登录注册
社区应用 最新帖子 精华区 社区服务 会员列表 统计排行
主题 : 美国时代周刊:中国人真正的自豪
卡拉 离线
级别: 总版主

显示用户信息 
楼主  发表于: 2008-06-19   

美国时代周刊:中国人真正的自豪

来源:美国时代周刊
作者:刘佳佳

  几周前,西方对中国的看法以暴徒似的火炬卫士、过敏的民族主义和压制性的政府为主导。但自从四川地震以来,国家引导的大救援以及中国民众源源不断的慈善成为舞台的中心。这个国家真的改变了很多?非也。中国是一个广大的、多面的国家,民族主义和同情心是相关的两种现象。谈到我的祖国,我两者都能感受到。

  我在1989年离开中国,当时我7岁。我的母亲和我到伦敦和父亲团聚,父亲那时是中国政府公派的博士生。我在伦敦长大,在美国上大学,后来去巴黎攻读硕士学位。我的国际教育是好奇心和不安份的产物。我本质上是一个西方人。然而中国在我的身份上、在我的心中有特殊的位置。

  我第一次来伦敦的时候,即使是最亲中国的海外留学生都抨击中国政府。我迅速改变我对毛主席的信仰,认为西方可以帮助中国民众获得自由和幸福。在学校,我受到的教育让我以批判的眼光审视别人告诉我的一切。但所谓的中立媒体的行为让我感到困惑。关于中国的报道中,所有中国受访者对自己的生活都没有积极的看法。在我看来,西方媒体专门突出中国最坏的一面。

  我的西方同仁通常对媒体持怀疑态度,但他们似乎很接受媒体对中国的描述。朋友会用低低的、兴奋的声调告诉我他们将要去中国。他们会被逮捕吗?不会,我会说:中国人总是批评政府。

  在奥运火炬传递示威事件中,普通中国人的愤怒回应被自动假定为受宣传鼓动。现实情况是,中国民众并没有被洗脑。尽管他们可能更多地依赖国内的新闻来源,但他们知道信息的审查,而且很多人阅读英文的西方消息。而我的西方同仁则相反,他们只相信那些以市场为导向、迎合大众情绪的、渲染公众对一个不同文化国家的崛起的恐惧感的西方媒体。

  中国以自己的文化为豪,但对其他国家的文化也抱有好奇心。中国民众真诚地把奥运视为把世界引入中国的美好方式。打开大门却发现被误导的道德蔑视扑面而来,这令人深感受辱。西方媒体和舆论对中国充满一种高高在上的屈尊态度,这就是西方唯一知道的、最适合所有人的态度。

  我,一个在西方受教育的华人,为什么要捍卫一个我并不在其中生活的国家?为什么捍卫一个价值观和我成长中所接受的价值观相当不同的国家?对我而言,这是一个简单的数学问题。20年前,我的父母勉强有能力给我买一个一美元的玩具马作为我在伦敦的第一份圣诞礼物。如今,中国游客涌向对香榭丽舍大街的路易威登(LV)。中国的生活得到很大的改善,而且无论身在何处,中国人都可以为身为中国人而自豪。

  至于民主,何种民主适合中国以及何时能引入中国仍有待观察。只有得到适当机构和成熟文化的支持,民主才是有效的。中国是一个幅员辽阔的国家,习惯于帝制统治,在那里,压抑个人自由以维护整体和谐是可接受的。目前的政府是专制,但它也善于通过快速跟进的改革让国家凝聚在一起。此外,作为一个专制政府,北京拥有无与伦比的行动效率,最近地震后的大规模救援就展示了这一点。

  可能我的意见让我具有成为民族主义者的资格。就个人而言,我一直以为自己在试图理解中国,解释中国人的观点可能是怎样的。我热爱我的国际成长经历,正是因为理解以及尊重多元文化观点帮助我克服误解、尊重他人、解决分歧。悲惨的四川地震已经向世界表明中国民族主义富于同情心的一面。人道精神是它的支撑,把我们所有人连接起来。(原标题:真正的自豪;作者:Jiajia Liu)

评价一下你浏览此帖子的感受

精彩

感动

搞笑

开心

愤怒

无聊

灌水
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  -----  Henry David Thoreau
卡拉 离线
级别: 总版主

显示用户信息 
沙发  发表于: 2008-06-19   
True Pride
By JIAJIA LIU

Just a few weeks ago, the west's view of china was dominated by thuggish torch guards, hypersensitive nationalists and a repressive government. But since the earthquake in Sichuan, the immense state-led rescue effort and the outpouring of charity from the Chinese people has taken center stage. Has the country really changed that much? Not really. The two phenomena on display — nationalism and compassion — are related facets of the vast, multidimensional nation that China is. When it comes to my homeland, I feel them both.

