在去过中国之后，你改变了对这个国家的看法了吗？ [美国媒体]

Did you change your mind about China after you actually visited the country?

在去过中国之后，你改变了对这个国家的看法了吗？



回答一：

Joel Gelb, I travel too much. But I can't get enough of it.
Answered 8h ago
Yes, I sure did.

是的，我改变了自己对中国的看法。

While not explicitly, Americans are being fed a biased view on China. Assuming similarities to the Soviet Union or other dictatorial and/or communist countries.

尽管不是很明确，但美国人的确被灌输了对中国的偏见。有点类似于对苏联或其他独裁和（或）共产主义国家的偏见。

So when I came home after my first trip, I got asked:

所以当我在第一次拜访中国之后回到家里时，我被问到：

How were you not afraid strolling the streets late at night?

“深夜的时候你在街上闲逛不会害怕吗？”

Well, bad news for all you proud Americans, but it actually felt more safe than roaming the streets of New York City.

好吧，对于你们这些骄傲的美国人来说，这是一个坏消息，但在中国的街头闲逛真的比在纽约街头闲逛安全得多。

I knew the chance of getting hurt in gun violence or robbed at gunpoint is very low compared to the US.

我知道在中国，因为枪支暴力或枪械抢劫而受伤的机会相比于美国要低很多。

China has very strict gun laws.

中国有着非常严格的枪支管控法律。

In 2012, the average firearms per 100 people was 88.8 in the US vs . only 4.9 in China. Source: Gun homicides and gun ownership listed by country

在2012年，美国平均每百人拥有的枪支数量为88.8，相比之下中国仅为4.9。信息来源：《各国的持枪杀人率与枪支持有率》

And the results are unsurprisingly like this:

所以结果成为下面这样就毫不奇怪了：

Source: Interactive Map and Charts on the Global Burden of Armed Violence

信息来源：《全球武装暴力交互式图表》

 

图表数据：
美国（2010年至2015年的平均数据）
因暴力死亡人数 14154人 死亡率4.5% 来源：轻武器研究机构
因冲突死亡人数 0
故意杀人死亡人数 14154人 死亡率4.5% 来源：轻武器研究机构基于全国警察的数据
枪杀死亡人数  8592人 死亡率 2.7% 来源：联邦调查局
女性杀人受害者 2791人 死亡率 1.8% 来源：联邦调查局

vs.
 

图表数据：
中国（2010年至2015年的平均数据）
因暴力死亡人数 11762人 死亡率0.9% 来源：轻武器研究机构
因冲突死亡人数 0
故意杀人死亡人数 11762人 死亡率0.9% 来源：轻武器研究机构基于联合国毒品和犯罪问题办事处的数据
枪杀死亡人数  619人 死亡率 0.0% 来源：世界卫生组织
女性杀人受害者 5259人 死亡率 0.8% 来源：世界卫生组织

Doesn’t the government own all factories, I mean that’s what communism is, no?

中国政府不是拥有所有的工厂吗？我的意思是这不就是共产主义，难道不是吗？

Actually no.

事实上不是这样的。

Almost all small businesses are wholly privately owned.

几乎所有的小型企业都归私人所有。

Then how is it communistic? I don’t understand or pretend to understand how their economic philosophy works. I’ll study it when I have more time.

那么它的共产主义体现在哪里？我不知道，也不会假装了解他们的经济哲学是怎样运作的。当我有更多时间的时候，我将会研究一番。

And so on on and on and on.

如此等等。

Questions like do they hate Americans or is the government monitoring whatever you do are all questions asked by the misinformed masses who only hear about China when there’s a diplomatic squabble with the US.

那些只有在与美国发生外交争端时才会听说中国的被错误信息所误导的普罗大众只会问出像“他们恨美国人吗”或“中国政府是否在监控你所做的一切”之类的问题。

But in fact, the typical Chinese doesn’t care much about international politics and doesn’t hold any grudges against Americans the way you see it play out on the international arena between the politicians or the military of these two countries.

但事实上，典型的中国人并不会太在乎国际政治，也不会对美国人在国际舞台上的行事风格有太多抱怨——即便是当这两个国家在政治或军事领域发生摩擦的时候。

Their culture is very rich, interesting and fun.

他们拥有着丰富、有趣和好玩的文化。

Yes, people laugh in China too. And maybe even more than in the United States.

是的，在中国，人们也会欢笑，甚至可能比美国人还要多。

Both, regular citizens and the police are very friendly and treat others with respect.

普通民众和警察都非常友善，相互之间充满了尊重。

In short: Most that you read or watch about China are either overhyped or inaccurate.

简而言之：你读到的或看到的大部分关于中国的信息或是言过其实，或是不甚准确。

But.. there’s one fact about China that is true by all means:

但是，有一个有关中国的事实是千真万确的：

The Great Firewall of China

中国的GFW

This is real. I couldn’t believe it.

