对朗朗说无意伤害中美感情的说法还是相信的， 这个事情实在是粗心大意所致。
但是这个事情被反美方和反中方一闹， 朗朗就被推到了风口浪尖上。
这个事情华人自己知道就行了。虽然美国的许多中国通也可能把这个事情捅出来，但华人自己去捅给美国媒体，被中国人骂是活该。在下面的ABC Blog 里， 有个叫Fang Wei的华人， 就是这样。
Google "lang lang white house my motherland" returns about 8,690 results.
Google “朗朗白宫我的祖国“ returns about 33,400 results
Google 的结果还不算太多， 但是这个事情已经上了各大媒体了。朗朗怎么解释， 对他自己来说是蛮重要的。
全国公共广播电台（National Public Radio，简称NPR）对朗朗的采访：
A hot question buzzing on the Internet in China this week is this: Did the Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang mean to send a pointed message with the song he played at the state dinner at the White House last Wednesday.
(Soundbite of song, "My Motherland")
BLOCK: The song is called "My Motherland." It was written for a Chinese movie about the Korean War from 1956.
(Soundbite of song, "My Motherland")
(Soundbite of film, "Battle on Shangganling Mountain")
(Soundbite of music)
Unidentified Woman: (Singing in foreign language)
BLOCK: The film portrays the war as a triumph over U.S. imperialism and has been used as anti-American propaganda. But I when I reached Lang Lang today, he said he had no idea about any of that.
Mr. LANG LANG (Pianist): The truth is, I only know this piece because it's a beautiful melody. And, actually, I played many times as encore before because it's, artistically, it's a beautiful piece. I never thought about, you know, and I never knew about anything about, you know, the background.
BLOCK: Well, some people, as you know, on blogs in China, are seizing on this, saying that it was a moment for a world famous pianist to sort of drop a note of nationalism, of Chinese nationalism into the States here.
Mr. LANG LANG: You know, that's the last thing I want to do because, first of all, you know, I grew up as a teenager in America. I mean, I studied at Curtis. And I feel both China and America is my home. And, you know, I have a really wonderful emotions towards American people. And I have a lot of my great friends, my teachers, are all from here.
So for me, you know, to be invited to play at White House is a great honor. And especially, you know, to play for president of my homeland and also the country which I live, which is America. So, I only wanted to bring the best, you know, of the music melodies. And that's it, you know. I am absolutely say it from bottom of my heart that, you know, I think music, it's a bridge between our cultures.
BLOCK: The song that you played, in the movie, in the "Battle on Shangganling Mountain," which came out in 1956, it is a very nationalistic song and it...
Mr. LANG LANG: You know, I never know about that movie. I just learned it afterward. It's like, 1956. This is when my mother was two years old. I mean, this is 55 years ago. And when I grew up, I only hear this as a beautiful melody. That's it. And this piece is very popular as a traditional Chinese song.
BLOCK: I've been told that this song is a favorite at karaoke bars.
Mr. LANG LANG: Yeah. I mean, it's just, you know, it's a song that, like, everyone in the Chinese world knows about the melody. You know, I mean, that's the truth. I mean, I choose it because its beautiful melody. I have this connection through the melody. It's a really beautiful melody.
BLOCK: Well, Lang Lang, what were your - how did you react when you heard that in China, on the Web, people were adding meaning to this choice thinking you were sort of thumbing your nose at the United States in some way? What did you think?
Mr. LANG LANG: I feel very sad. You know, I very sad. And, you know, and I must say, disappointing. Because, you know, as a person, what I'm trying to do, and what my missions are, you know, making music. And, you know, I'm very honored that people inviting me to play in those great events and to connect us to classical music and to music, to Chinese music and to American music, to, you know, to world music. And once, you know, people use it as a political issue, that makes me really sad because I am a musician. I'm not a politician.
BLOCK: Well, Lang Lang, it's good to talk to you. Thanks very much.
Mr. LANG LANG: OK. Bye-bye.
BLOCK: The pianist Lang Lang talking about the song, "My Motherland," which he played at the state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House last Wednesday.
