterns are hard to generalize. What we can be sure is that their love story is destined to suffer from more sorrows and bitterness, which is reflected in the skit “Military Spouses to the Island” on the Spring Festival Gala.
Generally speaking, the spouses of military officers are well-cultivated, especially in big and medium cities, spouses of male officers are majorly made up with white collars, besides female military officers. There is a well-accepted idea in the Army that female teachers and military officers make a perfect match, possibly because in military families, spouses are usually separated at the early stage and teachers can take advantage of their winter and summer vacations to visit the husband.
Female officers are a rare species in the army, so they are not worried about getting married. Their socializing circle tends to be limited in the army as well; but there are also some female officers who have made it clear that they don’t want to find a partner in the military.
=========
http://www.infzm.com/content/41452
The rest three parts are worse and too long, so I didn't finish the whole article.
For myself, men in uniforms is always a temptation, haa~
By Luo Erwen
“Editor: ‘On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of their dearest ones far away’. But nowadays in China, the ‘dearest ones’ sometimes refers to the ones you meet in blind dates. The first day of the lunar year 2010 happens to be St. Valentine’s Day. Before the new year arrives, South Weekend takes another glance at the Chinese Liberation Army. However, this time the focus is armymen’s marriage instead of posture or reformation. During this time of family reunion, let’s take a look at the ‘marriage codes’ behind their indomitable looks.”
Marriage could be very ‘Liberation Army-y’
“There is a well-accepted idea in the Army that female teachers and military officers make a perfect match, possibly because in military families, spouses are usually separated at the early stage and teachers can take advantage of their winter and summer vacations to visit the husband.”
As the Tiger year is approaching, one night, a Captain in the Liberation Army Li Yuxuan got back to the dorm at 10:00 p.m. after working overtime. He received a phone call from his parents right after he’d washed up. After a few words, there came the ‘usual question’. His father said: ‘We’ve been waited too long for you to get married.’
30-year-old Li Yuxuan has had a relationship when he was in a military university. However, after he was assigned to the grass-root unit, he was promoted to platoon commander, then company commander; then he was relocated to military institution as a colonel of military affairs and has been always busy since then. Several blind dates ended up in vain. As the only child in the family, his parents are worried about his marriage.
Above-the-average-age-of-marriage Li Yuxuan’s being single is not a special case in the Army. Besides frequent relocation from work, and similar reasons as civil citizens staying unhitched, the specific and distinctive nature of the Army also adds up to the difficulty for them to find a life partner.
First of all, armymen have limited time and circle to look for romance. The army camp is majorly composed of males, and often function in the form of group activities, as a result, they have few opportunities to have contact with women. Except for the fact that military officers and a very few number of sergeants are allowed to look for partners where the troops are based, the majority of the army can only maintain a relationship in the place of their origin. Strict regulations in the army (for example, they should always be ready to get back whenever visiting family or on vacation) is compressing their time for relationships to the fullest extent. According to a report from ‘Liberation Army Daily’ last year, no insurances of vacation has cause their difficulty in looking for a partner in marriage.
Moreover, two sides in the marriage or relationship stay separated for long times. They depend on letters and phone calls to maintain communication; after getting married, they are mostly faced with having to stay separated right away. The separation usually lasts for three to five years, during which they can only have one or two short reunions every year. Not after the military officers are promoted to secondary battalion grade, their spouses cannot accompany them in the Army. Even after the spouses can accompany then in the Army, they are still faced with possible separation due to relocation or task execution.
The most direct consequence is that the officer’s wife has to shoulder more family responsibilities, which is illustrated from the term we call them—family dependents (Jia Shu). As a result, those wives who deal with all the problems on their own like Han Suyun have become the typical examples of supporting military undertaking and have gained great publicity.
These facts may have made it prohibitive for some females to start a relationship with army men. However, favorable public image, steady income and relatively high political and social status have got them bonus marks. Surveys show that those military officers who stay stably in a certain unit without relocation tend to get married two to four years after graduation.
Besides free love, blind dates have become the major path for army men’s marriage. Comrades-in-arms, superior officers and their family members are likely to become their match-makers. With the concern of the match-makers, the Spring Festival holiday has become a great opportunity for single ‘elder’ army men to rush to the ‘battle of love’.
Another path is Military-Civilian gathering. It is usually organized jointly by military sections together with mass organizations like local Women’s Association and or so. It’s has made a number of matches.
However, for those who are stationed on plateau, on the mountains or sea islands and other places with extreme conditions, their love patterns are hard to generalize. What we can be sure is that their love story is destined to suffer from more sorrows and bitterness, which is reflected in the skit “Military Spouses to the Island” on the Spring Festival Gala.
Generally speaking, the spouses of military officers are well-cultivated, especially in big and medium cities, spouses of male officers are majorly made up with white collars, besides female military officers. There is a well-accepted idea in the Army that female teachers and military officers make a perfect match, possibly because in military families, spouses are usually separated at the early stage and teachers can take advantage of their winter and summer vacations to visit the husband.
Female officers are a rare species in the army, so they are not worried about getting married. Their socializing circle tends to be limited in the army as well; but there are also some female officers who have made it clear that they don’t want to find a partner in the military.
=========
http://www.infzm.com/content/41452
The rest three parts are worse and too long, so I didn't finish the whole article.
For myself, men in uniforms is always a temptation, haa~
2010年2月14日星期日
LEGEND-《傳奇》
Faye Wong, probably my favorite singer, sang this song on 2010 Spring Festival Gala. The lyrics is HORRIBLY straightforward. But what I like is her singing voice and her 特立独行 (i don't know a good way to say this in English).It seems that you can almost never come across a pop song without talking about love affairs; in other genre, you always hear odes to the good times, the good govt and party, yakexi, and blah blah blah. Well, does anybody know what they want to hear?
傳奇 LEGEND
只因為在人群中多看了你一眼 Only ‘cause I took another glance at you in the crowd
再也沒能忘掉你容顏 I can never forget your face
夢想著偶然能有一天再相見 I dream to bump into you again some day
從此我開始孤單思念 Hereon I start thinking of you in solitary
想你時你在天邊 When I’m thinking of you, you seem so far away
想你時你在眼前 When I’m thinking of you, you are right in front of me
想你時你在腦海 When I’m thinking of you, you are just on my mind
想念時你在心田 When I’m thinking of you, you are right in my heart
寧願相信我們前世有約 I’d rather believe we’ve taken an oath during our past life
今生的愛情故事不會再改變 so our destined love story in this life won’t change any more
寧願用這一生等你發現 I’d rather await you for a lifetime to find out
我一直在你身旁 that I’ve been always by your side
從未走遠 never too far away
傳奇 LEGEND
只因為在人群中多看了你一眼 Only ‘cause I took another glance at you in the crowd
再也沒能忘掉你容顏 I can never forget your face
夢想著偶然能有一天再相見 I dream to bump into you again some day
從此我開始孤單思念 Hereon I start thinking of you in solitary
想你時你在天邊 When I’m thinking of you, you seem so far away
想你時你在眼前 When I’m thinking of you, you are right in front of me
想你時你在腦海 When I’m thinking of you, you are just on my mind
想念時你在心田 When I’m thinking of you, you are right in my heart
寧願相信我們前世有約 I’d rather believe we’ve taken an oath during our past life
今生的愛情故事不會再改變 so our destined love story in this life won’t change any more
寧願用這一生等你發現 I’d rather await you for a lifetime to find out
我一直在你身旁 that I’ve been always by your side
從未走遠 never too far away
It's salty
Broken piece in my dream:
She had just made a decision, and her heart was crushed; or maybe 'cause she was heart-crushed, so she made that decision? (I don't know what the decision was)
She talked to him with shivering voice:
"You knew anything you said would mean a lot to me; and what you said then really hurt. At that moment, I suddenly realized that there is nothing better than having someone by your side. "
The decision was hard to make; the dream is hard to give up. But she had to.
Tears ran on her face.
'She' didn't have a face in the dream; I don't think it was me; I don't know exactly what happened and why she was so sad, but the heart-crushing feeling was so real and I woke up crying, and the tears were salty. It happened once when I was a little child. In that dream, my Mum didn't treat me well but showed much affection to another kid that I didn't know. And I thought she didn't love me any more.
She had just made a decision, and her heart was crushed; or maybe 'cause she was heart-crushed, so she made that decision? (I don't know what the decision was)
She talked to him with shivering voice:
"You knew anything you said would mean a lot to me; and what you said then really hurt. At that moment, I suddenly realized that there is nothing better than having someone by your side. "
The decision was hard to make; the dream is hard to give up. But she had to.
Tears ran on her face.
'She' didn't have a face in the dream; I don't think it was me; I don't know exactly what happened and why she was so sad, but the heart-crushing feeling was so real and I woke up crying, and the tears were salty. It happened once when I was a little child. In that dream, my Mum didn't treat me well but showed much affection to another kid that I didn't know. And I thought she didn't love me any more.
