Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Identity Crisis
As soon as my husband and I decided to live in America 5 years ago, I started stocking up Chinese outfits, fearing that I might not be able to buy any stylish, reasonably priced Min Naap, traditional Chinese silk-lined jacket, in the U.S.
At first I didn't give much thought to this seemingly silly past-time. But one day, while I was shopping in Wanchai for a nice min naap with my friend Madam Lau, she asked, "Are you having an identity crisis?"
Obviously unprepared for such a deep question, I looked at her and couldn't think of an answer. After about 30 seconds, I told her calmly, "Probably."
This strong sense of lost and confusion kept lingering in my mind after I moved to California. As an English major at college, I was trained to keep asking myself the question, "who am I?" But this became increasingly hard to answer in the first 2 years that I came to the U.S.
I was in the process of getting a green card, so I can't work. I didn't drive (I didn't have a HK driver's license & no green card. So it was impossible for me to get a U.S. driver's license.), and so I was very confined geographically. Almost all my new friends are friends of my husband's. I knew they knew my name and everything, but I have no doubt that I'm nothing more than "Gary's wife."
And then, I had my baby. I started making some friends of my own, though still not working. I was promoted from "Gary's wife" to "Genghis' mom." During this time, I was quite lost, though not unhappy. (Honey, if you're reading this, I'm not complaining!)
Not until I started my first job in San Francisco did I finally re-establish my identity. I was lucky enough to find a job at an advertising agency that not only allowed me to write in Chinese, but also let me bond with quite a few gals from Hong Kong. I felt totally alive. I had a job I liked a lot and girlfriends that I enjoy hanging out with. I stopped thinking about my identity because I knew who I was.
Less than a year later, my husband got a great offer in Texas, and my prospect of getting a decent job there seemed pretty promising. We decided to give it a try.
Once here, I started thinking about who I am all over again.
I'm Chinese. Yes - but I'm obviously differnt from most Chinese around here because I'm not from the mainland. We grew up in totally different cultural environment.
I speak fluent Mandarin (or, more accurately, Putonghua), but with an unmistakable Hongkong accent. I might get by if it's a simple and brief conversation. However, most of the time, as soon as we get to the tenth sentence or so, my mainland Chinese acquaintance will ask me where I'm from.
And, I'm definitely not an American. I speak the language, know the culture well enough, and even married to one. But I am NOT an American. So who am I really?
I still don't know the full extent of the answer to this question, but I'm trying, little by little, to come to terms with who I am, and try to use this to my advantage. I don't need to be just like the other person. I can be more than the other person.
I'm Chinese, but more specifically, I'm a Hongkie. I understand the Chinese culture as well as the western culture. I speak and write two of the most used languages in the world. I had been working in one of the most fast-paced work environment in the world - the media industry in Hong Kong. I can handle any extent of stress in any kind of work environment, I believe.
I'm old enough to appreciate traditions and history, but not too old to learn the new.
I'm a wife, a mom, a daughter, and a sister. And, most important of all, I'm a writer. This is probably how I found and re-discover my identity.
I write, therefore I am. Thank god for the blogosphere.
At first I didn't give much thought to this seemingly silly past-time. But one day, while I was shopping in Wanchai for a nice min naap with my friend Madam Lau, she asked, "Are you having an identity crisis?"
Obviously unprepared for such a deep question, I looked at her and couldn't think of an answer. After about 30 seconds, I told her calmly, "Probably."
This strong sense of lost and confusion kept lingering in my mind after I moved to California. As an English major at college, I was trained to keep asking myself the question, "who am I?" But this became increasingly hard to answer in the first 2 years that I came to the U.S.
I was in the process of getting a green card, so I can't work. I didn't drive (I didn't have a HK driver's license & no green card. So it was impossible for me to get a U.S. driver's license.), and so I was very confined geographically. Almost all my new friends are friends of my husband's. I knew they knew my name and everything, but I have no doubt that I'm nothing more than "Gary's wife."