White House Statement
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told ABC News that “any suggestion that this was an insult to the United States is just flat wrong. As Lang Lang has stated before, he plays this song regularly because it is one of his favorite Chinese melodies, which is very widely known and popular in China for its melody. Lang Lang played the song without lyrics or reference to any political themes during the entertainment portion of the State Dinner. He simply stated the song’s title and noted it was well known in China.”
ABC News Blog
居然有原唱的vid
White House Says Chinese Folk Song Played During State Dinner Was Not An Insult; Experts Divided
January 24, 2011 6:23 PM
Ivories that were tickled last Wednesday night at the White House are, to some conservative media, no laughing matter.
At the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao, pianist Lang Lang played, among other ditties, the song “My Motherland.”
My Motherland was written for the 1956 Chinese war film “Battle on Shangganling Mountain,” about the Korean War, in which the People’s Republic of China soldiers are the heroes and the bad guys are Americans.
The U.S. lost this fight, known here as the Battle of Triangle Hill.
Though there was no lyrical accompaniment when Lang Lang performed the song last week, one lyric translates as “When friends are here, there is fine wine /But if the wolves (or jackals) come /What greets it is the hunting rifle.”
A writer for the conservative website Human Events says: “Playing this song at a White House state dinner is the rough equivalent of an American president providing music from Rambo II during a state visit to Vietnam.”
And conservative U.S. media are joined in their interpretation of the music selection by their Communist Chinese equivalents.
“Chinese web users are acclaiming pianist Lang Lang's choice of tune for a White House state dinner given in honour of President Hu Jintao - a patriotic theme song from an anti-US war film,” writes China One News, quoting one anonymous commenter on the website sina.com writing: "It's deeply meaningful to play this in the United States, but I don't know if the Americans can understand? Ha ha."
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told ABC News that “any suggestion that this was an insult to the United States is just flat wrong. As Lang Lang has stated before, he plays this song regularly because it is one of his favorite Chinese melodies, which is very widely known and popular in China for its melody. Lang Lang played the song without lyrics or reference to any political themes during the entertainment portion of the State Dinner. He simply stated the song’s title and noted it was well known in China.”
Lang has issued a statement saying that he “selected this song because it has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was selected for no other reason but for the beauty of its melody.” His goal is to “bridge cultures together through the beauty and inspiration of music.”
Asked what he thought of the controversy, Kenneth Lieberthal -- director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution and a former special assistant to President Clinton for national security affairs and senior director for Asia on the National Security Council – said “I have enough confidence to be easily able to accept Lang lang’s assertion that this is simply a favorite melody of his, that is obviously a Chinese melody, and that he used it without any thought that it might have a political resonance for some that simply never occurred to him.”
Lieberthal added that “It did occur to me that had the situation been reversed I can easily imagine many Chinese bloggers weighing in along the same way some of our more conservative media have weighed in, but frankly it’s ridiculous. If a musician had no such intent I don’t feel compelled to assign intent to him. The US is confident enough, secure enough and open enough to easily accept his assurance that he didn’t mean anything by it.”
But Nick Eberstadt, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, tells ABC News that the song is “classic Mao-era anti-American invective and it’s astonishing that none of the China experts on the American side called it out before it was put into the program for the banquet.”
Said Eberstadt, a senior adviser to the National Board of Asian Research and a member of the Global Leadership Council at the World Economic Forum. “we have quite a few people who are considered China hands who were at the banquet themselves and the idea that this wouldn’t have rung any alarm bells seems quite astonishing. It’s not quite as familiar to Chinese ears as ‘the Halls of Montezuma and the shores of Tripoli’ but it’s kind of along the same lines.”
-Jake Tapper
January 24, 2011 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (49)
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I just have another discovery to report to everyone, and I hope someone would convey this to Jake or White House, so everyone has a crytal-clear idea of what Lang Lang's intention is.
Somebody found out that in the White House video, between 2'00" and 2'33", is a piece of music that comes from a song in another anti-US Korean War movie "Hero Sons and Daughters". The lyric for that piece of music is :
"Why our battle banner is as beautiful as a painting, because the blood of heroes dyed it; why there is spring always on the earth, because the lives of our hero blossom there"
Well, the battle is the battle with Americans, and the heros are those who fought as "heroes" with Americans.
