Here is another one of Jay's new songs. It is much sadder (and sappier!) than the last one I posted. Jay's known for his movingly emotional lyrics, but unfortunately after I translated them they kind of lost their feel. But, I hope that you can at least watch the MV and still enjoy ^_^ Jay's piano accompaniment in this song is beautiful!
周杰倫: 說好的辛福呢
妳的繪畫凌亂著 在這個時刻
我想起噴泉旁的白鴿甜蜜散落了
情緒莫名的拉扯我還愛妳呢
伴妳斷斷續續唱著歌 假裝沒事了
時間過了走了 愛情面臨選擇
妳冷了倦了 我哭了
一開始的不快樂 妳用卡片細寫著
有些愛只給到這 真的痛了
怎麼了 妳累了 說好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不說了 愛淡了 夢淹了 我都還記得
開心與不開心 一一細數著 妳在不捨
那些愛過的感覺都太深刻我都還記得
妳不等了 說好的 幸福呢
我錯了 淚乾了 放手了 後悔了
只是回憶的音樂盒還旋轉著 要怎麼停呢
x2
English translation:
"What About that Promised Happiness?"
Jay Chou
Your painting is in chaos, in this moment
I think the white dove by the fountain sprinkles sweet honey
The pull of this indescribable feeling, I still love you
You sing on and off, pretend there’s nothing wrong
Time goes by, love is confronted with choice
You’re cold, tired, I cry
The beginning of sadness, you use a card to write finely
Some kinds of love only give until here, it truly hurts
What’s wrong? You are tired, what about that promised happiness?
I understand, you don’t have to say it, the love faded, the dreams have been submerged
Happy and not happy, one by one I count them, again, you don’t give up
That love feels a little too profound, I still remember it
You don’t wait, what about that promised happiness?
I made a mistake, my tears are dry, I let go, I regret
I only remember that the music box still whirls, how can I make it stop?
x2
"What About that Promised Happiness?" Music Video
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
周杰倫: 稻香 (Jay Chou: "Rice Fragrance")
Jay Chou's new CD came out a few months ago, entited "Capricorn" (yes, Jay is a Capricorn!). Jay Chou is one of Taiwan (and Asia's) hottest singers, noted for the originality and sophistication of his lyrics and musical composition. Here is my favorite song from the CD, entited "Rice Fragrance." I also translated the lyrics from Mandarin to English, included below. At the end is also a Youtube link for the MV.
稻香(Rice Fragrance)
[稻 香] 詞：周杰倫 曲：周杰倫
對這個世界如果你有太多的抱怨
跌倒了就不敢繼續往前走
為什麼人要這麼的脆弱墮落
請你打開電視看看
多少人為生命在努力勇敢的走下去
我們是不是該知足
珍惜一切 就算沒有擁有
還記得你說家是唯一的城堡 隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑 小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧 回到最初的美好
不要這麼容易就想放棄 就像我說的
追不到的夢想 換個夢不就得了
為自己的人生鮮艷上色 先把愛塗上喜歡的顏色
笑一個吧 功成名就不是目的
讓自己快樂快樂這才叫做意義
童年的紙飛機 現在終於飛回我手裡
所謂的那快樂 赤腳在田裡追蜻蜓追到累了
偷摘水果被蜜蜂給叮到怕了 誰在偷笑呢
我靠著稻草人吹著風唱著歌睡著了
哦 哦 午後吉它在蟲鳴中更清脆
哦 哦 陽光灑在路上就不怕心碎
珍惜一切 就算沒有擁有
還記得你說家是唯一的城堡 隨著稻香河流繼續奔跑
微微笑 小時候的夢我知道
不要哭讓螢火蟲帶著你逃跑 鄉間的歌謠永遠的依靠
回家吧 回到最初的美好
English translation:
Rice Fragrance
Lyrics and music composed by Jay Chou
If you have too many complaints about this world
When you fall you don’t dare to continue walking forward
Why do people have to be so weak and morally depraved
Please turn on the TV and watch
How many people, for the sake of life, bravely strive to keep walking
Aren’t we supposed to be content with what we have?
Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess
I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run
Smile, I know your childhood dreams
Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant
Go home, go back to your first happiness
Don’t give up so easily, it’s just like I said
The dreams that you cannot reach, just change them for another and it will be alright
Put some color into your life, first smear a color that you like on love
Com’n and smile, fame and fortune aren’t the goals
To let yourself be happy is what really matters
The paper airplane from my childhood finally flies back to my hand now
That so-called happiness, barefoot in the fields, chasing dragonflies ‘til I’m tired
Stealing fruit and getting stung by bees until I was scared, who’s laughing now?
I lean against the scarecrow, the wind blows, I sing a song and fall asleep
Oh, oh, in the afternoon the guitar sounds even crisper among the buzzing of the bugs
Oh, oh, when the sunshine sprinkles on the road I won’t be afraid of a broken heart
Cherish everything, don’t worry about what you don’t possess
I still remember when you said that home was the only castle, with the fragrance of the rice and the flowing river you continue to run
Smile, I know your childhood dreams
Don’t cry, allow the fireflies to bring you escape, the eternal dependence of the countryside chant
Go home, go back to your first happiness (x2)
"Rice Fragrance" Music Video!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Essay: Confucius Celebration
Confucius Celebration in
December 11, 2008
Tina Chen
September 28, the birthday of Confucius, is the designated date to celebrate Teacher’s Day in honor of the late Confucius, the first and most important teacher in Chinese culture. From childhood, students in
In observing this performance, I used Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model as a basis for my research, which is a model we used in Professor Templeman’s “Women and Music: A World Perspective” Honors Special Topics Spring 2008 course. To summarize briefly, Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model is a guideline for how to observe and analyze a performance. It states that there are three components to a musical performance: behavior, sound, and concept. The model also states that these three aspects are fully related in contributing to the successful production of music. During a performance, an artist attempts to accomplish the exhibition of certain concepts, whether created by his or herself or created by society itself, and does so by physically carrying out certain behaviors. These behaviors cause the artist to create certain sounds, which should reflect the concepts that he or she wishes to exhibit. If the sound produced does not create the desired effect, then the artist will alter his or her behaviors and sounds until they reflect the desired concept.
During this ceremony, I studied the behaviors and sounds of both the performers and audience. The performance was taken place in the inner courtyard of
The ceremony began when two Masters of Ceremonies dressed in traditional purple Chinese robes walked to the front of the stage and initiated the opening ceremony. As a brief overlook, to depict the organization of the entire ceremony, I will list all of the 37 events that are included in the Modern Confucius Ceremony, as written by the 2008 Dalongtong Cultural Festival brochure:
- The Ceremony Begins
- First Drum Roll
- Second Drum Roll
- Third Drum Roll
- Ceremonial Attendants Take Their Positions
- Ceremonial Supervisor Takes His Designated Position
- Assistant Sacrifice Officers Take Their Designated Positions
- Collateral Presentation Officers Take Their Designated Positions
- Principal Presentation Officer Takes His Designated Position
- Opening the Gates
- Burying the Sacrificial Remnants
- Welcoming the Spirit
- All Bow Three Times in Respect
- Presenting the Sacrificial Feast
- Offering Incense
- Initial Principal Presentation
- Initial Collateral Presentation
- Chanting the Blessing
- All Bow Three Times in Respect
- Second Principal Presentation
- Second Collateral Presentation
- Final Principal Presentation
- Final Collateral Presentation
- The President Offering Incense
- Chanting the Blessing from President
- All Bow Three Times in Respect
- The Sacrificing Officer Offering Incense
- The Drink of Good Fortune and Receipt of Sacrificial Meat
- Removing the Remnants of the Sacrificial Feast
- Escorting the Spirit
- All Bow Three Times in Respect
- Sending the Silk Spirit-Money and Prayer Inscription
- Look After the Incinerator
- Resuming Positions
- Closing the Gates
- Withdrawing Positions
- The Ceremony Concludes
The ceremony was quite easy to follow because the Masters of Ceremonies flipped a yellow tablet of paper that indicated the number of each current stage. This made the ceremony much easier to understand because I could follow the performer’s actions with each stage of the performance. The ceremony began with three series of drum rolls, and the MC on the right of the yellow tablet announced in Mandarin each step that took place. There seemed to be a distinct pattern to the drum roll sequences: upon studying my video recordings, I observed the following: one strike of a higher-pitched drum, then four beats of a lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, slows down, strikes once again, and then a gong strikes once. The second drum roll begins with two strikes of the higher-pitched drum, then three beats of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into triplets and a roll, decelerates, ends with two strikes, and then two strikes of a gong. The third and last drum roll begins with three lower-pitched drum strikes, then 5 strikes of the lower-pitched drum, which accelerates into a roll, decelerates, and then three slow beats, ending with three strikes of a gong. Although I was able to decipher this pattern, I am unsure of whether or not this pattern has a certain meaning.
