【CNN 20150109】中国人最擅长的十件事

满仓

【中文标题】中国人最擅长的十件事
【原文标题】10 things China does better than anywhere else
【登载媒体】CNN
【原文作者】DUDDENZoe Li
【原文链接】http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/08/travel/10-things-china/index.html


如果让人们列出一个中国最广为人知的事情清单，你或许会看到一边倒的讽刺和挖苦。但是如果我们丢掉玩世不恭的态度，你会发现中国人的优势体现在一系列不可思议的事情上。我们这里列出了十件事。

猪肉



作为位列第一的家猪，我们可以肯定，中国人知道怎么把猪肉变得更加美味。

根据美国国家猪肉协会提供的信息，最早把野猪驯化为家猪的证据出现在公元前4900年的中国。这种动物在历史上对中国社会至关重要，中文的“家”字就是一头猪在屋檐下的象形文字。

今天，中国是世界上猪肉生产和消费的第一大国。无可争议的顶级猪肉菜肴有两个：“东坡肉”——一大块闪闪发亮的猪腹部肉，炖熟后脂肪入口即化，和“叉烧”——甜咸适中的肉片，烟熏烤熟。这两道菜的烹饪过程复杂，极为耗时，但值得等待。

我们喜爱、尊重全世界的烤肉传统，但是中国无与伦比、令人眼花缭乱的烹饪经验让猪肉荣登美食之巅。

室内运动



中国的足球的确不幸，那又如何？它的国家运动员培训体制已经进化出几乎完美、万无一失的方法，培养出顶级的体操运动员、乒乓球冠军、羽毛球大拿和跳水女神。

自从它在1984年第一次参加现代奥运会之后，它已经逐渐霸占了金牌榜首席的位置。中国式体育热在2008年北京夏季奥运会时达到了顶峰，这个国家得到了51枚金牌，位列金牌榜之首。

中国人不仅在跳水和体操项目中有强大的竞争力，而且更是羽毛球和乒乓球赛场上的常胜将军，它在奥运会这些项目中获得的金牌比任何一个国家都多。美国无疑是奥运会历史上的霸主，但现在也只比中国多了18块金牌。

实用主义



中国今天的成就，包括列表中的这些内容，都可以归结为内在的实用主义思想，也就是用行动的实际后果来评估形势。

在政治层面上，中国可以与任何国家结交，无论其道德立场如何。正如中国改革开放的总设计师——邓小平——所说：“不管黑猫白猫，逮到耗子的就是好猫。”邓恰如其分地抓住了过去几十年里政治经济思潮的精髓。

在民间，中国人每天都在奉行实用主义的精神。这可以解释中国大部分的习俗和文化传统，包括红包、关系和孝心。

书法



书法在中国是一种艺术、冥想的过程、学术研究，现在，还是一项投资

中国拥有数千年的书法历史，无数名家曾经留下珍贵的墨宝，当代艺术家也用新型的媒体技术实验性地创造书法作品。

这些书法作品在拍卖时往往会出现数百万美元的高价，全世界的鉴赏家对其趋之若鹜。比如古代著名诗人苏轼的作品“功甫贴”在2013年9月纽约苏富比以820万美元成交。这幅书法只有9个字。

复制



为什么要重新发明轮子？中国非常擅于借鉴别人对轮子的构想，然后让它变得更便宜。

几乎所有的东西，从奢侈品到电子小玩意，在中国都能找到廉价的版本。iPhone 6 Plus在中国售价2400美元（美国售价299美元），而伪造的iPhone在中国的网络商店淘宝上的售价从2美元到75美元不等。

复制埃菲尔铁塔？小意思。

更让人瞠目结舌的是，广东复制了整个具有历史风格的奥地利小镇。天津还在计划复制整个曼哈顿。

快速建筑



迅速扩张的中产阶级和国内旅游的爆发式增长让中国需要更多的酒店。于是它用世界上最快速、最不同寻常、最让人目不暇接的建设方式来迎合这种需求。

连锁家庭宾馆汉庭在中国每天新开两家酒店，这家公司预计在2020年成为世界上最大的连锁酒店。与此同时，湖南省一幢30层高的酒店仅用时15天建成，耗资1700万美元。这家建筑公司正计划把施工周期缩短到8天。