Any Chinese who are familar with history and that movie knows this melody.
So, for those who trust Lang Lang for his explanation, this pianoist effort-takingly mixed songs from TWO anti-US war movies into one piano piece and play it in front of President Obama, Clinton and Carter, etc.
It is like slapping your face without your knowing it.
Also for those of you who are not familiar with Chinese politics, while it might be the case that White House didn't catch this, there is absolutely NO CHANCE that Chinese security people won't know what Lang Lang will be playing for Hu Jintao. Simple fact is: not only the song was crafted/mixed intentionally, it was designed to humiliate Americans.
Good that they don't get away.
Again, as a Chinese American who grew up in China and also cherish the freedom of the United States, I again would like to point out China is NOT Chinese Communist government! A China of Chinese people, by Chinese people, for Chinese people, is the true friend of US and the world.
The red China is still a Communist regime, no matter how well they dress in suit, speak English or French. Just don't lose sight of that. Lang Lang sends you a reminder.
Fang Wei
Posted by: Fang Wei | Jan 26, 2011 7:31:23 AM
A slap in our faces and Obama was there tapping his foot to the song. Jintao was laughing all the way back to China. He thinks we are a joke and it appears he has proven it. When are we going to stop giving China all our jobs? They need to stop their artificial currency devaluation or we need to tax the imports to compensate for their unfair trading practices. So what if they tax our imports, they only thing they buy is machinery that is used to manufacture the stuff we then buy back from them. This same machinery is used to steal US manufacturing jobs.
Posted by: CTPolitics2008 | Jan 25, 2011 9:40:56 PM
Did you know that President Bush was dressed in Chinese traditional outfit when he went to China during his term? If you let China move one step, it would take 2.
Musician Lang Lang did not tell the truth about the song he played at the WH
because this song must had been carefully selected and profoundly thought by the Communist Chinese Leaders before Lang Lang was allowed to play for the WH dinner to welcome Chinese President Hu.
Therefore, playing that song was not a coincidence as Lang Lang stated. Do not under-estimate the Communist China Policy.
Did you know that all Communist artists and musicians are carefully hand-picked and highly trained to brain-wash the public about Communism and its national policy?
Posted by: Bachlien | Jan 25, 2011 8:07:05 PM
This is a dirty trick played by the small group of dirty Chinese who never gains the high moral ground. No matter how strong a nation is in its economy and military power, if the nation is not standing on high moral ground, it is not worth any respect. Wake Up! Chinese!
Posted by: H W | Jan 25, 2011 5:02:14 PM
Lang Lang did this because he could-Obama and his staff are too stupid to pick up what the song means;they are too weak to do anything about it.Thank God for intelligent people who use the Internet and get the facts out, no matter how embarassing those facts might be to "corpseman Obama".
Posted by: Nephron | Jan 25, 2011 4:43:10 PM
He had the keys painted red. And played this insult song to America. What was Obama to do, get up and have the man arrested right than and there. That would make a scene. And its not worth it. I am sure action was taken after. Where NO one saw it. Me I would have had him kicked in the butt, right out the door and back to China.
Posted by: sharon | Jan 25, 2011 4:31:36 PM
"@Fang Wei
Nice post. Looks like there are a few folks that didn't bother to read it though." - Foghorn Leghorn
Yeah, I concur Hornie, good post.
Nixon made a Big Progressive mistake when he visited China and helped to open it up to business. We'd be better off today leaving the Chinese to themselves.
Posted by: Noz | Jan 25, 2011 3:56:28 PM
Please read the full lyric of this song posted by Ronald here before concluding anything. Personally, I don’t think it is anti-anything. I do think someone should have checked this and put a stop on it.
Unless you are over 40 or have an interest in film history, it is very unlikely you know the background of this song. Many people in China don't even remember 1989 TianAnMen. I don't see the motives of Lang or Chinese government to insult America because no benefit will be returned. Hu’s whole trip is to try to smooth up the Sino-US relationship. Lang grew up here and was educated here. There is no reason for him to insult America. Unless evidence shows otherwise, Let’s give Lang a break.
