Abigail Washburn: Building US-China relations ... by banjo

www.ted.com TED Fellow Abigail Washburn wanted to be a lawyer improving US-China relations -- until she picked up a banjo. She tells a moving story of the remarkable connections she's formed touring across the United States and China while playing that banjo and singing in Chinese.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/tra...
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[@RoyalAndPoetic]

I've watched this 5 times and still tear up EVERY TIME! Pure radiance. I want to dwell in that light with everyone, too.

[@aliciatangotweety4815]

Fast forward a few years: Abigail Washburn and her husband, Béla Fleck on stage accepting their Grammy for 2016 Best Folk Album of the Year!

Thank you Abigail... what a wonderful personal story of discovery. I do believe music is a universal language.

[@WelbyCoffeeSpill]

Seen her shows twice before,..love the fusion! Dunno why people wanna bring her message down,..girl jus doin her thing,..an its a good thing,ain't it?

[@cupcakewhorexo]

the ending made me tear up

[@luidavinci]

Such an amazing woman and inspirational story! I was once a teacher in China for a year, so I can appreciate how much of a positive impact she must be having between our two countries. Well done, Abigail. Fei cheng hao! Ni shi li hai!

[@alanOHALAN]

Thank you for teaching in China !

[@ExclusiveManual]

gosh this one is a tear jerker.

[@enikobona]

thank god it worked out this way. You succeeded to make me laugh, cry, sing, rethink tonight at your concert in Budapest. I adored you and Bela, such a charismatic duo.

[@prateekkeshari]

Abigail, you are a remarkable storyteller! :)

[@sshannon1948]

It seems that she has found her place and that music has really been an instrument for her. She seems to have bridged the gap with her music and the language. I applaud her.

[@tcorp]

Haters gonna hate. It was an awesome TED Talk.

[@WhiteTiger333]

The story right at the end really pierced my heart.

[@GothicPotato2]

That was so good!! Really a very interesting way of bringing it together, and the ending was so powerful. A good TED Talk.

[@McPrfctday]

She's an artist telling a well learnt story. Telling it very well in my opinion.

[@songli5486]

Wang da jie, you are a true artist.

[@fangf]

China-US relationship needs more people like her

[@Tanru2000]

How could anyone dislike this video? Cynical people.

[@hellwroughtangel]

music is culture, and to understand others, we need to learn to understand their culture. And learning their music you learn to understand a part of their culture; a part of them, it is important.

[@matthewjay660]

Stunning! Music, which is mathematics-based and thus science-based, i.e. acoustics, is the universal language of all of Humanity. American Abigail "Big Sister Wong" Washburn reaches the Chinese with her American folk music just as the Chinese band "Twelve Girls Band" reaches us, (Americans and other nationalities of people), with their "Chinese-flavored" versions on some of our Western songs/music like: Coldplay's "Clocks", Enya's "Only Time", & van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor".

[@EyeOnTheTV]

I don't understand why there are so many negative comments on these TED videos.

[@SeraphimGoose]

Well obviously. We're not even culturally unified in this country even though we like to pretend we are (and not that we should be either). Not to mention traditional community structure is all but dead and the U.S. is the closest you can get to a "spiritual wasteland", for lack of a better term (I don't actually have any supernatural belief). Still, she wasn't saying the GOVERNMENT should invest it's effort into musical relations; This has nothing to do with policy. Geez.

[@thewinematcher]

this is the only ted video i've watched twice in a row... awesome

[@ButtonwoodTree]

Her songs are prophetic, her wisdom ageless and her heart huge - for all mankind. We need more folks like Abigail - and The Grand Slambovians! If we listen more to folks like them and love more, we'll achieve peace on Earth. She's beautiful inside and out and I applaud her efforts! You go girl!

[@McPrfctday]

So much hate for this! Why? I think it's one for the archives. On the same shelf as the Jill Bolte Taylor talk. Or close to it anyway.

