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After a hard day studying international politics at Peking University, Valerie Ang Yi Lin kicks back in a cafe.
在北京大學上了一整天的國際政治課之后，瓦萊麗·昂依林找了一個咖啡館坐下來休息。
Ang Yi Lin, 23, a Singaporean of Chinese descent, attended a school for Singaporean Chinese from an early age, which explains her fluent Mandarin. Despite this, she admits hardly knowing anything about China before coming to Peking University. But as China’s economy booms, the “motherland” is catching the attention of ethnic Chinese such as Ang, who were raised elsewhere.
23歲的昂依林是一位華裔新加坡人，自幼就讀于中文學校 ，因此說一口流利的普通話。盡管如此，她仍然承認自己在來北大之前，對中國知之甚少。但隨著中國經濟的發展，“祖國”正吸引著他們這些在外長大的華裔人士的目光。
In the past, the West was the most popular destination for Singaporeans studying abroad. However, in 2005, when Ang was in her third year at junior high school, a “Bicultural Studies Program” was added to the Singapore curriculum, teaching Chinese culture, history, politics and economics. The Singapore government also began handing out scholarships to encourage young people to study in China. With China developing at a breakneck pace, the aim was to raise a generation of Chinese-literate citizens who could contribute to Singapore’s future. The same year saw 20 Singaporean Chinese heading off to study in Beijing. By 2006, this number had increased fivefold.
在過去，西方國家是新加坡人海外留學的首選目標。但2005年，當昂依林讀初三時，新加坡課程中增加了“雙元文化項目”，教授中國文化、歷史、政治和經濟。新加坡政府還通過將獎學金項目來鼓勵年輕人去中國留學。隨著中國的迅猛發展，新加坡政府的目的是培養一代熟悉中國的國民，為新加坡的未來做貢獻。同年，有20名華裔新加坡人來北京留學。截至2006年，這一數字增加了五倍。
Singaporeans receive a Western–style education, so Ang says people of her generation tend to have the same outlook as young people in the West.
新加坡人接受的是西式教育，因此昂依林說她們這一代人與西方的年輕人擁有同樣的觀念。
Ang used to think Chinese people often lacked manners.
她還一度認為中國人通常不講禮貌。
“I couldn’t understand why they didn’t queue properly and tried to push others out of the way,” she says.
她說：“我不明白為什么她們不愛排隊，還試著把別人推出隊伍?！?/div>
After studying in Beijing for four years, though, her outlook has changed slightly. “Once you live in China you understand; with so many people here, you wouldn’t get anywhere if you just queued up politely. I realized that if you want to survive in China, you just have to fight your way through.”
然而，在北京學習了四年，她的世界觀發生了細微的變化?！耙坏┠闵钤谥袊?，你就會明白。中國人實在太多了，如果你僅僅是有序地排隊，你永遠也輪不到。我開始意識到，如果想要生活在中國，你就必須突出重圍?！?/div>
Ang says she is not a fan of everything modern-day China has to offer. “To take one example, China clearly has a problem with air pollution. But Singapore says it needs workers who have lived in China, so if I keep heading down this path, it will position me well for the future. I will have an advantage over others. That’s the main thing for me.” She plans to stay in China for a while after graduating.
昂說她并不盲目追求現代中國提供的任何東西?！芭e例說明，中國存在明顯的空氣污染問題。但新加坡政府說需要曾在中國生活過的員工，所以如果我一直朝著這個方向努力，未來職業發展就很看好。我會比別人有優勢。對我來說，這是主要的事情?！彼媱澁厴I后在中國待上一段時間。
The pull of China’s growing economy can also be felt in Indonesia, where ethnic Chinese are in the minority.
印尼也感受到了中國強勁的發展勢頭，印尼華裔僅占人口的少數。
“I am so happy China is doing well. It makes me feel proud,” says Herman Kasem, 39, a worker at the Indonesian branch of a major Chinese steel company.
今年39歲的赫爾曼·卡薩姆是中國一家大型鋼鐵廠印度尼西亞分廠的工人，他說：“看到中國越走越好，我十分高興，也倍加自豪。”
A fourth-generation immigrant, Herman lived in Jakarta up until university and could speak no Chinese at all. At age 25, he accompanied a sick relative who was going to China to receive long-term treatment at a Beijing hospital. While there, he studied Chinese. On his return to Indonesia two years later, he got a job at a lumber company. When one of his Chinese clients realized Herman could speak Chinese, he was offered a job.
赫爾曼是第四代的移民，從出生到上大學一直居住在雅加達，他不會講任何漢語。25歲那年，他陪同一位生病的親戚準備前往中國北京的一家醫院接受長期治療。就是在那，他學習了漢語。兩年后，他回到印度尼西亞，在一家木材廠找到了工作。赫爾曼的一個中國客戶知道他會講中文，因為這個原因，他得到了這份工作。
Anti-Chinese demonstrations were common in Indonesia under the regime of former President Suharto, who held office for more than 30 years. For a long time, it was forbidden to teach Chinese in schools. Shops owned by ethnic Chinese were also targeted in riots in the late 1990s. Herman recalls being bullied as a child because of his Chinese ancestry. In recent times, though, Indonesia’s rulers have worked hard to improve relations with China.
在印度尼西亞前總統蘇哈托執政的30多年間，印尼的反華游行十分普遍。在相當長的一段時間里，學校是禁止教習漢語的。在20世紀90年代后期，華裔商人開的店也經常遭到攻擊。赫爾曼回想起來，在他孩童時代，還曾因為自己的中國血統被別人欺凌。然而近幾年，印度尼西亞的領導者都在竭力改善同中方的關系。
“Lots of cash is flowing into Indonesia from China and there are now more chances for Indonesian Chinese like me. People won’t look down on me anymore,” he says.
赫爾曼說道：“當前，大量現金正從中國流入印度尼西亞，這就給像我這樣的華裔印度尼西亞人提供了更多的機會。人們不會再輕視我了?！?/div>
| 重點單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| regime | [rei'ʒi:m] |
想一想再看 n. 政體，制度 |
聯想記憶 | |
| slightly | ['slaitli] |
想一想再看 adv. 些微地，苗條地 |
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| understand | [.ʌndə'stænd] |
想一想再看 vt. 理解，懂，聽說，獲悉，將 ... 理解為，認為< |
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| dispatch | [dis'pætʃ] |
想一想再看 v. 派遣，迅速做完，立即處死 |
聯想記憶 | |
| authentic | [ɔ:'θentik] |
想一想再看 adj. 可信(靠)的，真實的，真正的 |
聯想記憶 | |
| spoke | [spəuk] |
想一想再看 v. 說，說話，演說 |
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| forbidden | [fə'bidn] |
想一想再看 adj. 被禁止的 |
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| string | [striŋ] |
想一想再看 n. 線，一串，字串 |
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| inexpensive | [.inik'spensiv] |
想一想再看 adj. 花費不多的，廉價的 |
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| dual | ['dju:əl] |
想一想再看 adj. 雙重的，成雙的 |
聯想記憶 |
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