Name :?Bill Aitchison
姓名：比爾?艾奇森
Country of Origin :?United Kingdom
國籍：英國
Occupation :?Director/Actor/Teacher in Theatre
職業(yè)：導演 / 演員 / 戲劇教師
Years in China :?7 Years
在華居住時間：7年
How did your journey in China begin?
你的中國之旅是怎樣開始的?
It all started when I was a student doing my masters in London. By accident, I got a part time job in the School of the Oriental and African studies so that sparked my curiosity in China. I thought that I should go and visit so as a student I decided to make a trip here. A bit later, when I was getting art residencies, an offer was made to me to come to Beijing to produce some art projects. I accepted this art residency position in 2009 in Beijing and my China journey officially began. Back then, Beijing was not the city that it is now. A couple years later, in 2011 to be exact, I was offered another residency in Xiamen and I can also say that this city was rather different back then.
故事要從我在倫敦讀碩士的時候講起。一個偶然的機會，我在東方和非洲研究學院得到了一份兼職工作，這激起了我對中國的好奇心。我想我應該去看看，所以當時還是學生的我決定到中國旅行。我開始申請藝術(shù)家駐地項目，之后，便有人邀請我到北京開展一些藝術(shù)項目。2009 年我獲得了北京的藝術(shù)家駐地權(quán)，我的中國之旅正式開始。那時候，北京還不是現(xiàn)在這副模樣。幾年后，確切地說，在2011年，我獲得了在廈門的藝術(shù)家駐地權(quán)。我也可以說，和當時相比，如今的廈門是截然不同的。
What fascinated you the most about living here?
生活在中國，最吸引你的是什么？
I like the sense that things happen quickly. There is always a lot of opportunities so you don’t have to be what you thought you were. As I stated earlier, when I first arrived in Beijing and Xiamen, things were completely different back then. For example, I would describe Xiamen in 2011 as greener and rougher around the edges with not that many tourists crowding the streets. Back then it felt like a smaller city as there was not nearly as much development. Also, I would say that being in China, if you are open to opportunities, you can find yourself doing new things, meeting new people and more!
未來充滿不確定性，我很喜歡那種感覺，在你面前總是有很多機會，你不必拘泥于現(xiàn)狀。我前面所說，我第一次到達北京和廈門的時候，情況完全不同。比如，我覺得2011年的廈門正處于新興的、粗放的發(fā)展階段，街道上也沒有擠滿游客。那時的廈門感覺是一個小城市，沒有過多地發(fā)展。另外，我想說的是，在中國，如果你善于把握機會，你可以發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在不斷嘗試新事物，認識新伙伴！
What do you like the most about Xiamen/ China?
你最喜歡廈門/中國的什么？
Overall, China has an extremely dynamic atmosphere with the dynamism being an interesting thing. I more and more get the feeling that the trends that are the future on the global level appear first in China. This is a place where things are up for grabs in the early stages and as an artist that’s important for me. The art scene is growing and diverse albeit not as organized as in other places in the world. In Europe, where I’m more familiar, things are more organized and predictable as there’s more support for the arts industry. But if I’m being completely honest, the lack of organization in the art scene here makes the industry more unpredictable and creative. Right now, we’re currently in a building phase here as officials and developers are building museums and spaces at an incredible speed, the next thing to accomplish will be a greater sensitivity to the art programmes that fill the spaces.
總的來說，中國充滿活力，特別有趣。我越來越覺得，按照這一趨勢發(fā)展，世界的未來將屬于中國。在中國，要善于把握新興事物，這對作為藝術(shù)工作者的我來說很重要。中國的藝術(shù)產(chǎn)業(yè)不像世界上其他地方那樣發(fā)展地有條不紊。我更熟悉歐洲的藝術(shù)產(chǎn)業(yè)，更有組織性，發(fā)展方向也更有預見性，因為其得到的支持更多。但坦白說，中國的藝術(shù)產(chǎn)業(yè)缺乏組織性，反而使得這個行業(yè)發(fā)展更加自由，更具創(chuàng)造性。現(xiàn)在，當?shù)卣烷_發(fā)商正在以難以置信的速度建設博物館，接下來要做的就是用藝術(shù)感來設計空間。
What is your unique China story?
