美版知乎：为什么许多外国人来中国后颠覆了之前在国内所了解的呢

Why do many foreigners who come to China think what they saw is so much different from what they heard at home?

为什么许多来中国的外国人认为他们的见闻颠覆了之前在国内所了解的呢？

以下是Quora读者的评论：

Stefan Dodov, studied at The Ohio State University

After US, I came to my home country and told my ex-boss that I got a job in China, in Shanghai. Her response was what will you do there??? Ants crawl on the walls, dirty and so on… I even thought like that.

在去过美国后，我回到我的祖国，告诉我的前老板我在中国上海找到了一份工作。她的回答是：你要去那儿做什么？蚂蚁在墙上爬，环境脏兮兮，等等……我之前也是这么认为的。

But that's what our western media (propaganda) is doing. If you rely on Hollywood you will believe that USA won in Vietnam because of Rambo, life is wonderful, everyone has unrealistic beauty standard, money grow on the trees and so on.

但那是我们西方媒体(宣传)干的事。如果你只看好莱坞电影，你会相信美国在越南获胜是因为Rambo，生活是美好的，每个人都有不切实际的美丽标准，钱是从树上长出来的等等。

If you see Latin soap shows you would believe that life in Mexico and other S. American countries is beyond wonderful. Plus you might have some rich parent that you don't know off till you are grown up to run the business.

如果你只看拉丁肥皂剧，你就会相信墨西哥和其他南美国家的生活非常精彩。另外，你可能有一些有钱的父母，但在你长大经营企业之前，你对他们的存在一无所知。

Haha. The thing is that China doesn't advertise her potential and the western media has the chance to provide and imagine of China according to the needs of their bosses. If you see the news, the only news shown from China are that of earthquake deaths, poverty, ghost cities, people eating dogs or bugs and miners dying in poor conditions.

哈哈。问题是中国没有宣传自己，西方媒体得以有机会根据老板的需要杜撰和想象中国的一切。如果你看新闻，跟中国相关的新闻不是地震伤亡、贫困、鬼城，就是人们吃狗肉吃虫子，或者矿工因恶劣的工作条件而丧生。

And this creates an image that here is so bad. And than BAM!!! You came to China, trains travel with the speed of 300 km/h, cars not older then 5 years, highways, industry etc… you can do your research. Enjoy China!!!

这严重抹黑了中国的形象。然后砰! ! !你来到中国，发现这里的火车以每小时300公里的速度运行，这里的汽车都是不超过5年的新车，这里的高速公路，这里的工业设施等等，不信你自己来中国看看。好好享受中国之旅哟! ! !

 

Stewart Campbell, lived in China

To be fair, in the media (in my countries of UK, Australia and New Zealand) China is NOT portrayed wrongly. It is well known there just how advanced and modern is China. But perhaps in the USA the media are, as the Donald says, full of “False News”!

公平地说，媒体对(在我们国家，如英国、澳大利亚和新西兰)中国的描绘还算客观。众所周知，中国非常先进，非常现代化。但也许在美国，正如唐纳德所说，媒体上充斥着“假新闻”!

However, in the past, China was indeed less modern and maybe even the way many people still believe it to be.

但在过去，中国确实并没有那么现代化，许多人仍然认为中国还是过去的样子。

The truth is that Asian countires are the new modern advanced places on Earth.

事实是，亚洲国家是地球上摩登的现代先进地区。

I live in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and China - my wife of 6 years is Chinese..

我住在澳大利亚、新西兰、苏格兰和中国——我结婚6年了，妻子是中国人。

Before my first visit to China (about 10 years ago) I expected the countryto be rather backward and maybe dirty. And, in fact, at that time, the city where I now spend a lot of time (and I am in Foshan, Guangdong as I write this) was not much better than I expected. Visibility was about a half kilometer. I remember a bridge near where I stayed (a Hotel in Foshan) - I could only ever see half way across it though it was less than a km long.