这个国家所享受的不仅仅是廉价和兴奋的过程，你可以现在就来中国看看这些令人不可思议的豪华酒店。

茶叶



中国是世界上第一个懂得鉴赏把叶子泡在水中所形成的朴素味道的国家，之后它形成了深厚的茶文化。

就像西方人对红酒的品鉴一样，茶叶有不同的产地、制作工艺和储藏方法，因此也有不同的特点。是在雨季前还是雨季后采摘的？是风干还是人工烘干？是自然发酵还是陈年旧茶？茶具是陶器茶壶吗？陶器是哪里出产的？

中国有相当完整的茶文化，而且受人推崇，珍贵的茶叶可以卖到数千美元一公斤——简直就是硬通货。

登高



世界最高峰珠穆朗玛峰（8848米）位于尼泊尔和中国的边界，两个国家都声称对其拥有主权。这算不上是某种成就，仅仅是一个地理现象。成就在于把大批的人迅速、有效地送到世界之巅。

中国有世界上海拔最高的高速铁路。

青藏铁路横贯海拔5000多米的唐古拉山脉。四川省的稻城亚丁机场海拔4411米，是世界上海拔最高的民用机场。西藏计划在2015年建成的那曲达仁机场海拔高达4436米。

饺子



不起眼的饺子是中国的一种艺术。

哪里也比不上中国的饺子具有如此复杂的制作工艺和令人目不暇接的类型。当然，或许你见识过有薄荷味的甜饺子，甚至油炸饺子。但是中国有一种饺子，外皮是透明的（经典的虾饺）。还有辣得让嘴失去知觉的饺子（四川名小吃龙抄手）、咬一口能流出汤水的饺子（小笼包）、鱼肉饺子（潮州风味）……我们打住吧，一整天也说不完。

饺子在中国还有吉祥的含义。家人坐在一起庆祝新年时会吃饺子，希望来年一切顺利。

奥运会开幕式



整个世界依然在北京2008年夏季奥运会的余威中战栗。不管你把它当成一个波澜壮阔的场面，还是一个试图震慑整个地球的企图，你都无法否认这个开幕式让人惊讶、敬畏、颤抖。

几个小时的时间里，有著名电影导演张艺谋策划的开幕式融合了中国所有的艺术形式，从水墨画、杂技到太极和京剧。

在一届掺杂着政治紧张关系和人权问题的奥运会中，开幕式成功地激起了中国人的爱国主义情绪，也博得了海外的拥趸。




原文：

Ask people for a list of things China is famous for and you might expect a healthy dose of sarcasm.

But cast aside cynicism and you'll find a number of incredible things China does best.

We've got 10 of them right here.

Pork

As the first place to domesticate pigs, we can be sure China knows a thing or two about making pork delicious.

According to the U.S. National Pork Board, the earliest evidence of domestication of the wild boar can be dated to 4900 BC in China.

Historically, the animal has been so integral to Chinese society that the Chinese character for "home" is a pictogram of a pig with a roof over its head.

Today, China is the world's top producer and consumer of hogs -- and, wow, how it's consumed.

There are arguably two pinnacles of pork cooking in China: dongbo rou, a glistening block of braised pork belly prized for the melt-in-mouth fat and char siu, a sweet-salty cut of meat barbecued til tender and smoky.

Both dishes are tricky and time-consuming to create, but so worth it.

We love and respect the traditions of the entire world of barbecue out there, but China's unparalleled experience and variety of dishes places it atop the pork pile.

Indoor sports

So China isn't all that great at football -- so what?

Its state system of athletic training has perfected a foolproof method for producing top gymnasts, ping pong champs, badminton aces and diving divas.

Since it first participated in the modern Olympics in 1984, it's steadily risen toward the top of the medals table.

Chinese-style athleticism reached a climax at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when the country garnered 51 gold medals and ranked number one overall.

Although a top contender in diving and gymnastics, Chinese competitors are practically unbeatable at badminton and table tennis, winning more gold medals in these events than any other country at the Olympics.

In comparison, the United States is undeniably the long-standing king of the Olympics, but it's had an 18-Olympic head start on China.

Pragmatism

China's achievements today, including several of the items on this list, can be credited to a deep sense of pragmatism, which assesses most situations by looking at the practical consequences of actions.

On a policy level, China will engage with any country, regardless of moral standing.

As Deng Xiaoping, architect of modern China, famously said: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice." Deng pretty much captured the political and entrepreneurial zeitgeist for the past few decades.

On a grassroots level, Chinese people embrace pragmatism on a daily basis.