And then, I had my baby. I started making some friends of my own, though still not working. I was promoted from "Gary's wife" to "Genghis' mom." During this time, I was quite lost, though not unhappy. (Honey, if you're reading this, I'm not complaining!)
Not until I started my first job in San Francisco did I finally re-establish my identity. I was lucky enough to find a job at an advertising agency that not only allowed me to write in Chinese, but also let me bond with quite a few gals from Hong Kong. I felt totally alive. I had a job I liked a lot and girlfriends that I enjoy hanging out with. I stopped thinking about my identity because I knew who I was.
Less than a year later, my husband got a great offer in Texas, and my prospect of getting a decent job there seemed pretty promising. We decided to give it a try.
Once here, I started thinking about who I am all over again.
I'm Chinese. Yes - but I'm obviously differnt from most Chinese around here because I'm not from the mainland. We grew up in totally different cultural environment.
I speak fluent Mandarin (or, more accurately, Putonghua), but with an unmistakable Hongkong accent. I might get by if it's a simple and brief conversation. However, most of the time, as soon as we get to the tenth sentence or so, my mainland Chinese acquaintance will ask me where I'm from.
And, I'm definitely not an American. I speak the language, know the culture well enough, and even married to one. But I am NOT an American. So who am I really?
I still don't know the full extent of the answer to this question, but I'm trying, little by little, to come to terms with who I am, and try to use this to my advantage. I don't need to be just like the other person. I can be more than the other person.
I'm Chinese, but more specifically, I'm a Hongkie. I understand the Chinese culture as well as the western culture. I speak and write two of the most used languages in the world. I had been working in one of the most fast-paced work environment in the world - the media industry in Hong Kong. I can handle any extent of stress in any kind of work environment, I believe.
I'm old enough to appreciate traditions and history, but not too old to learn the new.
I'm a wife, a mom, a daughter, and a sister. And, most important of all, I'm a writer. This is probably how I found and re-discover my identity.
I write, therefore I am. Thank god for the blogosphere.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
明抄與暗偷
看了網友 readandeat 昨天的文章, 也想湊湊熱鬧, 評評道理.
首先, 未經別人同意下抄人文章經已無恥之極, 被人揭發了還要死口不認, 砌詞狡辯, 說受害人應答謝她慧眼識英雄, 文章才得以有幸出版. 世上竟有如斯無賴!
可幸有其他網友聲援 (詳見以下相關文章連結), 把這醜事張揚, 壞人自知理虧, 再無面目示眾, 唯有將自己的網誌關門大吉, 逃之夭夭.
其實 "抄" 別人佳作並不是甚麼彌天大罪, 只要得原作者允許, 或是清楚註明出處便是了, 我稱之為 "明抄". 古今中外, 明抄的創作人比比皆是, 就是大文豪莎士比亞也曾改編不少別人的劇本.
近年也有不少荷李活電影是改編自外國劇本的. 快將上影, 由 Catherine Zeta Jones 主演的 "No Reservations" 便是改編自數年前的德國電影 "Bella Martha". 就是已入殿堂級的馬田史高西斯, 也垂青劉偉強的 "無間道" 而把之改編為由貝奧李安立度主演的 "The Departed". 再舊一點的還有改自 Wim Wenders "柏林穹蒼下" 的 "City of Angels". 雖然我一向都覺得荷李活改編的電影總不及原著細膩, 但能夠引起更多人對原著的興趣, 也未嘗不是好事.
反之, 明目張膽拿取人家作品當作己出的 "暗偷", 便萬萬不能容忍. 要知道每個人創作出來的都是他/她的點點心血, 若果由別人隨意撿來掛上他人名字, 那跟強姦拐帶又有啥分別?
整件事教我最不能理解的是, 寫網誌純屬個人興趣, 想到要寫的事情便寫, 沒有的便罷就, 何苦要去偷呢? 而且我有幸在當時人除下網誌之前看過她其他文章, 正如另一位網友怒火媽媽所說, 她的文筆也有點水準, 用不著要抄人家的嘛!