在我第一次访问中国(大约10年前)之前，我认为这个国家相当落后，也许还很脏。事实上，我现在经常去的那个城市(写这篇文章的时候我在广东佛山)并没有比我想象的好多少。能见度只有大约半公里。我记得我住的地方附近(佛山的一家酒店)有一座桥，虽然不到一公里长，但我只能看到桥的一半。

But I have been returning to China every year since. And every year I see improvements and advancement. Now, there is no pollution and I can see for many many kms in clear air. The roads have almost no motorcycles at all (and I haven’t seen a scooter since I arrived a week ago). The cars are nearly all quality cars and fairly new, and the roads are now quite busy. The driving standard has still a way to go - but is a million times better than it was. The shops, the malls etc are better than any I know in UK, NZ or Australia. I dont know all of USA - been mainly to the Western states, and been in all of those in or to West of Rockies - the standard of shops, malls, buildings, homes, railways and pretty much everywhere you look, is vastly superior in China. Do the people of USA realise just how backward their nation is compared to modern China??

但从那以后，我每年都会回中国。每一年我都看到中国的进步。现在这里没有污染，空气很干净，能见度有数公里。道路上几乎没有摩托车(而且自从我一周前到达后就再也没见过电动车了)。路上的车几乎都是质量很好的新车，道路现在也很繁忙。驾驶规范还有很大的进步空间，但已经比过去好了一百万倍了。那里的商店、商场等比我所知道的英国、新西兰或澳大利亚的任何一家都好。我对美国整体情况不太了解——我基本上去的都是西部各州，也去过落基山脉西部西部的所有州——比起这些地方的商店、商场、建筑物、住宅、铁路以及几乎你目力所及的一切，中国都要优越得多。美国人意识到他们的国家与现代中国相比有多落后吗？

I have now travelled in complete silence, smoothly at 325 km/hr on one of the high speed trains. I have witnessed how well dressed, modern and polite the people there are. How clean are the streets. How safe from crime I feel (what a difference from USA!!)

我现在是在绝对的安静中出行，搭乘着以每小时325公里的速度平稳运行的高铁。我亲眼看到那里的人穿得有多么讲究，多么时髦，那里的人多么有礼貌。街道多么干净啊。我觉得自己是如此的安全(与美国实在太不同了!!)

I recently spoke to an old friend to say that I was off to China again. And made some comments about how great the place now is and so modern. She looked a little quizzed and said she imagined China was big polluted cities linked with fields of poor peasants working in the paddy fields. I had to laugh!! But really, it is sad!

最近我和一位老朋友聊天，说我又要去中国了。我还说了中国现在有多棒，多现代化。她看上去有点困惑，说她想象中的中国就是污染严重的大城市，城市周围都是在稻田里干活的贫苦农民。我笑了!!但真的，这很悲哀!

 

Dawei Chen,

You’d expect to see Kung Fu everywhere:

You’d actually see a massive working class with no one knows Kung Fu pretty much:

You’d expect to see traditional architectures everywhere:

You’d actually see crap loads of skyscrapers with few traditional architectures:

You’d expect heavy pollution:

You’d actually see most places in China are pollution free:

You’d expect everything to be dirt cheap:

You’d actually see real estate here is a fvcking joke (forget houses, apartments cost millions):

You’d expect Chinese food to be all like this:

Well, if you try a different dish everyday, you’d die without trying all of them:

你可能以为会看到无处不在的功夫:

可你看到的是一个庞大的工人阶级，没有人真的懂功夫:

你可能以为会看到随处可见的传统建筑:

可你看到的是一堆跟传统毫无关系的摩天大楼:

你可能以为会看到严重的污染:

可你会发现中国大部分地方都没有污染:

你可能以为所有的东西都非常便宜:

你会发现这里的房地产是个天大的笑话(别说别墅了，单单一套公寓都价值数百万美元):

你可能以为中国菜都是这样的:

好吧，如果你每天都尝试不同的菜，你在闭眼前也没办法全都尝过一遍

 

Jonri Purwak,

I think it’s because the image of China in some countries is associated with cheap products that usually break down easily. For some people, Made in China sign is a warning. I was one of those people who think that China is backward, poor, dirty. A friend of mine visited his relatives in China and he told me of how developed China is. I laughed at him and thought he was exaggerating.

我认为这是因为在某些国家，中国的形象与廉价产品联系在一起了，而这些廉价产品通常很容易坏。对有些人来说，“中国制造”的标志就是一种警报。我曾经也是那种认为中国落后、贫穷、肮脏的人。我的一个朋友拜访了他在中国的亲戚，他告诉我中国有多么发达。当时我还嘲笑了他，认为他夸大其词了。

When I first I came to Shenzhen, I was really impressed of how modern the city is. Some parts are dirty, but the CBD areas are impressive. The Made-In-China elevators and escalators work properly without flaw. The infrastructures are just like developed countries and the quality is comparable. The sidewalks don’t crack or cripple away like in my country. The roads in CBD areas are very smooth like any developed cities.

