Do you believe in second chances? Well, I do. My name is Julian Quander and in 2010, I was blessed with an opportunity of a lifetime that would change my life forever.?
你相信人可以重獲新生嗎？我相信。我叫 Julian Quander（杰酷）。2010年，我獲得了一個千載難逢的機會，將改變我的人生。
Well, for starters, I’m from the United States of America, and I was born in Washington DC. I grew up right outside the border of Washington D.C. and the state of Maryland in a city called Silver Spring. I have two older brothers by the name of Dominic and Chris. So, I guess it’s safe to say, I’m the baby of the family.?
首先介紹一下自己，我出生于美國華盛頓特區(qū)，在華盛頓特區(qū)和馬里蘭州交界處一個叫“銀泉”的城市長大。我有兩個哥哥，Dominic 和 Chris?？梢哉f，我是家里的寶貝。
My China dream began in 2010. I was offered a contract to be the lead singer in a band called Deluxe. At the time, Deluxe was performing inside the brand new 5 Star hotel called The Park Hyatt. The Park Hyatt is inside the tall building that looks like a bottle opener. While in the US, I was looking for something new and different. I had just won a major singing competition in my city, and I wanted to get more experience performing live and this opportunity felt perfect, so I took it. ?My family couldn’t believe it, my friends were in doubt, but once I showed them that plane ticket headed to Pudong International Airport, they knew it was real.?
我的中國夢始于 2010?年。我簽了一份合同，成為 Deluxe 樂隊的主唱。當時，我們樂隊在全新的五星級酒店——上海柏悅酒店駐唱。柏悅酒店的大樓就像一個開瓶器。來中國之前，也就是在美國的時候，我一直想探尋與眾不同的新事物。我在銀泉贏得了一場大型歌唱比賽，想積累更多現(xiàn)場演唱經(jīng)驗，所以我抓住了這個寶貴的機會，成為了樂隊主唱。家人們難以相信，朋友們也抱著懷疑的態(tài)度，他們看到飛往浦東國際機場的機票時，才相信這是真的。
When I arrived in China, the entire vibe was new and intriguing. I felt captivated by the new experience and I enjoyed it. All alone in such a big city meeting new band members and awesome people, while doing what I loved which was singing. After the singing contract was finished at the Park Hyatt, I decided to stay and take a chance at being a full-time music artist and performer here in China. It was amazing traveling to perform in many cities in China. I was able to get that real life tour experience.?
我抵達中國時，周圍的環(huán)境給我一種新奇而神秘的感覺。這種新鮮感深深迷住了我，我很享受這種感覺。在這偌大的城市里，我獨自一人，認識了同樣玩樂隊的一幫人，還有許多了不起的人，盡情做我熱愛的事情——唱歌。在柏悅酒店駐唱的合同到期后，我決定留下來，留在中國，做一個全職音樂演唱人。通過演出，我游覽了中國的許多城市，這種親身體驗的感覺太棒了。
What was only supposed to be 4 months turned into 3.5 years in Shanghai. After the 3.5 years, I hit a road block. I had to take break and recharge. I had trouble figuring out a real suitable plan that could benefit me to have a long-term future in China. I’ll admit; I was putting loads of stress on myself, so I gave up…. Can you believe it? I gave up and left China and went back home.
原本我只打算在上海呆四個月，一呆卻呆了三年半。三年半后，我遇到了一個障礙。我必須休養(yǎng)生息，為自己充電。我未來想長期呆在中國，但我想不出合適的計劃。我承認，我給自己施加了巨大的壓力，所以我放棄了……不敢相信吧？我放棄了，離開中國，回到了家鄉(xiāng)。
When I returned home, I felt defeated, I felt as though I left such a great place and a part of me was left behind. I had such a big dream for China, and didn’t get a chance to leave my mark the way I wanted to. I decided to compose and write a music album about my experience called Shanghai to D.C. During my stay back home, I made sure I kept in contact with all my friends in China. As time went on, a good Chinese friend of mine named Kevin, whom I met in Shanghai told me about this beautiful city called Xiamen.?