After the three drum roll sequences, the ceremonial participants took their places by walking to the beat of a drum in a single file line: walk five beats, rest one beat, beginning with the musicians and dancers. As the higher-level attendants came on stage, they walked to the front of the stage and washed their hands before taking their places. After everyone was in place, the gates that comprise the front wall of the temple were opened to allow the spirit of Confucius to enter the temple. This process was accompanied by a drum sequence. It is common in temples for people to offer the spirits food and burn incense as they pray, and so in this ceremony such offerings were prepared for the spirit of Confucius, as well. Each step of this process was very slow and purposeful, and the music that accompanied was also slow and simple to create a solemn, dignified atmosphere.
The Initial Principle Presentation was the stage in which the Ba-Yi Dance was performed, which consists of the most important movements during the ceremony. It is a classical Taiwanese dance reserved only for this sacred day. It comprises of 8 rows of 8 people (“ba;” Chinese for “eight”) It is actually routine for the Ba-Yi Dance to be replaced with the Liu-Yi Dance (“Liu;” Chinese for “six”), so for the Ba-Yi Dance to be performed this year was a rare occasion, and actually a controversial topic because many locals believe that the temple purposely choose to perform the Ba-Yi Dance to give an unnecessarily exaggerated welcome to Taiwanese President Ma Yin-Jeou, who is the first president to attend the Confucius celebration. In any case, the Ba-Yi Dance is a classical ceremonial dance and was performed by 64 local schoolchildren. The dance comprises of 16 different movements, each having their own different meaning, but all movements meant to show offering and blessing to the Confucius spirit. The dancers direct their movements in all four directions, making sure to acknowledge any fellow spiritsin all directions as not to leave any out. Each dancer carries a long peacock feather, which represents wisdom, following the theme of “education.” The same dance movements were repeated throughout the ceremony in steps 20 and 22 (Second Principle Presentation and Final Principle Presentation).
During the Ba-Yi Dance (as well as throughout the ceremony), only traditional Chinese instruments are used as musical elements, because this music has been handed down throughout dynasties. Formal and solemn, it is based on an ode to Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty who ruled from 1368-1398. In order to play the music properly, instruments made of eight different elements are required: pao (匏: gourd), tu (土: clay), mu (木: wood), ge (革: leather), shi (石: stone), jin (金: metal), si (絲: strings), and zhu (竹: bamboo).
During the opening of the gates (step 10), the spirit of Confucius is greeted by slow drum beats, and after the spirit has been welcomed, he is offered food and incense. In
The audience during this ceremony was mostly on a bystander level. They did not try to participate in the actual ceremony itself, and mostly just took pictures and videos, respectfully staying in one place the whole time as not to cause disturbance. People towards the back of the audience walked around and sometimes talked in low voices, but only because the ceremony took place outdoors and their dis
tance would not disturb the solemn, still atmosphere of the procession. The only movement that really occurred from the audience took place when it started to rain, and then people merely brought out their umbrellas and continued watching the procession.
There was no singing throughout the ceremony, only dance and musical accompaniment. The overall pace of the music, as well as the movement of the participants, was very slow, and the steps of the participants were often march-like, following the steady beat of the drum. This created a solemn, formal atmosphere that would have been appropriate for an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and also can be explained by the fact that the music originated from an ode. In Taiwanese culture, it is custom that respect comes with age. Thus, the most honored are those who have already passed away; in no way should a deceased person be negatively referred to, and ancestors are believed to return as ghosts who can do harm to mortal beings if not pleased. The formal, solemn atmosphere reflects this cultural custom of the importance of worshiping ancestors, because it contributes to the sincerity of the procession, so that the performers can show their greatest honor and respect to the ghost of Confucius.
