A short visit to Guan-Yin temples

Yesterday I took a short trip with my sister to Da Kan Shan（大岡山，高雄縣阿蓮鄉）in Kaohsiung. Our purpose was to visit Chao Fong Temple（超峰寺）dating back to 1773. Being buddhists believing in the teaching of Guan-Yin, we wanted to see this 300 years old Guan-Yin statue from China.

There were a lot of people in this tiny temple. We prayed to Guan-Yin sincerely, and I got a poem that says I will have a good year in 2007. I am very happy then.

Later we explored the temple a bit and found some interesting things. A small shrine is set on the left side of the main door, and inside it we found a popular mentra. As a temple goer, this is the first time I see a shrine set in such a strange way.

The board hung on the ceiling is the only hard evidence left telling visitors the history of this temple, and it says the divine power of Guan-Yin.

A cold Sunday afternoon! This is actually quite a nice place to walk around. It is quiet and full of spirituality. These three cute little gods set on the top of the roof represent good furtune, good wealth and good health. They look at us and protect us from above.

After spending some time there, we decided to visit the new Cho Fong Temple（新超峰寺）, which was built in the 1930s. During that period of time, Taiwan was occupied by Japanese, and they forced all monks and nuns to leave the mountain because of the military base they set up there.

Finally we saw the famous old Guan-Yin statue there. This statue is more than 300 years old. It came from Mount Pu Tuo（普陀山）in Zhe Jiang, China（中國浙江省）. She is graceful, and you feel peaceful while looking at her. I am not sure of the material of this satute, but it looks like white marble. I heard there is another old statue that shows Guan-Yin with thousand hands and eyes, but unfortunately it was stolen couple years ago.

In fact, I like this new temple more than the old one. It is so quiet, which is ideal for buddhist studies.



The monks there are good in raising orchids. I love flowers, and I am so surprised to see these blossoming orchids in such a cold winter afternoon. They compliment this beautifully carved stone lion. Their beauty and existence remind me the world of buddhas described in the buddhist scripture. In buddha's world, flowers are always blossoming. Their scent is the air, their petals are the rain, and their beauty is the teaching of Buddha.

Finally, it was time to go home. I just love this setting sun. Such a good ending of my short trip to Guan-Yin temples.

國之將亡，必有妖孽 : 【司法不容侵犯，文化不可抹煞】

「太史公曰: 國之將興，必有禎祥，君子用而小人退。國之將亡，賢人隱，亂臣貴。」《史記 卷五十 楚元王世家 第二十》

今人常說的「國之將亡，必有妖孽」，乃源自於司馬遷的這一段話。國家政策的成敗並不是國家的興亡的唯一關鍵。一個國家的衰亡，最重要的原因在於主政者扭曲的心態。被錯誤心態主宰的意識，勢必無法公正的看待一切人、事、物，而具偏頗的決定是早可預見的結果。非公正、非理性的決定只會惡化問題，並帶領這個積弊叢生的社會走向終極毀滅的方向。兩千年前的司馬遷早就說明了國家成敗興亡的關鍵，但是自視為文明、現代的我們，仍然重蹈覆轍，重新上演這一齣早已演爛了的劇目。

台灣此時的政治、教育與社會環境就如司馬遷所言「賢人隱，亂臣貴」。在一個民主化的社會中，人民的確須負起相當的責任，但這並不完全是台灣人民的錯。主事者的荒謬與無知才是「賢人隱，亂臣貴」的源頭。最近鬧的沸沸洋洋的國務機要費案件，就是主事者荒謬無知的實例。藉由釋憲對「總統刑事豁免權」做廣義解釋，擺明了要矮化司法權，將總統的權力無限上綱。如此一來，原本三權分立的民主政體，不就轉化為舊時期的君主專制嗎？主事者如此扭曲的心態，造成台灣司法史上空前的危機。若大法官接受釋憲並給予其要求之正當性，那台灣將確定拋棄民主化的社會規範，將進入總統專權制，也將出現更多依附在總統保護傘下的亂臣賊子，不斷地敗壞台灣的道德意識。換句話說，台灣的未來將是烏雲籠罩，蘭艾同焚。

