There is a saying, “if pigs could fly,” meaning that pigs don’t fly, and if we think they fly, that’s ridiculous, or impossible. However, the ensign of Cincinnati, my beloved city of 47 years, is the flying pig. Which implies that Cincinnati is ridiculous or feels like it could do the ridiculous. And there are some things about Cincinnati I could say which may have sounded ridiculous, or impossible, but actually became possible.
英文里有一个谚语，“只要猪能飞”，它的意思是因为猪并不能飞，所以我们若认为猪能飞，那就是荒谬的，不可能的。但是飞行的猪却是我所四十七年来挚爱的辛辛那提市的市徽，这意味着辛辛那提是荒谬的或者感觉它可能做出荒谬的事。事实上我可以说不少听起来是荒谬，不可置信的事的却在辛辛那提成真了。

Like the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, in the “middle of nowhere” in the USA, without a Harvard University next to it, without East Coast elite institutions next to it, no Stanford down the street, just a Children’s Hospital in a little conservative Midwestern town. Yet it has become one of the two leading institutions in pediatrics in the country, and the world. What an amazing “pigs can fly” kind of a story.
例如辛辛那提儿童医院，坐落在一个“荒无人烟”美国内陆保守的中西部小城里。它没有比邻一个哈佛大学，没有东岸精英机构在旁边，也没有史丹福大学在附近。但是它却成了美国和世界上数一数二的的儿科机构。这是一个奇异的“猪飞起来了”的故事。

The little Chinese language speaking church in this Midwestern town of very few Chinese families, could even be considered a mini story of a pig that could fly. Originally starting with only 10-20 families, no sponsors, no denominational support, no pastors sent from somewhere else, in a landlocked town with a small Asian population, it grew to a church of 500 congregants at several sites. Active ingredients were significant college student outreach at 2 campuses, regular visitation family outreach, restaurant ministries at different sites, five evangelism meetings a year, China scholars ministry, very strong youth ministry, enthusiastic children’s ministries, long standing regular short-term missions, China medical missions, and 55 full time mission and ministry workers from the church in 46 years: you could say that pigs are not supposed to fly, but “maybe they do.” And these are just my 2 favorite stories of the pigs-can-fly city.
一个在华人家庭稀少的中西部小镇里的一个小中文教会则是另一个迷你的猪飞起来的故事。从十个到二十个家庭开始，在没有任何金主，没有宗教团体支持，没有从外地派来的牧师的情况下在近乎封闭，亚裔稀少的小镇里成长到有五百多会众和多个会堂的教会。它成功的原因在于头四十六年里对两间大学的学生外展，定期对家庭探访，许多餐馆事工，一年五次的宣道会议，中国学者事工，有力的青少年事工，有热情的孩童事工，长期不断的短期宣道事工，中国医疗事工，和五十五个到世界各地事奉和宣道的全职宣道同工。你可以说猪是不应该会飞的，但是“他们有时候可能会飞”。这两个是我在这个猪会飞的城市里最喜欢的故事。

Cincinnati was nicknamed “Porkopolis,” for being the USA center for pork in the 1880s. This can be astonishing to many: how did this little city become, for a period, the center for pork production for the USA? It turns out the great Ohio River, which Cincinnati adjoins and effectively straddles, had a lot to do with that, allowing pork related products to be transported, along the very long Mississippi, through the river towns of the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico, especially before the era of railway transportation. Now let me quiz you, apart from obvious bacon and ham from pork, “what comes from tons of pork fat?”
猪肉城(“Porkopolis”)是辛辛那提从前的一个别名。这是因为在一八八零年间曾经是美国的猪肉中心。很多人对这件事感到讶异，这个小城怎么会在一段时间里成为美国的猪肉中心呢？原来流经辛辛那提的俄亥俄河是在铁路运输时代之前从中西部河滨小镇连接密西西比河把猪肉制品运往墨西哥湾的运输通道。现在我问你一个问题，除了众所皆知培根和火腿是猪肉做的之外，有什么是从大量猪油做出来的？

