Rainie's Act of Contrition
I'm not at all familiar with Rainie Yang, but I find her story pretty moving. Apparently Ms. Yang is the sole person in all of Greater China who seems clueless about the Japanese occupation during World War 2, and she has been paying the price of her ignorance for several years now. My lack of familiarity is probably not a coincidence.
Few things can turn the ire of the 1.3 billion people of China against you than taking a flippant attitude towards the war. This is no less true now than it was in 2003. Perhaps it is more true given the rise in popularity of media related to the war and in particular the Nanjing massacre. (This year, four commercial films will be released about that very topic. See: http://english.people.com.cn/200703/29/eng20070329_361979.html.)
I wish her luck in her quest for atonement because she really does need luck.
I'm interested in translating the text of the message you see in the picture. It's a little unclear and written in traditional characters, and her grammar is incorrect in at least one place. (That would support her excuse that she's uneducated.)
From what I can read:
"Hello, everyone. I am Yang Chenglin. I can't say very much. Yet I want to still ? all the ? well and still ? friends ? support from now on. Then I will diligently perform. I really thank you very much. Chenglin."
If you can fill in the blanks, please leave a comment.
2 comments:
"Hello, everyone. I am Yang Chenglin. I don't know how to speak well but (it's a good thing) I* have the support of the media and fans**. From now on, I will perform diligently. Many thanks to all of you."
* directly but good have
**directly as "music fans / friends"
I just read this story from another blog about a week ago, and I think that people are overreacting. I guess it's because I don't know exactly what she said in Chinese and HOW she said it. All I know is the English translation in text, which is her replying with "Just 8 years?" (I'm guessing she said 'Cai ba nian?') Now... because I can't hear her tone, I can't determine whether she meant it as "Just 8 years? That's short" or "Just 8 years? I thought it was longer..." Those two have such different meanings, and I can understand more if the people of China were more offended by the former tone.
A friend of mine says that because she is often a spokesperson or host for a show, she has to be careful with her words. Yes, this is true. However, I guess it just kind of makes me sick that you have to watch what you say to that extent. Cut her some slack. She's young, she was out of school at a young age...
I guess, maybe she should've just shut her mouth like my friend said. But when you're on a show and you're talking...sometimes things just slips, especially in a setting that is so informal. It's something she would say if she weren't on camera.
Oh well. I hope everything goes well for her. I love that girl. :(
(Repost since I messed up the grammar in some parts)
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