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Re: 李连杰 回忆录(转载)
Back then, the Chinese government had a rule that performers and athletes who represented China abroad were not allowed to keep any gifts valued at more than RMB10. If the gift--for example, a pen--was worth less than RMB10, you were allowed to keep it. But you had to relinquish the extravagant gifts to the nation. All of us on the Beijing Wushu Team who went abroad frequently were familiar with this rule. It was just a fact; we never questioned it.
In 1976, we were invited to perform in the Philippines. At that time President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda were ruling the country. They received us at the Palace and were our official hosts. What you have to understand is that in the Philippines, there were many people who tried to ingratiate themselves with the president by giving gifts to his guests. The more lavish the presents, the higher status they could achieve.
As part of the team's visit, we were taken on a tour of the capital. I remember that we entered a clothing store, and the proprietor exclaimed, "Oh, you're the president's guests, aren't you? Everyone, pick an outfit--it's yours, I insist." Well, nobody had any objections to this! So we all picked out an article of clothing that we liked. This was great!
Next, we toured a shoe factory, and the owner said, "I would like to present everybody with a custom-made pair of leather shoes. We'll take your measurements now and we can have them sent to your hotel in two days." This offer was very tempting, especially because we had never seen boots before in China. So everyone was measured for a pair of leather boots. We were thrilled to own these fashionable new shoes. There were many other presents like that during our stay. We were so happy!
After the performance tour was over and we returned to China, we were told that we had to turn all of this loot over to the State--because, of course, the monetary value of each of those items was far more than RMB10.
No!
These were things we felt we had earned, things we had our hearts set on keeping! Moreover, they had been especially tailored for us--what use would they be to anybody else? Not a single one of us was willing to give up our precious new possessions. We were extremely upset. Our emotions were spilling over.
But what could we possibly do?
This is what we did?
We all dressed up in our new clothes, went outside, and started rolling on the ground.
You want these gifts? Fine, TAKE them--torn up, ripped up and dirty.
It was a very adolescent form of protest, but then again--I was 13 or 14 years old at the time. Just imagine it--all these teenagers dressed up in nice clothes wallowing in the dirt--even the 17 and 18 year olds.
Next, we all put on our leather boots and went out to the field to play soccer, trying to scuff them up. When we finished, we noticed that they weren't nearly worn through yet, so we just sat there and kicked at the walls, grinding those handcrafted boots into the dirt. We spent the whole day destroying our possessions in spite.
The next day, our coach called us together for a special meeting. "Team, you all worked really hard on this last tour and made a special contribution to the nation. And I know that you were not happy about having to give up the presents you received in the Philippines. So I decided to apply for a special exemption on your behalf. And in light of your excellent performance, I'm happy to report that the authorities have agreed--just this once--that you can keep all your gifts."
You should have seen our faces when we heard his words. There was no joy in the room. Not a single bit of rejoicing. Slowly, we filed back to our rooms. Slowly, we did our best to wipe down the tattered boots.
You couldn't have told us earlier?
Just one day earlier? |
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