Well, tons of pork fat produced Procter & Gamble!… How?
好吧，大量的猪油造成了宝洁公司！这是怎么回事呢？

Procter, and Gamble, were 2 young enterprising Cincinnati men, actively working independently on their own, producing candlesticks and soap respectively. Both tapping into the tons of available Cincinnati pork. Do you get it now? Literally, a story reflecting the beauty and great value of pork fat for many products, but especially for candles and soap. These 2 men also cleverly married two sisters, merged their companies, and produced Procter and Gamble, the largest consumer products company in the world, a novel “pork to P and G story.”
普羅克特（Procter）和甘布林（Gamble）是两个住在辛辛那提有进取心的年青人。他们各自专注于自己的事业，一个制造蜡烛，另一个制造肥皂。他们都使用大量辛辛那提的猪肉。你明白了吗？这个故事说明了猪油在例如蜡烛和肥皂等众多商品里的价值。这两个年轻人很聪明的和一对姐妹结婚，合并了他们的公司，成立了宝洁（Procter and Gamble），当前世界上最大的消费者日用品公司。这是一个很特别的“猪变成宝洁的故事”。

Which then led to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital… How?
这件事又带来了辛辛那提儿童医院。。。这又是怎么一回事呢？

Mr. Procter was an ardent Episcopalian with a strong bent to philanthropy. His significant support gave major impetus to the 1884 building of the Children’s Hospital of the Episcopal Church, spear-headed by its dedicated Ladies Group. What was even more amazing, in my view, was that his grandson had the unique foresight to start a Research Foundation focused only on pediatric research, nearly 90 years ago! That was practically unheard of then. The Foundation grew from around $3 million to more than $2 billion, a tremendous support for the super active research programs at Children’s Hospital, and a main reason it is now so impressively world renowned. (See also URS “the P and G story,” at Reggietales.org).
普羅克特先生是一位热诚有基督信仰的圣公会信徒并且热心公益。他的大力支持推动了在一八八四年动工的，由圣公会妇女组带领的圣公会儿童医院。但是我个人认为更了不起的是它的孙子在九十年前能有独到的前瞻去建立一个只专注于儿科研究的研究基金会！这个在当时是闻所未闻的。之后，这个基金的规模从三百万美金成长到了二十亿，大力推动了儿童医院十分强健活跃众多研究项目。这是儿童医院能够世界闻名的主要原因。（请参照在 Reggietales.org 里的曾叔叔说故事之“宝洁故事”）

“Coastal elites” may condescendingly call our area of the country “flyover” country, which they just fly over, and can basically ignore. But Cincinnatians “couldn’t care less” about this slight, since we feel even our pigs can proudly fly, and our pigs-can-fly attitude has richly blessed this area, and I might without hyperbole add, even the world.
“东岸精英们”可能会轻蔑辛辛那提这块地方为“飞过去”的地方因为他们只会飞过，并不会留意。但是辛辛那提人是不在乎这种藐视，因为我们认为我们的猪是能自豪的飞翔的，而我们这种猪都可能飞做事态度为这块土地，甚至是这个世界带来了丰盛的祝福。我丝毫没有夸大。

It even blessed the Cincinnati Chinese church.. How?
这甚至为辛城教会带来祝福。。这是什么原因呢？

As co-founders of the Cincinnati Chinese Church, Shipei Chu and I were also the beneficiaries of this “flying pig” story. A year before I moved to Cincinnati, Procter and Gamble had directly hired Shipei as engineer, as part of the then big wave of engineering students in US graduate schools from Taiwan who migrated to the US. To come and work in Midwestern Cincinnati, and not the usual Asian destination of New York or California. And to stay his professional life at the Company until he later answered a “higher calling” into full time ministry in Los Angeles.
作为辛城华人教会的联合创办人的朱斯白和我都是“猪也能飞”的受益人。在我搬到辛辛那提的前一年宝洁就直接聘请斯白做他们的一个工程师。他是当时一大波台湾留美工程学院毕业生之一。他选择来到中西部的辛辛那提工作而不像多数亚裔学生选择纽约或者加州。之后他一直留在辛辛那提工作直到他后来接受了“更高的呼召”去到洛杉矶全职事奉。

