绿茶拿铁 Green Tea Latte

【转载】Modern Chinese art conquers the West

zhangxiaomin — Tue, 01 July 2008 17:08:10 -0400

International Herald Tribune

By Nazanin Lankarani

Friday, June 27, 2008

BASEL, Switzerland: First, Western art galleries turned east, moving into China to cash in on its booming contemporary art scene. Now, Chinese galleries are trekking west.

Seven Chinese galleries participated in the main fair of Art Basel and in its satellite events this year, showing some of the most spectacular works in Art Unlimited, the exhibition platform for large-scale projects, video installations and live performances aimed at the institutional art market.

The Boers-Li Gallery in Beijing, a first-timer at the fair, showed Qiu Anxiong's "Staring Into Amnesia" (2007), an authentic 1960s Chinese train car inside which black-and-white war footage was projected onto the windows.

"My work is not about ideology. It is about reviving the memory of China," Qiu said.

There were also works by a three-man collective, Yangjiang Group, presented by Vitamin Creative Space of Guangzhou, China, which were shown in both the Art Unlimited section and Art Statements, a section featuring emerging artists working with rising galleries.

In Art Unlimited, the group presented "Garden III (Pine Trees)," (2008), a faux Chinese garden installation with trees, a path onto a bridge and a paper pond moving to music. At Art Statements, they showed scenes from daily life, including gamblers socializing around a dinner table.

Moving in the opposite direction, two big New York art galleries are about to open satellites in China.

China's economic boom has produced a growing class of wealthy private collectors whose interest in the local art market is reinforcing demand from Western collectors.

"Powerful buying from the West has been reinforced recently by intensive interest from new buyers from Mainland China, some 30 to 50 of them, as well as from Singapore and Taiwan," said Michael Goedhuis, a New York art dealer and a veteran of the Chinese art scene since 1993.

In July, the James Cohan Gallery, from the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, will be the first U.S. gallery to open in Shanghai, where its senior New York director, Arthur Solway, who is fluent in Mandarin, has already relocated.

"We want to address the second wave of collecting that will inevitably happen in China," James Cohan said from New York. "There is a certain maturity process in all collecting markets. Right now it is very focused on the domestic market, but we see mainlanders and Taiwanese focusing more on international collecting."

The PaceWildenstein Gallery, also in New York, will follow in August with a spectacular space in Dashanzi, the Beijing art district that has developed in and around Factory 798, a former munitions plant.

"China, Beijing specifically, is just emerging internationally as an art-making center," said Peter Boris, vice president of PaceWildenstein, who will be chairman of Pace Beijing.

"There are now only a few buyers in mainland China, but there will be more. Our target clientele are Asian collectors and the new wealth created there," Boris said in an interview at Art Basel.

The moves by PaceWildenstein and Cohan coincided with a new, more outward-looking wave of creativity sweeping over the Chinese contemporary art scene.

"We are starting to show the cosmopolitan, international attitude of the new generation of Chinese artists," said Primo Marella, owner of the Primo Marella Gallery in Milan who opened a gallery in Beijing in 2005. "There are only about a dozen."

"You cannot tell from their work that they are Chinese," he added. "They express strong ideas with a lot of freshness."

Marella showed new works by the painter and installation artist Chen Ke, the sculptor Liu Ding and the photographer Jiang Zhi at Scope Basel, a satellite fair of Art Basel.

"There is a huge explosion of creativity in China right now," said Goedhuis, the New York dealer. "Chinese artists, musicians, architects, film-makers, designers are creating a new language to express a totally new reality."

And the timing is not surprising. "It is happening that much more intensely in China because society has transformed in just 15 years."

This cultural revolution has flowered largely without Chinese institutional support. "There are virtually no contemporary art museums in China," Goedhuis said. "The government's claim to build 100 or 1,000 new museums has yet to become reality. There is very little state support of artists, if any."

In the absence of official support, private art centers like the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, funded by two Belgian collectors, Guy and Myriam Ullens, have opened to show private collections of Chinese art.

When not indifferent, official attitudes in China remain repressive, with government censors continuing to hunt down, albeit haphazardly, works deemed politically subversive, sexually explicit or culturally sensitive.

In 2006, the artists He An and Zhang Ding were imprisoned for taking part in a group show that included a work with peasants, colored gold but holding up blank placards, which was interpreted as a comment on the helplessness of the rural poor subjected to compulsory land seizures.

In February, a first exhibition of works by the Shanghai artist Zhang Huan was canceled at the Shanghai Art Museum. The authorities banned such works as giant sculptures of deformed bodies covered with cowhide, which they asserted were inappropriate Buddhist references.

Still, in the age of globalization, local censorship cannot stop work from being shown in the West.

Two of the "offensive" works by Zhang were reportedly bought by François Pinault, owner of Christie's. A third work, "Giant No. 3" (2008), a 15-foot-high, or 4.6-meter, installation made of cowhide, steel, wood and polystyrene foam, is on view at PaceWildenstein in New York through July 25.

"We are not overly concerned with censorship," said Boris of PaceWildenstein. "It creates a tension in China that is absent in New York or London. It allows for heroic art to be made."

