回國送禮,最怕"中國製造"

When Chinese Americans visit family and friends in their homeland, gifts from the U.S. are a must. But TVs and fashionable clothes aren`t rare anymore, and anything `Made in China` won`t do.

當美籍華人回老家探訪親友的時候，一定得從美國帶禮物。但是如今電視機以及時髦服裝已不再是什麼稀罕貨，而那些印着“中國製造”的禮品也無法拿出手。

George Bao felt like a rich man the first time he flew back to China from America.

第一次從美國飛回中國，喬治•包覺得自己好像一個富翁。

He had so many gifts for his family and friends, he was lugging eight cardboard boxes in addition to his suitcase. That was in the 1980s, when flights weren`t crowded. The airline didn`t even charge him for the extra luggage.

他給家人和朋友們帶了很多禮物，除了自己的手提箱外，他裝滿了整整八個紙箱。那時正處於20世紀80年代，航班上人不多。航空公司甚至都沒有收取他超重的那部分行李費。

As for what the gifts were, the memory makes him laugh. He had brought secondhand clothes scavenged from yard sales.

他回憶當時帶的禮物不禁大笑起來。那都是在當地的舊貨市場中淘到的二手衣物。

"My father was so happy," said Bao, who watched the elderly farmer put on his first Western suit, beaming even though it didn`t fit well. "China had nothing back then. Anything I brought back from the States was considered special."

喬治•包說：“我父親特別高興。”當了一輩子農民的老人第一次穿上了西服，雖然並不是很合身，但仍眉開眼笑。“過去那個時候，中國十分清貧。我從美國帶回來的每一件物品都被認爲是獨一無二的。”

Times have changed. Living standards in China have risen fast — especially in the wealthier coastal areas. Hand-me-downs from the U.S. will no longer do.

時過境遷。中國的生活水平已大大提高——特別是富饒的沿海地區。回國探親的人們已不再去買一些二手舊物。

And now that China has transformed itself from backwater to manufacturing powerhouse, it`s not so much what the gift is but where it comes from that matters, said Bao.

喬治•包表示，中國已經從一個落後國家轉變爲世界工廠，禮物是什麼已不重要，重要的是它的產地。

"They may not all speak English, but everyone in China recognizes those three words," he said. "When they see the label `Made in China,` they will think, `How come you gave me this?` "

“他們不一定都會說英語，但人人都知道那3個英文單詞。當看到‘Made in China’的標籤時，他們就會想，‘你怎麼送我這種東西？’”

These days, in other words, buying gifts to take to China is a major headache for Chinese Americans.

也就是說，如今買什麼禮物帶到中國去，已成爲令美籍華人頭疼的事情。

"It really does consume people when they make preparations to go back to China," said Clayton Dube, associate director of the U.S.-China Institute at USC.

“每次準備回國，都讓人傷透腦筋。”南加州大學美中學院副主任克來頓•杜布如是說。

Like many visitors to China in the 1980s, Dube knew just what to get his in-laws. He bought a Japanese color TV in Hong Kong and lugged it on and off trains and buses to their home in mainland China. Back then, televisions, refrigerators and washing machines were luxury items. Few Chinese families could afford them.

上世紀80年代，與那時回國探親的許多人一樣，杜布很清楚該給太太家的親戚帶些什麼。他在香港買了一臺日本產的彩電，然後一路坐火車、汽車，把它運到中國大陸。那時候，電視機、冰箱和洗衣機都屬於奢侈品，在中國很少有人能買得起。

Now all manner of electronics are abundantly available in China, but giving remains important.

現在，儘管中國的家用電器種類繁多且產量可觀，但送禮依舊很重要。

"People can`t imagine going back to China without bringing something," said Dube. "The gift is part of the ritual."

杜布說：“人們無法想象空手回國的場景，帶禮物已成爲一種習慣。”

Yunxiang Yan is an anthropology professor from UCLA who has written extensively about gift-giving in Chinese culture. But even for him, figuring out what to take has become so overwhelming that he now chooses not to give any gifts.

加州大學洛杉磯分校的人類學教授嚴雲翔（音譯），曾寫了大量有關中國送禮文化的文章。但即便是他，有時也不知道該送些什麼，所以他現在乾脆不帶任何禮物。"

One reason I don`t give gifts is because I go back so frequently, a couple of times a year," said Yan. "We are living in a shrinking global village with increased communication and traveling. Now, going to China is like visiting a next-door neighbor who lives a similar lifestyle. So there is no more need."

嚴雲翔說：“我之所以不帶禮物，是因爲如今一年要回國好幾次。我們生活在一個日漸縮小的地球村中，通訊發達，旅行頻繁。現如今，到中國去就像拜訪一位跟你有着相同生活方式的鄰居一樣。所以也就沒有送禮的必要了。”