昔日海難是非地 百慕大追逐新財富

AQUAMARINA, THE HOUSE, SITS ON A LIMESTONE promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Originally built as a bachelor pad, the three-bedroom house boasts its own disco, an enormous kitchen, huge teak doors, a yoga room and a glimmering rooftop swimming pool, topped at one end by a statue of a seated Buddha that radiates peace, harmony and a sense of prosperity. Visitors who climb some 40 feet down a path carved into the limestone bluff arrive at a private beach, where they can meditate, perhaps on the ebb and flows of world markets, as waves crash on nearby reefs. On a gloriously sunny day, Aquamarina is a stunning property, a steal, it would seem, for the $7.9 million price its owner, a re-insurance executive long departed for Singapore, is asking for it.

在俯瞰大西洋的一個石灰岩岬角上，坐落着一幢名爲“水世界”(Aquamarina)的別墅。“水世界”最初是按單身漢寓所設計建造的，這幢三間臥室的別墅配有獨立的迪斯科舞廳、寬敞的廚房、柚木大門、一個瑜伽室和波光粼粼的屋頂游泳池，游泳池一端放置的坐佛雕塑釋放着一種安靜、和諧、富足的禪意。訪客們只要沿着通往石灰岩懸崖的小路攀爬大約12米，就能來到一處私人海灘。他們可以在那裏冥想，隨着海浪拍打着附近的礁石，他們也許可以體味全球市場的潮起潮落。在陽光燦爛的日子裏，“水世界”的美令人驚豔，其790萬美元（約合人民幣4,827萬元）的售價看起來也物超所值。這幢房產的主人是一位再保險行業的高管，他目前已長期移居新加坡。

'This is a unique property,' says Penny MacIntyre, a slim, no-nonsense realtor who delights in showing off the reflecting pools and waterfalls that the architect has incorporated into the house's design. Most Bermuda high-end properties are a reflection of the island itself-proud, conservative stone mansions painted in deep reds, dark yellows, browns and blues. They are built in what is known as the Bermuda vernacular style and boast distinctive wooden window shutters, tapered chimneys and white roofs that collect rainwater for the flowers in the lush gardens that fill the island. Not Aquamarina. One of a handful of futuristic styled houses in Bermuda, Aquamarina, says MacIntyre, is 'very modern and forward thinking.'

彭妮・麥金泰爾(Penny MacIntyre)是一位身材苗條、說話直截了當的房地產經紀人，她說：“這幢別墅獨一無二。”她很樂於向我們展示建築師在設計時融入建築之中的游泳池和瀑布。百慕大的大多數高端房產都能體現出這裏引以爲豪的建築樣式，那就是漆成深紅色、深黃色、棕色和藍色的傳統型石頭房屋。這些房屋的建築風格被稱爲百慕大鄉土風格，以獨具一格的木質百葉窗、錐形煙囪和具有收集雨水功能的白色屋頂爲特色。鬱鬱蔥蔥的花園在百慕大島隨處可見，屋頂收集的雨水就用來澆灌花園裏的花。但“水世界”的建築風格不屬於這一類。它是百慕大爲數不多的未來風格建築，麥金泰爾稱：“水世界非常現代、非常前衛。”

But modern and forward thinking, it turns out, have never quite been the forte of this fish-hooked island, known for its stately British airs, pink sandy beaches and currently, the fourth-highest per-capita income in the world. While MacIntyre may drive a fairly modern SUV, a lot of residents here navigate Bermuda's many twisting roads in small motorcycles that look straight out of a Steve McQueen movie. Downtown Hamilton, its capital, boasts one glass office tower, and its 10 stories stand out against the backdrop of much shorter, old colonial office buildings. Whereas the rest of the world seems to be opening its door to glitz and brand new, Bermuda, a self-governing British territory for four centuries, prides itself on a sheltered life with virtually no serious crime, no paparazzi and no income tax.

