Fantasy Beijing -- Drifters cloaked inside the black cloth 夢幻北京 -- 黑布下的北漂族

There are two worlds -- one above, one below, like the movie Upside Down, except that the other world is not inverted and no one could tell which world you are from. It used to be air-raid shelters, the underground of Shuang Qiao, Chaoyang district, but now some of them have become homes for an estimated one million outsiders from other provinces who come here to chase their dreams. Though these tenants do not enter the building by the main entrance, like residents living above the ground do, they never sink into oblivion in this flourishing city.

In this harsh yet dreamy Age...
It just so happens that I got a friend who lives underground, so I stayed there for a few days and get to know more about the underground world. Down one and two flights of stairs live 80 occupants, coming and going through the dim, musty tunnel everyday. That underground housing apartment locates in Shuang Qiao, Chaoyang district, and, for second hand flats above ground, costs 26,000 yuan per sq meter in September, 2013 and it keeps rising. (Source: http://bj.ganji.com/) Rents for underground rooms fluctuate very often due to demands on different times. For example, flocks of drifters coming to Beijing after Lunar New Year not only jacked up the price, but also created a supply shortage. However, price drops during summer time because not everyone could stand that stuffy environment. As for the rent of the rooms, tenants said it varied a lot, "it is a mutually agreed price between the landlord and the tenant. Remember to bargain!" I asked several tenants and was told that the rent for a room of 15 square meter in size with window costs 450 yuan, whereas the other windowless room of 7 square meter in size costs 300 yuan. (A casual actor in Beijing earns 30-60 yuan per day) They know that it isn't easy to survive in the capital, but it is never a hindrance for them. 

"I've got a reason to live."
Quan Quan moved to Beijing from Hubei, his hometown, a year ago when he was 22 and has been living underground since then. In 2011, he made it to top 8 out of 2000 participants on Hubei Collegers' Got Talent.  He could still recall, during the competition, his parents were ashamed of him, thinking that he was day-dreaming to be a star. However, Quan was so determined and his efforts blossomed. He also credited Yang Di, a contestant on China’s Got Talent nicknamed "The King of Facial Expressions", for inspiring him to develop his own comedic style. (Videos of Quan participating in the contest could be found at the bottom of this article.) "I've got a reason to live." Quan said confidently. After he was graduated, he insisted moving to Beijing for better opportunity under his parents' strong opposition. Today, Quan, from a no-name casual actor a year ago, has become a senior agent recruiting casual actors for media groups. Life is more stable but he never forget his dream to become a comedy actor, and then a director. These years of backstage work allows him to build up a social network and his plan is to set up a media agency to advertise for himself. At least he, himself, recognizes his efforts.

“We are unbeatable, like cockroaches."
Accumulation of radon in these tightly-sealed underground shelters, the musty and stale air, the absence of emergency exits and legitimacy of such dwellings... these are no doubt health and safety concerns for tenants, and they all know about it. Nonetheless, what they also know is the sky-high rental price for housing in Beijing. Adding that these Beijing drifters may come with packaged family burden besides their ambitions, they for sure want to lead an austere life. And underground rooms become their best option. At the time I stayed in underground rooms, Quan's younger brother, who was studying university in Hubei and was on his summer break, also came to Beijing for work, or, for opportunities. For Quan, he only wish him to be anything but not Foxconn-type mechanic factory worker. Although life is less hard than a year ago, Quan has no plans to move out yet. "After all, earning good money doesn't mean you can afford your own apartment in Beijing. And, up till now, my body seems alright. So, why not just save the money on housing and then I could fulfil my dream earlier?" Quan describes those drifters living underground as cockroaches, for they are tough and adaptive. "Nothing can stop us. We are unbeatable, like cockroaches." He believes that hard work would finally pay off.

Quan is not representative of the Beijing drifters living underground. Ask a drifter and every one of them has a fascinating story to tell. More interestingly, a sardonic fact is that the demands of these housing which is considered as grey zone in law often outgrown supply despite government's order to clear them out on 2010. With little daylight in, dwellers seem always live in darkness. Of course it can be the darkness of despair, but, at least to me, it is more like the darkness of being under magicians' black cloth and that no one could have known how you are going to surprise the world.

兩個世界，一個在上、一個在下，像電影《Upside Down》(大陸譯名 「逆世界」)中的場景，只是沒有顛倒，而且出門後沒有人能看出你是屬於哪個世界。朝陽的小區地下,從前是防空洞，今天成了供不應求的地下室，住戶主要為北京外來人口，他們雖不以樓房的正門出入，但也同住在這個繁華絢麗的城市裹，追逐自己的夢想。

這是一個既真實又夢幻的年代
因緣際會，得以在北京市朝陽區一間地下室住了數天，對這北京獨有的生態多了一點認識。那裏共有兩層，地下一層及二層，共住了約八十戶，每天也有人遷出遷入。地下室所處的小區今年九月的二手房評估單價為每平米二萬六千元(人民幣,下同)(資料來源：北京趕集網)，至於地下室的租金則為海鮮價，供應緊張時(尤其春節過後北京湧現更多北漂)租金上升卻一房難求，夏天悶熱，較少人願意住，令租金下調。問了幾位租戶，大約十五平米帶窗的房子月租四百五十元，另一間約七平米無窗戶的月租為三百元，租戶們都補上一句「還一下價就可以便宜一點」。(北京群眾演員的日薪三十至六十元)在首都的生活雖不容易,卻無阻追夢。