Matching the official indifference or hostility to the artists has been the government's indifference to the free-wheeling art market, where speculation and an absence of oversight and regulation have given rise to talk of price fixing that would be deemed impermissible in the West.

In December, the French auction house Artcurial and the privately owned Chinese group Sun Media created the first Western auction house to pioneer into mainland China. On Jan. 20, Artcurial China held its first auction, with Francis Briest, one of Artcurial's principal Paris auctioneers, symbolically holding the hammer for the first lot.

The auction was a big success, the company said, bringing in $8.3 million for 72 lots, nearly double the high estimate, with only one lot unsold. Dominated by local traditional and figurative painting, the lots included a sculpture by a contemporary French artist, Richard Texier, entitled "Mimesis Deus."

With an estimate between 120,000 yuan and 160,000 yuan, or $17,350 and $23,130, the Texier sculpture soared to a hammer price of 3.36 million yuan, many times higher than any other work sold by the artist, according to data available on Artprice, a leading provider of art information on the Web.

According to Briest, the price reflected the unpredictability of auctions. "The art market is inherently irrational," he said. "If the hammer price was high, it is because at least two bidders were seduced by the piece and fought for it."

Other observers had a different explanation.

"It is common practice in China for auction houses to have some kind of arrangement in regard to the bidding process, because there are no laws against it in China," said Li Liang, director of the Eastlink Gallery in Shanghai.

Such arrangements can be used to create "buzz" around an artist's work, said a person with knowledge of the Chinese auction scene who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.

"Auction houses in China enter into agreements with artists or consignors to sell works without an established market value," the person said. "The seller agrees to pay a 10 percent commission on the hammer price. In exchange, the house engages in 'fake' bidding to sell the piece. That helps create a baseline value for the piece.

"An inquiry into the auction house's account would show that the hammer price is not paid in, just the 10 percent commission."

Briest, responding to questions, dismissed Artcurial's responsibility in the Texier sale. "We are aware that transparency is a relative term in China, but we do not condone such practices," he said.

Artcurial was only a shareholder in Artcurial China, Briest added. Legal responsibility rested with Sun Media, the Chinese partner, "in whom we trust," he said. "They have certified the results of this auction."

Meanwhile, transparent or not, the China market increasingly is attracting not only Western galleries and auctioneers, but also organizers of art fairs.

Last month, the Paris fair ArtParis made its debut in Shenzhen, China. Meanwhile, the Shanghai ShContemporary fair is planning to hold its second edition in September, despite a heated dispute between one of its original organizers, Pierre Huber, a dealer in Geneva who was artistic director of the fair last year, and the Parisian dealer Enrico Navarra.

Navarra accused Huber of a conflict of interest between his position as director and his role as a dealer.

"In the West, you could not organize an international fair where the sole artistic director is an active dealer and uses his position within the fair to promote his own artists in competition with fair participants," Navarra said.

For this year's edition of ShContemporary, Huber - who was also under pressure after a French television program last year showed him apparently bullying Chinese artists into selling their work to him cheaply - has been replaced as artistic director of the fair by a 10-person committee.

In a telephone interview, Huber denied a conflict of interest and declined to discuss Navarra. "For me, ShContemporary was, first and foremost, a cultural project which was destroyed by the commercial interests of others," he said.

Amid the feeding frenzy of galleristas and auctioneers, the artists sometimes look like swimmers in a shark cage - wealthy swimmers, that is.

"Some of the artists, propelled by the attention and the intense demand, have become very rich by Chinese standards," Goedhuis said.

But, "there is no structure in China for artists to sell through dealers who set prices and a career path for the good artists to flourish," he added. "Artists are left floundering, trying to make a fast buck on the one hand, and do creative work on the other. Meantime, they are besieged by buyers, dealers and auction houses."

Goedhuis himself was at the center of a recent controversy when part of the Estella Collection of Chinese contemporary art, which he had amassed for a group of collectors, was auctioned at Sotheby's Hong Kong in April. Angered artists said they had been duped into selling, for low prices, pieces that fetched millions at the auction. Goedhuis has denied knowledge of the collectors' intent to sell.

Meanwhile, auction prices continue to soar, despite some fears that they may be due for a correction.

At the Christie's Hong Kong evening sale of Asian contemporary art on May 24, a new record was achieved for Yue Minjun, whose 1993 work "Gweong-Gweong" sold for 54 million Hong Kong dollars, or $7 million, more than 10 times the price it fetched when it went under the hammer in 2005.

"By just looking at auction prices, people assume that the Chinese market is a bubble, that there is no historical or intellectual grounding to the art, no gravity to the market," said Boris of PaceWildenstein. "In reality, we are witnessing the birth of an emerging identity."

PaceWildenstein's move into Beijing reflects its commitment to a long term view, he said. "We are doing a job for Zhang Huan and other Chinese artists, to bring them into Western collections and museums. We are working to integrate them into world art history where they belong."

Goedhuis, too, says the Chinese market is no bubble, although his reasoning is more prosaic.

