Bon Jovi Sings in Chinese

Jon Bon Jovi takes on Chinese classic love song

Jon Bon Jovi has become the latest Western pop star to woo the Chinese market, singing what is arguably the most famous Chinese love song ever. The BBC analyses his attempt.

The music video, set in a recording studio, starts in soft focus as the soulful opening strains of The Moon Represents My Heart cue up.

Then, Jon Bon Jovi's familiar gravelly voice fades in. "Ni wen wo ai ni you duo shen, wo ai ni you ji fen..." croons the American rock star in somewhat intelligible Mandarin.

"Jon put a lot of thought on choosing the right song for his Chinese fans," reads a statement on his website announcing the video.

[...]

Gift of love

Jon Bon Jovi's statement said he chose the "heart-warming classic for Chinese fans as a gift on Chinese Valentine's Day".

But there are actually two Chinese Valentine's Days.

One is Qixi Festival, which falls on 20 August this year. It marks the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and is linked to the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl - star-crossed lovers who remain separated but reunite one day every year.

The other Valentine's Day is Yuanxiao Festival, which marks the end of the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations.

Crowd-pleaser

It's no coincidence that the video was released ahead of Jon Bon Jovi's Asia tour in September, where he'll be playing in China for the first time.

He is also performing in other places with significant Chinese populations such as Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

While Western pop stars regularly play in Asia, it's rare for them to sing in Mandarin - but it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and helps to boost their profile.

[...]

So how have the Chinese taken to Jon Bon Jovi's attempt?

It hasn't generated much buzz on microblogging network Weibo - yet - but initial reviews appear to be positive, with many moved by his attempt to sing in Mandarin.

The music video features several shots of the 53-year-old looking stumped as he ploughs through the song and practises his pronunciation. At one point, a woman who appears to be his Mandarin tutor gives him an encouraging thumbs-up.

"Bon Jovi's too hardworking, he's given us Chinese fans a nice Qixi surprise... you can see in the video that he's continually trying to get the lyrics right, it's quite sincere," noted popular Weibo blogger Eargod.

Other fans were more circumspect. Said user Zhufuaguai: "Even though it sounds horrible, it's still Bon Jovi - and that's enough for me."

It sounds like a pretty song, though I don't imagine it's easy for a Western singer to emulate, especially someone who doesn't speak Chinese.

The rest of the article is about the history of the song, the original singer that made it famous did so in Taiwan, where she was from. In the late 70's, when the Chinese Communists began to loosen up on restrictions on Music, the song became popular in Mainland China.

The article also mentions other Westerners who are singing or speaking in Chinese. Is it the beginning of a trend? See the whole article for embedded links, photos, translated lyrics and more.

For comparison, here is a video of the original performer, Teresa Teng, singing the song:



     

Voodoo Socks by Wang Bang-yu

Here is a unique Christmas gift for the person who has it all:

Angry at your boss? Try Taiwanese voodoo socks

Taipei - A Taiwanese computer engineer who quit his job because he could not get on with his boss found a second calling as a purveyor of voodoo socks, footwear for people with a grudge to bear.

Wang Bang-yu, 27, from the southern city of Tainan, told cable TV channel TVBS on Wednesday that he resigned from a hi-tech company earlier this year because his boss 'stepped on me all the time.'

To vent his anger he drew the outline of a doll on the back of his socks and wrote 'ex-boss' inside it.

After donning the socks and stomping his feet repeatedly, Wang felt better, which gave him the idea of mass-producing his new voodoo socks. [...]

You can get ones printed with "ex-boyfriend", "ex-girlfriend", or even the names of politicians (Now THERE'S an idea!) Orders over 300 allow you to choose your own words.

(H.T to Pat_S at the TammyBruce Blog)

     

Eat Sh*t and Dine (or just pretend to)

Pretend to eat Sh*t, or pretend to dine? What a question. But one you might well ask, if you were to go to one if these restaurants in Taiwan:

Flushed with success

A chain of 12 restaurants with a toilet theme has opened in Taiwan.


Seats in the Modern Toilet restaurants are toilet-shaped and napkins are dispensed from toilet rolls on tables.

Food containers are also toilet or wash-basin shaped, and much of the food is made to look like human waste, reports China Photo Base.

The owner claims the edgy nature of the restaurants is attracting younger diners.

"Every detail tells you it's a bathroom, not a restaurant. But it's fun to eat here," said one diner at a Taipei city outlet.

(bold emphasis mine) Barf! What IS the appeal? Apparently, the theme is based on a comic strip character who puts crap on crackers:

Toilet Restaurant, TAIWAN

[...] The restaurants use ceramic toilet bowls/dishes to serve a range of meals. Apparently he was inspired by a comic book character who would put crap on crackers. No joke! This comic is popular with the young kids in Taiwan!

The creator has now patented the idea and opened up several more branches around Taiwan. So if you ever thought the world was going down the toilet, now you have proof! The restaurants attract a range of customers but it is especially popular with young people and families with kids. Apparently it's not all just about novelty value and the restaurant gets many repeat guests. As a result it has introduced a loyalty program so you can collect credit on multiple visits and then receive a big toilet shaped bowl. These are also sold separately so you can take home a ceramic toilet bowl with you!

Food is either served in a flat bowl that resembles a male urinal; larger main meals are served in a toilet bowl. Noodles or rice are served in a bathtub shaped bowl. Some of the most popular meals are curry noodles or rice because of their resemblance to....well....you know! Chocolate ice-cream is popular for the same reason. [...]

Bleech! I guess I'm too old, or just no fun. Or maybe my idea of fun while dining out would just be something more... uh ... appetizing?

The second article also has a link to a 3 minute video review in English (Australian?) about the restaurant chain, which seems quite successful.