回到家鄉(xiāng)，我感到一種挫敗感。我感覺自己離開了一個理想之所，部分的自我也落在中國。我對中國充滿希冀，卻沒有機會以我想要的方式留下痕跡。我決定根據(jù)我的經(jīng)歷創(chuàng)作一張音樂專輯《上海到華盛頓特區(qū)》。在美國期間，我與所有中國朋友保持聯(lián)系。時間一點點地流逝，一天我在上海認識的中國好友 Kevin 告訴我，中國有個美麗的城市叫廈門。
Kevin said “Julian, I started a new company here. It’s such a peaceful city. Warm weather, wonderful people, great food and plenty of opportunity. I think you would love it here.”?
Kevin 說：“杰酷，我在廈門開了一家新公司。廈門真是個寧靜的城市。氣候溫暖宜人，人民善良友好，還有各種美食和機遇。你會愛上這里的?！?/p>
So, then I told Kevin, “Wow, this is perfect timing. I just made a new music album, maybe we can do a big tour in Xiamen and other cities in China.” And with absolute enthusiasm he said “Let’s do it.”?
我告訴 Kevin：“哇，這真是太巧了。我剛剛創(chuàng)作了一張音樂專輯，也許我們可以在廈門和中國其他城市做一次大型巡演?！彼麧M懷熱情：“說干就干?！?/p>
I was home for 2 years since leaving Shanghai, and here I am on the brink of another adventure back to the beautiful country of China. This time I told myself, “I’m going to do it differently. I’m going to live more in the moment, enjoy the experience more, learn the culture, and the language.”?
離開上海后，我在家里待了兩年?，F(xiàn)在我正打算開啟另一段冒險，回到中國這個美麗的國家。這一次我告訴自己：“我要以不同的方式生活，更加享受當下，更多體驗生活，學習中國的文化和語言。”
When I landed in Xiamen, I felt that warm summer breeze, I saw the beautiful blue gaze on top of the water shining off the reflection of the sun. It felt like home, and till this day, it’s been my home.
飛機在廈門著陸時，我感受到了那溫暖的夏日微風，看到了藍色的水面在太陽的照耀下波光粼粼。我感覺自己就像回到了家鄉(xiāng)，直到今天，廈門仍是我的家。
There it was, my second chance granted, and I did it bigger and better than before. I was focused and mentally prepared with a plan in action.
廈門令我重獲新生，成就了更優(yōu)秀、更強大的自我。我集中精力，做好了心理準備，制定了計劃。
The Shanghai To D.C. tour kicked off at the Exhibition Center in 2015 and was boatloads of fun and it lead to many other amazing opportunities in China.
The Shanghai To D.C. tour kicked off at the Exhibition Center in 2015 and was boatloads of fun and it lead to many other amazing opportunities in China.
2015 年，《上海到華盛頓特區(qū)》演出在會展中心拉開帷幕，演出十分精彩，也為我?guī)砹嗽S多很棒的機遇。
I have been in Xiamen for 7 years thus far, and in 2017, I went on to create my own Cultural Media/Record Label company here called JQ Nation. This city is special, and the community around us is loving.
我已經(jīng)在廈門待了 7 年，2017 年，我在廈門創(chuàng)建了自己的文化傳媒及唱片公司杰酷國度。這個城市很特別，社區(qū)充滿著關愛。
I can go on and on about what China means to me, but I think it’s best to relay that message from my heart in a song I wrote in 2018. I made my dream project happen when I wrote a song called “I Love China”. This fun-loving tune gets to the core of how awesome this place really is. And till this day, I still perform it at every event I take part in. “Dajia Hao, Zhongguo Hao”.
中國對我有著非凡的意義，三天三夜也講不完。2018 年我寫了一首歌，表達我的感受，這首歌叫做《我愛中國》。這首歌創(chuàng)作完成的時候，我的夢想也實現(xiàn)了。這首有趣的曲子想表達的核心意思是，中國真的很了不起。直到今天，這首歌仍是我每場表演的必唱曲目?！按蠹液茫袊谩?。
China is a special place and will always remain in my heart forever. I believe in second chances because I am living proof of one.
中國是一個特別的國度，將永遠放在我心中。我相信人可以重獲新生，因為我就是活生生的證明。
