The following is a translation of a Chinese blog post (23.3.2010) about Yuna and Mao during the Olympics.
The original text can be found here:
http://liarliar.blogbus.com/logs/61003281.html
The blogger is a casual viewer, and not even a fan of the sport but felt enchanted enough to write up the following blog entry. Some of the feelings might have been shared by the forum, and others might clearly disagree with it, but I thought it is a refreshing philosophical view to analyse the event, the performance, the sport and the competitors from an impartial casual viewer from China who knows nothing about skating.
This is the very same type of new fans who became attracted to the sports because of a single performance, and can make this sport something else beyond.
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Today I want to describe everything. It started since the Winter Olympics.
Before the Olympics began, there were a documentary on the Chinese network television to review past Olympics, and outline potential highlights for the upcoming Olympics 2010. I am someone who doesn't do sport and naturally have no interest in sports, but since that that documentary that highlighted the Ladies Figure Skating, there was a competitor that caught my attention, that left me stunned and breathless. Her name is Kim Yuna, Korean, 19 years old. From my observation from past great ladies skaters, I have not see such an graceful, natural, expressive skater. From the moment she spun in the air to the moment she land... woww.. how should one even begin to describe? The word 'faultless' is not enough, as it implies using techniques expertly to skate, but she's beyond that. In enduring the long and hard working training, she seems to have surpassed everything and reached the heights where she forget herself. The ice has became a stage, she forgot her nationality or that she is participating in a event that doesn't allow mistakes. She remind me of the raw moments when you first became acquainted with certain classical master pieces for the very first time, where logic can not be used to describe your impressions and complex feelings. It opened my eyes, at those moment it surpasses from merely 'a sport' or the 'nature of competitive' sport, but the 'essence' of the sport.
During the actual Olympics, my wife and I observed her rivalry with the Japanese Mao Asada with interest, having read about their rivalry since age 16, being the same age, they were frequently exchanging worlds top 1 and 2. Compare to Yuna's ideal athletic figure proportions, open expressions and and confident demeanour; Maos's appearance is more delicate in comparison and her figure is more petite and fragile.
Her program was suppose to be the more technically difficult, and although I do not understand these technical terms, it was the impressions I gained from the broadcast. What make it it even more interesting is Yuna's coach is from Canada, while Mao's coach was from Moscow. Yuna's program is Gershwin's Concerto in F, while Asada's is Grandbell of Moscow.
Yuna's performance does not need further explanation, flawless, succinct, direct and simply delightful. When I heard Mao was to perform Moscow's grand bell, I became anxious for her, not only did she picked the most difficult elements, she decide to join it with such a profound tragic Russian type sorrowful music. What will happen? Unsurprisingly, I saw Mao Asada's petite stature seems crushed with the huge burden of the piece and her nerves were not able to withstand even though they gained valuable points. Behind her bravery, the majestic and powerful Moscow's Grand Bell rang the the most painful shattering heart in this competitive sport, and Mao Asada displays the type of despair that makes one trembles with hopelessness, the type of despair compels from the determined pursuit to exceed one's limitations, and she were not able to fully exhibit the artistic expressions needed with this Russian high art piece.
All this is too interesting. They work equally hard, similarly gifted, but Yuna's performance brought us the delight from competitive sport. Her smile and tears are simple and clear; Mao's performance brought us the nervous tensions and expectations to surpassing her limits. The type of 'No mistakes, I must win' attitude. Here are 2 types of methods, 2 types of attitudes, 2 types of cultures? What I saw was Mao upon completing the most complex element, she smiled are like sighs of relief, like a heavy burden has been lifted. Her talent deserves acclaim and was very moving. It made us to think 'This is too hard' with sympathy. With Yuna, she made us think 'This is too beautiful'.
Looking at these 2 competitor's performance, I had been trying to describe Yuna in the most simple accurate way from the far distance of a casual observer. How to describe what impression left us most satisfied; power, speed, beauty?
They seems at odds with each other, and the three seems have no correlations. While one can try to remain neutral but when it is trying to describe the extraordinary talent of a gifted sport artist then it became somewhat a hopeless cause. Perhaps the following 3 groups of words are more more apt, it is something we grew up with (Translator's note: this is a Chinese philosophy and principle to approach life)
Truth, Goodness, Beauty
(真、善、美,
http://baike.baidu.com/view/93855.htm)
So you ask why the final word is still Beauty and not something else? The whole point was to have separation of the group of words “Power, Speed, Beauty” and “ Truth, Goodness, Beauty” to provide a deeper understanding and realisation, so why is “Beauty” is still featured last?
What is Truth?
In my opinion, it incorporate everything within your real situation, including your birth, your talent, your environment, the time periods you experienced, basically everything nature provide you.
What is Goodness?
My long personal contemplation on this meaning has changed throughout a life time. When we were young, adult tell us, Goodness is being kind, you must have good conscious, good principles and intentions, have kind heart, be a good person. On its opposite is the extreme scary word: Evil/Badness. However now my view which had been drawn out over time, it is more to do with 'Goodness with', in other words, goodness is a type of method, the type that originate from the 'truth' which you understood best to face the world. It is a type of progress, a journey, that took sensibility, thoughts, and actions to find your own path. The path is yours to follow only, and nothing to do with anyone else. This pursuit is full of loneliness, pain, hurt, brilliance, colour, lightness, darkness, despair and nobility all counted towards the prospect of gaining goodness. So where does that take us?
Beauty. Here, beauty is what we ultimately wish to strive for whether it is the lightest or the darkest path we follow. It is not easily achieved. To attain beauty or a state of grace, it doesn't matter if you are right or wrong, win or loose, it is an independent sparkling spatial existence. It is the very ending as well as the very beginning, it exist as a type of euphoria, or a peace of mind that one attain happiness, comfort, joy. In this sport, it is solving the mysterious algorithm of 'strength/power' and 'speed' in total sum, calculated to the highest heavens that elevate one's life existence and pushes to edges of unbounded potentials. One realise the 'boundary' of limitations has no meaning, but its significance is something we are unable to restrain from asking. Frankly, when we discuss about 'beauty', one is unwilling to investigate it, it is something not easily touched, discussed, and sometimes it appears accidentally or purely by chance. It flows in our consciousness, the moment it happens, it dies and is unable to be captured again.
Is it eternal? Can Kim Yuna's state of beauty last in the sport? Can her youthful face be forever still? If her form is being sculpted, painted, made into movies, does that count as eternal? That is why it make us heart stricken when we realise these moments of attaining beauty, we find ourselves unknowingly tearing up asking ourself “Oh my oh my .. what is wrong with me?”
(...The author concludes at this point that he have lost his objectivity by this paragraph and he does't feel he can continue and bid his readers farewell.)
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Comments left on his blog
When you look at Kim Yuna carefree forget herself performances, it is like watching she's loved by God.
Watching Mao is like watching a dignified tragedy. Solemn and respectful that makes it hard to breathe.
Although both of their performances and expressions are very interesting. Yuna was so relaxed she looks like she is playing with toy, while Mao is completing a type of serious ceremony.
Beauty does bring us sadness. Why forever? It is only momentary.
I just want to add I think Yuna makes an interesting choice for UNICEF for the very points you mentioned but also because of her background profile.
os168
