english: Samuel Mok Chinese: Keira O

AS FEATURED IN EDITION NO. 7 OF FêTE CHINOISE MAGAZINE: PERSPECTIVE 覺•渡

Venue: The University of British Columbia, Canada Photographer: Gina Chong, Butter Studios Art Direction: Deborah Lau-Yu COORDINATION: Christina Li
Make Up: Dawna Boot Hair: Sarah Zabihi Production Assistant: Barbara Liu Jewellery: J.Y. Gao Attire: Narces, Catherine Regehr  videography: Butter Studios

To date, the track’s official music video has over 170 million views on YouTube, a staggering figure that might not even fully reflect her extensive following in China. Capping off her meteoric rise, Wanting performed in front of a live television audience of close to one billion viewers at the 2013 annual Spring Festival Gala, sharing the stage with the legendary Celine Dion.

But as quickly as she rose to prominence, her drop off was just as sudden. Less than two years after her signature performance, Wanting’s mother became embroiled in a series of allegations and controversy. In China, public sentiment toward her soured almost overnight. Despite her music and career having nothing to do with her mother’s issues, her popularity tumbled. The universal praise that she had been accustomed to turned into a barrage of hurtful comments and backlash. Messages she received were often grotesque and jarringly disproportionate to the issues that were unfairly being projected onto her. 

In the face of such negativity, most people would lose hope, fall into despair and fade into obscurity to escape the pain. For Wanting though, this was not the first time she had been treated this way…  Growing up in Harbin, she was frequently targeted for being different. 

She did not wear a skirt like the other girls did and her straightforward style of speaking was often misinterpreted in a conservative culture that tries to avoid confrontation. “I have been called every name you could think of, and even some you couldn’t. People like to talk about things they don’t even know and put their own spin on it. That’s not kind.”

說到曲婉婷的歌曲，我們的腦袋總會浮現出電影<春嬌與志明>的畫面，還有其電影歌曲《Drenched》及《我的歌聲裡》。這兩首紅遍中港台的歌曲，均是由她包辦曲詞和演繹，在YouTube共有超過1.8億點擊率。她的音樂造詣及歌曲的受歡迎程度，是備受肯定的。

憑著極高的音樂天份，曲婉婷於2009年出道後短短五年內，已經舉行了兩次世界巡迴演唱會。她亦在中國中央電視台春節聯歡晚會演出，深受音樂愛好者愛戴，風頭一時無兩。忽然 ，她沉靜了。原因是家人在中國內地惹上了官司，令她開始在網絡上受到緋議。即使她選擇了沉默，仍然受盡輿論攻擊。面對沉重打擊，跌入了人生低谷的曲婉婷，選擇了用一個「愛」字，把自己的心結解開，和衝過重重難關。

Despite all she has endured, Wanting still thinks the best of people, something that she credits to her traditional upbringing: the belief that humans are inherently good. “People go through their own unique struggles. So even when they judge or attack me on social media, I have empathy for them. It doesn’t mean I enjoy reading hate messages, but I won’t hate them back. I try to be understanding and compassionate to all beings, even the ones who are not so nice.”

“What gets me through is the idea that if one day I [were to] meet with this person, have a long face-to-face chat with them, they would possibly like me by the end of the day and we could be friends. I would wish them well. Because I just believe humans are compassionate, sentient beings. We love more than we hate. We're at the happiest when we love. No matter how many curveballs life has thrown at me, I always believe the good is greater than the bad, kindness surpasses evil and that love is the answer.”

Born with a strong will, Wanting’s younger years made her fiercely independent. She arrived in Canada as an international student when she was just 16, leaving behind her family and knowing very few peers who were taking the same journey. While most of the others in the group were older, she was often the one who stepped up in unfamiliar situations; she wasn’t shy about asking strangers for directions or ordering food and was unafraid of making mistakes with the English she was picking up. This made her braver and more outgoing. 

Amazingly, something good has come from Wanting’s experience with undue hatred: it has shifted her mindset when things around her are not going smoothly. Instead of fixating on whatever is troubling in the moment, she turns her thoughts to the future when things will be better. “When you have absolutely no control over something you want so badly, you learn to be patient and have faith. I discovered the world can be cruel and dark. But the world can also be full of hope and possibility. All I need is just that one flickering light, as long as it’s on. Even if it’s struggling to be on, I’m going to hang on to that.”

啞巴尋找光明

歌聲帶點硬朗的曲婉婷，談吐時予人溫婉柔弱的感覺，份外親切舒服。她告訴我們，面對

困境時必須要充滿希望，即使只有一線柱光，仍然要相信走下去會更好。她說自己在失意

的時候，會聽很多不同的歌曲，又或者看別人的悲慘故事，從而了解別人的遭遇，然後激勵自己。因此，她亦希望以自己擅長的音樂，去幫助其他人。好讓別人在失意時聽到她的歌曲，

便不會覺得孤單。

生命有一種絕對...

