民相亲关键在青年——记习主席重返塔科马之旅 Xi's trips to Washington state deepen ties, knowledge

The visit was nearly seven years ago, but it is etched so clearly on Nathan Bowling's mind that it is as though it happened yesterday.
七年前，中国国家主席习近平访问了美国塔科马市林肯中学，当时在林肯中学授课的老师内森·鲍林回忆起习主席的到访，至今仍然记忆犹新。

On Sept 23, 2015, Bowling was teaching a sociology class at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington state, but this was to be no routine lesson. Standing in the classroom before him and his students was a very special guest: Chinese President Xi Jinping.
2015年9月23日，华盛顿州塔科马市的林肯中学，鲍林正在给学生讲授社会科学的课程。今天看来，这堂课注定不同寻常：一位特别的客人前来旁听——中国国家主席习近平。

Xi's school visit was his last public stop during a visit to Washington state. He would meet members of the Lincoln High School football team and receive a custom No 1 Lincoln Abes' game jersey with his name on it.
访问林肯中学是习近平主席在华盛顿州访问期间的最后一站公开活动。他还会见了林肯中学橄榄球队队员，并获赠一件定制的印有他名字的1号球衣。

"At one point, we had a conversation about whether they could shake his hand or not," Bowling said of his students. "And I was like, 'Of course not. No way.' And then, when he stuck his hand out to shake hands with the kids in the row, the first kid squealed, like it was the Beatles. That was really cool to me. That means they understood the gravity of the moment."
鲍林回忆说：“我们曾讨论学生们是否可以和习主席握手。我当时觉得，‘这不可能。’后来，当习主席伸出手来与孩子们握手时，第一个孩子尖叫起来，他们就像见到了摇滚巨星一样激动。他们理解这一刻的重要意义。”

Among the many things Bowling clearly recalls about the visit is what Xi said about China.
鲍林至今清楚记得习近平主席介绍中国时说的话。

Bowling recalled Xi as saying something to the effect of when you go to Xi'an, you can see China more than 1,000 years in the past; when you go to Beijing you can see 500 years in the past; and when you go to Shanghai you can see 100 years in the past.
他说，要看千年的中国去西安，看五百年的中国去北京，看一百年的中国去上海。

"And that passage really stuck with me. That's kind of a demonstration of the depth of Chinese history."
鲍林说：“那段话让我难以忘怀，展示了中国深厚的历史底蕴。”

Bowling and his wife have visited China many times since 2014. They have worked with high school students and middle school students in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The other cities they have toured include Beijing, Macao, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
2014年以来鲍林和他的妻子曾多次来到中国。他们曾与四川省成都市的初中生和高中生交流，还参观过北京、澳门、香港和上海等地。

Bowling said his trips to China have enabled him to deepen his knowledge far beyond what people can get from a book. On each trip, he said, he has been "blown away" by the country, its people and their generosity.
鲍林说，几次中国之行加深了他对中国的了解，收获远远超出了从书本上所能看到的。他说，每次旅行，他都被这个国家、这里的人民和他们的慷慨热情所“折服”。

In 2019, Bowling and his family moved to the United Arab Emirates, and his most recent trip to China was in 2020, when he accompanied his students to a conference at Concordia International School in Shanghai.
2019年，鲍林和家人移居阿联酋，他最近的一次中国之行是在2020年，当时他陪同学生参加在上海一所国际学校举行的会议。

"I have fond memories also of the first host family we stayed with. They were just like everyday Chinese ... middle-class people, who were living very, very happy lives."
“我们住的第一个寄宿家庭给我留下了美好的记忆。他们就是普通的中国人……过着非常非常幸福的生活。”

"I learned how to play mahjong and how to make dumplings. I think what really made that visit meaningful is that I was able to bring some of that culture and some of the history to my students. And that's what the president offered with his visits."
“我学会了打麻将和包饺子。我认为这次访问的意义在于，我能带学生了解中国的文化和历史。这也是习主席访问林肯中学时所做的事。”

After exchanging gifts and speaking with students that day in Tacoma, Xi made a speech in the school auditorium.
习近平主席到访林肯中学那天，他与学生们交换礼物，亲切交谈，并在学校礼堂发表了演说。

Because of her involvement with the Lincoln Lady Abes basketball team, Shauntel Berry was able to witness the speech. What she remembered most clearly was the delay between Xi saying in Chinese that 100 students were to be invited to travel to China, and then the translation from the interpreter. Everyone was cheering, probably hoping to be one of those selected, she said.
作为林肯女子篮球队的一员，肖特尔·贝瑞现场见证了这场演说。她记得最清晰的是，习主席还为师生们带来了一个大大的惊喜，他用中文说，将邀请100名林肯中学的学生去中国做客，这令人激动的消息经口译员现场翻译后，所有人都欢呼起来，希望成为被选中的幸运儿。