这是真实存在的。太难以置信了。

The moment I landed for the first time - I did what the typical traveler would do:

当我在中国着陆的第一时间，我做了典型的旅行者会做的一件事：

Turn my phone on and tap on the…

打开我的手机，然后点开……

Gmail app to check email after a long flight. Bam.. doesn’t work

Gmail的应用，以在长途跋涉之后查收一下邮件。然而它却无法工作

Google Translate to ask directions in Chinese from airport staff. No

让谷歌翻译用中文询问从机场出发怎么走？不行。

Hangouts app to call home family etc. Nopes

用Hangouts应用给家里打电话？不行。

Google Maps to find my way to the hotel. Off.

用谷歌地图找前往酒店的路？显示下线。

Uber (back when they still operated in China) - well, it runs on Google Maps so forget about that.

使用优步（当时它在中国仍然可以使用）？好吧，它用的是谷歌地图，所以忘了这件事吧。

Google Drive to access work files. Also a big no.

用谷歌Drive获取工作文件？还是不行。

Chrome Remote Desktop to log in remotely to work PC. That’s Google, so no.

用Chrome远程工作平台来远程登陆我的工作电脑？这是谷歌应用，所以不行。

And so on with many useful apps that I use daily (or rather hourly) were totally off limits. And so were YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google Photos etc. - not to mentions that the phone as a whole was buggy because it runs android and you guessed it….. is also a Google Product…

除此之外，还有很多我日常使用的（甚至是每时每刻都要用的）应用完全受到了限制。Youtube、推特、脸书、谷歌电话等等都是如此。更不要提整部手机就是一个问题，因为它运行的是安卓系统，你猜猜看，它也是谷歌的产品。

It makes life very difficult for a westerner used to it - and I hate it. Sometimes I try to have a overnight connection in Hong Kong so I spend one night less in the mainland so I can have full free internet access.

这让一个西方人使用起来非常困难，我痛恨这一点。有时候，我会试着在香港过夜，这样我就会在大陆少待一晚上，可以有充分自由的网络连接。

But what is interesting is that most Chinese don’t really mind it. They have their copycat versions of basically anything we have - and sometimes they’re even better at it.

但有趣的是大部分中国人并不在乎这一点。他们拥有着我们所在使用的几乎任何应用的山寨版本，有时候他们甚至做得更好。

Take for example WeChat. It has almost anything you can imagine. Chat, shopping, food and more.

比如微信，它包括了你所能想象到的任何东西。聊天、购物、食物，还有更多的东西。

They have QQ for communicating and Baidu for basically everything Google does….

他们还会使用QQ进行联络，用百度来做谷歌所做的所有事情……

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回答二：

D Mehta, PhD Candidate at Nanyang Technological University
Answered Sun
I think there is a very biased and incorrect view about traveling in China generally. I am an Indian who is currently residing in Singapore and had a chance of visiting China (Beijing, Wuzhen, and Shanghai) for a period of two weeks in September, 2017. I will list all the myths which got busted during my trip based on ‘my’ experiences.

我认为关于在中国旅行普遍存在着非常有倾向性和错误的观点。我是一个印度人，现在居住在新加坡，在2017年9月的时候，我有机会在中国待了两周时间。我会基于“自己的”经历，列出那些在我的旅行中被戳破的不实之言。

1、Basic information not in English - This is a very common perception before any one travels to China that all the information is in Mandarin and it is very difficult to get around places all alone. Even my Chinese colleagues in Singapore warned me about the same. So, I prepared myself for such a scenario and downloaded the most effective translators, made some Chinese notes, etc. On the contrary while I was traveling, I rarely had to look at these notes or ask for directions to someone. The buses, subways, ‘most’ of the good restaurants have everything mentioned in Chinese along with the English. Even the announcements in subways and buses about the next stations are in English. So, you can roam around as you normally may in your home country.

1、基本信息都不是使用英文标出的——任何人在访问中国之前，一般都认为那里的所有信息都是使用中文标注的，很难自己独力游览各个地方。即便是我在新加坡的同事都这样警告我。所以，我预先就这一场景做了准备，下载了最有效的翻译软件，做了一些中文便签。但是当我前去中国的时候，情况却与此相反，我很少得去依靠这些便签，或者向其他人询问方向。公交车、地铁、“大部分”不错的餐馆都会中英文并用。即便是地铁和公交车提醒下一站都会用到英文。所以，你可以四处晃荡，就像在你自己的国家一样。

2、Pollution level too high - This depends upon the time of the year you visit China. I visited in September which is usually the best time to visit China. The skies were blue and clear. And the weather was just perfect and blissful to roam around. No need to wear mask. Take a look at this pic of Summer palace, Forbidden City, and Great wall to get an idea of the weather in September. Normally, the apt time to visit China is during August - November. However, I would very much like to see those palaces and great wall covered in snow during winters.