2010年2月13日星期六
New year's day and valentine
The first day of the 'Tiger Year' coincides with western Valentine's Day. It happens every 39 year? 'Given that Saint Valentine was a third century Roman Priest who was stoned and beheanded, wouldn't a more appropriate celebration of the evening be taking one's steady gal to witness a brutal murder?'--Sheldon Cooper
It's nice to have the big family around; and it was a quick dinner.
I believe Grandpa would have liked and enjoyed it if he were still alive. I wish I had met him. I believe he would have been a very kind and loving grandpa.
Happy new year.
PS: I've got quite a number of text messages to reply, probably should wait till morning and go to sleep now; sweet dreams, if it's by any means possible.
It's nice to have the big family around; and it was a quick dinner.
I believe Grandpa would have liked and enjoyed it if he were still alive. I wish I had met him. I believe he would have been a very kind and loving grandpa.
Happy new year.
PS: I've got quite a number of text messages to reply, probably should wait till morning and go to sleep now; sweet dreams, if it's by any means possible.
2010年2月12日星期五
happy new year
The hugest traditional festival in China, everybody starts saying 'happy new year'. We just said it 1.5 months ago. How different is it from the 'old' year? Dreams never come true. I don't know what's with all the negativity.
2010年2月10日星期三
GLOW 《光》
Rene Liu has always seemed to be 'the girl next door'. She is not the prettiest one, and doesn't have the most beautiful voice, but she is always amiable and gracious. Even though the themes of some of her songs are very sad and kind of melancholy and touches the softest spot in your heart, what you (probably just me) feel is actually just 'C'est la vie'.
It was snowing last night, finally after several days of cloudiness and rains, one thing I hate in here. The snow couldn't compare with the heavy snow in Beijing, but this morning it is so BRIGHT outside! yay~
光 GLOW
演唱：劉若英 Rene
想問你是不是還記得我名字 I want to ask if you still remember my name
當人海漲潮又退潮幾次 after the oceans of people have risen and fallen time after time
那些年那些事那一段 All those years, those things, and the time
瘋狂熱烈浪漫日子 of insanely passionate and romantic days
啊恍如隔世 seem to be in snother life
你來過一下子我想念一輩子 You came here once, yet I am gonna be missing you for a lifetime
這樣不理智是怎麼回事 What is with the irrationality?
才快樂一陣子爲什麽 We’ve had some happy time together, yet why
我卻堅持那一定是 am I so convinced that it must be
我最難忘的事 the most unforgettable moment
越過高山和海洋 Having gone over mountains and oceans
喜悅和悲傷 joys and sorrows
不是不孤單 It’s not that I’m no longer lonely
幸好曾有你溫暖的心房 But fortunately, my heart that was once affected by your warmth
還亮著你留下的光 still shines with your glow
你閃耀一下子我暈眩一輩子 You glittered once, yet I’m made giddy for a lifetime
真像個傻子真不好意思 I seem to be an idiot and am embarrassed
可是我在當時 However, back then
真以為你擁抱我的方式 I believed the way you embraced me
是承諾的暗示 is the implication of a promise
經過人來和人往 Having been witnessing people come and go,
期盼和失望 going through expectations and frustrations
我依然還孤單 I am now still alone
幸好曾為你流淚的眼眶 But fortunately, my eyes that once cried for you,
還亮著愛來過的光 are still shining with the glow of love
這些年這些事一下子一輩子 All these years, all the things; a short while, a lifetime
你都度過了怎樣的日子 How has your life been going?
請答應一件事 Please promise me one thing
如果說我能再見你一次 If I am to see you for another time
請讓我看到的還是 Please still let me see
你那燦爛的樣子 your glowing looks
Back in college, when I had the crush on that guy, I did, for a short period of time, think it could last forever and I could live on it. That's silly.
It was snowing last night, finally after several days of cloudiness and rains, one thing I hate in here. The snow couldn't compare with the heavy snow in Beijing, but this morning it is so BRIGHT outside! yay~
光 GLOW
演唱：劉若英 Rene
想問你是不是還記得我名字 I want to ask if you still remember my name
當人海漲潮又退潮幾次 after the oceans of people have risen and fallen time after time
那些年那些事那一段 All those years, those things, and the time
瘋狂熱烈浪漫日子 of insanely passionate and romantic days
啊恍如隔世 seem to be in snother life
你來過一下子我想念一輩子 You came here once, yet I am gonna be missing you for a lifetime
這樣不理智是怎麼回事 What is with the irrationality?
才快樂一陣子爲什麽 We’ve had some happy time together, yet why
我卻堅持那一定是 am I so convinced that it must be
我最難忘的事 the most unforgettable moment
越過高山和海洋 Having gone over mountains and oceans
喜悅和悲傷 joys and sorrows
不是不孤單 It’s not that I’m no longer lonely
幸好曾有你溫暖的心房 But fortunately, my heart that was once affected by your warmth
還亮著你留下的光 still shines with your glow
你閃耀一下子我暈眩一輩子 You glittered once, yet I’m made giddy for a lifetime
真像個傻子真不好意思 I seem to be an idiot and am embarrassed
可是我在當時 However, back then
真以為你擁抱我的方式 I believed the way you embraced me
是承諾的暗示 is the implication of a promise
經過人來和人往 Having been witnessing people come and go,
期盼和失望 going through expectations and frustrations
我依然還孤單 I am now still alone
幸好曾為你流淚的眼眶 But fortunately, my eyes that once cried for you,
還亮著愛來過的光 are still shining with the glow of love
這些年這些事一下子一輩子 All these years, all the things; a short while, a lifetime
你都度過了怎樣的日子 How has your life been going?
請答應一件事 Please promise me one thing
如果說我能再見你一次 If I am to see you for another time
請讓我看到的還是 Please still let me see
你那燦爛的樣子 your glowing looks
Back in college, when I had the crush on that guy, I did, for a short period of time, think it could last forever and I could live on it. That's silly.
Good night and sweet dreams
They hadn't seen each other for more than five years.
They met up at a coffee house late that night.
She had a cup of coffee. He ordered fruit salad and pan cakes.
They talked for merely an hour before the coffee house closed up.
She could not open her eyes, not because she was sleepy; it was his smoke.
She saw him get in a taxi and waited till the car left.
She walked back to where she lived.
She has fears of the darkness for always; it makes her feel afraid and lonely.
She got back safe anyway.
The next day was just the same.
They met up at a coffee house late that night.
She had a cup of coffee. He ordered fruit salad and pan cakes.
They talked for merely an hour before the coffee house closed up.
She could not open her eyes, not because she was sleepy; it was his smoke.
She saw him get in a taxi and waited till the car left.
She walked back to where she lived.
She has fears of the darkness for always; it makes her feel afraid and lonely.
She got back safe anyway.
The next day was just the same.
2010年2月8日星期一
That's Rich, China
That's rich, China 中國很有錢
Feb 7, 2010 10:36 AM | By Michael Sheridan 作者：邁克爾-謝麗丹
The world's priciest brands have a golden future in the east, writes Michael Sheridan. For one Chinese businesswoman, the trophy was a pure-bred Tibetan mastiff bought for £36000 and escorted to her home in the city of Xi'an by a convoy of 30 Mercedes-Benz limousines.
世界最奢侈的品牌在東方前途無量，邁克爾-謝麗丹寫道。一個中國女商人的血拼戰利品是一隻花費3.6萬英鎊購買的純種藏獒，並由30量奔馳豪車車隊護送回到西安的家中。
While for men, mistresses and concubines are the key element of luxury spending, according to a new report from economists at HSBC that predicts a golden future for the world's priciest brands in China.
滙豐銀行經濟研究人員的一項最新報告預測，中國將成為世界奢侈品消費的未來，而對於男人來說，情婦和二奶才是奢侈品消費的關鍵因素。
British-made Vertu phones have become the badge of the seriously well-off in Guangzhou, where import duty can push their price above £70000. The southern metropolis is also home to a Louis Vuitton shop that has a waiting list of VIPs eager to pay more than £100000 for a Birkin handbag - twice the price on eBay.
在廣州，英國出品的奢華手機Vertu已成為有錢人的標識。加上，進口關稅，一部Vertu手機的售價可高達7萬英鎊。中國南方的這座大都市也是奢侈品牌LV的福地。當地一家LV零售店有一個長長的等候名單，名單上的VIP顧客都急等著購買一款售價超過10萬英鎊的佰金包，而這個價格是eBay上售價的兩倍。
The Yangcheng Evening News reports that a Piaget exhibition sold out of timepieces costing around £80000 and also sold one model for more than £900000. And the hottest cultural show in Beijing last season was Cartier's display of 350 precious objects titled King of Jewellers, Jeweller to Kings - in the Forbidden City, no less.