This procession also reflects the enormous importance of worshiping the deceased in Taiwanese culture; many Taiwanese, even if they do not claim to be Buddhist or even follow any religion at all, still worship and pray to their own ancestors. Some of my Taiwanese friends who attended this ceremony claimed to be atheists, but still burned incense for the sake of Confucius’s ghost. They believe that ghosts of the dead do exist and that they can influence the living world. Although this might seem contradictory, I have speculated over the relationship of worshiping the dead and religion in Taiwanese culture, and have come to the conclusion that there is no connection, which is unlike the Western notion of praying as solely a religious act. Further evidencing this idea, my own relatives in
Furthermore, the traditional dress and instruments used in this performance reflect Taiwanese culture’s emphasis on the importance of history and heritage. There is a Chinese proverb, “飲水思源” (yin3 shui3 si4 yuan2), which can be translated to, “When you drink a glass of water, you must remember where the cup came from.” This proverb reminds us that we must remember our roots and the ancestors from which we came, which is a very important concept in Taiwanese culture. The ceremony’s music and dance has been passed down since the Ming Dynasty, and so the continuance of using traditional instruments and clothing indicates that we should remember where the custom’s roots.
The honoring of Confucius himself reflects the tremendous importance Taiwanese culture places on education. Taiwanese students, from the very beginning of their education, are under a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in school. From elementary school it is expected that after school, students also attend cram schools, so that a typical school-aged child will attend classes from morning until late night, six or even seven days a week. During junior high school, the pressure increases even more, as students must compete in high school entrance exams, and then later also in college entrance exams, which hugely influences their future chances of finding a stable career. In my own Chinese Language classes this past quarter, there was an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the process of entrance exams, and compared the examinees to “熱鐹上的螞蟻” (re4 guo3 shang4 de5 ma3 yi3), or, “ants on a hot pot,” with no where to seek safe refuge.
From the successful interpretation of these concepts, I can conclude from this report that Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model was a useful model as a basis for this study, because I was able to isolate certain behaviors, actions, and sounds that reflected specific concepts of the society in which it took place. I agree that society can shape the actions and behaviors of its people, and this case-study is a clear example. The ceremony was a success because the participants executed their concepts during the procession, and the crowd (as well as I) was sufficiently satisfied with the performance. Also, because the song and dance have remained the same over centuries, the participants knew how to carry out their actions and behaviors as to create a successful production. Thus, I conclude Merriam’s Tri-Partite Model accurately theorizes the production of music because it successfully acted as a guide that I could use as a basis for my study.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Essay: Taiwanese Aboriginal Music
Taiwanese Aboriginal Music
“When you lift your head to look at the moon, do you still feel moved? The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?”
-Biung (王宏恩), Moonlight (月光)
Throughout eons of change on this planet Earth, the moon’s daily path has remained a constant element in the night sky. The moon has thus in many societies become a symbol of eternity and solidarity – a constant, heavenly cycle that occurs regularly, regardless of the changes that mortal men inflict upon this Earth. For the aboriginal people of
Taiwanese aboriginals today face a society that considers them as low-class citizens. Their extent is now limited to the mountains and least-accessible portions of
To begin this discussion, a brief history of Taiwanese aborigines must be explained. The
In the 1600’s, the Han Chinese began migrating to
Under the influence of the foreign governments, the aborigine people were pushed further and further back both geographically and in terms of social status. They were referred to by the name of “番” which means “barbarians.” Many different discrimination techniques were used to force the aborigines to gradually assimilate Han and European cultural practices. For example, from 1946-1995, there was an official ban on aboriginal surnames, and it was necessary for aborigines to marry and take on a Han surname in order to become a “legitimate” member of society. This is because in Chinese culture, a Han surname is a credible link to the Yellow Emperor, the emperor who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese (Wikipedia “Yellow Emperor”). Most of the western lowland tribes are now nonexistent or reduced to a minimal population with no surviving spoken language. Aborigines today are still treated as low-class citizens, and only take part in a minimal percentage of Taiwanese governmental seats. Furthermore, in order for each tribe to gain official recognition by the Taiwanese government, they must go through an extensive petition to the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and so far only 14 out of 25 tribes have been successful. These restrictions and discriminations create hardships for the aborigine people in terms of every aspect of daily life. Recently, in the Taipei Times, there was an article describing A-mei aboriginals who had been forced to construct their homes out of abandoned materials outside of Taipei City because they could not afford to live in the city, only to be told by the government that their village must be demolished because it proposed a possible “flood threat” to other parts of Taipei (Iok-sin 1). Their people are constantly pushed to move from place to place, never able to settle into one stable lifestyle, and are merely seen as obstacles that can be gotten rid of if need be. Facing such societal discrimination, it is no wonder that the aborigines feel a need to educate others and spread an understanding of the importance behind their cultural identity.
