A 21ST CENTURY NARRATIVE WITH MANY CONTRADICTIONS
 
 
Lionel Barber
Monday, October 15, 2007

The ascent skywards in a makeshift elevator to the 34th storey of the China Central Television building in downtown Beijing offers a striking perspective on the transformation of the country's capital city. This embryonic trophy building, the new headquarters for the state broadcaster, stands in a forest of skyscrapers and commands a floor space almost equivalent to the Pentagon. It comprises two leaning towers soon to touch each other via an interconnected steel and glass tube, a stunning combination of architectural daring and engineering prowess.

The last time I visited Beijing was in 1999. Today, the capital has the feel of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, a bit like Berlin shortly after the fall of the Wall. The difference is that pre-Olympics Beijing is erasing the past with brutal efficiency, leaving the new splendour an alluring promise rather than a certain reality.

What is inescapable is the China growth story. The world is familiar with the rise of low-cost Chinese manufacturing, with its attendant problems of pollution symbolised by suffocating traffic in the big cities. More significant, however, is the explosion of the service sector.

In the final analysis, the story of 21st century China is a narrative with many contradictions.

A Communist party that has embraced the market; an emerging economic superpower that hesitates before assuming broader responsibilities as a stakeholder in the global system.

And then there are the abiding images from the industrial powerhouse of Chongqing. Here is a city that boasts a super-modern airport and a Porsche dealership but where chickens roam the streets. But the visitor's sense is that progress, if not inevitable, is irreversible.

中国：21世纪的矛盾叙述
(FT2007中国报告之四)
 
 
作者：英国《金融时报》总编辑莱昂内尔.巴贝尔
2007年10月15日 星期一
 
 
在位于北京市区的中国中央电视台(CCTV) 34层大楼里，乘坐临时电梯上升，人们可以看到中国首都的惊人变化。这座在建的标志性建筑是中央电视台的新总部，矗立在林立的摩天大楼之中，占地面积几乎与美国五角大楼相当。该建筑由两幢快要碰到一起的倾斜塔楼组成，两者由一条钢和玻璃结构的通道相连，是大胆建筑构思与工程实力的结合，令人惊叹。

我上次到北京是在1999年。如今，感觉这座首都城市就像一只破茧而出的蝴蝶，有点儿像柏林墙刚刚倒塌之后的柏林。区别在于，奥运会前夕的北京，正在用惊人的效率抹掉过往的痕迹，使崭新的绚丽景象展示着诱人的前景，而非某种既定的现实。

中国的经济增长奇迹无法回避。中国低成本制造业的崛起为世人所熟知，但污染问题也随之产生，大城市中令人窒息的交通便是明证。然而，更为重要的是服务业的爆炸式增长。

归根结底，21世纪的中国是一篇充满诸多矛盾的记叙文。

中国共产党接受了市场经济；而中国这个超级新兴经济大国作为全球体系中的一个利益相关者，对于担负起更大的责任还有些犹豫。

再来看看工业重镇重庆一些反复出现的景象。这是一座拥有超现代化机场和保时捷经销店的城市，但街头却有鸡在闲逛。但游客的感觉是，进步即使不是不可避免，也是无法回头的。

Words & Expression
ascent n. 上升
skyward a. 向天空的(向上的)
makeshift a. 临时的
embryonic a. 胚胎的,像胚胎的
trophy   n. 奖品,战利品
prowess  n. 英勇,勇敢,超凡技术
chrysalis n. 蛹,茧,准备期
brutal a. 野蛮的
allure v. 引诱,吸引
inescapable a. 无法逃脱的,不可避免的

sentences
But the visitor's sense is that progress, if not inevitable, is irreversible.
译文：但游客的感觉是，进步即使不是不可避免，也是无法回头的。