首先, 未經別人同意下抄人文章經已無恥之極, 被人揭發了還要死口不認, 砌詞狡辯, 說受害人應答謝她慧眼識英雄, 文章才得以有幸出版. 世上竟有如斯無賴!
可幸有其他網友聲援 (詳見以下相關文章連結), 把這醜事張揚, 壞人自知理虧, 再無面目示眾, 唯有將自己的網誌關門大吉, 逃之夭夭.
其實 "抄" 別人佳作並不是甚麼彌天大罪, 只要得原作者允許, 或是清楚註明出處便是了, 我稱之為 "明抄". 古今中外, 明抄的創作人比比皆是, 就是大文豪莎士比亞也曾改編不少別人的劇本.
近年也有不少荷李活電影是改編自外國劇本的. 快將上影, 由 Catherine Zeta Jones 主演的 "No Reservations" 便是改編自數年前的德國電影 "Bella Martha". 就是已入殿堂級的馬田史高西斯, 也垂青劉偉強的 "無間道" 而把之改編為由貝奧李安立度主演的 "The Departed". 再舊一點的還有改自 Wim Wenders "柏林穹蒼下" 的 "City of Angels". 雖然我一向都覺得荷李活改編的電影總不及原著細膩, 但能夠引起更多人對原著的興趣, 也未嘗不是好事.
反之, 明目張膽拿取人家作品當作己出的 "暗偷", 便萬萬不能容忍. 要知道每個人創作出來的都是他/她的點點心血, 若果由別人隨意撿來掛上他人名字, 那跟強姦拐帶又有啥分別?
整件事教我最不能理解的是, 寫網誌純屬個人興趣, 想到要寫的事情便寫, 沒有的便罷就, 何苦要去偷呢? 而且我有幸在當時人除下網誌之前看過她其他文章, 正如另一位網友怒火媽媽所說, 她的文筆也有點水準, 用不著要抄人家的嘛!
早前在新春秋網站看到堂堂香港廣告商會五十年誌慶的海報原來是偷自美藉攝影師 Phillipe Toledano 的傑作, 震驚之餘只有無奈. 若果連打正旗號主張創作的機構也是偷得無厭的鼠輩, 香港人的創作前景也就相當堪虞了!
相關文章:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
憶九龍皇帝: 陳年舊詩一則
這詩寫於十多年前, 昨天閱報得悉曾灶財的死訊, 想起這詩有點反映他的生平 (雖然寫的時候不是以他作描繪對象的), 所以在此不要臉公開詩作, 以表示我對皇上的一點敬意.
A Monologue
Alone.
Betrayed.
Cannot cry, cannot
Die. Look at my
Eyes! There's
Fire inside! I have
Gallantry. I have pride.
Heaven knows I do.
I'm a great hero, though now in this
Jail I lie. Yet
Knave shall never be my name.
Loyalty lives within
Me.
No. Never.
O how can I surrender to these
People! They keep asking me these stupid
Questions. When
R they going to under-
Stand? Wait! It's them!
There comes the people again.
Unwelcome by me, they flee and come back for
Vengance.
What is it that they're injecting to me? No, no...
X-cape! Run! I tell myself. But
Y? I can't. I..feel...so...dizzy...
ZZZZZZ...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
China's Food Safety: From Fake Buns to Fake News
One of the hottest topics in China now is the cardboard buns hoax (see translated article on ESWN). Ever since this was exposed last week, the media's attention has been turning from food safety problem to media ethics. The question now is no longer simply about what businessmen are willing to do to make larger profits, but what journalists would do to come up with sensational stories.
Unethical journalists making up stories is nothing new. It happens not only in China. The most recent example I could remember is a New York Times reporter named Jayson Blair who made up over 30 inaccurate/fake stories for his publication.
