Q: It's your first time promoting as an author, how do you feel?
M: Very happy, because Supershow in Hong Kong left me feeling very touched. Two days at one go, super excited (laughs) but after the excitement I feel a little nervous because the following schedule is having to promote my own book, called "Thai Perfect" in Hong Kong. It is also my first time in Hong Kong doing solo open event, so I have a new book to introduce to you guys. I hope everyone in Hong Kong can give my book lots of support.
Q: When did you develop the idea of writing a travel book?
M: Actually ever since debut, I have wanted to write my own book. In the midst, we travelled to Thailand for album promotions, then I realized Thailand is a place that attracts me a lot. Very mysterious yet very fresh, I had a sudden idea that I can introduce Thailand's good food and nice places in my own way to those who have never gone to Thailand before. So I spent around two years' time, went to Thailand for around four to five times to collect information and take pictures, the finally, there is Thai Perfect.
M: This book is called "Thai Wan Mei", "Thai" is the Thai from Thailand, "Wan" is the Wan from Fun (hào wàn), "Mei" is the Mei from Beauty (mēi lì), so I'm using my own way to introduce Thailand's good food, fun places, beautiful sightseeing spots to everyone. In the book, aside from good food, there's also interesting shopping places. I hope all male or female, young or old, can find beautiful spots or shopping places you'd like to go in this book.
Q: What was the biggest difficulty from publishing this book?
M: This time preparing Thai Perfect, my biggest difficulty… it should be the text part. Actually designing of the book was also quite difficult, but in comparison, because the first release was in Taiwan, then considering everyone from Hong Kong and Taiwan reads traditional chinese more, I tried for the first time, hand writing traditional chinese, the entire book's content. To me it was a great challenge because since young, this is the first time I'm writing in traditional chinese. And as I keep writing, I keep having mistakes. After trying for some time, I finally finished writing the entire book in traditional chinese. I hope it will also be like a… present to the fans in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with my sincerity. I hope everyone can read my book very… conveniently!
Q: Why did you fall in love with Thailand?
M: I feel like Thailand is a very warm and hospitable country, not only considering the weather, and also the shopping. And here I want to introduce a very very, how should I put this, a very crowded place in Thailand called Chatuchak. Everyone who likes to go to Thailand should know that at Chatuchak sells a lot of things, for example furniture, street snacks, food and clothes, and daily neccessities, so I feel that it's a place no matter male or female, young or old, will find things you like. It's a place where you find your 'treasure'. Then previously I went to Chatuchak with my parents, and I got spotted by fans and there were a lot of people there so everyone couldn't believe they would see me there. But I feel that the place is very… different, and is full of the local characteristics. So I hope everyone who goes to Thailand, you have to visit Chatuchak, go take a look, and who knows one day, we will bump into each other at Chatuchak (laughs)
Q: The more you eat, the more fit you get?
M: When I'm in Thailand, I don't watch my diet. And by that I mean, I eat everything. Whatever is good, whatever I feel like eating, I'll eat it. Because I feel like on a vacation, maybe because I'm a guy, so I'm more relaxed about my diet. When I'm on a diet I want to let go of everything and relax. So sometimes I feel like eating seafood, after eating seafood I have dessert. So maybe because I eat everything, I won't specially that… (he was gesturing some weird gestures and looking behind the camera) right I won't grow fat, and I don't gain weight very easily so I actually hope I can eat more and grow a little more buff, so I have to work harder in working out.
Q: If you release a second travel book, you will write about…
M: Feels like (releasing a second book) because previously I didn't expect everyone to support my Thai Perfect so much, then… this is my first book, it's introducing travel in Thailand, I hope in the future I can release many books of different styles, maybe it's of mainly text, or in the same way but introducing Korea or Hong Kong or Taiwan, I hope I can present it in a different design.
M: These recent two years, I think there has been especially lots of Chinese tourists in Korea. And in my opinion, Korea is a very fashionable country. And the shopping is very convenient. If I were to recommend, people who are going to Korea for the first time, I think you can visit Dongdaemun, it is one of the most iconic shopping spots of Seoul. If you want to enjoy the afternoon sun and drink coffee and take a stroll, you can try Garosu-gil at Sinsadong.
M: So here, I'm going to teach everyone two short phrases. When you are in Seoul shopping, you have to learn these two phrases. These two phrases were the phrases I was most keen to know the first time I was in Korea. So the first is, we use this a lot, "How much is this?" "Yigeo eolma eyo?" (he repeats) "Yigeo eolma eyo?" Then after asking that, you feel that it is too expensive, so I have to ask for a discount. So I'll say, "Can it be cheaper?", in Korean, it's very easy, "ggaka juseyo" "ggaka juseyo" Cheaper a little, so as long as you know these two phrases, going to every shopping spot in Korea, you won't suffer disadvantages.
Q: Going overseas for vacations and work, are the things you pack different?
M: Usually when I go to a country for work or performance, actually the things I bring will be more than what I bring when I'm on a vacation. Because when I'm on a vacation, I will bring an empty suitcase. I will fill up the suitcase with souvenirs and my shopping loots and bring them home. But when I'm going overseas for activities, I will stuff those clothes I prepared for the two to three days into the suitcase because there will be no time to go out. So I feel like every time I bring an empty suitcase to go overseas, I feel very contented, because when you come home, it'll be a suitcase full of memory.
M: So this year in our album Breakdown, there is a song of my own called Distant Embrace. So this time it is very honorable for us to have Taiwan's famous songwriter, Guang Liang ge, to write this song for me. So the idea of this song is to describe entangled emotions when a guy falls in love with a girl yet he can't be with her. Since it's Distant Embrace, an embrace should be of no distance, but an embrace with a certain distance, you can picture it, it's a very sad love song. Even when I'm singing it, the music and the context of the lyrics touch me a lot. I always put in all my feelings when I sing it. So I hope everyone can feel it too, my feelings in the song, and also very grateful to Guang Liang ge's good song, because it's really good. I hope there will be more chances to collaborate with Guang Liang ge in the future.
Q: Will you release a solo album in the near future?
M: Actually recently everyone has been busy with Supershow and the promotions of my new book, and regarding songs, there is actually a new song prepared to be released. I have also been doing music that I love and have been looking for songs that are even more suitable for myself. I hope in the future there will be a chance I can have a solo album, and I hope everyone can look forward to the new song that will be released soon.
Q: The kind of genre you are most keen in trying is rock?
M: I actually quite want to try… actually until now the two solo songs I released are both ballad songs, then M is mostly dance music, so if I were to try I would like to try the rock genre. And this is something I have yet to try even until now. Even I'm not sure if I can handle that kind of 'power' in the songs, so I hope I can try it. I also want to try cantonese songs. A total solo cantonese song. Because I have listened to cantonese songs since I was young. This is also one of my dreams so I hope in the near future everyone can hear it.
Translation by @myeoichi for @SunshineZhouMi
Do not repost.
Translation by @myeoichi for @SunshineZhouMi
Do not repost.
2 comments
can I translated this interview and and post in group about Zhou Mi?(http://vk.com/mitangs). we always take with full credits
ReplyDeleteYes you can thanks for asking, in future can you please email or tweet to ask though.
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