白岩松耶鲁大学演讲稿翻译稿(10页).doc

-白岩松耶鲁大学演讲稿翻译稿-第 18 页My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind ItIn the past twenty years, China has faced three American presidents, but till coming to Yale today, I never realized that China really just faced one university. Although, through these three presidents, I understand that the quality of Yale graduates is not so even.Let me begin my main subject and let me give it a title, called “My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind It”. I want to talk about five particular years. The first is 1968. That year I was born. But it was also a chaotic year for the world. In France, there was this huge street disturbance, and in America, too. Then President Kennedy was assassinated. However, I really did not cause all of these! But that year what we remember more was the assassination of Mr. Martin Luther King. Although he fell that year, his words “I have a dream” stood up, not only stood up in America, but across the whole world.But sadly, not only for me, but for almost all Chinese, we did not know such a dream. It was hard to describe each Chinese as having his or her own dream. China and America were so far apart, no less far apart than the Moon and the Earth. But I didnt care about any of that. All I cared about was could I have a full meal. Clearly, I was born at a very inconvenient time, not only for China, but even for the world, there were problems.In 1978, ten years later, I was 10. I still lived in the very little city that had only 200 thousand people at the time I was born. It was 2000 km from Beijing. If you wanted to read the newspaper from Beijing, you waited three days. So for us, there was no such thing as news. That year my grandfather passed away. Two years before that my father passed away. So there was just my mother left to take care of me and my brother. Her monthly salary was not even ten dollars. As a result, even though I was 10, the word “dream” was still not in my vocabulary, and I would never think of it. I could not see hope in this family, but only felt bitter cold every winter. Where we lived was close to the Soviet Union. Yet the 1978 in which I could not see hope was also the year that a huge change took place, whether for China or for the relationship between China and America. That is a date that everybody here today should remember.December 16, 1978, China and America officially established diplomatic relations. That was a big event. And two days after that, December 18 was when China opened the 3rd Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee. That was the beginning of thirty-one years of Reform and Opening. History, two great nations, and a very pitiful family all became intertwined in a theatrical way. Truthfully, from the small personal family, to the big family of the country, nobody then had any idea what the future would be like.In 1988, I was 20. At this time I had already come out of the little border town to Beijing as a university student. Although we have many people in China today criticizing Chinas university entrance exams and see many many deficiencies in it, it must be said that it is such a system that allowed very ordinary people like me to have the opportunity to change our lives. Of course, at that time, America was no longer a very distant country. It became very specific. It was no longer the “Imperialist America” of the past slogans, but it became the many details in our lives. This was the first time that I tasted Coca-Cola. When I finished drinking it I believed China and America were truly so close, because it tasted just like Chinese medicine.That was a time when I took a crazy liking to rockn'roll. That was a time when Michael Jackson still looked relatively handsome. More importantly, that was a time when China experienced very big transformations, as Reform and Opening had already gone on for ten years. That year, China began experimenting with market pricing for many goods. It may feel like something totally incomprehensible to you, but it was a big deal in China, a huge step, because before that the prices were decided by the government. But in that year, because price controls were relaxed, the whole country went on a crazy shopping spree. Everybody all thought, how long could this last, so they had to get a whole lifes worth of food and goods to bring home. That year symbolized that China marched closer and closer to a market economy.Of course back then nobody knew that market economy could also have a subprime crisis. Anyway, I know that 1988 was an extra important year for Yale, because a Yale alum once again became an American President.In 1998, I was 30. I had already become a news anchor at CCTV. More importantly, I had become the father of a one-year-old child. That year a very important thing happened between China and America, and the protagonist was Clinton. Perhaps you remember his sexual scandal in