The Real China Emerges from Clichés and 　　編者按：隨著北京2008年奧運(yùn)會(huì)的臨近，民眾越來(lái)越關(guān)心“中國(guó)”品牌的樹立，學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的熱情也被點(diǎn)燃。越來(lái)越多的外宣干部和業(yè)內(nèi)同行向我們表達(dá)了期待看到雙語(yǔ)欄目的愿望。因此，我們自2006年第1期起開(kāi)辦了《雙語(yǔ)視窗》欄目以滿足廣大讀者的需求。
　　看看周圍的媒體，在《北京青年報(bào)》、《參考消息》、《國(guó)門時(shí)報(bào)》上有許多精粹的短文，像一只只啄木鳥，善意地提醒了中國(guó)人習(xí)以為常的行為背后“尚未和國(guó)際接軌”的細(xì)節(jié)，讀后讓人回味不已。在獲得借鑒意義的同時(shí)，也帶來(lái)更深入的思考。我們效仿中英文對(duì)照的版面形式，旨在通過(guò)外國(guó)友人的視角來(lái)看中國(guó)，從中折射出東西方觀念、習(xí)俗的異同。通過(guò)一篇篇這樣的文章，讓讀者在領(lǐng)略異域文化的同時(shí)，也能達(dá)到學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的目的。
　　我是冷戰(zhàn)思維的產(chǎn)物。20世紀(jì)50年代，大人教給我的，是對(duì)中國(guó)的恐懼。值得慶幸的是，自冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)代至今世界已有了巨大的變化。
　　去年八月我來(lái)到中國(guó)教授美國(guó)憲法，當(dāng)時(shí)我并不知道自己期待的是什么，我之所以來(lái)中國(guó)，是因?yàn)楹闷�，是因�(yàn)橹袊?guó)非常有意思，也因?yàn)橹袊?guó)非常重要。臨行前，當(dāng)人們問(wèn)我為什么來(lái)中國(guó)，我只是說(shuō)：“因?yàn)槟抢锸侵袊?guó)。”
　　富布賴特交流項(xiàng)目給了我來(lái)到中國(guó)的極好機(jī)會(huì)，正如它給予了中國(guó)人及其他國(guó)家的人去美國(guó)的機(jī)會(huì)一樣。雖說(shuō)你是去教書、搞研究，或是深造，但我認(rèn)為真正的目的是加強(qiáng)雙方的理解。我回國(guó)后會(huì)告訴美國(guó)人我所見(jiàn)到的真正的中國(guó)，下面就是我要對(duì)他們說(shuō)的一些內(nèi)容。
　　在中國(guó)，我沒(méi)有見(jiàn)到兒童時(shí)代被告之的“令人害怕的紅色中國(guó)”，也沒(méi)有見(jiàn)到某些西方人預(yù)言的“作為人類本性必然結(jié)果的資本主義中國(guó)”，我見(jiàn)到的是實(shí)實(shí)在在的中國(guó)人。
　　我看到了數(shù)千名工人在建筑工地辛苦地工作，他們中的大多數(shù)來(lái)自農(nóng)村。北京就在我的眼前變化著。在餐館里，我看到來(lái)自各個(gè)階層的人們聊著，喝著，笑著，有時(shí)他們的交談是那么專注，似乎忘記了眼前豐盛美味的食物。
　　我看見(jiàn)人們熱衷于這類日常事情：晨練、晚舞，都是在大街上；我看見(jiàn)人們以堅(jiān)定不移的信念以至幽默感與生活中大大小小的困難作斗爭(zhēng)；人們騎自行車上班，無(wú)論是嚴(yán)寒還是酷暑；交通堵塞時(shí)人們耐心等待，眼瞅著有人用胳膊肘往隊(duì)前擠。
　　我絕不會(huì)忘記中國(guó)婦女(有時(shí)是男人)輕松自如地側(cè)坐在自行車后架上，非常在行地掌握著平衡，不受旁邊馳過(guò)的汽車的影響；還有中國(guó)男人(有時(shí)是女人)一蹲幾個(gè)小時(shí)打撲克(或打麻將)。然而我也絕不會(huì)忘記，就在離我10英尺的地方，我看見(jiàn)一個(gè)女人被捕了。
