爽爽学历史

当高跟鞋遇上脚踏车 High Heels on Bike

Sat, 22 August 2009 22:19:53 -0400

I know it is a cliché to say life is difficult. But can anyone tell me exactly how hard it is? When it comes to degrees, how can we measure it?

I don't have a magic formula, but I do have one concrete example from the reality of life. How can a poor female graduate student ride bicycle to an important gathering with a nice dress and high heels without being judged by her fellow bikers on the street? Yes, the old saying is "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and in DC, bikers wear helmets, shorts and cycling shoes when they are on the road. But what if the helmet will ruin the hairdo, the shorts are not allowed once arriving at the destination, and the cycling shoes certainly do not match with the dress? Option one, change at the destination. That means I'll have to carry a huge backpack full of useless-but-necessary crap to make myself look decent. It's just way too cumbersome. Option two, high heels on bike! I mean biking is THE most cost-effective way of transportation. I'm not giving it up simply because I'm going to a fancy hotel. After all, the function lasts only one hour but the cab money to get there could be a whole week's grocery.

So, I rode my beloved bike with high heels and pretty (i.e. not that comfortable) dress. I arrived safe and sound, but felt quite awkward the whole time. It certainly didn't help when a punk yelled me as an amateur in his way. "Shut up!" I yelled back. Hello, I probably have ridden bicycles longer than his life. After all, China is the kingdom of bikes!

On my way home, I decided to blog this interesting episode of my life. I'm not advocating riding bikes with high heels all the time. But when it is absolutely unavoidable, what's wrong with it anyway? I just need to have the courage to break the norm and herald the new trend.

通病 All Too Familiar

Fri, 21 August 2009 16:39:51 -0400

最近读了一篇我们乔治敦大学历史系教授关于新疆事件的博文。小女子把它翻译成中文，供各位看官心平气和地了解学者对此事件的看法，也许能为解决问题提供有益的思路。英文原文在这里。

7月5日在中国西部新疆发生的乌合之众暴乱很快就被遏制住了，乌鲁木齐现在平息下来。另外，由于对国际媒体前所未有的开放，我们能够比以往发生同类事件时，更好地了解其中的细节。

乌鲁木齐的维吾尔族少数民族（居住在中国大西北新疆地区的突厥语系穆斯林）学生7月5日星期天上街游行，要求详细调查维族和汉族工人一个星期之前在广东省一家工厂发生的斗殴事件。游行演变成了暴力冲突，可能在安全部队遏制的情况下，仍有数千名维族民众怒气失控，袭击汉族民众，破坏财物。7月6日星期一，一伙儿汉族（中国的主要民族）乌合之众也带着棍棒、砍刀和其它简易武器上街，展开报复行动。警察最终用警棍、催泪弹和交通管制，荷枪实弹，并且逮捕了许多人才平息事态。其间造成至少192人丧生，一千余人受伤。

尽管我们知道事件的大框架，但事件的起因仍存有争议。新疆地区和中国当局的官方态度是，事件由热比娅•卡德尔和世界维吾尔代表大会煽动。世界维吾尔代表大会是海外维族人在欧洲、美洲和中亚组织的总团体，代表维族人在国际上的利益。（新疆当局还指控维族经济学家、直言不讳的博主伊力哈木•土赫提挑起事端，他也因此被捕）。中国政府经常声称世界维吾尔代表大会和卡德尔暗中参与分离主义、甚至恐怖主义活动。卡德尔是个有魅力的维族代言人，在美国国会和欧盟赢得同情。西方媒体的一些评论，则又重提所谓的维族圣战主义、与基地组织的瓜葛、以及恐怖份子的密谋。这些都是在谈到关塔那摩基地里关押的那几个维族人时，经常提到的老生常谈。

