蔡尚耀，名校毕业，大学时代同学称其为"江南奇才子"。毕业后长期从事中英文翻译工作，中英文造诣很高，口碑甚佳；近年来涉足中英文写作，其文章频频见于Shanghai Star（上海英文星报）和 Guangzhou Morning Post（广州英文早报）等主流英文报刊（其文章不仅为国内英文媒体网站广泛转载，且被国外众多英文网站转载。） 另外蔡尚耀还著有大量中文时评、散文、小说等，显示了相当出色的英文和中文写作能力，是一个很有才华的中英双语作家。
同时，蔡尚耀还是广为传播、影响巨大的网上名帖《还孔孟儒学本来面目——程朱理学是汉民族衰落的罪魁祸首》（http://blog.blogchina.com/40301.html）、《缠足亡国论补遗 》（http://blog.blogchina.com/refer.157263.html）和《能考为王吗？蔡尚耀质疑清华英语考手 》（http://doodlebug0382.yculblog.com/post.84839.html）的作者。
全球范围内提出"程朱理学是汉民族衰落的罪魁祸首"第一人，林语堂余秋雨之后又一奇才。
一、Nonconformism or debauchery?
Not so long ago, both Chinese ladies and gentlemen hid their faces and left the theatre cursing after seeing the scene in the movie "The Wilderness" in which Liu Xiaoqing indulged in sexual intercourse with her lover.
But today, even in the remotest village in China, even the most conservative of old ladies is inured to stark-naked stripteasers on earthen stages where the whirling of youthful bodies puts the audience under a spell. The Chinese are becoming more and more tolerant of and liberal about sex, at a pace even faster than the GDP growth.
Humans are characterized by the pursuit of fashions. The boldest of fashions may be called "avant-garde", so the bold leaders of fashions consider it a high honour to be described this way. The forerunners draw sufficient attention to allow them to retire, so their followers have to go even further if they are to be counted truly avant garde in their turn. Avant-garde women are surging onward at lightning speed, nothing less would enable them to draw enough attention.
Just before the half-veiled "Shanghai Baby" Wei Hui and its attendant commotion had faded into the background, Muzimei suddenly appeared online. Since June 19 last year Muzimei began posting her personal diary on the website she had set up at BlogChina. This diary is a record of Muzimei's sexual experiences with different men. Muzimei immediately became a hot topic of discussion on and off the Internet.
"I want to record what my life has been like even if I'm interfered with, destroyed ..." Muzimei may still persist in living a radically nonconformist life. After creating an orgy of moral and psychological scourging, Muzimei retired from the public eye. Nevertheless, this woman who gained overnight fame by writing with her body has evidently outdistanced even Wei Hui.
As people are fervently talking about Muzimei, a new public tumult has arisen, this time from a writer known as Zhuying Qingtong (Bamboo shadow green pupil) on the Internet.
Zhuying Qingtong, a known female writer at a web community, was already a controversial figure due to her provocative writings that challenged established social norms. She once called herself a "mortal sinner", and declared that "Zhuying Qingtong" would be renowned among mankind. Since February 2003 she began writing articles to publish on the web, which drew eager attention very quickly. After this, Zhuying Qingtong gained added popularity by regularly updating her nude photos on the web. About her nakedness, she had this to say: "Why should I feel ashamed? I take nude photos of myself because I'm drawn by an irresistible impulse to do so. I want to see my lovely form, and let others see it. I'm wondering if I will go off my head one day and die of love for myself."
What kind of "avant garde" novelty can we expect to see after Zhuying Qingtong? What needs to be done to be considered truly avant garde? Time will tell, so let's wait and see.