I left China in 1989, just after Tiananmen, when I was 7. My mother and I traveled to London to join my father, a Ph.D. student sponsored by the Chinese government. I grew up in London, and studied as an undergrad in the U.S. before going to Paris for a master's degree. My international education was a product of curiosity and restlessness. I am essentially a Westerner. Yet China has a special place in my identity — and in my heart.

When I first came to London, even the most pro-China overseas students denounced the Chinese government. I quickly swapped my faith in Chairman Mao for a conviction that the West would help the Chinese people advance to liberation and happiness. In school, I was taught to critically examine everything I was told. But I became perplexed by the behavior of the supposedly neutral media. No report of China was ever complete without a mention of Tiananmen; no Chinese interviewee ever had anything positive to say about his or her life. It seemed to me that Western media were exclusively highlighting the worst side of China.

My Western compatriots, normally so skeptical of the media, seemed to buy this depiction of China. Friends would tell me in low, excited tones that they were going to China. Would they be arrested? No, I would say: Chinese criticize the government all the time.

In the case of the protests against the Olympic torch relay, which were sparked by the Tibet crackdown, the angry response of ordinary Chinese was automatically presumed to be stoked by propaganda. The reality is that Chinese people are not a brainwashed bunch. While they may rely more heavily on domestic news sources, they do realize that the information is censored, and many who read English seek Western news. My Western compatriots, in contrast, trust solely in a market-driven Western press that caters to the popular mood and plays on public fears about a rising power culturally different from their own.

China is proud of its culture but also curious about other ones. Chinese people genuinely regard the Olympics as a wonderful way to introduce the world to their home. Opening your doors only to have them flung back in your face with misinformed and misguided moral disdain is deeply insulting. The Western press and public opinion are filled with condescension toward China, and the attitude that the West alone knows what is best for all peoples.

Why do I, a Western-educated Chinese, defend a country in which I don't live, and whose values are quite different from the ones I was raised with? To me, it is a question of simple mathematics. Twenty years ago, my parents could barely afford to buy me a $1 toy horse for my first Christmas present in London. Today, Chinese tourists flock to Louis Vuitton on the Champs Elysées. Life in China has gotten vastly better, and, wherever they are, Chinese can feel proud about being Chinese.

As for democracy, it remains to be seen what kind is suitable for China and when it can be introduced. Democracy is effective only when supported by the appropriate institutions and by cultural maturity. China is a vast country accustomed to imperial rule, where preserving overall harmony by suppressing individual freedoms is accepted. The current government is autocratic, but it is also adept at keeping the nation together by fast-tracking reforms. As an autocracy, moreover, Beijing can act with unparalleled efficiency for good, as shown in the massive rescue operation after the recent earthquake.

Perhaps my views qualify me as a nationalist. Personally, I have always thought of myself as trying to understand China and explain what the Chinese point of view might be. I have loved my international upbringing precisely because understanding — and appreciating — diverse cultural perspectives helps me overcome misconceptions, respect others and settle differences. The Sichuan earthquake, tragic as it was, has shown the world the compassionate face of Chinese nationalism. The human spirit underpins it and connects us all.

(Jiajia Liu is a communications professional working for the WPP Group in London. She last visited China late last year)

  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1813778,00.html
描述:Civic duty Chinese volunteers in the quake zone。  Ian Teh / Panos for TIME
图片:a_essay_patriotism_0623.jpg
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  -----  Henry David Thoreau
水做的鱼 离线
级别: 论坛版主

显示用户信息 
板凳  发表于: 2008-06-19   
卡子,这是你的翻译吧?

高!!!!!
没有人是一座孤岛,可以自全。每个人都是大陆的一片,整体的一部分,……任何人的死亡都是我的损失,因为我是人类的一员。因此,不要问丧钟为谁而鸣,它就为你而鸣。
卡拉 离线
级别: 总版主

显示用户信息 
地板  发表于: 2008-06-19   
引用
引用第2楼水做的鱼于06-19-2008 17:37发表的  :
卡子,这是你的翻译吧?

高!!!!!

不是。我转的,又把原文给找出来对照。
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  -----  Henry David Thoreau
username 离线
级别: 军区司令员
显示用户信息 
地下室  发表于: 2008-06-19   
我认识的美国人里,99.5%对中国是don't know  don't care
描述
快速回复

验证问题:
3 * 6 = ? 正确答案:18
按"Ctrl+Enter"直接提交