可是关于乌鲁木齐最近发生的这起动乱，说恐怖主义或是分离主义都是误导视听的。中国对新疆的控制不会受到这些示威者的威胁，甚至也不会受到境外少数拥护武装或恐怖主义的维族圣战者的威胁。国际上从没有政府质疑过中国对新疆的主权，或者公开支持建立独立的东突厥斯坦国。主流的维族流亡团体，其中包括世界维吾尔代表大会和热比娅•卡德尔组织的美国维吾尔人协会，并不号召建立独立的维族或东突厥斯坦国，而主要是为文化自主、法律权利、平等就业机会等其他类似问题而游说。他们也无法游说建立独立的国家，因为如果如此的话，他们就会失去与西方官员接触的机会。具体就热比娅•卡德尔组织的美国维吾尔人协会而言，她就会失去美国全国维护民主捐赠基金会对她的财政支援。但也许最有信服力的事实是，维族学生最开始游行的时候，打着的是中华人民共和国的国旗，明确发出了不分裂的信号，只是忠诚地表达不同意见而已。

回顾我们美国自己动荡的历史，再看看在乌鲁木齐发生的事件，也许两者都可以被称之为种族暴乱。追根溯源，起因不无相似之处：司空见惯的市井歧视，包括汉族和维族之间相互种族谩骂；维族人普遍认为，政治、法律和经济体制，尤其是就业机会，大多偏向汉族，这倒也不完全是胡搅蛮缠；还有就是不同文化背景公民之间相互缺乏了解和相通。

美国多元化是北欧殖民北美的结果，是西班牙殖民的部分美洲大陆与我们邻近的结果，是后来世界各地人移民的结果，当然也是非洲奴隶贸易的结果。尽管中国地理面积广阔，并且长久以来就很多元化，但今天最棘手的民族问题主要还是源自17-18世纪清帝国的扩张，把新疆、西藏、内蒙古以及台湾都统一在了北京的统治之下。虽然历史背景不尽相同，但中国与美国一样，甚至以此类推，与印度、英国、法国、加拿大、澳大利亚、俄罗斯以及其他大国一样，人口购成中的民族多样化，既是优势又是挑战。经济增长、城市发展、政治演变、全球化以及其它进程都会加剧任何一个国家，不同民族之间的矛盾。

乌鲁木齐骚乱的直接原因是劳动力的迁移--维族人到广东，汉族人到新疆，这些都与中国市场经济的高速发展和西部大开发息息相关。但实质而言，深层次的问题是任何庞大的现代化国家都会面临的：如何把民族、文化的多元性与治国理念相融和。过去中国官方的政策和言词，是朝着这个方向努力的，尤其是在1950年代早期和1980年代末，但近些年来却经常把维族人和藏族人视为不知恩图报的"他们"（译注："我们"指汉族，"他们"指其他少数民族，"我们"与"他们"的区分，暗示两者之间的对立），甚至当成威胁安全的对象。官方媒体的灌输，让维族人和汉族人都（下意识地）接受了这个观念。这便加深了维族人的挫败感和怒气，也让汉族人产生了对少数民族--他们的中国同胞--的不满情绪。

中国面临的民族问题和民权问题，世界上其它国家都再熟悉不过了。中国领导人如果能够直截了当地解决这些问题，他们会赢得世界的同情与支持。但如果一味指责国内的民族问题皆由流亡人士或者外国人蓄意策划，则只会导致国际社会更加同情中国的少数民族，招惹来更多对中国人权状况的批评。

米华健，乔治敦大学外交学院历史学教授，《欧亚交汇处：新疆通史》的作者，中国和中亚历史问题专家。

心境 Boundaries? Or Fine Lines?

Wed, 20 May 2009 00:36:51 -0400

世间许多事，有时可以生死相许，高高擎起，有时也可以淡然一笑，轻轻放下。

女子无才便是德？Transform Chinese Women's Virtue!

Sun, 19 April 2009 09:24:47 -0400

最近读了一本书，读后写了一点儿感受。

Joan Judge's The Precious Raft of History (Stanford University Press, 2008) is a valuable contribution to the understanding of China at the turn of the twentieth century. Previous scholarships have examined China during this period of tremendous transformation in various aspects, such as domestic upheaval, western imperialism, and institutional breakdown, etc. However, one important component of the society is often missing-that is the voice of women. Judge gracefully fills in this gap. Despite the sometimes complicated academic jargons, the issues she digs out are truly insightful.