2、污染非常严重——这取决于你是在一年的什么时候访问中国的。我在9月份访问中国的，这通常是访问中国的最佳时间段。天空很蓝，很干净。天气非常好，非常适合四处闲逛。也没有戴口罩的必要。看看颐和园、紫禁城和长城的照片，你就能够了解九月份的天气一般是怎样的。访问中国的最恰当时期是8月与9月期间。然而，我也非常喜欢在冬季下雪的时候去看看这些皇宫和长城。

 

Forbidden City

紫禁城

 

Great Wall

长城

 

Summer Palace

颐和园

3. Theft or cheat by common people - This is utterly rubbish even if you have a slightest doubt it. I think I have found the Chinese people most friendly and honest people I have met in my life. The people in China are more concerned with their own things and don't mind the business of other people especially the foreigners. The above characteristic is what the most I like about them. I hardly received any stares or questions from the common people. The subway staff, bus staff, even random common people were very friendly and tried to help me with their limited English as much as they can. The “official” taxi drivers are honest and extremely professional too. You can roam around any parts of Beijing and Shanghai at any point of time at night without any fear.

3、会被普通人偷窃或诈骗——即便你有丝毫的怀疑，也要知道这是彻头彻尾的胡说八道。我认为中国人民是我一生中所碰到过的最友好和最诚实的人。中国人更加关注他们自己的事情，而不在乎其他人——特别是外国人的事情。上述的这种性格也是我最喜欢的一点。普通人几乎不会瞪着我看，或者问我问题。地铁上的乘客、公交车上的乘客，甚至是偶然碰到的普通人都非常友好，他们试图用自己水平非常有限的英语尽可能地帮助我。“正式的”出租车司机非常诚实，也非常职业。你能够在深夜时分在北京和上海的任何一个地区闲逛，而不用担心害怕会遇到任何危险。

4. Food problems - If you are a pure vegetarian, this may be a bit of a problem. But nowadays pure vegetarian food is also available at many places in China. Personally, Chinese food is my favorite. If you are in Beijing, do give a try at the Wanfunjing street, Nanluoguxiang, and especially the Peking duck will surely make you high.

4、食品安全问题——如果你是一个纯粹的素食主义者，可能会遇到一些问题。但现在纯粹的素食饭菜在中国的很多地方都有提供。就我个人而言，中国的食物是我的最爱。如果你在北京，千万要去王府井大街、南锣鼓巷试一试，特别是北京烤鸭，它一定会让你非常满意。

Some remote and not so famous places in China are very peaceful, serene, and beautiful. One of the places I visited is Wuzhen. I have posted some pics here of the water town Wuzhen here.

在中国，即便是一些偏远的或者是不那么出名的地区也非常安全、宁静和美丽。我去过的一个地方叫做乌镇。我在这里放几张水乡乌镇的照片。

 

 

 

 

Wuzhen (above 4 pics)

乌镇（上面四张照片）

I think if the above pics do not arise your desire to visit China, I can't say what would.

我想，如果上面的这些照片都没有办法激发你游览中国的欲望，那么我就不知道什么可以了。

In brief, based on my experience, China is one of the best countries I have visited so far and would like to visit again in future and also explore different cities and villages.

简而言之，基于我的体验，中国是我迄今为止去过的最好的国家之一，我以后还将会再次拜访中国，回去探索不同的城市和乡村。

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回答三：

Miriam Katz, worked at Henan University of Technology (2014-2015)
Answered Mon
I spent 9 months in China a few years ago, teaching at a university. I was there with my then fiancee. There are things I love there, but mostly I found it difficult to live there. I was expecting that there might be some kind of underground or alternative movement, but I couldn’t find one. Travelling around the country is pretty stressful. I got stared at so much because of being white and had my photo taken many, many times without giving my permission. My fiancee was chided for using his chopsticks “the wrong way.” I was once on a night train and I wasn’t given a bed, despite paying for one. There were so many people crowded over this poor woman who was providing tickets for beds. I had to shove my passport in her face to compete with everyone else. Once when I was on the bus, I tried to ask the driver when we would stop to use a bathroom and he waved me away from him. Not fun. I really liked my job, but my experiences there were very challenging. I was in the central/northern part of the country and I’d like to see the south someday, but I’m in no rush.

几年前，我在中国呆了九个月时间，在一所大学中教书。我在那里与我当时的未婚妻共度了这段时光。我很喜欢中国的有些东西，但基本上来说，我发现自己很难在那里生活下去。我曾经期待那里有些地下组织之类的运动，但没有发现一个。在这个国家旅游是一件令人神经紧张的事情。我被很多人盯着看，这只是因为我是个白人，他们还要与我合照，非常多的合照，都没有得到我的许可。我的未婚妻因为“错误地”使用筷子而遭到了则被。我曾经搭乘过夜班的火车，尽管买到了卧铺票，但我却没有获得一张床位。当时有非常多的人围着一个提供床位票的女人。我曾经试图将我的护照塞到她面前，同其他人争抢获得床位的机会。有一次搭乘公交车时，我试图询问司机何时可以停车，这样我可以去一趟卫生间，但他却挥着手要我离他远点。这一点都不有趣。我真的喜欢我的工作，但我在中国的经历是非常有挑战性的。我当时身处这个国家的中北部地区，我想着有一天去中国南方看一看，但我并不着急。

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回答四：

Alex Eady, I was in Shanghai and Beijing for a few weeks in 2016
Answered Jun 2
Oh yes!

噢，是的！

My concerns traveling to China were typical for first-time visit to a country.

