Youths’ wit and wisdom

李宇春:会跳舞的文艺青年

导读：昔日的选秀传奇，红到发紫的“超级女生”李宇春，经过一整年的筹备，于近期推出了全新专辑《会跳舞的文艺青年 (literary youth)》。与以往不同的是，李宇春这次不再歌颂自己的王国世界，而是走进人群，展现更柔软、更真实的自己。

  Li Yuchun, the 27-year-old singer and actress, used to be known as a bit of a tomboy. Recently, though, she has softened her image and become more feminine.
  27岁的歌手兼演员李宇春，曾经被称作“假小子”。然而最近，她“软化”了自己的形象，变得更有女人味。

  She seems to be adopting the style of “China’s literary youth”, which is spearheaded by Taiwan singers Chen Qizhen (also known as Cheer Chen) and Zhang Xuan.
  她似乎打算走以台湾歌手陈绮贞和张悬为代表的“中国文艺青年”的风格。

  The “literary youth” are a group of knowledgeable, young Chinese people who like to embrace an artistic and spiritual way of life.
  所谓“文艺青年”是中国一群有见识的年轻人，他们推崇追求艺术和精神的生活方式。

  They have some interesting habits, such as wearing long, flowing skirts, walking around either barefooted or in canvas shoes, watching small-budget art-house movies and carrying around small camcorders.
  他们有一些有趣的习惯，例如爱穿飘逸的长裙，爱赤脚或者穿着帆布鞋走路，爱看小成本制作的文艺片和随身携带小型摄像机。

  “I had intentionally projected a domineering image on stage before, which distanced me from others,” said Li. “But now I’d like to show a different, fresher and more accurate side of myself.”
  李宇春表示：“我以前故意在舞台上表现出一种强势的形象，那让我和观众们产生了距离。但是现在我想展示一个不同于以前的、更富有青春活力和更真实的自己。”

  Li’s new album, which came out on April 12, is called The Literary Youth Who Can Dance (《会跳舞的文艺青年》). On the album, she challenges people’s fixed perceptions of China’s “literary youth” and “pop dancers”.
  李宇春于4月12日发布的新专辑名为《会跳舞的文艺青年》。在这张专辑中，她要挑战人们对中国“文艺青年”和“流行舞者”的固有认知。

  She asked: “Who says that the ‘literary youth’ cannot dance, or that pop dancers can’t be artistic and try to play musical instruments?”
  她问道：“谁说文艺青年不能旋转，谁说旋转的不能是文艺青年？”

  Li believes that at core the “literary youth” are marked by an unpretentious attitude to life, which is conveyed in her music.
  李宇春觉得“文艺青年”的精髓是坦率的生活态度，她要用她的音乐表现出来。

  Her songs have a laid-back flavor, combining light-hearted dance rhythms with vivid images.
  她的歌有一种悠闲自得的味道，将轻松愉快的舞蹈韵律和动感的画面结合在了一起。

  For instance, on the album’s title song, she sings, “The sun has fallen in love with rainy days.” In another song, she sings about “riding a bicycle to get close to the moon”.
  例如，在专辑的同名主打歌中，她唱道，“太阳爱上了雨天”。在另一首歌中，她唱着“骑着单车靠近月亮”。

  Li’s new album has both confirmed her as a member of China’s “literary youth” and opened her up to a brand new audience.
  李宇春的新专辑一方面证实了她是中国“文艺青年”中的一员，另一方面也会吸引更多的欣赏者。

  “I’ve only just begun to discover Li from this album,” music critic Ma Xiangxin told the Information Times. “For the first time, I think I can converse with her on a musical level.”
  音乐评论家马向新在接受《信息时报》采访时说：“从这张专辑开始，我才真正地认识了这位歌手。这一次，我的确可以和她开始讨论一下音乐层面的语言。”