New York Museum Presents Comprehensive Exhibition on Vietnam

Broadcast: Mar¹ 14, 2003

 

These are the sounds of Hanoi, Vietnam, today. They accompany images of colorful streets ¹⁾bustling² with bicycles, cars, pedestrians³ and merchants. They are sights and sounds unfamiliar⁴ to many Americans, who associate Vietnam primarily with the war fought there 30 years ago.

Exhibition curator Laurel Kendall says introducing American people to the modern Vietnam, where war is a distant memory, is one of the main goals of the exhibition, Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind & Spirit. "One of the things we have learned from the [American] ²⁾veterans who have gone back to Vietnam is the absolute importance, for healing, of seeing Vietnam as it is today. We are all 30 years older. Vietnam itself has healed, has changed, and is a very different society from those grainy images we used to see on our television screens," she says.

One section of the exhibit features a series of images of Vietnam taken recently, side by side with those taken 30 years ago.

Ms. Kendall says the Museum drew on the experiences of Vietnamese-Americans and U.S. war veterans in shaping the exhibition. "We have worked very closely with members of the Vietnamese-American community, we have had focus groups with veterans. We want everybody concerned, everybody who has some sort of historical stake in Vietnam, to feel that this show is, in some sense, for them," she says.

The exhibition is a collaborative effort of the American Museum of Natural History and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi.

Natural History Museum President Ellen Futter says the landmark⁵ collaboration⁶ had an emotional impact on her and her colleagues. "This one was especially moving, particularly for the Americans, for whom Vietnam had an entirely⁷ different meaning and lives. Most of us were either students or just out of school during the war, and I think the opportunity to go back and see that country, for some people will just go for the first time to see that country or work in Hanoi, to participate in a ³⁾reconciliation⁸ and a rebuilding was very gratifying," she says.

Ms. Futter says the collaboration "mirrors the larger reconciliation going on between Vietnam and the United States", hopes that the camaraderie⁹ exhibition ⁴⁾curators enjoyed will spill over to the public.

But the long trek¹⁰ from war to reconciliation is not the only journey explored in the exhibition. It also celebrates more literal journeys of modern-day Vietnam people traveling on buses, goods being transported to market, a New Years Day parade winding¹¹ through a tangle¹² of revelers.

Part of the exhibition focuses on Vietnam's decision to open its doors to the global marketplace in the late 1980s, after which its goods began reaching international ports.

Exhibition curator Laurel Kendall says that handmade textiles, ceramics¹³, masks, wooden sculptures, water-puppets and festival paraphernalia¹⁴ all plucked from the streets of Vietnam today demonstrate both the vibrancy¹⁵ of Vietnamese craft-making traditions and its embrace of the international marketplace. "In Vietnam, culture is alive. Traditional culture has been ⁵⁾revitalized and culture is a part of everyday life. And I want them to appreciate the extreme ethnic¹⁶ diversity of Vietnam," she says. "This is the most ethnically¹⁷ diverse population in southeast Asia. There are 54 recognized ethnicities. We got about 14 into the exhibit."

Spirituality seems to be the common ground of Vietnam's many ethnic groups. The exhibition is filled with colorful religious items, from small pieces of jewelry¹⁸ to giant serpents, made from paper and wood.

One of the centerpieces of the exhibition is an "ancestral alter". The large wooden table, ornately decorated, is common to many Vietnamese homes. Though sacred, it is a living part of the home, and as such is covered with fruit, cake-boxes, and liquor bottles.

Just outside the exhibition entrance, the museum has re-created a traditional Vietnamese market with street stalls serving local delicacies¹⁹.

The exhibition is expected to go on tour next year, introducing modern Vietnam to Americans in a variety of U.S. cities, before winding up in Hanoi in 2005.

For VOA of American, this is James Donahower in New York.

 

1)    bustling [`bQslIN]adj.熙熙攘攘的, 忙乱的

2)    veteran [5vetErEn]n.老兵, 老手, 退伍军人

3)    reconciliation [7rekEnsili5eiFEn]n.和解, 调和, 顺从

4)    curator [kjuE5reitE]n.馆长, 监护人

5)    revitalize[5ri:5vaitElaiz]v.新生

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

3 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

5 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

6 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

10 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

11 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

12 tangle   

n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱

参考例句：

• I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
• If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

13 ceramics   

n.制陶业；陶器

参考例句：

• an exhibition of ceramics by Picasso 毕加索陶瓷作品展
• The ceramics bore the imprint of Luca della Robbia. 陶器上印有卢卡·德拉·罗比亚的字样。

14 paraphernalia   

n.装备；随身用品

参考例句：

• Can you move all your paraphernalia out of the way?你可以把所有的随身物品移开吗？
• All my fishing paraphernalia is in the car.我的鱼具都在汽车里。

15 vibrancy   

n.活跃；震动

参考例句：

• I like the vibrancy of her character.我喜欢她的活泼性格。
• Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality. 汤姆感觉自己被她充满朝气的个性所吸引。

16 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

17 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

18 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

19 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