我对于前往中国的各种担忧在首次拜访另一个国家的人中是非常典型的表现。

Could I get around (not being fluent in any of the local languages)?

我不会不寸步难行（因为不能熟练掌握任何一种当地语言）？

Would I find good food?

我能够找到好吃的食物吗？

Would I get ripped off?

我会被抢劫吗？

Would I be safe?

我会安然无恙吗？

My concerns quickly evaporated.

我的这些担忧很快就不复存在了。

Signs were well marked; many in English, but with a little effort it is possible to distinguish place names. The subway in Beijing was super affordable and announced every stop in multiple languages. Train stations and airports always had agents who spoke multiple languages (and signage to show where they were).

各种标志都很清楚；其中很多是用英文标记的，不过你需要稍微花点心思才能区分地名。背景的地铁超级便宜，每站都会用不同的语言报站。火车站和机场都有能讲多种语言的巩固走人员（还有显示他们在哪里的标志）。

Food everywhere was delicious. I am not a picky eater, so I took whatever was offered. Street food was wonderful in Shanghai. Local cooking in Beijing tended towards spicy (some local boys thought it was really funny how RED I turned when eating it - the food was magically hot! - they took pictures with me).

各地的食物都非常美味。我不是一个挑食的人，所以有什么我就能吃什么。上海的街头食品非常棒。北京当地的食物偏辣（当地的一些男孩认为我吃辣之后脸变红是一件非常有趣的事情——这种食物真的是不可思议地火热！他们还拍了当时我的囧样！）

If I got ripped off, I'll never know. Everything was reasonably priced. Prices were usually marked. As far as I could tell I was paying what the locals paid.

如果我曾经被诈骗过，那可能我永远都不会知道这件事。这里的所有东西都有定价。价格往往都会标出来。所以一直以来我都知道我和当地人付的是一样的价钱。

I never felt unsafe anywhere in China.

在中国的任何地方，我从来都不会觉得不安全。

Correction - I prayed to every God I could name when I was taking taxis.

更正：但是在搭出租车的时候我会祈祷各种神。

Aside from the taxis I never felt unsafe. I was very obviously a foreigner in this country, but was never targeted or in a situation that felt uncomfortable. I was never out alone late at night (I wouldn't do this in any city I didn't know). My travelling companion, who had been to China many times and spoke fluent Cantonese and some Mandarin, did have a cab driver try to extort him for money, but he knew where he was and got out and walked away.

除开出租车，我从来都不会觉得不安全。在这个国家，我作为一个外国人是很显眼的，但我从来没有被针对过，或陷入一个让人感觉不舒服的局面当中。在深夜，我从来不会单独一人出去（我不会在任何一个我不熟悉的城市中这么做）。我的旅行伴侣来过中国非常多次，能够讲流利的广东话和一些普通话，曾经有一个出租车司机想要勒索他的钱，但他知道自己身在何处，并且直接打开车门走了出来。

In all, I was nervous going to China, but I quickly fell in love with the country and I would love to go back again for much longer.

总而言之，我曾对前往中国感到紧张，但我很快爱上了这个国家，时间越长，我就越想回去。

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回答五：

Don Schultz, former Management Position
Answered Sep 25
The first time I visited China was in February 2004 it was just a cross border day trip from Hong kong to Shenzhen.

我第一次访问中国是在2004年2月，当时只是从香港到深圳的跨境一日游。

My first impression was “Wow” because the city was all brand new and on the surface seems super modern, however I soon realized all was not perfect!

我的第一印象是“哇”，因为这座城市是崭新的，表面上看来是超级现代化的，然而我马上就意识到不是所有的一切都是完美的！

People seem to be targeting me because I was a westerner, trying to sell me things I had no interest in, although I never felt really unsafe or concerned and for the most part the people were fairly kind.

人们似乎都盯着我看，因为我是一个西方人，他们试图向我出售一些我毫无兴趣的东西，尽管我从来没有真的觉得不安全或担忧过，因为大部分的人都很善良。

But walking around I noticed drivers had little reguard to traffic laws(like in the US) nobody would stop for red lights or pedestrians or anything I was amazed that they didn't all crash into each other, but they seem to kinda just blend into seemingly chaotic stream and waves of pedestrians would simply jump back when cars came at full speed and all the cars would honk there horns constantly!

但是在我四处闲逛的时候，我注意到汽车司机几乎完全不遵守交通法规（就像在美国那样），没有人会在红灯亮起或有行人过马路的时候停下来，我很惊讶他们竟然不会撞在一起，但他们就这样随便地插入到了看似混乱的车流与人流当中，只有在碰到有车辆全速驶来的时候，他们才会跳回去，所有的车辆都会不断地摁喇叭，发出刺耳的声响！

This all started driving me crazy! I remember when I finally got back across the border to Hong kong almost kissing the ground in relief!

这几乎要让我疯掉了！我记得当我最终回到香港一边时，我差点因为解脱了而亲吻地面！

However despite this first impression I have probably retured to China 12 times since,I find its really starting to grow on me !

然而尽管留有这种第一印象，但我在此之后还是重返了中国12次之多，我发现自己越来越喜欢它了！

The food is great and People are although not seemingly overly friendly have very kind of hearts!