[@niminhe]

follow your heart！我喜欢你，王大姐。

[@valsharai]

This is Earth. It's a planet. This is a global political environment. You are not your country. You are a human being. "Politics" is about people. Okay? Are you following me? A climate of misunderstanding, a climate of fear, a climate of misconception and false perception, a climate of physical and emotional distance- these will not foster better human relations. This is about BEING HUMAN and sharing that experience in a meaningful, compassionate way through our shared language- through music.

[@Joonto100]

impressive! and she's right: "music connects hearts"

[@steezmonster92]

yes, science is objective in its methods. but it takes creativity at the forefront of human knowledge to make breakthroughs. that's what revron77 is saying.

[@SeraphimGoose]

She never said improving our cultural relations would make our corporate U.S. government stop being horrendous and idiotic, but it can't hurt.

[@kathyjoycron6682]

Horrendous is killing 60 million people not making your poorest classes better off than most of the rest of the world. Where do people get the idea that the US Government is horrendous and idiotic???

[@MrCattlehunter]

You, apparently without irony, use phrases like "the universe would give him one more piece of knowledge" and you wonder why you don't understand the ones that dislike this...

[@wayneessar7489]

Who said that?

[@Gmmm]

Its a good message. That even though we are from different cultures, we all have stories to share and we can relate to each others because we are human.

[@DannyShaw3388]

Music is a universal language across humans or I should say across all lives.

[@wyldeman0O7]

TED should be technology EDUCATION design, because people ought to consider those to be a source of entertainment.

[@TylerZed]

I heard her first on Prairie Home Companion, thought she was great, then saw her in concert! Then I recently heard about ZeFrank's return to KZbin, and found my way to this channel... Small world. Abigail IS awesome!

[@BillCharles88]

Right on, sister

[@scarolinafan7]

I'll be a typical youtube comment and ask: does anyone else think that she's hot?

[@Paskalmk1]

wait wait i see what you did there.. is this one of collegue humor pranks right??

[@heckyes]

US-China relations will be ever-important very very soon.

[@bboschboi]

Has any one ever noticed that allot of people who call themselves 'rationalists' are really just very conservative squares?

[@Malphar]

She touched me in a very special way.

[@jerrylittlemars]

amen to your comment! I don't understand why there's sooooooo much hate!

[@henrywilliams6577]

Abigail, we loved having you in Chattanooga with Bela. Thank you for your Washington Phillips song, What are they doing right now... will try that on mandolin. We're tellin our friends who have adopted from China about you. Play on. Come back.

[@vonGleichenT]

I wonder how she learned chinese.

[@alterthemusic]

Some do with with their brain and some with the heart.

[@DonnaD123]

Wow! Just saw her with husband Bela Fleck in Providence last night. What a very cool, amazingly talented beautiful woman she is! Good for her! Inspiring message!

[@ChrisCapel]

So in other words, "I know you are but what is she?" That's your response? O-kaaay....

[@jimhesch1404]

This aged like milk in a field in August.

[@coreprik]

where the hell did they put the like button

[@MarsVoltaKA]

My third time just now ;P

[@biain93]

Her last name is washburn. Just saying...

[@SeraphimGoose]

Well I don't think that's the point of this talk. I don't think a community of cross cultural musicians is likely to be a vehicle for the U.S. to impose it's political ideology on China.

[@deadbug321]

no, not in other words. im sure you have some experience in dialogue, its important to read everything, not the first few words. i just want to point out that a person relating expereinces they have, like going to china and having strangers come up to you to touch your hair, causes one to speak in certain ways, as a person with depth would do. saying, "look at that lady with the hair" wasnt her showing how awesome her hair is, but relating an experience.

[@GreatG0dOm]

Brought a tear to my eye.

[@2bsirius]

In case anyone hears this and wants to listen to Doc Watson singing Shady grove: watch?v=b-kaG1NuLZM

[@marshpw]

What a magnificent soul

[@Platyzoan]

This is Steve Martin's idea. Decades ago he imagined Nixon getting off of Airforce One with a banjo in hand to spread world peace.