中文参考译文：
不羁还是堕落？
曾几何时，当刘晓庆在《原野》里与男人赤裸狂欢的时候，正人君子皆掩面而去，骂声不绝于耳。而今，即令在中国最偏僻的乡村，当一丝不挂的脱衣舞女的青春胴体在草台上扭动着腰肢，吸引着如痴如醉的观众的眼光的时候，就连最保守的老太婆也习以为常了。中国人对待性的宽容和开放的速度，比起GDP的增长速度有过之而无不及。
世俗之人是好赶时尚的。时尚中之时尚，或谓之前卫。所以勇敢的时尚弄潮儿便以追求前卫为光荣了。先行的前卫前辈在赚足了眼球之后功成身退，后起之秀们就只能比前辈更前卫，否则何以配得上前卫这名号？前卫女人正以光的速度前进，盖非此不足以吸引观众的眼珠也。
当半遮半掩的“上海宝贝”卫慧快被人们遗忘的时候，木子美在网上声名鹊起，去年6月19日起，木子美在“博客中国”网上开辟了一个小空间，发表私人日记。在日记中，木子美记述了与不同男性之间的性爱经历，木子美由此一炮走红。
“我是怎么生活的，我就怎么记录，哪怕被干扰、被破坏”木子美也许还在坚持着她的不羁生活。在中国大地上掀起了一阵有关道德与灵魂的拷问热潮之后，木子美似功成身退般在人们眼前隐匿。不过，这位因身体写作一夜成名的女性，显然已将卫慧远远地抛到了后面。
关于木子美的各方评说方兴未艾，2004年1月，一个网名为竹影青瞳的写手掀起新一轮轩然大波。
竹影青瞳是一网络社区的知名女写手，一直是以惊世骇俗的文字引起争议，她曾自称人间妖孽，并宣称人世将流行“竹影青瞳”，2003年2月她开始在网络虚拟社区发表文字，并很快就引起注意。 其后竹影青瞳在网上即时更新的裸照才让她真正走红。对于裸露，她有此一说：“我凭什么感到羞耻？我对我自己身体的自拍，只是因为我有冲动要这么做。我想看见自己美丽的样子，然后让人也看见。我在担心我会不会有一天彻底抓狂，自恋至死。”
竹影青瞳之后又会出什么样的前卫，又该如何做才配称为前卫？让我们拭目以待吧。
二、Youth-asset or liability?
A few years ago there were "beauty writers" who might be considered the sisters of "boy writers". These beauty writers made their names known through commercial operations. This tactic was easily adapted to practical application by a multitude of these boy writers who were born in the early 1980s.
They were more than willing to juggle their way to stardom in the same way showbiz celebrities had done. They gave much attention to their outward appearance. Han Han was handsome-looking, whereas Guo Jingming was looking lovely. The boy writers have gathered quite a following of fans, and there are websites devoted to them. The juvenile writers appear to be as attractive as showbiz stars.
Meanwhile, they set out to create sensational stories to catch people's attention. Sun Rui, author of "Grassy Years", offered a 100,000-yuan reward to challenge Han Han and Guo Jingming to a contest, and Chunshu wore a girdle while signing copies of her books. All such events were of the same character as those "love affairs" among showbiz stars. That is, they are designed to attract public attention.
Serious doubts have been raised about the literary quality of the juvenile writers' works ever since Yu Xiu published her book "Flowery Season, Rainy Season" which established the author's reputation. The book was a blockbuster, selling 1 million copies. For this Yu Xiu was seen as the first person to write youth literature in our time. But some critics responded with jeers, and even summed up the book in this way: "In crude language the book merely opens a window onto the life of high school students, and is completely lacking in aesthetic vision ..."
Other critics criticized Yu Xiu for lacking literary talent or merit when she launched her second book.
Admittedly, Han Han owes his fame largely to the media ballyhoo, but he's fed and clothed by the readers who have bought his books. Do the readers really buy his books because they admire him for his immense talent? Definitely not. Over the past two years Han Han's books have received lower and lower ratings from the critics. He seems to be going downhill. "The Poison", a new book he launched not long ago, was dismissed sarcastically as a patchwork of several of his previous books.
Then came Guo Jingming, dubbed "Han Han the Second". Seeing that his book "Fantasy City" did well in the market, the publishers availed themselves of this advantage to promote his book series such as "How Many Flowers Fall in Dreams". Tragically, there was a hue and cry over a plagiarism charge against the book.
Many people are worried about the popularity of the juvenile writers, and with reason. What is worrisome is that a boy still wet behind the ears would indulge in talking twaddle about violence and have it described in a best-selling book in an artistic fashion. Even more worrisome for many educators is that a girl could talk freely about sex well before she knows anything about it and then gives the most minute description of it in a book widely read by high school students.
What is most noteworthy is that the ugly and unethical style of the juvenile writers, whose talent has yet to be put to test in the course of history, has already become a spiritual role model to many boys and girls who are eager for quick success and fame.
