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Part-Time Farmers, Part-Time Rock Stars: A Chinese Band’s Unlikely Rise
半农耕半摇滚：一个中国乐队的意外走红
Before setting out on his band’s first national tour, before recording another album and before appearing on a major television network, Ba Nong had one task: finishing the summer harvest.
在出发进行乐队首次全国巡演之前，在录制另一张专辑之前，在登上一个主要电视舞台之前，岜農（巴农）有一项任务：完成夏收。
Standing in a field edged by rolling hills, two days before the first tour date in late September, Ba Nong, the frontman of the Chinese band Varihnaz, looked over the yellowed remnants of the rice stalks he had spent the past few months tending.
他站在一片环绕着起伏山丘的田地里，距离九月下旬的首次巡演只有两天，这位中国乐队瓦伊那的主唱看着田里的黄色稻茬，过去几个月他一直在耕种这片田。
“The land gets to rest, and I get to go play,” he said.
“地要休息了，我要去玩了。”他说。
Planning around the harvest may be an unconventional way to manage an ascendant music career, but Varihnaz is an unconventional band.
围绕收获季进行规划也许是管理上升期音乐事业的一种非常规方式，但瓦依那就是一支非常规乐队。
For its members — two farmers and a former bricklayer from rural Guangxi in southwestern China — the land and their music are inseparable.
对乐队成员来说——来自中国西南省份广西农村的两名农民和一名前砖瓦匠——土地和他们的音乐是不可分割的。
Rather than the usual staples of love and longing, their lyrics dwell on pesticides and poultry rearing.
他们的歌词并没有常见的爱情和渴望的主题，而是一直讲着农药和饲养鸡鸭。
Varihnaz means “fields filled with fragrant rice flowers,” in the language of Guangxi’s Zhuang ethnic minority.
“瓦依那”在广西壮语中表示“盛开着芬芳稻花的田地”。
To fans, the group offers a refreshing break from China’s hyper-commercialized popular entertainers, with music about a simpler, slower way of life, an alternative to the intense competition of modern Chinese life.
对粉丝来说，这个乐队与中国高度商业化的流行艺人相比完全不同，让人耳目一新，他们的音乐表达了一种更简单、更慢节奏的生活方式，是竞争激烈的现代中国生活之外的另一种可能。
Ba Nong hopes his music helps people consider shrugging off mainstream expectations themselves.
岜農希望他的音乐能帮助人们思考如何让自己摆脱主流期望。
“The more tolerant and developed a society is, the more diverse its lifestyles should be, too,” said the musician, who is 44.
“一个社会越宽容、越发达，生活方式也应该越多样化。”这位44岁的音乐人说。
Born Wei Jiayuan, Ba Nong adopted his name early in his career; it means farmer from the karst mountains, a reference to his home region.
岜農原名韦家园，在音乐职业生涯早期就开始用这个艺名，意思是来自喀斯特山区的农民，是对他家乡地区的暗指。
He and his bandmates’ commitment to their lifestyle, even at the cost of conventional success, has been a guiding principle since they started attracting national attention last year, on a reality music competition, “The Big Band.”
自从去年他和乐队成员在音乐真人秀节目《乐队的夏天》中开始吸引全国关注以来，他们所奉行的生活方式就一直是乐队的指导原则，即使是以世俗成功为代价。
When asked on the show what would happen if they advanced to the final rounds that September — which would interfere with the harvest — Ba Nong replied: “Then we’ll try not to get to September.”
当在节目中被问及如果他们在9月晋级到最后一轮比赛怎么办——那样就会耽误9月的秋收——岜農回答说：“那我们就尽量不要在9月晋级。”
Ba Nong was born in rural northwestern Guangxi.
岜農出生于广西西北部的农村。
At the time, China’s economy was booming, and like so many in his generation, he dreamed of moving to a city.
当时中国经济蓬勃发展，和他的许多同代人一样，他梦想着进入城市。
He eventually found work as a graphic designer in Guangzhou, the megacity near Hong Kong.
他最终在广州（邻近香港的一个超大城市）找到了一份平面设计师的工作。
On the side, he taught himself guitar.
工作之余，他自学了吉他。
He played love songs at first.
他起初演奏的是情歌。
But then friends introduced him to pirated CDs of African folk songs, and to Taiwanese Indigenous musicians who infused traditional sounds with contemporary influences.
但后来朋友们向他介绍了盗版的非洲民歌CD，以及将传统声音与当代音乐相融合的台湾原住民音乐人。
At the same time, he was growing disaffected by his work designing insurance ads.
同时，他对自己设计保险广告的工作越来越不满。
He read “The Half Farmer, Half X Lifestyle,” a book by a Japanese environmentalist about getting by through sustainable agriculture mixed with passion projects.
他读了《半农半X的生活》，这是一本由日本环保主义者写的书，讲述了如何把可持续农业与自己热爱的项目相结合而维持生活。
In 2012, he moved home.
2012年，他回到了家乡。
The change was lonely at first.
一开始，这种改变是孤独的。
Most young people were in the cities working, so Ba Nong played with village children.
大多数年轻人都在城里工作，所以岜農只能和村里的孩子们一起玩。
Other villagers couldn’t teach him to farm, because they all used pesticides.
其他村民无法教他种地，因为他们都使用农药。
But he connected with other organic farming aficionados online.
但他在网上结识了其他有机农业爱好者。
He also found new hobbies.
他还发现了新的爱好。
Cognizant that his hometown traditions were endangered, he visited local museums to study traditional instruments.
意识到家乡的传统正处于消亡危险之中，他于是参观了当地博物馆，去研究传统乐器。
He collected nursery rhymes in the Zhuang language and published a book of his lyrics and poems.
他收集了壮语童谣，还出版了一本歌词和诗歌集。
“Some people told me that my coming back was like retreating from the world,” he said.
“有些人对我说，我回来就像是从世界退隐，”他说，
“I said no, after coming back, I am more useful.”
“我说不，回来后，我更有用。”