America, but in China what we remember is his visit to China that year. In June, when he visited China, he and President Jiang Zemin held an open press conference in the Great Hall of the People. Then he gave an open lecture at Peking University. The live anchor for both events was me.During Clintons lecture at Peking University, because he used his own translator the whole time, I guessed that many Chinese viewers only knew that Clinton was definitely saying something, but what he said wasnt all that clear. So near the end of my live broadcast, I remarked that it looked like for America to learn more about China, sometimes it needed to start with language, though for our two countries, face-to-face was always better than back-to-back. It was also at the beginning of that year that I drove the first car in my life. For me this was unimaginable before, that Chinese people one day would also drive their own cars. A personal delight can also make a lasting impression, because sometimes the first time is the most unforgettable.In 2008, I was 40. The words “I have a dream” that havent been discussed for many years now were heard among so many Americans. It seemed like Obama really did not want to accept Yales 20-year occupation of America. Using words like “change” and “dream”, he even convinced Yale teachers and students to parade and celebrate his election to the Presidency, according to what Ive heard.But this was also a year in which the Chinese Dream showed clearly. After encountering many setbacks as any grand dream in the world is destined to, it came through. Whether it was the long-awaited Beijing Olympics, or the first spacewalk by a Chinese aboard the Shenzhou 7, these were all dreams which we have waited for a long time since a long time ago. But the sudden Sichuan Earthquake made all this not as magnificent as we had expected. Eighty-thousand lives departed, and made every day of 2008 seem like a year. Im guessing that on Yales campus, on every web site, in front of television and newspapers, were also many people from China, and people in all parts of the world, who shed tears for these lost lives. Just like forty years ago when Mr. Martin Luther King fell but allowed the words “I have a dream” to stand higher, more enduring, and seem ever more valuable, more Chinese people also came to understand that dreams are important, but lives are even more so.During the Olympics, I passed my own fortieth birthday. That day I was full of emotional thoughts, because when the day of my birthday approached, I was broadcasting an exciting competition. Twenty-four hours later, when my birthday was passing, I was still broadcasting. But that day I felt very fortunate. Because it was such a special fortieth birthday at the Beijng Olympics that made me realize the Chinese Dream behind my personal story.It was in this kind of forty years that I went from a far-away border-town kid who had no possibility of having a dream, to a newsman who could be at a big festival celebrated with all of humanity and who could communicate and share the happiness with them. This was a life story that took place in China. And in this year, China and America were not far apart. There was a bit of me in you and a bit of you in me, we needed each other. It was said that President Bush spent the longest time in any country abroad as President, and that was during the Beijing Olympics. Phelps took eight medals there, and his family was there by his side. All Chinese wished that extraordinary family well. Of course, every dream will pass. In such a year, China and America almost simultaneously found their new “I have a dream” moment, and it was so coincidental, and so deserving.America is facing a very very difficult financial crisis, and it isnt only America, but it affects the whole world seriously. Yesterday I got to New York. As soon as I deplaned, I went to Wall Street. There I saw the statue of President Washington. His gaze was permanently fixed on the huge American flag on the stock exchange. Interestingly, the hall behind the statue was holding an exhibition on “President Lincoln in New York”, so President Lincolns huge portrait was also on it, and he also gazed at the flag. I felt the very solemn weight of history. When I left there, I told my colleague this. I said, many many years ago, if something like this befell America, perhaps Chinese people would have taken pleasure, because see, America is miserable again. But today, Chinese people would especially wish that America get better soon. Because we have hundreds of billions worth of money with America. We also have a huge quantity of products waiting to be put on freighters and sent to America. If Americas economy takes a step for the better, it means behind these products, another Chinese gets a raise, it means he regains his employment and happiness in the family.In the past 30 years, I dont know if youve noticed the