據《羊城晚報》報導，一個伯爵表的展會上價值約8萬英鎊的鐘錶全部售罄，還售出了一件售價90萬英鎊以上的單品。在北京，上一季最熱的文化展是在奢侈珠寶製造商卡地亞珠寶在故宮舉行的主題為“珠寶商之王與王室珠寶商”的珠寶展。展會上展出了至少350件珠寶精品。
But nothing is forbidden when it comes to a tiny minority of super-rich flaunting their wealth. In a country that endured decades of grey austerity, luxury goods have become not merely the accessories of success but its defining feature. State television reported recently that affluent Chinese tourists were the number one spenders in Paris, ahead of Russians and Americans.
但是，說到愛曬財富的一小群巨富，那就真是“百無禁忌”了。在這個堅持了數十年緊縮的國家（what's grey austetity?)，奢侈品已不僅僅是成功的附屬品，而是成功的必備特徵。國家電視臺最近報導，富足的中國遊客已超過俄羅斯和美國遊客，成為巴黎最大的消費群體。
There are daunting questions over the direction of the economy, including trade wars, bank credit, asset bubbles and inequality. But the fruits of China's long boom are being enjoyed as never before by the privileged class that emerged from the "reform" decade of the '90s. It is an affirmation of prosperity that has led analysts at HSBC to conclude that China may account for more than a third of the global growth in luxury goods this year.
中國經濟發展方向面臨著嚴峻的問題，包括貿易戰、銀行信貸、資產泡沫和不平等（inequality of what?）。然而，中國的特權階層正以一種前所未有的方式享用著中國長期繁榮的成果；而這一特權階層集中出現於上世紀90年代改革的十年。正是這種對繁榮的斷言使滙豐銀行的分析師得出結論，今年中國可能會占全球奢侈品增長的三分之一以上。
Those Louis Vuitton handbags could be taken as a proxy for the sector, they say, citing an analysis of the company's sales by nationality which shows Chinese customers could represent a "staggering" 30% of its worldwide sales in just five years' time.
LV公司的按顧客國籍分類的銷售記錄顯示，僅在過去的五年中，中國消費者就為他們的全球銷售額貢獻了令人吃驚的30%。就此，滙豐銀行的分析師說，那些LV的手袋可以看成是奢侈品產業的代表。
Apart from the handful of politically connected tycoons whose propensity to spend has emptied the showrooms of Rolls-Royces, there are an estimated 825000 people in China worth more than £1-million. Their average age is 43, according to the Hurun Report, a list of the wealthy.
除了那一小批愛購奢侈品愛到能把勞斯萊斯展示廳一掃而空、有政治關聯的大企業家以外，胡潤百富榜顯示，中國身價超過百萬英鎊的富豪人數約82.5萬人，平均年齡43歲。
A recent survey of Chinese youth found that a typical city teenager's bag contains between three and seven designer pieces, such as a Gucci wallet or a Louis Vuitton key-chain holder. Yet "brand penetration" remains limited while a host of unique cultural and social factors make the Chinese avid consumers of luxury.
近期的一項針對中國青年人的調查發現，一個典型城市青少年的包裡有三至七件設計師作品，比如古奇錢包或者LV鑰匙扣。然而，儘管大量的中國獨有的文化和社會因素使中國人成為熱情的奢侈品消費者，但品牌滲透在中國仍受到限制。
The survey defines China as "a local luxury goods market that is probably the only male-driven one on the planet". It adds: "Also a reality is the fact that having mistresses or concubines is institutionalised, thus feeding luxury consumption."
這項調查將中國稱為“可能是世界上唯一一個由男性驅動的奢侈品市場”，該調查還指出，擁有情人和二奶成為普遍現象，從而推動了奢侈品消費。
But among the hundreds of millions left behind by the boom, class hatred is reawakening the slogans of Maoism. "Even foreigners are open-mouthed at the luxurious consumption of our rich men," complained a blogger called Ma Zhe, "but the masses despise them." - ©The Sunday Times, London
然而，在沒跟上繁榮的腳步的數億人之中，階級仇恨正再度喚醒毛澤東思想的口號。一位名叫馬哲（音，Ma Zhe）的博主寫道：儘管外國人對這些富人的奢華消費目瞪口呆，但老百姓鄙視他們。
來源：《星期日泰晤士報》
原文鏈接：
http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/fashion/article290702.ece
Feb 7, 2010 10:36 AM | By Michael Sheridan 作者：邁克爾-謝麗丹
The world's priciest brands have a golden future in the east, writes Michael Sheridan. For one Chinese businesswoman, the trophy was a pure-bred Tibetan mastiff bought for £36000 and escorted to her home in the city of Xi'an by a convoy of 30 Mercedes-Benz limousines.
世界最奢侈的品牌在東方前途無量，邁克爾-謝麗丹寫道。一個中國女商人的血拼戰利品是一隻花費3.6萬英鎊購買的純種藏獒，並由30量奔馳豪車車隊護送回到西安的家中。
While for men, mistresses and concubines are the key element of luxury spending, according to a new report from economists at HSBC that predicts a golden future for the world's priciest brands in China.
滙豐銀行經濟研究人員的一項最新報告預測，中國將成為世界奢侈品消費的未來，而對於男人來說，情婦和二奶才是奢侈品消費的關鍵因素。
British-made Vertu phones have become the badge of the seriously well-off in Guangzhou, where import duty can push their price above £70000. The southern metropolis is also home to a Louis Vuitton shop that has a waiting list of VIPs eager to pay more than £100000 for a Birkin handbag - twice the price on eBay.
在廣州，英國出品的奢華手機Vertu已成為有錢人的標識。加上，進口關稅，一部Vertu手機的售價可高達7萬英鎊。中國南方的這座大都市也是奢侈品牌LV的福地。當地一家LV零售店有一個長長的等候名單，名單上的VIP顧客都急等著購買一款售價超過10萬英鎊的佰金包，而這個價格是eBay上售價的兩倍。
The Yangcheng Evening News reports that a Piaget exhibition sold out of timepieces costing around £80000 and also sold one model for more than £900000. And the hottest cultural show in Beijing last season was Cartier's display of 350 precious objects titled King of Jewellers, Jeweller to Kings - in the Forbidden City, no less.
據《羊城晚報》報導，一個伯爵表的展會上價值約8萬英鎊的鐘錶全部售罄，還售出了一件售價90萬英鎊以上的單品。在北京，上一季最熱的文化展是在奢侈珠寶製造商卡地亞珠寶在故宮舉行的主題為“珠寶商之王與王室珠寶商”的珠寶展。展會上展出了至少350件珠寶精品。
But nothing is forbidden when it comes to a tiny minority of super-rich flaunting their wealth. In a country that endured decades of grey austerity, luxury goods have become not merely the accessories of success but its defining feature. State television reported recently that affluent Chinese tourists were the number one spenders in Paris, ahead of Russians and Americans.
但是，說到愛曬財富的一小群巨富，那就真是“百無禁忌”了。在這個堅持了數十年緊縮的國家（what's grey austetity?)，奢侈品已不僅僅是成功的附屬品，而是成功的必備特徵。國家電視臺最近報導，富足的中國遊客已超過俄羅斯和美國遊客，成為巴黎最大的消費群體。
There are daunting questions over the direction of the economy, including trade wars, bank credit, asset bubbles and inequality. But the fruits of China's long boom are being enjoyed as never before by the privileged class that emerged from the "reform" decade of the '90s. It is an affirmation of prosperity that has led analysts at HSBC to conclude that China may account for more than a third of the global growth in luxury goods this year.
中國經濟發展方向面臨著嚴峻的問題，包括貿易戰、銀行信貸、資產泡沫和不平等（inequality of what?）。然而，中國的特權階層正以一種前所未有的方式享用著中國長期繁榮的成果；而這一特權階層集中出現於上世紀90年代改革的十年。正是這種對繁榮的斷言使滙豐銀行的分析師得出結論，今年中國可能會占全球奢侈品增長的三分之一以上。
Those Louis Vuitton handbags could be taken as a proxy for the sector, they say, citing an analysis of the company's sales by nationality which shows Chinese customers could represent a "staggering" 30% of its worldwide sales in just five years' time.
LV公司的按顧客國籍分類的銷售記錄顯示，僅在過去的五年中，中國消費者就為他們的全球銷售額貢獻了令人吃驚的30%。就此，滙豐銀行的分析師說，那些LV的手袋可以看成是奢侈品產業的代表。
Apart from the handful of politically connected tycoons whose propensity to spend has emptied the showrooms of Rolls-Royces, there are an estimated 825000 people in China worth more than £1-million. Their average age is 43, according to the Hurun Report, a list of the wealthy.
除了那一小批愛購奢侈品愛到能把勞斯萊斯展示廳一掃而空、有政治關聯的大企業家以外，胡潤百富榜顯示，中國身價超過百萬英鎊的富豪人數約82.5萬人，平均年齡43歲。
A recent survey of Chinese youth found that a typical city teenager's bag contains between three and seven designer pieces, such as a Gucci wallet or a Louis Vuitton key-chain holder. Yet "brand penetration" remains limited while a host of unique cultural and social factors make the Chinese avid consumers of luxury.
