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Tang Paradise by 瀚海斋主

Emrie’s Guide to Capstone: My Most Memorable Experience

Nanjing is home to one of the largest TV stations in China. Every year the station hosts a televised talent competition for foreigners. My school asked me to audition and I was chosen to sing a song called 新贵妃的醉酒, a mix between a pop and traditional Chinese opera song about one of the famous Chinese beauties. The next few weeks went by in a blur. I recorded my song, met at the TV station to learn movements common to opera, and state directions. I met many new foreigners: three friendly men from Mali, a retired Swedish executive, a Flagship alumnus who stayed in Nanjing to join the city orchestra, a sweet Malaysian girl who did a duet with a friend of mine, and some Europeans who had moved to China to study martial arts. Embodying one of the most well-known Chinese characters should have been daunting, but I was just so happy to be onstage with back up dancers and an audience of my classmates. I loved all of the performances and the opportunity to meet other foreigners who had made a connection to China.

#my posts #Flagship #Capstone #study abroad #China

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Emrie’s Guide to Capstone: Traveling in China

I originally had different expectations of traveling in China, as I assumed I would have more time. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t get the chance to travel. Personally, I did little planning, but with the help of a Chinese friend, myself and two of my classmates went on several trips. During Golden Week (National Day), we traveled to Suzhou and a small village called Luzhi, exploring the so-called “Venice of China.” The people were the most interesting here, willing to stand with us for hours and talk. During the long Spring Festival break, we went north. We stopped in Shenyang, then went all the way to Harbin to the International Ice Festival where we saw the famous 冰灯. This was an amazing experience and we were obsessed with the availability of authentic Russian food and special Harbin treats. Just before the New Year, we went to Zhangjiakou to spend the holiday with a Chinese friend and his family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much food in my life. The fireworks were surreal. I’d recommend anyone in China find someone Chinese to spend the holiday with. The second semester was busier, but we did manage to go visit a friend in Shanghai, where we had an exquisite Easter brunch in the famous Peace Hotel on the Bund. These trips were one of a kind experiences I doubt I’ll ever forget.

#my posts #Flagship #Capstone #study abroad

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Emrie’s Guide to Capstone: The Internship Phase

For my internship, I wanted to work as a translator for a book company. After several weeks of no replies, I went to a local book company called Yilin Press（译林出版社）. I worked there for several months as a translation intern/rights assistant. I did everything from translating English publishing news into Chinese, marketing books to American companies to selecting books for purchase and/or translation, editing English books and materials, and recording English textbook materials. I was the only native English speaker, so my English skills proved useful, but I still had many opportunities to use my Chinese. My coworkers were all older than me, but friendly and always willing to help me if I struggled with Chinese. It was because of this internship that I found my current job as a translator for Bridge21, an American publishing company.

#Flagship #Capstone #my posts

mingsonjia-deactivated20170120

鸡鸣寺赏樱

Jiming Temple, Nanjing by Sonic

#places I've been #Nanjing

Needless to say, when I heard that the Shanghai Jewish Refugee exhibit was coming to Phoenix, I was ecstatic. Despite my hours of work, my translation had received little recognition. I had very few opportunities to speak with anyone who was familiar with the topic. As a translator, I strive for accuracy in the facts, names, and events I translate. The exhibit's opening night offered a chance to converse with an expert on the topic - Professor Li Weijia, a polite man with a great sense of humor. He was engaging throughout his lecture on the cultural, educational, and vocational engagements of the Jewish communities during their time in China. A master of not only Chinese and English, but also German and Yiddish, he provided an insightful look into the lives of the refugees. He made it evident that even outside of the stories posted in the exhibition just outside the lecture hall, the Jewish refugees did everything they could to thrive despite gruesome conditions in exile. They preserved their way of life and adapted to their lives in such a foreign country.

He took questions after. It surprised me how little the Jewish people present knew about the topic. As a Gentile, I had assumed that it was merely my disconnection from the Jewish community that had led to my cluelessness on the topic. It's almost as if the struggle of the Jews in Shanghai had been swept under the rug, lost in the midst of tragedies of the concentration camps and the gas chambers. Naturally, I’m not downplaying the profound tragedy of the Holocaust, but these Jews suffered too. It is my hope that the exhibition will shed some light on the story of the Shanghai Jewish refugees, particularly on their truly astonishing ability to not only survive, but thrive despite such adversity.

#ASU Chinese Flagship #Shanghai Jewish refugees

The Arizona Jewish Heritage Center is hosting an exhibition on Shanghai Jewish refugees. A year ago, I had no idea that the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WWII had resulted in the creation of a Jewish ghetto, or even that some 20,000 European Jews had chosen to flee the Nazi genocide all the way to Shanghai. While studying abroad on my Capstone year in Nanjing, China, I found a secondhand bookstore in my neighborhood. The overwhelming majority of books were in Chinese (and one German edition of 50 Shades of Grey), except for a slim English book that happened to catch my eye.The book was a collection of short snippets of a foreign woman’s life in Shanghai. A Jewish woman born in Shanghai, Rena Krasno finally returned to Shanghai after leaving in 1949 and wrote a short book, detailing her life in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. I had never heard of this historical event so, of course, I couldn’t stop talking about it. Little did I know, not a week later, my boss at Yilin Press (where I interned my second semester during my Capstone year) would approach me about translating a book on Shanghai Jewish refugees.

As a history geek, I delved into the history of the Shanghai Jews. I went to rickshaw.org to read firsthand accounts on Jewish lives during the period, ordered the books listed in the citations of my translation project, and did my best to accurately translate the book itself, hoping its publication in the U.S in 2016 would inform many people of this rarely recognized part of Holocaust history. This book became the most interesting part of my work--I poured my heart and soul into it.

#ASU Chinese Flagship #Shanghai Jewish refugees