Posted by: Peter | Jan 25, 2011 3:09:47 PM
"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands."
— Douglas Adams
Posted by: whathahppened08 | Jan 25, 2011 2:48:59 PM
Nice SPIN the White House is spitting out.
What else do you expect from an anti-American Regime.
Posted by: Juan | Jan 25, 2011 2:43:09 PM
Lang Lang's play of "My Motherland" was hailed as "the right play at the right place for the right time". He also won a big hug from Hu who did not give a smile. What else we need to know?
Posted by: Weiqinglane | Jan 25, 2011 2:23:43 PM
It's ridiculous that people are labeling this song as "anti-American". How many of you have actually read the whole lyrics? It's pretty much saying allover how beautiful our motherland is. I can't see any anti-American sentiment in it. Yes, it's a song from a Korean War movie, but if you really want to associate the song itself to "anti-American", then Americans should stop playing the American national anthem before the British, Chinese stop playing their anthem before the Japanese, and so on, before all these anthems have a "anti-somebody" background. Last but lease, the last sentence of this song is about "peaceful sunshine". Anti-American? Give me a break.
A great river flows, its waves wide and calm
Wind blows through rice flowers, bearing fragrance to either shore
My home is right there by the water
I am used to hearing the punters' whistle
and seeing the white sails on the boats
A great river flows, its waves wide and calm
Wind blows through rice flowers, bearing fragrance to either shore
My home is right there by the water
I am used to hearing the punters' whistle
and seeing the white sails on the boats
This is my beautiful motherland
The place where I grew up
In this expansive stretch of land
Wonderful landscape can be seen everywhere
Young ladies's beauty are like flowers
Young men's hearts are big and determined
In order to usher in a new era
They've woken the sleeping mountains
And changed the face of the river
This is my heoric motherland
The place where I grew up
In this stretch of ancient land
There is youthful vigour found everywhere
Great mountains, great rivers and an amazing land
Every road is broad and wide
When the friends come, they're offered fine wine
But if the wolves come
What greets them are the hunting guns
This is my strong motherland
The place where I grew up
On this stretch of warm and friendly land
Everywhere is filled with peaceful sunshine
Posted by: Ronald | Jan 25, 2011 2:00:01 PM
Lang Lang did not tell the truth. The song must be carefully selected and profoundly thought by the Communist Chinese Leaders before allowing Lang Lang to play for the WH dinner to welcome Chinese President Hu. Playing that song was not a coincidence as Lang Lang stated. Do not under-estimate Communist China Policy.
Do you know that all Communist artists and musicians are carefully hand-picked and highly trained to brain-wash the public about Communism?
Posted by: Bachlien | Jan 25, 2011 1:23:06 PM
I bet Ling-ling the piano playing panda will be repayed handsomly by president Hu-ching-chong when they get back to their Maoist paradise. Should of played "Chopsticks" instead. Just another example of the Obama-fication of a once great Land.
Posted by: InHisName4Ever | Jan 25, 2011 11:46:08 AM
@Fang Wei
Nice post. Looks like there are a few folks that didn't bother to read it though.
I recall china ignoring Barry at the climate summit a while back until Barry barged in on their meeting.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Jan 25, 2011 11:32:18 AM
"Heads in the sand" should be the theme for EVERY liberal administration. When the Chinese come marching through California the Libs will be waiving flags and calling it a parade.
Posted by: porchhound | Jan 25, 2011 11:21:29 AM
Remember the riots in China when some Japanese textbooks were printed that misrepresented Japan's behavior during WWII? They happened about 5 years ago.
The Chinese government encouraged the protests and the anger toward Japan. I lived near the Chinese embassy in Tokyo at the time. There was high security in place, in case some violence broke out there. It was an international incident, and the Chinese government allowed those protests because it suited their interests (be angry against Japan! Not your own repressive government!) Oh, the Chinese Government understands slights and backhanded swipes.
Obviously, we needn't act the way the Chinese government would encourage us to act if the situation were reversed. But we also needn't act like it wasn't an inconsiderate choice. I think we would be appalled at *ourselves* if we had done something similar in another country.
