Most foreigners are oblivious to pop culture and I am no exception. We do not  listen  to  Chinese  music  and  only watch Chinese movies if there are decent subtitles.We have no idea who the popular stars are and why.For example,I just learned that one of the most popular entertainers right now is Li Yuchun, the most famous winner of the Super Girls singing contest on Hunan TV.

    大多数外国人都不注意流行文化，我也不例外。我们不听中国音乐，而且只有看到好懂的宇幕时我们才看中国电影。谁是流行的明星以及为什么成为这样，我们都两眼一抹黑。比如说，我近日发现目前最红的娱乐明星之—是李宇春，她是湖南电视台超级女声节目最有名的冠军。

I never even knew there were programs like this in China before .I saw one of her performances on TV.I was very impressed with professional singing voice and the way she is extremely poised and confident on stage.However,she is obviously not a typical star.Her clothes are plain, even boyish.This androgyny is part of her success. It seems to me that this might be a Chinese answer to a question the west has been dealing with for some time.

     看到她在一个电视上的表演之前，我从来不知道中国有这样的节目。她的声音和在舞台上既自信又沉着的样子给我留下了很深的印象。不过，她显然不是一般的明星样子，她的衣服很普通甚至男孩子气，这样中性的色彩是她成功的一部分。在我看来，这可是一个西方人长期观察问题的中国式答案。

    Ever since the women's liberation movement began, western Society has been debating the role of women.It goes without saying that women are no longer bound to the home and to raising children,but in order for a woman to succeed in the modern world of business dolninated by men,does she need to abandon her femininity?

    自从妇女解放运动发端以来，西方社会就不断争论女人的角色。不用说女人不再限制在家务及养孩子的范围内，不过，在由男人控制商业的现代世界里，一个女人为了成功难道需要放弃女人的气质吗?

My own mother is perhaps an excellent case study.She began as a secretary in a large computer company in the 1980's when there were almost no female supervisors.Eventually she became one of the first female district level managers. She was well qualified for the position,but some of the qualities that helped her earn the position are decidedly unfeminine.She is outspoken and ambitious.Also,when given the chance,she chooses to icad rather than follow.

    我自己的母亲也许是优秀的例子。上世纪80年代她在一个几乎没有女性高层管理者的大型电脑公司当秘书。她终于成为第一个地区女性经理之一。她有资格担任这个职位，但是在性格上她的一些非女性的特点明显帮了她的忙。她是坦率和有雄心的，而且有机会的话，她宁可选择率领，而不是跟随.

The traditional notion of the ideal woman in the west is similar to the east.It is a woman who is quiet,submissive and of course beautiful.While I would assert that my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world,she is most certainly not quiet or submissive.Her femininity is expressed in how particular she is agreeable how she looks,but way she keeps house and cooks, and the way she cares about others.

    西方传统中的理想妇女的概念与东方的相同，也就是说女人沉默寡言、恭顺和漂亮。尽管我自己认为我母亲是世界上最美丽的，但她并不是沉默和恭顺的。她的女性气质是在讲究外貌、做家务和照顾别人等方面中表现出来的。  

Both my mother and Li Yuchun have abandoned traditional ideas of femininity to gain suceess in their careers. My mother has found a balance between old and new notions, and I think the much younger Li Yuchun is searching for that balance now.  Perhaps just as the same important for them, though, is that their fathers, husbands, bosses and friends all in their own way' abandoned these ideas too, and let them decide for themselves.

    我母亲和李宇春为职业的成功都放弃了传统女性的概念。我母亲实现了旧概念和新概念之间的平衡，我看更年轻的李宇春正在寻找这样的条件。不过，也许同样重要的是，她们的父亲、丈夫、领导和朋友等也都以自己的方式放弃了传统的概念，而让她们自己决定