Women in traditional Chinese society were subject to many confinements. The sole social role of women was to be virtuous wives and devoted mothers. A paragon woman would be someone who was always submissive and attentive to her husband, and always caring and dutiful to her children. Most women did not have access to education, as Confucius once advocated "a woman without talent is virtuous." Even among the elite women from the upper class whose family could afford private tutors, their education was mainly about arts, etiquettes and manners.

However, this situation started to change as western modernity came to meet traditional Chinese values. Judge points out that education, especially public or overseas education, transformed the expectations of women. In addition to being virtuous wives and devoted mothers, women also wanted to be responsible citizens who cared about the fate of the Chinese nation. Therefore, women like Qiu Jin, a revolutionary heroine, would go to Japan for study in hope of coming back to save China from Western imperialism and internal imperialism from the Manchu rulers.

However, it was certainly not easy to reconcile the different roles of women. Qiu Jin had to abandon her husband and children, and sell her wedding dowry to finance her adventure. Furthermore, the radical change of thinking she went through also caught her off guard. Although she travelled physically over space from China to Japan, the new knowledge she acquired actually enabled her mind to travel in time from traditional to modern thinking. It was because of this tremendous internal turmoil that she went through, she later became one of the vanguard leaders for women's education in China. This, perhaps, is another proof to Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."

执著求知 Commitment to Knowledge

Sun, 05 April 2009 11:14:02 -0400

中国有句老话，知识就是力量。的确，知识不仅可以创造财富，更可以化解冲突。小女子最近有个感悟：当今世界战乱纷繁，起因当然各有不同。但追根溯源，许多其实是缘于交战双方对对方宗教、历史、文化的无知。因为无知，而又无欲求知，所以产生误解、偏见、仇恨。日复一日，年复一年，最终双方都成为了无知的奴隶，悲哉呜哉。

昨天去美国国会图书馆（Library of Congress）查找资料。在麦迪逊楼的门口看到这样一句震撼人心的话：在此与各位分享。

功夫熊猫之箴言 The Immortal Words of Kung Fu Panda

Sun, 01 March 2009 13:02:45 -0400

奥斯卡的喧嚣渐渐沉寂下来，《功夫熊猫》没有拿到最佳动画片奖，小女子很是失望。不过没有关系，荣誉、奖项这些东西总是相对的，得失很多时候并不能完全代表一件作品的真实价值。至少在小女子的心目中，《功夫熊猫》是最棒的。它给我带来的开怀大笑与深刻思考是许多得了奖的作品也无法比拟的。所以，特在此节选两段精彩对白，与各位看官分享。

[After the first day of Kung Fu training, Panda was physically hurt with blacks and blues everywhere. Furthermore, he was really, really frustrated. Weeping alone while eating peaches in a remote corner of their training ground, he felt hopeless and helpless. Master Wugui (the tortoise) saw him and offered much-needed comfort and encouragement.]

Master Wugui: I see you like to eat when you are upset. So, why are you upset?
Panda: Today I probably sucked more than anyone else in the history of Kung Fu, in the history of China, and in the history of sucking!
Master Wugui: Probably.
Panda: And the Furious Five (Master Shifu's other students-Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane). Man, you should see, they totally hate me.
Master Wugui: Totally.
Panda: How's Master Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I'm not like them (the Furious Five). I've got no claws, no wings, no nothing, even viper has his thingie. Maybe I should just quit and go back to make noodles.
Master Wugui: Quit, don't quit. Noodles, don't noodles. You're too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying: Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it's called present...

Here's another one of my favorite episodes:

[After Master Shifu (the red panda) heard the news that Tailung had broken out of prison for revenge to the Valley of Peace, he rushed to Master Wugui for rescue, who was meditating under a peach tree. (Tailung, the snow leopard, Master Shifu's former pupil and foster-son who turned evil after Master Wugui refused to appoint him as the Dragon Warrior because Master Wugui saw darkness in his heart)]