"Initially, I didn't understand why President Xi was visiting my high school out of all the other schools," Berry said. "Before, I was not aware of the connection between Lincoln and China.
贝瑞说：“我一开始并不明白为什么习主席要在一众学校中选择访问我的高中。我当时不了解林肯中学和中国的联系。”

"Having never traveled, I had no prior opinions about China. … I had no idea what life was like outside of my own (country). In being gifted with an opportunity to observe and experience a different way of living, I will forever be thankful to President Xi."
“由于从未去过中国，我对中国没有任何印象......我不知道自己国家以外的生活是什么样的。我将永远感谢习主席让我能有机会观察和体验一种不同的生活方式。”

In 2016, Berry visited China as one of those 100 students invited.
2016年，贝瑞作为受邀的100名学生之一访问了中国。

"Traveling to China made me realize we're all living different lives, and there's more than one way to live. I took notice of the values and the normality of respect of the Chinese people, a shock compared to here in the states.
“到中国访学让我意识到，人的生活各有不同，生活方式不止一种。我注意到了中国人的为人处世之道，与美国人相比有很大不同。”

"There is a level of tradition that seemed to be maintained no matter where you were. My great-grandfather Lee, who was Chinese, but born in India, would always introduce me to different Asian foods and snacks while growing up. Having those experiences only made me want to know more.
“中国人似乎无论走到哪里，都会保留自己的传统。我的曾祖父是出生在印度的华裔，在我成长的过程中，他总是向我介绍不同的亚洲美食，这些也让我想更多了解中国。”

"Traveling to China was not only a way to learn about the culture, but also respect the land that my ancestors had once walked. The week spent there was not nearly enough time. There was so much I wanted to explore and see."
“到中国旅行不仅是了解中国文化的一种方式，也是向我祖先曾经走过的土地致敬。一周的访学时间远远不够。我还有太多东西想探索，太多地方想参观。”

Berry said she plans to study in China and would like to learn about the origins of traditional Chinese medicine.
贝瑞表示，她打算去中国留学，了解中医药的起源。

Lincoln High School Principal Patrick Erwin, said: "The president's visit (in 2015) opened my students' eyes to the rest of the world, specifically China. They have never met or been in the presence of a leader of his magnitude, so that made it special, but the gift of travel that he gave to our students will never be forgotten.
林肯中学校长帕特里克·埃尔文说：“习主席（2015年）的访问让学生们看到了世界上的其他地方，特别是中国。他们从未见过像习近平主席这样的大国领导人，所以这很特别，习主席送给学生们的礼物他们永生难忘。”

"The visit dazzled them, and the ensuing trip changed their lives forever. I have students that planned on studying in China before the pandemic and still hope to do so once things return to normal."
“这次访问让学生们大开眼界，随后的中国之旅则彻底改变了他们的生活。新冠疫情暴发前有些人正计划去中国学习，现在他们仍希望待一切恢复正常后能如愿赴华留学。”

It was Xi's second visit to Tacoma, his first being 22 years earlier when he was Party secretary of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province. A year later, Tacoma and Fuzhou would become sister cities.
这是习近平第二次访问塔科马市。1993年，时任福建省福州市委书记的习近平曾访问过塔科马市。一年后，塔科马市和福州市建立了友好城市关系。

In 2008, to facilitate ties between teachers, students, sports and culture, Lincoln High School signed a memorandum with the Affiliated High School of Fuzhou Institute of Education.
2008年，林肯中学和福州教育学院附属中学签订了一项《友好交流谅解备忘录》，致力于加强两地师资、学生、文化和体育方面的交流。

More frequent cultural and educational exchanges after that spawned a fruitful relationship that helped set the stage for Xi's visit.
此后，两地展开了频繁的文化和教育交流，构建了富有成效的合作关系，为习近平的再次访问创造了条件。

Last year, Erwin wrote to Xi and briefed him about student exchanges in recent years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the school received about 10 student-group visits from China and welcomed 25 to 50 Chinese exchange students to Tacoma each year.
2021年，埃尔文向习近平主席致信，汇报该校近年来对华交流情况。该校接待了大约10个中国访学团，2016至2019年间每年有25至50名中国交流生前往该校学习交流。

Students and teachers were forever changed by what they saw in the schools they visited in China, Erwin said.
埃尔文说，师生们在中国的访学之旅成为改变他们人生的一次旅行。

"Dedicated students, excellent teaching and a focus on education as the gateway to a better life. I know the students who visited returned home committed to doing more to try and keep up with their Chinese friends."
“在那里，有专心致志的学生，出色的教学，人们重视教育，将其视作通向更美好生活的大门。中国之旅让孩子们决心要更加努力，追赶他们的中国朋友。”

英文来源：中国日报
记者：LINDA DENG
编译：董静