当我第一次来到深圳时，这座城市的现代化给我留下了深刻的印象。有些地方时很脏，但中央商务区却令人印象深刻。中国制造的电梯和自动扶梯正常运转，不会发生故障。基础设施和发达国家一样，质量也差不多。人行道也不会像我们国家的道路那样开裂或毁损。中央商务区的道路和其他发达城市一样平整。

Then 3 years later I went to Beijing and I was impressed with the city’s development. Shenzhen was okay, but Beijing is a beautiful city. I used to think the Chinese have very bad taste, but after visiting Beijing and several towns, I learned that Chinese art and architecture are amazing. As an ethnic-Chinese myself, I never realized that Chinese culture can be this beautiful. I was told by my tour guide that I came at the right time because there was no air pollution during my visit, so my first impression might be different if there was smog.

三年后我去了北京，这座城市的发展给我留下了深刻的印象。深圳很不错，但是北京真的是座美丽的城市。我曾经认为中国人的品味很差，但在参观了北京和几个城镇后，我发现中国的艺术和建筑令人惊叹。作为一个华裔，我从来没有意识到中国文化可以如此美丽。我的导游告诉我，我来的正是时候，因为在我参观期间没有空气污染的问题，所以如果有雾霾，我的第一印象可能又会有所不同了。

Shanghai is very clean and highly developed. The Made-In-China bullet trains worked smoothly without flaw. There was this American couple from New York at my tour group who didn’t seem to look impressed and they complained that China is dirty and Shanghai is not impressive. I went to New York 3 years later, only to findout that New York is so dirty and backward compared to Shanghai. I have no idea what they were talking about. But the other American tourists seemed to be impressed by China. An old guy told me that he’s been around the US but he has never been to such an advanced place like Shanghai.

上海非常干净而且高度发达。中国制造的高铁运行平稳，毫无瑕疵。我参加的旅行团中有一对来自纽约的美国夫妇，他们看起来并没有对中国留下什么好印象，他们抱怨说中国很脏，上海也不怎么样。三年后我自己去到纽约，却发现与上海相比，纽约是如此的肮脏和落后。我不知道他们当时在瞎瞎逼逼什么。但其他美国游客似乎都对中国印象深刻。一个老人告诉我，他几乎走遍了美国周围的国家，但从来没有到过像上海这样先进的地方。

 译文来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/49688.html 译者：Joyceliu

 

Kim Iskyan, Co-Founder & Publisher, Stansberry Churchouse Research

People who have never been to China – especially from the west – usually have a negative image about the country. That’s because there’s a lot of misperception about China.

从未到过中国的人，尤其是来自西方的人，通常都对中国有着负面的印象。这是因为人们对中国有很多误解。

From its “ghost cities”, zombie companies, slowing economic growth and pollution problem – there’s a steady stream of negative news about the country – especially in the west. And that often obscures the absolutely extraordinary things that going on in China.

从“鬼城”、皮包公司、到经济增长放缓和污染问题——关于中国的负面新闻源源不断——尤其是在西方。这往往掩盖了中国正取得的非凡成就。

When you visit and take the time to understand what’s really going on in China, you find out that China is leading the world in many ways.

Here are just a few examples…

当你访问中国，并花时间了解了中国的真实情况后，你会发现中国在很多方面都是世界领先的。

这里我举几个例子……

China is taking the mantle of globalization

China’s middle class boom

China’s technology is better than you think

China’s fintech sector is leading the world

中国正在接过全球化的衣钵

中国中产阶级欣欣向荣

中国的科技比你想象的要好

中国的金融科技行业正在引领世界

 

Chan Roberts, lives in China (2014-present)

All media are propaganda!

所有的媒体都是宣传!

When I first came to China in 2014, I had no idea what to expect because, frankly, I don’t pay attention to the media morons. They all have an agenda and I expect them to choose and spin stories to suit their agenda. At least here in China they’re open about it by stating clearly that the media exist to serve the Co-ist Party of China.

