中國城：帶你回“國”歸“家”

Antonio Han

“洋裝雖然穿在身，我心依然是中國心?！?/p>

千百年來，總有人離開家鄉(xiāng)，去廣闊的世界體驗(yàn)不一樣的人生。有人背負(fù)使命，想尋找長生不老的靈丹妙藥；有人出于好奇，想看看別人的世界；有人心懷憧憬，想謀求不一樣的生活方式……原因也許有多種多樣，但他們對祖國的思念，總會在不經(jīng)意間，“才下眉頭，又上心頭”。

對漂洋過海的游子來說，祖國，永遠(yuǎn)是心中最牽掛的那部分。每年的春節(jié)聯(lián)歡晚會，也總有祖國對海外各地華僑、華人、留學(xué)生的問候。中華人民共和國成立70周年了，“出國潮”潮漲潮退，學(xué)成歸國的人越來越多，這是一種新時代背景下的“歸鄉(xiāng)”。

San Francisco Begins In Chinatown

美國舊金山始于中國城

The first private residence in San Francisco was an adobe house. It was built around 1822， in the heart of what is now Chinatown. Soon a handful of houses were built around the same area. And that was the beginning of San Francisco.

The largest and oldest Chinese community in the United States is the Chinatown area of San Francisco. For over 150 years， San Francisco has had a significant Chinese population， and until the 1940s， most of the Chinese in San Francisco lived in Chinatown.

The San Francisco Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America， as well as the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. People go to the San Francisco Chinatown to enjoy an authentic atmosphere. It offers temples， theaters， restaurants， antique（古代的）shops and souvenir shops. Signs are written in both Chinese and English here. Traditional herbal（草藥的） medicine is popular among locals and tourists. Over 300 restaurants offer all sorts of authentic Chinese food. Whats more， as the oldest and the largest， the San Francisco Chinatown is famous for its wonderful Chinese New Year celebrations.

In 1848， gold was discovered in California in the United States. And in 1848， three Chinese immigrants， one man and two women， arrived at San Francisco， hoping to find gold， wealth and return to China. And only two years later， 20，000 Chinese arrived in “Gold Mountain”. Back in the 19th century， Chinese people in the United States had to fight for their rights and against racial prejudice（種族的偏見）. They were prohibited from becoming citizens. And they were not allowed to own property， to vote， nor to marry non-Chinese. But today， 150 years later in San Francisco， Chinese are an essential part of the city. Chinatown is the citys top tourist attraction.

舊金山的第一座私人住宅是一座土坯房。它建于1822年左右，位于現(xiàn)今中國城的中心地帶。很快，附近區(qū)域開始建起了少數(shù)房屋。這就是舊金山這座城市的開始。

美國最龐大、最古老的華人社區(qū)是舊金山的中國城區(qū)域。150多年來，舊金山一直有大量華人，直到20世紀(jì)40年代，大部分舊金山的華人都住在中國城。

舊金山中國城是北美洲最古老的中國城，也是亞洲以外最大的中國城。人們到舊金山中國城是為了感受純正的“中國味”。這里有廟宇、劇院、餐廳、古董店和紀(jì)念品商店。各種標(biāo)識都是用中、英雙語寫的。傳統(tǒng)中藥在當(dāng)?shù)厝撕陀慰椭卸碱H受歡迎。超過300家餐廳提供各式各樣的正宗中國菜。更重要的是，作為最古老和最大的中國城，它以其精彩的春節(jié)慶典活動而聞名。

1848年，人們在美國加利福尼亞州發(fā)現(xiàn)了黃金。同年，3名中國移民，一男二女，到達(dá)舊金山，希望能夠找到黃金、財富，然后回到祖國。僅兩年后，就有兩萬名中國人來到“金山”。早在19世紀(jì)，身在美國的中國人不得不為爭取自己的權(quán)利、反對種族歧視而抗?fàn)?。他們被禁止成為美國公民，不允許擁有土地、不允許參加選舉，或者嫁娶中國人以外的種族。而今天，150年以后的舊金山，中國人已經(jīng)成為這座城市不可或缺的一部分。中國城是舊金山最受歡迎的旅游景點(diǎn)。

The Most Modern And Vibrant Chinatown： Vancouver， Canada

最摩登，最有活力的中國城：加拿大溫哥華

In Canada， the Chinatown of Vancouver is the largest Chinatown in the country. It is the third largest in North America， after San Francisco and New York. It was formed in the late 19th century. And like many other Chinatowns， it is centrally located in the city.

