East and West have met
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 .Unable to attract the little creature, both children gave up ;they walked away, in different directions, leaving the rabbit. . .alone.
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 rivers...of 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.
尊敬的评委、女士们、先生们：吉卜林说过，“东方是东方，西方是西方，两者永不聚!”然而如今，在一个世纪之后，东西方相聚了。
它们在贸易中相聚，在教育中相聚，在艺术中相聚。
有人争论说这种东西方之聚,使得我们能够在东西方中作出选择.然而我相信最美好的未来在于东西方世界的创造性的结合，我们可以变西方的观念、习俗、技术为己所有，为己所用;我们可以享受两上不同世界之精华，总之，我们的传统之一就是择其精华，为己所用。
然而，西方的生活方式和价值会威胁到我们的民族特色吗?
历史让我们轻易相信——也许是太轻易地让我们相信此说了。
有人似乎认为彩西方习俗，比如新娘结婚穿白色婚纱，是对外国介入的屈服，是对传统遗产的背叛，因为按中国传统，结婚新娘要穿红色，而白色长期以来代表的是哀悼。
这些人担心一量我们变得全球化，我们也就不在是中国人了。
我不这样认为。
历史告诉我们：一个强大自信的民族学起外面的世界易如反掌 。
无论是穿白衣还是黑衣，还是东西方异质文化的联姻，都给我们带来多姿多采的生活。
东西方异质文化的联姻是一席来自世界各地佳肴的盛宴。
身为中国菜的业余美食家，我喜欢民族的佳肴。
然而我的中国口味也欣赏异国的风味。
生活中我为简便吃麦当劳，却不会放弃自己的良好口味。
从小祖父就教我哼唱京剧，京剧深入我的精神之中，成为我灵魂的一部分。
我热爱京剧，因为京剧让我总想起自己是谁。
但是我也迷恋现代流行音乐，在学校里还是“辣味女孩”的头号歌迷。
当然，异质文化的交流远不止于食物、音乐和舞蹈，它深入到价值观和世界观。 有一次老师给我讲了一个中国男孩和一个美国女孩发生争执的故事。
在花园里他们俩发现了一只小兔，两人都想要。
你肯定见过草丛中晒太阳的小兔。
没什么东西比小兔子更可爱的，更富有自然情趣了，难怪他们两人都想要它。
男孩拉起了二胡，愉快喜悦的琴声，充满了渴望和激情，回荡在空中，小兔子听着这音乐轻轻摇摆，耳朵转向音乐，它喜爱男孩的琴声。
女孩也取出小提琴，拉出悠扬的旋律。
小兔子听了朝她跑去。
两人都全神贯注于自己的音乐，丝毫没注意对方演奏的音乐。
交杂在一块的音乐困惑了小兔子，它不知该朝哪走。男孩和女孩都不能将小兔子吸引过来，只好放弃，各自走开了，扔下小兔子独自一人。
然而倘若他们倾听对方的音乐，而不是各自为歌，那么结果会如何呢?
当我听到小提琴声响起，男男女女走道一起又唱又跳，乐声中充满了欢乐， 此时我也听见了草原上、山谷间、小河旁传来得我们本民族的音乐的回声。
音乐分你我，还是属于我们大家?
我想听的是二胡与小提琴的合奏，旋律与节奏和谐一致。
大家一起才能创造出新颖动听音乐， 只有在和谐中大家才能创造出富有神韵的乐声。
在温暖的阳光中，小兔子在等待着我们一起演奏，等待着交响乐开始。
他有必要再永远的等下去吗?决择在于我们自己。谢谢。
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