Chronicles of the Sunbird (7): Ma Lin fell in love with Chinese

Chronicles of the Sunbird (7): Ma Lin fell in love with Chinese (Editor's note) At a certain time, in a certain space, we are here, in Arizona, the United States. Some people stay...

(Editor's note) At a certain time, in a certain space, we are here, in Arizona, the United States. Some people stay, and some people return from overseas. At the intersection of time and space, there are many stories composed of minutes and seconds. On the Sunbird Asia Chinese Network, we see Zhang Zhaohong, Qi Ruhong, Wen Ruo, Huiming, Fengming, Xinshui and many other old overseas Chinese recording their lives in words. First of all, we would like to thank their records for allowing us to see the growth footprints of a generation of immigrants. In Phoenix, there are also some new immigrants who are busy in the high-tech district, as well as international students who come to study. They come here with the aura of Chinese people born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The life changes and choices they face are happening now. "Sunbird Asia Chinese Network" hopes to record these and mobilize the power of interviews to record the stories in this time and space. If you have interesting people or interesting stories around you, please contact us and share "Sunbird Chronicles" together.

(Alberta Times) On May 5, the “Chinese Bridge” audition competition in the southwest region, co-sponsored by the Confucius Institute at UCLA and the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, concluded successfully at the Popper Theater at UCLA. Jonny Dangerfield and Zach Marin, representing the Confucius Institute at Arizona State University, won first and second place. Dan Johnny's stand-up comedy "Laughter and Cry" made all the guests laugh out loud. Ma Lin's performance of "Father's Grassland, Mother's River" also received thunderous applause from the audience. Consul Chen Zhunmin, head of the Chinese Consulate of the Ministry of Education in Los Angeles, and Xu Cuiying, consul of the Ministry of Education, both expressed that they were very impressed by the contestants from the Confucius Institute at Arizona State University.

>ASU Confucius Institute Director Madeline K. Spring, Ma Lin, Dan Johnny, Vice President Xu Zhiping

> This reporter chatted with Ma Lin on the phone for the first time. He spoke very fast, as if he didn’t even have a chance to breathe. He said that he used to be nervous when speaking in front of the public, but now he is much better, all thanks to learning Chinese. In fact, talking about learning Chinese can be traced back to a very accidental opportunity two years ago. Ma Lin, who had just entered college to study biology, attended a banquet for the documentary project at Arizona State University with his father. At the banquet, Ma Lin chatted with two teachers in charge of the Chinese project. The teacher asked Ma Lin if he wanted to make what he studied more unique? Give Chinese a try! Such a simple conversation really changed his choice. When learning a second language in college, most of his classmates chose Spanish, but Ma Lin uniquely chose Chinese. "Chinese is definitely a completely different thing. Secondly, I enjoy the learning process, such as memorizing words, and thirdly, Chinese is a learning process of hand and eye combination." Ma Lin said that he fell in love with this language as soon as he started learning Chinese.

Ma Lin is singing Chinese songs

Using music to learn Chinese is the most effective way for Ma Lin. To participate in the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese competition this time, Ma Lin chose the song "Father's Grassland, Mother's River". He said that China has a very long history, and many words not only have superficial literal meanings, but also have deeper symbolic meanings. The lyrics sing, "My father once described the fragrance of the grassland, which he could never forget even in the ends of the world; my mother always loved me, describing the mighty river flowing on the Mongolian plateau, my distant hometown." This is a description of the hometown through the narration of the father and mother, which is full of longing for the hometown, and the longing for the father and mother when seeing the items in the hometown. Ma Lin told reporters that his parents have passed away. Every time he sings this song, he can feel that his parents are by his side, as if they have never left. He especially understands the meaning of "seeing things and missing people" in the song.

Ma Lin won the second place in the "Chinese Bridge"

Ma Lin not only likes Chinese songs but also traditional Chinese arts such as Peking Opera. A new round of competition is about to begin in the summer. Ma Lin told us that he is preparing new songs, hoping to have a more perfect performance, and strive to go to China to see this very special country.