原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.com 翻译：mini才怪 转载请注明出处

In the last year, I’ve spent more time in China than probably the past 2 decades combined. Some of this time was spent as a tourist and some as a Beijinger returning to my childhood home. Either way, I feel like I’ve gained a much deeper understanding and appreciation for my birth country.

去年，我在中国呆的时间比过去20年加起来还要多。有些时候是作为一个游客度过的，有些时候是作为一个北京人回到我童年的家。不管怎样，我觉得我对我的祖国有了更深的理解。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处



I feel like China gets a bad rep in the travelsphere. A lot of people are either scared to go or have no interest in visiting at all. Traveling to China can be quite a culture shock. It can seem like such an advanced society and yet so socially backwards. I can even admit that a lot of aspects of China intimidate me.

我感觉中国在旅游领域的名声不太好。许多人要么害怕去，要么根本不想去。到中国旅游可能会感受到相当大的文化冲击。它看起来像是很先进，又很落后。我甚至可以承认，中国的很多方面都让我感到害怕。

Even after all my trips there, I’m still learning about this country and how I fit into it now as a kid grown up in America. Some of these lessons will apply to other travelers hoping to visit China as well, while some are more personal.

即使在我去了那么多次之后，我仍然在了解这个国家，以及作为一个在美国长大的孩子逐渐适应这个国家。其中一些经验教训也适用于其他希望到中国旅游的旅行者，而另一些经验教训则更为个人化。

Squat toilets are not as scary as I thought (but I still try to avoid them)

1.蹲厕并不像我想象的那么可怕(但我还是尽量避免用蹲厕)

I’m the first to admit that I’m absolutely terrified of using squat toilets. When in China, literally my biggest fear is being out somewhere all day and having no choice but to use a public bathroom. I’ve been traumatized by childhood trips to China and having to use squats, where let’s just say, the flush mechanism didn’t seem to work and about 20 people have been in there before you.

我先承认我很害怕使用蹲厕。在中国，我最大的恐惧就是整天呆在某个地方，除了上公共厕所别无选择。我小时候去过中国，不得不用蹲厕，这让我受到了精神创伤，这么说吧，冲水装置好像不管用，在你之前大约有20个人用过。

I’ve successfully traveled for months around Southeast Asia without having to use one single squattie… so good that I almost put this fear out of my mind. It wasn’t until I came back to Beijing when I faced my first squat toilet in Asia. The truth is that they are still commonly in use here, even at newer establishments, and Chinese people still prefer them over western toilets.

我已经成功地在东南亚旅行了几个月，没有使用过任何一个蹲厕...这种感觉好到以至于我几乎把这种恐惧从脑海中抹去。直到回到北京，我才第一次面对亚洲的蹲厕。事实是，它们在这里仍然很普遍，甚至在较新的场所，中国人仍然喜欢它们超过西式厕所。

But you know what? Since my previous trips, I think China has come a lonnnng way in bathroom cleanliness. Most I’ve had to use have been pretty clean, and it’s really not tooooo terrible. The unclean ones, though, is a different story and makes holding a full bladder seem like the better option.

但是你知道吗？自从我上次来旅行以来，我认为中国在卫生间的清洁方面已经有了长足的进步。大多数我不得不使用的东西都很干净，它真的没有那么糟糕。但是，不干净的则是另外一回事了，因此，憋着似乎是更好的选择。

And just so we’re clear, I still much prefer western. Once, we were out somewhere and the options were either (relatively clean) squats or a western toilet but with no door. Yep, I still went for the latter.

先说清楚，我还是更喜欢西式厕所。有一次，我们在外面的某个地方，要么选择(相对干净)的蹲厕，要么去西式厕所，但是没有门。是的，我仍然倾向于使用后者。

I’m not sure why every time I get on this subject, it becomes a huge rambling soliloquy, but okay moving on.

我不知道为什么每次我谈到这个话题都不停的碎碎念，不过没关系，让我们继续。

There is nothing else in the world like Chinese hospitality

2.世界上没有人能比中国人更热情好客

I may be a bit biased, but I truly believe now that Chinese people are some of the most generous people in the world.

我可能有点偏见，但我现在真的相信中国人是世界上最热情好客的人。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


They are genuinely happy to show a visitor around, even if it’s really going out of the way for them, and will insist on paying for absolutely everything. This could be expected with family, but what about when it’s not family?