Between 1886 and 1920， the first wave of Chinese immigrants settled in Vancouver. By 1890， over 1000 Chinese residents were living in their new community.In 1997， waves of Hong Kong Chinese emigrated to Vancouver. They came in such numbers that the city was nicknamed “Hongcouver”. In recent years， a lot of Canadian-born Chinese are moving back to China in search of better job opportunities. There are up to 300，000 Canadian passport holders in Hong Kong.

Over the century， this Chinatown has always been a place of culture and local Chinese-influenced business. In 2011， the Chinatown of Vancouver was declared a National Historic Site. Today， ethnic（種族的） Chinese can be found living in every part of Vancouver. You can dine out on as many varieties of Chinese food as you can find in Hong Kong. The Mayor speaks Cantonese（廣東話）. The Chief Constable（警察局長）was born in Shanghai. One in three of the citys residents is of Asian descent（血統(tǒng)）. Some people call Canada “Chinada”.

Today， the streets in the Chinatown of Vancouver are busy. Shops are trendy. And Chinatown itself has become Vancouvers creative hub. It is a go-to place.

溫哥華中國城是加拿大最大的中國城。僅次于舊金山和紐約中國城，它是全世界第三大的中國城。它建于19世紀(jì)末。和其他很多中國城一樣，溫哥華中國城位于市中心。

1886年至1920年，第一批中國移民在溫哥華定居。到1890年，超過1000名中國人居住在他們的新社區(qū)。1997年，大量香港華人移居溫哥華。他們的數(shù)量之多，以至于溫哥華這座城市有了“香哥華”的昵稱。近年來，大量加拿大籍華人為了尋找更好的工作機(jī)會紛紛回到中國。超過30萬名加拿大護(hù)照持有者在香港定居。

100多年來，溫哥華中國城都是當(dāng)?shù)匚幕蜕虡I(yè)的中心。2011年，溫哥華中國城還被評為全國古跡之一。如今，溫哥華的每個角落幾乎都能看到中國人的身影。在溫哥華，中式餐廳種類各種各樣，堪比香港。市長會講流利的粵語，警察局長是上海出生的孩子。溫哥華三分之一的居民都是亞裔，以至于有些人把加拿大稱作“中拿大”。

今天的溫哥華中國城，街道熙攘繁華，各類店鋪新潮、時尚。中國城已經(jīng)變成了溫哥華的創(chuàng)意中心。這是一個你必去的地方。

Chinatown Is Where Home Is： Melbourne， Australia

中國城是家所在的地方：澳大利亞墨爾本

The Chinese population in Melbourne（墨爾本）is large. Much of it consists of overseas students. The Chinatown of Melbourne is like a haven for these students. It provides them with a source of connection to Chinese culture. For a lot of Chinese people in Melbourne， Chinatown feels like home.

The Chinatown of Melbourne is known as one of the oldest Chinatowns in the Southern Hemisphere（南半球）. Victorias gold rush brought many immigrants from China to Melbourne. They were searching for the “New Gold Mountain”. And from there， the Chinese population kept growing. In 1854， the first Chinese lodging house was built to provide rest for gold miners. And now， colorful souvenir shops and restaurants give a sense of home to Chinese nationals.

Little Bourke Street was once important to the first wave of Chinese immigrants settling in Australia. Now it continues to preserve Chinese tradition for the wider Chinese community in Melbourne. Throughout the year， there are many traditional festivals and activities in the Chinatown of Melbourne. Thus， it is a popular destination in the city center for local， interstate （洲際的）and international（國際的）visitors.

The Chinatown of Melbourne is a busy and important social and economic center for the Chinese community. Also， as one of Melbournes most popular places to go， it is truly cosmopolitan（世界性的）. Authentic cuisines（菜肴）like Thai， Japanese， Malaysian， Vietnamese and Australian keep tempting peoples taste buds（味蕾）. Food is one of the most important aspects of Chinese culture， and in Melbourne， the Chinatown takes Chinese nationals back home through its food.

墨爾本的中國人口數(shù)量極其龐大，其中大部分是留學(xué)生。墨爾本的中國城好比留學(xué)生的港灣，讓他們感覺與祖國文化依舊相連。對墨爾本的很多中國人來說，中國城就像家一樣。

墨爾本中國城是南半球最古老的中國城。維多利亞淘金熱吸引了很多中國移民到墨爾本尋找“新金山”。從那時起，華人人口持續(xù)增長。1854年，第一家中國旅店修建完成，為淘金者提供了休憩之處。如今，五顏六色的紀(jì)念品商店和餐館為華人帶去了家的氣息。

