ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

ShaoLan: The Chinese zodiac, explained

薛曉嵐: 讓我們來聊聊中國的 12 生肖

Filmed:
2,804,498 views

科技與創業家薛曉嵐說,世界上有四分之一的人口很注重中國的12生肖,即使你不信它,你最好還是了解一下它是如何運作的。在這場生動有趣富含知識的演講中,曉嵐向我們分享了如何了解中國古代傳統文化的小技巧,描繪了它會如何地影響你的個性、職場、婚姻的面向,還有來年運勢走向。你的生肖代表著什麼呢?
- Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Have you ever been asked
by your Chinese中文 friend朋友,
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你是否曾經被你的中國朋友問過,
00:15
"What is your zodiac生肖 sign標誌?"
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"你的生肖是甚麼?"
00:17
Don't think they are making製造 small talk.
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不要以為他們要聊無關緊要的事。
00:20
If you say, "I'm a Monkey,"
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如果你說"我屬猴"
00:22
they immediately立即 know
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他們馬上就能知道,
00:23
you are either 24, 36, 48 or 60 years年份 old.
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你不是24歲、就是36、48或60歲。
00:27
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
00:28
Asking a zodiac生肖 sign標誌 is a polite有禮貌 way
of asking your age年齡.
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從問你的生肖來知道你的年齡
是一個比較禮貌的問法。
00:32
By revealing揭示 your zodiac生肖 sign標誌,
you are also being存在 evaluated評價.
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知道你的生肖後,你也可以算命。
00:36
Judgments判決 are being存在 made製作
about your fortune幸運 or misfortune不幸,
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關於你好的或不好的事,
都可以算出來,
00:40
your personality個性, career事業 prospects前途
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你的個人特質、職場方向,
00:42
and how you will do in a given特定 year.
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還有你今年會過的如何。
00:45
If you share分享 you and your
partner's夥伴 animal動物 signs跡象,
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如果你分享了你和
你另一半的動物生肖,
00:48
they will paint塗料 a picture圖片 in their mind心神
about your private私人的 life.
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他們就會在他們的腦海裡
描繪出你的私人生活。
00:52
Maybe you don't believe
in the Chinese中文 zodiac生肖.
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也許你不相信中國的 12 生肖,
00:55
As a quarter25美分硬幣 of the world世界 population人口
is influenced影響 by it,
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但世界上有四分之一的人口受它影響,
你最好多少懂一點。
00:59
you'd be wise明智的 to do something about that.
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那到底 12 生肖是在講些什麼?
01:02
So what is the Chinese中文 zodiac生肖, exactly究竟?
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01:05
Most Westerners西方人 think
of Greco-Roman希臘羅馬 zodiac生肖,
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大部分的西方人會聯想到
希臘羅馬的 12 星座,
01:09
the signs跡象 divided分為 into 12 months個月.
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分別代表不同的月份。
01:11
The Chinese中文 zodiac生肖 is different不同.
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中國的 12 生肖不一樣
01:13
It's a 12-year-年 cycle週期 labeled標記 with animals動物,
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它是由 12 種動物循環組成的,
01:17
starting開始 with a Rat and ending結尾 with a Pig,
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從 「鼠 」開始到 「豬 」結束,
01:19
and has no association協會
with constellations星座.
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而且與西方的星座無關。
01:23
For example, if you were born天生
in 1975, you are a Rabbit兔子.
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舉例,如果你是 1975 年生,你屬兔。
01:29
Can you see your zodiac生肖 sign標誌 there?
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你們可以看到自己的生肖嗎?
01:32
Our Chinese中文 ancestors祖先 constructed
a very complicated複雜 theoretical理論 framework骨架
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我們中國的古代先人,
建立了一個相當複雜的理論架構,
01:37
based基於 on yin and yang, the five elements分子
and the 12 zodiac生肖 animals動物.
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以陰陽、五行、12生肖
為基礎所架構出來的。
01:42
Over thousands數千 of years年份,
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這股流行文化
01:44
this popular流行 culture文化 has affected受影響
people's人們 major重大的 decisions決定,
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已經影響了人們的重要決策
好幾千年了,
01:48
such這樣 as naming命名, marriage婚姻, giving birth分娩
and attitude態度 towards each other.
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像是,命名、婚姻、出生
以及彼此的相處之道。
01:54
And some of the implications啟示
are quite相當 amazing驚人.
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有些用法也相當神奇,
01:58
The Chinese中文 believe certain某些 animals動物
get on better than the others其他.
