by David Hwang
ZHAO: Were you a small fish or a big pond?
DANIEL: Well, I was a salesman—I sold securities.
ZHAO: Tā de gōng zuò, jiù shì fàn mài ān quán de jiă xiàng.
He sold customers the belief that they were secure.
XI: Tā shì gāo jí yíng yè yuán! Fù zé yī băi yī shí gè yì měi yuán de zhèng quàn.
He was a top salesman! Responsible for eleven billion dollars of stock.
ZHAO: She says you sold eleven billion U.S. dollar stock.
DANIEL: Not personally, // I was really—
LI: Kenneth Lay?
(Pause.)
Nǐ rèn shi kěn ní sī léi?
Did you know Kenneth Lay?
DANIEL: Ken?
ZHAO: No! Kenneth. Lay. Do you know—?
DANIEL: Why, sure, I knew Kenneth. We stopped talking // when it all fell apart, but . . .
ZHAO: Duì! Duì! Tā rèn shi kěn ní sī léi!
Yes! Yes! He knows Kenneth Lay!
XI: Tā men yǐ qián shì hăo péng yǒu!
They were good friends!
LI: Nà me jié fū—
How about Jeffrey—
Tā xìng shén me lái zhe?
What is his first name?
LI, GEMING AND ZHAO: Jié fū—Jié fū—
Jeffrey—Jeffrey—
DANIEL: Jeffrey Skilling? Are you // talking about—?
LI: Duì! Shǐ jì líng! Nǐ rèn shi tā ma?
Yes! Jeffrey Skilling! Do you know him?
ZHAO: Do you know Mr. Skilling Jeffrey?
DANIEL: Yes, I knew Jeffrey, I knew all of them.
ZHAO: Tā quán bù dōu rèn shi!
He knows all of them!
GEMING: Ān dé lǔ fú sī tuō.
Andrew Fastow.
Jì dé tā ma?
Remember him?
Ō, tā kě huài ne.
Oh, he was a naughty one.
ZHAO: You know naughty Andrew?
DANIEL: Fastow? Maybe the smartest guy I ever met. Very guarded.
He could’ve been Chinese!
ZHAO: Tā shuō ān dé lǔ xiān sheng xiàng zhōng guó rén yí yàng cōng míng!
He says Mr. Andrew was as smart as a Chinese!
LI, GEMING AND ZHAO: Ō bù bù bù bù bù . . .
Oh no, no, no, no, no . . .
ZHAO: We are not so smart as Enron.
GEMING: Cān yù de rén qí zhōng yǒu yí gè zhōng guó rén, bú shì ma?
There was a Chinese guy involved, wasn’t there?
LI: Duì! Lái zì nán jīng! Nà ge bái—shén me ne—
Yes! From Nanjing! Bai—somebody—
ZHAO: Wǒ sān yí shuō tā rèn shi nà ge rén de wú biăo gē.
My third aunt knows his fifth cousin.
Nà ge bái lóu lóng.
Bai Lou Long.
DANIEL: You’re talking about Lou Lung Pai? Lou?
GEMING: Tā zhēn qǔ le gè tiào tuō yī wǔ de?
Did he really marry the stripper?
(To Zhao:)
Wèn tā yā!
Ask him!
ZHAO: Did Mr. Bai wed the naked fun-time girl?
DANIEL: Melanie? Yeah, that’s all true.
ZHAO: Shì de, shì zhēn de.
Yes, it’s true.
DANIEL: That was quite a time . . .
XI: Kă fán nuò xiān sheng quán dōu zhī dào!
Mr. Cavanaugh knew them all!
Tā guǒ rán shì nà chăng zāi nàn de zhǔ yào cè huà rén!
He was a chief architect of the disaster!
ZHAO: She says you made possible the entire scandal!
DANIEL: No, I didn’t—
ZHAO: Tā hěn qiān xū.
He is modest.
DANIEL: OK, maybe I did.
ZHAO: Tā chéng rèn le.
He agrees.
XI: Yī băi yī shí gè yì měi yuán!
Eleven billion dollars!