However, the entire world is now facing an era of globalization and Westernization. How, in this drastically changing world, can the aborigine people conserve what their ancestors have passed down for generations? This is where their best-known talents, singing and dancing, come into play. In
To clarify, the terms “traditional” and “traditional aborigine” music in
Perhaps the most famous type of traditional aborigine music in the world of musicology is the eight-tone improvised polyphonic music of the Bunun tribe, “ba bu he yin” (八部合音) in Mandarin (literally, “eight-part combined sounds”). With respect to other aborigine tribes, the Bunun tribe has very few different types of dance and music because they have no unique instruments of their own,
but their tribe’s musical specialty is an improvised harmony of eight different pitches sung at once to create one giant, complex chord. Each singer listens carefully to the pitches of the singers around him, and sings his or her own tone so that it best matches the tones of others. This type of singing is completely unique to the Bunan tribe. The Bunun people originally lived in the northwestern plains of
Because aborigine festivals in their purest, most traditional forms are relatively rare and difficult to come across, I interviewed my roommate, who is a native Taiwanese, about a celebration that she had attended and taken part in. The celebration took place in the far-eastern part of Taiwan where the largest aboriginal tribe live, the A-mei tribe (阿美族). The interview questions (which were translated from Mandarin) are as followed:
- What are some major aborigine festivals or holidays?
- Where and when do they take place?
- What stories are connected to these celebrations?
- How are these celebrations carried out?
- Are these celebrations related to religion?
- What kind of music and dance accompany these celebrations?
- Are there any types of special instruments used in the music and dance?
- How often do you listen to aborigine music?
- Are there any particular aborigine artists that you listen to?
The members of the tribe wore traditional clothing, the main color being red, with shells and bells sewn onto the cloth, and often having very brightly colored decorations. Also, a person having a higher status would have more elaborate outfits with more decorations. The tribe performed a group dance with all members forming consecutive rings, with the oldest and most important members closest to the center. This arrangement reflects the importance of hierarchy in their society. The tribe leader as well as the oldest tribe members sat in chairs, comprising the innermost circle, and in general men comprised the inner circles while women comprised the outer circles. However, this arrangement seems to contradict the tribe’s matriarchal society, for it seems that the women would stand closer to the center. There must be an alternate explanation for this arrangement. Also, the men and women were divided by age, with the older people standing closer to the center and the younger people standing further out. The participants hold hands with the two people on either side of them to form rings of people. Other participants standing outside this dance formation play drums and other forms of percussion (although specific types of instruments were not mentioned).
When the music first began, the tribe leader acted as the lead singer and the rest of the participants would echo his melody, and the dancers swung their hands back and forth while stepping to one side in order to make the circle of people rotate. The call-and-echo structure of the songs also reflects the hierarchical society of the tribe, with the tribe leader having the first and most important voice. The tempo of the songs was moderately fast and carried a steady, unchanging beat. Additionally, one or two other people would move throughout the dance formation offering dancers alcohol that they poured into the same cup, and if offered, the dancer would have to immediately drink the entire cup in one gulp. There were many different songs performed, but mostly each song was composed of the same repeating melody. Finally, the men wear bags on their shoulders that they can offer to the women. The offer is seen as a sign of marriage proposal, and the woman can decide whether to accept or decline. My interviewee herself was able to participate in the dancing, but because her clothes were not traditional, the participants preferred that she stood in the outermost ring.
Song and dance such as the Harvest Festival celebrations and the polyphonal music of the Bunun tribe are such examples of traditional music that aborigines are attempting to keep alive. The recent movements to conserve a
borigine practices such as these have caused traditional musical performing groups to form. These groups cater to the Taiwanese majority, performing in concert halls that are far from the traditional villages and landscapes in which they originally took place. Currently, the most successful aboriginal performing musical group is the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe, comprised of young aborigine dancers and singers who perform traditional dances of their tribes such as tribal legend dances, love dances, rite of passage dances, war dances, daily work dances, and so on, striving to show people what has been passed down by their ancestors for thousands of years (Yi 1). The Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe was created in 1991, and since their debut has gained so much success that they have been invited to perform in countries all over the world.