The philosophy explains most of China's customs and cultural norms, including the gifting of hongbao (red envelopes filled with cash), the importance of maintaining guanxi (interpersonal relationships) and filial piety.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy in China is an art form, a meditative practice, a scholarly pursuit and, nowadays, an investment.

With a rich tradition of calligraphy tracing back thousands of years, China reveres the works on paper by great masters, as well as the experimental new media calligraphic works of contemporary artists.

At auction, these calligraphic artworks routinely fetch millions of dollars, collected by connoisseurs around the world, such as the paper scroll "Gong Fu Tie," which sold for $8.2 million at Sotheby's New York in September 2013. The ancient work was written by the famous poet Su Shi and consists of just nine characters.

Copying

Why reinvent the wheel?

China is great at copying other people's version of the wheel and making it more affordable.

There's a cheap Chinese version of almost everything and anything, from luxury fashions to electronic gadgets.

While the iPhone 6 Plus is selling at almost $2,400 in China ($299 in the United States), counterfeit iPhone "models" sell for between $2 and $75 on China's online shop Taobao.

A copycat version of the Eiffel Tower? Small fry.

Try these ambitious copies of entire towns, such as the historic Austrian town recreated in Guangdong and the one of Manhattan proposed in Tianjin.

Building fast

A fast-growing middle class and an explosion in domestic travel means China needs hotels.

It's meeting the demand with the fastest, quirkiest and most impressive construction boom the world has ever seen.

Budget chain Hanting Inns boasts two hotel openings per day across China. The company expects to be the world's largest chain by 2020.

Meanwhile, a 30-story hotel was created in 15 days in Hunan Province at a cost of $17 million. The construction company is now aiming to pull off the same feat in eight days.

It's not just the cheap and cheerful the country excels in.

Check out these outrageously glamorous hotels that can be visited in China right away.

Tea

The first in the world to appreciate the simple drink made from steeping leaves in water, China has since developed a profound appreciation for tea.

Evaluated much in the way that wine is in the West, different teas have distinct characteristics depending on terroir, treatment and storage.

Was it picked before or after the rainy season? Were the leaves air dried, wok dried, fermented or aged?

Has the tea been steeped and served in earthenware and, if so, where did the clay for the teapot originate?

The culture of tea has become so integral to China and held in such esteem that prestigious varietals regularly sell for thousands of dollars per kilo -- it's practically currency.

Getting to high places

While the world's highest point, Mount Everest (8,848 meters), exists on the border between Nepal and China, and is claimed by both countries, this in itself isn't an achievement, just a geographical fact.

The triumph is in bringing the masses quickly and efficiently to the world's peaks.

China claims the world's highest railway.

The Tanggula Pass at more than 5,000 meters in the Tanggula Mountains can be traversed via the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Meanwhile, the new Daocheng Yading Airport in Sichuan Province lies at 4,411 meters and is the highest civilian airport.

It will be usurped by the proposed Nagqu Dagring Airport in Tibet planned at 4,436 meters, when it gets built in 2015.

Dumplings

The humble dumpling has been elevated to art form in China.

Nowhere can you find a diversity and sophistication that matches China's exhaustive list of dumpling variations.

Sure, many cuisines boast a savory or sweet dumpling, maybe even a fried dumpling, but China's got dumplings with transparent wrappers (the classic dim sum, har gow), dumplings in a mouth-numbing sauce (Sichuan's signature longchaoshou), dumplings that burst with soup at first bite (xiaolongbao), dumplings made with fish meat dough (Chiu Chow-style) ... let's just stop there or we'll be here all day.

The dumpling is also a marker of auspicious things in China: families gather during New Year celebrations to wrap and eat dumplings together in the hope of prosperous times ahead.

Olympic opening ceremonies

The world is still shaking in its boots from the raucous display of totalitarian jazz hands that opened the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Whether you saw it as a spectacle of precision showmanship or the result of a lockstep society trying to freak out the entire planet, there's no denying it was the opening ceremony that made all others tremble in shock and awe.

The hour-long cinematic showcase, directed by celebrated filmmaker Zhang Yimou, incorporated every Chinese art form, from ink painting to acrobatics to tai chi and opera.

It succeeded in stirring patriotism at home and inspiring new fans abroad during an Olympics fraught with political tension and human rights issues.

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满仓，翻得越多西媒的文章是否越觉得它们离理想的“世界媒体”越来越远？

还是感谢您辛勤不倦地贡献，对我们认清这些曾经被神话的美帝口舌及战争代理商有着相当大的帮助。