再者，台灣國語文教育又是令一則「賢人隱，亂臣貴」的例證。成語乃中華文化的精髓。中文在經歷時代的變遷、文化的焠鍊後，發展成以四字為一組的模式，用以描述一個特定且複雜的意義。使用成語，可豐富文章的內容，並可避免無意義的贅字及重複性的語句。學習成語賦予學生熟悉典故的機會，同時強化他們對於傳統中華文化的知識。文化的重要性不可言喻。文化是一個國家、一個民族的根基，而沒有了文化，就沒有了國家立基的條件。陳之藩先生寫〈失根的蘭花〉，蘭花沒了根基，如何生；而人沒了文化，如何發展？台灣的教育部長用了胡適的新白話文運動，作為反成語、反文言文的武器，但也就是他對文化的低能，使他無法了解到五四運動的背景意義，也看不見五四運動的負面影響。當教育部長如此不重成語、如此詆毀傳統中華文化，身為家長、教師、尋常百姓的我們，如何能期待新一代的大發展？缺少文化洗禮，新一代年輕人就算學位讀得在高，錢賺的在多，衣著在怎麼光鮮，都只是文化低能兒。純粹的為反對而反對，如此常見的標準行為，在這一群對傳統文化不甚熱衷的群體中最為明顯。說實話，台灣教育的失敗，著實已到了令人痛心疾首的地步。

教育為百年大計。有了良好的教育做基礎，我們將可培養更多具備高度文化意識的優秀人才。這些都是國家的資源，關係著國家未來的興亡成敗。「君子用而小人退」乃「國之將興」的前兆。古人早把歷史的教訓寫於書中，只是今人沈迷於個人權力慾望的迷思，不願背負國家興亡這個重擔。更因權力帶來的便利性，進而「遠君子，近小人」，因為這一群人不會阻礙權力的擷取，也不會阻擋慾望的滿足。上樑不正，下樑歪，因此台灣的社會風氣每下愈況，道德淪喪。就目前情勢而言，只希望司法者能維持其君子風度，不入小人之流。更希望賢人之輩，能以其文化學識、道德理念，凝聚一波新的改革力量撥正反亂，並抵制這群專門渾淆視聽的文化低能兒。

禁書的意義何在？: 【政治性的迫害】

為什麼關於菊壇記事的書被查禁？是因為其敘述之時代背景太過敏感？還是如章詒和於其聲明中所述「因為我是右派」？這並不是章詒和的書第一次被禁，《往事並不如煙》、《一陣風，留下千古絕唱》同樣如《伶人往事》般被列入禁書名單中。

章詒和的三本書，皆是對當代名伶的記錄，盡是一些「與個人經驗、家族相關的瑣事」，巧合地皆遭受了相同的命運。這三本書回憶了文革時期劇壇名角悲劇性的結局。藉著家族與菊壇的互動關係，章詒和以回憶錄方式述寫這一段對菊壇而言是難堪且悲哀的歷史。就官方而言，文化大革命的負面性描述，想當然的是一種反動式的政治意識。但就當前中國的改革與開放而言，文革時期的歷史性描述反而是檢視問題的機會，並可藉由檢視問題促進整體性的文化發展。

實質上，關於文革的描述並非作者的下筆重點，菊壇名伶悲劇性的生平才是著書的目的。歷史性的時代背景不過是一齣戲的配角，但是是一個不可或缺的重要配角。少了時代背景的交代，讀者如何能了解並體會主角的悲哀呢？書中所說所述皆是真話，而真話最能感動人心，引發共鳴。但真話通常也是最不好聽的話，《孔子家語、六本》即闡述「良藥苦於口而利於病，忠言逆於耳而立於行」。或許是因為其言也真，對近代史及資訊流通相對敏感的中國政府來說，這些書的政治意識是不被允許的。然而，最近中國國務院總理溫家寶才說希望作家、藝術家能多說真話。這個正面的態度代表了中國對於改革與開放的信心。若書被禁的原因是在於其言也真，這對中國的文化發展實為一大退步。

