1 Let it Fall or Rise
Hello, everyone! My topicis Let it Fall or Rise. I would first ask you to entertain this scenario. At a future time your child approaches you and asks, “Is the panda the symbol of the United States?” Or with equal enthusiasm, “Did kung fu originate in the Western world?” The young learner, expressing an interest in this art, comments, “It is cool! I want to learn the technique to protect you!”
How will you react? By prohibiting American content in your home? By outlawing American television entirely? Definitely not.
But, how can these things, iconic of Chinese tradition, come to represent another culture thousands of kilometers away?
Before answering this question, please shift your attention to
contemporary Chinese society. The 5000 years of brilliant history is now in undated with narratives, artifacts, and images from other nations. Certainly we are benefiting from the experiences brought to us from outside; brought through the saturated media presentations of a distant land. But there must be limitations or compromises. Macao is a case in point. It not only preserves the 400-year essence of oriental and occidental cultural exchange, but presents the possibility of coexistence between two diverse traditions.
We would better embrace the exotic and different than turn hostile and defensive. Being magnanimous is at the core of Chinese culture. Being showered with the world’s diverse culture preserves the integrity of that sensibility. By demonstrating our willingness to be open, we will also demonstrate our value as a society gaining further recognition on the world stage.
Many of us on occasion dress in Western attire. We don a pair of jeans or a T-shirts without reflection. However cheongsam, Qi Pao originating from Manchu - shows new signs of life as fashion. Imbued with some Western elements, cheongsam has gone beyond national borders embracing the international fashion arena.
However, caution must be exercised in this diversified world. It is still a must to protect and keep the uniqueness of one’s tradition and culture, whether internationally popular or not. We welcome Starbucks’ arrival in China, however, the embodiment of American fast food culture, has no
place in the Forbidden City. We welcome foreign festivals, a popular diversion in China, but they should not supplant our own.
Since other countries can adopt our culture and glorify it, why cannot China highlight Chinese traditions and practices? Why should not our own culture be equally appealing?
It is a pity that, as a nation, we want for vigor and vitality. Our futures are better served in rekindling Chinese traditions, not diminishing them. We, as a modern nation, must recognize the limits and liabilities inherent in excessive globalization. We cannot and should not abandon the splendid accomplishments of the past. Instead, we should become the modern
harbingers of these glorious legacies. By preserving these traditions, we can serve as the new vanguard, introducing Chinese culture for generations to come.
2 The Call of the Warmth
Honourable judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Humanism, by which I mean the will to give people love and care, is the most joyful and meaningful part of being human. From the old days to technologically advanced world, humanism is always telling ordinary but moving stories.
Let me tell you what touched my heart this winter break, one morning when I visited my grandmother in the hospital. Walking down the cold, tiled corridor, I noticed an old man, with his granddaughter – maybe 10 years old – sitting by his side. I was lured there by her voice – light and playful – and after I'd seen them together, I could barely take my eyes away. Delicately draped over this old man's beeping cardiograph was a silk sheet with an ancient, cheerful Chinese poem beautifully written on it – and now, this little girl's entrancing voice lovingly brought these words to life. I stood there transfixed; no longer did I see the family members swimming in nervousness; no longer did I feel the hospital's tense cloud of anxiety; no longer did I hear mortality's soft whispers in the corridors; instead, I saw a startling marriage of juxtaposing images and emotions. I was beholding, I realized, a bewilderingly simple yet overwhelmingly powerful metaphor – one that shows that no matter how cold an environment technology can conjure, humanity is always there. In the forefront or the fringes, it is always there.
For here it was, illustrated vividly before me – the coldness of
technology embodied in the hospital walls, while the soulful words of the little girl danced around them in defiance.
This experience opened my eyes in many ways – ever since, I have been acutely aware of, and wonderfully conscious of, the warm heart of humanity surrounding us, whether we choose to recognize it or not. As one psychological theory states, \"We see what we want to see\". After my experience that day at the hospital, I have chosen to recognize, day by day, the warmth of humanism everywhere I can.
I refuse to accept the negative, narrow-minded, caustic opinions that technology is eroding our souls. I say to them, let the machines continue their monotonous cacophony, for just one smiling face is infinitely more valuable than a thousand churners of binary code; let technological progress develop and develop until it poetically devours itself, because one heartfelt \"hello\" to a fellow traveller can speak libraries of warmth; let the power mongers and oil barons puff their last cigars, because the love and care, and warmth of humanism will always shine like beacon, reaching out to each and every heart on this small planet.
Although I'll probably never see that little girl or her grandfather again, I'll never forget seeing them there in the hospital that day – and if I did, I'd thank them for showing me how vivid yet subtle, how firm yet fragile, and how invisible yet omnipresent the human spirit is in our world today. Thank you.
3 English and me
as everyone knows, english is very important today. it has been used everywhere in the world. it has become the most common language on internet and for international trade. if we can speak english well, we will have more chance to succeed. because more and more people have taken notice of it, the number of the people who go to learn english has increased at a high speed.
but for myself, i learn english not only because of its importance and its usefulness, but also because of my love for it. when i learn english, i can feel a different way of thinking which gives me more room to touch the world. when i read english novels, i can feel the pleasure from the book which is
different from reading the translation. when i speak english, i can feel the confident from my words. when i write english, i can see the beauty which is not the same as our chinese...
i love english, it gives me a colorful dream. i hope i can travel around the world one day. with my good english, i can make friends with many people from different countries. i can see many places of great intrests. i dream that i can go to london, because it is the birth place of english.
i also want to use my good english to introduce our great places to the english spoken people, i hope that they can love our country like us. i know, rome was not built in a day. i believe that after continuous hard study, one day i can speak english very well.
if you want to be loved, you should learn to love and be lovable. so i believe as i love english everyday , it will love me too. i am sure that i will realize my dream one day! 4
