中国之我见
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Observations
For this issue of A Foreigner in China we asked three foreigners to make some observations about China based on their first impressions of the country and its people.
Mark Carter (USA)
Before I came to China in 2001, I really knew very little about this
country. I had never been to Asia before and never met anybody who had been to China. What I did know was that China has a huge population, the Great Wall, silk and chopsticks. Very rudimentary. I had no idea what Chinese people are like. There is a Chinese community in my hometown in Nebraska but they mostly ①keep to themselves. In my school there were kids whose parents were Chinese. These kids behaved the exact same way as everyone else and I never considered them to be different to me in any way. I had never met anyone who was from China itself.
When I arrived in China for the first time, my first impression was how many people there were. Even in rural areas you can see people in their thousands. The crowds and noise can be a bit overwhelming at first but now I am used to it. Maybe I have gotten too used to it. I find the quietness of my suburban neighborhood back home a little oppressive now!
I was also surprised by the people. I had always presumed that Asian people were very reserved and serious. It didn't take long for me to realize that Chinese people are quite chatty and jovial. I was also taken aback at their interest in foreign things. My first feeling when I settled in to life here was that Chinese people care very much about what people from other countries think about them. I found that unusual. I had always presumed that China would be a world of its own, so to speak, that operated independently of the outside. Chinese people always ask me if I like China. Well, I'm still here, am I not?
Fiona Mason (UK)
I first came to China in 1999. Like many Westerners, before coming to China, I had the idea that it would be far less materialistic than Europe or the US. I was shocked to find that Chinese people seem to be more materialistic than any people I have ever met before. Some foreigners become disillusioned because of this but I have come to understand that the fault is my own. The idea I had of China was a misconception. Of course, it cannot be like what we see in the Kung Fu movies. Nonetheless, there must be more to life than getting an MBA and having the latest mobile phone!
I think a lot of people in the West, especially young people, are very concerned about the effects of globalization. They see globalization as being the spread of a monoculture, based on Western values, which is killing the cultural diversity of the world. This is quite obvious to me since I started living in China. Many of the young people here seem to have ②turned their backs on their own culture and ape what they think is Western culture (It is actually a type of international culture). I think this is very sad because if young Chinese people copy Western styles without having an understanding of Western culture they will be left with only the shadow of a culture. Take the trend of 'celebrating' Christmas for example. Putting up Christmas trees and decorations does not constitute Christmas. It is a mimic of a Western festival which fails to capture its true atmosphere and spirit.
I can't be too hard on China for this because it is a phenomenon that is occurring worldwide. However, I hope that young Chinese people will have more confidence in the value of their own culture and draw inspiration from the thousand of years of Chinese civilization. If there is any country that will provide an alternative to Coca-Cola imperialism, I hope that it can be China!
Peter Nash (Canada)
I would say that I'm a pretty (not in the 'good-looking' sense of the word) typical twenty-something North American. I like to hang out with my friends and don't worry too much about the future. I have no master plan for my life and no real career goals. In many ways the freedom of adolescence has been extended by ten years for my generation.
The thing that struck me most when I came to China is how different the young people here are. Young Chinese people are far more practical and have a greater sense of responsibility than a lot of their counterparts on the other side of the world. The high level of competition in education and the job market makes young Chinese very diligent and committed. They seem to forgo the joys of a full social life like we have in the West.
In general, the atmosphere of progress can be felt in society itself. I have been in China for two years and for two years I have been listening to drills and saws. At first, it appeared to me that the entire country was one big construction site. When you come to China you can't help noticing a 'can-do' attitude and an overall sense that this is a society that is looking ahead, a country that is going somewhere. You don't get that kind of feeling in other places.