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中國人相信某些生肖與
某些生肖比較處的來。
02:03
So parents父母 choose選擇 specific具體 years年份
to give birth分娩 to babies嬰兒,
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所以有些父母親會傾向在
某一年生下小孩,
02:07
because they believe the team球隊 effort功夫
by the right combination組合 of animals動物
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因為他們相信正確的生肖組合,
02:12
can give prosperity繁榮 to families家庭.
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可以為家族帶來好運。
02:15
We even refer參考 to the zodiac生肖
when entering進入 into romantic浪漫 relations關係.
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我們甚至連談戀愛都會參考生肖。
02:20
I'm a Pig; I should have perfect完善 romance浪漫
with Tigers老虎, Goats山羊 and Rabbits.
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我屬豬:我跟虎、羊、兔
會有美好的婚姻。
02:27
Chinese中文 people believe some animals動物
are natural自然 enemies敵人.
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中國人相信有些生肖會跟自己的相剋。
02:31
As a Pig, I need
to be careful小心 with a Snake.
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屬豬的我,要小心屬蛇的。
02:35
Raise提高 your hand if you are a Snake.
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在場屬蛇的人請舉一下手,
02:37
Let's have a chat later後來.
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我們晚點再聊。
02:39
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
02:40
We believe some animals動物
are luckier幸運 than the others其他,
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我們相信有些生肖比其它生肖來的好,
02:43
such這樣 as the Dragon.
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像是「龍」。
02:45
Unlike不像 the Western西 tradition傳統,
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不同於西方傳統,
02:47
the Chinese中文 Dragon is a symbol符號
for power功率, strength強度 and wealth財富.
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東方的龍是權利財富的象徵。
02:52
It's everyone's大家的 dream夢想
to have a Dragon baby寶寶.
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每個人都夢想能生出「龍子」。
02:55
Jack插口 Ma's馬雲的 parents父母
must必須 have been very proud驕傲.
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馬雲的爸媽一定很驕傲能生出龍子。
02:58
And they are not the only ones那些.
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不只他們,很多人也是。
03:00
In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,
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在 2012 的龍年,
03:03
the birthrate出生率 in China中國,
Hong香港 Kong and Taiwan台灣
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中國、香港、台灣的出生率,
03:05
increased增加 by five percent百分.
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增加了 5% 。
03:07
That means手段 another另一個
one million百萬 more babies嬰兒.
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意思就是比正常
多出了 100 萬個小寶寶。
03:12
With a traditional傳統
preference偏愛 to baby寶寶 boys男孩,
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傳統上中國人比較喜歡生男孩,
03:15
the boy-girl男孩女孩 ratio that year
was 120 to 100.
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那一年男女生的比例是 120:100 。
03:20
When those Dragon boys男孩 grow增長 up,
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當這些屬龍的男生長大後,
03:22
they will face面對 much more severe嚴重
competition競爭 in love and job工作 markets市場.
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他們在愛情及職場上
會面臨更嚴峻的挑戰。
03:27
According根據 to the BBCBBC and the Chinese中文
government's政府的 press release發布,
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根據 BBC 及中國官方媒體報導,
03:31
January一月 2015 saw a peak
of Cesarean剖腹產 sections部分.
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2015年的一月,
是剖腹產的高峰月。
03:36
Why?
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為什麼?
03:38
That was the last month
for the Year of the Horse.
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那個月是馬年的最後一個月,
03:42
It's not because they like horses馬匹 so much,
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不是因為他們比較喜歡屬馬的,
03:44
it's because they try to avoid避免
having unlucky不幸的 Goat山羊 babies嬰兒.
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是因為他們想避免生下
命運不佳的屬羊寶寶。
03:48
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:49
If you are a Goat山羊, please don't feel bad.
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如果你屬羊的,也不要難過。
03:52
Those are Goat山羊 babies嬰兒.
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這些人是羊年出生的。
03:53
They don't look like losers失敗者 to me.
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對我而言,他們看起來
可不像是魯蛇啊!
03:56
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:57
Tiger is another另一個 undesirable不可取 animal動物,
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老虎也是另一個不受歡迎的動物,
04:00
due應有 to its volatile揮發物 temperament氣質.