中国的食物非常棒，尽管人们表面看起来不是很友好，但真的都是热心肠！

The country is very progressive and the government takes action quickly to alleviate problems.

整个国家都在蓬勃发展，政府解决问题的速度非常快。

Environmentally China is a World leader in cleaning there footprint! Im now so Im impressed with there achievements, that I only can talk positively about this great country

在环境方面，中国是降低碳排放量的世界领导者。我对这些成就印象深刻，因此只能对这个国家赞赏有加。
And even the last time I was in Shenzhen a Driver actually stop for me to allow to cross the street:)

而且当我最后一次前往深圳时，一名司机竟然停下了车等我横穿马路。

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回答六：

Rohan Dasika, Lived in Nanjing, China for 4 months
Answered 9h ago
Yes, absolutely.

是的，绝对是这样的。

I was studying Mandarin at Nanjing University for a few months and had the opportunity to stay with a host family. My main concerns were…

我曾经在南京大学学过几个月的普通话，因此有机会与一个寄宿家庭相处。当时我的主要担忧是：

Would I be safe?

在那里，我会安全吗？

Could I get vegetarian food?

我能吃到素食食品吗？

Are people kind to people trying to speak Chinese?

人们对那些尝试说汉语的人友善吗？

As far as safety goes, I took public transportation (buses, taxis) everyday to class and back. Friends and I would spend evenings by the river or exploring the city. We would travel regularly to places across the country (Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, etc). There were times when I would be coming back home way after midnight after a concert. But I never had to fear for my safety - I found that people typically mind their own business.

在那里，我每天都乘坐公共交通系统（公交车、出租车）上下学，至今为止都非常安全。我和朋友晚上回到河边或城市各处闲逛。我们经常回去这个国家的各处旅游（北京、上海、西安等等）。有很多次，我会在听完音乐会之后的午夜时分回家。但我从来不担心自己的安全——我发现那里的人们一般只关心自己的事情。

Vegetarian food is widely available, with one catch - you have to know how to ask for it! You can ask waiters/waitresses at restaurants to “not put meat”, but make sure to mention to “not put fish” as well. I’ve found that fish doesn’t come under the general umbrella of ‘meat’, and have sometimes gone halfway through a dish before finding tiny pieces of shrimp that I didn’t see before.

在中国，各处都会提供素食食品，但有一点要注意：你得懂得怎么要求获得素食食品！你可以要求餐馆的服务员“不要放肉”，并且一定还要提醒他们“不要放鱼肉”。我发现在中国，鱼肉并不算在广义的“肉类”里面，有时候一道菜你吃到一半的时候才发现里面有一些我之前没看到的小虾米。

Chinese people are some of the kindest people I’ve come across. Overall in public places, there’s a fair amount of chaos just given the sheer number of people present. But, I’ve rarely seen people fight or get into large arguments. Within my host family and their extended family members, I appreciated how much they understood the significance of family and nurtured those relationships.

中国人是我碰到过的最善良的人。在所有的公共场合，因为人数太多了，所以都会显得很混乱。但是，我很少看见有人打架或大声争吵。在我的寄宿家庭里，以及他们的大家庭中，我发现他们非常理解家庭的重要性，并且努力维护这种关系。

Within my host family and with strangers, people are incredibly patient with foreigners trying to learn Chinese. They know that it’s a hard language and that it just takes time. I’ve even had strangers correct my Chinese or suggest better ways to use phrases!

在与我的寄宿家庭以及陌生人的相处中，我发现人们对试图学习汉语的外国人都很有耐心。他们知道这是一种很难的语言，需要花费很多时间才能学会。我曾经碰到过陌生人纠正我的汉语，或者是对某些词汇的使用提供建议。

I’ll definitely be visiting again.

未来，我绝对会再次拜访中国。

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回答七：

Torben Zenth
Answered Sep 24
Yes indeed.

是的，的确是这样的。

I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, and i consider myself to have a broad end educated view of the world.

我住在丹麦的哥本哈根，我认为自己对于世界有着丰富和渊博的了解。

My experience after a 3 week trip to Shanghai, Hefei and Beijing was, that what i have been told about China in western media and education is a very very limited and biased view.

在为期三周的上海、合肥与北京之行后，我的体验是：西方媒体和教育系统给我灌输的关于中国的信息是非常非常有局限性和偏见的。

Any westener with a curious and open mind will have a mind-blowing experience in China, and the possibility to get a much more elaborated understanding of Chinese and Asian culture. I highly recommend that.

任何一个好奇而坦率的信访人在中国都将经历令人震惊的观念洗礼，以及获得更深入理解中国和亚洲文化的机会。我非常推荐每一个人有机会都去拜访中国。

China is all in all a very safe and friendly country.

中国整体而言是一个非常安全和友好的国家。

I completely changed my mind

我完全改变了自己的观念。

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回答八：

Esse Beina, studies Medicine and Healthcare (2019)
Answered Sat
Yes I did actually!

是的，我的确改变了自己的想法！

I expected China to be very primitive, sexist, traditional. BUT I also expected Chinese to speak basic English for some reason. Oh…and I expected things to be cheaper.