一本書被查禁，或許是其內容不見容於當時的政治意識，但禁了同一作者的所有書，更是一種針對此一作者思想性的箝制與權力的剝奪。章詒和說了，「祝英台可以用生命捍衛她的愛情，那我要用生命維護我的文字」。這是多麼強烈的聲明，它更是作者最偉大的情操。只因作者的右派思維就禁了她所有的書，不啻是中國改革開放的最大諷刺，更突顯了禁書者胸襟的狹隘、思考的僵化。當局者應鼓勵作者的優美文字、流暢文筆以及其獨特之敘述方式，而不是去挑出文筆下隱含的高度敏感性話題。章詒和的著作不是政治性的，它也不是偉大的歷史論述。它們的產生只是作者對菊壇名伶的一種懷念，只是對文化發展的一種感慨，只是對家人親友的一種回憶。在此，我認為禁書的動作不會阻止中國人民對這些書的期待，反而慫恿他們去讀這些書。最終，禁書只會強化了這些書的價值，並提高作者的歷史性地位。

台灣《中國時報 》的一篇報導中，藉用唐朝才子劉希夷的詩《代悲白頭翁》描述這一次的禁書行動。「年年歲歲花相似，歲歲年年人不同」，多麼優美的詩句，其中隱含了多少悲歡離合的情緒。據傳說，劉希夷因為寫出了這一首詩而死於非命。文章寫的好，似乎是個壞現象；輕者如章詒和般被禁書，而重者就像劉希夷一樣，連命都沒了。禁書的決定實為不智。書可以被禁，思想可以被箝制，但歷史的真像是不可抹滅的。若只是害怕事實真像的被揭露，就強制文人、藝術家的思惟邏輯，那不就是在自我文化發展上畫地自限。當文化無法前進時，中國人民對改革開放的期待必定落空，而中國勢必將無法發展為具高度文化水平的現代化國家。

章詒和《台灣大紀元》簡介
章詒和(1942年9月6日)生於重慶，安徽桐城(今樅陽)人，中國戲曲學院戲文系畢業。為中國民主同盟創始人、中國「頭號大右派」章伯鈞二女(母為李健生)，現為作家兼中國藝術研究院戲曲研究所研究員，中國民主同盟成員，現居北京守愚齋。「章詒和」的作品被禁，特別還是因為她的身份敏感，因為章詒和的父親「章伯鈞」，曾經在五○年代，被中共當局打成「頭號大右派」。報導也指出，這八部遭禁作品，都是當代中國知識分子，對中國當代歷史大事的反思，這項禁令顯示，中共當局仍然在試圖控制人們對敏感歷史事件的討論

《代悲白頭翁》[唐] 劉希夷


洛陽城東桃李花，飛來飛去落誰家

洛陽女兒惜顏色，行逢落花空嘆息

今年落花顏色改，明年花開復誰在

已見松柏摧為薪，更聞桑田變成海

古人無復洛城東，今人還對落花風

年年歲歲花相似，歲歲年年人不同

寄言全盛紅顏子，應憐半死白頭翁

此翁白頭真可憐，伊昔紅顏美少年

公子王孫芳樹下，清歌妙舞落花前

光祿池台文錦繡，將軍樓閣畫神仙

一朝臥病無相識，三春行樂在誰邊

宛轉蛾眉能幾時，須臾鶴髮亂如絲

但看古來歌舞地，惟有黃昏鳥雀悲

A Decent Shopping: need one and will have one soon

I admit I am a fashion victim. Though now I don't do shopping often, mentally I still am.

I like buying high quality stuff that fits me well and makes me beautiful. Why not! I am able to make good money to support my addiction. But I have changed from a brand shopper to a smart shopper.

Once, about 10 years ago, I was so fascinated with "brand names", and during that period of time, I really contributed a lot to fashion industries. So now I have a wardrobe filled with Dolce & Gabanna, Dior Homme, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Hermes, Yohji Yamamoto ... all those names you still read on the fashion magazines. I still wear and use these I purchased long time ago. Their design is stylish, their cut is impeccable, and their quality is perfect. I must say, not being snobbish, that I really have a good sense because whatever I bought at that time is still wearable and still fashionable. Of course, it is my great sense in fashion preventing me from buying stuff that only survives for one season.

