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After a hard day studying international politics at Peking University, Valerie Ang Yi Lin kicks back in a cafe.
在北京大学上了一整天的国际政治课之后，瓦莱丽·昂依林找了一个咖啡馆坐下来休息。
Ang Yi Lin, 23, a Singaporean of Chinese descent, attended a school for Singaporean Chinese from an early age, which explains her fluent Mandarin. Despite this, she admits hardly knowing anything about China before coming to Peking University. But as China’s economy booms, the “motherland” is catching the attention of ethnic Chinese such as Ang, who were raised elsewhere.
23岁的昂依林是一位华裔新加坡人，自幼就读于中文学校 ，因此说一口流利的普通话。尽管如此，她仍然承认自己在来北大之前，对中国知之甚少。但随着中国经济的发展，“祖国”正吸引着他们这些在外长大的华裔人士的目光。
In the past, the West was the most popular destination for Singaporeans studying abroad. However, in 2005, when Ang was in her third year at junior high school, a “Bicultural Studies Program” was added to the Singapore curriculum, teaching Chinese culture, history, politics and economics. The Singapore government also began handing out scholarships to encourage young people to study in China. With China developing at a breakneck pace, the aim was to raise a generation of Chinese-literate citizens who could contribute to Singapore’s future. The same year saw 20 Singaporean Chinese heading off to study in Beijing. By 2006, this number had increased fivefold.
在过去，西方国家是新加坡人海外留学的首选目标。但2005年，当昂依林读初三时，新加坡课程中增加了“双元文化项目”，教授中国文化、历史、政治和经济。新加坡政府还通过将奖学金项目来鼓励年轻人去中国留学。随着中国的迅猛发展，新加坡政府的目的是培养一代熟悉中国的国民，为新加坡的未来做贡献。同年，有20名华裔新加坡人来北京留学。截至2006年，这一数字增加了五倍。
Singaporeans receive a Western–style education, so Ang says people of her generation tend to have the same outlook as young people in the West.
新加坡人接受的是西式教育，因此昂依林说她们这一代人与西方的年轻人拥有同样的观念。
Ang used to think Chinese people often lacked manners.
她还一度认为中国人通常不讲礼貌。
“I couldn’t understand why they didn’t queue properly and tried to push others out of the way,” she says.
她说：“我不明白为什么她们不爱排队，还试着把别人推出队伍。”
After studying in Beijing for four years, though, her outlook has changed slightly. “Once you live in China you understand; with so many people here, you wouldn’t get anywhere if you just queued up politely. I realized that if you want to survive in China, you just have to fight your way through.”
然而，在北京学习了四年，她的世界观发生了细微的变化。“一旦你生活在中国，你就会明白。中国人实在太多了，如果你仅仅是有序地排队，你永远也轮不到。我开始意识到，如果想要生活在中国，你就必须突出重围。”
Ang says she is not a fan of everything modern-day China has to offer. “To take one example, China clearly has a problem with air pollution. But Singapore says it needs workers who have lived in China, so if I keep heading down this path, it will position me well for the future. I will have an advantage over others. That’s the main thing for me.” She plans to stay in China for a while after graduating.
昂说她并不盲目追求现代中国提供的任何东西。“举例说明，中国存在明显的空气污染问题。但新加坡政府说需要曾在中国生活过的员工，所以如果我一直朝着这个方向努力，未来职业发展就很看好。我会比别人有优势。对我来说，这是主要的事情。”她计划毕业后在中国待上一段时间。
The pull of China’s growing economy can also be felt in Indonesia, where ethnic Chinese are in the minority.
印尼也感受到了中国强劲的发展势头，印尼华裔仅占人口的少数。
“I am so happy China is doing well. It makes me feel proud,” says Herman Kasem, 39, a worker at the Indonesian branch of a major Chinese steel company.
今年39岁的赫尔曼·卡萨姆是中国一家大型钢铁厂印度尼西亚分厂的工人，他说：“看到中国越走越好，我十分高兴，也倍加自豪。”
A fourth-generation immigrant, Herman lived in Jakarta up until university and could speak no Chinese at all. At age 25, he accompanied a sick relative who was going to China to receive long-term treatment at a Beijing hospital. While there, he studied Chinese. On his return to Indonesia two years later, he got a job at a lumber company. When one of his Chinese clients realized Herman could speak Chinese, he was offered a job.
赫尔曼是第四代的移民，从出生到上大学一直居住在雅加达，他不会讲任何汉语。25岁那年，他陪同一位生病的亲戚准备前往中国北京的一家医院接受长期治疗。就是在那，他学习了汉语。两年后，他回到印度尼西亚，在一家木材厂找到了工作。赫尔曼的一个中国客户知道他会讲中文，因为这个原因，他得到了这份工作。
Anti-Chinese demonstrations were common in Indonesia under the regime of former President Suharto, who held office for more than 30 years. For a long time, it was forbidden to teach Chinese in schools. Shops owned by ethnic Chinese were also targeted in riots in the late 1990s. Herman recalls being bullied as a child because of his Chinese ancestry. In recent times, though, Indonesia’s rulers have worked hard to improve relations with China.
在印度尼西亚前总统苏哈托执政的30多年间，印尼的反华游行十分普遍。在相当长的一段时间里，学校是禁止教习汉语的。在20世纪90年代后期，华裔商人开的店也经常遭到攻击。赫尔曼回想起来，在他孩童时代，还曾因为自己的中国血统被别人欺凌。然而近几年，印度尼西亚的领导者都在竭力改善同中方的关系。
“Lots of cash is flowing into Indonesia from China and there are now more chances for Indonesian Chinese like me. People won’t look down on me anymore,” he says.
赫尔曼说道：“当前，大量现金正从中国流入印度尼西亚，这就给像我这样的华裔印度尼西亚人提供了更多的机会。人们不会再轻视我了。”