Master Shifu: Master Wugui, I have some very bad news!
Master Wugui: aah, Shifu. There's just news. There's no good or bad.
Master Shifu: Master, your vision was right. Tailung has broken out of prison and he is on his way! (Earlier, Master Wugui envisioned that Tailung would return. He then appointed the Panda as the Dragon Warrior to defeat Tailung)
Master Wugui: Aa... that is bad news, if you don't believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him.
Master Shifu: The Panda? Master, that Panda is NOT the Dragon Warrior! He wasn't even meant to be there. That was an accident!
Master Wugui: There ARE no accidents.
Master Shifu: Yes, I know, I know. You said it already, twice.
Master Wugui: Well, that was no accident either. My friend, the Panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor yours until you let go of the illusion of control.
Master Shifu: Illusion?
Master Wugui: Yes... Look at this tree. I can't make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruits before it's time.
Master Shifu: But there are things that we can control. I can control when the fruit will fall. [Master Shifu kicked the tree. Some peaches fell down, one of which hit right onto his head.] I can control where to plant the seed. [Master Shifu stamped his foot onto the ground and dug a hole. He then put the seed into the hole.] That is not illusion, Master!
Master Wugui: Yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow up into a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you'll get a peach.
Master Shifu: But the peach cannot defeat Tailung!
Master Wugui: Maybe it can, if you're willing to guide it, to nurture it and to believe in it...
Master Shifu: But how? How? I need your help!
Master Wugui: No, you just need to believe in it... My time is up in this world. I'll have to go. Promise me, Shifu, Promise me. You will believe...

[After his last words, Master Wugui disappeared into the air. Petals of peach flowers gracefully swirled down from the tree onto the ground.]

What can I say? Classic! 这里是功夫熊猫的官方网站，有空您不妨也去瞧瞧。

新年要有新气象！First Project in 09!

Tue, 06 January 2009 21:39:13 -0400

初到米国四月有余，终日困于教室、图书馆，呜哉呜哉，生活一团浆糊。故新年伊始，踌躇满志立下新志向：少学习、多睡觉，身心健康最重要！有雪人熊猫为证！

米国欢迎尔？Welcome to America!?!...

Tue, 05 August 2008 11:57:15 -0400

So, I'm fresh off the boat, well, actually off the plane. But whatever I'm off from, I am a freshman to America. And that is for sure.

Even before I left Egypt, friends in the US had already written to me and the subject of their emails was unsurprisingly all the same—Welcome to America! The only difference is that some used one exclamation mark, others used three and still another used up to six! I knew the "legendary" America is not all about exclamation marks, but I didn't really know what other punctuations I may use to describe it.

On my flight to DC, the girl sitting next to me gave me an exclamation mark too. I learned from her that when it comes to dealing with America, I first need to have the right attitude, i.e. be positive, open-minded and perseverant.

However, once I've landed on America, the landlady on whom I originally hoped to practice the right attitude gave me a big question mark, actually many question marks. No matter how polite and considerate I was to her, she simply threw my food out of the fridge. And once I told her I wanted to leave, she threw more things at me- hysteria, mean language, lawsuit threat, you name it. The only thing she didn't throw at me was my deposit money, even after I left.

Then as I wandered on the streets, feeling completely homeless, some other people extended a helping hand. Now I've found a new place. So, America is back to an exclamation mark again.

I don't really like this roller-coaster way of life. My personal favorite is ellipsis—the three tiny, little dots that carry big, gigantic meanings. It's serene. It's soothing and it's everlasting. It's without boundaries, but it's full of imaginations.

Therefore, I made a wish. I hope my journey in America can be just as simple as the three little dots....

埃及，回头儿见！Ma'a salam ya Misr!

Sun, 27 July 2008 15:32:05 -0400

情绪这个东西，真是让人捉摸不透。明儿就要离开埃及了，本想临行前写点儿东西，结果在大街上逛了一整天，一句煽情的话也没想出来，郁闷。难道我不留恋埃及吗？不对啊，前几天还哭哭啼啼来着呢，这会儿临到关头，怎么没感觉了？

天儿还是热得要命，但我的耐热能力已经大大提高；街道还是脏乱繁杂，但我已经学会了走"洁径"；路人看我的眼光还是奇奇怪怪，但我看他们的心态已经截然不同；一言概之，在经过了埃及的磨砺后，小女子练就了一身钢筋铁骨，今后遇到再大的困难，应该都能挺过去了吧。想着想着，我越走越轻快，不知不觉中，走到了终点。嘻嘻哈哈，这就是我现在的感觉！