Additionally, my interviewee expressed that she does not listen to aborigine music on a regular basis, but does listen to aborigine pop stars such as A-mei (阿美) of the Puyama tribe and Biung (王宏恩) of the Bunan tribe. A-mei sings in Mandarin, whereas Biung sings in the Bunun aboriginal language. There are also several aborigine music radio stations available; however, my interviewee expressed that she would “probably not” listen to the radio stations on a regular basis because she does not understand aborigine dialects; thus, another question that comes to mind is the difficulty in preserving an aborigine culture when their dialects are not practical for mainstream societal use. However, with Biung’s popularity, he has obviously overcome this barrier, although it seems that A-mei’s name is more widely recognized than Biung’s, especially among the high school and college populations.
Aborigine-pop-fusion style music provides a medium in which people of the mainstream society can more easily appreciate aborigine sounds and elements but still enjoy the style of popular music that they are more accustomed to. To many, pure aboriginal chants and songs may sound too foreign to their ears to completely accept. However, by combining styles, the end result is a set of sounds that might feel more comfortable to the listener. For example, in Biung’s Moonlight, he combines his own vocal melody, sung in Bunun dialect, with guitar accompaniment, a Western instrument. Also, most aboriginal chants tend to repeat the same phrase or phrases, but Biung’s Moonlight is in an AAB1B2A song format (sung twice, separated by a bridge), which is the most common format for Western pop songs.
In Biung’s Moonlight, he sings about needing to hold on to memories of the past in times of loss or despair. The original lyrics of the song were translated into Chinese in the album booklet, which I have translated into English below:
Even though we have lost our dependence
We must still feel happy
Because we still have the moon.
Even though we lost the place where we have a foothold
We must still feel comfort
Because we still have hope.
In you heart there is still some meaning.
In your heart there is still a slip of memory.
When you lift your head to look at the moon, are you still moved?
The words your ancestors spoke, are they still in your heart?
Biung’s words are a message to his people, that in these times of drastic change, they must not forget the roots and history from which they come. They must cherish their traditions, their cultures, their dignity, for it is what makes up their very being. They must not forget their ancestors and the practices that have been handed down for millennia. His words encourage a sense of pride in their aboriginal heritage, in opposition to the harsh discrimination against their identity that they may receive. His words are also a message to the rest of the Taiwanese population, as well as to the rest of the world, that no matter how much oppression and discrimination they have received, they will not forget the roots from which they came. Biung’s song is made of simple melody and composition, but yet, its meaning is deep with the pain and struggle of the aborigine people.
In conclusion, music, which is naturally an essential element in the lives of Taiwanese aborigines, has now become a medium for promoting the preservation of aborigine identity. It is not only an inherited tradition, it is also means for communication to the outside world. The aborigines have applied this method successfully to a certain degree, as evidenced by the influence of aborigine music in Taiwanese pop culture, as well as the success of cultural performance groups such as the Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe. However, the most important lesson that we can glean from this study is that the responsibility does not solely rely on the aborigine population to preserve their culture, but on each non-aboriginal as well, for we must learn to look past the stereotypes and negative images that are created. Instead of looking down on differences from what we know, we must learn to appreciate and understand them, and only then can the aborigine population achieve success in their endeavor for self-preservation. The duty lies on each and every one of us.
Bibliography
“Taiwanese Aborigines.” 19 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_aborigine>.
“Yellow Emperor.” 30 Nov. 2008. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. [Accessed 31 Nov. 2008]
Iok-sin, Loa. “Aborigines Protest Demolition Notice.”
Yi, Ho. “Preserving the Bounty of
Video Links:
Polyphonal music of the Bunan tribe
Harvest festival of the A-mei tribe in Hualien, Taiwan
Sunday, October 5, 2008
改變自己
I am posting one of my absolute FAVORITE Taiwanese songs here! It is called, "改變自己," or "Change Me," by 王力宏 (Wang Li Hong). I translated the lyrics from Chinese to English myself... it doesn't sound quite as good in English, but I think it still gets the message across... a little bit of change can go a long way, and if we each try a little to improve ourselves, together, we can make a change in this world for the better. I think it is an awesome song. Here are the Chinese and English lyrics, as well as a link to the youtube music video!
Click here to see the music video!
