发信人: kendya(太阳鱼鱼~~)
整理人: kendya(2004-04-14 14:15:14), 站内信件
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由于我工作的关系接触到一篇老外写的文章
Guangzhou, My Paradise
----Bruce Mcleod
As a Gweilo here in China I am constantly being asked, “ Which city do you like the best?” Well honestly I do not like any city, but there is where the money is and if you are one of those people who is not lucky or born rich then you have to work to survive and save enough to go out into the countryside and hide.
I have traveled the world and the seven seas, seen too many cities and many nice people. Most say that theirs is: The Prettiest, The Cleanest, The Best for Food,The Oldest, The Richest, etc. All these things one wants in the place you call home. Well believe it or not, I think that Guangzhou is the Bee’s Knees. Sure it is not perfect, but then if it was, everyone would come here and then like so many other great places I have seen and are no more.
What do I see in GZ? First and foremost is the revolutionary spirit. In the last 5years I have witnessed a complete change from a dirty, stinking, soulless metropolis that reminded me more of London during the Industrial revolution or Mexico City instead of a place if would want to be. The skies were gray and smelly all day, you could see the air in the street lights at night. Doing business was terrible too, Credit cards and checks were some foreign scam and one always had to have a translator. If you wanted to see an English movie, eat some good western food, see a doctor, go to a concert or art exhibition, you had to go to Hong Kong.
Newcomers to GZ would think I am lying, as the present day GZ is a far cry from what we had to put up with just 5 years ago. These changes have been monumental, swift, well planned and executed. The quality of the air has improved dramatically, why I can see blue skies and stars again and I don’t have to leave the city. I doubt if Mao would swim in the Pearl just now, but every year the local authorities are building more water treatment plants and enforcing their anti-pollution laws. What the local government has done to unlock the urban gridlock is truly amazing. The most modern subway in the world, a brand new ring road, rebuilding and designing the previous congestion spots and last but not least. Traffic Lights and signs! 5 years ago there was all of 2 traffic lights here.
All this in turn makes life here much better when you want to go around the city and sample some of the many new and old sights to see. You cannot count all the new restaurants, bars and clubs that have sprung up. No longer is the Hard Rock Cafe: the only place in town with a good band. The Xinghai Concert Hall is not only one of the best in the world, but musicians from all over the world come here to play. The same can be said for its neighbor, the Guangdong Art Museum, a masterpiece of architecture with exhibits from all over the world. It could easily be world class, if they were to at least use Pinyin on the title cards of the works of art.
When I see all the things you can use with Smart cards and Credit cards makes me smile remembering when I first tried to use my Visa card here, they thought that it was a very nice name card! I no longer need a translator nor picture menu to order or get around town as there are English menus, signs and speakers everywhere these days. There are now English language newspapers, magazines, TV & radio programs, but also no Playboy, yet. Sometimes I am better understood in English than when I try speaking Putonghua here. All the young, up and coming business people speak English which makes doing business all that easier for us Gwielos.
No need to go to HK anymore, the same films get shown here and the profusion of live music here has Hong Kongers coming here to be entertained. Western fast food is here with a vengeance, however fine Western dining still is in a void. Getting ill is always a pain, but now we have several modern Clinics and Hospitals that cater for foreigners.
Housing has exploded on the scene with prices plummeting to reasonable levels. Still need some work on interior design and layout, but as I mentioned before, the revolutionary spirit and the ability to adopt is one of the reasons I know GZ is home.
So now when I get popped the perpetual question, I don’t tell them GZ, I usually say Shanghai or Beijing as I don’t want all those people coming here and messing up my paradise again.
广州，我的天堂
----布鲁斯 迈克里奥德
作为在中国生活的“鬼佬”，我经常会被问到：“你最喜欢哪个城市？”老实说，我没有特别喜欢哪个城市。但是对于一个为了生存而工作的人来说，哪里有钱就去哪里。
我曾经飘洋过海，去过很多的城市，遇到很多和蔼可亲的人。大部分的人都说，拥有最好吃的食物，住在最美丽的地方，这就是我们的家。不管你信不信，我觉得广州是最佳的商务场所。虽然不是完美的地方，但是它每一天都在进步，也许，世界各地的人们都会来到这里，他们象我一样，会爱上广州，会爱上我在这里看到的一切。
我在广州看到了什么？首先必须提到的是革命精神。五年前，广州如同工业革命时期的伦敦和墨西哥城市一样，空气污浊，臭气满天。在这里做生意简直是糟透了，而且还必须找个翻译解决信用卡和支票兑换的问题。如果你想看部英文电影，吃西餐，看医生，听音乐会或者看艺术展的话，那就只好去香港了。
刚来广州的人可能以为我在说谎，因为如今的广州和五前前的广州相比，已经是焕然一新。几年间，广州发生了巨大的变化，生活环境得到改善，空气质量大大提高，河流清澈，绿树成荫。每年，当地政府在珠江两岸种植绿树，强化环保意识。广州还大力改善交通设施，兴建了地铁、内环路，对原来的交通阻塞点进行了维修和改造。
所有的这些建设都极大的改善了市民的生活，同时也为广州旅游增添了新的景点。如今，广州新兴的酒吧、俱乐部已经不计其数。来自世界各地的音乐家们纷纷来到广州，他们在星海音乐厅举行表演。而座落在旁边的广东美术馆也同样举办了来自世界各地的艺术展。
现在，信用卡在广州已经实行联网，走到哪里都可以刷卡。我还记得第一次在广州使用信用卡的时候，服务员竟然把它当作我的名片。随着英语在中国的普及，广州的大街小巷、餐厅酒店也都有了中英文的标示。此外，英文杂志、报纸、电视、电台也随之出现。广州的年轻一代也开始说起英文。一切，对于我们这些做生意的“鬼佬”来说都变得越来越顺利。
现在不必到香港去看英文电影，听现场音乐了，因为在广州也同样可以做到，而且更方便。西方的快餐在广州已经进行了改良，可惜还是不能尝到正宗的西餐。生病总是很痛苦的，但是现在也不用担心了，因为广州已经有为外国人开设的门诊部和医院。
广州的住房价格和质量成正比，但内部的设计和规划还需改进。不过正如我前面提到的，广州人都有一种革命的创新精神和适应能力，这就是我把广州作为我的居住地的原因之一。
所以，当我再次碰到别人问我喜欢哪个城市的问题时，我通常都说上海或者北京，而不说广州，因为我不想所有的人都挤到广州来，我怕他们会破坏我心中的天堂。
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