A year after Shipei arrived, the charming Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was the professional reason I also came to Cincinnati, far from the then much more famous coastal US medical schools and hospitals, to learn and serve in Neonatal Medicine. And there I stayed for 47 years! As far as I know, the hospital wasn’t then on any Asian radar screen, since in the early years I was only one of two Asian Faculty in the entire hospital! And the other one left after a few years, so I was the only one left for a while!
一年之后，我为了研究和实践新生儿医疗来到了可爱的辛辛那提儿童医院工作。我没有去美国东西岸较为闻名的医学院或医院。我之后在辛辛那提儿童医院服务了四十七年！据我所知，辛辛那提儿童医院当时并不在任何亚洲人的选项内。当时整个儿童医院只有我和另一位亚洲人学者而那位学者在几年后也离开了。之后有很长一段时间医院里只剩我一个亚洲人！

Together with a third elder, David Louie, and a small core team, the Cincinnati Chinese Church sprang up. In classical Chinese understanding, even consistent with Biblical considerations, it was “Heaven’s will, or tian yi,” that the Church was born, to become ultimately a significant and vibrant Chinese Christian presence, as a minority of minorities, in conservative not-so-diverse Midwest America. Indeed, a Chinese version of pigs that fly.
我们和第三位长老雷兆轸和一个小核心团队开始了辛城华人教会。不管是从传统中国文字来解释或者从圣经角度来看，辛城教会的成立都是“天意”。它成为一个在保守，不多样化的美国中西部，少数民族里的少数民族华裔基督徒有活力的重要标杆。这正是一个中文版的“猪也能飞”

I would think that “pigs that fly” is a concept of inspiration. We can be inspired to do things we don’t normally think is possible. A higher purpose, a higher goal, a higher meaning. After all, why are we even on this earth? What are we living for? Is that all there is in life? And the pig, surprisingly can be one great symbol of that inspiration!
我在想“猪也能飞”是一个激励人心的灵感。人在被激励后能成就一般情况下不可能做到的事。一个崇高的目标，高尚的目的，或者更深的意义。最终，我们为什么来到这个世界上？我们是为了什么生活？人生的意义是什么？猪出乎意料地居然能够成为一个激励人心的灵感标志。

The world is currently obsessed with cleaning up its trash. I remember leading village school children in rural China, 20 years ago, to go up the mountains to pick up trash, plastic bags, food containers, and bottles that were strewn seemingly everywhere, spoiling the beautiful scenery of the countryside. But the pig preceded us and could even be considered an inspiration. Walking around the villages I was fascinated to see what the pigs actually ate.
这个世界目前正专注地清理它的垃圾。我还记得二十年前我带着一群农村学生到山上收拾散落满地，把美丽的郊外风景弄得不堪入目的垃圾，塑料袋，食物容器，和塑料瓶。但是猪走在我们前头甚至也激励了我们。在农村走动时我惊讶地看到猪到底吃什么东西。

In addition to lots of slurpy food in many pigsties, village pigs (especially boars) could often be seen foraging around even on the streets, gorging away at their food, well, “just like pigs”… their food being apparently anything and everything, including trash. A great natural recycling process. What an efficient way for the obviously happy pig to handle all that “waste,” and then to be eaten themselves by happy Chinese! I just read that, surprise, Cincinnati in the heyday of pork production also had pigs roaming around on the streets, cleaning (eating) up the trash! China pigs and American pigs might have many things in common, similar life styles and fates. An inspiration even if they aren’t flying.
除了呼噜噜地大口吸食猪圈里的粘稠食物之外，农村里的猪（特别是野猪）通常都在路上闲逛觅食，“就像猪一样”狼吞虎咽地吃他们的食物。它们的食物事实上可以是任何东西，甚至包括垃圾。成就了一个天然的垃圾回收过程。让那些看起来很高兴的猪去处理所有的“垃圾”，之后这些猪又让高兴的中国人吃到肚里！我不久前意外地读到辛辛那提在猪肉加工生产的鼎盛时期也是有很多猪在路上边走边清洁（吃掉）垃圾！中国猪和美国猪还是有很多相同的地方的，他们的生活方式和命运就是如此。就算是猪没有在飞这些事也是发人深省。