"There are over a billion people in China," he said. "If only a few more people enter the art market, prices will go even higher. There is enough wealth in China to make Chinese art extremely expensive.

"China is the dominant reality for the rest of history. There is nothing stopping China."

【转载】前卫中国：在泡沫中狂欢

zhangxiaomin — Tue, 01 July 2008 17:00:32 -0400

刘柠

2007 年，随着奥运会的临近，中国经济开始冲刺：据中国国家统计局公开的数据，去年全国GDP增长11.4%，CPI（价格指数）增长4.8%；在北京、上海等一级城市，一年内房地产价格至少上涨一倍，涨幅超过过去6年的总和；资本市场更是一片尖叫，5年未遇的牛市令人血脉贲张。

行情最看好的，既不是房地产，也不是资本市场，而是艺术品市场。这个市场的发力，非自去年始。但从2000年至今，海外对中国艺术品市场价值的整体评估，已上升百倍以上。曾几何时动辄被警察取缔，长期以来在社会边缘辗转流浪的前卫艺术家，在前卫艺术的“政治正确”性确立之后，摇身一变，成为时尚的新宠，随便翻开一本刊物，艺术家的名字与娱乐明星、著名电影导演和开发首都CBD商圈的大地产商等“成功人士”一起，装点着时尚杂志的封面。在北京的798和上海可以俯瞰“新天地”的顶级商业画廊中，每个晚上都上演鸡尾酒派对，脱下工装服的艺术家西装革履；继法国尤伦斯（UCCA，Ullens Center For Contemporary Art）抢滩798之后，纽约的古根海姆艺术博物馆（Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum）和巴黎的蓬皮杜中心（Pompidou Center）正考虑在北京建立分部。

“十年修得同船度，百年修得共枕眠。”艺术与资本如此“和谐”的结局到底是不是艺术家所期待的？答案是肯定的，这是自从前卫艺术运动在本土出现（指当代，远的不算）至今，3代艺术家中前两代修来的善果。正如在798修葺一新的“尤伦斯当代艺术中心”刚刚落幕的“85新潮回顾展”主展厅的墙上所写的主题词所说的：“我认为中国艺术家除了没有钱，没有大工作室，什么都有，而且什么都是最好的。”纵然经历过饥饿、贫困，治安联防和警察的追剿，国家体制与资本的放逐及艺术家的自我放逐，我们念兹在兹的前卫艺术家们矢志不渝，不懈打拼，终于以自身的努力和偏执，创造了“前卫中国”（Avant China）的艺术品牌，迎来了全球化时代“创意中国”（Creative China）的艺术新浪潮，从而向世界证明，中国艺术家“什么都是最好的”。因为“什么都是最好的”，“大工作室”自不在话下，大House、“大奔”、“大蜜”也应运而来，成为今天牛逼艺术家“成功”的标识。

继去年3月，张晓刚的油画《血缘系列：三位同志》在纽约苏富比拍卖会上，拍出211万美元的高价之后，中国前卫艺术品的价格一路飙升：11月，在北京保利秋季拍卖会上，刘小东的油画《三峡新移民》以2200万元的价格被一位本土企业家收藏；同月的香港嘉士德（CHRISTIE’S）艺术品拍卖会上，旅美中国艺术家蔡国强的《APEC景观焰火表演14幅草图》以7424万港元的天价，创中国当代艺术品拍卖的世界纪录。进而，在位于四川成都郊外的著名风景胜地青城山麓，由地方政府主导并划拨土地，由开发商投资，日本一流设计师设计，专为张晓刚、王广义、方力钧、岳敏君等8位国内顶尖艺术家兴建，最终产权归艺术家个人所有的私人美术馆群（青城山"中国当代美术馆群，由8座私人美术馆和1座中心美术馆构成，共占地110亩）建设项目启动，将在今年内竣工并投入使用。如此大手笔的艺术开发，不仅国内是破天荒，世界上都鲜有先例。一个不言而喻的事实是，资本，不仅作为酵母，使艺术品市场发生“化学反应”，而且早已成为决定性的主导力量：不仅决定艺术品的价格，而且决定艺术家的归属，甚至前卫艺术的发展方向。乃至美国《纽约时报》发表评论指出：中国前卫艺术是一场 “新革命”，其本质在于“艺术向资本主义致意”。

其实，岂止是“向资本主义致意”，短短几年时间，中国本土的艺术商业机制迅速成熟，其商业化程度甚至已然超过被称为“资本主义”的美、欧、日等国，堪称“优等生”。4年前，北京的艺术区还只有798 一处，现在有不下十处（草场地、索家庄、环铁、宋庄等），并蔓延至全国7个城市；5年前，商业画廊不足30家，现在有数百家（仅798内就有206家）； 5年前，国内拍卖当代艺术品的拍卖行不超过5家，现在超过50家。今天，哪个资深艺术家不是“前店后厂”式经营，哪个展览会不是展销会？批评家做策展人，策展人当经纪人，甚至索性开画廊——批评家、策展人、经纪人一体化，中国之大，几乎已没有免费撰写艺术评论的批评家和免费发表评论文章的艺术类刊物。在中国市场的强烈诱惑下，苏富比和嘉士德这两个艺术拍卖的百年老店，甚至打破成规，越过画廊等中间环节，向艺术家直接索画；至于相反的情形——艺术家送货上门（送自己的作品给拍卖行），早已不是新闻。某种普遍的价格焦虑，竟然让践行百年、代代相传的游戏规则遁于无形，令人哭笑不得。