What makes the fake buns story so shocking is that it was published at a time when China's food safety is becoming a global concern. Sad but true, those who've been in China long enough will not be surprised to find any imaginable/unimaginable kinds of fake Chinese food. I grew up hearing so much about wines and spirits made with industrial alcohol, fake ginseng, fake medicine and oiments, soy sauce with human hair, etc. You name it. So when the fake buns story was shown on TV, people were shocked, but not really.
And now that the Beijing government came out and announced that the story was fake, a lot of people were even more shocked: would this be a cover-up from the government? The logic is not difficult to understand. If the cardboard bun story is fake, then this revelation of the story being fake can possibly be fake, too.
And, that, my friend, is exactly the power of the media.
We've grown numb about poor quality food produced in China. Nothing surprises us any more. But the truth is all these many cases of toxic food comprise only a small percentage of food produced in China. We see China-manufactured food as low quality food because we have seen too many stories about it in the media. There's an article on New York Times recently that demonstrates this. Mexico and India export way more sub-standard food to the U.S. than China does.
Having said that, I'm not saying it's okay for China to continue to produce bad food. As a matter of fact, every time I hear about food safety problems in China, I feel really bad, ashamed a lot of times. I believe it is the media's responsibility to let the public know about these issues, so the government will pay more attention and try to fix these problems. On the other hand, it is equally important for the media to present news in an objective and unbiased manner, so we can see both sides of the problem.
Fake buns or not, I'll still buy Chinese food products at our local Chinese market. I just need to be more careful and buy only those by reputed manufacturers. Afterall, as the Chinese saying goes, you can't chop off your toes to avoid the worms, can you?
Interesting Article
This is an article from People's Daily Online today - so now China is publicly recognizing their use of culture as their soft power.
07:56, July 25, 2007
China's top advisory body holds seminar on "soft power"China's top advisory body on Tuesday held a seminar on building the country's "soft power" with an emphasis on cultural development.
"Cultural development, a main theme in building a country's soft power, plays a significant role in enhancing comprehensive national power," said Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Jia said that cultural development, which is to serve the overall building of a well-off society and building socialism with Chinese characteristics, is required to gain an upper hand in the international arena and maintain national unity.
The top advisor called for an overall construction of the socialist core value system so as to encourage the entire society to move forward with solidarity, and called for the development of cultural industry so as to meet the public's various cultural demand.
Jia also stressed the importance of promoting the elite part of Chinese culture and making it worldwide.
Political advisors of all levels should make their efforts to contribute to the cultural development "by bringing into full play their own advantages."
Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and State Councilor Chen Zhili attended the seminar with officials, experts and members of non-Communist parties.
Source: Xinhua
07:56, July 25, 2007
China's top advisory body holds seminar on "soft power"China's top advisory body on Tuesday held a seminar on building the country's "soft power" with an emphasis on cultural development.
"Cultural development, a main theme in building a country's soft power, plays a significant role in enhancing comprehensive national power," said Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Jia said that cultural development, which is to serve the overall building of a well-off society and building socialism with Chinese characteristics, is required to gain an upper hand in the international arena and maintain national unity.
The top advisor called for an overall construction of the socialist core value system so as to encourage the entire society to move forward with solidarity, and called for the development of cultural industry so as to meet the public's various cultural demand.
Jia also stressed the importance of promoting the elite part of Chinese culture and making it worldwide.
Political advisors of all levels should make their efforts to contribute to the cultural development "by bringing into full play their own advantages."
Liu Yunshan, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and State Councilor Chen Zhili attended the seminar with officials, experts and members of non-Communist parties.
Source: Xinhua
Monday, July 16, 2007
酷密碼
2D Barcode
(彩色圖片轉載自Ogilvy Digital Watch)我雖不至於是科技盲, 但對一切嶄新科技往往後知後覺. 今天剛於Ogilvy Digital Watch看到這篇文章, 才認識到甚麼是2D Barcode, 驚嘆設計師們竟能將沉悶的數據式樣變成如上圖的精彩圖象!這些酷得緊要的graphics,不僅是我們不久將來讀取資訊的主要途徑之一, 我看更會成為Pop Art的一大潮流.