Another pig inspiration comes from the fact that many pig organs, like heart valves can be used as surgical replacements for human organs, quite successfully. Pig internal organs can be about the same size, and have similar physiology, as humans, so they could be a great fit. However, one of my friends was stuck for 40 long days in one of the worst jails in Central Asia, because he performed heart surgery that used pig heart. Apparently by so doing, he offended those who didn’t appreciate having pig parts inside humans, believing it was just like eating them, a taboo in their religion! At least 4 major religions have problems about eating pork, so this pig inspiration comes with a potential red flag.
另一个猪的灵感来自牠们的内脏，例如猪的心脏瓣膜可以原来置换人的瓣膜。这是因为猪的器官跟人的器官大小相似并且生理功能类似。不过我有一位外科医生朋友因为在他负责的手术里用过猪心而被关进一个中亚洲最糟糕的监狱里有四十天之久，原因是这个手术冒犯了一些不能接受人体里有猪肉的人。他们认为这就好像是吃了猪肉一样，是被他们宗教所禁止的！现今至少有四个宗教不能接受食用猪肉，所以有关猪的灵感有时候会让我们踩上红线。

And of course, the greatest pig inspiration in most of the world, is still pork, especially in China and Chinese food, which itself is probably the most pervasive ethnic food in the world. In a surprising turnabout, a huge amount of pork is now sent to China from the USA, to feed “hungry” Chinese. English-speaking people like to use the phrase “bringing coals to Newcastle” as indicating the unlikeliness, or even uselessness, of bringing any gift to someone who already has lots of that gift. “Bringing pork to China” might sound just like that, and could become a new phrase.
当然，有关猪的最大的灵感还是猪肉尤其是在中国和中国菜里，而中国菜应该是世上最普遍的民族菜肴。因为种种想象不到的原因，现在中国从美国大量进口猪肉来喂饱“饥饿”的中国人。说英文的人喜欢用这句“送煤到纽卡斯尔”来形容无用的，不需要送礼物给一个已经有太多礼物的人，因为这是没有意义的。“送猪肉到中国”就有点那个意思，或许这句话会成为一个新的谚语。

Or, viewed in another way, Americans have finally been inspired to contribute helpfully, and cash in, regarding the ancient art of fine Chinese cuisine, just imagine that. Of course, Chinese really love pork, wherever it is from, China or USA. Can you imagine Chinese food without pork! Eaten in literally thousands of ways, all deliciously.
从另一个角度来看，美国人终于理解到他们可以帮助中国古老的美食传统，平且能从中赚钱。当然不管是从哪里来的，中国或是美国的，猪肉中国人都是爱的。你能想象中餐馆没有猪肉菜吗！猪肉有上千种做法，每样都很好吃。

Inspired by beef hamburgers, Hong Kongers at McDonald’s can even devour pork burgers, something we are deprived in America. There is a famous USA Chick-fil-A restaurant that, well, serves chicken burger; their ad is a cartoon of a cow pleading in cow English, “eat mor chikin,” and thus less beef (cow), which I sympathize with from a medical viewpoint. A creative Hong Kong Chick-fil-A ad could also add a pig pleading to humans to eat less pork, which might would be even a sensible health ad. Sorry, I am not really inspired by more and more pork on the menu.
受到牛肉汉堡的启发，香港麦当劳甚至提供猪肉汉堡给香港人大快朵颐，这种经历是在美国没办法享受到的。不过在美国有一个叫做 Chik-fil-A 的餐馆专门提供鸡肉汉堡。它的广告是一头牛用牛的腔调恳求的说“多吃点鸡吧”，这样就会少吃点牛肉。我从医学角度来看我赞同牛说的这句话。这个有创意的广告如果在香港出现可能会变成一只猪恳求人类少吃点猪肉。这个广告甚至可以充当一个有意义的健康广告。对不起，我实在是不赞同餐馆菜单里越来越多的猪肉。它们启发不了我的灵感。

And yes, back to pigs that really can fly: inspiration, flying in spite of significant limitations. Think P and G, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Porkopolis, even a Chinese non culinary angle, the Cincinnati Chinese Church. What’s your pigs-can-fly inspiration?
现在再把话题带回到猪能飞：一个在许多不利条件中起飞的灵感。我们想到了宝洁，辛辛那提儿童医院，猪肉城，甚至中国文化中非烹饪的东西，辛城华人教会。你从猪也会飞得到的灵感是什么？