近期的一項針對中國青年人的調查發現，一個典型城市青少年的包裡有三至七件設計師作品，比如古奇錢包或者LV鑰匙扣。然而，儘管大量的中國獨有的文化和社會因素使中國人成為熱情的奢侈品消費者，但品牌滲透在中國仍受到限制。
The survey defines China as "a local luxury goods market that is probably the only male-driven one on the planet". It adds: "Also a reality is the fact that having mistresses or concubines is institutionalised, thus feeding luxury consumption."
這項調查將中國稱為“可能是世界上唯一一個由男性驅動的奢侈品市場”，該調查還指出，擁有情人和二奶成為普遍現象，從而推動了奢侈品消費。
But among the hundreds of millions left behind by the boom, class hatred is reawakening the slogans of Maoism. "Even foreigners are open-mouthed at the luxurious consumption of our rich men," complained a blogger called Ma Zhe, "but the masses despise them." - ©The Sunday Times, London
然而，在沒跟上繁榮的腳步的數億人之中，階級仇恨正再度喚醒毛澤東思想的口號。一位名叫馬哲（音，Ma Zhe）的博主寫道：儘管外國人對這些富人的奢華消費目瞪口呆，但老百姓鄙視他們。
來源：《星期日泰晤士報》
原文鏈接：
http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/fashion/article290702.ece
magic is the answer!
As the Spring Festival is approching, millions of migrants start heading back home. And during this time, train tikets, illegal ticket dealers, and super crowded railway stations would become the center of public attention every year.
Several days ago, a photo taken at Dongguan railway station was published. In the photo, some staff members were helping passengers get on the train by climbming the windows. Then two heads of the station were dismissed. Yeasterday, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Railways said that they were just dismissed from their original positions but their contracts are still on and they have now been transferred to another railway station and continue to serve the industry.
This is an incident of quick response we rarely see in this country. However, passengers trying to get on a train through the window with the help of the staff, is it their fault? Is it within their responsibility and power to eliminate this kind of issue?
Dongguan is one of the centers of migrant workers in China. On that particular day, there were about 1,500 passengers waiting on the platform to get on the train within four minutes. Passengers want to get on the train, because otherwise they might miss the only chance to go home for the whole year; do you have any idea how hard it is to get a train ticket during this time?! For the staff, they want to help them to the passengers to get on the train and go home. Yes, it is probably not the right thing to do, however, what else can they possibly do? And yes again, for the heads of the railway station, they are somehow responsible for their negligence. However, is it something they should take full responsibility for?
There are definitely a lot of issues in railway station management, but I'm not going to pour out my complaints here (well, last November, I had a very unpleasant encouter with one of the staff at Nanjing railway station) I agree with the opinions that it's more of a problem of the incomplete institutions and flawed system. With this huge number of population, eagerness to get quick success and instant benefits is not going to work out. It's very wierd that the authorities sometimes talk about sticking to principles and dealing with things with absolute strictness; and sometimes they talk about '..., in principle' , which leaves out wide space for unpredictable flexibilities. And some policies tend to go into two extremes. Things have to be done step by step, any rush creates more problems.
Anyway, this still sounds like complaints. Then only thing I can hope for is everybody gets home safely and stay at home for a safe and happy Spring Festival. There have been a lot of terrible safety issues in some neighborhood and public places reported on the news. How do we ensure our sense of happiness when we have to worry about our personal safety all the time? How do we defend and protect ourselves? We should have learned some martial arts or magic tricks.
Several days ago, a photo taken at Dongguan railway station was published. In the photo, some staff members were helping passengers get on the train by climbming the windows. Then two heads of the station were dismissed. Yeasterday, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Railways said that they were just dismissed from their original positions but their contracts are still on and they have now been transferred to another railway station and continue to serve the industry.
This is an incident of quick response we rarely see in this country. However, passengers trying to get on a train through the window with the help of the staff, is it their fault? Is it within their responsibility and power to eliminate this kind of issue?
Dongguan is one of the centers of migrant workers in China. On that particular day, there were about 1,500 passengers waiting on the platform to get on the train within four minutes. Passengers want to get on the train, because otherwise they might miss the only chance to go home for the whole year; do you have any idea how hard it is to get a train ticket during this time?! For the staff, they want to help them to the passengers to get on the train and go home. Yes, it is probably not the right thing to do, however, what else can they possibly do? And yes again, for the heads of the railway station, they are somehow responsible for their negligence. However, is it something they should take full responsibility for?
There are definitely a lot of issues in railway station management, but I'm not going to pour out my complaints here (well, last November, I had a very unpleasant encouter with one of the staff at Nanjing railway station) I agree with the opinions that it's more of a problem of the incomplete institutions and flawed system. With this huge number of population, eagerness to get quick success and instant benefits is not going to work out. It's very wierd that the authorities sometimes talk about sticking to principles and dealing with things with absolute strictness; and sometimes they talk about '..., in principle' , which leaves out wide space for unpredictable flexibilities. And some policies tend to go into two extremes. Things have to be done step by step, any rush creates more problems.
Anyway, this still sounds like complaints. Then only thing I can hope for is everybody gets home safely and stay at home for a safe and happy Spring Festival. There have been a lot of terrible safety issues in some neighborhood and public places reported on the news. How do we ensure our sense of happiness when we have to worry about our personal safety all the time? How do we defend and protect ourselves? We should have learned some martial arts or magic tricks.
2010年2月6日星期六
Twenty years of Rip Van Winkle
This is a short play we did for our American literature course when we were juniors back in college. Darrell gave us a piece of reading-Rip Van Winkle and then gave us four settings at different stages in Chinese history. The one my group got was 1930-1950, and we had Isabel, Camellia, Doughtery (this is a strange name, and i think she has changed it into something else) and Iris; of course there was me.
After the performance of four groups, Darrell seemed to be quite pleased (well, we could not really tell if he truly was). The theme he tried to convey in his teaching through the story was that 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'. At least, it's true for Rip Van Winkle.
I had a great time in college. One of the very good things about it was that we got a lot of chances to work together doing interesting and silly stuff like this and we had a number of excellent foreign teachers. It was fun.
The acting was absolutely amateur-level and awkward (I wrote the script with Isabel and was kind of a director; I could never act), especially when we were acting out a play in English while the story was set in China, double awkward. But we lightened it up a little bit by using some familiar names to our fellow students, Josh and Chiansan. And it was hilarious.
As far as I can remember, the cast was like this:
Doughtery as Rip;
Lin as the crazy wife Lin;
Iris as the friend Josh;
Camellia as Josh's son Chiansan;
We did not have any male students in our group, so it was a all-female cast. And three of them had to play men.
Rip Van Winkle
Introduction of the main characters:
Rip: a blind man, who makes his living by playing the alto fiddle on the streets.
Lin: Rip’s wife.
Josh Colston: Rip’s old friend.
Chiansan: Josh’s son
Scene 1
1930 A.D. Music comes from the distance.
On a late autumn afternoon, the street was empty except for a few people hastily heading for their destination in the chilly wind.
Music stops.
Rip stood up, picked up his bowl and shook it (to see how much he has earned).
Rip: (sigh) Another day…
Then he collected his belongings and started his way home.
Suddenly, a strong wind brought heavy sands and fallen leaves, and a ghostly woman-like voice flew in to Rip’s ears.
Ghostly voice: Rip, Rip, come here, come with me…
Rip: Who, who, who’s that? Who?
Ghostly voice: come with me…
Rip: Who the hell is that? Who are you?
The wind becomes increasingly stronger.
Rip disappeared as the ghostly voice became unheard any more.
Scene 2
Aside: Since then, Rip had disappeared. All the people in the village took it as the fact that he was dead. In the following 20 years, Chinese people had gone through wars and sufferings, but at last in 1949 the PRC was set up under the leadership of Chairman Mao. Citizens are now creating their new life in a new social structure. They are full of hope and passion to build a strong and prosperous new China.
1950A.D. Twenty year later a hell-like summer afternoon, Rip turns up again, with long beard and unstable steps. In distance, a group of young people are working in the field, talking and laughing. One of them (Chiansan) catches the sight of Rip and runs towards him.
Chiansan(C): Hey, Uncle, may I help you? (holding Rip’s arm)
Rip: Hi, young man. Why are you calling me Uncle?
C: Of course! Uncle, where are you heading for? Why are you here alone?
Rip: It’s so kind of you, young man. Could you please take me back to my house? (start walking)
Oh, by the way, are you a new-comer here? It seems that I haven’t heard of your voice before.
C: Oh, how could that be, Uncle? I’ve been living here for more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen you before. I thought you were new here!
Rip: Oh, no. Isn’t it Zhou Zhuang?
C: Yeah, you are right, it’s Zhou Zhuang. But really, I don’t think I have seen you before.
Rip: (puzzled) Really…
(pause) Umm, what’s the smell? Is there a locust tree around?