Posted by: MayBee | Jan 25, 2011 11:01:06 AM
And this happening surprises peoople why? From day one on the job this President and his Administraion has failed and everything. But mostly at being American!!
Posted by: Lee | Jan 25, 2011 10:00:38 AM
Next time a US President goes to China, bring an American of Japanese decent to play a song glorifying the rape of Nanking
Posted by: JamesJ | Jan 25, 2011 9:37:46 AM
I understand that we will be hearing that beautiful hymn "Die Fahne Hoch" at the next State dinner for Chancellor Merkel.
Posted by: Nephron | Jan 25, 2011 8:39:56 AM
Oh of course not...it was just an accident. WH means whorehouse anyway doesn't it! That is all who rund the place anymore.
Posted by: mario | Jan 25, 2011 8:29:51 AM
It doesn't seem to bother the cross eyed patriots, upset about this non- issue, that there are masive human rights abuses every day in China.
Posted by: Donald Jones | Jan 25, 2011 7:04:12 AM
Why doesn't ABC label the Brookings Institute as "liberal" or "left-wing" or "anti-American extremist"?
Posted by: Karen | Jan 25, 2011 6:49:44 AM
song. I think generation in Lang Lang's age has very little sense of its background though. It is very likely that he never thought of much of the background other than it's a patriotic and beautiful melody. I believe his explanation. However to demand a nation-wide televised apology seems to be overkilled and escalate to another level of endless political war, at the end, what comes out of it? I do consider it is very inappropriate to play this song in Whitehouse dinner in knowing its' background. I never understand why no one step in and stopping selection before it ever start...by both side of diplomat experts.
Posted by: CBA | Jan 25, 2011 5:15:49 AM
Paul, the picture in your mind is from another movie, isn't it. Why such a terrible image come to your mind when hear a peace song?
Posted by: whj | Jan 25, 2011 3:04:19 AM
Sorry for being direct here. Americans are too kind, native and confident(good part on them) to know the schemes and dirty tricks that Communists played on them. This is not the only incident.
When President Obama visited Forbidden City of China in Nov 2009, media of China (commanded by government of course) reported on 11/17/2009 that Obama left Forbidden City via Shunzhen Gate. As a matter of fact, Shunzhen gate is not a formal gate. Rather it is a small gate before the formal gate that Obama exited which is called Shenwu Gate or North Gate. The reason why Chinese media reported "exited by Shunzhen gate" is because of the name "Shunzhen", which means wife's obidence and devotion to her hu*****and.
For those of your well-informed correspondents, you can check the related reports done by CCTV of China on 11/17/2009.
You may even dismiss this as another "no big deal". However, Chinese Communist government just likes to ridicule its opponent for its own private joy.
Amercians are too native...the so-called China experts in US have been virtually all bought or corrupted by Chinese government and can only sell the official(liar's) version of Chinese government's data and propaganda.
Amercians should be keenly aware how Chinese Communist government really think of them...."US is arch-enemy. We play peace with them only to earn time to develop ourselves into full power. Someday we will have a showdown, when WE are ready".
Wake up, my native and good-hearted fellow Americans.
Lastly, I'd like to point out, China != Chinese government. Chinese government is Communists, which can be and should be purged from China.
Fang Wei, San Jose, California, who lived in China for 22 years and US for 20 years.
Posted by: Fang Wei | Jan 25, 2011 1:41:15 AM
Love this song, it has beautiful tune and lovely lyrics. One could hardly tell it was written for a war movie about Korean War.
It represents the spirit of Chinese People! Good for you Langlang!!
Posted by: NZ citizen | Jan 25, 2011 1:13:20 AM
Lame excuses for a pianist that should have known better. Chinese civility? Hah!
Posted by: Teddy | Jan 25, 2011 1:04:41 AM
I agree with Lang Lang that "My motherland" is one of the most beautiful and touching song. This song was used as the music for dancing during a show for Chinese New Year by a Chinese Community in USA. People really liked it. Most Chinese do not mark it as "anti-American" song, although it has such a background. We like the music and the feeling of motherland. It is really sad that the American culture has been so toxified by politics, from healthcare to music. Take it easy, please!
