Let Me Understand Your Language (2019)

An Undervalued Precious Gem

This drama has not been discovered and watched by many. What a pity! It is a wonderful drama and I'm glad I found it and wanted to watch it. The scenery of the Yunnan region is simply breath-taking -- so natural and so beautiful. The minority group living there, the Dai, is one of the most beautiful people with beautiful costumes, graceful culture and traditions. People, together with the scenery, make the setting of this drama out of this world.

The Dai people are very spiritual people. They live with nature. They are contented. They love life. And most importantly, they are grateful for what they have.

I love the simplicity of life living in the rural areas. No traffic, no smog, no noises, no high rises. You're surrounded by fresh air and trees. Nature abounds and time stands still. One really doesn't need a lot of money to live a meaningful life. If not for the story, one can still enjoy watching this drama for the beautiful scenery, exotic minority people, and most of all, the cultivation of tea. I hope more viewers discover this wonderful drama like I did, and decide to give it a try.

All the main actors are new to me. The male lead, Xu Hao Ning played by Roy Chiu, is one of those wealthy princelings living in Shanghai. He is also a doctor. But despite his wealth, he is lost. He is spoiled and doesn’t take responsibility seriously, but he has a kind heart. Roy Chiu is amazingly handsome. So good looking that he may melt many hearts with his wonderful acting skills. He convinces me that he is really Xu Hao Ning, the character he portrays.

Lu Kira, the female lead, has a quiet and unpretentious persona, perfect for her role as the Dai ethnic Yu Bo who is shy and timid. Her beauty and acting skills simply fit into the portrayal of an ethnic girl living in a tucked-away community, far away from the cities.

The love story between the two is seemingly doomed from the beginning as both have come from totally different backgrounds. They don’t seem to have anything in common. Their value systems are totally different and may even be opposite; they know very little about each other’s values. They fall in love at first sight which seems frivolous; their relationship seems like a fantasy and a spur-of-the-moment. Any yet, with their deep love for each other, they are willing to learn and make sacrifices for each other.

The predicaments faced by these two lovers are actually what we are facing ourselves in our own life. If we stop and think for awhile and ask ourselves this question - what do we want in life? Religions tend to tell people to stop asking such question as God has already planned everything out for us. But for non-believers, this is a real question. The searching and discovery is really a process we all should do, just like Xu Hao Ning and Yu Bo do.

The story also touches on a current sensitive issue about development, something many governments are facing. Should a government allocate funds to develop a seemingly poor and backward area, and bring its residents out of poverty? What seems like a noble intention may not end up as the best choice - many communities suffer the so-called development; they get exploited, their culture, traditions and way-of-life lost. However, if a government does nothing and let the communities live as they do for probably as long as they have existed, the government is being criticized as unfair and uncaring. This situation really echoes what we are seeing in China at the Xizhang and Xinjiang areas; when the government tries to improve the areas, they are being seen as trying to take away the identify of the people by the conservatives; when they leave the areas alone, they are being seen as ignoring the needs of the people by the liberals and progressives. Either way, they will be criticized. Striking a balance perhaps is the hardest thing to do.

Then we have to ask the question - what is development? Is it to make more money and have a "better" lifestyle, or is it to conserve one's culture, tradition and way of life for the future generations? This is a difficult question to answer. No matter what, this drama has brought up all these questions and let viewers to ponder and search our souls.

A lovely romantic story - a true gem waiting to be discovered.