關(guān)于你獨特的中國故事是什么呢?
The art group I founded happened by accident and as such we call it Last Minute Live Art. It came about as a result of a last-minute cancelled art festival in Hangzhou. I had some students who were travelling to join us there. I felt bad so I asked some friends who run a museum in Nanjing to set up a festival of our own in 3 weeks’ time. And they said YES! That was how the group was born and now we have done quite a few festivals and many events… from nothing to the main promoter of experimental performance in Nanjing and working on a national level too.
一次偶然的機會，我創(chuàng)立了一個藝術(shù)團體 “Last Minute Live Art”。我的學生本來想?yún)⒓雍贾莸囊粋€藝術(shù)節(jié)，無奈在最后一刻被取消了。我感到很難過，所以我問了在南京經(jīng)營博物館的朋友，請求他們在三周內(nèi)組織一個我們自己的藝術(shù)節(jié)，他們欣然答應了。就這樣，這個藝術(shù)團體誕生了，現(xiàn)在我們已經(jīng)舉辦了不少藝術(shù)節(jié)和其他活動……我們白手起家，一路發(fā)展，成為南京實驗表演的主要推動者，工作范圍拓展到全國。
Would you like to mention any of your current projects?
可以談談你最近在忙什么嗎？
I am doing 2 shows at the moment that are complete opposites. The first is an experimental movement piece which could be described as having a very dark energy, which is pretty unusual for China. The team is made up of 6 strong performers and I begin directing it in Beijing this coming October. The second one is a very arty children’s show usually performed by an Italian theatre group who cannot come to China at the moment so I’ve been cast in it along with two other local performers.
我正在做兩個表演，風格完全相反。第一個是實驗性的動作作品，可以說是暗黑系的，這在中國并不常見。表演團隊由6位優(yōu)秀的演員組成，我將于今年10月在北京開始執(zhí)導。第二個作品是極具藝術(shù)性的兒童劇，由一個意大利劇團演出，但他們目前不能來中國，所以由我和另外兩個當?shù)匮輪T一起出演。
Fun fact about Bill’s hometown?
介紹一下 Bill 的家鄉(xiāng)
Portsmouth is an island like Xiamen, so the mentalities are surprisingly similar here and back home.
我的家鄉(xiāng)樸茨茅斯和廈門一樣，是個島嶼，所以兩地人民的心態(tài)出奇的一致。
作者：比爾?艾奇森 翻譯：潘澤彬
If you would like to contribute your story, feel free to contact us.
Email: luz@mts-tech.com
Home away from home?is a collection of the unique stories written by foreigners in China and compiled by MTS. Join us on this journey of exploring 100 different stories showcasing what it truly means to live in China!《家外之家》是一本外國人在中國的獨特故事集，由外國人撰寫，精藝達公司征集匯編。歡迎外國朋友積極參與，和我們一起探尋100個不同的故事，展示生活在中國的真正意義！
It has been?5 months?already since the “Home Away from Home” essay contest began! We appreciate all the foreign friends who have participated writing?55 unique stories?about their experience as expats in China.?On October 31st, the voting system closed, and after thorough counting of likes, reads and votes, today is the time to announce the?5 winners! Drumroll please...感謝大家?5 個月以來對《家外之家》征文比賽的關(guān)注！開賽至今，我們一共征集到了?55 篇外國人在華故事，我們非常感謝此次積極參與征文活動的外國朋友。2021 年 10 月 31 日，網(wǎng)站投票通道也已關(guān)閉。通過計算社交媒體點贊數(shù)、閱讀數(shù)、以及網(wǎng)站投票數(shù)，經(jīng)過激烈角逐,?5 名參賽者最終脫穎而出