Nà shì měi guó yǒu shí yǐ lái zuì yán zhòng de jīn róng zāi nàn!
The biggest financial collapse in American history!
LI: Hòu lái lù xù yǒu gèng duō gèng yán zhòng de jīng jì wēi jī.
There have been many larger ones since.
ZHAO: She says your disaster, now, not so impressive.
DANIEL: But we were the first!
ZHAO: Ān rán kě shì dì yī gè!
Enron was first!
LI: Méi cuò, méi cuò.
True, true.
ZHAO: She agrees.
GEMING: Wǒ kàn, xiàn zài shì qíng qīng chú le.
Well, I think the situation now is clear.
Wǒ men cóng lái méi yǒu zhè me yī wèi guó jì zhī míng de jīn róng rén wù
Never has such a world-famous financial figure
dào wǒ men guì yáng lái zuò shēng yì.
come to Guiyang to do business.
ZHAO: The Magistrate appreciates your high status.
DANIEL: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m just an ordinary American businessman—hoping to bring high-quality signage to your great city.
ZHAO: Tā kè qì dì qǐng qiú wéi guì yáng zuò zhǐ shì pái.
He humbly seeks to make signs for Guiyang.
LI: Cài jú zhăng jìng rán jù jué zhè xiàng hé zuò,
For Minister Cai to have rejected such an offer
yí dìng yǒu wèn tí.
certainly warrants an investigation.
ZHAO: The Prosecuter says Cai now swims in the hot water.
(Geming stands.)
GEMING: Găn xiè nǐ jīn tiān lái gēn wǒ men jiàn miàn.
Thank you for coming to talk with us today.
ZHAO: Thank you.
DANIEL: No, thank you.
ZHAO: Xiè xie.
Thank you.
LI (To Daniel): Xiè xie.
Thank you.
ZHAO: Thank you.
DANIEL (To Li): No, thank you.
ZHAO: Xiè xie.
Thank you.
(Daniel starts to go, then:)
GEMING: Zhè jiù shì zhēn zhèng de jīn róng cái jùn.
There goes a true high-roller.
ZHAO: You roll the big craps.
DANIEL: The—? Oh! You mean, like in gambling?
ZHAO: Yes. The big craps.
DANIEL: So I’m a—high-roller? Well, isn’t that what business is all about?
ZHAO: Tā zài gài niàn shàng tóng yì nín de shuō fă.
He is in ideological agreement.
XI: Wǒ lái sòng kă fán nuò xiān sheng.
I will show Mr. Cavanaugh to the door.
(Daniel and Xi exit.)
GEMING: Wǒ huì qǐng nà ge wài guó rén chī dùn fàn.
I’m going to invite that foreigner to dinner.
LI: Wó yě qù ba!
I’ll come, too!
Āi, ní xiăng tā huì bu huì rèn shi léi màn xiōng dì de rén?
Hey, you think he knows any of the Lehman Brothers?
Scene 11
Tight spot on Xi, in bed.
XI: Zuò diàn tī shàng tā fáng jiān de shí hòu,
On the way up to his room,
wǒ biàn chéng lìng yí gè nǚ rén.
I become another woman.
Yí gè duì zhàng fu bù zhōng de nǚ rén,
One who cheats on her husband,
ér qiě, tā hái shì gè wài guó rén.
with a foreigner, even worse.
Wǒ men shì xīn shēng dài,
We were the new generation,
huì tiāo zì jǐ de hăo nán rén, suí xīn suǒ ài.
who would pick good men, and live for love.
Wǒ shén me dōu zuò duì le,
I did everything right.
Dàn shì xiàn zài, wǒ huì bǐ tī zhe sān cùn jīn lián, máng hūn yă jià de lăo lao
Yet now, am I any happier than my grandmother
huó de gèng kuài lè ma?
/> with her arranged marriage and bound feet?
(Lights up on Daniel’s hotel room.)
DANIEL: Tell me again. Just because clarity is— They Will. Give me the Deal. Yes?
XI: Yes.
DANIEL: God, this is so—I could just—I think I will.
(He kisses her.)
Let’s go out. Celebrate.
XI: Cannot moving without the clothes.
