I have recently perused Nicholas Kristof’s NYT piece “China’s Man in Washington, Named Trump”(https://nyti.ms/3h2JXh8). One paragraph in particular caught my attention: “A joke in China suggests that Trump’s Chinese name is Chuan Jianguo, or “Build-the-Country Trump.” That’s because Build-the-Country is a common revolutionary name among Communist patriots, and it’s mockingly suggested that Trump’s misrule of the United States is actually bolstering Xi’s regime.”

Kristoff also avows that since Trump’s ascension to presidency, the American nation became highly polarized. This is reflected in the current administration’s policies on climate change, foreign relations with established U.S. allies, and COVID-19 prevention, all of which are rather ineffective. It also seems like Mr. Trump and his team diverged from the traditional priorities, including promoting free trade, human rights, and other quintessentially American values. As described thoroughly by John Bolton, all these factors contributed to the declining standing of the U.S. in global politics.

What is more, many people fall prey to CCP’s propaganda and its interpretations of Trump’s actions, which only enhances China’s reputation.

But that might not exactly be the case.

The CCP apparently failed to utilize the window of opportunity created by the ineptness of the Trump administration, as China could have grown to the position of a leader by filling in the void left by the U.S.

During the 2016 APEC Ministerial Meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi Jinping and his team actively supported the plans to establish the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP. In contrast, the United States withdrew its signature from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in early 2017. Coupled with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), this move bolstered China’s capacity to influence global investments and trade, high-tech mergers and acquisitions, and, overall, expand its geostrategic influence on the entire globe.

At the same time, various propaganda films about great power competition, military industry, and science and technology surged all at once, and gained remarkable following around the world.

All this provided a window of opportunity for the CCP to slowly change its course. Around the same time, the distrust for POTUS among U.S. allies’ reached its apex. According to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center, the distrust for the U.S. president in the U.K. reached 75%, 72% in Japan, 70% in Australia, and stunning 86% in France.

Had the C.C.P,. begun to open up at that time, or at least resumed the governance style of the Hu-Wen administration, it could have reaped the benefits of promoting liberalism where the U.S. failed to deliver. It was the time for Beijing to gradually enhance freedom of speech domestically, pursue sustainable infrastructural projects, gradually reform unfair barriers to trade, transform its S.O.E.s, strengthen protections for private ownership, and vitalize its start-ups and enterprises.

Moreover, were China to cease the genocide in East Turkestan and refrain from cracking down on Hong Kong's semi-autonomy, it would have greatly enhanced its global international image. Additionally, if paired with slow but steady reforms, Beijing’s respect for sovereignty of its peoples would have attracted a large amount of foreign investment, which in turn would have continued to buttress the country’s growth.

It is China prerogative to remain idle.
It might still be possible for Chinese “Dream” to come true.
Yet, a historic window of opportunity is now closed.

Xi assumed the tools of proscribing and stalling, which are completely antithetical to the aforementioned window of opportunity.

Today, China is more authoritarian, less flexible, and fully deprived of horizontal accountability. Its reliance on wolf warrior diplomacy backfired: for example, the Swedish parliament sought to expel the Chinese ambassador to Stockholm. Also, Prague, the capital of Czechia, terminated its sister-city agreement with Shanghai and instead signed a new one with Taipei. Last but not least, we ought not to forget about the recent fiasco in the relations with the United States who ordered the shutdown of China’s consulate in Houston. All of this took its toll on China’s reputation.

Its international standing and inability to replace the U.S. as the major global power are not the only issues China is currently facing.
As it experiences multiple domestic and international shocks, China struggles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and tame the disastrous floods of Yangtze River. The swarm of locusts of biblical proportions is also crippling Beijing’s institutional capacity and may soon lead to food shortages. In fact, the precarity of food supply further diminishes the level of trust for Chinese authorities.

In 2019, the Pew Research Center conducted a public opinion survey to examine the international views of China. In the U.S., Argentina, the U.K., Canada, Germany, and Ukraine, only about 30% of respondents claim a favorable view of China.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages in the U.S., as many as 73% of U.S. respondents view China unfavorably.