但是，事實表明，現代和前衛從來都不是這座魚鉤形島嶼的特色，百慕大島以其莊嚴的英國風格、粉紅色的沙灘和位列全球第四的人均收入而著稱於世。儘管麥金泰爾開着一輛相當現代的SUV，但是，你能看到在百慕大蜿蜒交錯的小路上，很多居民駕駛的卻都是小型摩托車，這些摩托車就像是從史提夫・麥昆(Steve McQueen)的電影中走下來的一樣。在百慕大首都漢密爾頓的市中心佇立着一座玻璃幕 的辦公大樓，相較於周圍低矮得多的舊殖民風格辦公樓，這座大樓十層的高度顯得鶴立雞羣。當世界上的其他地區似乎敞開胸懷接納浮華和嶄新事物之時，令這個四個世紀的英國自治領引以爲豪的是其幾乎沒有嚴重罪行、沒有偷拍記者、沒有所得稅的安逸生活。

It's the kind of world a lot of rich people love. Or perhaps loved. While Aquamarina may be a steal, it has sat vacant and unsold for about a year. And as MacIntyre begins to rattle off some sale figures, a disturbing reality emerges about the island's small but lucrative market of island mansions, which range in price from $3.5 million to more than $40 million. More than 50 of these homes were sold between 2007 and 2011, including the proudly named Castle Point ($21.5 million) and the slightly more modest Tradewinds ($11.5 million). Last year, there were 34 properties on the market that the island's quirky and restrictive system allowed foreigners to buy. Of these, just one went into contract, in what was one of Bermuda's worst real-estate years on record. And things have only started to pick up this year. 'It's been a quiet market,' she says.

這裏是很多富人熱愛的地方。或者說，曾經熱愛的地方。儘管“水世界”也許物超所值，但這幢別墅已經空置並待售了幾乎一年之久。當麥金泰爾開始滔滔不絕地羅列銷售數據時，一個令人困惑的事實浮出了水面。百慕大的房地產市場雖然小，但利潤不菲，房價從350萬美元（約合人民幣2,140萬元）到4,000萬美元（約合人民幣2.44億元）以上。在2007年至2011年間，已有50多幢房產成功出售，其中包括聲名顯赫的“城堡角”(Castle Point, 售價2,150萬美元──約合人民幣1.31億元))和稍顯低調的“貿風”別墅(Tradewinds, 售價1,150萬美元──約合人民幣7,027萬元)。由於受到百慕大古怪的房產限購政策的影響，去年市場上可供外籍居民購買的住宅只有34套。而在這些房產中，成交的只有一套，這一年也成爲了百慕大房地產交易史上最慘淡的一年。百慕大的房產交易狀況直到今年纔開始好轉。麥金泰爾說：“市場一直頗爲冷清。”

Indeed, after decades of reigning as a supreme destination for some of the world's elite, Bermuda is having a tough time competing for the patronage of the stupendously rich, creating a classic tug of war over old and new money. The island, an easy two- or three-hour jet jaunt from the U.S. coastline, still attracts such billionaires as Ross Perot and Michael Bloomberg, who maintain homes here. But government officials and business leaders say they are worried that the mores of high-end tourism are changing, along with the wealthy themselves, and that this magical archipelago must now fight to follow the money. 'Bermuda is like a lady with a very long skirt on,' says David Dodwell, a hotelier who is also chairman of Bermuda's tourism board. 'We need to pull up our skirts a bit.'

圖：盤點在百慕大置業的富豪實際上，作爲過去幾十年來一些世界精英人士首選的目的地，百慕大目前在贏得鉅富的青睞上卻頗爲吃力，新財富與舊財富的較量也就此上演。距離美國海岸線的飛行時間只有兩至三小時的百慕大，仍舊吸引了包括羅斯・佩羅(Ross Perot)和邁克爾・布隆伯格(Michael Bloomberg)在內的億萬富翁，他們都擁有百慕大的房產。但是政府官員和商業領袖表示，他們擔心高端旅遊的趨勢連同財富人羣本身都正在發生變化，擔心迷人的百慕大現在不得不全力以赴去追逐財富。百慕大旅遊協會主席、旅館老闆大衛・多德維爾(David Dodwell)表示：“百慕大就像一位身着及地長裙的淑女。我們需要把裙襬拉起來一點兒。”