Now, I try not to shop by names. I found this way of shopping truly unhealthy. Do I really need to pay this much for fashion products? I agree that big brands produce good quality products, but recently the price of their products has become ridiculous. I still remember my first Prada leather shoes I bought 10 years ago cost me less than USD 200 with discounts. They look formal and are extremely comfortable. You can never find Prada leather shoes with such price now. Maybe you can find one in outlets when you are really lucky. These big fashion brands spend so much in advertising which gains them popularity. However, in order to cover the expense in advertising, they keep increasing the price of their products. Increasing the price is acceptable because that is the mechanism of the market. What is not acceptable is paying the price of which more than 50% is the expense of advertising. I strongly believe that I should pay for the quality of the product only.

The problem is that I cannot quit my addiction. I still naturally look for brand names when I go shopping. This frustrates me a lot. I know I will be tempted to buy, but I will not allow myself to do it. Whenever I read the price tag, I just cannot control myself from laughing. The number shown on the tag is just ridiculous, and whoever pays that price must be out of his/her mind. Imaging yourself paying the price for a handbag that you could actually buy a car! Since I know I cannot accept low quality products, my alternative is to shop for simple items that I really need in outlets. In fact it is quite fun to shop in outlets. I always find something surprising. The minus are the location of outlets and you may not find the size of yours.

I am going shopping in Hong Kong this coming February. Though the purpose of this trip is to visit a very dear friend of mine and to see a Kunqu performance, shopping should be done. I haven't done any decent shopping for almost four years. Being a poor student in London forbade me from doing it. Then my teaching job exhausted me, so the only thing I feel like doing is to stay at home and watch movies. I kind of did some little shopping during my holidays, but they were always quick ones before heading to the airport. These should not be considered as "decent shopping" which means to spend a good deal of time to look for the most perfect item. It requires three specific steps, to check out what the store offers, to try them on, and then the last action taken, make decision to buy. A decent shopping is a serious thing to do, it is time consuming, and it requires a good commitment. I guess this is why most men don't like shopping - I am referring to straight guys only, not us, the fabulous group!

I have found some great outlets in Hong Kong from the Internet. They are Joyce Warehouse and Prada Space Warehouse in Hong Kong Island and IT Sales Shop in Kawloon. My friend told me she shops in these places quite often. I am so excited about this trip, and we have planned a good day just for outlet shopping! Isn't this great? After all these years' dull life, I am finally doing decent shopping again. Hopefully, I will find what I need at a good bargain price!

Progressing Slowly, which is a good sign!

Last Firday, I was surprised to hear one of my senior high students saying "feeling great after I completed my English writing". This is the first time I heard my students say that they are pleased with the writing practice. Though this girl's paper did not reach the minimum requirement of 150 words, at least she tried and produced something that makes sense and is readable.

I agree that writing in English requires good understanding of the use of the laguage, but we still see substandard papers submitted by students whose English proficiency is above the average. Why is English writing difficult to them? From my teaching experience, I found the main problem lies in students' inability to compose ideas and express ideas literarily. This terrible condition comes from the lack of training for thinking in their primary and early secondary education. They should be learning good knowledge, and in the meantime they should be trained to think. However, the current education system only teaches them to memorize whatever is considered important for school enterance exams. They are trained to mechanically give answers they memorize. When proper training for thinking is not provided, naturally students are not having the required ability for the education in senior high schools, which is a preparation for the education in the tirtiary level. Their inability to compose ideas and write literaily generates low quality writing. It is very common to read papers that comprise only couple lines or a long one whose subject is totoally irrelevant to the title. These writings do not present any ideas, and they are simply combinations of meaningless sentences.

Honestly speaking, I am so tired of reading papers that consist of so many meaningless sentences with unlimited spelling mistakes. In order to help my students write properly and rescue myself from having a heart attack, I chose one of their papers as an example. I picked up all problems in that paper and went over each problem with my students. In the meantime, I asked them to think how to fix that problem, so the meaning of the sentence could match the title. I also asked them to write down what exactly they wanted to express and then insert those sentences into the original text. The most important is to force them re-read what they had written and check spellings.