日本及韓國的一些品牌已開始利用這些密碼圖象作商品推廣. 只要你用手機把barcode攝下, 手機中預設的程式便會將它解碼, 然後自動將商品的資料傳送到你的手機, 這些資料可以是網站或文字訊息, 而barcode的來源則可以是商品的標籤, 報刋上廣告, 甚至是T恤的圖案!
我們的未來, 不是愈看愈像多拉A夢的超現實世界了嗎?
Friday, July 13, 2007
China's Soft Power
I'm reading the book Charm Offensive: China's Soft Power Is Transforming The World because this soft power discussion has apparently been going on for quite a while, and I want to know more about it. I haven't finished the book yet so I'm not going to talk about it here. What I'm interested to talk about, though, is how the Chinese government is using the Confucius Institute (CI) as a soft power tool, and how Western countries perceive it.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the project, allow me to give a brief intro here. The CI is a language and cultural education center financed by the Chinese government via the Office of Chinese Language International (Hanban), an executive arm of the Minstry of Education. The CI is somewhat similar to the British Council and Alliance Francaise. The key difference is that the CI usually partners with a foreign institution and a Chinese university, so that the foreign institution will provide program development, the Chinese university to send faculty, and Hanban to give financial support.
The first CI was opened in Seoul, Korea in November 2004. Since then, CI's have been sprouting from all corners of the Earth: Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The original goal of Hanban is to open up 100 CI's by 2010. However, the response has been so overwhelming that right now, there are already over 150 CI's around the globe, 20 of them in the U.S.
As a Chinese, I found this very encouraging. But some critics in the West think that China is using this as a soft power tool to win over the world. There has been media reports in Canada suggesting that the CI is one of China's many spy operations, and that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had confirmed that they're looking closely at China's activities in Canada. In other Western countries, some people claim that the CI is a meticulously calculated soft power project of China's. Some even go on to say that universities in the West are giving in their integrity for the financial support.
Say what?
First of all, China is not the first nor is it the only country to set up cultural education centers in foreign countries. Like I mentioned earlier, the Brits and the French are doing this, too. So how come this conspiracy theory only applies to China? To be fair, all the CI's are in partnership with foreign instittutions. If there is no partner, the project does not work. And, if this is really China's spy operation, would anyone be stupid enough to "sell" their own country like that? And if someone really does betray their country, shouldn't that person also be to blame?
As for those who give up their integrity for money, well, that's probably half true. It takes fundings to run new programs, which, especially in the case of public universities, is always hard to come by. And, since the demand of Chinese language courses are in such high demands, it is only natural for universities to create and expand their Chinese class offerings. It would be really hard for administrators to say no to free money. Integrity? It's a hard balancing act.
My only regret on this is that if the excessive money that China is pouring into these countries only winds up in negative criticism, Beijing might as well send that chunk of money to the extremely poor in the farming villages all over China.
All these so-called soft power tools are no more than PR stunts from the central government. Beijing realizes that the negative image China has overseas, and so they're trying to do something about it. Since everybody is saying China is the next Super Power, they can't just let their country's name go down the drain.
From a PR perspective, China is really doing the right thing. From politicians to movie stars, automobile to designer labels, who is not trying hard to get good PR? China is doing exactly that. Whether or not you like it, it's up to you. And, hey, it's not like it's the first time that China is playing propaganda. So why the shock?
Isn't America also a fan of soft power? Hollywood and Disney are using their soft power every day. The only problem is Bush's negative image has ruined all their good work.
It's too early to say if China's soft power is working. Time will definitely tell.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the project, allow me to give a brief intro here. The CI is a language and cultural education center financed by the Chinese government via the Office of Chinese Language International (Hanban), an executive arm of the Minstry of Education. The CI is somewhat similar to the British Council and Alliance Francaise. The key difference is that the CI usually partners with a foreign institution and a Chinese university, so that the foreign institution will provide program development, the Chinese university to send faculty, and Hanban to give financial support.