Recently, the C.C.P. is losing its focus by continuously shifting targets. In fact, I believe there is no need for the C.C.P.to rely on nationalistic appeals, since in this new century values, business relations, and fair competition are all far more important than greater than delusive blood ties.
China lies only 130 kilometers away from us. Of course, we welcome dialogue and seek to avoid misjudgments. But we also distinguish between the C.C.P. and China. While we do welcome dialogue, but we will not be coerced to talk under unjust preconditions or in fear.

The only fair prerequisites are those of reciprocity, mutual respect as well as fairness and openness with respect for the rule of law.
Source: Pew Research Center

最近看到紐約時報中文版的一篇文章
<美國的川普，中國的「川建國」>，其中一小段是這樣的

「在中國，人們戲稱川普的中文名字是川建國。那是因為建國是共產黨愛國者中一個普遍的革命人名。它在諷刺地暗示川普對美國的治理不當實際上是在鞏固習近平的政權。」

裡面也提到，川普在任的幾年，國家更分裂，對於氣候變遷，傳統美國盟友，乃至於疫情處理等都相當拙劣，對於美國傳統的自由貿易、人權等價值也基本上都沒有太大興趣。這些方針，導致美國在世界的評價降低，波頓的新書也多有描述。

除此之外，許多不幸相信中共宣傳，又或者是中共圈養的小粉紅，特別故意愛宣傳川普增強中國的威望。

但這不是真的。

中共完全沒有掌握美國做得不夠好的地方，去增強其在世界的領導力。

在2016年時，秘魯的亞太峰會舉行期間，習近平政權爭取（RCEP）及亞太自由貿易區（FTAAP）談判；對比2017年初，美國剛宣布退出ＴＰＰ，加上中國到「一帶一路」和亞洲基礎設施投資銀行，中國當時在世界全面發揮投資貿易、高科技併購還有其地緣戰略的影響力。

也是那個時候，各種的大國崛起、大國軍工、大國科技的宣傳影片此起彼落，似乎正準備要在世界舞台發光發熱。

這曾經是中共慢慢轉向的一個機會之窗。彼時（2017)美國盟友對美國總統的不信任度達到歷史新高，根據皮尤研究中心的資訊，英國對於美國總統的不信任度達到75%、日本72% 澳洲70% 法國更高達86%

如果那時中共開始有限度的改革，對內放寬言論自由，或者至少維持在胡溫當時的水中，對外追求有責任的基礎建設，逐步緩慢減低不公平的貿易壁壘，對於國有企業改革，增強私營企業、新創企業的活力。

停止對新疆迫害，不干預香港自治，不僅國際形象會大幅改善，哪怕是緩慢但是穩健的改革，也會讓大量吸引外資，讓中國的活力持續前進。

哪怕是什麼都不做也好

那或許有這麽一點可能性，中國「夢」是可以前行的

但是歷史機緣的大門已經關上。

習、禁、停、放棄了這個機會之窗，徹底的走向相反的方向。

更專制、更沒有彈性，更沒有任何制衡的力量。各種戰狼外交，讓瑞典議員提案驅逐中國大使，捷克布拉格市長與台北簽訂姊妹是，就解散上海與該市關係、被美國關閉領事館、各種讓中國形象低下的事情，中共都沒有少做。

中共不但完全沒有辦法取代美國，在多重國內外的衝擊之下，又是瘟疫，又是超大水患，緊接著蝗害，還有進來的糧食不足問題，正在面臨巨大的瓶頸。

而糧食的命脈，卻恰恰又在對他最不信任，對中共價值最反對的國家聯盟

根據皮尤研究中心:Pew Research Center2019調查各國對中國的喜好度，美國、阿根廷、英國、加拿大、德國、烏克蘭等，對於中國的喜好度都在30%上下

而2020疫情後美國對於中國的不信任度，更高達73%。

最近中共在演習，又要玩轉移目標的手段，對於中共，其實不必再有民族主義的同情，因為新的世紀，價值、商業模式、公平競爭的制度大於血緣幻想。

中國離我們只有130公里的距離，我們當然歡迎對話，避免誤判。但我們同時也區分中共與中國，歡迎對話，但不在前提、條件、恐懼之下對話。

如果真的要有前提，那就是對等、尊重，還有公平公開法治的方式會晤。

資料來源：皮尤研究中心:Pew Research Center
（美國著名的民調機構和智庫機構，https://www.pewresearch.org/）

Update on Huihui #231

Omg! Cat!!! I wanna be attracted to cats too!