在这种过热的商业机制催生下，一代，不，几代艺术家迅速致富。百万、千万富翁已碰鼻子碰眼，即使是亿万富翁，恐怕也不可以屈指计。已“崛起”的艺术家，为谋求更大的成功，不惜把艺术创作的个性劳动生产线化、工业化，以雇工（助手和“枪手”），甚至公司化的运作，来满足市场的需求，被有些评论家奚落为“艺术资本家”。

为应对“画廊比画家多”的僧多粥少局面，一场空前惨烈的人才争夺战已经白热化。张晓刚从出道到成名用了近20年时间，新锐艺术家只需几年，甚至连专业艺术教育的四年寒窗都无需熬完即可成“腕”——可谓“内无怨女，外无旷夫”，统统被艺术商业体制一网打尽。一些美院油画系、雕塑系毕业班的学生，先于学位证书，拿到的是画廊的合约，人尚未出大学校园，便开始以6位数的价格出售作品。在慨叹“江山代有人才出”、“青出于蓝胜于蓝”之余，也不禁为新生代的小艺术家们捏把汗：毕竟嫩了点，除非艺术从此不复是表现人生和痛苦的“恶之华”。

不过，多思也无益，当下艺术反正离痛苦是越来越远了，日益成了某种近乎中性的“纯粹”艺术。自从发明了“玩世现实主义”（Cynical Realism）和“中国艳俗”（China
Kitsch）之后，任何痛苦、不公正、恶趣味都可以用这俩“万能”概念来套，套上之后，原先的感受便消解于无形——这是为什么本土前卫艺术中何以有那么多玩世、艳俗形象的答案，也是为什么转型期的中国何以越来越像一个艳俗的大卖场的答案。

如果说，八、九十年代的艺术家是“痛并快乐着”的话，那么今天的艺术家则是“乐并麻木着”，像极了方力钧笔下的秃头泼皮和岳敏君作品中咧开露出32颗雪白牙齿的大嘴烂笑的哥们。一个不争而可悲的事实是，繁荣的泡沫一日不破灭，中国前卫艺术便会在泡沫中狂欢不已，并在狂欢中坠落。

神清气爽

zhangxiaomin — Thu, 26 June 2008 12:29:05 -0400

公历2008年6月26日，农历五月廿三日，戊子年(霹雳火)戊午月(天上火，月干五行“土”)丁酉日(山下火，日干五行“火”)

宜：嫁娶、祭祀、沐浴、扫舍、修饰垣墙
忌：行丧、安葬
煞：东
胎神：仓库门房内北
成：平
正冲：辛卯
冲：鸡日冲兔

今日黄道：平

今天是个好日子！其一，拿到了智利的签证，就等下周去盖章了。其二，好几个朋友说要来看我，开心。其三，小学同学生日，多亏筱薇才联络上了他。

今天在文学城上看八卦，看到“史上最牛历史老师”这样的骇人题目（链接），一看就乐了！袁腾飞那不是我的中学历史老师吗？那时候对他印象深刻，因为他年轻、张嘴一口北京话、讲课像说书的。现在还记得他讲海湾战争时说，“萨达姆他凭什么敢跟美国叫板啊？！”现在他居然也成了“网络红人”了，还真是tmd造化弄人啊！不过都十几年了他还保持青春依旧真是不容易，不知是怎么保养的。中学里几位老师给我印象深刻，“可以说影响了我的一生。。。”呵呵。那时候迷中国古代史，讲古代史的老师姓岳，身形魁梧，声如洪钟，面相威严，好似旧时私塾的先生，一般学生上课大气都不敢出。一次他在课上踱着步问，“都知道开元盛世，你们知道唐玄宗后期的年号是什么吗？” 我在后面壮着猫胆小声说了一句，“天宝！”老头猛转过身来，微笑着点头说，“不错、不错。” 我心里扑通扑通直跳，美了至少一个星期，其后恨不得把古代史上下读个几遍好再impress他一下。还有一位物理市级特级教师唐朝智，上课口不离国骂，讲力学的时候，声情并茂地说，“左边的这个小车就去推右边的这个小车。右边这个小车就说了，‘你他妈的凭什么推我啊？’。。。就给左边这个小车一个反作用力。。。” 外面老师来听课的时候也一如往顾，课上经常爆笑一片。还有一位数学特级教师王老师，对我的信任把我感动地掉下泪来。还有一位英语老师姓陈，不吝夸奖我英语念的好（那会儿我的英语还在70-80晃荡），不过89年后就不知所终了。。。遇到的好老师数不胜数。当然也有一些“毁人不倦”的老师，伤害了无数的纯真小心灵。所以我一直觉得老师是可以改变人生的职业，责任重大不亚于父母。如果我有这样的才能，我也想做个能够启发鼓励学生的老师。