当我2014年第一次来到中国的时候，我不知道会发生什么，因为坦率地说，我不关注那些白痴媒体。他们都有自己的目的，我理解他们是根据自己的意图来选择和编造故事。至少在中国，他们是开诚布公的。

Anyway, I had no expectations when I came here. I’ve only lived in “small” cities (by Chinese standards, population around 5 million) here. Yet, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed living here. Public transportation even in these small cities is as modern as anything I’ve experienced back home in the US. Roads, for the most part, are in much better condition than my home city of Buffalo, NY. I have yet to find much of the “Chinese food” you find in American Chinese restaurants in the West, but the food here in China is even better, depending in one’s personal preferences. Train travel is amazingly inexpensive (even more so if you don’t take the high-speed trains).

不管怎么说，我来这里的时候并没有抱什么期望。我只在“小”城市生活过(按中国标准，人口约500万)。但我非常喜欢住在这里。即使在这些小城市，公共交通也和美国一样现代化。在很大程度上，道路状况比我的家乡纽约州布法罗还要好得多。我在西方的美国中餐馆里没能找到很多“中国菜”，但根据个人喜好，这里的中国菜更好吃。坐火车旅行出奇的便宜(如果你不坐高铁的话就更便宜了)。

When locals ask me what I think of China, I tell them “there’s good and bad everywhere” and that’s true whether you’re in the “developed” Western countries, in China, or somewhere else. There are things about China I will never get used to, like children using the sidewalk as a toilet; but with the right mindset, you learn to adapt and you learn to understand that China is not like back home and we should not expect it to be.

当地人问我对中国的看法时，我告诉他们“每个地方都有好的和坏的”，这是真的，不管你是在“发达”的西方国家，在中国，还是别的什么地方。有些关于中国的事情我永远都不会习惯，比如孩子们把人行道当成厕所;但是有了正确的心态，你就会学会适应，你就会明白中国不像我们的祖国，我们也不应该期望它会是这样。

 

William Gary, works at Government

I think people hear the negatives much more than the positives.

Are their negatives about the United States, of course there are, and many.

我认为人们听到的负面消息要比正面消息多得多。

他们对美国有负面看法，当然有，而且很多。

Is it true you can’t drink the water in China, for the most part yes. Is it true that there is a lot of pollution, for the most part yes. And, there are many more negatives. However, the Chinese people are working on them. Fewer people smoking, few people spitting (laws in big cities).

在中国，水是不能喝的吗？在很大程度上是的。污染真的很厉害吗？在很大程度上是的。而且，还有更多负面的事。然而，中国人民正在为此努力。吸烟的人少了，随地吐痰的人少了(大城市制订了法律)。

As a yearly visitor to China I thoroughly enjoy the country. The country is rich in it’s 4,000 year history. I find the people to be very accommodating or at the very least treated as an equal. The more time you spend in China the negatives get smaller and the positives larger.

作为每年都会来中国的游客，我非常喜欢这个国家。这个国家有着4000年的丰富历史。我发现那里的人非常乐于助人，或者至少我受到了平等的对待。你在中国待的时间越长，负面观感就越小，正面印象就越大。

Like anything, the more you learn about it the better. A history as long as China’s provides a firm foundation for the country. You can feel that over there.

就像其他事情一样，你对它了解得越多越好。中国悠久的历史为这个国家提供了坚实的基础。去到中国后，你就可以感觉到。

 

Ngoc Diep Hoang, former Worked and Lived in Vietnam

Well, I had some beautiful thoughts about China through pictures of advanced cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen before visiting this country.

嗯，在访问中国之前，我通过一些一线城市的图片，比如上海和深圳，对中国有了一些美好的想法。

And I gradually changed my views since I started to visit China as a businessman-cum-tourist.

自从我开始以商人兼游客的身份访问中国后，我逐渐改变了我的看法。

Through the poor services by the 5-star hotel's staff to the price-hacking vendors, and more important the working and living conditions of workers in various gigantic factories and dormitories near these two cities, including Foxconn, etc. I realise that there are extreme opposite living conditions: extremely rich and extravagant vs extremely poor and hopeless.

因为五星级酒店的工作人员对砍价的客户态度恶劣，更重要的是在这两个城市附近各种大型工厂和宿舍的工人的工作和生活条件，包括富士康等在内。我意识到中国存在着极端相反的生活条件：极度富裕奢侈与极度贫穷绝望。