Chinese Dream that is relevant to more and more ordinary Chinese people. I dont know what other country in this world, in the past 30 years, has changed the individual fates at this magnitude. A kid from a remote small city on the periphery, a kid in despair, today has the chance to have an exchange with these Yale students. Maybe we can change the viewpoint, and look at 1.3 billion very ordinary Chinese, their down-to-earth dreams, their impulsive drive to change their fates, their still kindhearted temperament, and their diligent character. Todays China is made up of these words I just spoke.In the past many years, Chinese seemed to be looking at America through a telescope. So everything good that is in America was magnified by this telescope. Frequently people mentioned America was like this and like that, then look at us, when can we be like that. In the past many years, Americans also seemed to be looking at China through a telescope, but I am guessing they held it backwards. Because what they saw was a diminished, always-doing-wrong, full-of-problems China. They overlooked 1.3 very ordinary Chinese people and this impulsive drive and urge of theirs to change their fate, which caused such huge transformations in our country. But I also always had this dream: why do we need to use telescopes to look at each other?Of course I hope very many Americans have a chance to go see China, and not to look at China through the media. You know I dont really trust all of my colleagues. Im just kidding. Actually I respect my American colleagues very much. I only hope that more and more American friends go to see a real China. Because I can at least guarantee one thing. Even if in America you ate what is deemed to be the best Chinese food, in wont fetch a good price in China. Just like many many years ago, in every city of China there was this popular “California Beef Noodle” shop. Many Chinese all thought, anything from America was definitely very very tasty. So they all went to eat. Although it was not very tasty, they didnt complain because they knew it was from America. This fast-food chain existed in China for many years, until more and more Chinese people came to America, and searched every corner of California for a California Beef Noodle shop, and could not find a single one. Only then did more and more Chinese know that California doesnt have such beef noodle, so this chain store in China is in the process of disappearing. This is the kind of discrepancy I am talking about. As we come and go, such misunderstandings will be fewer and fewer.So lastly I just want to say one thing again. Forty years ago, when Mr. Martin Luther King fell down, his words “I have a dream” spread across the world. But, you must know that there is not just an English version of “I have a dream.” In the distant East, in the China that has held on for thousands of years, there is also a dream. It isnt a grandiose slogan, it doesnt lie with the government. It belongs to every ordinary Chinese. It is “I have a dream” written in Chinese.白岩松：我的故事以及背后的中国梦过去的20年，中国一直在跟美国的三任总统打交道。但是，今天到了耶鲁大学我才知道，其实它只跟一所学校打交道。透过这三位总统我也明白了，耶鲁大学毕业生的水准也并不是很平均。接下来，就进入我们今天的主题，如果要起个题目的话，应该叫我的故事以及背后的中国梦。 那一年，我们更应该记住的是马丁·路德·金先生遇刺。虽然，那一年他倒下了，但是“我有一个梦想”的这句话却真正地站了起来，不仅在美国站了起来，也在全世界站了起来。我要讲五个年份，第一要讲的年份是1968年。那一年我出生了。但是，那一年世界非常乱，在法国有巨大的街头的骚乱在美国也有，然后美国总统候选人罗伯特·肯尼迪遇刺了(他的哥哥约翰·肯尼迪总统在1963年遇刺)。但是，的确这一切的原因都与我无关(哄堂大笑)。那一年，我们更应该记住的是马丁·路德·金先生遇刺。虽然，那一年他倒下了，但是“我有一个梦想”的这句话却真正地站了起来，不仅在美国站了起来，也在全世界站了起来。但是，当时很遗憾，不仅仅是我，几乎很多的中国人并不知道这个梦想。因为当时中国人，每一个人很难说拥有自己的梦想，将自己的梦想变成了一个国家的梦想，甚至是领袖的一个梦想。中国与美国的距离非常遥远，不亚于月亮与地球之间的距离。但是我并不关心这一切，我只关心我是否可以吃饱。很显然，我的出生非常不是时候，不仅对于当时的中国来说，对于世界来说，似乎都有些问题(众笑)。1978年，10年之后，我10岁了。我依然生活在我出生的地方，那个只有20万人的非常非常小的城市。它离的距离有2000公里，它要想了解北京出的报纸的话，要在三天之后才能看见。所以，对于我们来说，是不存在新闻这个说法的(众笑)。那一年，我的爷爷去世了。而在两年前的时候，我的父亲去世了。所以，只剩下我母亲一个人抚养我们哥儿俩，她一个月的不到10美元。因此，即使10岁了，梦想这个词对我来说，依然是一个非常陌生的词汇，我从来不会去想它。我母亲一直到现在也没有建立新的婚姻，是她一个人把我们哥俩抚养大。我看不到这个家庭的希望，只是会感觉，那个时候的每一个冬天都很寒冷。就在我看不到希望的1978年的时候，不管是中国这个国家，还有中国与美国这两个国家之间，都发生了非常巨大的变化。那是一个我们在座的所有人都该记住的年份：1978年的12月16日，中国与美国正式建交，那是一个大事件。而在中美建交两天之后，12月18日，中国共产党十一届三中全会召开了，那是中国改革开放31年的开始。历史将两个伟大的国家、一个非常可怜的家庭就如此戏剧性地交织在一起，不管是小的家庭，还是大的国家，其实当时谁都没有把握知道未来是什么样的。接下来的年份，该讲1988年了，那一年我20岁。这个时候我已经从边疆的小城市来到了北京，成为一个大学生。虽然，今天在中国依然还有很多的人在抨击中国的制度，认为它有很多很多的缺陷。但是，必须承认正是高考的存在，让我们这样一个又一个非常普通的孩子，拥有了改变命运的机会。当然，这个时候美国已经不再是一个很遥远的国家，它变得很具体，它也不再是那个过去口号当中的“美帝国主义”(众笑并鼓掌)，而是变成了生活中很多的细节。这个时候，我已经第一次尝试过可口可乐，而且喝完可口可乐之后会觉得中美两个国家真的是如此接近(众笑)。因为，它几乎就跟中国的中药是一样的(众笑)。那个时候，我已经开始非常狂热地去喜欢上摇滚乐。那个时候，正是迈克尔·杰克逊长得比较漂亮的时候(哄堂大笑)。更重要的是，这个时候的中国，已经开始发生了非常大的变化。因为，改革已经进行了10年。那一年，中国开始尝试放开很多商品的价格。这在你们看来是非常不可思议的事情。但是，在中国当时是一个很大的迈进，因为过去的价格都是由政府来决定的。就在那一年，因为放开了价格，引起了全国疯狂地抢购，大家都觉得这个时候会有多久呢？于是，要把一辈子用的食品和用品，都买回到家里头。这一年也就标志着中国离市场经济越来越近了。当然，那个时候没有人知道市场经济也会有次贷危机(众笑)。当然，我知道那一年1988年对于耶鲁大学来说是格外的重要，因为你们耶鲁的校友又有一个成为了美国的总统。我说：“看样子美国需要对中国有更多的了解，有的时候要从语言开始”。“对于中美这两个国家来说，面对面永远要好过背对背”。接下来又是一个新的年份：1998年，那一年我30岁。我已经成为中央电视台的一个新闻节目主持人。更重要的是，我已经成为一个1岁孩子的父亲。我开始明白我所做的许多事情不仅要考虑我自己，还要考虑孩子及他们的未来。