The juvenile writers' readers are school students. No one knows who will neutralize the undesirable influence of the juvenile writers and their books. To extol with enthusiastic fervor these juvenile writers, who are still in their growing stages, is neither good for the writers themselves, nor is it good for the students who are reading or going to read their books.
中文参考译文：
青春是青春作家的负资产？
数年前出了些“美女作家”，他们可说是“少年作家”的姐姐。通过商业化的精心运作，她们成了明星。对于这一招，上个世纪80年代大量涌现的少年作家是活学活用了。
他们自觉自愿地将把自己像娱乐明星一样明星化。他们注重自己的长相，韩寒帅气、郭敬明可爱；少年作家都有自己的一帮粉丝（ＦＡＮＳ），还有专门的ＦＡＮＳ网站，少年作家们已经像娱乐明星一样有吸引力了。
同时，他们有意地炮制一些事件以引起轰动。《草样年华》作者孙睿悬赏１０万元向韩寒、郭敬明叫板，春树穿肚兜签名售书，这类事件都有炒作的性质，与娱乐圈明星靠“绯闻”炒作类似。
少年作家们的作品文学成就有多高？这样的质疑从郁秀出版其成名作《花季·雨季》之日起就不绝于耳了。《花季·雨季》这部轰动一时的作品，发行量超过１００万册，郁秀因此被认为是“少年青春文学的第一任掌门人”。不过也有评论者对此感到不屑，甚至把这部作品说成是“不过是用粗糙的语言开启了一个洞悉高中生生活的窗口，完全没有进入小说的审美视角……”。
到郁秀推出她的第二本书的时候，评论家直言批评她欠缺文学才华。
应该说，韩寒的走红在很大程度上是媒体捧出来的，但韩寒却是由买他书的读者养活的。那么这些买他书的读者真的是钦羡他过人的才华吗？绝对不是。过去两年来评论界对韩寒的几本书的评价一年比一年低。他真可说是江河日下。他不久前推出的新书《毒》更是被人讥讽为前几本书的拼凑。
号称“韩寒第二”的郭敬明出现了。借《幻城》卖得不错的表现，出版社乘势推出他的一系列作品如《梦里花落知多少》等。不幸的是，《梦里花落知多少》涉嫌抄袭的报道如今已闹得不可开交。
许多人对少年作家的走红感到担忧自有其道理。令人担忧的是，乳臭未干的男孩对暴力夸夸其谈，并加以文艺性的描述，写进畅销书；更令人忧心的是，对性没有真实经历的女孩却对性娓娓道来，并在书中进行最细节化的描绘后，而这种书又被中学生广泛传看。
最值得注意的是：那些才华并未在时间上得到真正检验的少年作家的许多不良做派已成为众多渴望早日成功成名的少年的典范。
少年作家的读者是学校学生，他们的许多负面影响要谁来担当？对还处在成长阶段的少年作家一味吹捧，既不利于这些作家本身，也不利于那些正在看或将要看他们书的学生。
三、Literature is one thing, history another
I was a kungfu fan in my boyhood days. It was a time when martial arts movies and TV series, which had a tremendous appeal to the curious and fantastic minds of young people, became very popular in China. Consequently my boyhood friends and I were among the most fervent and devoted fans of martial arts TV series.
As I grew up, I came to know that many martial arts TV series I had watched were based on kungfu novels by Louis Cha (known as Jin Yong in Mandarin). As we all know, Louis Cha is one of the most widely read Chinese writers. Louis Cha's martial arts novels have sold millions of copies among Chinese all over the world, with many of them having been adapted into TV series and films.
Human souls do need a world beyond the one we live in. To the traditional Chinese mind that world beyond this life is Taoist world of immortals. The Chinese traditionally achieve the effect of spiritually transcending the suffering of this world through the quest for the visionary world of immortals. That is the so-called complementary relationship between Confucianism and Taoism.
In modern large-scale industrial production humans become mere appendages of machines. As long as we live in this world, we are bound to suffer the miseries and afflictions that beset the human being. This being the case, the world of modern mythology depicted in martial arts novels naturally becomes the spiritual world to soothe those Chinese souls who lack religious spirit.