C: Wow, yes, just 20 meters away.
Rip: (put down of Chiansan’s hand, stumbling) The tree, the tree.
C: Hey, Uncle! (runs after him)
Rip: (touches the tree, kneeles down) Oh, my tree, this is my tree. Papa let it be here and guide me home. (turns around) my house, I’m home, Lin, I’m home! Hey!
C: Hey, Uncle! I think you’ve got it wrong, this is my house!
Rip: No, no, no, I’m so familiar with the tree, the shape and the smell of it. How can I be wrong?
(a voice comes from the house)
Josh: Who’s outside? Why is so noisy?
C: Papa, come here. This Uncle, he is so strange, and he says this is his house.
Josh comes out from the door, stares at Rip for a couple of seconds, and moves a few steps forward, suddenly grabs his shoulders.
Josh: (excited) Rip! Are you Rip?
Rip: Yes, sure I am! And you are…
Josh: I’m Josh! Don’t you remember me?
Rip: Oh, Josh? Josh Colston, you are Josh Colston?! Your voice is so different, I didn’t even recognize you.
Josh: Rip, where have you been in all the 20 years? We all thought you were dead already!
Rip: Are you kidding me? 20 years? How could that be? I was just lost for one night, and now I’m back home.
Josh: Rip, can’t you feel the change of your voice, your beard?
Rip: (touches his chin) Oh, my God, what’s this?!
Josh: That’s your beard. Tell me, Rip, where you have been for all these twenty years. I thought you’ve lost you life in the war or something.
Rip: The war? What war?
C: Oh, Uncle Rip, don’t you know the war? Don’t you know all the great success we’ve got through all the difficulties? Don’t you even know Chairman Mao?
Josh: Wow, anyway, it’s really a miracle that you can survive. My God, 20 years! Thank goodness!
Rip: Twenty years! No, how could that happen? I can’t believe it! The wind, the strong wind, the voice, the ghostly voice. GHOST, it must be ghost!
C: (whispering to his father) Papa, I think Uncle Rip is so abnormal, he must have suffered a lot during the past 20 years’ wandering around.
Josh: Maybe what he said is true. He was taken by some evil spirit…(interrupted by Chiansan)
C: Come on, Papa, the Party tells us that there is no such evil spirit in the world, we should believe in Marxism, there is no ghost, there is NO ghost!
Rip: (suddenly raises up) Where is my family? My wife, and my son? Why are you living in my house?
Josh: Rip, listen to me, your house was destroyed in the war, and we built a new one after the war on the spot. And your son, little Rip, he…
Rip: What happen? Tell me!
Josh: He, he was killed by the Japanese. He was dead, several years ago.
Rip: Dead? My son is dead? No, no, no…
Josh: (sigh) Calm down, Rip. Everybody lost someone during the anti-Japanese war. Little Rip was not the only victim of the damn war.
Rip: Dead, dead, my son is dead. Where is Lin? Where is my wife?
Josh: I’m so sorry that Lin was terribly struck by the reality, and she went mad at the news of young Rip’s death, you know, it’s a great knock on her to lose two people in the family.
Rip: Mad? Mad, mad, mad…
C: Don’t worry, Uncle Rip, she is attended by the People’s commune in our village.
Rip: (cries out and grabs Chiansan’s hand) Take me there, take me to see her!
Scene 3
The small hospital of the commune. A woman in her forties is sitting on a desk, inexpressive.
Rip, Josh and Chiansan walked in.
Josh: Lin, look, Rip is back here, look, he is back alive. (turns around to Rip) Here she is.
Rip: Lin? Lin!
(No response from Lin.)
Rip: (approaching Lin, attempting to touch her face) Lin, look, I’m back.
(Lin looks at him, still no response.)
Rip: Lin, I’m Rip, don’t you remember me any more?
(Lin looks at him again, laughing, playing Rip’s glasses and beards)
Rip: (grabs her shoulders) I’m Rip, Rip Van Winkle, don’t you remember me?
(Lin looks away from him, and sets her eyes upon Chiansan, she stands up and walks towards Chiansan)
Lin: Oh, Rip, Rip, where have you been, Mom misses you so much.
C: Oh, no, no, Aunt Lin, I’m not your son Rip. There is your husband, Rip.
Lin: Where have you been? The wind was so strong, there were so many people, I was so scared.
My son, our son! (pointing at Josh), it’s him, he killed him, he robbed our house. (rushes to Josh) you killed my son, you robbed my house, you buster, give my son back, out of my house! … …
C: (cried out) Help, somebody help!
(people rush in, use rope to confine Lin)
Lin: Give back my son and my house. Rip, Rip, take me out of here, they are ghosts, they are ghosts.
(Lin comes down. Rip kneels on the ground)
Rip: (shout aloud) My heaven, why don’t you let me sleep forever? Thus I don’t have to suffer all of this. You let me sleep for 20 years, why don’t you let me sleep forever?!
Josh: Rip, Rip, let’s go. It would be of no use to stay here. No one would believe in what you’ve said. Come, come with me. Lin will be fine here, and you need a normal and new life. Come, come to our house.
Rip: No, no, I’m not going anywhere. That’s not my house any more. Nothing is left for me. That’s YOUR new life, not mine. I’ve got nothing left… nothing, nothing…
(Rip takes Lin out of the hospital and the two of them walk away)
Scene 4
A late autumn afternoon, the wind is blowing, mixed with the sound of alto fiddle. Rip and Lin are sitting on the street, as if they had nothing to do with the world.
Aside: Rip Van Winkle. Twenty years ago, he was blind, and nothing seems to matter to him. Now, he is still blind, nothing is important. His whole life is like a dream, he doesn’t know what he has dreamed of and what he has done in the dream. For him, his only clear time is the magical 20 year, which appears to him as a sleep. However, he does not even know what has happened to him in the 20 years, during which he has disappeared from the village, from the world. In his life, there is 20-year memory missing. And now, when the entire world surrounding him is busy building a new nation, he is drowned in his dream, as always, in his own world.
After the performance of four groups, Darrell seemed to be quite pleased (well, we could not really tell if he truly was). The theme he tried to convey in his teaching through the story was that 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'. At least, it's true for Rip Van Winkle.
I had a great time in college. One of the very good things about it was that we got a lot of chances to work together doing interesting and silly stuff like this and we had a number of excellent foreign teachers. It was fun.
The acting was absolutely amateur-level and awkward (I wrote the script with Isabel and was kind of a director; I could never act), especially when we were acting out a play in English while the story was set in China, double awkward. But we lightened it up a little bit by using some familiar names to our fellow students, Josh and Chiansan. And it was hilarious.
As far as I can remember, the cast was like this:
Doughtery as Rip;
Lin as the crazy wife Lin;
Iris as the friend Josh;
Camellia as Josh's son Chiansan;
We did not have any male students in our group, so it was a all-female cast. And three of them had to play men.
Rip Van Winkle
Introduction of the main characters:
Rip: a blind man, who makes his living by playing the alto fiddle on the streets.
Lin: Rip’s wife.
Josh Colston: Rip’s old friend.
Chiansan: Josh’s son
Scene 1
1930 A.D. Music comes from the distance.
On a late autumn afternoon, the street was empty except for a few people hastily heading for their destination in the chilly wind.
Music stops.
Rip stood up, picked up his bowl and shook it (to see how much he has earned).
Rip: (sigh) Another day…
Then he collected his belongings and started his way home.
Suddenly, a strong wind brought heavy sands and fallen leaves, and a ghostly woman-like voice flew in to Rip’s ears.
Ghostly voice: Rip, Rip, come here, come with me…
Rip: Who, who, who’s that? Who?
Ghostly voice: come with me…
Rip: Who the hell is that? Who are you?
The wind becomes increasingly stronger.
Rip disappeared as the ghostly voice became unheard any more.
Scene 2
Aside: Since then, Rip had disappeared. All the people in the village took it as the fact that he was dead. In the following 20 years, Chinese people had gone through wars and sufferings, but at last in 1949 the PRC was set up under the leadership of Chairman Mao. Citizens are now creating their new life in a new social structure. They are full of hope and passion to build a strong and prosperous new China.
1950A.D. Twenty year later a hell-like summer afternoon, Rip turns up again, with long beard and unstable steps. In distance, a group of young people are working in the field, talking and laughing. One of them (Chiansan) catches the sight of Rip and runs towards him.
Chiansan(C): Hey, Uncle, may I help you? (holding Rip’s arm)
Rip: Hi, young man. Why are you calling me Uncle?
C: Of course! Uncle, where are you heading for? Why are you here alone?
Rip: It’s so kind of you, young man. Could you please take me back to my house? (start walking)
Oh, by the way, are you a new-comer here? It seems that I haven’t heard of your voice before.
C: Oh, how could that be, Uncle? I’ve been living here for more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen you before. I thought you were new here!
Rip: Oh, no. Isn’t it Zhou Zhuang?