"史上最牛历史老师"走红网络讲课爱说北京土话(图) 中新网

高三最后一堂课上用京剧与学生道别；把拿破仑说成是一个“很够爷们儿的人”；用“蛤蟆吞恐龙”来比喻“偷袭珍珠港”事件……日前，网络上出现了一系列幽默风趣的中学历史课视频片段，并迅速走红。而上课的这位历史老师袁腾飞被网友称为“史上最牛历史老师”。

与任何曾经出现的网络“红人”一样，这位“史上最牛历史老师”的出现同样引起了争议。

讲课视频蹿红网络

“如果你们考好了，在外面多提提我；如果你们没考好，千万别说是我教的……我也不会说什么煽情的话，给大家唱一段吧……”，在同学的掌声中，历史老师袁腾飞唱起了京剧《将相和》中的一段。这是“史上最牛历史老师”系列视频中最新上载的一辑。该组视频共有24集，一个月前最早出现在“优酷”网站上，其内容都是袁腾飞为高三学生讲授历史课的片段。而这些视频最大的特点在于，尽管讲授内容大都围绕着课本，但是主讲者那种“连批带讲”、嬉笑怒骂的讲课风格，经常引来学生们的哄堂大笑。

例如在讲到“拿破仑加冕”时，袁腾飞形容他是一个“很够爷们儿的人”；在前苏联的勃列日涅夫酷爱头衔和勋章时，他说“匪夷所思，这哥们儿居然说是一个人民艺术家……”记者注意到这些视频机位固定、画面清楚且不颤抖，而画面左上角有一个学校的名称。网友猜测这些教学片段可能来自袁腾飞以前上课时的教学资料。而上传者或是学校工作人员或者是购买教学资料的学生。

“史上最牛历史老师”历史课视频片段

在“优酷”网出现以后，这些在“优酷”网出现以后，这些视频又相继出现在了新浪、百度等大型网站上。一些学生拍的视频也出现在了网络上。而记者在百度搜索中输入“史上最牛历史老师”后，其相关网页有5.7万篇。

网友：看了他的课我想哭

在百度的“袁腾飞”吧，很多网友也补充袁腾飞许多上课时的细节。一位网名叫“波拿马的猪”的网友列出了几条：“大多数时候袁老师都是坐着上课，不过，只要老师一站起来，就要讲一些奇闻趣事了”；“天气热的时候老师竟然拿了一把巨大的扇子，我还以为老师要给我们上评书课”……

除了这些曾经上过他课的学生以外，更多的网友仅仅是看过视频而喜欢上他的讲课风格。“我第一次看到袁腾飞老师讲课。我真的哭了，真的。”一位网友在百度“袁腾飞”吧这样描述自己看了讲课视频的第一感觉。这位自称现在是一个日本料理服务员的网友说，看了视频后想到了自己中学时的一些老师，而那些老师当年的一些做法曾经令他对教师产生了心理隔阂。而另一位网友发帖说：“天下没有不好的学生，只有不好的老师……把本来枯燥乏味的历史，讲得栩栩如生。如果中国多几个这样的老师，那就会少很多上课睡觉的学生。”

争议：历史是否应该这样教

如同曾经出现的所有网络“红人”一样，“史上最牛历史老师”的出现也引起了很多网友的争议。而这主要针对的是袁腾飞用土语对历史现象的解释和对国人劣根性的一些评点上。

一位名叫“莎士比亚说”的网友认为，“不论方法多么新颖也好、言语组织多么风趣也罢，最为关键的地方应该是客观地讲述历史，和具有真实性的内容，这些对学生才真正有用。”他觉得袁腾飞在讲述“敦刻尔克大撤退”时捎带手对比了中国人和英国人，有一种“抬高别人、打击国人”的意思。

甚至于有人抨击袁腾飞上课“像一地痞在侃大山，没什么，但是请你尊重自己的民族”。而一位网友也觉得袁的课受学生欢迎很正常，“我以前也是这么过来的，很喜欢这样讲课的老师，但是后来明白了，这种东西不能登上大雅之堂，仅仅适用于教学生”。

史上最牛历史老师袁腾飞---台灣問題

人物

袁腾飞：把我知道的更好地表达给别人

- 刚知道自己成了“史上最牛”与讲课视频里的“最牛老师”不同，现实中的袁腾飞显得很低调。尽管他本人是海淀区高级历史教师，但是他甚至不希望别人知道他的工作单位，以及从教经历等等。近日，在西四环附近的一家咖啡馆里，记者与他聊起了他的历史课。面对一个“陌生人”的突然到来，课上口若悬河的他却不知道说什么好了。

“我现在挺害怕”

袁腾飞是10天前从一个在国外的学生那里知道自己成了“史上最牛历史老师”的。随后，他又上网对自己进行了“搜索”，直到那时他才知道自己和自己的历史课原来那么出名。

不过，对于这突如其来的“名声”，袁腾飞坦言“我现在挺害怕的”。他说中学历史老师跟大学老师不一样，他们不是研究历史，而是普及历史知识，“我的受众是中学生，我是要让学生对历史感兴趣，如果连兴趣都没有怎么能学好历史呢”。对于别人的质疑，他解释：“我讲的，包括自己的观点都是有资料可循的，但是我不是为了研究，因此并不严谨。如果让我去跟人家进行论战那种，我实在没有这个精力。”袁腾飞说，其实，中学的历史课应该是“关起门来说话”。

