今天的文章在ＣＤ上一登，就收到智利原来驻中国的官员(现驻瑞典）发来的邮件表示赞赏。确实如此，纽约夏季的免费音乐会、戏剧等等演出不断，而且很多是大腕明星。在国内，别说大腕，就是那些酒吧级别的歌手也不知有几个愿意免费到公园演出。其实为社区作贡献的时候也是推广了自己。但在中国，每个人的脑力和眼里只看得见钱。没有钱谁会干这等事。

　　　很多小时候有的社区文化活动形式，现在其实都可以借鉴，和纽约的有一点点相近，当然机制和内容都不一样。这不能由政府主导，变成宣传和主旋律文化空洞内容的舞台。但何时中国的乐团、明星、剧团等等愿意向美国的同行学习。企业、社会团体、非政府组织和个人等等如何出力使我们的公园绿地充满文化气息。

      对了，周五一定要起个早，去听 Keith Urban　的免费音乐会，很喜欢他的音乐。

　　　昨天晚上和George一起去布鲁克林那个历史悠久的 Pete's Candy Store看 Spelling Bee　（拼写蜜蜂）比赛，从１１－１２岁的小孩到７０－８０岁拄拐的老人都有参加，弄得我觉得有点像文盲一样，很多单词不认识。那些词基本是希腊、法语、拉丁、德语外来语多。哈哈，快背单词。

　　　Pete's Candy Store　像名字一样，原来是个糖果店，后来被改成酒吧，按国内或美国标准，都是有点破旧的感觉，在国内可能当作乡村小茶馆差不多，但这里却是音乐和拼写比赛等文艺活动的天堂，没有人会觉得掉身份，相反，不少人朝圣般地来。

　　　昨晚比赛的奖品其实只是一包饼干或一张酒吧免费消费券，但应该没有人在乎奖金多少，而是挑战自己，享受乐趣。

　　　我们中国人为何就不能沉下心来，有这样的心情和品位呢。如果到处是这样的场馆，我们的社会还会被阴暗庸俗的文化笼罩吗？

New York's way to fight vulgar culture

There is a fairly simple solution to China's latest "war" on the so-called vulgar art and culture - free concerts and shows, especially at its parks.

If Shanghai and Beijing host such concerts and shows at parks, it would enrich the afterwork and weekend experiences and there will be no need to wage the war on cultural vulgarities.

One thing is for sure. The handful of expensive theaters, such as the Shanghai Grand Theater and Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts, are simply incapable of handling such tasks.

And compared with New York, many parks in Shanghai and other Chinese cities seem so lifeless and all lawns look like deserts.

Indeed, New York parks in summer are a paradise for lovers of concerts, music and even plays.

The Big Apple, the most costly American city, can be a much cheaper city compared with Shanghai and other Chinese cities, especially where big-ticket events are concerned.

If you are an early riser, you could attend all the wonderful concerts at the Rockefeller Center that starts at 7 am every Friday. Stars this summer have included Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Christina Aguilera. Keith Urban will play on Friday.

Yes, these are all free as part of the Today Show concert series. And they are on a long list of fascinating free events taking place in New York every day.

file:///C:/Users/CDUSA_%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif On Sunday afternoon, the revolutionary hip-hop band, Public Enemy, played in the Central Park as part of the NYC Revolutions Series.

On that day, too, the Harlem Meer Performance Festival featured a five-piece Latin jazz group Sumbaswing in the park's Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, against the backdrop of the lake and the Conservatory Garden.

If you are a jazz fan, you may want to go to the Discovery Center every Sunday at 2 pm for the rest of the summer, either sitting in the chairs or on the lawns in the back.

Concerts are not the only things free. The Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park has staged Winter's Tale, played by such stars as Al Pacino and Meryl Streep.

While Central Park may host more free events, every park in New York has a busy summer schedule.

Bryant Park near my office hosts free yoga and tai chi classes and events are being held almost every day. The weekly Broadway in the Park always draws huge crowds to the lawn under the scorching noon sun.

The Monday night movie screening has also been a hit, with people arriving before 5 pm for the 8:30 start of mostly old movies. On Monday it was the 1957 movie 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda.

If you love the beautiful sunset of Manhattan as I do, you could go to concerts staged along the Hudson River at dusk. Manhattan's sunset is a dreamlike stage setting.

For many people, going to free outdoor events is not just about watching a film or attending a concert, it is also to unwind from a day's hectic work, to meet people or enjoy a meal and drinks.

Compared to formal shows at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, they are physically more relaxing.

I love formal events, but I also have been exploring the free events this summer. I regret deeply missing Toni Braxton's free concert in the Wingate Park in Brooklyn on July 19, which was part of the Martin Luther King Jr Concert Series.

Shanghai and Beijing folks, who are fighting for pop singer Faye Wong's 300-2,500 yuan ($44-368) concert tickets this fall, may not believe what I have written.

But in New York, free shows are common. The July 13 concert by Shanghai Symphony and New York Philharmonic orchestras, featuring pianist Lang Lang, baritone Liao Changyong and soprano Huang Ying, was also free on Central Park's Great Lawn.

I am certainly not alone in taking advantage of the free shows. One friend at the New York Times said he has been doing this for years and has been taking many of his friends to the free shows.

Neither does it seem that only underpaid journalists are flocking to such events. At Lang Lang, I saw big names, such as Hollywood star Eric Baldwin, former AIG chairman Maurice Greenberg and Wendi Murdoch, who sat right next to me.

Back in China, the question seems to be not how many celebrities will go to such free events, but how many pop stars, bands, orchestras and drama troupes are willing to play in parks for free, and how governments, corporations, foundations and individuals can help to make it happen, so that more Chinese can immerse themselves in a health cultural environment.

(By Chen Weihua)