我预想中的中国是非常原始的，充满性别歧视的，非常传统的。但基于某些原因，我也认为中国人是能够说一些基本的英语的。我还以为那里的东西都非常廉价。

China is actually very technologically advanced, especially the bigger “1st-tier” cities. Things are not that cheap. Electronics might even cost more than they do outside of China. Also, people do not speak English in China. Yes, once in a while you might meet someone who can but it certainly isn't on the same level as other countries where almost everyone can speak basic English. I don't hate this fact though. I love that it is a country that respects its own language and culture.

然而，真实的中国在技术上是非常先进的，特别是那些规模巨大的“一线”城市。那里的物价并不低。电子产品可能比中国之外的地区还要贵一些。另外，中国人不说英语。是的，在某些情况下你会碰到一些会讲英语的家伙，但肯定不像其他国家一样，基本上每个人都能降一些基本的英语。但是我不讨厌这个现实。我喜欢这样一个尊重其自身语言和文化的国家。

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回答九：

Matthew Miller, American living and working in China.
Answered May 30
Yes. I first visited China on a two-week business vacation with my father when I was about 20 years old. I had a very good experience, especially with the food.

是的，当我20岁的时候，我和我的父亲第一次前往中国度过了为期两周的商务假期。我的体验非常棒，特别是当地的食物。

More recently in my life, I lived and worked in China for several years. I also had a great time. I think the change in my mind was simply a matter of learning more about the richness and depth of Chinese culture and food (I am lover of food as you can tell!).

而在我生命的最近一段时期里，我在中国工作和生活了几年时间，我在此过得非常好。我认为我观念上的转变完全是学到了更多关于博大精深的中国文化和美食的知识（你可以发现，我是一个美食爱好者！）

By staying there longer, I came to learn more about the spirit of China, the culture, the habits and customs of the people. My opinion only became even more and more positive of China.

在中国呆的时间越长，我就越了解中国的精神，以及中国人的文化、习惯和传统。我对中国的看法正变得越来越正面。

Sure, China has problems, like all countries do. But by spending time there, all of the stereotypes were busted, and I learned that it is a really beautiful, amazing country that is going to continue to succeed and prosper in the future, if it acts carefully.

当然，中国就像所有国家一样存在着各种问题。但是当你花些时间在这里，所有的这些刻板印象就会消弭，我发现这真的是一个美丽而令人惊奇的国家，在未来的时间里，它将继续成功和繁荣下去，只要它谨慎行事的话。

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回答十：

Mark Painter, Speak Chinese, read Chinese history, visit China when I can
Answered Sun
When I was young, China was a forbidden place. So, it seemed mysterious and a little bit threatening. In 2002, I traveled there for a business meeting that I had trouble fully participating in, because I didn’t speak Chinese. After I returned home, I started learning Chinese. While the experience of being in China was certainly eye-opening, learning the Chinese language has had a more profound impact on my perception of China. To understand a language, one has to understand the history and cultural context that the language make frequent references to.

当我还小的时候，中国是一个禁地。所以，它看起来很神秘，而且显得有一点威胁性。2002年，我前往中国参加一个商务会议，当时我参会时碰到了很大的障碍，因为我不会说汉语。在我返回自己国家之后，我开始学汉语。而在中国的经历当然会让人大开眼界，而学习汉语则更是对我的中国观产生了深远的影响。为了理解一门语言，人们得去理解语言经常涉及到的历史与文化背景。

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回答十一：

David Pfeiffer, Lived overseas for 35 years and traveled to 72 countries
Answered May 30
No. I have basically “grown up” with China over the last three decades. The buildings go up, wealth is spread around, Northern China gains relevance, etc. All of this has taken a bit of time. Let’s remember we are talking about a huge change in no more than 50 years. Is China interesting? For me, a bit. However, if the normal tourist thinks that they are entering a third world country the moment they get off the plane, they are wrong. They need to travel 100’s of miles inland and then only in certain provinces. In that regard, a tourist might be surprised by the remarkably urban development on the East Coast of China. It is a vibrant part of the world economy - they do not just put together iPhones. Of course, culturally they are one of the most important in the world.

不，没有改变。在过去三十年时间里，我基本上是陪伴着中国“成长”的。建筑物拔地而起，越来越多的人变得富裕，中国北方正变得越来越宜居，如此等等。所有这些的发生都需要一点时间。要记住，我们所说的是超过五十多年的巨大变革。中国是有趣的吗？对我来说，有点。然而，如果普通的游客认为他们在下飞机的那一刻就进入到了一个第三世界国家，那么他们就错了。他们穿越了100多公里可能仍然身处同一个省份。在这一方面，游客可能会惊讶于中国东部沿海地区的日新月异的城市发展。它是世界经济充满活力的组成部分——他们不仅仅是将苹果手机组合在一起。当然，在文化方面，它是世界上最为重要的一份子。

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回答十二：

Wang Sisuo, lived in all continents but one
Updated 7h ago
As a Chinese who left China in the 1990s, I still change my mind everytime I visit China these days. This is simply because whenever I return to the West, the positive energy I got from the last trip to China will be washed down. You hear all the cliches about China which really sucks all the good spirit out of you. China in my mind gradually sank into North Korea like monster again. Then in my next trip, boom….even better than the last trip. And the last trip was only several months ago.