(Pause.)
DANIEL: You’re absolutely right, let’s stay in.
(They fall onto the bed. As they undress one another:)
It’s starting to happen, you know.
XI: Zhè zhèng shì wǒ xiàn zài xū yào de.
This is exactly what I need right now.
DANIEL: That thing I said before.
XI: Wàng diào yí qiè.
To forget everything.
DANIEL: Whatever you’re saying, I agree.
XI: Agree.
DANIEL: Agree!
XI: Is better this way.
DANIEL: Agree, agree!
(As he slowly kisses down her body:)
It’s so—I’ve just never felt like this before. And so that thing—when I said, “I could’ve loved you”?—I think I was right. I think, it’s happening.
XI: Qù wàng jì shēng huó zhòng dì yī qiè . . .
To forget everything in my life . . .
fàng xia sī xiăng, ràng shēn tǐ jìn rù wàng wǒ de zhuàng tài . . .
leave my mind and let my body take me away . . .
găn jué xià tǐ jiàn jiàn shī rùn . . .
feel myself getting wetter . . .
zhěng gè shì jiè dōu zài qī dài . . .
as all the world becomes anticipation . . .
(In the clear:)
ràng wǒ jìn qíng dì ài.
and I can just be in love.
(Daniel looks up from her body.)
DANIEL: You, too?
XI: What?
DANIEL: “Ai.” You said “ai,” didn’t you?
XI: Zài wăng xià diăn!
Lower!
Ní xiăng shuō shén me dōu xíng, dàn bú yào tíng xià lái.
Say whatever you want, but don’t stop.
(He resumes caressing her.)
DANIEL: Ai.
XI (Warmly): Yes, you . . .
DANIEL: No, not me. “Ai.”
XI: Bié săo xìng, bài tuō, bié pò huài qì fēn.
Don’t ruin this, please don’t ruin this.
DANIEL: “Ai.” It means “love,” doesn’t it?
XI: Hah? Oh!
(Pause.)
Ài.
Love.
DANIEL: Yes!
(Pause.)
Āi.
Dust.
XI: No.
(Pause.)
Ài.
Love.
DANIEL: Ài.
Love.
(Pause.)
It sounds . . . right. Can you teach me, one more thing?
(Pause.)
Yes?
XI: “Shi.”
DANIEL: Sure. I want to say—
XI: No. “Shi.” Chinese: “yes” is “shi.”
DANIEL: Huh? Wait. No.
XI: “No.” “Bu shi.”
DANIEL: Hold on. I meant. I want to say, “I love you.”
(Pause.)
XI: Wǒ ài nǐ.
I love you.
DANIEL: Wǔ ā yí.
My fifth aunt.
Is that right?
(Pause.)
XI: Yes. Right.
DANIEL: Really? No corrections? Tonal? That would be a first.
(Pause.)
Wú wèi le.
Absolutely useless.
(Pause.)
There I was, thinking I had to lie about my past. Cover it up. But you knew, I could tell the truth. And everything would be OK. Better than OK. That by telling the truth. I got the deal. Got my Guanxi.
(Pause.)
All the time, it was always you.
(Pause.)
Wū hăi ní.
Dirty sea mud.
(She laughs.)
Wō ài niú.
Snail loves cow.
Wā ài niào.
Frog loves to pee.
I’m gonna get it right. ’Cause I only tell the truth now. And I will. Even to my wife.
(She stops laughing.)
XI: “Wife”?
DANIEL: Oh, that got your attention.
XI: What saying, your “wife”?
DANIEL: Down in the lobby? When Peter “caught” us? Suddenly, it hit me. I want to tell. I want the whole world to know!
(Pause.)
And I’ll start. By telling my wife.
XI: Telling your wife the fucking?
DANIEL: Wow, I didn’t even know you knew // that word.
XI: No!
DANIEL: Not the—telling my wife. —That I’m in love with you.
XI: Such thing, you cannot.
DANIEL: Why // not?
XI: Your wife, wife!
DANIEL: Um, yeah, but I love you!
XI: Is not important.
DANIEL: Not // important?