Full album 👉 http://bit.ly/2RgHC6A

#Huihui #cat #attractive [小劇場]

中文版於粉專同步發布

▌強尼金小教室 ▌

英文的 "I like you." 往往都是偏向友誼的喜歡，

但中文的「我喜歡你」卻通常是用來表達愛慕之情。

所以雖然字面上好像是一樣意思，

實際上卻不一定如此。

🗣「喜歡」二字說白了像是「友達以上，戀人未滿」，

就是還沒有到 love（愛）那麼濃烈的時候，

或許可以譯成：

I am attracted to you.

或

I am into you.

感覺比較相近喔！

#強尼金小教室 #英文 #英語教學 #片語 #筆譯 #翻譯 #口譯 #中文

購買實體專輯：
已完售，感謝大家的支持！

Follow Xiangyu on Twitter https://instagram.com/notXiangyu
Follow Ransom-Notes on Twitter https://twitter.com/ransom1992

0:00　星星之火　A Single Spark
2:52　延續和決裂　Continuity and Rupture
6:02　流言蜚語　Rumors and Slanders
8:56　夢　Dream
11:26　這不是請客吃飯　This Is Not a Dinner Party
14:50　社會主義還是人類滅絕　Socialism or Human Extinction

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5LXDWD9UWMinJpuGXfOHF9
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/album/1475720641
KKBox: https://www.kkbox.com/tw/tc/album/Po-XjuEwvaj3s0F3XnGK009H-index.html
虾米音乐： https://www.xiami.com/album/5021315036

專輯介紹： https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%98%BB%E5%93%88%E5%8F%8D%E5%B8%9D%E5%9C%8B-%E9%8D%BE%E7%BF%94%E5%AE%87%E8%AA%AA%E5%94%B1%E6%98%9F%E6%98%9F%E4%B9%8B%E7%81%AB-063724380.html

繼 2018 年金音獎入圍的《炮打司令部》後，中文嘻哈界絕無僅有的共產主義饒舌歌手鍾翔宇與英國製作人 Ransom-Notes 馬不停蹄地聯手炮製出六首歌的新專輯《星星之火》，相較於上張專輯還有如〈保力達B〉、〈偶像的手冊〉等比較詼諧幽默的歌曲，這張專輯顯得更加嚴肅而深入的闡述自己的意識形態。

即使如此，這張專輯並沒有流於自我重複的說教，而是透過自己在美國成長過程親眼目睹的（台灣媒體跟好萊塢電影不告訴你的）具體事實，鍾翔宇戳破所謂的「美國夢」，一層一層爬梳嘻哈音樂如何失去最初的反抗精神、分析爭取勞動權益的困境甚至環保議題。很難想像這麼龐大的知識量被鍾翔宇精巧的放在一張不到 20 分鐘的專輯當中，這樣大膽的嘗試絕對值得你靜下心搭配歌詞細細玩味。搭配 Ransom-Notes 充滿黃金年代風格的編曲，讓嚴肅的歌詞不再難以下嚥。而鍾翔宇精心設計的多韻和不時的好笑 punchline，也展現他想讓歌曲直面普羅大眾的誠意。

批判美國的霸權和當今的社會經濟制度等於動搖了非常多人的基本信念，鍾翔宇也深知這一點。然而看到不公不義的事實而站出來發聲，這是讓鍾翔宇之所以愛上嘻哈的浪漫初衷。《星星之火》這張專輯就如同他的偶像，英國嘻哈詩人 Lowkey 的 “Soundtrack to the Struggle” 一樣，是貨真價實的革命之聲，所有真心想衝破世界當今所面對的困境的人，肯定能從鍾翔宇的音樂中得到啟發。


Shortly after his 2018 album "Bombard the Headquarters" was nominated best hip hop album by the Golden Indie Music Awards, Xiangyu, one of the few openly communist rappers in the Sinosphere, together with his comrade Ransom-Notes from the UK, began working on "a Single Spark." In comparison to his previous album, which contains comedic songs like "Paolyta B" and "the Idol's Handbook," "a Single Spark" takes on a more serious tone and delves deeper into Xiangyu's ideology.