面對網絡上排山倒海的攻擊，曲婉婷卻以愛與包容去應付。她說：「當時真的很難過。網民說了許多他們並不知道，也不真實的事，摧毀了我的聲譽，抹煞了我一直以來的努力。我選擇了沉默，更加不會罵回去。因為我知道人『性本善』，每個人多點愛與包容，便可以減少紛爭，事情總會過去的。」

曲婉婷16歲便由中國獨自來到加拿大生活至今。問她有沒有遭受過歧視？善良的她這樣說：「或許有吧！對於一些可能構成歧視的行為，我會傾向歸咎於是那個人的性格問題。因為你永遠不會知道那個人在當天遇上我之前，發生過什麼事。或許，有別的事件令他心情不好，才說出傷害別人的話，並不一定是針對我。沒有一個人會無故去傷害別人的。」她相信『性本善』是生命一種絕對。

Wanting draws strength from the stories of others who have also walked difficult paths, fully aware that she is just one of many who have struggled and that if others were able to persist through even tougher times, then she certainly can as well. She cites a variety of sources of inspiration: from musicians like Lady Gaga who did not find immediate success, to transcendent leaders such as Nelson Mandela, to even fictional families in turmoil in the Game of Thrones series. Challenges are everywhere. For everyone. 

“The key is really to recalibrate your thinking, taking the lens off of yourself and your own suffering and instead turning that around. Sadness and difficulty are inevitable, that’s just how the world is. But you can choose to respond by shrinking back and letting it constrain you, or you can respond by rising to the occasion and trying to make a difference, making sure that whatever you had to go through won’t happen to others.”

For as long as she can recall, Wanting has wanted to do her part to fill the world with light, joy and good vibes. In a way, this mission was why she launched her music career initially. She finds even deeper purpose and enjoyment when she hears that a song she had written for herself also gives her fans a boost. “Because the music of other artists has been my friend, my teacher, my guardian, my guide, my medicine, I feel the need to help others in the same way music has helped me – others who are in need of comfort, a mood lift, a spark, a message, a push, or an understanding. Knowing my music’s out there, reaching people and bringing them hope and positivity, makes me feel very warm and fulfilled.”

Today, Wanting’s focus has expanded beyond reducing tension between people. She yearns for peace and harmony to exist between ALL species on earth. Years ago she watched a documentary that outlined the one-sided relationship between humanity and the natural world. Afterwards, she felt ashamed and paralyzed, not sure how to respond when thinking about all the harm she had done. She even had thoughts of giving up all she had and retreating to a life of solitude. But common sense prevailed and, instead, she embraced a vegan lifestyle and recently got certified in Plant-Based Nutrition by eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. She credits her plant-based diet for helping to recover quickly from two surgeries last year. 

純素食是最好的安排 ？

對於愛與和平的觀念，曲婉婷不單止應用人類身上，她也主張所有動物都應該平等，不想牠們受到不必要的痛苦。去年她看到一個關於動物屠場的紀錄片，及後便成為了純素食者。「純素食」即是不吃肉類及所有動物產品，例如牛奶、蛋、蜜糖；也不採用與動物相關的產品。她分享說：「純素食不只是一個飲食習慣，也是一個生活態度、取態和精神。人類根本不需要靠進食動物來維持生命。相反，素食可以減少污染，令地球上的水、土、空氣、森林和海洋更健康。這數 十載，過度畜牧、工業式農耕，肉類和奶類產品已大不如前，加入了不同的化學成份，例如荷爾蒙、殺蟲劑和基因改造。而這些成份加速身體出現炎症，是很多都市病的源頭。」視保護動物、愛惜地球為己任的她，早前還特別報讀並完成一個《全植物營養學》的課程，希望用知識，溶入音樂，提倡純素食的生活文化。

For Wanting, what makes us human is our intelligence. And rather than using that intellect to destroy or cause harm, she believes the best use of our brainpower happens when building others up, lending a helping hand to develop new solutions that will revamp existing paradigms and — most of all — advocating for those who are unable to speak for themselves. 

“I was raised to understand at a very young age that the worth of one's life is valued by how much you’ve done to help others. Not so much about how you remember your life but how others remember you. Your legacy.” 

It is one thing to dream about leading a change and another to actually do it. For Wanting Qu who has already charmed the world with her music before, our wish for her is that she reaches deep into millions of hearts again, while she continues to make the world a better place. Happily for us, she released a new single during the pandemic and has also penned lyrics for some perspective-changing pieces we can look forward to soon. We cannot wait to fall into the embrace of her music again, and feel that we exist in her song.

致十年前的我和十年後的我

對於純素食的概念，曲婉婷最初只是想減少動物受苦和減低碳排放。豈料，更深入了解後，發現其好處多不勝數。她甚至說，假如可以乘坐時光機回到十年前，她會堅定的告訴自己，立即停止再吃肉類及奶類產品，否則未來會有更多可怕的問題呈現！那如果可以去十年後呢？她說會告訴未來的自己：「哈，你還活著已經是個奇蹟！就繼續用愛與包容，去做你覺得正確的事吧！」

曲婉婷在成長過程中，都一直被灌輸世界萬物皆平等的概念。所以她不論在音樂創作、面對困境、待人接物、生活態度，都主張以愛與包容去理解和解決事情。她的音樂未必一定能為你紓憂解困。不過，用心細味她的曲與詞，仿佛讓你更明白自己，更明白何謂「世上本無枷，心鎖困住人」。怎能不愛上曲婉婷？怎能不愛上她的音樂？

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