【经济学人】中国最大的节日正在迈向世界丨2017.01.28丨总第796期

A glad eye to the West   

西方的快乐之眼

RED lanterns adorn the aisles of a small supermarket. There are stacks of red envelopes on sale, for stuffing cash in and handing out as gifts. A sign offers seasonal discounts. Such festive trappings are ubiquitous in China in the build-up to the lunar new year, which this year starts on January 28th. But this is Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, where Han Chinese are a mere 2.5% of the country’s population. They are a sign that Chinese new year is becoming a global holiday.

大红灯笼堆满了一个小超市的过道，许多红包也在打折出售，这些红包用来装现金并将其作为礼物送出去。超市里还有季节性折扣的标牌。这些节日装饰品在中国准备迎接农历新年时随处可见（今年的农历新年始于1月28日）。但是，这是缅甸的首都仰光，这里的汉族人数就占了整个国家人口的2.5%。他们象征着中国新年正在成为一个全球性的节日。

• trappings ['træpiŋ]  服饰、装饰

• ubiquitous [juː'bɪkwɪtəs] 无处不在地

Several countries in Asia celebrate the lunar new year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns the world over have helped to make China’s the most famous. These days growing numbers of people who are not of Chinese descent are joining in. In Tokyo window cleaners dress up as the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Barcelona’s Chinese parade includes dracs (a Catalan species of dragon). America, Canada and New Zealand have issued commemorative stamps for the year of the chicken (or cock or rooster, as the animal of 2017 is sometimes called, inaccurately: the Chinese word is gender neutral). Last year New York city made the lunar new year a school holiday for the first time.

在亚洲有好些国家都有自己的方式来庆祝农历新年。但是在全世界的中国城，舞龙、舞狮使得中国的庆祝方式尤为著名。近年来，越来越多非中国血统的人加入到庆祝中来。在东京，窗户清洁工将自己打扮成中国生肖的模样。巴塞罗那的中国庆祝游行包括了dracs（一种加泰罗尼亚品种的龙）。美国、加拿大、新西兰还出版了鸡年的纪念邮票。去年，纽约第一次将农历新年纳入学校假期。

The spread of the spring festival, as China calls it, is partly due to recent emigration from China: 9.5m Chinese people have moved abroad since 1978, many of them far richer than earlier waves of migrants. It also reflects the wealth and globe-trotting ambitions of China’s new middle class: festivities in other countries are partly aimed at the 6m Chinese who are expected to spend their weeklong holiday abroad this year. International brands are trying to lure these big spenders with chicken-themed items.

正如中国所说的那样，春节的传播一部分得益于近年来自中国的移民：自1978年起，移民海外的中国人已达到9500万，他们中许多人比早几代的移民富裕。这也反映出中国新的中产阶级的财富状况以及环球世界的雄心壮志：今年，其他国家的庆祝活动一部分针对希望在国外度过一周假期的600万中国人。国际大品牌都在尝试着用鸡年主题的商品来吸引这些有钱人。

• globe-trotting [trɒt] 环球旅行

• lure [l(j)ʊə] 诱惑

Conscious of China’s growing economic and political clout, foreign leaders have taken to noting the occasion. Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, has given a video address, a tradition started in 2014 by her predecessor, David Cameron. Last year the country’s royal family tweeted a picture of Queen Elizabeth dotting the eye of a Chinese lion-dancer’s costume. Also in 2016, Venezuela’s culture minister admitted that his country was celebrating Chinese new year for the first time—with six weeks of festivities—in a bid to improve economic ties with China. It is rumoured that this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was held a week earlier than usual to avoid clashing with Chinese new year.

外国领导人意识到中国日益增强的经济和政治影响力，已经开始留意这个节日。英国首相特蕾莎·梅发表了一个视频演讲，这项传统始于2014年前首相大卫·卡梅伦。去年，英国王室在推特上发了一张伊丽莎白女王点缀装饰一中国舞狮服装的眼睛的照片。（期待您的翻译，明天会有针对这句话的长难句解析哟~）有传言说，今年的达沃斯世界经济论坛提前一个星期举办就是为了避免和中国新年冲突。

• clout [klaʊt] 影响力

China hopes the festival will boost its cultural “soft power” abroad. So it sponsors related events, such as a display this year of martial arts in Cyprus and a traditional Chinese temple-fair in Harare, Zimbabwe. It may give Chinese officials satisfaction to see foreigners enjoy such festivities. They lament the growing enthusiasm among Chinese for Western celebrations such as Christmas—in December cities across China are bedecked with Santas and snowflake decorations. Chinese new year is a welcome chance to reverse the cultural flow.

中国希望春节能提高其在国外的文化软实力。所以，中国赞助了今年在塞浦路斯的武术表演，以及在津巴布韦哈拉雷举办的庙会等相关活动。也许对中国官员来说，看到外国人如此享受这些庆祝活动是一件令人开心的事。他们感慨中国人对西方庆祝的圣诞节这样的节日越来越热情——每年的12月，中国各城市都装饰着圣诞老人和雪花。中国新年成为扭转文化潮流的机会令人愉悦。

• sponsors ['spɑnsɚ] 赞助

• temple-fair 庙会

• lament [lə'ment] 痛惜

• bedecked [bɪ'dɛkt] 装饰

翻译 ▍政治三组

审核 ▍河清

编辑 ▍璃儿