改變自己
詞曲:王力宏
今早起床了
看鏡子裡的我
忽然發現我的髮型睡的有點KUSO
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的力量也能改變世界
最近比較煩
最近情緒很Down
每天看新聞都會很想大聲尖叫
但髒話沒用
大家只會嫌兇
我改變自己發現大有不同
新一代的朋友我們
好好的加油
大家一起大聲說
Na Na Na Na Na~
我可以改變世界
改變自己 改變龜毛 改變小氣
要一直 努力努力 永不放棄
才可以 改變世界
C'mon 改變自己
今早起床了
覺得頭有點痛
可能是二氧化碳太多 氧氣不夠
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的熱情也能改變世界
只能代表自己
沒有政治立場
即使這世界讓我看得十分緊張
要調整自己
恩~
沒想到一點就能 畫龍點睛
English translation:
I find Wang Li-Hong especially amazing because like me, he is an American-born Taiwanese (aka ABC). Although he was fluent in Taiwanese since a young child, he did not begin learning Mandarin until he was 18 (last year I could not tell from his singing voice that he is an ABC, but I can tell the difference now... I think his dancing style is also much more Western). He was a musical prodigy and attended Williams College to pursue music academically. He signed his first record label in Taiwan while visiting relatives in 1995, and this particular song (改變自己) came out July 13, 2007. Wang Li-Hong is a great inspiration because he began learning Mandarin so late in life, and now, he is completely fluent, writes his own songs, and is one of the big singing stars all throughout Asia. The fact that he started studying Chinese so late in life ~ and is still so successful ~ gives me much motivation to study hard while I am here!
Click here to see the music video!
改變自己
詞曲:王力宏
今早起床了
看鏡子裡的我
忽然發現我的髮型睡的有點KUSO
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的力量也能改變世界
最近比較煩
最近情緒很Down
每天看新聞都會很想大聲尖叫
但髒話沒用
大家只會嫌兇
我改變自己發現大有不同
新一代的朋友我們
好好的加油
大家一起大聲說
Na Na Na Na Na~
我可以改變世界
改變自己 改變龜毛 改變小氣
要一直 努力努力 永不放棄
才可以 改變世界
C'mon 改變自己
今早起床了
覺得頭有點痛
可能是二氧化碳太多 氧氣不夠
一點點改變
有很大的差別
你我的熱情也能改變世界
只能代表自己
沒有政治立場
即使這世界讓我看得十分緊張
要調整自己
恩~
沒想到一點就能 畫龍點睛
English translation:
“Change Me”
by Wang Li Hong
Today when I got out of bed
I saw myself in the mirror
And suddenly discovered that when I slept my hairdo got a little funny
A little bit of change
Makes a lot of difference
Together, our strength can also change the world
Recently times have been bad
Recently my feelings have been down
Every day when I watch the news I feel like screeching out loud
But bad language doesn’t have a use
Everyone only criticizes
I changed myself and discovered that I became totally different
The new generation’s people
We must work harder
Everybody shout together
Na Na Na Na Na~
I can change the world
Change myself, change my perfectionism, change my stinginess,
Must continuously strive and never give up
In order to change the world
C’mon, change yourself
Today when I got out of bed
My head was in a little bit of pain
It was probably too much carbon dioxide, not enough oxygen
A little bit of change
Makes a big difference
Our passion can also change the world
We are obligated to represent ourselves
There is no political position
Even if this world makes me completely anxious
You have to revise yourself
Yeah~
You never thought that a little bit change could make such a difference.