[@wanglj2959]

great speech! great person!

[@riddler251]

Was not what I espected. I thought I was about to watch some hippie shit! Little did I know I would be teared up by the end.

[@deadbug321]

not more in love with herself as you are in love with yourself for posting such a clever comment. also, to reiterate, that hair is probably the cause of a lot of staring in china. having been to china with a friends daughter who has hair like that, youd a thought that little girl was a celebrity. her words come from experience, not a degree earned on youtube comment boards.

[@siriusflood]

Those strawmen are terrible.

[@sciences8]

The end of your statement makes no sense? Should be? It shouldn't be... as it should be? Nice comment bro.

[@steezmonster92]

it's poetic license buddy.

[@louishibbs5133]

organized crime has no piety. sociopathic individuals found in positions of military & social power also have no sentimentality..for they believe in their own self-importance and immortality..so sad..

[@Krabadaque]

Thank you for the music and the stories!

[@siriusflood]

And unlike policy change the sound of a banjo will be a drop in the ocean, unfortunately.

[@nexos361]

103 people don't get it.

[@ShallkerWang]

75 people are not mortal

[@GrahamAndersonis]

I love this-I’m verklempt. KZbin, based on liking a Ted talk , please don’t deluge me with Gary Vaynerchuk videos. Let me enjoy this moment.

[@kxlc485]

Could not have said it better. Thank you for your reply. That's exactly what I wanted to say also.

[@alvar0pere7]

I like how some of you seem mad that she's talking about herself...that's what she was invited to do.

[@suziebacon]

Love this🎉

[@jansidlo]

i am starting to admire you a lot!

[@tedoymisojos]

Amazing Amazing! What a gorgeous voice!

[@DarkAura971]

Yo-Yo Ma became a UN peace negotiator by playing his cello

[@terryremaly1902]

WOW 🥲

[@PirateJiang]

awesome!

[@superduc99]

I grew up in a communist country where the government (aka small group of elite) controls everything. I now live in a free country where the 1% (aka small group of elite) manages and manipulates all aspects of life. BTW, Abigail, a banjo may help you and that little girl feel better for a moment but it won't help building better US-China relation. Keep up the good work though.

[@tommysmith5135]

She should have been playing a Washburn.

[@Layherdown13]

I thought this was gonna be the singer of king gizzard

[@luthercase1665]

erik manchez lmfao

[@SchlimmShadySmash]

this is great.

[@SeraphimGoose]

Because we're a mercenary state.

[@Soriology]

that was actually really really good. wow

[@vo0sto0]

immortality works for me ;)

[@jerzmacow]

0:26 I'm gonna get what I want! (shoes)

[@McPrfctday]

trololol

[@SinisterFelix]

I liked it WHEN she started singing.

[@dabneyoffermein595]

ha, ikr

[@lebasson]

Not to defend the speaker (because I don't care if you think she's obnoxious) but I'm guessing you've never been to a culture which isn't accustomed to your race? Her words are something any westerner could hear a south-east asian say.

[@cinderdork]

what a pretty voice

[@pingqiu1]

thanks, it makes me cry!

[@sharartie]

lol

[@holybaboon1]

She is awesome.

[@star666moon]

0.15 --> skip intro

[@precocioustoic]

What a sweetheart.

[@villebre1]

aaamaaaazing yo

[@johnzhou820]

free voice!

[@PeterReginald]

wow

[@ThaigerDon]

cool. everyone should play some kind of instrument for that reason, among others. but what's the science behind that? use the creative side of the brain to balance out the logic side?

[@GrimSoul66]

Not 1.3 billion, but some.

[@TheaDragonSpirit]

0:15

[@ChrisCapel]

This lady seems so in love with herself. It's obnoxious. "Look at that lady with the hair, singing in Chinese." Ugh, I get it. You're unique. Can we talk about something else please?

[@wayneessar7489]

It is a good thing you found enough self love to make a hang mans noose video. Everyone can grow.