C: Yeah, you are right, it’s Zhou Zhuang. But really, I don’t think I have seen you before.
Rip: (puzzled) Really…
(pause) Umm, what’s the smell? Is there a locust tree around?
C: Wow, yes, just 20 meters away.
Rip: (put down of Chiansan’s hand, stumbling) The tree, the tree.
C: Hey, Uncle! (runs after him)
Rip: (touches the tree, kneeles down) Oh, my tree, this is my tree. Papa let it be here and guide me home. (turns around) my house, I’m home, Lin, I’m home! Hey!
C: Hey, Uncle! I think you’ve got it wrong, this is my house!
Rip: No, no, no, I’m so familiar with the tree, the shape and the smell of it. How can I be wrong?
(a voice comes from the house)
Josh: Who’s outside? Why is so noisy?
C: Papa, come here. This Uncle, he is so strange, and he says this is his house.
Josh comes out from the door, stares at Rip for a couple of seconds, and moves a few steps forward, suddenly grabs his shoulders.
Josh: (excited) Rip! Are you Rip?
Rip: Yes, sure I am! And you are…
Josh: I’m Josh! Don’t you remember me?
Rip: Oh, Josh? Josh Colston, you are Josh Colston?! Your voice is so different, I didn’t even recognize you.
Josh: Rip, where have you been in all the 20 years? We all thought you were dead already!
Rip: Are you kidding me? 20 years? How could that be? I was just lost for one night, and now I’m back home.
Josh: Rip, can’t you feel the change of your voice, your beard?
Rip: (touches his chin) Oh, my God, what’s this?!
Josh: That’s your beard. Tell me, Rip, where you have been for all these twenty years. I thought you’ve lost you life in the war or something.
Rip: The war? What war?
C: Oh, Uncle Rip, don’t you know the war? Don’t you know all the great success we’ve got through all the difficulties? Don’t you even know Chairman Mao?
Josh: Wow, anyway, it’s really a miracle that you can survive. My God, 20 years! Thank goodness!
Rip: Twenty years! No, how could that happen? I can’t believe it! The wind, the strong wind, the voice, the ghostly voice. GHOST, it must be ghost!
C: (whispering to his father) Papa, I think Uncle Rip is so abnormal, he must have suffered a lot during the past 20 years’ wandering around.
Josh: Maybe what he said is true. He was taken by some evil spirit…(interrupted by Chiansan)
C: Come on, Papa, the Party tells us that there is no such evil spirit in the world, we should believe in Marxism, there is no ghost, there is NO ghost!
Rip: (suddenly raises up) Where is my family? My wife, and my son? Why are you living in my house?
Josh: Rip, listen to me, your house was destroyed in the war, and we built a new one after the war on the spot. And your son, little Rip, he…
Rip: What happen? Tell me!
Josh: He, he was killed by the Japanese. He was dead, several years ago.
Rip: Dead? My son is dead? No, no, no…
Josh: (sigh) Calm down, Rip. Everybody lost someone during the anti-Japanese war. Little Rip was not the only victim of the damn war.
Rip: Dead, dead, my son is dead. Where is Lin? Where is my wife?
Josh: I’m so sorry that Lin was terribly struck by the reality, and she went mad at the news of young Rip’s death, you know, it’s a great knock on her to lose two people in the family.
Rip: Mad? Mad, mad, mad…
C: Don’t worry, Uncle Rip, she is attended by the People’s commune in our village.
Rip: (cries out and grabs Chiansan’s hand) Take me there, take me to see her!
Scene 3
The small hospital of the commune. A woman in her forties is sitting on a desk, inexpressive.
Rip, Josh and Chiansan walked in.
Josh: Lin, look, Rip is back here, look, he is back alive. (turns around to Rip) Here she is.
Rip: Lin? Lin!
(No response from Lin.)
Rip: (approaching Lin, attempting to touch her face) Lin, look, I’m back.
(Lin looks at him, still no response.)
Rip: Lin, I’m Rip, don’t you remember me any more?
(Lin looks at him again, laughing, playing Rip’s glasses and beards)
Rip: (grabs her shoulders) I’m Rip, Rip Van Winkle, don’t you remember me?
(Lin looks away from him, and sets her eyes upon Chiansan, she stands up and walks towards Chiansan)
Lin: Oh, Rip, Rip, where have you been, Mom misses you so much.
C: Oh, no, no, Aunt Lin, I’m not your son Rip. There is your husband, Rip.
Lin: Where have you been? The wind was so strong, there were so many people, I was so scared.
My son, our son! (pointing at Josh), it’s him, he killed him, he robbed our house. (rushes to Josh) you killed my son, you robbed my house, you buster, give my son back, out of my house! … …
C: (cried out) Help, somebody help!
(people rush in, use rope to confine Lin)
Lin: Give back my son and my house. Rip, Rip, take me out of here, they are ghosts, they are ghosts.
(Lin comes down. Rip kneels on the ground)
Rip: (shout aloud) My heaven, why don’t you let me sleep forever? Thus I don’t have to suffer all of this. You let me sleep for 20 years, why don’t you let me sleep forever?!
Josh: Rip, Rip, let’s go. It would be of no use to stay here. No one would believe in what you’ve said. Come, come with me. Lin will be fine here, and you need a normal and new life. Come, come to our house.
Rip: No, no, I’m not going anywhere. That’s not my house any more. Nothing is left for me. That’s YOUR new life, not mine. I’ve got nothing left… nothing, nothing…
(Rip takes Lin out of the hospital and the two of them walk away)
Scene 4
A late autumn afternoon, the wind is blowing, mixed with the sound of alto fiddle. Rip and Lin are sitting on the street, as if they had nothing to do with the world.
Aside: Rip Van Winkle. Twenty years ago, he was blind, and nothing seems to matter to him. Now, he is still blind, nothing is important. His whole life is like a dream, he doesn’t know what he has dreamed of and what he has done in the dream. For him, his only clear time is the magical 20 year, which appears to him as a sleep. However, he does not even know what has happened to him in the 20 years, during which he has disappeared from the village, from the world. In his life, there is 20-year memory missing. And now, when the entire world surrounding him is busy building a new nation, he is drowned in his dream, as always, in his own world.
2010年2月5日星期五
He was sick
He started to hear voices and have illusions;
He became anxious;
He had been dreaming bad dreams.
Was it all horrifying noises that he was hearing?
He was afraid to sleep alone at night;
He had totally lost himself;
He was distracted, staring at something, or nothing, blankly.
What was in his bad dreams?
What distracted him?
He was sick.
He became anxious;
He had been dreaming bad dreams.
Was it all horrifying noises that he was hearing?
He was afraid to sleep alone at night;
He had totally lost himself;
He was distracted, staring at something, or nothing, blankly.
What was in his bad dreams?
What distracted him?
He was sick.
2010年2月4日星期四
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL-你太美麗
One of my favorite English songs. There are several words i'm not sure how to transfer into Chinese, like brilliant, think up etc; and in a few places, I did not translate it exactly based on the original structure. I think it looks better this way.
The difference between the real version and clean version (fucking high/flying high) is very interesting. It reminds me of one of Zhang Zhenyue's songs-路口/End of the Alley/Road crossing?. There is a sentence 我不想走，去你妈的路口/I don't want to leave, the damn crossing, but when it's imported into mainland China, it's altered into 我不想走，去你家的路口/I don't want to leave, on the road crossing that leads to your house.
SARFT has done a great job in censorship (wait, this falls in their responsibilities right?). The original version is just more interesting and powerful.
There is a song by Chen Shanni named 《你太好看》, i might try to translate it later. There are not much going on during the vacation while staying at home. I've suddenly realized that I don't really have a life here; and I don't really have a life in Beijing; so i pretty much anticipate what's gonna happen for the future.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL 你太美麗
My life is brilliant. 我的生活萬般精彩
My love is pure. 我的愛情純潔堅定
I saw an angel. 我看見一個天使
Of that I'm sure. 這一點我深信不疑这
She smiled at me on the subway. 地鐵上她向我微笑
She was with another man. 他身邊有男人相伴
But I won't lose no sleep on that, 但我不會為此深夜無眠
'Cause I've got a plan. 因為我自有打算
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 美麗的你，無與倫比美
I saw your face in a crowded place, 我在擁擠的人群中看到你的臉龐
And I don't know what to do, 我不知該何去何從
'Cause I'll never be with you. 因為我永遠無法與你相守
Yeah, she caught my eye, 她光彩奪目
As we walked on by. 但擋不住我們擦肩而過
She could see from my face that I was, 從我的臉上，她看得出
Fucking high,(Real version) 我他媽興奮得飄飄然^o^（原版本）
Flying high,(clean version) 我飄然興奮（淨化版）
And I don't think that I'll see her again, 我想我再也見不到她
But we shared a moment that will last 但我們共有的這一刻邂逅
till the end. 會永久定格
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 美麗的你，無與倫比
I saw your face in a crowded place, 我在擁擠的人群中發現你的面龐
And I don't know what to do, 但我不知何去何從
'Cause I'll never be with you. 因為我永遠無法與你相守
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 你的美麗，無與倫比
There must be an angel with a smile on her face, 一定有一個面帶微笑的天使
When she thought up that I should be with you. 因為她相信我才是你的白馬王子
But it's time to face the truth, 但是我該面對現實
I will never be with you. 我永遠無法與你相守
The difference between the real version and clean version (fucking high/flying high) is very interesting. It reminds me of one of Zhang Zhenyue's songs-路口/End of the Alley/Road crossing?. There is a sentence 我不想走，去你妈的路口/I don't want to leave, the damn crossing, but when it's imported into mainland China, it's altered into 我不想走，去你家的路口/I don't want to leave, on the road crossing that leads to your house.