「我還是有我存在的道理」
是2011年的湖北高校達人秀和表情帝楊迪把他帶到北京，全權今年廿三歲，湖北人，已經在北京工作了一年，一直住在地下室。當年，父母說他参賽是「丟人現眼」，他卻認為那是他「破繭成蟲」的機會，全靠觀摩楊迪的表演，加上自己的一些想法，結果在二千名參賽者中得第八名,他自信的說了一句：「我還是有我存在的道理。」湖北的發展空間有限，畢竟非一線城市。全權的表演慾並不是那般容易撲息，因此畢業後，在父母的反對下隻身來到北京，希望得到一個機會。今天沉澱下來，從一年前的其中一個收入不穩的群眾演員、到小群頭，直至今天成為大群頭，全權從未忘記自己的理想：成為一個喜劇演員，然後成為導演，有自己的作品。現在的他以開傳媒公司為目標，藉著這幾年幕後的經驗，建立的人脈關係，逐步實現夢想。不怕沒有人賞識，最少自己肯定自己。

「我們如蟑螂般打不死」
氡氣的積聚影響健康、潮濕的環境令細菌易滋生，加上防火安全問題，這些居於地下室的潛在風險，租戶其實很清楚，只是北京房價之高難以負擔，再說就是這些北漂來到北京，背上或許不止有自己的夢，還有家人的期望，大多都是生活上能省便省，有個地方睡便是了。提起家，全權的弟弟在湖北讀大學，也趁暑假來北京當群眾演員，多賺點錢自然是好，其實是想尋找機遇，對全權來說，只希望弟弟不要當電子工這類機械式的工作就行了。全權的收入比一年前剛來北京時多了，生活也較穩定，但仍未有打算搬離地下室，「始終北京的房子不好找，身體暫時也沒有什麼不適，而且多省點錢，便能快點達成夢想，不是更好嗎？」全權形容自己有如蟑螂般打不死，在北京的生存條件再艱難，他也相信憑自己的努力能幹出一點成績來。

全權，只是其中一個住在地下室的北漂而已，像他那樣來北京的每個人也有自己的故事；而地下室的居住問題屬中國法律中的灰色地帶，政府整頓了多年也只聞其言，未見其行，任由這個都市計時炸彈埋於地下。現時的北京，起碼有過百萬人住在地下室，沒有陽光，分不到白晝或是黑夜，有如在魔術師的黑布下，這些帶著夢想前來的人，在布幕揚起的一刻前，旁人永遠猜不到黑布下的你能變成什麼。

Videos of Quan Quan on Hubei Collegers' Got Talent 全權参賽視頻：

湖北高校达人秀总决赛全权宣传片 

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzQxNzY0MDk2.html

湖北高校达人秀438全权半决赛视频

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzI0OTgwNzQ0.html

Falling off the Couch 從沙發上掉下去

Looking for travel accommodation? You have more choices than you think you do. From 5 star hotels to homestay, from WWOOF to Couchsurfing, these various kinds of accommodation are after travellers' binoculars, giving you what you are looking for. If you have realized that travelling has become a trendy tag of your lifestyle (or, who you are), Couchsurfing may have well become a hot choice of accommodation. Surfing on couches and it makes you (feel like) a local. That's true, but it may not be all that you could try out to mix with the place.

People begin to chase after the concept of "authenticity" in the 21st century. However, the fact is that the more we want it, the easier we get lost and end up finding ourselves with illusions of authenticity. Same for travelling. Chinese artist Li Gang seems to understand this well. Brochure of his exhibition Ruins states, "(J)ust like the visitors' impression for the remains of ancient buildings, what he sees is not the remains themselves, but the cultural imaginations wrapped up by all kinds of languages." Tourists flock to the Forbidden City for the splendid palace. My mother, as well, said something like that to me while I was at Beijing," (H)e who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man." She could not care less about why Chairman Mao says that but she just wanted me to join the crowd and feel how magnificence this place is. Anyway, what I really see is the actual palace and the Great Wall, the architecture itself, when I get rid of packaged-illusions. Sadly, we are always living in illusions.

There is no doubt that Couchsurfing marks a new trend in travel accommodation. Like homestay or WWOOF, Couchsurfing also markets itself on localness, except that it involves no money or laboring for exchange. Instead, it emphases on cultural exchange which cannot be measured by money. In fact, there are two things that worth noticing: the first one is the concept of "couch". Couch, a symbol of modern homes, according to luxurious magazines. If we go beyond the symbolic meaning, it reminds me of the reality that not everyone literally has a couch at home. By that, I mean, back to the basic, Couchsurfing may not be able to reach the people whom do not literally have room to host. As in Hong Kong, those who live in so-called "cage homes", cubicle apartments, sub-divided and partitioned units do reflect lives of the lowest social stratum, but it is not easy to get into their lives through Couchsurfing. It brings me to the other thing, which is that only netizens, rather than all citizens, gain the pass to this but I believe that those who aren't inside the pool of Couchsurfing also got interesting stories to tell. Is that what you are looking for? 