XI: Telling truth to wife? For why?
DANIEL: Because I’m an honest man. Right?
XI: Yes.
DANIEL: Good man.
XI: Yes.
DANIEL: And good, honest men—tell their wives the truth.
XI: No.
DANIEL: No?
XI: Good honest man, respecting the wife.
DANIEL: I respect my wife—
XI: Yes.
DANIEL: —by lying to her?
XI: Of course!
(Pause.)
DANIEL: Is that what you do? You? Respect your husband?
XI: Yes.
DANIEL: By having sex with me?
XI: And do not tell.
DANIEL: You said you wanted to escape your marriage.
XI: Yes. Escaping—with you.
DANIEL: That’s what I want, too! But—it’s hard—“not so easy”—to end it in China?
XI: Hah?
DANIEL: Hard? To end marriage? In China?
XI: No. Easy.
DANIEL: But you said—
XI: End marriage, easy. Escape, hard.
DANIEL: I don’t—
XI: The long marriage. Like work, work, work. Then escape. No escape, only working is, um, death. Marriage, same. Also, death. Unless, escape.
(Pause.)
But, not so easy. In Guiyang, so much people, they know me.
DANIEL: I am—your escape?
XI: Mmmm.
DANIEL: That’s all?
XI: So much escape.
DANIEL: I’m like—what, a “vacation”? From your “real job”?
XI: From the death.
DANIEL: No, no, no. You told me you don’t love your husband.
XI: Husband? No!
DANIEL: Well, I love you. And I think—you love me.
XI: Yes. Very nice.
DANIEL: It’s more than just “nice,” it’s—it’s what we’re meant to do.
Find the person we love. And be together. For the rest of our lives. (Grabs her by the shoulders) I believe “ai” can last a lifetime.
XI: Jesus Christ.
DANIEL: I’m sorry?
XI: Also, Jesus Christ, you are believing?
(She kisses him.)
Ài, jiù shì nǐ men měi guó rén de zōng jiào.
“Love,” it is your American religion.
(He pulls away.)
DANIEL: So it doesn’t matter to you? You want to stay married. Even though, you and your husband—no “ai”?
XI: No. “Qíng yì.”
DANIEL: Qíng—what?
XI: Qíng yì. Marriage: Qíng yì.
DANIEL: And what does that mean?
XI: Qíng yì is like comrade.
DANIEL: Comrade. Like Chairman Mao?
XI: Ah, no. I cannot know him. No, again. Is like the “righteous.”
XI: No, no, no. Ah, very subtle. (Pause) “Committing”!
DANIEL: Commitment. Like a commitment to a contract?
XI: No, no, no. More feeling!
DANIEL: I don’t think there’s a word in English.
(Pause.)
Look, you believe. Your marriage. Is like a trap. Trap, you understand?
XI: Marriage, trap. Yes, same.
DANIEL: But It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way. Marriage. Can Be More.
XI: More?
DANIEL: Yes!
(He looks into her eyes.)
Very rare. Two people, find each other. Deep. From this. We build.
A life together. A new life. A good life. Now, you understand?
(She pulls away from him.)
XI: Nǐ wèi shén me yào zhè yàng zuò?
Why are you doing this?
(Pause.)
Ruin everything!
DANIEL: You helped me.
XI: I help you. Yes.
DANIEL: Wasn’t it because you saw a good man?
(Pause.)
Why did you help me? Why?
XI: For Cai back door!
DANIEL: Not this again . . .
XI: You wanting truth?! You wanting honest?! Helping you, to remove
Cai from the Minister.
DANIEL: You wanted . . . to get rid of Cai?
XI: Market reform, slow, slow. Yet Cai, protection by Mayor, cannot remove. But now, Cai wife sister—
DANIEL: Cai’s sister-in-law—
XI: —against the Enron? Yet, still Cai say no? Corruption! Therefore, removal.
DANIEL: You did all this to take down Cai? Why? Do you hate him?
Or, so you can be Minister?
XI: I? Minister? No!
DANIEL: Well, then—
XI: Too much pressuring.
DANIEL: Then, what is it? Cai removal. Help who?