-“第一次讲历史课很失败”由于生长在没有过多娱乐活动的年代，袁腾飞小时候就是以听评书、看历史小说、读历史故事作为兴趣，并逐渐喜欢上了历史。也正是凭着对历史的兴趣，高三获得保送资格的他报考了首都师范大学历史系。

他生平的第一次讲课就是在上大一的时候完成的。那时他是给一个初中班级的历史兴趣小组讲北京历史。袁腾飞说头天他便在宿舍里试讲了数次，没想到第二天一上课，学生根本就不喜欢听，“我那时上课就特别木讷，照本宣科的那种，但当时感觉最根本的原因还是学生对历史并没有兴趣，所以就很失败”。

“我只是想把我知道的表达给别人”

袁腾飞说自己从正式成为老师后，除了公开课以外，自己再也没有试讲过。课上的那些北京土话、讽刺批讲都是信手拈来，而不是刻意为之，“我也不知道这是为什么，只是觉得很自然，可能与我对评书、相声这些曲艺的喜好有关系”，袁腾飞认为北京孩子平常说话办事都这样。

袁腾飞觉得自己讲课不是为了教授别人什么，而只是想“把我知道的更好地表达给别人”，而那对他来说是一种很大的精神满足，“就是‘我知道，你不知道，我得好好告诉告诉你’的那种感觉”。

图片为视频截屏

“伏尔泰成为当时欧洲各国君王心目中的偶像……各国君王都以与伏尔泰通信感到骄傲……法国宫廷经常邀请伏尔泰演讲，他的演讲干吗的，都是骂国王的。国王在底下听着‘骂自己’感到无上的光荣”

讲到美国独立宣言时，对于美国选举制度，他说：“像克林顿这样的小伙子，美国人气最旺的总统，干八年也得走人……你要在美国的酒吧间里骂美国的话，所有的人都上去抽你去，你要是骂布什，估计都上去给你鼓掌……”

讲到美国独立战争，他说：“地是黄的，树是绿的，只有英国兵是红的。你想想这玩意儿，这不是‘作’吗？‘咣’给你一枪，你都不知道打哪儿了，因为你衣服是红的啊，你也找不到伤口。”

Lok was on Wall Street Journal!

zhangxiaomin — Wed, 25 June 2008 17:35:28 -0400

OMG, Lok really became a "renown scholar on internet in China!" I am heavily suspicious if the person in photo was him though...

新闻联播：DIA新总监；纽约同志“自豪”游行

zhangxiaomin — Tue, 24 June 2008 16:09:41 -0400

Dia艺术基金会任命42岁的菲利培·佛恩（Philippe Vergne），这位之前在明尼阿波利斯的沃克尔艺术中心（Walker Art Center）工作了11年的策展人，担任总监。佛恩此前策划过多次引人瞩目的大型展览，包括1997年的中国艺术家黄永砯的巡回回顾展。详情见纽约时报。

本周日纽约市将举行一年一度的同志游行（也包括双性恋和变性人士，合称LGBT，但中文就不知所谓了），起点为第五大道和52街，终点为西村的克里斯托夫街，详情在此。

荒谬离你有多远？

zhangxiaomin — Mon, 23 June 2008 17:22:37 -0400

一个小朋友无辜被纽约警察拘留了。之所以有保护少数人权益的法律是因为他们弱势。但在某些少数人丧心病狂的时候，保护他们要建立在伤害多数人的权益的基础上的时候，道义的天平就充满争议了。

不过，比起被关在关塔纳摩的所谓“敌对武装分子”（enemy combatant)来说，小朋友还是幸运的多。比起被单独监禁30年的Angola 3，他更是幸运太多。不要以为宁事息人就可以明哲保身，每个人安身立命的一寸地都是所有的人一起争取维护来的。

八年的生活要装几只箱子？

zhangxiaomin — Tue, 17 June 2008 15:44:28 -0400

昨天跟运输公司定了托运的箱子。本着轻装减重的方针，打着富余也只要了四只大箱子，三只小箱子，预计最后装箱结果还要少于此。在美国住了八年，搬了六次家（虽然只涉及两个州），总是提醒自己不要积攒东西。但到最后还是存下了不少书和衣服。想想快一个decade的生活只装了这几只箱子，有一点感伤，更有些轻松。还是赤条条来去无牵挂的好！所有物最终都会成为束缚。

最放心不下的还是猫猫，她成天憨憨地跟在我屁股后面一副迷惑不解傻忒兮兮的样子，让我实在不忍心把她留给其他人，甚至有些希望智利签证这次拿不到，这样可以先带她回北京（当然不能让他听到）。。。不过还是希望有好心人先帮我照料她，等一有机会就把她带回去。【taca，你听到了吗？呵呵】不写了，我是不能在博客上抒情的，自己把自己先恶心死了。