對第一批定居澳大利亞的中國移民來說，小伯克街曾經(jīng)是極其重要的場所?，F(xiàn)在，它繼續(xù)為居住在墨爾本更廣泛的華人社區(qū)保留著中國傳統(tǒng)。一年到頭，墨爾本中國城都有各種不同的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日慶典活動。因此，墨爾本中國城在當(dāng)?shù)厝?、澳大利亞其他州和國際游客中都非常受歡迎。

墨爾本中國城是華人社區(qū)繁忙且重要的社交經(jīng)濟(jì)中心。與此同時，作為墨爾本最受歡迎的目的地之一，這里非常國際化。正宗的泰國、日本、馬來西亞、越南和澳大利亞美食不斷吸引著人們的味蕾。美食是中國文化中重要的一部分，在墨爾本，中國城通過美食帶華人回家。

China In The Heart Of London

倫敦中心的中國

Todays Chinatowns story begins with the Great Fire of London. That summer of 1666 was very hot. There had been no rain for weeks. Also， back then， all houses and buildings were wooden. It all started in a bakery on Pudding Lane. Then houses nearby quickly collapsed. The strong east winds did not help either. After a few days of burning， only one fifth of London was left standing. Hundreds and thousands of people became homeless. The Great Fire was a catastrophe（災(zāi)難）， but it did cleanse the city. A new London emerged， with no more plague. Wooden houses were replaced by stone structures.

At first， the original Chinatown in London was in the east part of the city. Back then， at the end of 18th century， thousands of Chinese sailors were employed in China， and then travelled to work in London. It was an insular（孤立的） and temporary（臨時的） community. It was once said Chinese people just wanted to “earn enough then head home”.

Today， London C h i n a t o w n i s i n the busy center of London. Tourists flock here for its Chinese restaurants， teahouses， supermarkets and traditional Chinese doctors.

A s E u r o p es largest Chinatown， London Chinatown enjoys a lively atmosphere. From bakeries to bars， from restaurants to reflexology（反射療法）， from health clinics to barbers， from banks to travel agents， it really has everything. Chinatown is not only a Chinese community here anymore， but a thriving hub of Oriental wonder. Whats more， it is one of Londons hotspots（熱點(diǎn)）. Artists， authors and politicos（政客）all come here， for support and for inspiration.

Theres a Chinatown in every major city in the world. No matter where Chinese people go， they never leave their Chinese roots behind. Chinatowns are huge footprints of Chinese people throughout the world. And wherever Chinese people end up， they create three essential things to make their new place home： a traditional Chinese New Year festival， commerce（商業(yè)）， a good place to eat. Thus， Chinatowns in the world might look different， but they are always similar： the home for overseas Chinese.

今天的中國城，故事源于“倫敦大火”。1666年的夏天格外炎熱，好幾個星期滴雨未落。而且，那時候的房子和建筑都是木制的。最初，布丁巷的一家面包店起火了。隨后，附近的房屋迅速倒塌。強(qiáng)勁的東風(fēng)更加劇了火勢。大火蔓延幾天后，倫敦僅僅剩下五分之一。成千上萬的人無家可歸。這場大火簡直是巨大的災(zāi)難，但它的確清理了整座城市。新的倫敦由此而生，鼠疫一燒而光。石頭建筑也開始取代木制房屋。

最初，倫敦的中國城建在城市的東部。當(dāng)時，在18世紀(jì)末，成千上萬的中國水手在國內(nèi)簽訂雇傭合同，然后漂洋過海到倫敦工作。彼時的中國城有點(diǎn)與世隔絕的味道，是一個臨時居所。曾經(jīng)有人說，中國人來這里只想“賺夠錢就回家”。

如今 ，倫敦中國城位于倫敦最繁華的中心地帶。游客們?yōu)榱诉@里的中餐廳、茶屋、超市和傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)紛至沓來。

作為歐洲最大的中國城，倫敦中國城氛圍活躍。從面包店到酒吧，從餐館到反射療法，從醫(yī)療診所到理發(fā)店，從銀行到旅行社……這里應(yīng)有盡有。中國城不僅僅是一個華人社區(qū)，更是一個繁華的東方魅力聚集地。不僅如此，它還是倫敦最熱門的場所之一。藝術(shù)家、作者和政客們都來這里，尋求支持和靈感。

世界上幾乎每個大城市都有中國城。無論中國人走到哪里，他們都不會忘記自己的根。而中國城，正是中國人留在世界上的巨型腳印。無論中國人最后定居在何處，他們總會通過三個方面讓自己“回家”：一個傳統(tǒng)的中國春節(jié)、一門生意和一處美食場所。因此，世界各地的中國城也許略有不同，卻又極其相似：它們都是海外華人的“家”。