This is the story of an ordinary man I met in Xian. It goes like this... I missed the last bus to my host's place and this motorbike drive gave me a ride home for 20 yuan. He talked a lot about himself during the journey. A cook, almost 30, single, he told me how hard he managed to survive in this city and how materialistic the woman he have encountered are... The day after, my friend and I went to his workplace and tried his knife-shaved noodles. Who would have thought that I would become his guest days later, just by asking. He is a rural hukou-holder from a small county near Xian and he came here a year ago. Working at a small noodle restaurant as a cook, he earns 4000 yuan a month and sometimes take passengers on his motorbike after work to make extra money. He rents a 100-square-inch room in Jixiang Village for 500 yuan a month. Sun beams enter through a tiny window, the only window in his room that makes the air less stuffy. The shared bathroom and kitchen space for an entire block entails the hygiene condition, as it usually does. If you ask me when do I really get to know this guy, the answer would be the moment when I saw children's cloths and toys in his room. He has a 10-year-old daughter who was, at the time I came, enjoying her summer holiday at hometown. The mother of her was his ex-girlfriend, more than 10 years ago. With unplanned pregnancy, the two of them wanted a marriage but the girl's parents were strongly against it, all because he can't afford the dowry of 500,000 yuan that they deliberately asked for and because they are urban hukou-holders. The mother ended up giving up custody of the child and the daughter was what he has to remember that relationship. 2 years ago, he seemed to have been married, or not? A dowry of 30,000 yuan, an extravagant wedding, a wedding certificate... Nothing went wrong, except that his bride was wedded to someone else. He told me it constitutes a marriage fraud and he has already filed a lawsuit against her. Now, his only wish is to have his daughter grown up happily.

A friend of mine is a social worker graduated from university 20-odd years ago. Once when she was travelling on her own, she was invited by an old local woman, whom she met at a remote village in China, to be her guest for several nights. There was no Couchsurfing at that time, neither personal profile nor references to look at. It is how you feel about this stranger when you talks to her/him that decides whether you are going to trust her/him, to spend another minute with her/him or to stay with her/him. This is how we get to know others. Isn't it?

從星級酒店到民宿、青年旅舍，從打工換住宿到沙發客，旅遊的落腳點選擇愈來愈多，當中也反映了旅人所追求的不停在變。如果你同意旅行是潮流，那麼當一個沙發客可能是目前最潮的住宿方式，住進當地人的家，做個本地人。有一天，我從沙發上掉下去，卻發現另一面的世界，同樣有趣同樣真實。

美好的廿一世紀，既真實又夢幻，我們追求真實性，結果卻墮落在假想的國度中，旅遊也是這樣的一回事。就如藝術家李綱在其展覽《廢墟》中所表達的，「正如觀光客面對古建殘存，他所看到的並非廢墟本身，而是各種話語包裹出的文化想象。」北京故宮每日人頭湧湧，全因我們渴望一睹真實的，親身感受古代中國的輝煌一頁，這正正是建構出來的想象，又如毛主席的一句「不到長城非好漢」，毛所言之豪邁胸襟或已被世人遺忘，但我們仍湧去長城，為著當一條好漢?狂妄的假想容不下純綷的真實，而我們一直游走在幻象之海裏，隨波逐流。

沙發，象徵現代人的家，給旅人一種真正融入當地生活的一個家的感覺。沙發客(Couchsurfing)，無疑跳出了以往住宿的框框，從單一的酒店，發展至家庭式經營的民宿和打工換住宿，打的都是當地牌，沙發客算是當中最純綷的，擺脫了金錢甚或勞動力交換的羈絆，只講不能量化的心靈上與文化上的交流。其實，同時有兩點值得細看：第一點是假如沙發是多於單純的象徵性意義，而是指容納多一個或幾個人的空間，那它給我的一個指向就是現實中並不是每戶人家都有條件提供「沙發」的一個畫面，以香港為例，住板間房、劏房或租床位為家的人反映了香港某些階層及群體的生活，但他們提供不了「沙發」；第二點是沙發客這玩意只有在日常能與電腦為伴的才有興致投身其中，聯繫來旅遊的人，充當導遊、交個朋友。沙發客是個很有意思的網站，可它能夠湊成的拼圖並不完整，缺了的那塊會是你在尋找的嗎?

想起在西安的七月，我做過這樣的一個決定。錯過了末班公交車，我坐上非法載客的摩托車把我送到宿主的家，在那半小時的車程裏，摩托車司機在訴說他自己的故事：快三十歲、單身，他如何努力在社會生存，而他遇到的女人又是如何拜金...沒想到的是，數天後我成了他的沙發客。他是西安小縣城的農村人，來西安工作了一年，白天是刀削面店的做麵師傅，月薪四千，晚間偶爾開摩托載客賺點外快。翌日，我和朋友去品嚐他的手工麵；一問之下，我更成功「進駐」他家,一住就住了五天。他住在吉祥村，房間大約一百平方呎，月租五百，那一扇小窗透不進多少陽光，空氣也不太流通，廚房和廁所是整座樓共用的，衛生並不太好。如果問我真正認識這位朋友是什麼時候，大概就是看到他房間掛著小女孩的衣服和床上的玩具那時，因為從在那時候，我才知道關於他的故事：他有一個十歲的女兒(女兒當時正在家鄉過暑假)，女兒的媽媽是城市戶口，有錢人家，拍拖時意外懷孕，因為他是農村戶口，也因為他付不起女方家長提出的五十萬人民幣禮聘，所以兩人分開了，女方也放棄了孩子的撫養權；兩年前他也不知道自己是否真的結婚了，付了三萬禮聘、辦了婚禮，也拿到結婚証書，可是沒有娶到老婆，因為老婆已經跟其他人結婚了...婚姻詐騙?他正等候法庭排期審理。現時的他，把精神全寄託在女兒身上，希望多賺錢讓女兒生活過得更好，自己便心滿意足。這是我偶然遇上的他的故事,平淡的生活,卻有像肥皂劇一般的情節。