I find Wang Li-Hong especially amazing because like me, he is an American-born Taiwanese (aka ABC). Although he was fluent in Taiwanese since a young child, he did not begin learning Mandarin until he was 18 (last year I could not tell from his singing voice that he is an ABC, but I can tell the difference now... I think his dancing style is also much more Western). He was a musical prodigy and attended Williams College to pursue music academically. He signed his first record label in Taiwan while visiting relatives in 1995, and this particular song (改變自己) came out July 13, 2007. Wang Li-Hong is a great inspiration because he began learning Mandarin so late in life, and now, he is completely fluent, writes his own songs, and is one of the big singing stars all throughout Asia. The fact that he started studying Chinese so late in life ~ and is still so successful ~ gives me much motivation to study hard while I am here!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
演講稿: Speech Competition Essay
I am participating in the 2008 Annual Speech Competition at ChengDa, here is my final speech as revised by my Chinese Language teacher. I am in the process of memorizing it, the speech is to be held on October 15. Here are both the Chinese and English versions of my speech:
各位評審、各位現場的來賓大家好，我是來自政治大學的陳明珠。
今天我要演講的題目是:我為什麼想要學中文。
我是一個美國的華僑，從小在美國出生、長大。我的雙親是台灣人。當年，他們在美國相識、相戀，結婚以後，生下了我和哥哥。
在我小的時候，每個星期天，媽媽都帶我到中文學校去學中文，當時的我非常討厭到中文學校去。我無法理解為什麼我的同學們只需要說英文，他們週末時可以安排自己的活動，我不但要學二種語言，而且還要犧牲我的週末時光。再加上，我當時的中文老師就是我的媽媽，如果我在課堂上表現得不好的話，媽媽會非常生氣。我明白媽媽要我學中文的用意，但是當時的我，每週都在課堂上畫圖，一回家就把書包丟在角落。完全無法吸收任何的內容。
我今年20歲，頭腦也不像以前一樣那麼好了，為什麼我卻在這個時候選擇了學中文呢?(停頓)當我第一次來台灣的時候，當時我就深深地感受到中文的重要性。我有許多親戚是土生土長的台灣人，我去年造訪台灣時，我居住在台南的舅舅家中，每天沉浸在中文的環境裡，除了每天必須說中文以外，我還體會出一個道理，那就是身分與認同的問題。我是美國的台灣人，我認為雖然我在美國出生、長大，但我的身上流台灣人的血，我的身體裡有台灣人的基因，我和所有的台灣人一樣，我們都有相同的膚色、頭髮。所以我也要努力地學會中文才行。
當我在海邊散步時，我走在媽媽年輕時所走過的路，當我坐火車旅行時，我看到爸爸年輕時所看過的風景，在回憶過往的同時，我看到了爺爺奶奶、我看到了爸爸媽媽，我也看到了我自己。
家人之間的凝聚力，對我來說有種特別的意義，雖然跟台灣的親人真正相處的時間不多，但他們所給予我的卻是滿滿的愛，讓我覺得台灣才是我真正的家。美國是我成長的地方，那裡雖然有著我熟悉的一切，卻沒有爸爸媽媽成長的痕跡。我覺得自己像是一片漂流在外的葉子，隨時等待著落葉歸根。
雖然我有雙重身分，但這不曾對我造成任何困擾，我反而珍惜這樣一個特別的機會，讓我能夠學習兩種語言、兩種文化。我最大的願望是，能讓我的下一代在所有親人的關愛中成長，家人彼此能夠凝聚在一起。現在我一個字一個字慢慢地學，一個句子一個句子慢慢地練。過程雖然辛苦，但是鐵杵也能磨成繡花針，相信總有一天我一定可以把中文學好，到那個時候，我就可以用流利的中文跟我的孩子介紹這個美麗的寶島，台灣。
---------------------------------------------------
Prompt: Why do you want to study Chinese?
I am here in
I am a Taiwanese-American. My parents were both born and raised in
So why now when I am already 20 years old and my brain has already lost its plasticity for language am I only finally beginning to study Mandarin? What made me change my mind about learning Chinese? I guess my feelings really started to change when I came to
My father has two brothers here in
The strength of family bond is an interesting one. Though I have been separated from my relatives my entire life by distance, it only took a short period of time for me to feel like
In the end, I must not rest on this issue of which place I belong or what country suits me best: for me, I should appreciate that I have both worlds to live in. I can live and function in American culture and have no problem, and also, I can come to
---------------------------------------------------
It's a little bit nervewracking memorizing a speech in Chinese... I've never done this before, but I think it will be a good experience!
Click here for a Youtube link of my performance in the national competition at Sun-Yut Sen Memorial Hall.
Click here to see results of the competition in the National Chengchi University online newspaper.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
TYPHOON!!!!!!!!
The typhoon is starting... the wind gusts are REALLY crazy, it looks like it's raining horizontally!!! I was just out on the dorm porch (there is a big overhang) looking watching the weather... but apparently it's not THAT bad yet (although I am slightly terrified), people are still venturing out to 7-11 to stock up on food. The poor little dog that always sleeps on our dorm porch is just hanging out there, maybe by the end of the day he will come inside.
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