High Life

HIGH LIFE 27 难。有两件事改变了美国民众的心 理：一个是911，另一个是中国的崛 起。突然间，美国人开始有种不安定 感。他们备感威胁，无论是来自袭击 还是竞争。我不害怕中国或者恐怖袭 击。它并不常见。我不认为美国人应 该害怕。这是一种心理状态。 “中国人很灵活。他们积极而无 畏，乐于接受变化和挑战。美国人看 外面的世界时，他们看到的是威胁； 而中国人看外面的世界时，他们看到 的是机会。这是这一代美国人和中国 人的差异之一。” 虽然何伟不再在中国农村教英 语，但他仍然与以前的学生保持联 系。大多数学生如今已经拥有汽车和 公寓，住在城市里。他将他们描述为 中产阶级，但由于来自农村，这些学 生仍然认为自己是较低阶层。 离开中国前往埃及后，何伟还会 遇到在海外旅行和居住的中国人。他 独特的文化视角始终伴随着他，为他 与全球各地的人建立联系提供了独到 的见解。 他说：“在埃及，我看到很多中 国人在那里旅行，其中一部分只是普 通老百姓。他们有足够的钱旅行，但 并不富裕。他们选择这样花钱，是因 为有兴趣了解外面的世界。教育和与 外界的接触非常重要。美国人应该鼓 励任何形式的交换项目或者外语学 习，但在特朗普治下，他们看不出这 有什么重要。 “美国人与外界的接触是通过军 Serious, adventurous and dedicated to discovering the world through ordinary lives living in humble circumstances, Hessler’s writing reveals both the beauty and the tragedy of an environment that is constantly changing, sprinkled with his own sense of humor. While he is well-known for his work on rural China, he has also written about the United States and its current situation. Looking at the two countries, he considers their situations to be “very different.” “The rural Chinese want to get out. They want to go to the cities. When they leave the village behind, they are done,” he observes. “Rural Americans want to stay where they are. They are afraid of their village falling apart and they are nostalgic for the past. They don’t want to move and they don’t want to change. “America is in a tough place since 9/11. There are two things that changed American psychology: one is the 9/11 attack and two is the rise of China. Suddenly, Americans feel unstable. They feel threatened, whether by attacks or competition. I am not afraid of China or terrorist attacks. It is not very common. I don’t think Americans should be afraid. It is a psychological condition.