作为一个在90年代离开中国的中国人，在这些日子里，我每次回到中国都会改变自己的想法。这仅仅是因为不管什么时候，每当我回到西方世界，我在上一次前往中国的旅程中获得的积极能量都会被清洗掉。你所听的那些有关中国的陈词滥调真的会让这些愉悦心情荡然无存。在我的脑中，中国再次沉沦成为了朝鲜那样的怪物国家。然后我有开始了下一趟旅程……我会发现自己的体验比上次旅程更好。而我的最近一次旅程则是在几个月之前。

Having experienced this several times. Now I just gradually developed a rythem. I start to treat the west as a pensioner’s home. The people living here have been caged for too long and they have lost curiosity about the world and be depressed about their hopeless and future less life. They cannot tolerate seeing others getting ahead and every word positive about China will make them filled with hatred. The funny thing is, they have never even been to China and they cannot even afford to, and China has not started any war against them.

在有了几次这样的经历之后，现在我逐渐形成了一种节奏。我开始将西方视为一个囚犯的家。住在里面的人被关的太久了，他们已经失去了对世界的好奇心，对于他们那毫无希望和没有多少未来的生活感到意志消沉。他们无法容忍看到其他人走在前面，每一个关于中国的正面词汇都会让他们充满了仇恨。有趣的是，他们从来没有来过中国，他们负担不起行程的费用，而中国甚至还没有对他们开战。

What can I say? I just say to myself: OK, if hating China can make you live longer … good for you. 

对此我能说什么？我只能对自己说：好吧，如果仇恨中国能让你活的久一点……祝你好运。

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回答十三：

Emma Rose, Bachelor Information Systems & Operations Management, University of Auckland
Answered Sep 25
Nope. It only confirmed it! Growing up, I had a gazillion questions about my mother’s childhood in China and it was not a rosy picture. She grew up during China’s poorest times and had to go hungry often. I always asked questions about her everyday life, what her schools were like, what they ate during hot summers, and suchlike. Her answers were very telling about China’s economic situation and the government’s priorities.

不，我确认了之前的想法！在长大的时候，我对自己母亲儿时生活过的中国有着数不清的问题，它当时显得不是那么前景美好。她是在中国最贫困的时期长大的，因此经常挨饿。我一直都在问她当时的日常生活是怎样的，她的学校是什么样子的，他们在盛夏吃些什么，诸如此类的问题。她的回答往往提及了中国的经济状况和政府的优先地位。

I visited China for the first time in my life this year, and it was everything I expected China to be; crowded markets, check; squat toilets, check - though apparently they were markedly cleaner this year than when my sister visited in 2013; minimal customer service, check; shop keepers chowing their lunch in malls during business hours, check; delicious and unsafe food, check; and air pollution - check that too!

在今年，我有生以来首次访问了中国，那里的每一件事情都和我预想中的中国一样：拥挤的市场，没错；蹲厕，没错——虽然今年它们比我姐姐在2013年拜访时要干净很多；在营业时间里，那些店主在商店里吃完饭，没错；美味但不安全的食物，没错；空气污染，也没错！

One thing I noticed though, and totally didn’t expect, was that customer service was actually better in mainland China than in Hong Kong. I thought it would be the reverse, but nope. I don’t know if it’s because of my bad Cantonese with my Chinese face that ticked them off, or that it’s because space is tight and they want you gone as soon as you’re served, but Hong Kong people are rude. They do have an amazing Grand Aquarium at Ocean Park though. The best aquarium I’ve seen, and that was my Hong Kong highlight. I had visited Osaka’s aquarium the year before and it was kind of underwhelming, not that big.

有一件我注意到但之前完全没有预料到的事情是，在中国大陆，对顾客的服务事实上要比香港更好。我曾经以为情况是相反地，但事实不是这样的。我不知道这是否是因为我糟糕的广东话和我的中国面孔让他们生厌，或者是因为空间很有限，他们想让你在享受过服务之后尽快离开，但香港人是粗鲁的。不过他们在海洋公园里有一个非常棒的大水族馆。这是我所见过的最好的水族馆，是我在香港遇到的最精彩的东西。我曾经在去年去过大阪的水族馆，她并没有给我留下多少深刻的印象，不是特别大。

Note: Jiangmen was the city we spent most of our stay in, it has delicious food. We visited my grandma’s younger sister in Siu Hing (I only know the Canto name for her city, sorry), and the food there is not so delicious. The chefs there are not as skilled as in Jiangmen. Also a side note, if you do get food poisoning, visit the local traditional Chinese doctors there, southern China’s forte is traditional Chinese medicine and it works so well! While I was getting my medicine for my food poisoning, my mum also briefed the doctor about my hayfever with him (he only spoke mandarin and I don’t speak mandarin but my mum can - side story he moved to the south cos south Chinese trust traditional medicine more than western medicine so it’s more profitable for him); ANYWAY, since we were leaving the next day, the staff there prepared the medicine for us for an extra fee, and then bagged them in sealed bags in individual doses. Cured within 4 days.