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雲南成為心靈原鄉，但少數民族角色多為漢人演出

邱澤、陸怡璇主演，講述一個漢人富二代意外愛上西雙版納傣人聚落曼掌村寨的女子。

故事和人物線絡交織難以一一分陳，便不細說了。這部戲最想呈現的無非是傣族和漢族不同的文化模式，編劇和導演呈現的傣族風貌目的是為了反省都市（漢人）文化中人心的快、窄、拐，藉由自然+傣族的結合來消化和包容外地都市來的心靈受傷者，這在包括邱澤、陸怡璇的演員訪談中也呈現出來，邱澤真的一開始不覺得很好看，但在幾場戲裡面真的好帥，另外，陸怡璇也是，超級適合傣裝，秋波顧盼和勾起的嘴角，心悅神馳。

此劇如實呈現多元民族共存生活的版納，以及適當放入傣語、巴利語、基諾語、景頗語、上海土話（漢人背景）讓聲音將人帶到故事之中，唯一讓人詬病的劇中通用語是普通話，並非西南官話或者再土一些的雲南話，屬於版納的雲南話，殊為可惜。甚至少有演員真的是當地民族的，似乎9成都是漢人扮演。還有網民說普通話才更好推廣出去，我自己倒不怎麼相信，對自己語言文化有信心才是關鍵吧？看到重慶話發音的《風犬少年的天空》導演新片預告，全部是普通話，我完全、完全冷掉了，想聽彭昱暢再講重慶話。

在故事情節發展和人物成長刻劃上，編劇也用力地讓角色們說出擁有療癒感的話語，尤其看YouTube的留言，大家最喜歡的是都比（曼掌村的和尚）開示，讓人對自身能有反省和理解，並不只是自棄自憐。也透過一系列傣人的多靈信仰、佛教信仰展現他們的生命禮俗和態度，也讓無神論的角色們開始信佛、崇敬自然、理解業力因果、對於傣醫有所信任，在一個官方如此強調「無神論」、「科學」、「證據」的國家，能有這樣的戲劇實屬難得，也讓角色們心中拉扯到合十皈依的過程更引人悸動，數次主角徐浩寧被傣人的生命態度感動時，我也被感動，尤其是最後一集，玉兒香大咪淘（傣語大媽之意）要上葬山時，只有傣寨人能進入，徐和其父（數十年前來此的知青）跪下請求長老接納他們為村民（或許意味著成為傣人），那時候他們才真正不再被視為外者，接納成傣寨的一部分，也顯示國家其實滲透邊疆鄉村不難，但始終不會深入影響到他們生活（除了下段講到的市場）。

劇中將版納描繪成安樂鄉反而有些忽略了在充滿機會的都市和開發計畫吸納下更多離異鄉土的傣人、哈尼人、基諾人等（但其實開頭幾集就有幾句話說了，說曼掌村是「少數」保留多數民俗的地方），他們在版納家鄉可能沒有機會，覺得家鄉落後（需要開發、炒地）且開始不再能靠傳統方式養活自己和家人（種田地、狩獵、簡單的市場交換和禮物經濟），在此同時，傣樓和村寨、田野的景象也發生劇烈變化。這和國家現代化擴張以及新自由主義有關，導致土地多數不再用來種植，甚至地價上升，人民只能或者會投機式將土地拋售給商人，或者作為他用。這也和中國的國家開發政策、經濟市場有關（官方隱身在財團身後）。

也就是說作品可能主要傳達的是傣人風情、版納景致的另一種生活態度，但卻在為了使觀眾投入劇情的寫實描繪中，間接透露出版納人早已在市場和國家的影響下，難以再保有相對傳統形式的民俗風情，甚至是民族語言和文化（而令人感慨的是，翻過邊境後，包括緬北，傣人村寨又是一種種相異的模樣，而劇情中，角色的確分別去過寮國、泰國，也有角色來自緬甸， 有一些和西雙版納互為影子的地方，尤其是心靈信仰和生命態度。唯有緬甸形象比較負面，和走私、違法有關，這倒是令人問號，而且角色還取緬人名昂基Aung Gyi，真的傻眼）。

不過這部劇還是看的很療癒！心裡對愛情、生死的執念，其實就是遺憾，而這個遺憾我們若是持續執取只會持續痛苦，我們只需要放下它，接受它是事實，已經成為過去的事實。劇中不斷呈現這樣的價值觀，期盼若有人看此劇，能夠心有所悟。薩度、薩度、薩度（Sadhu吉祥）。

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