SARFT has done a great job in censorship (wait, this falls in their responsibilities right?). The original version is just more interesting and powerful.
There is a song by Chen Shanni named 《你太好看》, i might try to translate it later. There are not much going on during the vacation while staying at home. I've suddenly realized that I don't really have a life here; and I don't really have a life in Beijing; so i pretty much anticipate what's gonna happen for the future.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL 你太美麗
My life is brilliant. 我的生活萬般精彩
My love is pure. 我的愛情純潔堅定
I saw an angel. 我看見一個天使
Of that I'm sure. 這一點我深信不疑这
She smiled at me on the subway. 地鐵上她向我微笑
She was with another man. 他身邊有男人相伴
But I won't lose no sleep on that, 但我不會為此深夜無眠
'Cause I've got a plan. 因為我自有打算
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 美麗的你，無與倫比美
I saw your face in a crowded place, 我在擁擠的人群中看到你的臉龐
And I don't know what to do, 我不知該何去何從
'Cause I'll never be with you. 因為我永遠無法與你相守
Yeah, she caught my eye, 她光彩奪目
As we walked on by. 但擋不住我們擦肩而過
She could see from my face that I was, 從我的臉上，她看得出
Fucking high,(Real version) 我他媽興奮得飄飄然^o^（原版本）
Flying high,(clean version) 我飄然興奮（淨化版）
And I don't think that I'll see her again, 我想我再也見不到她
But we shared a moment that will last 但我們共有的這一刻邂逅
till the end. 會永久定格
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 美麗的你，無與倫比
I saw your face in a crowded place, 我在擁擠的人群中發現你的面龐
And I don't know what to do, 但我不知何去何從
'Cause I'll never be with you. 因為我永遠無法與你相守
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. 你太美麗，你太美麗
You're beautiful, it's true. 你的美麗，無與倫比
There must be an angel with a smile on her face, 一定有一個面帶微笑的天使
When she thought up that I should be with you. 因為她相信我才是你的白馬王子
But it's time to face the truth, 但是我該面對現實
I will never be with you. 我永遠無法與你相守
crazy talk?
'China's Unnatural Disaster: the tears of Sichuan province'
I happened to see this short documentary by HBO. The strongest shock was the fact that this kind of incident was so nicely covered up. Well, I was more disappointed than shocked, even though I knew...
I know that in this country, a lot of things have been covered up, like suicide incidents in universities. It's become a big taboo. In 2008, there was a girl in my university who jumped off the building i am now living in. She was an excellent student,loved softball, had good academic records; but she suffered from a lot of academic pressure from her advisor and so, and she was depressed at the time of her suicide. There had been some articles on the forum written by her classmates and friends, which provided some information about this girl to outsiders like me. She had been taking some anti-depression pills at that time, she couldn't sleep at night, then that one night, she 'decided' to kill herself. I doubt that. She probably had already lost control of her own behaviors, or she might thought death was the best way to end her life when she was traped in her depressions and confusions. Whatever it was, it always takes a lot more courage to end one's own life than to end it with one's own hands. Suicide just seems to be less troublesome.
However, discussions about this incident were soon blocked out on the forum. And soon there came some odd articles which 'disclosed' the conflict between the parents and school administration. It read like some ridiculous made-up online stories i never buy.
Well, it doesn't seem to be quite relevant to the documentary itself. What i'm trying to get at is the more the authorities try to cover up something, the more curious people become. What good can come from it? And when this happens, it leaves out some space for those who want to create chaos. Well, maybe the cover-up is not good enough I guess.
Back to the documentary itself, it was about some unrest in Sichuan right after the catastropic earthquake when a number of parents were protesting against the local authorities for the lousy construction of the school buildings which added up to the damages from the devestating earthquake. Had there qualified constructions, there probably wouldn't have lost their children. Surely American media could be biased, but it somehow satisfied our needs for the truth.
Surely, everyone in the world was shocked by the catastrophy brought by the earthquake. Following several unpleasant incidents during the torch relay, the nation became unprecedentedly united, at least during my lifetime, i've never seen people more united than that. People blamed those who built the 'vulnerable'school buildings, and at the time when people were concentrating on rescues and post-disaster reconstructions, investigations into the issues might seem infeasible. Well, my thoughts are drifting away.
So what i'm concerned is that in this social structure, there are too many corruptions and the government is very afraid of anything that might sabotage its image. Are they not confident in themsleves or the people? I want to believe that more transparency would bring us a big step forward. Well,I have a lot of complaints right now, cannot really elaborate on everything;Even though we've make huge step forward during the past 30 years or so, it cannot stop people from complaining. After all, there are people complaining everywhere in the world.
Back to the documentary again, it was nominatd in the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short Subject. And major media had to cut this part out of the video they put online. I'm just wondering, what would happen if this piece actually won this award? Block out Oscar? Who knows.
I happened to see this short documentary by HBO. The strongest shock was the fact that this kind of incident was so nicely covered up. Well, I was more disappointed than shocked, even though I knew...
I know that in this country, a lot of things have been covered up, like suicide incidents in universities. It's become a big taboo. In 2008, there was a girl in my university who jumped off the building i am now living in. She was an excellent student,loved softball, had good academic records; but she suffered from a lot of academic pressure from her advisor and so, and she was depressed at the time of her suicide. There had been some articles on the forum written by her classmates and friends, which provided some information about this girl to outsiders like me. She had been taking some anti-depression pills at that time, she couldn't sleep at night, then that one night, she 'decided' to kill herself. I doubt that. She probably had already lost control of her own behaviors, or she might thought death was the best way to end her life when she was traped in her depressions and confusions. Whatever it was, it always takes a lot more courage to end one's own life than to end it with one's own hands. Suicide just seems to be less troublesome.
However, discussions about this incident were soon blocked out on the forum. And soon there came some odd articles which 'disclosed' the conflict between the parents and school administration. It read like some ridiculous made-up online stories i never buy.
Well, it doesn't seem to be quite relevant to the documentary itself. What i'm trying to get at is the more the authorities try to cover up something, the more curious people become. What good can come from it? And when this happens, it leaves out some space for those who want to create chaos. Well, maybe the cover-up is not good enough I guess.
Back to the documentary itself, it was about some unrest in Sichuan right after the catastropic earthquake when a number of parents were protesting against the local authorities for the lousy construction of the school buildings which added up to the damages from the devestating earthquake. Had there qualified constructions, there probably wouldn't have lost their children. Surely American media could be biased, but it somehow satisfied our needs for the truth.
Surely, everyone in the world was shocked by the catastrophy brought by the earthquake. Following several unpleasant incidents during the torch relay, the nation became unprecedentedly united, at least during my lifetime, i've never seen people more united than that. People blamed those who built the 'vulnerable'school buildings, and at the time when people were concentrating on rescues and post-disaster reconstructions, investigations into the issues might seem infeasible. Well, my thoughts are drifting away.
So what i'm concerned is that in this social structure, there are too many corruptions and the government is very afraid of anything that might sabotage its image. Are they not confident in themsleves or the people? I want to believe that more transparency would bring us a big step forward. Well,I have a lot of complaints right now, cannot really elaborate on everything;Even though we've make huge step forward during the past 30 years or so, it cannot stop people from complaining. After all, there are people complaining everywhere in the world.
Back to the documentary again, it was nominatd in the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short Subject. And major media had to cut this part out of the video they put online. I'm just wondering, what would happen if this piece actually won this award? Block out Oscar? Who knows.
2010年2月2日星期二
Confusions
How could i possibly sort it out when i'm confused about everything? But i'm trying.
First of all, I'm not sure what i want, for career, for personal life, for fun etc. I don't have a strong belief system; then i don't have a clue on what to stick to.
Even though i'm not 85% sure that i'd like to become a high school English teacher and I'm working on it, i'm not 100% sure that's what i really want to do. For one, I'm not sure i am capable of dealing with high school students; not knowledge-wise, but in terms of management, I'm just not good at it. For another, my philosophy somehow does not match the reality. I kind of hope that me and my students could build up a relation of equality, respect, independence, even democracy and so. But are high school students mature enough to handle my 'loose' approach?
