East and West have met
東西方相聚
runner-up: Rui Cheng gang, Foreign Affair College
Honorable judges, ladies and gentlemen:
Kipling said:" East is east, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet!" But now, a century later, they have met.
They have met in business. They have met in education. They have met in the arts.
Some would argue that these meetings leave us with a choice between East and West ,but I believe the best future lies in the creative combination of both worlds. We can make Western ideas, customs and technology our own, and adapt them to our own use. We can enjoy the best of all worlds, because our tradition is, above all, one of selecting the best and making it our own.
But, do Western styles and values threaten our identity?
History makes it easy for us to think so-perhaps too easy.
Some people seem to think that adopting Western customs, such as a bride wearing white-which has long been a color of mourning in China, instead of the traditional Chinese red for her wedding, is another submission to foreign intervention,--a betrayal of our heritage, they say.
They fear that as we become "globalized", we will no longer be Chinese.
I do not agree.
History teachers that a strong and confident nation is at ease in hearing from the outside world.
The wedding of Eastern and Western cultures, whether in white gowns or red, brings us variety.
It is a rich banquet of special foods from all over the world.
As an amateur gourmet of Chinese cuisine, our superb flavours delight me.
But my Chinese taste appreciates food from any land.
I even allow the convenience of McDonald's a place in my life without giving up my good taste.
My grandfather taught me to hum tunes of Beijing opera from the time I was very young; they are deep in my spirit, part of my soul.
I love Beijing opera, because it always reminds me of who I am.
But I am also a fan of modern pop music, the No.1 fan of Spice Girls on campus.
of course, it goes far beyond food, music and dance. It goes into values and ways of thinking about the world.
Once upon a time, or so my teacher told me, a Chinese boy and an American girl had a squabble.
Both wanted to keep a bunny rabbit they had found in the garden.
Surely you've seen a rabbit sunning himself in the grass.
Nothing is more lovable, nothing more natural. No wonder they wanted him.
The Chinese boy played his er-hu. Happiness and joy, longing and passion, filled the air. The little rabbit swayed gently and began to move his ears in the direction of the music. He liked what he heard.
The girl then took out her violin and played it to produce beautiful melodies of her own.
The rabbit began to bounce in her direction.
So intent were the children on their own music that neither paid the other any attention.
The competing melodies confused the little rabbit and he did not know which way to turn le to attract the little creature, both children gave up ;they walked away, in different directions, leaving the rabbit. . e.
But, what if they listened ,what if they really heard each other's music, instead of always playing their own tunes?
When I hear the music of a violin ,rich with the joys of men and women who came together and sang and danced.. . I hear echoes of the music of the grass lands, of the hills, of the my own native land.
Is music mine and yours, or is it ours?
What I want to hear is the er-hu and the violin played together, in rhythm and in tune. Together, we can produce new and beautiful music, rich with textures and sounds that can only be made in harmony.
The rabbit sits in the grass in the ever-warming sun. Waiting for us to play, waiting for the symphony to begin.
Will he have to wait forever? The choice is ours . Thank you.
尊敬的評委、女士們、先生們：吉卜林說過，“東方是東方，西方是西方，兩者永不聚!”然而如今，在一個世紀之後，東西方相聚了。
它們在貿易中相聚，在教育中相聚，在藝術中相聚。
有人爭論說這種東西方之聚,使得我們能夠在東西方中作出選擇.然而我相信最美好的未來在於東西方世界的創造性的結合，我們可以變西方的觀念、習俗、技術爲己所有，爲己所用;我們可以享受兩上不同世界之精華，總之，我們的傳統之一就是擇其精華，爲己所用。
然而，西方的生活方式和價值會威脅到我們的'民族特色嗎?
歷史讓我們輕易相信——也許是太輕易地讓我們相信此說了。
有人似乎認爲彩西方習俗，比如新娘結婚穿白色婚紗，是對外國介入的屈服，是對傳統遺產的背叛，因爲按中國傳統，結婚新娘要穿紅色，而白色長期以來代表的是哀悼。