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因為牠的脾氣暴躁。
04:02
Many許多 Chinese中文 regions地區
saw a sharp尖銳 decline下降 of birthrate出生率
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在很多中國地區,
虎年的出生率都有急遽下降的現象。
04:06
during those years年份.
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04:08
Perhaps也許 one should consider考慮
zodiac生肖 in reverse相反,
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也許他們可以換個角度想,
04:11
as those Tiger and Goat山羊 babies嬰兒
will face面對 much less competition競爭.
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這些屬虎屬羊的寶寶,
比較不會面對那麼多的競爭。
04:16
Maybe they are the lucky幸運 ones那些.
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也許他們就是幸運之子。
04:20
I went through通過 the Forbes福布斯
top最佳 300 richest首富 people in the world世界,
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我統計了富比世全世界
前300名有錢人的生肖,
04:24
and it's interesting有趣 to see
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發現了一件有趣的事,
04:26
the most undesirable不可取 two animals動物,
the Goat山羊 and Tiger,
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兩個最不受歡迎的虎跟羊
04:30
are at the top最佳 of the chart圖表,
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是圖表上最多人數的動物,
04:32
even higher更高 than the Dragon.
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甚至比龍還要多。
04:34
So maybe we should consider考慮,
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所以,也許我們要想想,
04:36
maybe it's much better
to have less competition競爭.
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比較少的競爭或許對你比較好。
04:40
One last but interesting有趣 point:
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還有一個有趣的現象:
04:42
many許多 Chinese中文 people make
their investment投資 decisions決定
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很多中國人會參考他們的生辰八字
04:45
based基於 on the zodiac生肖 sign標誌 index指數.
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來擬定他們的投資決策。
04:48
Although雖然 the belief信仰 and tradition傳統
of the zodiac生肖 sign標誌
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雖然信仰與傳統生肖
已經流傳了好幾千年,
04:52
has been over thousands數千 of years年份,
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04:55
the trend趨勢 of using運用 it
in making製造 major重大的 decisions決定
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使用生肖作重大決定的風潮
04:58
did not really happen發生
until直到 the past過去 few少數 decades幾十年.
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直到近幾十年才開始出現。
05:01
Our ancestors祖先 were very busy
surviving倖存 poverty貧窮, drought乾旱,
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我們的祖先也是得忙於應付貧窮、乾旱
05:06
famine飢荒, riot暴動, disease疾病 and civil國內 war戰爭.
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飢荒、暴動、疾病和戰爭。
05:10
And finally最後, Chinese中文 people
have the time, wealth財富 and technology技術
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但最後,中國人擁有了時間、財富與科技
05:15
to create創建 an ideal理想 life
they've他們已經 always wanted.
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來創造出他們所渴望的理想生活。
05:19
The collective集體 decision決定
made製作 by 1.3 billion十億 people
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這 13 億人口的集體決策,
05:23
has caused造成 the fluctuation波動 in economics經濟學
and demand需求 on everything,
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對於經濟的起伏與
對每樣東西的需求已造成影響,
05:27
from health健康 care關心 and education教育
to property屬性 and consumer消費者 goods產品.
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包含健康醫療、教育、財產及消費品。
05:33
As China中國 plays播放 such這樣 an important重要 role角色
in the global全球 economy經濟 and geopolitics地緣政治,
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因為中國扮演了重要的角色
在全球經濟及地緣政治上。
05:38
the decisions決定 made製作 based基於 on the zodiac生肖
and other Chinese中文 traditions傳統
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基於黃道 12 宮及其它中國傳統
所做出的決策,
05:42
end結束 up impacting影響 everyone大家
around the world世界.
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最後都會影響全世界所有的人。
05:47
Are there any Monkeys猴子 here?
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這裡有屬猴的人嗎?
05:50
2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
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2016 年是猴年,
05:53
Monkeys猴子 are clever聰明, curious好奇,
creative創作的 and mischievous惡作劇.
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猴子是聰明的、好奇的、
富有創造力且頑皮的。
05:58
Thank you.
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謝謝各位!
06:00
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Yi-Fan Yu
Reviewed by Pat Lee

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com

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