Despite the comparatively somber tone, this new album avoids repetitive preaching. Through sharing his personal experiences and the things he saw growing up in the United States, Xiangyu debunks the so-called "American Dream." Using materialist dialectics, he tells us how hip hop has lost its rebellious essence, and also analyzes power dynamics and touches on topics such as the environment. It is difficult to imagine how Xiangyu and Ransom-Notes were able to condense such a vast expanse of knowledge into an album less than 20 minutes in length. You will not be disappointed should you decide to sit down and listen to such a bold album while studying the lyrics. Reminiscent of hip hop's golden age, Ransom-Notes' beatmaking provides the listener with the sugar that makes the pill easier to swallow. Xiangyu's carefully constructed rhymes and the occasional humorous punch line demonstrate his sincere attempt to make his agitprop more accessible to the layperson.

Criticizing US hegemony and the socioeconomic order of today is tantamount to shattering the fundamental beliefs of many, and Xiangyu is acutely aware of this. The fact that hip hop can serve as a platform for pointing out injustices is what attracted Xiangyu to the genre in the first place. "A Single Spark" is similar to "Soundtrack to the Struggle" by Lowkey, one of Xiangyu's influences, in the sense that it is truly revolutionary in content. Those who genuinely seek to transform the predicaments plaguing our world today will certainly find inspiration in Xiangyu's music.

作詞：鍾翔宇
編曲：Ransom-Notes
錄音：鍾翔宇
混音：鍾翔宇、Ransom-Notes
母帶後期製作：Glenn Schick
繪圖：Bijan Nader Sharifi

Lyrics by Xiangyu,
Beats by Ransom-Notes,
Recorded by Xiangyu,
Mixed by Xiangyu and Ransom-Notes
Mastered by Glenn Schick,
Artwork by Bijan Nader Sharifi.

#星星之火 #鍾翔宇 #aSingleSpark

有中文字幕！但是要自己開字幕 :-)

Join us on our weekly hike to Kaohsiung's Monkey Mountain - Chai Shan! This video explains how to climb Kaohsiung's Monkey Mountain, Monkey Mountain trailhead location and how to get there, what you will need to bring and even where you can have a delicious traditional Chinese breakfast after your climb.

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There are two main trailheads to climb Monkey Mountain: Shou Shan (near the zoo) and Chai Shan (further north). I prefer Chai Shan, and I'll show you here how to climb yourself!

Time: 1.5 - 3 hour round trip (depending on climbing speed and how many photos you take!)

Bring: Water, bug repellent, walking shoes, comfortable clothing
Optional: sweat towel (May to October), bandaids

Do not bring: food of any kind, plastic bags or wrappers (or the monkeys will be attracted to you - please note food is prohibited on the mountain for this reason)

Getting there
- Public transport: use google maps transit directions for bus routes (navigate to the 7-11 at the link below). Please note these often do not run before 7 am.
- Walking: the trailhead is about a half hour walk from Aozidi MRT station.
- Taxi/Uber: Show one of the addresses below to your driver (I recommend asking him to take you to the 7 Eleven as it's a major landmark and walking from there). The fare from Aozhidi MRT station (taxi rank at exit 2) is approximately nt120.
- Public bicycle
---City bike: You can use your credit card to rent these, but you keep paying until they are returned to a station. The closest station is at this 7 Eleven, a 10 minute walk from the mountain.
--- O-bike: Download the o-bike app to find an available bike. Once you arrive at the mountain, you can leave the bike there and it will likely still be there for you to re-rent when you come back down (and there are often extra available O-bikes at the trailhead or nearby).

Addresses and map links
Chai Shan 7 Eleven (google maps link)
https://goo.gl/maps/2z6foEWDT8o
Address in Chinese:
柴山 7 Eleven
鼓山三路51號

Chai Shan trailhead (google maps link) (2 minute walk from 7 Eleven)
https://goo.gl/maps/53vbJfzpkCN2
Address in Chinese:
柴山
鼓山三路51巷

Kuan Lai Shun breakfast restaurant
https://goo.gl/maps/PzzCDM8tpf22
Open 4:30 am - 1:00 pm

If Kuan Lai Shun is closed on the day you visit, the dumplings at the restaurant next door are good - or go down the alley behind Kuan Lai Shun and into the traditional market for a few more options.

Theme: www.bensound.com