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Foreigners Sing Chinese Songs
It is interesting how the locals delight in westerners speaking fluent Mandarin. I guess it was not too long ago that many Chinese believed that their language was so complex and impenetrable to foreigners that it was simply not possible to learn unless one was born here. These days it is changing pretty fast. Many expatriates want a leg up in the burgeoning business sector, and the best way to make an impression is to learn to talk the talk. Language classes for foreigners at universities nationwide are doing good business, and Chinese classes for the local populus in North America and Europe are currently seeing an upswing.
While the novelty of non-Chinese speaking Mandarin is beginning to wear off, it is still surprising to see the reaction of some local people when you address them in their terms. In Chongqing, a lot of people do not speak standard Mandarin very well, and I have encountered many people who are actually embarassed to speak to me because my pronunciation is better than theirs. It is also interesting to gauge people's reaction to meeting me for the first time after speaking with them on the phone, knowing that they did not have a clue the person on the other end of the line was a Westerner. The coolest cucumbers take it right in stride and treat me like they would anyone else, but others can’t get over it and their amazement dominates the conversation.
Foreigners who can sing a tune or two can really score points in China as well. I have hosted and performed at over 100 events over the past few years, and enjoy being the local foreign celebrity. In Beijing there is another Canadian, Mark Rowswell, who has created quite a life for himself by mastering the language, performing comedic dialogue, and by having become the most famous foreign face on Chinese TV. In 2001, I met Mark (stage name “Da Shan”) at the 6th annual Foreigners Sing Chinese Songs Competition broadcast nationwide by CCTV. He hosted the event, and I was one of the 12 finalists to croon on stage in front of a billion people. In spite of rehearsing repeatedly, I was still nervous (it is hard not to be, with 800 eyeballs fixed on you in the studio and 2 billion out there on the other end of the air waves), but it turned out well, and I enjoyed the two week production immensely. Jennifer played back up for me and I sung a very simple folk song that many foreigners even know, “Jasmine Flowers”. What the judges warmed to had to have been my humourous adaptation of the lyrics, singing “Chinese girls are Jasmine Flowers, let me pick you and take you home to Canada”. (It rhymes in Chinese). For my efforts I received a second place standing.
Back in Chongqing, I have performed in bars, at business functions, cultural events, concerts, and have appeared on several local TV shows, and have since memorized the words to about a dozen songs. My favourites are folk songs and the older, more traditional melodies. I must be old myself now, as I cannot stand a lot of the pop poop they play on MTV and the radio.
Before coming, I had thought that Chinese music was only the high-pitched shrieking of Peking Opera, and had little interest. (But then again, I also grew up believing Taiwan was somewhere in Thailand.) Since, I have became enthralled with its tremendously diverse and appealing traditional music. Learning Chinese was perhaps the best thing I have ever done, and daring to sing a song has proven to be a wonderful calling card for me in the ongoing exchange of social graces here in the Middle Kingdom.
last modified Jun 22, 2004 at 4:19
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