注：江门是我们呆过的时间最长的城市，这里有着非常美味的食物，我们还拜访了我祖母的妹妹，她住在Siu Hing（抱歉，我只知道她所在的那个城市的粤语名称），那边的食物就没有这么美味了，那里的厨师也没有江门的厨师那么技艺精湛。另外值得注意的是，如果你碰到食物中毒的情况，可以去看看当地的传统中医，中国南方的特色就是传统中医，它的疗效非常好。当我碰到食物中毒的情况时，我母亲简单的跟医生说了说我发烧的情况（这位医生只会说普通话，尽管我不会这门语言，但我母亲可以。另外还要插一句，他搬到中国南方来的原因是相比于西医，南方人更信任中医，所以他在这里更加有利可图一点）。不管怎样，因为我们准备第二天启程，那里的医务人员给我们准备了额外的药物，并且用密封包装分别包装好。我的病第四天就给治好了。

So yeah, China was everything I expected, and a little bit better minus the food poisoning incident.

所以，是的，中国的每件事情都如我所料，除开那次食物中毒之外，一切都还会更好一点。

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回答十四：

Justin Carrig
Answered Sun
I didn’t have a whole lot of preconceptions going into China, just questions. What struck me the most, and still blows me away, is observing the sheer scale of development. I mean, you can expect places like Beijing and Shanghai to dazzle, but its the way there is city after city, all throughout the countryside. The skyscrapers don’t seem to stop.

在前往中国之前，我对中国没有太多先入为主的想法，只有有着一些疑问。最令我震惊的是我所观察到的中国的发展规模。我的意思是，你能够预料到像北京和上海这样的地方已经发展到了令人眼花缭乱的地步，但遍布全国的一座接一座城市却都是这样的。中国城市的天际线看起来从来没有停止增长。

I’ll always remember my first few days in China, when we came into a city called Kunming on a bus via Vietnam. At the time, Kunming was just a city in our Lonely Planet guide that seemed the logical stop in our journey coming from Vietnam. Low and behold, it is a huge and thriving, well developed and wealthy city with a larger population than my home countries largest, Sydney.

我始终记得在中国度过的最初几天，当时我们乘坐一辆大巴经过越南来到了被称为昆明的那座城市。当时，昆明只是我们《孤独星球》手册上从越南过境之后的一个补给物资的城市。但是我们发现，这是一座规模庞大而繁荣的城市，它非常发达和富庶，拥有比我祖国最大的城市悉尼更多的人口。

While Sydney was once host to the Olympic games and is better known in the western world, you’d be pressed to find someone in the street that has heard of Kunming. And that is what China is to me, an endless amount of booming and developed success that much of the west has never heard of.

然而悉尼曾经举办过奥运会，在西方世界的知名度更大，而如果你在街上碰到一个曾经听说过昆明的家伙时，你一定会印象深刻。而这就是中国给我的印象，它拥有着无穷尽的繁荣与发展的成功故事，但是其中的大部分确实西方人闻所未闻的。

The connection to China just isn’t there culturally for most of the west, and China mostly keeps to itself in international affairs.

对于大部分西方人而言，与中国的联系不是文化意义上的，中国基本上仍然置身于国际事务当中。

It is for that reason I believe China will continue to be underestimated and fly under the radar all the way until they far exceed USA as the most powerful country in the world. And this is despite the way we talk about China’s growth, I do think you have to see to believe. It isn’t a good or bad thing, it just is what it is, and it fascinates me the bubbles we all unwittingly live in, despite our best efforts to be open minded and worldly.

正是基于这一原因，我相信中国将会继续被低估，它将一路超低空飞行，躲避开雷达的侦测，直到远远超越美国，成为世界上最强大的国家。而这就是我们讨论中国增长的方式，我认为你必须去看一看，才能相信这一事实。这不是什么好事或坏事，它就是事实本身，并且令我意识到我们全都生活在幻象当中，尽管我们已经尽可能地做到开明和世俗化了。

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回答十五：

David Barry, Fortunate To Have Lived in The Far East For Many Years.
Answered Sat
YES! I visited China, traveled around : Hong Kong, Guangxi, Shaolin Temple, and Shanghai. Then chose to work there for ten years. In those ten years I visited Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Xiamen and worked in Shenzhen, Ningbo and Beijing. I am now “settled” back in the UK. Ha Ha!!! I still want to go back to visit the same places, or other places. I still consider relocating there. China is amazing. Most Chinese people are friendly and hospitable to visitors.

是的！我去过中国，去下面这些地方旅游过：香港、广西、少林寺和上海。然后我选择在中国工作了十年时间。在这十年时间里，我去过北京、西安、杭州、厦门，并且在深圳、宁波和北京工作过。现在，我回到了英国“定居”。哈哈！！我仍然向故地重游，或者在去其他地方看看。我仍然在考虑搬回中国居住。中国实在是太令人吃惊了。大部分的中国人对游客都很友好、很热情。