High Life

16 品 From the editor Power of a leader O n a recent trip to Paris, I discovered that the French are becoming friendlier than theywere a decade ago when I was a student studying in the city. “How is it possible that they now come to us and ask if we need help finding what we want in the store?” my shopping companion said to me while we were browsing a Chanel boutique near rue Saint-Honoré. “Years ago, I wanted to buy a pair of sneakers and they put their hand in my face without even talking to me or asking me to wait!” ManyofmyFrenchfriends admit that sinceEmmanuel Macron became President of France, things have changed and people have altered their attitudes and views. “The French understand that they need to change in order to survive in the 21st century,” another friend pointed out. “Those who are arrogant with an old way of thinking are just not going to make it in a competitive environment, especially in the hospitality industry.” Similar to the “Macron effect” that is moving France in a more positive direction, in China we are also seeing President Xi working hard with the party to tackle various issues in a developing country, especially bringing awareness to the fact that climate change affects every one of us. The Chinese are now increasingly more conscious of protecting our natural resources and putting effort into developing clean energy sources. A leader indeed greatly influences the thinking of those around him or her. In an era where social media and technological advances can spread information to a wide audience in a very short period of time, this is even more true. Irene Sam Editor-in-Chief 领袖的力量 最 近一次巴黎之旅，我发现法国人比十年前我在这座 城市读书时变得更加友善。 “店员会主动过来询问我们是否需要帮助，这怎么可 能？”在圣奥诺雷街逛香奈儿精品店时，同伴对我说。 “还记得多年前在一家运动鞋店，他们甚至对我不予 理睬，把我晾在一边等着！” 我的很多法国朋友也承认，自从埃马纽埃尔·马克龙 出任法国总统，情况发生了变化，人们改变了他们的态度 和看法。 另一位朋友指出：“法国人清楚，要想在二十一世纪得 以生存，他们必须做出改变。那些固守旧思维、傲慢自大 的人难以在竞争激烈的环境中立足，尤其是酒店业。” 与引领法国向更积极方向迈进的“马克龙效应”相似， 在中国，我们看到了习主席及其政党致力解决发展中国家 的种种问题，尤其是提升人们对气候变化之影响的重视程 度。如今中国人越来越意识到保护自然资源和开发绿色能 源的重要性。 领导者着实会极大地影响人们的思维。在社交媒体和 技术进步可以在短时间内向广泛受众传播信息的时代，这 一点就更加毋庸置疑。 沈爱莲 主编 编者寄语