Without question, the geography of money is changing-and at an unaccustomed velocity. According to an annual survey of global wealth by Boston Consulting Group, private wealth in the 'new world,' primarily the Asia Pacific region, jumped around 12 percent last year alone, or more than double the rate of growth in the 'old world,' including North America and Western Europe. This new breed of nouveau riche tends to favor a lifestyle of supernova toys, with private elevators hauling sports cars into their living rooms and bar drinks costing thousands of dollars each. They like their homes to be modern, their nightlife late and their clothes as shiny as their jewelry. All of which has very little to do with sleepy Bermuda, whose nightlife shuts down at the stroke of 10 during the week and whose hotels haven't quite caught up with the concept of in-room infinity pools or 24-hour butler service. (Note: A special check-in area and afternoon tea is still considered a high-end perk at the Fairmont, the island's upscale, flamingo-pink resort.)

毫無疑問，財富的地理版圖正在以非同尋常的速度發生着變化。據波士頓諮詢公司(Boston Consulting Group)的一份年度全球財富報告顯示，“新世界”的私人財富（主要集中在亞太地區）單單去年就激增了約12%，這個增速達到了包括北美和西歐在內的“舊世界”的兩倍以上。這些新貴一族大多喜好超級新潮的生活方式，比如安裝能將運動跑車傳送至客廳裏的私人電梯，吧檯裏配備價值數千美元一杯的飲品。他們喜歡現代風格的家居，通宵達旦的夜生活以及閃亮如珠寶般的服裝。所有這些都幾乎與沉睡的百慕大沒有任何關係，因爲在工作日，這裏的夜生活通常會隨着十點的鐘聲戛然而止，同時這裏的酒店還遠未掌握建造室內無邊際游泳池或提供24小時服務的理念。（注：特別的入住登記區和下午茶仍然被視爲費爾蒙(Fairmont)的高貴象徵，費爾蒙是百慕大的高檔酒店，外 呈粉紅色。）

Beyond the need for celebrity chef restaurants and Prada boutiques, once-popular high-end resorts are discovering that it also takes a special cocktail of tax policies, real-estate laws and a host of business-friendly steps to reel in the big fish. That's a challenging task, especially for the smaller locales like Bermuda. Upset about its own struggling economy and a gaping national debt, the island's citizenry elected a new government last year that is promising some intriguing changes-including a few key overtures to the business community and the jet-setting rich it brings. But Bermuda is a place steeped in conservative traditions. Change does not come easy.

除了需要名廚掌舵的餐廳和普拉達(Prada)專賣店外，那些曾經風靡一時的高端度假勝地發現，爲了捕到“大魚”，自身還需要在稅務政策、房地產法規和一系列有利於商業的舉措上做出調整。這是一項非常嚴峻的挑戰，對百慕大這樣的小地方尤爲如此。出於對百慕大經濟困局和國債增加的不滿，去年，百慕大的公民選舉出了一個新政府，該政府承諾將實施一些錯綜複雜的改革舉措─其中包括一些針對工商業界和被吸引來的超級富人的關鍵措施。但是，百慕大是一個植根於傳統的地方。改變並非易事。

'I DON'T THINK Bermuda has enough zip for the younger crowd,' says Wendell Hollis, a leading corporate lawyer who has represented many of the billionaires who have bought real estate here over the past 20 years. A tall, blue-eyed ruddy-faced Bermudian, Hollis is walking about his home, which boasts a castle-like battlement built on the remains of a 17th century pirate fort, still armed with 13 small-bore antique cannons pointing out to repel whatever invaders might be lurking at sea. These days, he worries that his home country is missing out on an opportunity to attract more wealthy residents. A former senator and adviser to several governments here, Hollis once wrote a paper showing how just three rich individuals contributed over $100 million to the Bermuda economy. 'How many tourists or ex-pat workers does it take to produce such a contribution?' he asks.

