美籍華人揭祕老外來中國到底是爲啥？大綱

Have you ever wondered what brings foreigners to China and what do they do while they are here?

你是否曾經好奇過究竟是什麼風把老外吹到中國來的？他們來中國都幹些啥？

On the streets and lanes of China, we see increasing numbers of foreigners. Speaking various foreign languages or strangely-toned Chinese, they have become part of our life. It is now quite common to see blond hair on the people walking along the street. The sight of a foreign face is no longer a novelty.

如今越來越多的外國人遊走在中國的大街小巷。他們說着各種各樣的語言，有時也帶着奇怪的口音說說中文，慢慢地這些人就成了我們生活的一部分。如果在大街上看到一個金髮老外，已不足爲奇。人們對那一張張洋化的臉龐也已司空見慣。

But foreigners remain a tiny minority in China. Few people know them well. Many ask themselves: What brings foreigners to China, and what do they do while they are here?

但老外仍然是中國的少數羣體。國人對他們知之甚少，然後就會好奇：到底是什麼風把他們吹到中國來的，他們在中國又幹些啥？

Xia Yuan, a beautiful girl from Ukraine, works in the Beijing Emirates Town Office. She is in charge of the marketing department and she now lives in Beijing. She studied Chinese for two years before she came to China, and she now speaks fluent Mandarin. Unless you can see her in person, you might not even realize that this is a foreigner speaking Chinese. She wants to find a handsome Chinese boy as a boyfriend. She is currently studying Chinese.

夏園是一位美麗的烏克蘭女孩，目前就職於北京阿聯酋工作室，主要負責市場部，現居北京。在來中國之前，她已經學了兩年的中文，現在說得一口流利的普通話。除非你是親眼見了，否則你一定不會相信竟會有老外把中文說得這麼順溜。夏園渴望邂逅一個英俊的中國男友。現在她還從未停止中文的學習。

Ding Luo, Italian, is the general manager of Alcatel in China. Some years ago he lived in Chengdu, and he often accompanied us to the poorer areas of Sichuan to help the kids, donating computers, clothes and bags to them. He sometimes drove his Mercedes, and ate with us at street stalls. In those days there were fewer foreigners, and the stall owners made him very welcome.

丁諾，意大利人，現任阿爾卡特中國地區總裁。幾年前他居住於成都，那時他常常隨我們去四川貧困地區救濟兒童，給他們捐贈電腦、衣物和書包。有時他也會開着他的梅賽德斯和我們在街邊暢飲開懷。那時，老外在國內還是稀有物種，小攤點的老闆特別歡迎他。

Whenever he encountered a problem, he would say "I don't understand Chinese" and take out a card carrying his name and work place, and his secretary's phone number, all written in Chinese.

丁諾每每陷入交流困境的時候，他便會說：“我不會中文，”接着就會把印有他的名字、工作地址、祕書電話的中文名片遞給對方。

Certainly, among these foreigners in China, many are consular officers who work in embassies or consulates. Countries with diplomatic ties with China regularly dispatch representatives to China.

當然，這些老外中也不乏在大使館或領事館工作的領事官員。畢竟與中國建立外交關係的國家會定期派遣代表到中國來。

Foreigners have all sorts of jobs in China: foreign students, volunteers who work in the poorest areas in China, ordinary workers, bosses… some are hired just to make their employer look good! But it seems that it's not easy for a foreigner to become a Chinese citizen or get a Chinese Green Card.

老外在中國從事的職業形形色色：有留學生，平困地區志願者，普通職員，老闆......也有一些公司招聘外國員工僅僅爲了充當門面！可要想成爲中國居民或拿中國綠卡卻非易事。

When some foreigners find themselves in trouble, they even beg for money: "I love China. I want to stay in China. But I don't have enough money… please help me."

當一些老外陷入困境的時候，他們甚至會上街乞討：“我愛中國。我想留在這裏。但卻身無分文......請幫幫我。”

Some foreigners come to China from different countries to teach English. Some come to China to experience Chinese culture; they're not looking for big money. They hold the view that they are well-off as long as their employers pay for their round-trip tickets, and they have a secure livelihood, a chance to learn Chinese, and the opportunity to travel around China during vacations and enjoy different local customs. After a few years, when they finish their travels, they move on to another country. There are also some foreigners who really fall in love with China and don't want to leave. This is especially true for foreign men who meet a beautiful Chinese girl - they want to get married and settle down in China.

也有一些老外從世界各地來，到中國教英語。他們有的是爲了感受中方文化；並非想着來中國賺大錢。在他們認爲，只要僱主提供往返機票，保障他們的居住安全，再加上他們有機會學習中文並且在假期遊遍中國，享受多彩的地方習俗，就已經是高待遇了。數年後，當他們完成了中國之行，就會到另一個國家繼續他們旅行。有些老外也會真正地愛上中國，不想離開。當外國男人愛上美麗的中國女孩時，這種情況就更是離不開了--他們就會希望在中國結婚，安定。

Many foreigners love Chinese culture. They travel around or make short visits, taking lots of photos in China. They often speak no Chinese. But more and more foreigners in China now speak fluent Chinese and marry Chinese partners.

很多老外都喜歡中國文化。他們遊遍中國，或進行短暫拜訪，用相機盡數記錄中國的大好河山。有人對中文一竅不通，也有越來越多的人說得一口流利中文並且找到中國伴侶。

Dashan, a foreigner who does speak Chinese with fluency and has married a Chinese girl, has been a well-known figure in social media for several years. He now acts as a bridge for cultural communication between Canada and China.

大山，一個把中文說得轉溜，抱得中國美人歸的老外，多年來一直是社會媒體界的名人。現在他正扮演中加兩國的文化橋樑一角。

Some of the foreigners I know used to be overseas representatives of their companies or their countries' embassies in China. Gradually they became familiar with China, and established good contacts here, so they went on to set up their own businesses or become the chief representatives of their companies.

我就認識那麼一些外國人，最初作爲公司代表或者國家大使出使中國。後來就漸漸愛上中國，在中國建立良好的人脈，最終開創出自己的事業，或者成爲公司的總代表。

Ouyang Fei, who once worked in the Consulate of Canada in Chongqing, later went into business. I wonder how he's doing now.

歐陽飛，曾在加拿大駐重慶領事館工作，後來下海經商。我很好奇他近況如何。

A growing number of countries are establishing trade deals with China, and the companies of these countries will send people to China to attend exhibitions or set up their offices in China.越來越多的國家與中國建立了貿易關係，各國的公司也陸續派遣人員到中國來參加展會或是成立在中國的工作室。

Gao Weiwei, a Chinese American and media worker. The views expressed herein are those of the authors.

本文作者：高偉偉，美籍華人，媒體工作者。以上僅爲作者個人觀點。