So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s. When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes, all expenses paid. But my tiger mother said, "No." My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them. After surviving the Cultural Revolution, they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. It is not important if I like the job or not.
Formáronme para ser ximnasta durante dous anos en Hunan, China, nos anos 70. Cando estaba en primeiro de primaria, o goberno quixo trasladarme a un escola para atletas a gastos pagos. Pero a miña esixente nai dixo: "non." Meus pais querían que fose enxeñeira coma eles. Despois de sobreviviren á Revolución Cultural crían firmemente que só hai un camiño seguro á felicidade: un traballo estábel e ben pagado. Non importa se me gusta ou non o traballo.
But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. That is me playing my imaginary piano. An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school. I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show. But no adults liked the idea. No adults believed I was serious. Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was. So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained. My dream would never come true. I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.
Pero o meu soño era ser cantante de ópera chinesa. Aquí estou tocando o meu piano imaxinario. Unha cantante de ópera debe empezar a practicar desde noviña a aprender acrobacias, así que fixen todo o que puiden para ir a unha escola de ópera. Ata lle escribín ao director da escola a ao presentador dun programa de radio. Mais a idea non lles gustou aos adultos. Ningún adulto creu que ía en serio. Só me apoiaron os amigos, pero eran nenos, con tan pouco poder coma min. Así que con 15 anos, [Graduación de Secundaria] souben que era moi vella para practicar. O meu soño nunca se realizaría. Tiña medo de que durante o resto da miña vida a miña mellor aspiración fose unha especia de felicidade de segunda clase.
But that's so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling. Nobody around to teach me? Fine. I turned to books.
Pero iso é tan inxusto! Así que estaba decidida a atopar outra vocación. Ninguén preto de min que me aprendese? Ben. Busquei nos libros.
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
Satisfixen a miña fame de asesoramento parental neste libro sobre unha familia de escritores e músicos.
I found my role model of an independent woman when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
[Correspondencia na familia Fou Lei] Atopei o meu modelo de muller independente cando a tradición no confucionismo esixe obendiencia.
And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
Aprendín a ser eficiente neste libro:
And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
[Por ducias é máis barato]
Inspiráronme para estudar no estranxeiro:
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
[Obras completas de Sanmao] [Leccións da Historia, de Nan Huaijin]
I came to the U.S. in 1995, so which books did I read here first? Books banned in China, of course. "The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life. That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it. The Bible is interesting, but strange. (Laughter) That's a topic for a different day. But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother." "Honor," I said. "That's so different, and better, than obey." So it becomes my tool to climb out of this Confucian guilt trap and to restart my relationship with my parents.
Cheguei a EUA en 1995, Que libros lin primeiro? Os prohibidos en China, claro. <i>A boa terra</i> trata da vida campesiña chinesa. E non era axeitado para a propaganda. Ao papo. A Biblia é interesante, pero rara. (Risas) Ese é un tema para outro día. Mais o quinto mandamento supuxo unha revelación: "Honrarás a teu pai e a túa nai." "Honrar", pensei. "Iso é moi diferente, e mellor, que obedecer". Foi a miña ferramenta para librarme da trampa da culpa confucionista e reiniciar a miña relación cos meus pais.
Encountering a new culture also started my habit of comparative reading. It offers many insights. For example, I found this map out of place at first because this is what Chinese students grew up with. It had never occurred to me, China doesn't have to be at the center of the world. A map actually carries somebody's view. Comparative reading actually is nothing new. It's a standard practice in the academic world. There are even research fields such as comparative religion and comparative literature.
Expoñerme a unha nova cultura activoume ademais o hábito da lectura comparada. Ofrece moitas perspectivas. Por exemplo, ao principio percibía este mapa como fóra de lugar porque co que estamos familiarizados os estudantes chineses é con este. Nunca se me ocorrería que China non estivese no centro do mundo. Un mapa leva dentro o punto de vista de alguén. A literatura comparada non é algo novo. É unha práctica común no mundo académico. Hai incluso campos de investigación como a relixión comparada ou a literatura comparada.
Compare and contrast gives scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. So they can be about people -- ["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] -- who are involved in the same event, or friends with shared experiences. ["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder] I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter) [Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] -- or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell] For example, both the Christ and the Buddha went through three temptations. For the Christ, the temptations are economic, political and spiritual. For the Buddha, they are all psychological: lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.
Comparar e contrastar dálle ao profesorado un entendemento máis completo sobre algo. Así que pensei: vaites, se a literatura comparada funciona para investigar, por que non para a vida cotiá? Así que empecei a ler libros a pares. Poden tratar sobre xente implicada no mesmo asunto, ou eran amigos con experiencias compartidas. Tamén comparei as mesmas historias en diferentes xéneros (Risas) ou historias parecidas de culturas distintas como fixo Joseph Campbell no seu marabilloso <i>The power of Myth</i>. Por exemplo, Cristo e Buda afrontaron tres tentacións. Para Cristo, as tentacións son económicas, políticas e espirituais. Para Buda, son psicolóxicas: luxuria, medo e deber social --interesante.
So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun to read your favorite books in two languages. ["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts] Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain. For example, it's through translation that I realized "happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh! "Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh. (Laughter)
Se sabes outra lingua é ademais divertido ler os teus libros favoritos en dous idiomas. En lugar de perderme na tradución, vexo moito do que beneficiarme. Por exemplo, foi grazas á tradución que me decatei de que "felicidade" en chinés significa literalmente "rápida alegría". Uau! "Noiva" en chinés significa literalmente "nova nai". Mmmm (Risas)
Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people of the past and the present. I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again. Having a dream shattered really is nothing compared to what many others have suffered. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from. Even a shattered dream can do that for you.
Os libros déronme un acceso máxico para conectar con xente do pasado e do presente Sei que nunca máis me sentirei soa e desvalida. Ter un soño roto non é nada comparado co que outros levan sufrido. Decateime de que a súa realización non é o único propósito dun soño. O seu propósito principal é manternos en contacto co lugar de onde veñen os soños, de onde vén a paixón, de onde vén a felicidade. Incluso un soño roto poder facer isto por ti.
So because of books, I'm here today, happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity, most of the time. So may books be always with you.
Así que hoxe estou aquí grazas aos libros, feliz, vivindo outra vez cun propósito e con lucidez, a maior parte do tempo. Que os libros vos acompañen por sempre.
Thank you.
Grazas
(Applause)
(Aplausos)
Thank you. (Applause)
Grazas
Thank you. (Applause)
Grazas