The first CI was opened in Seoul, Korea in November 2004. Since then, CI's have been sprouting from all corners of the Earth: Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The original goal of Hanban is to open up 100 CI's by 2010. However, the response has been so overwhelming that right now, there are already over 150 CI's around the globe, 20 of them in the U.S.
As a Chinese, I found this very encouraging. But some critics in the West think that China is using this as a soft power tool to win over the world. There has been media reports in Canada suggesting that the CI is one of China's many spy operations, and that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had confirmed that they're looking closely at China's activities in Canada. In other Western countries, some people claim that the CI is a meticulously calculated soft power project of China's. Some even go on to say that universities in the West are giving in their integrity for the financial support.
Say what?
First of all, China is not the first nor is it the only country to set up cultural education centers in foreign countries. Like I mentioned earlier, the Brits and the French are doing this, too. So how come this conspiracy theory only applies to China? To be fair, all the CI's are in partnership with foreign instittutions. If there is no partner, the project does not work. And, if this is really China's spy operation, would anyone be stupid enough to "sell" their own country like that? And if someone really does betray their country, shouldn't that person also be to blame?
As for those who give up their integrity for money, well, that's probably half true. It takes fundings to run new programs, which, especially in the case of public universities, is always hard to come by. And, since the demand of Chinese language courses are in such high demands, it is only natural for universities to create and expand their Chinese class offerings. It would be really hard for administrators to say no to free money. Integrity? It's a hard balancing act.
My only regret on this is that if the excessive money that China is pouring into these countries only winds up in negative criticism, Beijing might as well send that chunk of money to the extremely poor in the farming villages all over China.
All these so-called soft power tools are no more than PR stunts from the central government. Beijing realizes that the negative image China has overseas, and so they're trying to do something about it. Since everybody is saying China is the next Super Power, they can't just let their country's name go down the drain.
From a PR perspective, China is really doing the right thing. From politicians to movie stars, automobile to designer labels, who is not trying hard to get good PR? China is doing exactly that. Whether or not you like it, it's up to you. And, hey, it's not like it's the first time that China is playing propaganda. So why the shock?
Isn't America also a fan of soft power? Hollywood and Disney are using their soft power every day. The only problem is Bush's negative image has ruined all their good work.
It's too early to say if China's soft power is working. Time will definitely tell.
中國軟功
說的不是甚麼少林武功, 而是最近人人都在談論的中國外交軟功 (Soft Power), 我在半工半私的情況下, 也在讀Charm Offensive: How China's Soft Power Is Transforming The World. 書只讀了一半, 暫不好作評論, 我倒想談談其中提到的孔子學院.
對孔子學院不太熟悉的朋友, 請容我在此略作介紹. 孔子學院是中國政府透過教育部旗下的國家漢語國際推廣領導小組辦公室 (簡稱漢辦) 資助在世界各地開設的語言及文化教育中心, 形式有點像英國文化協會 (British Council) 及法國文化協會 (Alliance Francaise), 不同的是孔子學院一般都是跟國內及國外的大學合作, 由外地大學作項目發展, 內地大學提供師資, 而漢辦則作財力上的支援.
第一所孔子學院於2004年11月在韓國漢城成立, 之後便陸續在歐, 美, 加拿大, 澳洲, 亞洲, 中東, 蘇聯, 以至非洲等地建立孔子學院. 漢辦最初的目標是希望在2010年在全球開設100間孔子學院, 但由於反應熱烈, 目前己有150多間孔子學院遍佈各地, 當中約20間在美國.
