中国财富惊人增长 又一批亿万富翁崛起

　　Driving through the French concession, I am reminded of when Shanghai was known as the Paris of the East.

　　我在曾经的法租界驱驰而过，想起上海曾被以“东方巴黎”著称。

　　In the 1920s, foreigners mingled with Chinese in what was considered to be the most cosmopolitan city in Asia. Now, with the rapid increase in wealth in China, it feels like a second Gilded Age。

　　20世纪20年代，外国人侵入当时亚洲最繁华的大都会上海。如今，随着中国财富的快速增长，宛若另一个的“镀金时代”。

　　It’s notable that China has a million millionaires. And it’s not just the number, it’s the speed of the growth in wealth that’s striking. A decade ago, there were only three billionaires in China。

　　值得注意的是中国有100万百万富翁。值得注意的不仅仅是这个数字，还有还有中国财富增长的惊人速度。10年前，中国只有3个亿万富翁。

　　That number has grown by nearly 12,000%! China now ranks only after the United States in the number of super-rich it has. And that’s a surprise in a country where the average income is the same as in Peru。

　　该数字现已增长了120倍。目前中国超级富豪的人数仅次于美国。这对于人均收入与秘鲁一样的国家来说，堪称惊喜。

　　The Bund is another area which evokes a bygone era. A walkway that snakes along the Huangpu river, it is lined with imposing buildings including the Peace Hotel。

　　外滩是另一个让人们唤起过往时光的地方。人行道沿黄浦江顺势而建，宏伟建筑鳞次栉比，和平饭店就在其中。

　　Wang Jianlin is China’s largest property tycoon and intends to build his global entertainment business until it’s bigger than Disney。

　　王健林是中国最大的房地产巨头，打算建立一个全球娱乐公司，其规模将超过迪斯尼。

　　His business took advantage of the opening of China’s market in the 1990s and the rise of the new middle class. A remarkable half a billion people have been lifted out of poverty in a generation. It’s their demand for offices, entertainment, and cinemas which has made Wang Jianlin one of the richest men in the world。

　　19世纪90年代中国市场开始开放，中产阶级也随之兴起，王健林把握住这些机会发展业务。仅仅经过一代人，就有有5亿人口摆脱贫困。他们需要办公，需要娱乐，需要影院，这一切让王健林跻身于世界富豪榜。

　　But, it’s not just those on the Forbes rich list who enjoy the views of the Pudong financial district from the bars along the Bund. 1 in every 7 people in Shanghai is well off. This new generation of business owners also relies on selling to the middle class and on the digital revolution for their fortunes。

　　但是，并不是福布斯富豪榜上的人才能从外滩处欣赏浦东新区的美景。1/7的上海人口已经富裕起来。新一代企业主也是面向中产阶级，并靠数字改革积累财富。

　　When I looked around an Apple store in Shanghai, it was evident that China is no longer just the place where iPhones and iPads are assembled. They are now bought here too。

　　环顾上海苹果商店，很明显就可看出中国不再只是组配iPhone和iPad的地方了，中国人们也会购买这些东西。

　　Throngs of middle class consumers browsed a selection of products lined up neatly on the wood tables. Sales of Apple products have soared by 70% in the past year。

　　熙熙攘攘的中产阶级浏览木质桌子上琳琅满目的商品。去年苹果手机销量以70%的速度飙升。

　　Chief executive Tim Cook said that it was only a matter of time before China overtakes the U.S. as the biggest market for the world’s most valuable company。

　　执行董事蒂姆·库克表示中国超越美国成为世界市值最高的公司最大的市场，只是时间问题。

　　These entrepreneurs catering to the new middle class are unlike earlier ones who made their money through real estate, which required good contacts with the Chinese government。

　　之前靠房地产盈利的企业家需要与政府保持良好的关系，这些为中产阶级服务的企业家则有所不同。

　　But, like Wang Jianlin and others who took advantage of the privatisation of real estate in China during the 1990s, this new generation of entrepreneurs is following the current shift in the economy toward consumerism。

　　但是，像王健林以及其他企业家利用90年代中国房地产私有化这个趋势一样，目前新一代企业家也正跟随经济向消费主义转变这个趋势。

　　The government believes the middle class is a better bet as a force for growth than investment in real estate。

　　政府相信，与投资房地产相比，中产阶级是推动经济发展更保险的赌注。

　　Unlike in other countries, most of the super rich in China made their money through their own business efforts rather than inheriting it. Their children are coming of age now - they’ve been dubbed the fuerdai, which means the rich second generation。

　　与其他国家不同的是，中国大部分超级富豪都是通过自己的商业努力，而非继承家产致富的。他们的孩子现已成年，通常被称为“富二代”。

　　And whereas their parents tend to be frugal, the fuerdai may work hard but they play hard too. The media’s often critical of their fast cars and extravagant spending. Their lavish lifestyles don’t sit comfortably in a society that still talks about the virtues of socialism。

　　虽然他们的父母往往都很节俭，富二代工作很努力，但是挥霍现象也很严重。对于富二代开跑车以及各种铺张浪费现象，媒体通常表示持批判态度。奢侈的生活方式在一个大谈社会主义美德的社会中显得格格不入。

　　Nanjing Road is a rare pedestrianised part of Shanghai that starts from the Bund. There’s a crowded array of shops, hotels, and cafes lining both sides of the street. It’s busy at all times of the day。

　　南京路起于外滩，是上海少见的步行街。街道两侧挤满了各式商店、宾馆和咖啡厅，终日熙熙攘攘。

　　F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested that the very rich are different from you and me. But after this trip to uncover China’s route to riches, it’s clear to me that the rich at least are now much the same wherever you go in the world

　　F·斯科特· 菲茨杰拉德表示，富豪与你我不同。但是在探索中国致富之路后，我清楚的发现，世界各地的富人都一样，至少现在是这样的。