On January 20, 2017, Trump officially sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, marking the end of the Obama era. After leaving office, in an interview with Chicago’s WBBM television, Obama alluded to a metaphor for the presidency --- a relay race. He said he was ready to hand over the baton. “We are run our leg in our long journey of progress, knowing that our work is and will always be unfinished.”

2017年1 月20日，Donald Trump正式宣誓就任美国第45任总统，标志着奥巴马时代的结束。卸任后，在一次接受芝加哥WBBM电视台采访时，奥巴马提到了一个隐喻——总统任职是一场接力赛，他已经准备好交出接力棒。他说：“我们在自己漫长的进步之旅中奔跑，明白我们的工作没有现在、将来，也不会终结。”


两年前，奥巴马卸任总统之后，美国媒体们纷纷猜测这位前总统未来的生活会是怎样的。事实证明，退休后的奥巴马，依然活跃在大众视野中：受邀前往世界各地演讲；与妻子米歇尔·奥巴马推出自传《无谓的希望》，赚了6300万美元；他还发布了自己的单曲，登上了Billboard榜单...敢于挑战新鲜事物的奥巴马不久前又进军了影视行业，可以说是总统界的全职高手了。

早些时候，奥巴马夫妇与美国流媒体巨头（streaming giant） ---- Netflix（网飞）公司建立了合作伙伴关系，并成立了名为“Higher Ground Productions（高地制片）”的影视制作公司。今年1月份，在圣丹斯电影节上购买了影片《美国工厂》的版权并进行后续拍摄，由奥巴马亲自出任制片人，推出一部全新的纪录片“American Factory”。


Let’s see what the film tells us:

The documentary illustrates what happened when a Chinese company called Fuyao factory rescued an abandoned General Motors plant, focusing on life and feelings of people involved in the Chinese-owned factory in the post-industrial Ohio, which is drawing praise for its realistic depiction of the scene when two different cultures meets in the workplace.


One of the obvious cultural differences is reflected in the different views of the employees on work. The Chinese worker, who operate under a creed of simplicity and diligence, are willing to sacrifice their rest time for a better work result. While many American workers,who are more individualistic, consider that work is paramount in their life. They are more enjoy life off the clock than making extra money.


Here are some top comments on the Internet about the film:


Comments from Chinese audience:





Comments from American audience:





In a conversation with the directors, the Obamas talked about the importance of storytelling. “A good story gives you the chance to understand someone else’s life. It can help you find common ground. And it’s why Michelle and I were drawn to Higher Ground’s first film,” Obama said in his Twitter posting.


"We want to give voice to people who don't appear on screen－working people, their stories, their struggles, their hopes. Those (stories) should be out in the world, because they're as equally compelling as superheroes," director Steven Bognar said.

The documentary works well without a central narrator, allowing workers to express their feeling and tell their stories. In April, the film won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival in North Caroline.




奥巴马卸任后可谓是发展的风生水起，接下来让我们再盘点一下美国历届总统的副业吧！


  1. 威廉·杰斐逊·克林顿（William Jefferson Clinton）---- 美国第42任总统

克林顿退休后进入了文娱圈开拓自己的新产业，他找来了世界级悬疑小说天王詹姆斯·帕特森，与他联手打造了一个前无古人的白宫揭秘故事，《消失的总统》。此外离开白宫后，克林顿他还建立了克林顿基金会，帮助改善全球健康状况，为妇女和儿童创造更多机会，减少儿童肥胖和可预防疾病，创造经济机会，促进经济增长，并解决气候变化的影响。



二、乔治·沃克·布什（George Walker Bush）---- 美国第43任总统

美国前总统小布什有个副业，他非常喜欢画画。由于没有受过专业的艺术训练，刚开始只能画画宠物。后来在专业老师的指导下，他慢慢开始开启了“人像模式”，画了不少工作中遇到的“朋友”，以及家人。退休之后，远离政治舞台的他，出了书，办了展，还上了一系列脱口秀节目展示自己的作品。



三、唐纳德·特朗普（Donald Trump）----美国现任总统

无论对于美国国内还是世界，特朗普的所作所为，比任何一届美国总统都更加放肆，也许源于他本身就是个生意人，敢想敢干。特朗普人称“房地产之王”除此之外，他将投资范围延伸到其他行业，包括开设赌场、高尔夫球场等，还涉足娱乐界。美国杂志《福布斯》曾评估特朗普资产净值约54亿美元，特朗普则称超过100亿美元。对此，部分网友调侃道，总统更像他的副业。