他们真的很乐意带游客参观，即使这对他们来说真的很不方便，并且他们会坚持为所有东西付费。如果是家人的话很正常，但是如果不是呢？

When D’s dad connected us with one of his friends (Charley) in Shanghai, we decided to meet up for a cup of coffee. We also met Tom, Charley’s best friend and a local Shanghainese.

当D的爸爸把我们和他在上海的一个朋友(查理)联系在一起的时候，我们决定一起喝杯咖啡。我们还见到了汤姆，他是查理最好的朋友，也是上海本地人。

When Tom heard that we were in town for a month, he immediately offered all sorts of help and even offered to take us around to some sites out of town. Even though he was a complete stranger just five minutes ago!

当汤姆听说我们要在城里呆一个月的时候，他立刻提供了各种各样的帮助，甚至还提出带我们到城外的一些地方转转。尽管五分钟前他还是一个完全陌生的人！

And right before we left Shanghai, Tom invited us out again for a “send-off” dinner of hotpot. It really touches me when almost complete strangers put in this kind of effort to make a couple of travelers feel welcomed.

就在我们离开上海之前，汤姆又邀请我们去吃火锅，作为送别晚餐。当几乎完全陌生的人为了让一对旅行者感到受欢迎而付出这样的努力时，我真的很感动。

Want service in restaurants? Then learn to be rude

3.想在餐馆里点菜？那就学会大声喊

Maybe I never noticed this before (or forgot), I first noticed when my aunt and uncle took us out to eat, and whenever we needed something (more water, another plate, the bill, etc.), my uncle will yell “fu wu yuan!” really loud and someone will scurry over.

也许我以前从来没有注意到这一点(或者是忘记了)，我第一次注意到这一点，是当我的阿姨和叔叔带我们出去吃饭的时候，当我们需要一些东西(更多的水，另一个盘子，账单等)的时候，我的叔叔会大喊“服务员!”声音很大，有人会急匆匆地跑过来。

This is the one Chinese custom that I just can NOT get used to! I’m so used to trying to catch the waiter’s eye and giving a polite little wave to indicate that I need something. Ha! Good luck trying this in China! You’ll be sitting there for an eternity.

这是我唯一不能习惯的中国习俗！我已经习惯了试图引起服务员的注意，并礼貌地向他挥手，示意我需要点什么。哈！祝你在中国尝试点菜成功！你会一直坐在那里的。

The waitstaff in China are not trained to occasionally come around to see if you need anything else, but are trained to respond to aggressive calls for service. But the America-raised in me just can not do this! So I always end up just sitting there forever, staring down a waiter until he happens to glance my direction.

中国的服务员没有受过训练，不会时不时地过来看看你是否还需要别的什么，但他们受过另一种训练，能够回应客人强烈的服务要求。但是对于在美国长大的我就是做不到！所以我总是一直坐在那里，盯着一个服务员，直到他碰巧看向了我。

Don’t worry, yelling for service like this is not considered rude in China. So practice your loud voice:)

别担心，像这样对服务员大喊在中国不被认为是不礼貌的。所以你要练习大声说话:)

I could probably live without social media

4.没有社交媒体，我也许能活下去

The government censorship means that all social media is blocked (China has their own versions of everything). So for 6 weeks, I stayed pretty disconnected from the rest of the world (except for blog reading!), and only occasionally accessed Facebook through a VPN to announce new posts.

......所有的社交媒体都被屏蔽了(中国有他们自己的版本)。所以6个星期以来，我一直与世界隔绝(除了看博客！)，只是偶尔通过VPN访问Facebook来发布新帖子。

And it was great!

真是太棒了！

I didn’t die when I couldn’t Instagram that perfect food spread or check Twitter for news. I haven’t been too active on social media for the past few months anyway, and honestly think it’s all kind of a big pain.I guess I still like the option of having it, mainly to keep up with friends back home and to have something to scroll through when I’m bored.

因为我没有死，尽管我不能在Instagram上分享美味的食物，也不能在推特上看新闻。在过去的几个月里，我并没有在社交媒体上过于活跃，老实说，我认为这是一种巨大的痛苦。我想我还是喜欢拥有它的感觉，主要是为了和家乡的朋友保持联系，当我感到无聊的时候可以浏览一些东西。

Family is everything

5.家庭就是一切

Family is important here. In American culture, I find that it’s very much a “take care of yourself” kind of mentality. Kids are usually independent at 18 or after college, new parents take on the full responsibility of raising a baby, and the elderly are often consigned to nursing homes or retirement communities.