“流浪北京”是很早以前看的纪录片，看的时候很激动，因为片中的人物“很傻很冲动”。在豆瓣上看到了一篇采访张慈的文章，又一次被提醒青春很美又很无情。

　　编者按：1980年代末，云南青年导演吴文光的纪录片《流浪北京》一经面世，旋即在一定范围内引起了普遍的关注，影片用“为什么来北京”、“住所”、 “出国梦”、“出路”等章节，真实细腻地纪录了张夏平、张慈、牟森、高波、张大力几个追求文学、戏剧、摄影、绘画等艺术的年轻人离开故乡、离开体制到北京寻找自由、寻找梦想的故事，成为一代文艺青年的集体缩影。近日，该片的人物之一张慈，带领来自美国、荷兰、德国等地“海外华文女作家协会”一行19人赴滇访问采风。身为80后的笔者和张慈进行了短暂的交流采访，一起回溯了60年代生人的往事，温习了这代人在探索世界过程中的爱与哀愁，由困惑和激情交织出来的绚丽青春。
　　
　　从南湖到翠湖
　　
　　“我的故乡蒙自有一个叫南湖的人造湖，三十年代时西南联大钱穆、朱自清、闻一多、陈寅恪等人曾漫步湖边，追寻他们年代的精神自由与人文梦想，留下了美好的诗篇。南湖是我孩提时代的游乐场，每个夏天我都浸泡在其中，最好的玩伴猝然淹死在了里面也没被吓到我，第二天依然会去畅泳。在水和岸之间奋力地往返前进，特别享受这种有些冒险的过程带来的丰富刺激，这种体验只有少数人才能领悟得到。从事文学写作也给我带来了类似的快感，我很幸运。”回想起自己和文学结缘的过程，张慈神情恬淡沉湎在乐趣里，话语洋溢着一种松弛和活泼。张慈一直相信她对文字的敏感和文学珠胎暗结，冥冥之中和南湖边上那些名人留下的神秘气息是有一些牵连。
　　
　　1979年，张慈以地区文科第一名的成绩考进了云南大学中文系，从南湖来到了翠湖。斯时，正逢改革开放之初，解放思想的新风气正在当头，年轻人把文学当成了释放内心激情，阐释生活困惑，表达个性观点的一种精神生活方式。欧美现代哲学、文学对中国青年的影响是空前的，很多青年唯恐自己落伍，枕戈待旦拼命的阅读写作。张慈创作的一系列文学作品在《他们》等著名文学杂志上频频出现，赢得了外面的关注，和于坚、姚霏并称为云南文学青年“三剑客”。除了写作，张慈还穿牛仔裤、背马桶包、抽烟、跳迪斯科，很快成为同龄人里的“明星”。她一直是一个乐于尝试新生事物的人，性子里有一种无畏的韧性。她说，故乡的南湖是一个孩子向往外面世界的心湖，翠湖是学生时代文学梦的见证。
　　
　　1983年，张慈从云南大学中文系毕业后，被分派回了《个旧文艺》工作，对未知的人生和世界充满想法。狂热投身于文学里，张慈成了单位的“三多”人员，电话多，来信多，来访人员多，电话对于那个时代的人来说，几乎是一种奢侈品，张慈长时间“占”着单位的电话不放，让别人颇有微辞。在僵化的国有事业单位体制下，单位里事情并不多，工作性质也和自己理想不太沾边，这让她很困惑。她感到一种青春从血管里流逝的压抑，激情在虚无里燃烧的绞痛，必须出走，离开这个地方，哪怕回到自曾经求学的城市，成为她这时的最大愿望。张慈说，我在这个世界的行走过程就是我的写作过程，离开个旧是一个新时代的开始。
　　
　　一无所有“北漂”
　　
　　1986年，几乎就在是张慈离开了在《流浪北京》里被她形容为“那个地方东边有个老阴山,西边有个老阳山，老阴山比老阳山高，所以都说，个旧的女人比男人厉害”的故乡，双脚踏上充满梦幻色彩的北京之时，和张慈年龄相仿的北京青年崔健用《新长征路上的摇滚》的音乐专辑，粗砺地嘶吼出了当时年轻人里的最强音，“走过来，走过去，没有根据地”这也正是张慈他们最早这一批北漂青年的真实写照。他们在理想面前抱成团、昂着头颅前进，燃烧着强大的荷尔蒙引发的激情，可是回到冰冷的现实，他们浑身上下都是歌里面唱到的“一无所有”的人，没有单位，身份不明，营养不良，脸色苍白，前途茫茫。
　　
　　根据张慈的师妹、挚友钱映紫回忆，那时候青年人去北京，并不像今天的人们，是抱着去旅游看风景的心态去的，坐飞机几个小时就到了。当时去北京，坐火车得一周左右，年轻人们在轰隆隆的北上列车里闪烁着一种理想主义的古典光芒，下了火车看一看神圣的天安门，就直奔王府井新华书店，很多才引进国内的外文书籍只有在这个地方才找得到，在昆明几乎见不着。朋友之间来往也喜欢互相送书来表达情谊。1987年，她去北京找张慈飘荡了一段时间，经常在各大高校的同学朋友之间蹭吃、蹭睡。她永远记得张慈手提着一个小行李箱四处晃悠，白天生龙活虎一到日暮就为吃饭、投宿等问题发愁的样子。每当在纸上写下最时髦的语句之后，放下最先锋的文艺著作，朗诵完热泪盈眶的诗词，就无法不去面对工作、吃饭、住宿、户籍这些问题，而身后故乡的父母亲人又在急切的呼唤着回去。很多人伤心疲倦地回去了，很多人还在坚持。
　　
　　在残酷的生活现实面前，理想和意志不断受挫，未来空荡荡的像个黑洞，而当下最基本的肚子温饱还没有着落，很多北漂青年都曾在心中想起哈姆雷特那句“活着还是死去这是一个问题”的悲壮拷问。如同《流浪北京》里所描述的那样，出国成为文艺青年和知识分子的一种无奈终极追求。张慈和她美国老公的认识并不算偶然，用她的话说这是一种用心经营的成果，其中的过程不是一两句话能说清楚，虽然她对这桩婚姻的目的很明确，但是，毫无疑问的是他们互相的爱是真诚的，美好的。是的，他把她带到了朝思暮想的美利坚合众国，去了国人眼里的“万恶的腐朽的垂死的堕落的资本主义花花世界”，开始了陌生、崭新、迷人的人生。