مع سلام يا مصر 别了，埃及。有一天我一定还会再回来，因为这片土地，实在太神奇，一旦踏上它，回访的脚步就会永不停歇。

塑料雨衣 That Raincoat in Memory (转载老妈的短文)

Tue, 15 July 2008 11:37:36 -0400

最近做了一件令自己非常自豪的事情：我终于劝动了老妈学习使用电脑和电子邮件！长久以来，老妈一直以年龄为由，拒绝学习新鲜事物。无论我怎么磨破嘴皮，她就是不肯听（气死我了！）。最近我给她讲了一个故事：我们暑假的阿拉伯语班里，有一位年近60岁的巴基斯坦老妇，每天坚持和我们一样，背着书包上学，啃语法，背单词。尽管她说，令人头晕的"天书"经常弄得她一头雾水，但她还是学得乐此不疲。不知是不是这个故事的原因，几天前老妈终于给我发来了第一封电子邮件，我感动得简直不知如何是好！今天老妈又发来了一篇她以前写过的小短文。文章虽然没有华丽的修饰，但却字字透着弥足珍贵的记忆。我曾经答应过老妈，将来有一天，我会帮她把这些文字整理出来，集结成册，永久珍藏。虽然目前距离实现这个愿望还有很长的路要走，但从今天起，我将会陆续在博客中转载老妈的短文，与各位看官分享。也许与她同年代的人会从中找到些许共鸣。。。（老妈，加油啊，要继续写啊！）

塑料雨衣 That Raincoat in Memory

上个世纪60年代，中国的塑料工业开始发展，人们的生活中出现了许多塑料制品，比如说雨衣、雨伞和凉鞋啦。那些五颜六色的凉鞋和雨衣特别好看，我常常趴在商店的橱窗上看啊看。当时雨衣分为两种：一种是有袖的，一种是斗蓬的，我更喜欢斗蓬式的。凉鞋我则最喜欢白色的。雨天看着大街上的人，穿着各式各样的塑料凉鞋和塑料雨衣，卷着裤子，露出白白嫩嫩的小腿，匆匆而行。雨滴打在嫩绿的草地上，打在茂盛的树枝上，打在光洁的柏油马路上，打在漂亮的雨衣上，发出滴滴嗒嗒的声音，仿佛一首醉人的交响乐，常常让我听得痴迷。

父亲是个裁缝，他给我做了一件浅绿色的雨衣，把我的梦想变成了现实。父亲做的雨衣一针一线都是自己缝的，而且颜色非常漂亮，虽然没有商店里卖的平整结实，但还是让我兴奋了很久。要知道，在那个年代，普通工人家是根本买不起的雨衣的，我的同学们都没有。只可惜，自从我有了这件雨衣以后，老天就一直跟我作对，坚持不下雨！我不知在家里，对着镜子试穿了多少遍，天热捂得我全身是汗。每天上学我都带着它，心里默默乞求老天快点儿下雨。有一天，天终于阴了。我暗自高兴，但没过一会儿天又晴了，我很是沮丧。不过放学的时候，天真的下起雨来。我站在校门口，兴奋地把雨衣从书包里拿出来，我终于可以在雨天穿上它了！打开雨衣，我刚要穿上，一个同学冲了过来，扯着衣角要钻进来。还没等我说话，又一位同学也钻了进来。大家你扯我拽，三下两下，雨衣被扯成了碎片。。。我又生气又伤心，哭得稀里哗啦。

我始终没能够在雨天穿上父亲亲手为我做的雨衣。但直至如今，每当下雨的时候，我脑中还会经常浮现出这样的画面：一个小姑娘，穿着一件浅绿色的塑料雨衣，一双白色的塑料凉鞋，露着白白嫩嫩的小腿，在雨里蹦蹦跳跳地跑着。雨滴打在她的雨衣上，打在草地上，打在树枝上，打在柏油马路上，嘀嗒嘀嗒。。。好听极了，也好看极了。