新时代的马可·波罗丛书:唱响我的中国故事（英）

本书讲述了作者十多年来在中国教学、投身中外文化交流活动、唱响中国故事的真实经历。马克力文来自美国洛杉矶，在自己已经年过半百的年纪来到中国，重新出发、从零开始，开启自己的文化交流及教育事业，同时发展音乐爱好。热爱生活、乐于接受新事物、坚持不懈的态度，是他永远年轻、永远欢快的秘诀。从他的身上，我们能够感受到一位文化交流使者开放的心胸、敏锐的洞察力，和对中国美好未来的期望。马克在中国有一位不可或缺的好友，傅涵。他们一起组成“秀外慧中”乐队并成立公司，为促进中西文化交流与合作贡献力量。This book tells about China through its American author’s 15-year-long experience of teaching, traveling, participating in cultural activities and telling his China stories in song, writing and speaking. Mark Levine came to China in his late 50’s and that is where this book begins. An active participant in cultural exchange on a personal as well as a group level, Mark has shown his love of life, embraced the new and the old and demonstrated a never-ending passion to both learn and teach. Through his stories, both prose and lyric, we can see China through his open mind, keen insight and constant yearning to learn about and join in China’s bright future. He and his friend, Fu Han, have built a Chinese-Western musical duo called “In Side Out” and set up a firm to contribute to cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the world. 

“新时代的马可·波罗”丛书共6种，中、英文版。本丛书选取长期在中国生活和工作的国外友好人士的自述性作品，通过讲述他们的在华经历和对中国的认知、感受，促进文明交流、文明互鉴、文明共存，推动各国人民相互理解、相互尊重、相互信任，展现现当代丝路精神新的传承故事。本书讲述了作者十多年来在中国教学、投身中外文化交流活动、唱响中国故事的真实经历。马克力文来自美国洛杉矶，在自己已经年过半百的年纪来到中国，重新出发、从零开始，开启自己的文化交流及教育事业，同时发展音乐爱好。热爱生活、乐于接受新事物、坚持不懈的态度，是他永远年轻、永远欢快的秘诀。从他的身上，我们能够感受到一位文化交流使者开放的心胸、敏锐的洞察力，和对中国美好未来的期望。马克在中国有一位不可或缺的好友，傅涵。他们一起组成“秀外慧中”乐队并成立公司，为促进中西文化交流与合作贡献力量。Marco Polo of the New Era, in both Chinese and English, is a series consisting of six narrative books by foreign friends who have lived and worked in China all along time. By describing their experience in China and their cognition and feelings about China, the bilingual series promotes the exchanges, mutual learning between and coexistence of civilizations, drives mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust between people from all countries, and shows the new inheritance of modern and contemporary Silk Road spirit.This book tells about China through its American author’s 15-year-long experience of teaching, traveling, participating in cultural activities and telling his China stories in song, writing and speaking. Mark Levine came to China in his late 50’s and that is where this book begins. An active participant in cultural exchange on a personal as well as a group level, Mark has shown his love of life, embraced the new and the old and demonstrated a never-ending passion to both learn and teach. Through his stories, both prose and lyric, we can see China through his open mind, keen insight and constant yearning to learn about and join in China’s bright future. He and his friend, Fu Han, have built a Chinese-Western musical duo called “In Side Out” and set up a firm to contribute to cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the world.

马克力文，1948年出生于美国洛杉矶，社会学博士、慈善事业组织者、专栏作家、乡村音乐人。曾为美国低收入工人组织服务近30年。2005年来到中国，先后在淮阴师范大学、中央民族大学任教。他也是一位著名的演说家、创作型歌手，创作过70余首有关中国的乡村歌曲。由于其在中西文化交流、向世界传播中国声音方面作出了积极的贡献，2011至2013年获得北京市政府颁发的“长城友谊奖”；2014年获得中国政府“友谊奖”。2015年淮安市政府为表彰他为这座城市所作的贡献，授予其淮安市荣誉市民的称号。Dr. Mark Levine is an American public sociologist who spent nearly three decades working as a full-time volunteer with organizations of low-income workers across the United States. Arriving in China in 2005, he first taught at Huaiyin Normal University for two years, and then began working at Minzu University of China where he is still teaching today. He is also a well-known speaker, a singer-songwriter who has written more than 70 American country/folk style songs about China. His writings have been published in a number of English-language Chinese magazines as well as an earlier book. His contributions of telling his China stories to the world have been recognized through his receipt of a number of awards, the most prominent of which are the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014 and the Great Wall (Beijing) Friendship Award for 2011-2013. In 2015 he was named an honorary citizen of Huai’an for his contributions to promoting the city.

CONTENTSFOREWORD/ 007INTRODUCTION / 013PART IHUAI’AN – IT’S A PLACEI’M PROUD TO CALL MY HOME01. The Beginning / 03802. Students Confront Their Challenges / 04803. Going to the Mountain of the Monkey King / 05304. Huai’an Office of International Relations / 06405. Huai’an – Promise of the Future / 07006. My Relationship with Huai’an Continues / 07307. Return to Huaiyin Normal University / 079PART IIMOVING TO BEIJING AND MEETING FU HAN08. Teaching at Minzu University of China / 08409. “Unity in Diversity, Theory in Practice” / 09710. Building Bonds / 10111. “The English Must Be Perfect” / 10712. “Do You Speak English?” /11213. “Number 5!” /12414. Spring Festival at the Home of Family Fu /138PART IIIIN SIDE OUT15. In Side Out – The Musical Duo and More / 15616. One of the 17 Most-Influential Graduates / 16617. Chinese Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble Theater / 16918. “East Meets West” on University Campuses / 17119. Performing for Foreign Diplomats / 17820. A Place that’s Called Lijiang /18621. Chinese Holiday Musical Performances / 19422. In Side Out Becomes A Company / 19823. Fu Han Talks about Her Work with Foreigners / 200PART IVCHINA, FOREIGNERS AND THE WORLD24. Israel Epstein and Huang Huanbi / 20425. “They Helped to Build New China” / 21226. Childhood Memories from Bailuding / 21727. Friendship Award and the Chinese Green Card / 22228. “The Chinese Dream” / 23629. “African Brother” / 24430. Some Thoughts on One Belt and Road Initiative / 25931. Building Trains at Home and Abroad / 269NON-CONCLUSION / 276

FOREWORD“You have read about Singing My China Stories to the Worldand now I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.”This is how Dr. Mark H. Levine concludes the fascinating book you are about to read. And this is how I start the same book, by drawing my own conclusions about why you should read it.Mark’s book is multifaceted and I enjoyed the mix of genres contained in it (amongst others): stories, travel narratives, portraits of different people, but also educational commentaries and… songs! This beautiful and meaningful patchwork blends in interesting (new) knowledge about Chinese society beyond clichés and Mark’s personal and diverse experiences of China.As a specialist of intercultural communication and education, a field of research that looks into preparing people to meet across “cultures,” I believe that Mark’s very exciting book could replace many of the textbooks that we use to teach about intercultural matters. We have a lot to learn from his 15 years in China (and many more years to come)! I read the book when the world was experiencing the dreadful COVID-19 crisis. I was still in Finland, unable to fly back to Beijing, where I usually spend my summers teaching and researching. Mark’s book transported me back to China….