身為中國人, 我對這推廣中華文化的計劃大表支持, 但有人認為中國這下軟功, 是要借外人之手來替京城製造光明盛世的假象. 加拿大有媒介報導評擊孔子學院乃中共政府在西方國家的眾多間諜行動之一, 而且加拿大情布局 (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) 更公開表明他們正在密切監察中國在當地的活動. 歐美也有學者指出孔子學院是中國近年苦心經營的軟功策略之重點項目, 有人更大力指責美國一些大學為了取得北京的資助, 不惜出賣尊嚴向中國獻媚云云.
我看後的第一反應是: 吓, 唔係下話?!
首先, 中國不是第一個在國外開設文化教育中心的國家, 正如前述, 英, 法等國也在世界各地開設了多間官方文化及語言教育中心. 但為何從來沒有人以陰謀論指責英法兩國? 再者, 孔子學院是以合夥形式與外地機構合辦的, 沒有人願意合作便開設不成. 若然北京真的以此作為間諜中心, 那老外們也是自己招狼入室, 怪不了人.
至於那些大學是否為了五斗米而折腰, 大概也有一半是說對了, 畢竟開辦新課程需要本錢, 現今全球學中文的風氣吹得正盛, 開設或增設中文課是在所難免, 如今有人自動送錢過來, 校方當然求之不得, 就是要稍為紓尊降貴, 也無話可說罷. 我反而是慨嘆中央政府這樣大開水喉給老外送錢還要受氣, 倒不如拿去救濟一下長年不夠温飽的農村居民!
其實這些所謂軟勢力, 我看不過是中共的公關手腕吧! 中央政府深明中國在外地的形象不討好, 而如今人人都說中國是最新冒起的超强國Super Power, 北京當然不希望人前人後被人說閒話, 有失國體, 所以便站出來為自己說點好話了. 我自己是做公關出身的, 認為此舉並無不可. 上至政客明星, 下至汽車時裝, 個個都在努力搞好公關, 自我宣傳. 中國也不過是想為自己擦亮招牌, 替PRC這brandname搞好形象而已, 受與不受, 貴客自決. 況且Propaganda不正是中共一直以來都愛玩的把戲嗎? 大家着實用不着大驚少怪.
美國何常不是愛玩軟功之流? 荷李活, 廸士尼等不也是在時刻發動軟功嗎? 只是近年布殊聲望大跌, 花旗軟功不再奏效罷了.
至於中國耍軟功是否到家, 現在還言之過早. 老套點講句, 我們等着瞧吧!
對孔子學院不太熟悉的朋友, 請容我在此略作介紹. 孔子學院是中國政府透過教育部旗下的國家漢語國際推廣領導小組辦公室 (簡稱漢辦) 資助在世界各地開設的語言及文化教育中心, 形式有點像英國文化協會 (British Council) 及法國文化協會 (Alliance Francaise), 不同的是孔子學院一般都是跟國內及國外的大學合作, 由外地大學作項目發展, 內地大學提供師資, 而漢辦則作財力上的支援.
第一所孔子學院於2004年11月在韓國漢城成立, 之後便陸續在歐, 美, 加拿大, 澳洲, 亞洲, 中東, 蘇聯, 以至非洲等地建立孔子學院. 漢辦最初的目標是希望在2010年在全球開設100間孔子學院, 但由於反應熱烈, 目前己有150多間孔子學院遍佈各地, 當中約20間在美國.
身為中國人, 我對這推廣中華文化的計劃大表支持, 但有人認為中國這下軟功, 是要借外人之手來替京城製造光明盛世的假象. 加拿大有媒介報導評擊孔子學院乃中共政府在西方國家的眾多間諜行動之一, 而且加拿大情布局 (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) 更公開表明他們正在密切監察中國在當地的活動. 歐美也有學者指出孔子學院是中國近年苦心經營的軟功策略之重點項目, 有人更大力指責美國一些大學為了取得北京的資助, 不惜出賣尊嚴向中國獻媚云云.
我看後的第一反應是: 吓, 唔係下話?!
