武汉名演员陆鸣收了个洋学生
Renowned Actor Lu Ming Mentors a Foreign Student
Alex回武汉吃美食 受访者供图 Alex enjoys local cuisine during a recent trip to Wuhan (Courtesy of interviewee)
Alex一家和岳父岳母合影 Photo of Alex’s family and parents-in-law
Alex拜师陆鸣并敬茶 Alex visits Lu Ming and offers tea as a gesture of respect
楚天都市报极目新闻记者 林楚晗
实习生 童诗涵
摄影：楚天都市报极目新闻记者 肖颢
翻译：韩晓龙 吴敬敬 卫拉（湖北大学）
Jimu News Reporter: Lin Chuhan
Intern: Tong Shihan
Photo: Xiao Hao
Translators: Han Xiaolong, Wu Jingjing, Lisa M. K (Hubei University)
“陆老师，请喝茶！”，6月14日，一名金发碧眼的外国小伙向湖北省文联副主席、湖北省曲艺家协会主席、国家一级演员陆鸣恭敬地递上了一杯茶。在众人的瞩目下，美国小伙Alex成为了陆鸣的洋学生。
On June 14th, “Mr. Lu, please have some tea!”, Alex respectfully extended a cup of tea to Lu Ming, Vice Chairman of Hubei Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of Hubei Quyi Artists Association, and a national first-class actor. In the presence of everyone watching, Alex, an American and avid fan of Chinese culture, had now became Lu Ming’s foreign apprentice.
Alex的中文名叫“亚历山大”，是武汉女婿。他学习中文的时间非常长，能说一口流利的中文，也很了解中国文化。”希望通过学习，我能将中国传统文化推荐给更多外国友人。”Alex说。
Alex, who married into a Chinese family of Wuhan natives, has been studying Chinese for a while. He is hence fluent in the language and has a deep understanding of Chinese culture. “I hope that through my studies, I can introduce traditional Chinese culture to more people around the world,” Alex remarked.
洋女婿是个中国迷
A huge fan of Chinese culture
6月14日，在Alex岳父雷国樑的家中，极目新闻记者见到了这名武汉的洋女婿。2006年，武汉女孩雷零与Alex相识，相处了一年多后，两人在武汉领了结婚证。2008年，两人在武汉举办了婚礼，后来才去美国定居。
On June 14th, a reporter from Jimu News visited Alex at his father-in-law, Lei Guoliang’s home. Alex met Lei Ling a native of Wuhan in 2006, and after a year together, they obtained their marriage certificate in Wuhan. In 2008, they held their wedding ceremony in Wuhan before later settling in the United States.
外国人想当好中国女婿可不容易，首先要面对语言不通和文化的差异。Alex说，因为继母是武汉新洲人，所以他从小就对中国文化产生了浓厚兴趣，曾多次来中国旅行，六七岁时看过李小龙的电影后，更是对中国心生向往。与雷零婚后一年多，他一直在中国，当过外教，所以语言这关不是障碍。为了更好融入中国，Alex还给自己取了个中国名”亚历山大”，并打趣地说谐音”压力山大”。雷零也说，Alex是一个诚实且顾家的人，十分热爱中国文化，他身边总是围绕着很多中国朋友。
A foreigner’s journey to becoming a competent son-in-law in a Chinese family can be challenging, navigating language barriers and cultural differences along the way. Alex explained that his stepmother, from Xinzhou District in Wuhan, sparked his early interest in Chinese culture. He visited China multiple times and grew to love the country after watching Bruce Lee’s movies at the age of six or seven. A year into marrying Lei Ling, Alex lived in China, working as a foreign teacher, which helped him overcome challenges with the language. To further integrate into the Chinese society, Alex adopted the witty Chinese name Yalishanda, a pun derived from the phrase’s homophonic nature which could mean “mountains of pressure”. Lei Ling added that Alex is honest, family-oriented, deeply passionate about Chinese culture, and constantly surrounded by many Chinese friends.
这些年武汉的飞速发展，也让Alex一家惊叹不已。Alex夫妇这次回武汉，深有感触地说：“武汉的变化太大了！每一次回来感受都不同。”Alex对中国的中医传统理疗也产生了浓厚兴趣，此次回来专门尝试了按摩、足疗、拔火罐、针灸和刮痧等，他说如果可以，愿意一直居住在中国。
In recent years, the rapid development in Wuhan left Alex and his family impressed. Their return to Wuhan this time struck a chord with Alex and his wife who noted, “The changes in Wuhan are beyond tremendous! Whenever we come back, our experience is different.” Alex has also developed a strong interest in traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy. During their recent visit, he attempted various treatments such as Chinese massage, foot therapy, cupping, acupuncture, and Guasha. He expressed, if possible, he would love to live in China permanently.
结婚10多年，Alex和雷零更是变得越来越默契，Alex对中国也有了更深厚的感情。这些年，Alex早通过自己的实际行动和表现征服了岳父和岳母，只要岳母做饭，他是第一个捧场王；岳父喜爱的中国茶艺，他也在积极学习中。“我们全家都十分喜欢他。”Alex的岳父雷国樑说。
Having been married for over ten years, Alex and Lei Ling have grown ever more compatible, as Alex’s love for China has deepened. Over the years, Alex has won the affection of his parents-in-law. Whenever his mother-in-law prepares a meal, he is the first to appreciate her culinary skills. Additionally, he is currently actively learning about the culture of Chinese tea, a hobby his father-in-law is very fond of “Our family really adores him,” said Alex’s father-in-law, Lei Guoliang.