This three hour class indeed exhausted me, and I felt like teaching a bunch of primary students. It is supposed to be an English class for senior high students, which means we should be dealing with issues like how to produce a short academic essay with a clear focus and good examples. But at the end I was using Chinese to teach them how to say a perfect Chinese sentence. It is impossible for them to write in English when they are not even able to think in Chinese. So I let them do Chinese first, and then translated everything to English, and lastly linked them all together to form paragraphs in which the central meaning of the text can be revealed. At last, after three hours of hard working, they finally finished their writings that truly match the meaning of the title and are acceptable as a literary work.

I in fact felt very sad untill the girl said to me that she is so glad to have her first English paper that truly looks like an academic work. Teachers are so easy to please. All we need is students' positive attitude of learning. All we want to hear is students' good response. This hard working activity actually inspires them and encourages them to write in English. I still remember their sad faces when trying to figure out how to make a good English sentence. Though it is never late for learning, this training for thinking and writing should be given to them way earlier. Senior high students have too many to learn at this stage, and they should be well-prepared for the university. Now I am hoping that they remember all the tips for writing and they still keep their good attitude.

Can we use money to keep a relationship?

The following condition could be a real political issue, a lifestyle a person keeps in his daily life, or simply a story.

Nick is Ted's firend whom he cares a lot about, and he helps him purchase a house. Nick's another friend, Chad, has a very strong personality and is not happy with Ted, especailly after he helps Nick buy the house. Chad always tells Nick to cease his friendship with Ted. Nick does not do so because Ted always provides him good money when he needs it. One day, Nick invites all his friends to celebrate his newly purchased hourse. Of course, both Chad and Ted are invited. However, under the great pressure from Chad, Nick announced that the party will go on, but it will not be for the celebration of the house. He will not move into that house, either. Sadly, every guest knows that Ted pays for that house!

Due to the long distance to Nick's place, Ted has to stop at Alex's place for a night. But recently they just had a quarrel about Chad. Ted keeps irritating Chad for his supervisual satisfaction of his personal feelings. Moreover, Ted insisted that he deserves better attitude and service from Alex. He did not like what Alex had prepared. In consequence, He fooled Alex the last time he went traveling. Ted did not show up when Alex had prepared well for his coming. In fact, Ted thinks going somewhere else to rest can help him make more friends. However, he failed making new friends, and he almost lost Alex. Indeed, Alex is angry, and it takes a long time to mend the friendship. Alex still accepts Ted's request to stay at his place this time.

Should Ted go to that party just to keep this fragile friendship, which is established on money only? Will Ted do something new again that will bring his friendship with Alex to another crisis?

The second question is easy to answer because Ted is taking his trip to join the party tonight. We shall see if Ted is doing something bizarre and stupid very soon. As for his firendship with Nick, it is such a complex relationship. I can only say that every relationship established on money is a fragile one that any minor problem could easily break it. However, friends are important. We cannot live without friends. What needs to be examined here is the problem of trying to keep a friend by using the power of money. Indeed, money talks, but the result of this kind of relationship only benefits the receiver not the provider. The receiver can always switch to another money provider when the old one is losing his financial power or when the new one, like Chad, is financially more powerful. What is the point of keeping a firend who sucks you dry when you are already physically ill.

This is the problem, a serious one that needs to be fixed immediately. Keep it as it is now will only deteriorate both Ted's mental and physical states. To the end, Ted will not only lose Nick but also lose his mental and physical power.

Capture/Arrest the Ideology of Our Lived Space: on Cloud Gate's new dance "Wind/Shadow"

Wind/Shadow, in collaboration with Cai Guo-Qiang
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Performed on 23 December, 2006
Kaohsiung Culture Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

I always like the dance of Cloud Gate, and Wind/Shadow makes me love them more. What is special about their dance? Isn't dance just a series of movements that shows the beauty of bodies? True, I agree that dance is a means for us to see how bodies can be transformed into an object whose values are highly artistic. However, I don't agree with the notion that Cloud Gate's dance is a series of movements that only presents the artistic values embedded in the presentation of bodies.

In fact, I find their dance to be social and political. It seems to address the audience that what they have presented on stage is a condition that is a social illness that happens in our everyday life. The movements of bodies are artistic, but beyond this superficial observation, there is a deep concern for the society and humanity. This concern is shown through the use of the performance space, and it acts as an ideology that fights against the dominant one which we form to maintain the function of our society.

