WHEN Wu Man arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, from Beijing in 1990 she spoke no English and gambled on surviving with the help of her pipa, a traditional lute-like Chinese instrument.

• 1990年，吴曼从北京奔赴康涅狄格州纽黑文市的那会儿，一句英语也不会说，生存的希望完全寄托在她的琵琶（类似鲁特琴的中国传统乐器）上。