家庭在这里很重要。在美国文化中，有一种“照顾好自己”的心态。孩子们通常在18岁或大学毕业后就能独立生活，新父母承担起抚养孩子的全部责任，老年人通常被送到养老院或退休社区。

But in China, it’s common to rely on family members for help. Grandparents often sacrifice a relaxing retirement by helping care for the grand-kids while the parents are at work. It’s not uncommon for kids to be raised by grandparents. And in turn, the children care for their parents when they get old. It’s also not uncommon for the elderly to live with their children.

但是在中国，依靠家庭成员的帮助是很常见的。祖父母经常牺牲轻松的退休生活，在父母工作的时候帮忙照顾孙子和孙女。由祖父母抚养长大的孩子并不少见。反之，当父母年老时，孩子们也会照顾他们。老年人和他们的孩子住在一起也是很常见的。

Confession: I’ve always thought that I didn’t want kids. But being here in China, I see how nice it is to have your children be there for you in your old age. My aunt and uncle frequently come around to my grandma’s and are always just a phone call away if she ever needs anything. Even with my grandpa gone now, she’ll never be truly alone. I think it’s really nice. When I’m old, I don’t think I’d want to be alone with no loved ones.

坦白说:我一直以为我不想要孩子。但是在中国，我看到有孩子在你老的时候陪着你是多么美好的事情。我的阿姨和叔叔经常来我奶奶家，如果她需要什么，只要打个电话就可以了。即使我爷爷现在不在了，她也不会是真正的孤独。我觉得这真的很棒。当我老了，我不认为我想独自一人生活，旁边没有亲人。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Mahjong is really fun and addictive

6.麻将真的很有趣，而且很容易上瘾

You guys, if you weren’t convinced that I’m turning into an old person in my last post, I have a new hobby to talk of. Yes, it’s mahjong, and yes, it’s really really fun.

伙计们，如果你们不相信我在上一篇文章中已经变成了一个老人，那么我有一个新的爱好可以谈论了。是的，这就是麻将，是的，这真的很有趣。

I’ve always thought of mahjong to be an old people game. It’s quite common to see groups of retired folks at the park playing this game of tiles. But apparently, this is a great family game as well. Most families will gather together and play over the holidays. Recently, my aunt and uncle bought a fancy electronic mahjong table so we went over a few times to play. There were definitely days where I spent the entire day sitting at the table. I was hooked! Though probably because I kept on winning. ;)

我一直认为麻将是一种老年人的游戏。看到退休人员一群群地在公园玩这种砖块游戏是相当常见的。但显然，这也是一个很棒的家庭游戏。大多数家庭会在节日期间聚在一起玩耍。最近，我的阿姨和叔叔买了一个奇特的电子麻将桌，所以我们去玩了几次。有几天，我一整天都坐在麻将桌旁。我被迷住了！虽然可能是因为我一直在赢。;)

I’ve visited a fair share of cities around the world now and have fallen in love with many. But there will always be a special part of my heart reserved just for China. I still love Chinese food the best (I finally learned to make my favorite dishes!). I love the neighborhood parks and the sense of community. Hell, I even love mahjong now!

我现在已经游览了世界上很多的城市，并且爱上了很多城市。但是，我心中永远有一个特别的地方是为中国保留的。我还是最喜欢中国菜(我终于学会做我最喜欢的菜了！).我喜欢附近的公园和社区。见鬼，我现在连麻将都喜欢了！

This past trip to China has been about getting back to my roots. It’s made me not only feel more connected to my culture, but also fall back in love with my birth city.

过去这次中国之行是为了找回我的根。它不仅让我感觉与我的文化有了更多的联系，而且让我重新爱上了我的出生地。

I see a country where family is prioritised above all, where the elderly is respected, where the sense of community is strong, and where there is genuine kindness in its people. And I hope you, as a visitor, can look past what you see on the surface and discover a beautiful country.

我看到了一个家庭优先于一切，老年人受到尊重，社区意识强烈，人民真诚友善的国家。我希望你，作为一个游客，能够透过表面看到的东西，发现一个美丽的国家。