Sad to say so, but it is true that the dominant ideology we construct for our society is a product that only favours those with knowledge and power. Its existence helps us maintain our privilege and social status. Through our education and communication, we are told to agree with this ideology and obey the regulations and rules it sets up for the function of this society. But have we ever examined what constructs this ideology? Why at the end does it only favour those with power and knowledge? Living under the structure of the society, individual voices are ignored, and these questions can never be examined. Examining it would damage our current social structure, and crumbling it means to devalue the existence of this society. This action denies all the social values we use to maintain our privilege and social status. When contesting it only brings disorder and disturbance, we naturally choose to accept it and live with it.

Cloud Gate notices these essential questions, and they use their dance to provide another channel for the examination of these questions. Providing an aesthetic experience to the viewers is art's function. However, only when art embraces the society would it be relevant to our life and acquire its social values. Otherwise, art is only a dead object for appreciation that is not socially meaningful to the human world. When Cloud Gate opens up this new channel for discussions on social illness, they relate their dance to our society, and this relationship generates new social values that make their dance not just artistic but highly social. These values are not solutions towards certain problems but are chances for us to see problems and to contemplate how to make a better society.

In Wind/Shadow, its social concern is hidden in bodies and is behind movements. It is a hidden meaning that requires the participation of the audience to give values to it. When body movements start to collaborate with the installations on stage, this hidden meaning are slowly shaped and heightened. In these repetitive movements, we see oppression, manipulation, and struggling of the bodies. Bodies are no longer dancers' bodies, and they have become the reflection of us who are living under the control of the dominant ideology, who are obeying every single rule of this huge social structure. As the performance lingers, strong visual presentations echo movements, and movements are the response to the visual effects. Installations highlight those highly symbolic movements. In dance we see a condition that is continually repeated. This repetition brings the audience closer to the hidden meaning and forces them to see through the surface of the visual presentation. But the dance never tries to give an exact answer. It leaves the final decision to the audience. This performance space is no longer a dancing space that shows the beauty of bodies. It has been transformed into a space in which ideas are shared and a new ideology is formulated.

What is this newly formed ideology? I believe only the choreographer and the artistic director can give us the final and exact answer. However, after seeing this performance, it inspires me to think on the false values that are circulating in our lived space. We are all manipulated by these false values and are making wrongful decisions now. Our daily actions are like those bodies on stage. The visual presentation reflects our perception of the society. We in fact produce these false values because they affirm our social status and grant us privileges. Due to their functions, we are all lost in these false values. Slowly, false values construct our ideology and serve as the dominant ideology of our society. This is not simply a performance that aims at providing illusions and a safe aesthetic experience. It asks us to stay awake to see what it wants us to see. It encourages us to relate what we have seen to what we have experienced. It provides us a way to examine what has gone wrong in our everyday life. This is what Wind/Shadow brings me, and the result gives this dance its social values.

This dance is not just a new success for Cloud Gate but a new era for the development of modern dance in Taiwan. The collaboration with Cai Guo-Qiang opens up a new possibility for presenting dance. This combination of installation arts and dance lifts Cloud Gate out of their tradition, which is mainly on the presentation of the bodies and movements. Indeed, that is what dance should be doing. However, the incorporation of installation arts strengthens the power of visual presentation and reinforces the meaning movements bring about. Installations on stage compliments movements while movements assert meanings to installations. The performance space in Wind/Shadow is full of social meanings and is open for discussions. Isn't this what good arts should offer us? I believe that making theatre (or making a performance) is in fact making society, as Edward Said once states. If a performance has no intention to talk about our lived society, then why bothers to present it at all.

Indeed, there are still a lot for the discussion of the ideology presented in this dance, such as dancers' bodies, movements, the use of objects, and the discussion on the performance space. All these elements help construct its social meanings and form a new ideology to fight against the dominant ideology of our society. If we really go into the analysis of all these, it would be a long academic essay, which I believe may only attract certain types of people. This writing is already long enough! Wind/Shadow is different from Cloud Gate's previous productions, and its form and style is unique to Cloud Gate only.