Subject-wise, i hope i will be able to integrate listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and culture into a holistic teaching methodology. It surely requires a lot of effort for myself; but meanwhile, with the test-oriented assessment and evaluation system here, is it possible? or is it very likely that I would end up like many other teachers--strive only for good test sores. Well, some people criticize the emphasis on test scores, but for me personally, getting good test scores should be part of quality education. How could you argue you are qualified if you fail to do well in the 'stupid tests'?
This is complicated enough, not enough language emersion time; too many subjects for students to deal with etc, these are all making things very difficult. I'd like the challenge, but the only thing i have fear about is the wide gap between my philosophy&expectations&ambitions and the reality.
Then personal life-wise, there are still a lot of confusions. And the essential reason is that i don't know what i want. As to where to go after graduation, I don't have a strong reason to go anywhere, staying in Beijing or moving to someplace else, it doesn't really matter to me. Some girls classmates go to cities where their boyfriends are; but i don't have a boyfriend (but we have to admit that this could be also very hard sometimes), and my parents are kind of easy with any decision i make. Then with the thought that i should be settle somewhere close to my hometown, and of course it has to be more developed than my hometown; then Nanjing became a good choice. But I'm not excited about it.
In terms of relationship, I don't know what kind of guy i want. I'm a creature of feelings and emotions, and fantasies. Usually i don't think, i feel. Then consequently, i tend to fancy (probably only British people would use 'fancy' this way) guys that are not in the circle of my life (i also have to admit that i have a very very small circle), and our lives are not likely to overlap. However, that's what i do. It reminds me of Liangliang, she is quite a romantic, probably more romantic than me. She said she could live on the memory of it, I once asked myself, well, could i?
Then it comes the confusion again. And I've been struggling: do i really want to stick to my idealism and romanticism and end up alone? or deep inside do i want a normal and mundane life and give in to reality?
People talk about Yuanfen, or the right person is waiting for you right in the corner and he will come out at the right time... I don't believe in them. And you cannot really 'see how it goes' or just 'let it be', you are either giving up or doing something to get what you want, there is nothing like 顺其自然.
Moreover, there is this issue: stability vs. adventures. Traditionally, people want to get a job with good stability (which originates in the situation in China. If you don't get a job like civil servants or teachers or state-owned enterprises, or a job with good social securities, you'll have a hard time when you are too old to work for money). I do too; but inside me, there is this voice telling me you should do something different and 'adventurous' (this is not adventurous in the real sense, but something that is opposed to stable) and see more about the world. The social situation here does not really agree with this. In developed countries, people don't have to worry too much about fulfilling the basic physical and material needs so they go travel in other countries (and it's cheaper) and so, but it's not the case here.
Life is basically a paradox, you like someone even though they annoy you sometimes; you want things but you are too afraid of the consequences or you are on the horns of a dilemma if you could take the risks while seeing the possibility that it might not work out; like in 'An Education', you do something hard and boring right now so that in the future you can work at some job that is just as hard and boring; there are so many more.
First of all, I'm not sure what i want, for career, for personal life, for fun etc. I don't have a strong belief system; then i don't have a clue on what to stick to.
Even though i'm not 85% sure that i'd like to become a high school English teacher and I'm working on it, i'm not 100% sure that's what i really want to do. For one, I'm not sure i am capable of dealing with high school students; not knowledge-wise, but in terms of management, I'm just not good at it. For another, my philosophy somehow does not match the reality. I kind of hope that me and my students could build up a relation of equality, respect, independence, even democracy and so. But are high school students mature enough to handle my 'loose' approach?
Subject-wise, i hope i will be able to integrate listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and culture into a holistic teaching methodology. It surely requires a lot of effort for myself; but meanwhile, with the test-oriented assessment and evaluation system here, is it possible? or is it very likely that I would end up like many other teachers--strive only for good test sores. Well, some people criticize the emphasis on test scores, but for me personally, getting good test scores should be part of quality education. How could you argue you are qualified if you fail to do well in the 'stupid tests'?
This is complicated enough, not enough language emersion time; too many subjects for students to deal with etc, these are all making things very difficult. I'd like the challenge, but the only thing i have fear about is the wide gap between my philosophy&expectations&ambitions and the reality.
Then personal life-wise, there are still a lot of confusions. And the essential reason is that i don't know what i want. As to where to go after graduation, I don't have a strong reason to go anywhere, staying in Beijing or moving to someplace else, it doesn't really matter to me. Some girls classmates go to cities where their boyfriends are; but i don't have a boyfriend (but we have to admit that this could be also very hard sometimes), and my parents are kind of easy with any decision i make. Then with the thought that i should be settle somewhere close to my hometown, and of course it has to be more developed than my hometown; then Nanjing became a good choice. But I'm not excited about it.
In terms of relationship, I don't know what kind of guy i want. I'm a creature of feelings and emotions, and fantasies. Usually i don't think, i feel. Then consequently, i tend to fancy (probably only British people would use 'fancy' this way) guys that are not in the circle of my life (i also have to admit that i have a very very small circle), and our lives are not likely to overlap. However, that's what i do. It reminds me of Liangliang, she is quite a romantic, probably more romantic than me. She said she could live on the memory of it, I once asked myself, well, could i?
Then it comes the confusion again. And I've been struggling: do i really want to stick to my idealism and romanticism and end up alone? or deep inside do i want a normal and mundane life and give in to reality?
People talk about Yuanfen, or the right person is waiting for you right in the corner and he will come out at the right time... I don't believe in them. And you cannot really 'see how it goes' or just 'let it be', you are either giving up or doing something to get what you want, there is nothing like 顺其自然.
Moreover, there is this issue: stability vs. adventures. Traditionally, people want to get a job with good stability (which originates in the situation in China. If you don't get a job like civil servants or teachers or state-owned enterprises, or a job with good social securities, you'll have a hard time when you are too old to work for money). I do too; but inside me, there is this voice telling me you should do something different and 'adventurous' (this is not adventurous in the real sense, but something that is opposed to stable) and see more about the world. The social situation here does not really agree with this. In developed countries, people don't have to worry too much about fulfilling the basic physical and material needs so they go travel in other countries (and it's cheaper) and so, but it's not the case here.
Life is basically a paradox, you like someone even though they annoy you sometimes; you want things but you are too afraid of the consequences or you are on the horns of a dilemma if you could take the risks while seeing the possibility that it might not work out; like in 'An Education', you do something hard and boring right now so that in the future you can work at some job that is just as hard and boring; there are so many more.
Middle names
I tried to understand people's middle names--the origin and how are people middle named.
The explanation that it is influenced historically and culturally doesn't really help much; I'm sure it is to memorize certain people. However, it would be great to have some concrete examples of middle names, especially from people i know.
So one way is that the middle name is their mother's maiden name (and this is actually what we learned in school at certain point, but it is not true in all the cases); In many other cases, the middle name seems 'random', or some people don't even have one.
I'm more interested in this.
For Chinese people, we don't have middle names. Surnames come first and then the given name. The given name can be one characters or two characters, well at least for my generation. And as time goes by, we now can see some very interesting names with four characters. Some people have two-character surnames, like Ou-yang, Chang-tian, Si-tu etc. and then usually have four-character names; however, the 70s parents are becoming very creative, they usually integrate the mother's surname into their children's name; and usually it's four-character.
I also heard that, when the parents register for Hukou (some unique thing in China), the baby need to be name at least three characters, including the surname, to reduce the rate of having same names with other kids. That is probably one of the reasons why there are more and more four-character names for children.
My Chinese name is very easy. Actually, my given name is the same as my surname, which might be weird to western people. But Chinese names and western names do not work in the same way. It's not like i'm Kidman Kidman(to use some famous names:)); it does means something in Chinese. And it's easy to remember for not only Chinese, but to western people as well.
The explanation that it is influenced historically and culturally doesn't really help much; I'm sure it is to memorize certain people. However, it would be great to have some concrete examples of middle names, especially from people i know.
So one way is that the middle name is their mother's maiden name (and this is actually what we learned in school at certain point, but it is not true in all the cases); In many other cases, the middle name seems 'random', or some people don't even have one.
I'm more interested in this.
For Chinese people, we don't have middle names. Surnames come first and then the given name. The given name can be one characters or two characters, well at least for my generation. And as time goes by, we now can see some very interesting names with four characters. Some people have two-character surnames, like Ou-yang, Chang-tian, Si-tu etc. and then usually have four-character names; however, the 70s parents are becoming very creative, they usually integrate the mother's surname into their children's name; and usually it's four-character.
I also heard that, when the parents register for Hukou (some unique thing in China), the baby need to be name at least three characters, including the surname, to reduce the rate of having same names with other kids. That is probably one of the reasons why there are more and more four-character names for children.
My Chinese name is very easy. Actually, my given name is the same as my surname, which might be weird to western people. But Chinese names and western names do not work in the same way. It's not like i'm Kidman Kidman(to use some famous names:)); it does means something in Chinese. And it's easy to remember for not only Chinese, but to western people as well.
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