Posted by: Hong | Jan 25, 2011 12:43:17 AM
Perhaps our own national anthem is offensive to the British.
Posted by: Nick | Jan 25, 2011 12:22:08 AM
Every time I hear the song, I have the picture that a sole Chinese solder jumps to the crowd of USA solders with explosives. It's not good....
Posted by: starralex76 | Jan 24, 2011 11:42:56 PM
i think this was a deliberate insult!
Posted by: nick | Jan 24, 2011 11:13:22 PM
I agree with Gene Bishop (from facebook). “If he is sincere, and if he was truly as ignorant as he's now claiming to be, the thing to do is to go on national television and offer a humble, sincere apology to the country he has chosen as his home.” I am not a musician, but music to me is always a political thing. I am not young at my 55 and not emotional when recall my life in China. My father was a Chinese Amy officer in Korea during the war, so I have very intense impression on this movie and this song. Every time I hear the song, I have the picture that a sole Chinese solder jumps to the crowd of USA solders with explosives. I now have known the true nature of the Korea War and I regret what my father’s generation has done to Korea people. The North Korea is still a dangerous threaten to the US which is now my and Lang Lang’s home town, as well as to the world, including this and next generation of Chinese.
Posted by: paul | Jan 24, 2011 10:02:31 PM
"Dixie" has a really neat melody too... do you think it'd go over really well at the NAACP meeting?
Posted by: mary | Jan 24, 2011 9:54:20 PM
Could this be just an honest but tactless mistake on the pianist's part?
Either way, it seems that China has adopted the American mentality: "What are you gonna do about it?"
Posted by: Reid | Jan 24, 2011 9:50:12 PM
I like that song. Why are people so sensitive these days? Let music be music because it sounds good...
Posted by: Linda Dresses | Jan 24, 2011 9:49:14 PM
No big deal.
Posted by: Bond007 | Jan 24, 2011 8:35:09 PM
Sounds like another beer summit is in order!
Posted by: Voice_Reason | Jan 24, 2011 8:16:27 PM
If there is any political connotation: the words "When friends are here, there is fine wine /But if the wolves (or jackals) come /What greets it is the hunting rifle." is actually a gesture of friendship and a warning.
It is so simple to see that if USA and China can be friends, then fine wine awaits. Otherwise, armed conflict.
Since Hu and Obama is drinking wine at the time of this music, it would mean they are friends, at least for now.
Posted by: Peter | Jan 24, 2011 7:54:03 PM
Have Chinese in my family who escaped the communists. It's definitely a clear insult.
Posted by: ROCnPhilly | Jan 24, 2011 7:29:07 PM
They're HarvardSmart™.
----
Dude, LSU and SS have won every game!
Posted by: Punt | Jan 24, 2011 7:25:37 PM
” His goal is to “bridge cultures together through the beauty and inspiration of music.”
Forward 345th Sapper Unit of the People's Liberation Army! Death to the American capitalist pigs! Take no prisoners!
Posted by: Heartbreak Ridge | Jan 24, 2011 7:23:04 PM
They're HarvardSmart™.
Posted by: mesquito | Jan 24, 2011 7:22:27 PM
Song was an insult to America. He dishonored his welcome- and surprisingly that was Hu's theme during his stay in USA. Hu's China is waging a trade war directly and showing off NK as nuclear powered ally, ready to go to war. Hu is refusing to budge at both. He is refusing to adjust the Yuan currency exchange rate, and refusing to help ease NK and SK tensions. Guess how NK acquired nuke technology? Even if China didn't help directly - it just looked the other way. Nobel Peace Laureates Liu is still in jail, Dalai Lama has been kept out of Tibet for over 51 years. These are all cruel and unfair.
Posted by: vkmo | Jan 24, 2011 7:20:54 PM
There is zero chance that the choice of song was not approved in advance.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | Jan 24, 2011 7:18:55 PM
"It surprised me that the China-experts in the White House did not notice that. I feel sorry for President Obama, whose kindness was taken advantage by Langlang and maybe also the Chinese communist party."
Look at the screw up with Sec of Def Clinton and Russia. Nothing new here...
Posted by: Ivy League | Jan 24, 2011 7:09:42 PM
I belie
