Taitung vegetable vendor and philanthropist Chen Shu-chu, who was named one of 2010’s most influential people by Time magazine, has been invited to sing the national anthem in a music video to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Republic of China. The recording, which is being organized by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Centenary Foundation, has proved a challenge for Chen who hasn’t sung the national anthem for over 50 years and who speaks Chinese with a heavy Taiwanese accent.
Chen is one of 22 people who the foundation chose from different walks of life to represent Taiwan by singing the national anthem. A few days before the shoot started on Dec. 13, Chen was given a songbook so she could practice on her own and a retired music teacher visited her vegetable stand to give her singing lessons.
Chen practiced diligently with her teacher, but when it came to filming, the production crew found she had problems with her speed and tonality. They therefore gave her some headphones so she could listen to the correct version of the anthem and made up a poster with the lyrics printed in large characters.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang
照片:自由時報記者黃明堂
When it came to recording, it proved difficult for Chen to sing the entire anthem in one take because she mumbled her words and was unable to correct her Taiwanese accent. There were many outtakes and it wasn’t until nightfall that they finally wrapped up recording. Chen said she hadn’t sung the national anthem since leaving elementary school and has no interest in singing, preferring to sell vegetables.
The Time magazine article about Chen was written by world famous Taiwanese film director Ang Lee. He said that Chen’s achievement is not its extraordinariness but that it is so simple and matter of fact in its generosity. When being interviewed, she always said, “Money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it.”
The magazine said rather than basking in her celebrity, Chen doesn’t seem to care much about her nomination, and with a wave of her hand and perhaps with a hint of irritation, she says, “There isn’t much to talk about, because I did not enter any competition. I haven’t really made any huge donations.”
(LIBERTY TIMES, COMPILED AND TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
獲美國《時代》雜誌選為二○一○年最具影響力人物的台東愛心菜販陳樹菊,近日獲建國百年基金會之邀,拍攝建國百年音樂錄影帶,但是將近半世紀沒唱過國歌的她,加上改不掉的台灣國語,使她老是唱不好。
建百基金會的影片中有二十二位來自各行各業,具有代表性的台灣人演唱國歌,陳樹菊就是其中一位。這個影片於十二月十三日開拍,有關單位於開拍前幾天不但借了一本國歌歌本給她自行練唱,又請退休音樂老師到菜攤教唱。
陳樹菊很認真跟老師逐句練唱,但開始拍攝時,工作人員發現速度、音調都有問題,所以請她戴上耳機聽標準版本重練,還為她準備了一張大字報。
在錄製過程中,要她一口氣唱完國歌並不容易,嘴形一張張不開,台灣國語的問題頗嚴重,一直改不掉,經頻頻NG,天黑才大功告成。陳樹菊說,國小畢業後就沒再唱國歌,對唱歌一點兒興趣也沒有,還是賣菜比較自在。
《時代》雜誌上關於陳樹菊的文章,就是揚名國際的台灣導演李安執筆。文中指出陳樹菊令人讚嘆是因她簡單平凡的慷慨善行,而非她非凡的善舉。在接受媒體採訪時,陳樹菊總是說,「錢,要給需要的人才有用。」
雜誌上也表示陳樹菊不願意出名,似乎不太在意入選這件事情,甚至可能帶點不耐煩的口氣說,「這沒什麼好說的,因為我又不是參加什麼比賽,我沒有真的捐很多啦。」
(自由時報記者黃明堂,台北時報編譯吳岱璟彙整翻譯)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110