不是我不明白 只是"城市化"腳步太快

Zhao Zhanglin, a post-90s rural migrant, didn't expect to stay when he first set foot in the sprawling metropolis of Beijing.

趙章林（音譯）是位90後外來務工人員。當第一次踏上北京這座紛繁大都市時，他並未料到自己會留下來。

"I just wanted to open my eyes by coming to the city to work for a few years," the 22-year-old recounts. "Then I'd like to return to the peaceful village in Ankang, Shaanxi, where I came from."

"我只想來這裏工作幾年，開開眼界。然後就要回陝西安康老家那個平靜的小村子。"這位22歲的小夥子講述道。

But then he felt that his whole life had been redefined by being exposed to the exciting urban life. "I talked with professors, businessmen and even actors," said Zhao, who organized conferences and receptions for a training company.

但後來，置身於令人興奮的城市生活中的他，覺得自己的人生被重新定義了。他現就職於一家培訓公司，負責會議組織和接待工作，他表示："我可以和教授、生意人甚至是演員侃侃而談。"

"In the countryside, the people I encounter are restricted to farmers and street vendors."

"在農村，我接觸到的只有農民和街上的小販。"

Zhao can now also support his family by sending back money and has been recruited in a local junior college. He has decided to stay in Beijing.

現在，趙章林也可以寄錢回家養家，並且已被北京的一所大專錄取了。他決定留在北京。

According to The Urban Blue Book: China City Development Report, released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) last week, the number of Chinese urbanites (691 million) has surpassed the number of rural residents.

從中國社會科學院上週發佈的《城市藍皮書：中國城市發展報告》看來，中國城鎮人口達到6.91億，這一數字已遠遠超過農村人口。

The urbanization rate, which means the proportion of residents who live in cities is now at 51.27 percent.

城鎮化率，即城鎮人口占總人口的比例現已達到51.27%。

This marks a significant change in the country's social structure. It means that China has ended the era of "village-based society" and ushered in a "city-based society".

這標誌着我國社會結構的重大變化，同時也意味着中國已經結束了"鄉村型社會"時代，迎來一個全新的"城市型社會"。

The term "urbanization" refers to the process of rural people moving into cities. A key indicator of a country's urbanization level is the distribution of its population between rural and urban areas, explains the report.

"城鎮化"指的是農村人口向城市遷移的過程。該報告指出，衡量一個國家城鎮化水平的一項重要指標便是農村和城鎮地區的人口分佈。

"Urbanization is inevitable and progressive. It is an integral part of a city's social and economic development," says Wei Houkai, deputy director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

中國社會科學院城市發展與環境研究所副所長魏後凱稱："城市化不可避免，並且在不斷推進。它是一個城市的社會和經濟發展的主要組成部分。"

According to Wei, the process causes "human resource capital" to accumulate, generating wealth in the society. It also increases consumption and investment.

魏後凱還表示，這一進程導致了"人力資本"的累積，從而創造了社會財富。同時也刺激了消費和投資的增長。

The report reveals that the ratio of urban disposable incomes to rural net incomes reached 3.13 in 2011.

報告中指出，2011年，城鎮居民人均可支配收入與農村居民人均純收入之比高達3.13。

"In cities, centralized production, distribution and exchange create the ‘agglomeration effect' - which reduces costs while increasing efficiency," says Zhu Caibin, PhD, in urban and environmental science and expert in city planning at the China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute.

中國城市建設設計研究院高級專家、城市和環境學博士朱才斌表示："城市之中，集中生產、分配和交換創造出‘集聚效應'，在提高效率的同時，也降低了成本。"

To put it simply, a factory will find it easier to hire hands and gather material.

簡單地說，工廠在僱傭人力和採集材料方面更加便捷。

Whereas you can sell a product to only one person in a village, you might attract 10 potential customers in a city.

在鄉村裏，你只能把產品賣給一個人，而在城市中你可能會吸引10個潛在客戶。

Zhu also notes that urbanization improves lives by offering better education and more job opportunities to city dwellers. It also diversifies cultural experiences.

朱才斌還提到，城鎮化爲城市居民提供了更好的教育和更多的就業機會，從而改善了人們的生活水平；同時也豐富了文化體驗。

However, social experts point out that many migrant workers often find it hard to adapt to urban life.

然而，一些社會學者指出，很多外來務工人員發現自己很難適應城市生活。

Qiao Xiaodao, 36, a farmer now turned musician and artist in Beijing, believes it depends on the attitude of newcomers.

36歲的喬小刀從一位農民變身爲如今的京城音樂人兼藝術家。他相信，這取決於個人的態度。

"If they just want to earn money, gain skills and return to the countryside, they don't need to bother blending in," he says.

他說："如果他們只想掙錢，獲得一技之長，然後回農村。那麼他們根本不需要擔心能否融入城市這個問題。"

"But if they want to establish roots in the city, they have to make an effort."

"但是如果他們想在城市紮根，那麼就必須付出努力。"

Hardship, such as living in a basement, might be inevitable. But Qiao is optimistic that social policy, including healthcare, will become more favorable to newcomers. "It is just a matter of time."

吃苦可能是在所難免的，例如會居住在地下室中。但喬小刀也樂觀地表示，包括醫療衛生在內的社會政策將會越來越照顧到外來人口。"只是時間問題罷了。"

The report notes further problems relating to the trend of urbanization, such as air pollution, soaring housing prices, and traffic congestion.

報告中也提到了與城鎮化有關的一系列長遠問題，如空氣污染、房價上漲以及交通擁擠等。

Wei believes this is not caused by urbanization itself, but by an unscientific approach to development.

魏後凱相信，這些並非由城市化自身所導致的，而是由不科學的發展模式造成的。

"The right approach would be to enhance the quality of a city in terms of its cultural environment and green features, while lowering the cost of resource consumption," he says.

他表示："正確的發展方式應該是從人文環境以及綠色環保方面來提高城市品質，同時降低資源消耗的成本。"