It was only after he returned to the U.S. did he find the true China he had dreamed about, in a most unexpected place.

直到回國後，他才在一個意想不到的地方找到了他夢寐以求的真正的中國。

We sat down with Jared Madsen to hear his story.

我們採訪了賈裡德-馬德森，聽聽他的故事。

Reading Chinese philosophy isn't exactly the norm for most Americans, but Jared Madsen is a rare exception.

對大多數美國人來說，閱讀中國哲學並不是一種常態，但賈裡德-馬德森是個罕見的例外。

For him, traditional Chinese culture isn't something too remote or irrelevant.

對他來說，中國傳統文化並不遙遠或無關緊要。

Instead, the ancient wisdom in it gave him new perspective.

相反，其中的古老智慧給了他新的視角。

So when I was in high school, I already started to learn Chinese, and I started to learn about traditional Chinese culture.

是以，當我上高中時，我已經開始學習中文，並開始瞭解中國傳統文化。

I was very fascinated.

我非常著迷。

It just seemed to talk about things that I'd never even imagined, about Confucianism and Daoism.

它似乎談到了我從未想象過的東西，關於儒家和道家。

And then I went to China.

然後我去了中國。

I went to China in 1994.

1994 年我去了中國。

But the trip didn't go according to plan.

但這次旅行並沒有按計劃進行。

It seemed right the very moment I landed in China, it was a wake-up call.

似乎就在我登陸中國的那一刻，就給我敲響了警鐘。

Oh, this is a communist society.

哦，這是一個共產主義社會。

This is not this anymore.

現在已經不是這樣了。

Honestly, I was incredibly disappointed, and it was very disheartening, I suppose.

老實說，我感到非常失望，也非常沮喪。

The experience didn't measure up to his expectations, but eventually Madsen found what he had thought was a lost cause, not in Beijing, but in New York.

這段經歷並沒有達到他的預期，但最終馬德森在紐約，而不是在北京，找到了他認為已經失去的東西。

He is now a master of ceremonies for U.S.-based classical Chinese dance company Shen Yun.

他現在是總部設在美國的中國古典舞蹈團神韻的司儀。

He says that's where he discovered the true China before it was tainted by the Communist Party.

他說，在那裡，他發現了被共產黨玷汙之前的真實中國。

Then I heard about Shen Yun, and I came to Shen Yun, and I thought this is exactly what I had been interested in from the get-go.

後來我聽說了神韻，來到神韻，我覺得這正是我從一開始就感興趣的。

And then we can portray it on stage, things that I had been thinking about, only trying to imagine what it was like in my head, and then I get to see it on stage.

然後我們就可以在舞臺上描繪它，那些我一直在想的事情，只是在我的腦海中試著想象它是什麼樣子，然後我就可以在舞臺上看到它了。

I get to see people portray these roles.

我看到人們塑造這些角色。

I was blown away.

我被震撼了。

I had to be part of Shen Yun.

我必須成為神韻的一部分。

The classical Chinese dance style Shen Yun performs in is an antiquity dating back at least 3,000 years to the grand courts of Chinese emperors.

神韻所表演的中國古典舞可追溯到至少 3000 年前的中國帝王宮廷。

And from that ancient tradition,

這就是古老的傳統、

Madsen found answers that modern science and technology couldn't give him.

馬德森找到了現代科學技術無法給予他的答案。

Why do you think it's important to have this push for authentic Chinese culture, especially nowadays when there's so much pushing for modernization and these alternative views?

你為什麼認為推動中國文化的正宗性很重要，尤其是在如今如此推動現代化和這些另類觀點的時候？

Why is it so significant?

為什麼它如此重要？

We're losing our connection.

我們正在失去聯繫。

We're becoming more and more like robots.

我們正變得越來越像機器人。

I think everybody feels that.

我想每個人都有這種感覺。

We all have cell phones, and it's great.

我們都有手機，這很好。

We can look anything up, and it has all these advantages.

我們可以查找任何東西，它有所有這些優勢。

But at the same time, this is a hot topic these days.

但同時，這也是最近的熱門話題。

People are going off into the forest to do a retreat, right, to get rid of technology.

人們去森林裡閉關修行，對吧，就是為了擺脫技術的束縛。

Really, this is what they're looking for.

真的，這就是他們要找的。

What does it mean to be human?

做人意味著什麼？

Some of these deeper questions that when you come to Shen Yun, we explore these.

當你來到神韻時，我們會探討一些更深層次的問題。

Madsen believes classical arts are universal.