CAAC Panel Discussion June 21, 2008

zhangxiaomin — Fri, 13 June 2008 15:24:38 -0400

和玛丽·弗吉尼亚·斯万森一起推广你的摄影

zhangxiaomin — Wed, 11 June 2008 16:26:35 -0400

这个博客教给在美国的摄影师一些关于市场、成名的信息和机会，看起来不错。链接

其中有一个6月13日的免费讲座。

蜘蛛人爬纽约时报大厦；劳森博格谈创作

zhangxiaomin — Fri, 06 June 2008 17:02:52 -0400

I usually work in a direction until I know how to do it, then I stop. At the time that I am bored or understand—I use those words interchangeably—another appetite has formed. A lot of people try to think up ideas. I’m not one. I’d rather accept the irresistible possibilities of what I can’t ignore.

Anything you do will be an abuse of somebody’s else’s aesthetics. I think you’re born an artist or not. I couldn’t have learned it. And I hope I never do because knowing more only encourages your limitations.

-Robert Rauschenberg

引自纽约时报的报道：

Two men, one a practiced French stuntman known for climbing tall buildings, the other a New Yorker who said he wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of malaria, scaled the 52-story New York Times Building in Times Square on Thursday just hours apart. Each was arrested when he stepped safely onto the roof.

The first, Alain Robert, the Frenchman, went up the north face of the year-old skyscraper in the morning, unfurling a bright green banner near the top. The words on the banner were illegible from the sidewalk, but from office windows inside the tower the message could be clearly read: “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.”

The other, identified by the police as Renaldo Clarke, 32, of Brooklyn, climbed the Eighth Avenue side starting about 6 p.m.

A spokeswoman for The Times, Catherine J. Mathis, said that after the first climber was arrested, two additional building security guards were assigned to patrol the area outside, on 40th and 41st Streets.

Both climbers grabbed onto one of the building’s most distinctive features, the ladderlike horizontal rods that form an exterior curtain surrounding the floor-to-ceiling windows. And then, in turn, they were off on a hand-over-hand trip up the face of a New York skyscraper, with no ropes or harnesses, a trip that left the cellphone-camera-snapping crowds that swirled below thinking of Spider-Man, or maybe King Kong.

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昨日收到如下一封信

Dear Fellow Activist:

Today is World Environment Day.

Right now, Alain Robert, known as the French Spiderman, is risking his life in New York City climbing high into the skyline to raise awareness of the desperate need for real stewardship from world leaders on global warming ahead of next month's G8 meeting.

He says "The Solution Is Simple":

1 – Stop Cutting Down Trees. Plant More Trees.
2 – Make Everything Energy Efficient.
3 – Only Make Clean Energy.

The cost of action is a simple matter of math. The cost of acting NOW is far smaller than the cost of acting TOO LATE. But the time for action is running out, fast.

World leaders know this, but are still not acting fast or bravely enough. Last year in Bali, they failed to agree to ANY emissions reduction targets, but rather to two more years of more talk.
TALK is no longer cheap; but we can't afford any more of it instead of ACTION.

But there is hope in the changing of the guard among world leaders. America's next President could help lead the way.
There's reason for hope. We urgently need a global agreement for at least a 50 percent cut in emissions.

World leaders meet again next month at the G8 conference in Japan. YOU can help make sure they get the message. Go to http://www.thesolutionissimple.org and join your voice with ours.
Together we WILL be heard.

Together, millions of us can help make history on the most urgent and important issue of our lifetime. It's that simple.

Stay informed, stay inspired, stay active!

As always in solidarity,

Your friends at AnitaRoddick.com and IAmAnActivist.org