在本期《老外在中国》中，我们请三位外籍人士根据他们对这个国家和人民的最初印象，谈了一些对中国的看法。
Mark Carter (USA) 马克・卡特（美国）
在我于2001年来中国以前，我对这个国家确实是知之甚少。我从来就没去过亚洲，也从来没有碰到过去过中国的人。我所知道的就是，中国人口众多，有长城，有丝绸，有筷子。（了解）非常浅显。我对中国人是个什么样子就没有概念。在我的家乡内布拉斯加州有一个华人社区，但他们大多数人都独来独往。而在我以前的学校，有一些孩子的父母就是中国人。这些小孩的举止与其他所有人都一般无二，我从来就不认为他们与我有何不同。我也从来没有碰到过来自中国本土的人。
当我第一次来到中国的时候，我最初的印象是这里的人太多了。即使是在乡村地区，你也可以看到数以千计的人群。起初，可能对这些人群和喧闹声有点儿承受不住，不过现在我习惯了。也许，我是习惯得有点儿过头了。现在，我发现，我在国内所居住的那个郊外社区安静得有点儿压抑！
令我吃惊的还有这里的人。我总认为亚洲人非常内敛，非常严肃。而没过多久，我就意识到中国人很能聊，很逍遥。令我震惊的还有他们对异国事物的兴趣。当我适应了这里的生活时，我的第一感受就是，中国人非常关心其它国家的人对他们的看法。我发现那不正常。我总认为，中国是一个自成一体的世界，可以说，是一个不受外界影响而存在的世界。中国人总是问我是否喜欢中国。嗯，我还呆在这里啊，不是吗？
菲奥纳・梅森 （英国）
我第一次来中国是在1999年。与许多西方人一样，在来中国之前，我认为这里对物质的追求比起欧洲或美国来要相差很多。而我惊讶地发现，中国人对物质的追求比我之前见过的任何人都要更甚一筹。一些外国人因此而醒悟起来，但是我却渐渐明白了过错在于我自己。我以前对中国的看法是一个误解。当然了，这里跟我们在功夫片中看到的不可能是一样的。然而，（在这里）除了考工商管理硕士和拥有最新款的手机以外，生活之中应该还有更多的乐趣！
我认为，西方的许多人，尤其是年轻人，非常关心全球化的影响。他们把全球化看作是以西方价值观为基础的单一文化扩张，而这正在扼杀世界的文化多样性。自从我开始在中国生活以来，这一点对我来说是非常显而易见的。这里的年轻人中，有许多人似乎已经背弃了其自身的文化，去仿效他们所谓的西方文化（那实际上是一种国际文化）。我认为，这是非常不幸的，因为如果中国的年轻人在不理解西方文化的前提下照搬西式风格，那么落到他们手中的就是一种文化的皮毛。就拿“过”圣诞节的风气来说吧。支起圣诞树，装点上饰物，并不是圣诞节。这是对西方节日的模仿而已，未能领会到其真正气氛和实质所在。
我不能就此对中国太过吹毛求疵，因为这是一个在世界范围内都在发生的现象。然而，我希望中国的年轻人对其自身文化的价值要有更大的自信，并且要从数千年的华夏文明中汲取灵感。如果某个国家会在“可口可乐帝国主义”之外另辟奚径，那么我希望那会是中国！
彼得・纳什（加拿大）
我要说的是，我是一个相当（“pretty”在这里不作“好看”讲）典型的二十来岁的北美人。我喜欢与我的朋友们一起消磨时间，对于未来不是很关心。我没打算在我的一生当中拿个硕士什么的，也没有真正的事业目标。在许多方面，对于我这一代来说，青少年的逍遥又延续了十年时间。
当我来中国时，给我印象最深的事情是，这里的年轻人格外不同。与世界其它地方的许多同龄人相比，中国的年轻人要实际得多，具有更大的责任感。教育领域和就业市场中的高强度竞争，使中国的年轻人非常勤奋，非常执着。我们在西方拥有完整的社会生活，而他们似乎放弃了这些乐趣。
总体来说，光是在社会中就可以体会到发展的气息。我来中国已经两年了，而这两年间钻孔声和锯齿声不绝于耳。起初，在我看来，这整个国家就是一个巨大的工地。当你来到中国时，你肯定会注意到一种“没问题”的态度，体察到一种整体性感受――这是一个面向未来的社会、一个处于前进之中的国家。而在其它地方，你是不会有这种感觉的。
chopstick /`C4pstik/ n.(常用复)筷子
rudimentary /r6di`ment9ri/ adj.基本的；初步的
overwhelming /,9uv9`welmiM/ adj.无法抵抗的；压倒性的
oppressive /9`presiv/ adj.压抑的；压迫的
jovial /`_9uvj9l/ adj.天性快活的；愉快的
disillusion /,disi`l6E9n/ v.醒悟
misconception /`misk9n`sepH9n/ n.误解
globalization /,Gl9ub9lai`zeiH9n/ n.全球化
monoculture /`m4n9uk7ltH9/ n.单一文化
ape /eip/ vt.模仿
mimic /`mimik/ n.模仿者；仿制品
adolescence /,2d9u`les9ns/ n.青春期
counterpart /`kaunt9p3t/ n.极相似的人或物
diligent /`dilidE9nt/ adj.勤勉的；刻苦的
forgo /f5`G9u/ vt.作罢；放弃
drill /dril/ n.钻孔机；钻子
saw /s5/ n.锯
① keep to oneself 不交际
② turn one's back on 背弃；抛弃
1.materialistic
文中，Fiona Mason在谈到先前对中国的印象时，用到了一个词“materialistic”。这个词在英语国家中，一般是用作贬义，指的是“某个人把金钱和物质当作了人生的头等大事”。
2.Coca-Cola imperialism
文中，Fiona Mason提到了一个词组――“Coca-Cola imperialism”。这是一个常常见诸于西方媒体的词汇，它指的是西方国家（尤其是美国）通过商业手段向其它国家（一般是发展中国家）施加文化影响。这个词汇的色彩是贬义的。它将西方产品对发展中国家市场的控制比作成帝国主义。
3.‘can-do’attitude
文中，Peter Nash 提到了一个词组――“Can-do attitude”。这指的是一种乐观的态度，即无论问及是否可以做某事，回答总是“可以做，没问题”之类的话语。