What I've been doing...

Ok, so it’s been about a month since I put anything up. I’ve been spending
all my time working on a skit for my Chinese class. On Friday we performed
in a competition along with 15 other classes. The day before the performance
was one of the most stressful days in all my time here, but Friday was
fantastic, the performance went off without a single hitch. To make it up to
anyone waiting for more news, I’m going to try and translate the skit for you
all. Some helpful background first: My university is right next to an area
near Taipei called MaoKong that is famous for its tea.

Narrator:

150 years ago, Taiwan had just a few tea farmers. Those few only grew tea
for their own use, they never thought of selling it. But every year in
England and the US, more and more people were buying tea. Merchants in the
East started looking for tea to export, so some people in Taiwan started to
grow tea commercially. At this time, MaoKong was still covered by forest.
But there was a man in MaoKong, Farmer Zhang, who wanted to start a tea
farm…this is his story. We open with Farmer Zhang and a local aborigine
discussing renting some land.

Farmer Zhang: Hello.

Aborigine: Hello.

Farmer Zhang: The land here looks pretty good, the air’s very fresh and the
sun is big and clear. The water around here is clean, too. Tea plants would
certainly grow well here.

Aborigine: Tea plants, really? What do you want to do, what’s your
plan?

Farmer Zhang: I want to start farming tea plants, you shouldn’t waste such
rich land. I want to rent your land, then when the plants are grown, I’ll
give you a share of the tea, what do you think?

Aborigine: Good, sounds great to me, good luck, good luck!


Narrator:

Farmer Zhang worked hard preparing his plants and farm. His relationship
with the aborigines grew strong. One day, at work, he discovered one of his
workers was a very beautiful young woman, he instantly decided to marry her.

Farmer Zhang: My house has everything I could possibly need…except for a
beautiful wife. Will you marry me?

Mrs. Zhang: That is my greatest wish.


Narrator:

Congratulations! A few days later they were married.

Three years after that, their tea was nearly ready. They started to look for
a merchant to buy their tea. Farmers in Taiwan were slowly growing more and
more tea, but there were still very few merchants. And in northern Taiwan
there was just one, a man from England. To help do business in Chinese, he
had hired a comprador from the Mainland, from a trade city called Xiamen.
They were famous throughout northern Taiwan, all the tea farmers feared them and knew they were bad men. That was because they were the only ones in the area buying tea. Whatever price they offered, the farmers had no choice. The Englishman had a monopoly, so tea prices stayed pitifully low, but the farmers couldn’t do anything.

Merchant: (Speaking Chinese with a heavy foreign accent) Comprador, do
you think this tea is worth buying?

Mrs. Zhang: Hello, may I ask who you are looking for?

Comprador: These tea fields are very beautiful, we’re looking for the
owner.

Mrs. Zhang: That’s Farmer Zhang, he’s right over there, wait a minute and
I’ll call him over…Hey! They’re looking for you!

Farmer Zhang: Hello, hello, who are you looking for?

Comprador: We’re looking for the owner of these fields.

Merchant: We’re looking for you Farmer Zhang.

Farmer Zhang: Do we have business?

Comprador: Of course, we are looking to buy tea and we’ve heard that you
have some of the best, I just looked it over and it looks great, smells
fantastic, too.

Farmer Zhang: That’s right! All my tea is first-rate!

Comprador: We want to buy it all. We’ll give you a thousand dollars,
how about that?

Farmer Zhang: What?!? Did you misspeak? That price wouldn’t even pay for
my shoes! My tea is very special, it should cost at least ten thousand!

Comprador: Huh?!? Did I hear you wrong? Too much! Ok, ok, how about
two thousand?

Farmer Zhang: I’m sorry, that just isn’t enough. I won’t sell!

Comprador: Farmer Zhang, I think you won’t be able to find a merchant
who’s willing to pay any more. You should be smart and do business with us,
how does three thousand dollars sound?

Farmer Zhang: I’m sorry, but the price is still too low.

Merchant: Ahh! Chinese people…

Comprador: Are you stupid? What’s going through your head? You’ll
never find anyone that will pay more than that. Three thousand and not a
penny more, our final offer!

Farmer Zhang: I’m sorry, but the price is really just too low.

Comprador: Farmer Zhang, you’re not being smart, we have very special
friends who’ll make you regret this decision! You should be careful looking
after your farm and your family!

Farmer Zhang: You can’t threaten me here! Get out now!


Narrator:

Now the merchant was afraid. If Farmer Zhang found another merchant to buy
his tea, his monopoly would be broken and prices throughout the region would
go up. The merchant and his comprador went to Taipei and hired some tough
guys to attack Farmer Zhang’s house. Fortunately, as they were traveling,
they were discovered by one of Farmer Zhang’s aboriginal friends who then
raced ahead to warn him.

Aborigine: Farmer Zhang! Farmer Zhang! You’re in great danger! That
merchant and his comprador are coming back and they’ve brought a bunch of
thugs with them!

Farmer Zhang: Don’t panic! Don’t worry! Please run ahead to your village
and ask a group to come back and help us, go now!

[The merchant, comprador, and thugs enter together.]

Farmer Zhang: Ah, I see you’ve already decided you want to offer me more!

Comprador: We’ve made no such decision! Yesterday I told you that if
you didn’t agree to sell to us, you’d be in serious danger. If you won’t see
to us, then we’ll take your tea by force! Boys, take it all!

Mrs. Zhang: No you don’t! Don’t you dare touch it!

Farmer Zhang: Hey, wife, don’t get angry, they won’t dare do it!

[A group of aborigines enter to help Farmer Zhang.]

Farmer Zhang: You really are good men.

Aborigine: You’re are friend, of course we came.

Comprador: This is your last chance to give us the tea!

Farmer Zhang: This is my house! Get out! Get out and never come back!

Merchant: Go get them!

[The scene closes with a tremendous fight.]

Narrator:

After the fight, the thugs, the comprador and the merchant left Farmer
Zhang’s home and they never returned. Farmer Zhang went out and found
another merchant. He persuaded the merchant to start trading in tea, and the
merchant was willing to pay a higher price. The original tea monopoly was
broken and tea prices throughout northern Taiwan began to rise. More and
more people started growing tea in MaoKong. To this day, that is why MaoKong tea is still so famous.