我認識一位社工，廿多年前她剛大學畢業，獨自到中國旅行，走進偏遠的地區，遇到一個當地的老婆婆，獲邀之下在老婆婆的家住了幾天。那時未有沙發客這東西，沒法看老婆婆的個人檔案，也沒有人給她寫評價，只憑著和老婆婆相處、談話間的感覺，決定她是否值得信任，這人與人之間的信任最初所憑藉的，是在時代的巨輪下被磨蝕得杳無踪迹了嗎?

They have a dream - Adult English learners in Yangshuo, Guilin 夢，在陽朔萌芽

Today's Yangshuo is represented by its scenery, bikes and conical straw hats. Packed with loads of tourists and backpackers, Yangshuo has thousands of tourists coming and going everyday with their cameras and souvenirs. Indeed, the lure of beautiful scenery and the relaxed atmosphere brings in not only those looking for tourist-fun but also people of different backgrounds from other parts of China, who come with a dream to improve their English to realize their own dreams.

The week I volunteered at an English college for adult at Yangshuo elapsed between teaching, or it is more like sharing, and getting myself involved in the students' lives. The college accepts volunteers through HelpExchange as well as WWOOF and volunteers are responsible for a 2-hour English Corner session on weekdays. From personal to politics, from television shows to ambitions, we talked about different things during lectures. The tuition fee here is 4,500 yuan a month, which is rather cheap, compare to first tier cities like Shanghai and Beijing where the fee is expected to be over 10,000 yuan. As for accommodation, they either stay in residential hall or rented rooms, which costs them about 700 to 800 yuan per month. The age of the students there ranges from 20 to 40, some just graduated from college or university, some quit their jobs and come here to "invest" on their career and then, hopefully, make more money for family. They come from different provinces but all share the same wish in coming to Yangshuo: learn English.

Throwing themselves into an English-speaking environment, they left home and paid the tuition fee that may be equal to 2 months' salary. And what do they get from this? Every day, they attend lectures to learn vocabulary, phonetics and linguistics. Tutors are native English speakers, mostly foreigners. It is not uncommon to have no idea what the tutor is talking about, but they regard it as listening exercises to get used to the tone of speaking English. "The tutor teaches for the first half of the lecture, and spends the other half on delivering a speech to rebuke a student for her/his laziness. Sometimes, they may utter dirty words in front of everyone." This is how the lecture is like, as described by some students. They even told me that there is one tutor who has a record of making over 20 students cry on lecture. In China, the market of adult English learning grows so fast that many private education institutions sprang up. However, quality is not guaranteed and rumours like the institutions making English insurmountable fly about but gain ground because of its profitable nature.

Indeed, their learning goes beyond the lectures. After dinner is the time for English Corner in which students can choose to participate or not. It serves as a platform for students to practice oral English with volunteers. Practice makes perfect. That's why some students go to rooftop bars at West Street at night to chat with foreigners, or invite volunteers to teach them in spare time. However, no matter how they want to immerse themselves in the world of English, they always seem out of practice. It is probably because, most of the time, they switch to Mandarin or Cantonese once they step out of classroom and are not with foreigners.

English, for them, is a stepping stone on their way to success. The road to make their dreams come true may be rough and long. Do they sometimes get lost and lose direction in this sparkling wonderland? Students usually come for 2 to 4 months. Among the students I have met, J stays here the longest. This is his ninth month studying in this English college and he still has another 3 months to go. This 23-year-old boy came from Guangdong. Having been worked in pottery trading business for 2 years after graduated from high school, J wishes mastery of English could grant him a better paying job and a prosperous future. However, he confessed that he was not making much progress, "Knowing many vocabularies and phrases doesn't mean I can put it into practice." The day before I left, he also took one week's leave to absorb what he's learnt and redefine his life direction. Studying is hard work yet their lives in Yangshuo is happy because classmates become room-mates and close friends. They study, live and play together, but J expressed that it is this enjoyable living that sometimes gets him dizzy and loses passion to learn.

The misty mountains and unpredictable weather coated Yangshuo with a sense of mystery. No one is able to grasp its beautiful and variable scenery, like no one could grasp the moments in life and seize time from slipping away. To chase your dream, you lose nothing but gain a life with sweet memories and of no regrets. Nobody knows how many of the students would, at last, achieve what they dream for, but life itself is, as well, only a dream.

沒有旅遊，没有今天塞滿背包客的陽朔；桂林陽朔的風景如仙境般，每日前來旅游，消費風景，人文的人絡繹不絕，但在來來往往的過路者中，也有来自五湖四海的芸芸學子，帶著夢想的種子前來，希望學好英語，並視之為實踐夢想的跳板。

在陽朔一所成人英語學院裏當了一星期義工，於平日傍晚的英語角跟學生用英語交流。每天兩小時的課，從個人到國家，從非誠勿擾到人生夢想，無所不談。在這裏，一個月的學費是四千五百元人民幣，比起在上海、北京等大城市的過萬元學費來說，算是便宜；或住宿舍，或租房子，一個月住宿費約七至八百元。學生多是二十到四十歲左右，有的剛從中學或大學畢業，有的工作了幾年想進修一下，也有已成家的希望說得一口流利英語能替他多掙點錢養家。學生有來自廣東、廣西，也有來自東北的，是一個夢幻般的泡泡把他們帶到這裹。

為了浸淫在一個英語的環境，他們放下工作、家庭及本來的生活，付上相等於約兩個月工資的學費，買到的又是什麼?每天學單詞、拼音及語法等。老師主要是母語為英語的外藉人士，課堂上老師所講的，縱然不是完全能聽懂，也當作聆聽練習罷了，讓自己熟習英語的節奏。那麼上課又是怎樣的情況呢？「一半的時間在教學，一半的時間在罵人，有時連學生的父母也被罵及」是學生所形容的課堂，據說有一位老師罵哭過的學生有超過二十位。成人英語教育在中國的需求愈來愈大，但這類私人教育機構質素參差，教學進度沒有保証，牟利性質亦為人垢病，被指凝造「英語很難學」的氣氛，讓學生乖乖獻上源源不絕的學費。

白天課堂的完結，並不等於一天中學習的時間已經過去；傍晚是英語角的時間，義工跟學生作自由討論，為學生提供一個練習英語會話的平台。多說多錯多改正，是學習最好的方法，因此在英語角完結後，也有不少學生到西街的天台酒吧和外國人聊天，不放過任何一個練習英語的機會;也有些學生會邀請義工當他們的私人補習老師，一有空檔便相約授課。學生們希望英語能成為他們生活的全部，但現實是他們對英語還是生疏得很，大概是因為在課堂以外的他們，多數或說普通話，或說粵語。

英語，對他們來說，是圓夢的跳板，但踏上跳板的路走得太久，會否讓人忘記初衷?學生通常在書院待上兩到四個月，我接觸過的學生中，待得最久的是九個月。二十四歲的文來自廣東佛山，打算在這裹待上一年。高中畢業後，他在陶瓷行業打滾了兩年多的時間，來陽朔是希望學好英語，有助將來的工作。他坦言，來了這麼長的時間，其實自覺英語沒有多大的進步，「單詞、短語是認識了很多，但就是不能活用。」我離開的前一天，他也向書院請了一星期假，想要把所學的東西消化一下。有時候，學英語這事情很容易從一個過程變成一個目的，而一路走來的同學，是書友、朋友，有的更是宿友，一起學習，也一起玩樂，更是交心的朋友，卻就是這種氛圍有時容易讓人沉醉其中，忘卻了本身的那份衝勁。

陽朔，偶爾蓋著一層層神秘的煙霞，變幻莫測的天氣讓人覺得撲索迷漓，然而，沒有人能捉住它的美態；生命的消逝也如是，任何把時間捉緊，停住的嘗試也註定是徒勞，那倒不如窮一生的時間做一個夢，任它是多麼遙不可及，也總算是一場美夢。

Behind the lens: A look at Yulin Dog-meat Festival 鏡頭背後的玉林人

On the day of Summer Solstice, locals of Yulin, Guangxi province of China, celebrate the annual Dog-meat Festival with dog meat hotpot, lychees and strong liquor like it is another Lunar New Year and those who work in other provinces would definitely make themselves at home for this day. In recent years, this unique festival came under the spotlight of global media, not because of the merry atmosphere, but of the uncivilized tradition of eating dog meat. Who is to decide whether it is civilized of not? Locals' words may provide us new insights into how this cherished tradition among Yulin locals could also be looked at.

Because Everyone Else is Eating it too

There are several sayings as to the origin of this festival. I have asked 5 locals but none of them had an answer in mind. "I eat dog meat since I was little," said Mr Li, who is a truck driver in his 40s. After all, it is an old tradition that has passed down for generations. Who still care about the story behind? It seems rather like that people are busy holding celebrations, working for a living, and there is not a spare minute for this question. As to the sources of the dogs and the slaughter method, they could't care less about it. "It really doesn't matter" is the their attitude towards eating dog meat. One of the interviewees, who is the owner of an electric appliances store and does not want his name revealed, thought that being not a cannibal is already a great thing. While media are unanimous in the censure of the slaughter method like hitting their heads with hammers or wooden clubs, the hygiene concern with the source of the dogs as strays, and the cruelty of savouring their own pet dogs, the interviewees are simply not interested in these discussions. 

"Dog-mate" Festival: Does tradition ever change?

So, how do the locals think about this festival? The owner of the electric appliances store calls it "Dog-mate Festival" for the Chinese idiom "hú péng gǒu yǒu", meaning foxes and dogs are friends literally, and usually refers to one's friends being a pack of rogues. On that day, he himself has prepared lychees and pounds of dog meat for dinner at their store with family and staff. He admitted that, this year, the street was less bustling than before, but he whispered the liveliness of the back alleys into my ears. Indeed, two years ago, a similar dog meat festival in Zhejiang province was called off over pressure from both media and social media. None of the interviewees has heard of this before, nor has any following-up questions. When asked about cancelling Dog meat festival, the responses are unanimous: "no way" ; and only one of them wish this tradition could be abolished. Miss Chung, graduated from university two years ago and now works in car industry, occasionally helps in the dog meat noodle stall ran by her family though she doesn't eat dog meat herself. As to whether it should be banned, she revealed that "this tradition is rather meaningless. All cultures change through time and we are now living in a civilized society." I am not sure whether we are living in a civilized society, but it is an undeniable fact that our culture is led by the voice of media.

"I know nothing but eating"

Dog meat is a typical dish in Yulin food culture, which means locals do not eat it only on the day of Summer Solstice. With journalists from the world coming to Yulin on that day to report the story, as well as activists staging protests at markets, it makes me wonder how do these condemnation work on the locals. "I am an ordinary person. I know nothing but eating." is the opinion of Mr Li, one of the interviewees, on the media coverage and protests against Dog meat festival. He also added that banning the festival or not is not up to ordinary people like him. Another interviewee who works as a taxi driver have doubts about the effectiveness of the only one-day protest in a year and that she reproached the accusations with the fairness of the protests. "Why isn't there any protests against eating other animals like pig, chicken and cow?" However, though Miss Chung agreed that it is personal freedom to eat dog meat, she believed that progress takes time to change the deep-rooted tradition. In fact, when you click on the page for Yulin on Red Bean Community Forum on that day, you can find posts tracking the protests and journalists with countless comments. But it is worth noticing that netizens are generally criticizing the two parties, some saying that they, too, savoured dog meat after work had finished. As for the dog meat vendors, business seems as usual.

Speak up, that's where it makes a difference

Celebrations go on but subtle differences could be observed. Posts on Red Bean Community Forum report that vendors deliberately hide the character "dog" on signboards. "Officials know there is no way they can ban the festival because locals will eat it anyway, so they just give verbal reminders to ask vendors keep a low profile," the interviewed taxi driver, who is in her 30s, claimed. Some vendors also put the dogs elsewhere to avoid attracting cameras. I still remembered an interesting comment made by a local, "We are communists. If the Party asks us to stop eating it, we will definitely do so." Alongside with the celebrations are protests staged by animal right activists. Online video clips show that the protests are in small-scale, between 20 to 30 people, and peaceful, only that some save-the-animals posters hanged outside Dongkou wet market are torn away. In spite of the cruel and uncivilized image, people in Yulin do have another side. Miss Chung expressed her willingness to join the protests if it is better organized. Public opinion could never reach a consensus. Though it seems to be the government's decision as to cancel the festival or not, one is never to underestimate the power of the people.

Appendix: Zhou Libo and the Chinese dream

"Do you have freedom?" The answer from the interviewees are quite ambiguous, "We have freedom if we obey the law." It is like the freedom one have when living in the cage, you are free as long as you don't have thoughts of breaking the cage or telling others that they can be out of the cage. It is no wonder that they were unprepared for the next question, "What do you think of Xi Jinping's Chinese Dream?". After thinking for a while, they gave answers like "it doesn't really concern me". Then, what is their own Chinese dream, as a Chinese? The owner of the electric appliance store wants a better and comfortable life. His dream is kind of vague but he made a good point in saying "Xi's words are bullshit. Stand-up comedian Zhou Libo is the one who, literally, help us to achieve our dreams! Watch Chinese Dream Show!" He was so excited when he talked about that show and, at one point, I was moved by this great reality show that keeps the ordinary from losing faith.

六月中旬的夏至，亦是廣西省玉林市一年一度的荔枝狗肉節，對玉林人而言，這節日有如第二個新年，在外打工的玉林人都會回家過節。近幾年，中外傳媒紛紛跑到玉林採訪這個當地獨有的節日，然而，媒體的聚焦點不在濃厚的節日氣氛，而是在吃狗肉的不文明。文明不文明,誰有權作定奪?玉林人又有什麼話要說?

一. 你食我食，大家都食

荔枝狗肉節的由來說法紛云，問了五位當地人，也沒得到確實答案。「懂事以來就這樣食」是四十多歲當貨車司機的李先生的回應。反正就是幾十年傳统，大家似乎都忙著慶祝，也忙著生活，沒空細想其他。對於狗的來源、宰殺過程，被訪者皆說不太清楚，「反正就沒所謂」是他們的態度，受訪的一名電器店東主(不願透露姓氏)更言「不吃同類已經了不起。」媒體拚命追查的一些真相，包括菜市場以鐵錘、木棒殺狗，以流浪狗作貨源的衛生問題以及把自家養的狗宰來吃的殘忍，受訪者都坦言對這些不感興趣。

二. 「狗友節」：約定俗成改不了？

中外傳媒所關心的，玉林人不以為然，那他們又怎看這個在報紙及網絡上備受爭議的節日呢？電器店東主直言這節日是 「狗友節」，是豬朋狗友聚在一起的日子，他亦準備了荔枝和幾斤狗肉，與員工及家人在店裏晚飯慶祝，他亦指今年街道雖然熱鬧不再，但節日氣氛其實猶在，只是由大街上轉移到各人家裏。兩年前，浙江省金華市政府在傳媒及網上輿論的壓力下取消了當地的「湖頭狗肉節」，受訪者表示對這事不知悉，也沒人追問詳情。問及對取消玉林狗肉節的意見，受訪者的回答一致是「沒有可能」，亦只有一名受訪者表示希望取消，今年二十多歲家裏開狗肉米粉熟食檔的鍾小姐大學畢業後從事汽車行業兩年，不吃狗肉的她認為「這節日沒什麼意義，文化要隨時代變，畢竟現在是文明社會。」人類社會是否文明我不知道，但文化確實由大眾口味領導，而在這世代，大眾口味無疑由網絡輿論及傳媒領導。

三. 「我只懂食，不懂怎麼評價」

玉林人平常也吃狗肉，對於這件平常事招來示威及媒體報道，這些舉措是否有用呢?李先生指自己「只是平民百姓，只懂食，不懂怎麼評價，而且(狗肉節)取消不取消也不是由我們決定」；任職的士司機的受訪者則指「一年一天的示威，沒什麼用，而且平常食豬食牛又為什麼不示威?這對其他動物不公平」，但鍾小姐則相信「吃不吃狗肉是個人的自由，而要改變幾十年的文化需要一個過程。」除了訪問玉林市民，網絡上的民意也值得一看。紅豆社區的玉林論壇，是當地的高登，過節當日示威人士及傳媒在玉林的一舉一動均能即時在線更新，而網絡主流民意對媒體的採訪取蔑視態度，有指傳媒及示威人士收工後也大快朵頤吃狗肉，至於狗肉檔則如常做生意，看似一切如常。

四. 市政府的低調干涉與真實民情

果真一切如常?論壇上有帖子上傳了狗肉檔主把招牌上的「狗」字遮掩掉，受訪的三十多歲夜班的士司機稱這是市政府「怕了傳媒，明知干涉不了，明禁也會私下吃，所以作口頭提醒。」而部份賣狗肉的檔主亦只放幾條狗在店面，有指是生怕會惹來記者拍攝。亦有受訪者語帶譏諷的說：「我們是共產黨，共產黨說不吃就不吃。」話裏意思豐富，讀者可自行解讀。至於當日的示威行動，規模不太，約二三十人參與，從網上片段可見過路者與示威人士少有衝突，現場亦只見張貼在垌口菜市場門口的宣傳保護動物的海報被人撕破。雖然在報紙上讀到的玉林人是不文明且殘忍，但鍾小姐指若示威行動組織得更好，讓大眾知道示威時間、地點等詳情，她願意參與其中。民意永不會完全一致，玉林狗肉節會否取消，雖說由市政府決定，但個人的力量不容低估。

後記：中國夢，周立波替人民圓夢?

「你有自由嗎?」五位受訪的玉林人都指「不犯法，在玉林的生活還是蠻自由的。」不試圖去觸碰國家那道巨大的圍牆，這國度的確有一股仿似是自由的空氣在流動，容易令人沉醉其中。生長在這個自由的籠子裏，受訪者對「你對習主席提出的中國夢有什麼意見?」這問題顯得有點失措，全都表示「跟自己沒什麼關係」、「沒有關注」。電器店東主指自己只希望生活過得更好，這就是他的中國夢。「習主席說的都是空話，周立波的《中國夢想秀》才是大事，幫人民在電視上圓夢。」他激動的語氣，弄得我也有一瞬把現實與虛擬的界線模糊掉，為這電視綜藝真人秀的偉大而感動。

沒意識的自動對焦

美國波士頓馬拉松發生恐怖襲擊，媒體舖天蓋地式的報道，反映了媒體挑選新聞時講求新鮮、震憾性，而發達國家的事總來得比發展中國家的值得報道，這些都無容置疑，但事件更值得反思的是讀者的閱讀習慣，似乎沒意識地把新聞接收預設成自動對焦，不知不覺將自己的思考過瀘。

波士頓恐襲同日，伊拉克首都巴格達市內接連發生多宗汽車爆炸襲擊，同樣有無辜平民死傷，同樣沒有組織承認責任，當地的人同樣活在恐慌之中。再者，美國與發展中國家的恐襲當中有千絲萬縷的關係也是眾所周知。美國總統奧巴馬於波士頓恐襲後說：「任何時候用炸彈傷害無辜市民，都是恐怖襲擊。」這句話實聽得刺耳，讓我想馬上作二次創作，將奧巴馬的講話配上伊拉克恐襲的背景，來個黑色幽默－Confession of President Obama。現實是，基於讀者口味，主流媒體較少報道天天也有的發展中國家的恐襲，也較少於報道進入深度探討，將事件背後的整個畫面帶給讀者，而多以煽情內容代之。

可悲亦可笑，讀者所認識的世界由媒體塑造而成，因此，伊朗、伊拉克這些地方是戰場，平常百姓的生活對我們而言難以想像，或者應該說，有多少人會好奇、會去想像？美國著名作家及評論家Susan Sontag曾指出，「現實」(realities)過往透過各種形象(images)來呈現，現在則是「現實」就是形象、假象(illusions)。那麼，「現實」往哪裏找？或者應該問，當大眾滿足於一個由媒體塑造的世界時，誰在意？每天打開報紙、上網，吸收新聞資訊，或讚好，或分享，好像成為例行公事，也可謂「等閒事」，有幾人看過時事評論後，作探討、查證相關事實，來滿足個人好奇心、追求真實？大概是大家都忙於賺錢過活，什麼現實不現實，銷量好的報紙、點擊率高的報道才夠現實。

有趣的是，讀者關心的，就是媒體所關心的，兩者互相影響著。近年《主場新聞》、《評台》及《輔仁媒體》等具深度具資訊性的評論平台興起，大眾紛紛「關注」，似是對主流媒體的反擊，暗示讀者對事實內情的追求提高了，多了思考，也擺脫了過往被報章電視「餵新聞」的形象，這些好文章無疑引發大家的思考及好奇心，但這是否錯覺，讓自己覺得思考過了，實際上只是又一次吞下了別人的思想？自己才知道。

而最危險的，是當媒體報道或評論文章不知不覺間成為了自己對接外界的對焦點，很容易變成盲目接收。四川雅安地震，不論主流報道或網上評論都揭露了中國的醜陋一面，內裏有很多資訊值得查證及繼續發掘，故事背後必有更多的故事，只要我們願意去思索，而不滿足於熒幕上的資訊。

Thoughts, something to savor.

＂Thought’s a luxury. Do you think the peasants sits and thinks of God and Democracy when he gets inside his mud hut at night?＂— “The Quiet American”
Remember, that is what revolutions start with, THOUGHTS.

任城市再繁忙、他人的步伐再急速，其實也阻不了你享受你的悠閒人生；）
@Phạm Ngũ Lão

旅程裏，不斷跌入思緒當中，有如微風泛起了的漣漪，在湖面蕩漾著，卻又捉不住。
＠Hồ Hoàn Kiếm


喜歡這裏周圍都是一家人，公園裏、街道上、雪糕店內，還有大部份小商舖也是家庭式經營，就連星期日逛書店也見到店員的一家人，溫馨甚！
＠Hồ Hoàn Kiếm

晚上約會了另一couchsurfer。
談起政治，一句講晒：政府sucks.
大概哪裏的政府都是這樣子吧，只存在無咁sucks和勁sucks的差別。

她說畢業後想離開這地方，到別處生活。
「為何不加入政府？」
「It sucks.」
「為何不加入組識搞改革？」
「It really sucks.」

她說他日希望嫁個歐洲男子。
「為什麼？越南男子都很友善，好像不錯喔！」
「只想著工作、賺錢，這算是什麼生活？」
不知道呢，畢竟我只來了兩星期還沒有。

這是沙壩。

He had pointed to a line from Voltaire above my desk：
＂The comfort of the rich rests upon an abundance of the poor.＂ — “The Eaves of Heaven”

2012年6月16至20日

Coming here, what am I looking for?
@Lao Chải Village


放學了？沙壩的山上也有中小學，小孩子平日每天上學三小時。
@Lao Chải Village

想起離開沙壩的那天在市中心認識的14歲小女孩…
她是向我走過來銷東西的其中一位，背著個大竹籮，其實她手裏並沒有拿著什麼手工藝品，只問我叫什麼名字、從哪裏來。
原來她是剛放學，走路回家換上大竹籮，來這裏賣東西。
這樣子賣東西已5年多了，是爸爸吩付的。
「你有時間溫習學習嗎？」
「有喔。」
「吃了午飯沒有？」
「還沒有。」
「為什麼？不餓嗎？」
「餓，但想繼續賣東西。」
我買了個麵包給她，但她只拿著，沒有吃。
她向我介紹她平日在市中心賣東西時，餓了吃飯的地方，是街市的小食店。
和她在市中心逛著談著，在雜貨舖買了兩杯乳酪就在街上坐著吃，原來這是她第一次吃乳酪。
看到她的牙齿不太乾淨，也千叮萬囑她要刷牙。
坐著吃乳酪時，她的村友（幾個婦人）也過來坐下，把我給小女孩的麵包打開吃，一人一小塊的吃著，也把一小塊分了給我。
細問之下，其實她家的一塊田種稻米自給自足，兄弟姊妹都有上學，財政並不緊張。賣東西、賺錢，是因為其他人全部都在這樣做嗎？


不知這個漁農幾年後是否還會過著養魚耕地的日子？
@Lao Chải Village

本來以為homestay的意思是每一個團友都安排住在一個黑苗族人家裏，幫忙煮飯開檯，但原來是七個團友齊住在一個家庭式hostel，家庭住在一樓，團友在二樓，就是這樣。
家庭的成員也不太懂英文，也沒有一同吃飯，只在晚飯後和大家飲了幾杯米酒，然後眾人還未到九時就帶著酒氣睡著了，就是這樣。
@Lao Chải Village - homestay

純真的笑臉，能往哪裏尋？
@Giàng Tả Châi Village


摩托，富起來的沙壩人才買得起。
@Giàng Tả Châi Village

拍這張照不是因為台上的表演精彩（事實上，表演者面無表情，也不似在享受演出），而是台下的觀眾。
最前兩排坐著的是幾個當地小朋友，還有後面那家歐洲人年紀最小的女兒。
表演間有一幕是演出者到台下邀請小朋友上台一起跳舞，但僅限遊客當中的小朋友。為什麼？
@Art Performance by H’mong at Cat Cat Village

模糊了的一張照片，把一切變得看似不真實。
＠Cat Cat Village