洋女婿有个中国胃
An American Son-in-law with a Chinese Appetite
除了语言关，其次就是饮食关。Alex十分喜爱中国文化和饮食，长着洋人面孔却有着一个中国胃,口头禅是“好吃”。即使在美国，Alex也会常带着妻儿去寻找中国餐厅。当被问到最喜欢的早餐是什么时，他毫不犹豫地说：“热干面！”在他的影响下，两个孩子只要回到武汉，过早顿顿不落吃热干面。
While language is a challenge for foreigners, the other is food. Alex has a soft spot for Chinese culture and food. Despite his unmistakably foreign appearance, he has a “Chinese stomach,” his catchphrase being “delicious.” Even in the United States, Alex frequently takes his wife and children on hunts for Chinese restaurants. When asked about his favorite breakfast food, he replied without hesitation, “Hot dry noodles!” Influenced by him, his two children always eat hot dry noodles for breakfast whenever they return to Wuhan.
这次Alex和雷零带着两个孩子回中国度假，把热干面、鸡冠饺、生煎包、三鲜豆皮、豆腐脑、牛肉面、糯米饭等吃了个遍。Alex直言：“我太爱武汉了，武汉美食太好吃了！
This time, Alex and Lei Ling brought their two children back to China on vacation and sampled a variety of local delicacies such as Wuhan hot-dry noodles, deep-fried crescent dumpling, pan-fried baozi stuffed with pork, doupi (a pan-fried hearty delicacy made with eggs, glutinous rice and minced meat), beancurd jelly, beef noodles, and glutinous rice. Alex said enthusiastically, “I absolutely love Wuhan, the food here is out of this world!”
为了更好记录在中国的所见所闻，他还将自己在中国的生活做成了vlog发布在小红书上，并给自己取名为武汉女婿，获得了不少关注与反响。在其账号发布的内容中，不少是关于武汉美食的。一些网友关心地问他“吃得惯吗？”Alex立即回复说：“超爱，不然怎么能称得上是武汉女婿呢？在美国真是日思夜想！”
To better record his experiences in China, Alex started making vlogs about his life in China and posted them on RED (a popular social media platform, similar to instagram), under the user ID “Wuhan Son-in-law,” which has attracted considerable online attention. Many of his posts are about Wuhan delicacies. Some netizens commented, “How do you find the food?” Alex immediately replied, “I really love it! Otherwise, how could I call myself a Wuhan son-in-law? I miss the food whenever I’m in the United States!”
Alex发布的坐在小板凳上将热干面放在另一张板凳上的视频，更是引起了不少武汉伢的共鸣。“对，要的就是这个感觉！这才是正宗的武汉人过早。”“武汉的椅子不是用来坐的，武汉过早的精髓你已经掌握了！”
One particular video of Alex’s resonated with many Wuhan locals. In the video, he is sitting on a small stool while a bowl of hot dry noodles rests on another. “Yes, this is the authentic way to have breakfast in Wuhan.” “Stools in Wuhan’s breakfast shops double as seats and tables. You have already mastered the essence of breakfast culture in Wuhan!”
立志传播中国文化
Committed to Spreading Chinese Culture
当年，雷零和Alex在武汉办的中式婚礼，陆鸣就是婚礼见证人，Alex还送了一个象征着友谊的橄榄球给陆鸣。Alex是陆鸣的忠实粉丝，这些年只要回国，都会去拜访陆鸣。渐渐地，他心中也萌发出一个愿望，就是可以跟随陆鸣学习相声。
Lu Ming was among those who witnessed Alex and Lei Ling’s wedding, during which Alex gifted him a football (American football) symbolizing their friendship. Alex is a loyal fan of Lu Ming, and he visits Lu Ming whenever he has returned to China in recent years. Gradually, he has expressed a desire to learn Xiangsheng, a traditional form of Chinese stand-up comedy typically performed as a dialogue between two performers from Lu Ming.
今年6月14日，在众人的见证下，陆鸣收下了这名洋学生。陆鸣说，Alex十分聪明，而且天生幽默，是个学习相声的好苗子，“招收相声演员，首先要看他有没有幽默感。而幽默感是天生的，学习曲艺必须要有天生的幽默感。”
In the presence of everyone, Lu Ming accepted this foreign student on June 14th this year. He said that Alex is incredibly intelligent and naturally quick-witted, making him a good candidate for learning cross-talk. “When recruiting cross-talk actors, the first consideration is their sense of humor, as learning the performing arts demands natural wit.”
三周的假期即将结束，Alex说，虽然回美国后和陆老师远隔重洋，但自己会通过网络连线和微信向陆老师请教学习。陆鸣则表示，非常期待后续有机会和这名洋学生一起排练节目，在重要的节假日呈现给观众。
The three-week vacation is coming to an end. Alex expressed that while he and Mr. Lu will be separated by an ocean when he returns to the United States, he will reach out through online means and continue to learn from Mr. Lu. Lu Ming expressed great anticipation for the prospect of rehearsing cross-talk with Alex in the future and performing to audiences on important national holidays.
“太开心了，终于有机会可以和陆老师学习了，希望我能将中国传统文化传播得更远！”Alex笑着告诉记者，回到美国后，他将继续恶补中国话，争取在下次回国后，可以用更好的状态、更流畅的中国话去学习相声。
“I’m thrilled to finally get the opportunity to learn from Mr. Lu. I hope to spread traditional Chinese culture even further!” Alex told reporters with a smile, “After returning to the United States, I will continue to improve my Chinese and hopefully become more proficient, so that I can learn cross-talk even better the next time I return to China.”
审校：孙喆 彭媛苑
Reviser：Sun Zhe Peng Yuanyuan