Nevertheless, I have read little of Louis Cha since I graduated from university and started my career, partly because I've been so pre-occupied with making a living that I can hardly enjoy a leisurely life, and partly because I am not a daydreamer and I don't like to find my solace in Louis Cha's fictitious wonderland.
I still hold Louis Cha in high esteem though I no longer read his books. The sad thing, as I have recently discovered, is that Louis Cha doesn't seem to have a thorough understanding of history.
Louis Cha said he was preparing to write a general history of China. This would indeed be a good deed to accomplish. Louis Cha, it seems, not only wants to write history, but also wants to blend history with the ideological system which he is the exponent. For example,he said he would explain the 5,000-year-long history of Chinese civilization in terms of inter-ethnic integration and unity. It would be good if that were the case. However, Louis Cha's conception of history seems quite questionable. Louis Cha likes weak dynasties better than mighty dynasties. What kind of mentality is this? For example, Louis Cha doesn't think much of the mighty Han Dynasty, he has specifically stated that he doesn't like Emperor Han Wudi.
In another instance, Louis Cha has said that he doesn't like the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) but rather, he likes the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Then, why does Louis Cha prefer the rather weak Song Dynasty to the powerful Tang Dynasty? He said: "Take imperial audiences for example, in the Tang Dynasty the prime ministers had to kneel and kowtow to the emperors; while in the Song Dynasty the emperors sat with the prime ministers in discussion of matters, that is already a manifestation of equality and humanity."
Louis Cha has completely turned things upside down. Actually the opposite is true. Before the Song Dynasty the prime ministers were given seats and tea during their audiences with the emperors. Since the Song Dynasty the prime ministers have changed their positions from sitting to standing during such audiences. This process has been unmistakably described in the Song Shi (History of the Song Dynasty).
Even so, Louis Cha is still a very good writer, I believe that.
中文参考译文：
告别金庸之后
小时候我是个武侠迷，当时正逢武打片在中国兴起的时候。当时武侠片独领风骚。这正迎合了孩子们那充满幻想与好奇的头脑，因此，我和我的伙伴们成为武侠电视剧的最热心、最铁杆的观众。
及至成长，我知道了以前看过的很多武侠电视剧都是从金庸小说改编过来的。大家知道，金庸是读者最多的华文作家之一，他的武侠小说一直在华人世界畅行不衰，许多小说并且改编成电视剧和电影。
人类的心灵是需要彼岸的。中国人的传统彼岸就是道教的神仙世界。传统中国人习惯于通过对虚幻神仙世界的追求，来达到从精神上超越现实人世间的苦难的目的。这就是所谓的儒道互补心态。
现代社会的大工业生产形态把人变成为为机器的附庸。 生活在尘世之中，难免面临着平凡人的精神困境。在这样的情况下，武侠小说所创造的现代神话自然就成为了缺乏宗教精神的中国人的精神彼岸。
自从大学毕业参加工作后，我却很少碰金庸的小说了。一方面是因为我为生活奔波，少了那份闲情逸致。另一方面，我想我不是一个耽于幻想的人，不想躲在金庸的桃花园里自我陶醉。
虽然基本上不接触金庸的书了，但金庸一直是我很尊敬的一位作家。遗憾的是，近来我发现金庸对历史似乎没有透彻的了解。
金庸说他要写一部《中国通史》。这确实是一件功德无量的好事。但金庸似乎不是只想单纯地写历史，他还想在写史的过程中融入他创造的理论体系。例如他说要以民族融合史观诠释中华五千年的文明史。如果只是这样倒也罢了。但金庸的历史观似乎大有问题。金庸不喜欢国势强盛的朝代而偏好国势衰微的朝代，不知是出自什么心理？例如对于强汉，金庸就很不以为然，他特别点名说他不喜欢汉武帝。
又如金庸说他不喜欢唐朝，比较喜欢宋朝。那么金庸为什么不喜欢盛唐反而喜欢弱宋呢？他说：“以‘上朝’为例，唐朝宰相要向皇帝跪下磕头，宋朝却是皇帝和宰相一起坐着讨论问题，这已经体现了平等和人道。”
金庸完全把事情弄颠倒了。恰恰相反，宋朝以前宰相见皇帝议事是要赐茶看座的。从宋朝开始，宰相见皇帝才从坐变成了站。对于这一过程，《宋史》有明确的记载。
尽管如此，金庸依然是个很好的作家，我相信这一点。