　　是中國(guó)百姓讓我越來(lái)越喜歡中國(guó)。我最了解的中國(guó)人是我的學(xué)生。他們努力營(yíng)造著自己的生活，力圖理解這個(gè)飛快變化的世界。他們對(duì)我感到好奇，對(duì)我的思想感到好奇。在我的教書生涯中，我從未感到過(guò)自己如此有價(jià)值。
　　我欣賞我的學(xué)生的求知渴望，以及他們勇敢地面對(duì)困難。這些研究生，多數(shù)會(huì)成為律師和公證人，他們5個(gè)人住一間宿舍，沒(méi)有學(xué)習(xí)的空間，而且他們所學(xué)的是難度很大的課程――美國(guó)憲法，還是英文的，對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)這是用外語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)外國(guó)的思想。我試著把語(yǔ)速變慢(但這對(duì)于一個(gè)紐約人來(lái)說(shuō)并不容易做到)，而學(xué)生們則學(xué)著能聽(tīng)得更快。隨著時(shí)間的推移，我們之間的紐帶不斷加強(qiáng)。
　　去年感恩節(jié)的晚上，我獨(dú)自一人坐在公寓里，力圖在這個(gè)總是與家人共度的美國(guó)節(jié)日中不感覺(jué)孤獨(dú)。電話鈴響了。我的學(xué)生們邀我出了門。當(dāng)然，沒(méi)有火雞，但是有好朋友，有北京烤鴨，比火雞更好吃，接著就是用白酒干杯。在北京過(guò)感恩節(jié)，這在過(guò)去對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)真是不可思議的一件事。
　　人們常常說(shuō)，似乎充分的交流就能解決一切問(wèn)題，好像觀點(diǎn)、想法或利益上的區(qū)別就都不存在了，然而很多中國(guó)人與美國(guó)人之間在諸如人權(quán)，美國(guó)導(dǎo)彈防御系統(tǒng)，美國(guó)的“干涉”，宗教自由等問(wèn)題上都存在著爭(zhēng)議，不可能指望這些都化為烏有。
　　然而，相互的友誼與尊重，會(huì)帶來(lái)實(shí)實(shí)在在的回報(bào)，這將培養(yǎng)起人與人之間的紐帶，這種紐帶不會(huì)輕易被某些觀點(diǎn)或國(guó)際的復(fù)雜性，乃至歷史上的傷害與猜忌所化解。當(dāng)雙方的尊重及喜愛(ài)程度得到加強(qiáng)，新事物(雖然并非一切事情)的出現(xiàn)就是可能的。
　　更充分的理解并不意味著就沒(méi)有沖突，但這可以將沖突化小一點(diǎn)。你知道了去聽(tīng)對(duì)方怎樣說(shuō)，去體會(huì)對(duì)方怎樣想，反思你自認(rèn)為是千真萬(wàn)確的事。
　　尊重與理解消融了想妖魔化對(duì)方，認(rèn)為對(duì)方的國(guó)家和人民是萬(wàn)惡之源的欲望。如今當(dāng)你有這種欲望時(shí)，一些實(shí)實(shí)在在的面孔就出現(xiàn)在眼前，他們是你的同事，他們是你的朋友，他們是你的學(xué)生，他們對(duì)你是那么的友好，他們當(dāng)中沒(méi)有敵人的面孔。
　　他們過(guò)去是，現(xiàn)在也是實(shí)實(shí)在在的人，也許他們與你不一樣，但共性卻比你想象的要多得多。如果說(shuō)有什么不同，這種不同也是非常有意思，甚至非常吸引人的。
　　
　　本文作者為紐約Fordham大學(xué)教授，作為富布賴特訪問(wèn)學(xué)者，曾在中國(guó)政法大學(xué)任教。
　　
　　I am a child of the Cold War. During the 1950s, I was taught to fear China. Fortunately, much has changed since then.