首先, 中國不是第一個在國外開設文化教育中心的國家, 正如前述, 英, 法等國也在世界各地開設了多間官方文化及語言教育中心. 但為何從來沒有人以陰謀論指責英法兩國? 再者, 孔子學院是以合夥形式與外地機構合辦的, 沒有人願意合作便開設不成. 若然北京真的以此作為間諜中心, 那老外們也是自己招狼入室, 怪不了人.
至於那些大學是否為了五斗米而折腰, 大概也有一半是說對了, 畢竟開辦新課程需要本錢, 現今全球學中文的風氣吹得正盛, 開設或增設中文課是在所難免, 如今有人自動送錢過來, 校方當然求之不得, 就是要稍為紓尊降貴, 也無話可說罷. 我反而是慨嘆中央政府這樣大開水喉給老外送錢還要受氣, 倒不如拿去救濟一下長年不夠温飽的農村居民!
其實這些所謂軟勢力, 我看不過是中共的公關手腕吧! 中央政府深明中國在外地的形象不討好, 而如今人人都說中國是最新冒起的超强國Super Power, 北京當然不希望人前人後被人說閒話, 有失國體, 所以便站出來為自己說點好話了. 我自己是做公關出身的, 認為此舉並無不可. 上至政客明星, 下至汽車時裝, 個個都在努力搞好公關, 自我宣傳. 中國也不過是想為自己擦亮招牌, 替PRC這brandname搞好形象而已, 受與不受, 貴客自決. 況且Propaganda不正是中共一直以來都愛玩的把戲嗎? 大家着實用不着大驚少怪.
美國何常不是愛玩軟功之流? 荷李活, 廸士尼等不也是在時刻發動軟功嗎? 只是近年布殊聲望大跌, 花旗軟功不再奏效罷了.
至於中國耍軟功是否到家, 現在還言之過早. 老套點講句, 我們等着瞧吧!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Allergies or cold?
Despite the poor air quality in Hong Kong, I never had any allergies when I was there. Ever since the very first Spring that I moved to California 4 years ago, I have been having allergies every pollen-flying season. Sometimes it's mild. Sometimes it gets pretty bad.
Every time I'm living in a suburban neighborhood, I get bad allergies. All the time I was living in San Francisco, I was fine. But when I was living in the wine country & now in this small town in Texas, my allergies have gotten worse and worse. I guess to save my circulatory organs, I should consider moving back to the city, which seems ironic but nonetheless true.
My husband and I always have this argument about allergies and cold. Because the symptoms are so similar, and that the flu season and the allergy season happen about the same time, it's really hard to tell what one is suffering from.
This past couple of weeks, both of us are having sinus problems, headaches, and coughs. My husband believes strongly that it is allergies, and that taking an allergy pill every day should do the trick. I, on the other hand, think it's more than allergies. I suspect both of us are having a cold, especially seeing no sign of improvement on my husband even he takes his medication religiously.
To prove my point - and end my misery - I've decided to see a doctor today. I hope she'll save me from having night-long coughs again. Meanwhile, I'm going to fix myself another cup of hot lemon drink that my friend Harwaie recommended.
Every time I'm living in a suburban neighborhood, I get bad allergies. All the time I was living in San Francisco, I was fine. But when I was living in the wine country & now in this small town in Texas, my allergies have gotten worse and worse. I guess to save my circulatory organs, I should consider moving back to the city, which seems ironic but nonetheless true.
My husband and I always have this argument about allergies and cold. Because the symptoms are so similar, and that the flu season and the allergy season happen about the same time, it's really hard to tell what one is suffering from.
This past couple of weeks, both of us are having sinus problems, headaches, and coughs. My husband believes strongly that it is allergies, and that taking an allergy pill every day should do the trick. I, on the other hand, think it's more than allergies. I suspect both of us are having a cold, especially seeing no sign of improvement on my husband even he takes his medication religiously.
To prove my point - and end my misery - I've decided to see a doctor today. I hope she'll save me from having night-long coughs again. Meanwhile, I'm going to fix myself another cup of hot lemon drink that my friend Harwaie recommended.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)