知名的企業法律顧問溫德爾・霍利斯(Wendell Hollis)表示：“我並不認爲百慕大具備吸引年輕一代的活力。”在過去的二十年中，霍利斯曾經代理過很多億萬富翁在百慕大置業的業務。這位高個子、藍眼睛、面色紅潤的百慕大人正在他的宅院裏散步，他的宅院擁有像城堡一樣的城垛。這片城垛是在一處17世紀海盜堡壘的遺蹟上修建的，如今仍然裝備有13架小口徑的古董大炮，它們指向大海，似乎隨時準備擊退任何潛在的侵略者。現在，他擔心百慕大正在錯失吸引更多富裕居民的機會。作爲一名前參議員和數屆政府的顧問，霍利斯曾經寫過一篇論述三位富有人士是如何爲百慕大經濟做出超過一億美元的貢獻的文章。他問道：“多少旅行者或外派勞工才能做出如此大的貢獻？”

The kind of population Hollis would like to see more of has been enjoying the enchanting qualities of Bermuda since the 19th century. Mark Twain, an early booster here, was quoted as saying: 'You can go to heaven if you want. I'd rather stay in Bermuda.' He was joined by Vincent Astor, the son of Titanic victim John Jacob Astor IV, who used part of his inheritance to build an estate here, complete with a mini, narrow-gauge railroad, on a 22-acre property. In the 1920s, when Bermuda's worthies decided to create the island's first club and golf development, the Mid Ocean Club, it marketed heavily to wealthy Americans from New York and Boston. The Lowells might have talked only to the Cabots, and the Cabots only to God, but some of those conversations, according to the list of early club members, took place on the links of the Mid Ocean Club.

霍利斯所期望見到的這類富裕人羣從19世紀起就發現了百慕大獨特的魅力。百慕大早期的推崇者馬克・吐溫(Mark Twain)曾經說過：“如果你願意，你儘可以去天堂。我卻情願待在百慕大。”隨後加入這一行列的還有文森特・阿斯特(Vincent Astor)─泰坦尼克號遇難者約翰・雅各布・阿斯特四世(John Jacob Astor IV)的兒子。文森特使用部分遺產在百慕大修建了一處房產，並在這塊22英畝（約合134畝）的地產上建造了與之配套的迷你窄幅鐵軌。在20世紀20年代，當百慕大的傑出人士決定創建當地第一家高爾夫俱樂部中海俱樂部(Mid Ocean Club)時，他們向紐約和波士頓的富有階層進行了大力宣傳。洛厄爾家族可能只與卡波特家族交往，卡波特家族可能只與上帝溝通，但是據早期的會員名單顯示，他們之間的這些對話是建立在同爲中海俱樂部會員的基礎之上的。

Today, the Astors, Lowells and Cabots have been replaced by Perots (as in Ross), McGraws (of McGraw Hill) and Pritzkers (of Hyatt Hotels). And in place of Mark Twain, Bermuda has long counted on actor Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, for a dash of celebrity glamour. The two raised their children here but have returned to New York, renting their home for the asking price of $28,000 a month. Most of these big names maintain homes in a secluded area of the island known as Tucker's Town but more commonly as Billionaires' Row. Few resort streets in the world can boast so many names of so many ultra-rich people living so close together. A visitor will find only one bored guard manning the gate to the neighborhood, known for its views of the Atlantic and its flowering white and pink oleander hedges.

如今，阿斯特家族、洛厄爾家族和卡波特家族已經被佩羅家族（羅斯・佩羅）、希爾家族（麥格勞・希爾，McGraw Hill）和凱悅酒店(Hyatt Hotel)的普利茲克家族(Pritzkers)所取代了。在接替馬克・吐溫的標杆人物的選擇上，百慕大一直都對演員邁克爾・道格拉斯(Michael Douglas)和他的妻子凱瑟琳・澤塔瓊斯(Catherine Zeta-Jones)寄予厚望，希望他們能給這裏帶來些許名人效應。他們兩人在百慕大養育了他們的孩子，但現已重返紐約，他們住宅的出租要價是每月28,000美元（約合人民幣17.1萬元）。大多數名人都居住在百慕大較爲僻靜的地區─塔克斯鎮(Tucker's Town)，人們更習慣將這裏稱作億萬富翁街(Billionaires' