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。