　　When I came to China in August 1999 to teach American constitutional law, I didn’t know what to expect. I came because I was curious, because China is so interesting and because China is so important. Before I left, when people in America would ask me why I was going, I would answer simply: “Because it’s China.”
　　The U.S.Fulbright Program gave me an excellent opportunity to come to China, just as it gives Chinese (and other nationals) the opportunity to go to America. Although you go to teach, research or study, the real purpose, I think, is to enhance mutual understanding. When I return home I will tell other Americans about the “real China” I saw. Here is some of what I will say.
　　Rather than seeing the “Red China” I learned to fear as a child, or the “capitalist China” some in the West now predict as the inevitable outcome of human nature, I saw real people.
　　I saw thousands of workers, many of whom were brought in from the countryside, working long and hard at construction. Beijing changed before my eyes. I saw people in restaurants from all walks of life, talking, drinking and laughing. Sometimes they were so engrossed in conversation they seemed to forget the delicious (and abundant) food before them.
　　I saw people heartily enjoying such little things: morning exercises and evening dances, all in the street. I saw people struggling against life’s difficulties, big and small, with perseverance and even good humor. People rode their bicycle to work, in the freezing cold and the blistering heat. Other people patiently sit in traffic. Still others allow some people to nudge ahead of them in line.
　　I will never forget the ease with which Chinese women (and sometimes men) perch themselves side-saddle on the back rack of bicycles, expert in their balance, impervious to cars racing by. Or how Chinese men (and sometimes women) simply squat on their heels and play cards or mahjong for hours.
　　I cannot forget, however, that I also saw a woman get arrested, ten feet from me. I think I know why.
　　The reason I have grown to like China so much is the people. And the people I have come to know the best are my students: students simply trying to make a life for themselves, trying to understand their rapidly changing world, curious about me, and about my ideas. I have never felt more appreciated anywhere I have taught.
　　I admire my students for their desire to learn and the difficulties they brave. Graduate students all, mostly lawyers or notaries, they were housed five to a small dorm room with no space to study. And they were studying a difficult subject, U.S. constitutional law, in English-to them foreign ideas in a foreign language. I learned to speak more slowly (not easy for a New Yorker) and then to listen more quickly. Over time the bonds between us grew.
　　Thanksgiving evening last year I was sitting alone in my apartment, trying not to feel lonely on my national holiday, usually spent with family. The telephone rang. My students swept me out of my house. No turkey, of course, but good friends, and Peking duck, a much tastier bird. Then, “ganbei”with baijiu. Thanksgiving in Beijing, an event unimaginable most of my life.
　　Too often people speak as if good communication can solve all problems, as if real differences of viewpoint, opinion or interests do not exist. There are real disagreements, however, between many Chinese and Americans on issues from human rights, to missile defense systems, to Chinese claims of American “interference”, to ideas about religious freedom.
　　Friendship and mutual respect, however, do bring real rewards. They foster a human bond that cannot easily be dissolved by differences in viewpoint, or the complexity of international affairs or even the hurts and suspicions of history. When mutual respect and liking develop, new things?although not all things?are possible. Better understanding does not render confrontation impossible, but it makes it a little less likely. You learn to hear what others say, feel what they feel, think again about what you were sure you knew.
　　Respect and understandings often the urge to demonize, to insist that another people or nation is the source of all that’s wrong or evil. Now when you have this urge, real faces appear before you. He was your colleague, she was your friend, they were your students and they treated you so well. These are not the faces of the enemy.
　　They were-they are-real people, maybe not just like you, but much more like you than you ever imagined. And when they are different from you, often it is in very interesting, even intriguing ways.省略）
　　責(zé)編：周 瑾

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