Forty-five years after his "I have a dream" speech, Martin Luther King Jr. will return to the scene as a three-story statue made in China by a man known for his sculptures of Mao Zedong.
"Martin Luther King belonged to the whole world," Lei said, taking a break from perfecting a 1.2m clay model of the statue in his studio in central China's Hunan Province.
"His spirit, his ideas and his influence do not belong to one country alone. They are worldwide."
PHOTO: AFP
Looking every bit the archetypal artistic genius in his clay-daubed smock and shoulder-length hair, the restless, chain-smoking Lei is considered one of China's greatest sculptors.
The 53-year-old's distinguished body of work ranges from vibrant figures of peasants and workers to statues of political leaders such as Mao that burst with a life not normally seen in political statues.
He has been labeled a "First-Grade Artist" by the government, one of China's highest art honors.
Lei admits being humbled by his latest project.
The final product will feature King emerging from a 10m block of granite from China's southeastern Fujian Province, chosen for its beige color and stability.
Coupled with two other granite pieces, the work will weigh a combined 1,000 tonnes and will be transported to the US by barge.
"This is the most important project I've ever done," said Lei.
Lei said he first heard of King as a middle-schooler in the 1960s when the Communist Party had students read King's "dream" speech, viewed as an eloquent summation of the social equality the party espoused.
"I was very moved," said Lei.(AFP)
發表「我有個夢想」演講五十年後，馬丁路德．金恩將以中國製的三層樓高雕像之姿重回舊地。操刀的雕塑家曾以毛澤東雕像揚名天下。
雕塑家雷宜鋅在他中國中部湖南省的工作室精心雕琢一點二公尺的金恩雕像泥模，工作暫告一部分後他說︰「馬丁路德．金恩屬於全世界。」
「他的精神、思想與影響不單屬於一國，而是普世價值。」
老煙槍雷宜鋅看起來就是一付典型的天才藝術家模樣，罩衫沾著泥巴，頂著一頭及肩長髮。他被公認是中國最偉大的雕塑家之一。
這位五十三歲雕塑家的知名作品從生氣蓬勃的農工塑像，到政治雕像中罕見的栩栩如生如毛澤東等政治領袖雕像都有。
他被中國政府封為「一級藝術家」，是中國藝術界最高榮譽之一。
雷宜鋅對自己的最新作品表示謙虛。
最後成品將是，十公尺高的金恩博士花崗岩雕像。所選的花崗岩產自中國東南方的福建省，因色澤呈米黃且具穩固性而雀屏中選。
再加上另外兩塊花崗岩，這件作品共重達一千公噸，將經海運送往美國。
雷宜鋅說︰「這是我歷年來最重要作品。」
雷宜鋅說，他在就讀中學的一九六○年代首度聽聞金恩博士，當時中國共產黨要學生閱讀金恩博士的「夢想」演講稿。此講稿被中國共產黨視為所擁護的社會平等之強有力宣傳。
雷宜鋅說︰「我相當感動。」
（法新社／翻譯：賴美君）
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 “Get in. It’s pouring.” She slid into the back seat, drenched and silent. “Tissues?” the driver asked. “No, thank you,” she said. Water beaded off her hair, ran from her coat, and made a small lake on the vinyl. She kept her head down, long black strands clinging to her face. “Where to?” She gave an address. “Funeral?” he asked as they slipped into the Xinhai Tunnel, rain fading to a hollow drum. She glanced up, puzzled. “No. Why?” “Crematorium’s about the only thing here.” He caught her eyes in the mirror.
Have you ever dreamed of hiking Taiwan’s majestic Mt. Jade or visiting Peru’s breathtaking Machu Picchu? These adventures sound amazing, but there’s something you should know about first: “altitude sickness.” This condition strikes when you climb to a higher elevation too quickly. The higher you go, the thinner the air becomes, making it harder for your body to absorb oxygen. The symptoms usually begin within hours of reaching high altitudes — about 2,500 meters or higher. You might experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, or extreme fatigue. These symptoms can last for several days. The severity of altitude sickness varies
Week 24 詞法—名詞 1. 人們一致稱讚他。 ˇ People praised him unanimously. χ Peoples praised him unanimously. 註：people 作「人們」（＝ men and women）解時，是單數形式，作複數用。peoples 是「多個民族」、「各國人民」，不是「多數人」，如 the peoples of Asia（亞洲各民族、亞洲人民）。 2. 她為他做了一條新褲子。 ˇ She made him a new pair of trousers. χ She made him a new trousers. 註：scissors 和 trousers 等名詞習慣用複數形式。「一把剪刀」或「一條褲子」正統說法為 a pair of scissors 或 a pair of trousers。 3. 我們提前兩年完成了第二個五年計劃的主要目標。 ˇ We fulfilled the major objectives of the Second Five-Year Plan two years ahead. χ We fulfilled the major objectives of the Second Five-Years Plan two years ahead. 註：five-year 作為一個複合形容詞，year 不用複數。又如 a twelve-year-old boy、a five-dollar note、a one-hundred-meter race 等，也是一樣。 4. 他們決定買一輛新車。 ˇ They have made up their minds to buy a new car. χ
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Interestingly, one of the words Collins Dictionary discarded was selected by Oxford University Press (OUP) for its own Word of the Year. On its Web site, the publishing house of the University of Oxford stated it had conducted a public poll in which over 37,000 people participated. The voters, along with OUP’s language experts, settled on the term “brain rot.” One main reason for the decision was the vast amount of interest in the noun during 2023 and 2024, with its usage increasing by 230 percent. In fact, brain rot is not a new term by any
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