馬德森認為，古典藝術具有普遍性。

Just like you don't have to be German to appreciate Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, audience members don't need to be Chinese to get inspired by Shen Yun.

就像欣賞貝多芬的第九交響曲不一定非得是德國人一樣，觀眾也不一定非得是中國人才能從神韻中得到啟發。

You mentioned that there are a lot of similarities and universal values between classical Chinese history and Western tradition.

您提到中國古典歷史與西方傳統之間有很多相似之處和普世價值。

So what are some of those similarities?

那麼，有哪些相似之處呢？

Well, one of the biggest ones that you see on the stage is the idea of a hero, what it means to be an upright person, what it means to be a hero, what it means to face the bad guy and valiantly strive forward.

那麼，你在舞臺上看到的最大的主題之一就是英雄的概念，做一個正直的人意味著什麼，做一個英雄意味著什麼，面對壞人並英勇奮進意味著什麼。

This is something that I think is deep within all of us.

我認為，這是我們每個人內心深處的東西。

We all want to make something of ourselves.

我們都想有所作為。

We all want to move forward.

我們都想向前邁進。

This is not a cultural thing.

這不是文化問題。

This is just being human.

這就是人性。

It's an incredibly uplifting show.

這是一個令人難以置信的振奮人心的節目。

This is something that lasts with people.

這對人的影響是持久的。

Existential threats have plagued traditional Chinese culture for the last century.

上個世紀，生存威脅一直困擾著中國傳統文化。

That's following the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power and its attempts to eliminate those traditions.

這是繼中國共產黨崛起並試圖消除這些傳統之後發生的事情。

Persecuting intellectuals and scholars, smashing temples, historical statues and other cultural relics, and denouncing all traditional ideas as feudal and backward.

迫害知識分子和學者，砸毀寺廟、歷史雕像和其他文物，斥責一切傳統思想為封建落後。

Only after Mao's Cultural Revolution brought Chinese society into turmoil and bankrupted the ultra-left ideology did the CCP turn back toward ancient culture, this time using it to resuscitate its own totalitarian ideology by provoking national pride in the Chinese people.

直到毛澤東的文化大革命使中國社會陷入動盪，極左意識形態破產之後，中共才重新轉向古代文化，這次是利用古代文化來複活自己的極權主義意識形態，激起中國人的民族自豪感。

And the Chinese Communist Party also talks about traditional Chinese culture.

中國共產黨也在談論中國傳統文化。

But how is that different from what Xinyuan represents?

但這與新源所代表的意義有何不同？

Well, they started doing it recently.

他們最近開始這麼做了。

And when they do talk about traditional Chinese culture, they use it to try to end up promoting communism.

而當他們談論中國傳統文化時，他們又試圖以此來最終宣傳共產主義。

Xinyuan is soon to perform its first show since the pandemic shut down theaters over a year ago.

自一年多前大流行病關閉劇院以來，鑫苑即將上演首場演出。

Matson says he can't wait to once again time travel to ancient China, together with audiences.

馬特森說，他迫不及待地想和觀眾一起，再次穿越時空來到古老的中國。

Everybody just wants to get back out there.

每個人都想重返賽場。

They want to see something.

他們想看到一些東西。

And I've met so many people who, during the pandemic, who wanted to see Xinyuan.

在大流行病期間，我遇到過很多人，他們都想去看看新源。

And they're like, oh, I had tickets. I had tickets.

他們會說，哦，我有票。我有票

And then it all got canceled.

然後一切都被取消了。

So I guess it's that yearning, that yearning in society, that feeling of, you know, that cabin fever, being at home for, I mean, months and months, over a year.

所以，我想這就是那種渴望，那種對社會的渴望，那種感覺，你知道，那種小屋熱，我是說，在家裡呆上幾個月，幾個月，一年多。

How has it changed my approach?

它是如何改變我的方法的？

I don't know. I guess I'm just extra excited this year.

我也不知道。我想我只是今年格外興奮。

Xinyuan will take the stage this weekend for its first 2021 performance at the Palace Theater in Stanford, Connecticut.

本週末，"鑫苑 "將在康涅狄格州斯坦福的皇宮劇院（Palace Theater）舉行 2021 年的首場演出。

It's scheduled for this weekend.

計劃於本週末舉行。

Those hoping to catch a last-minute glimpse can visit the company's website for ticket information.

希望在最後一刻一睹芳容的觀眾可以訪問公司網站了解票務資訊。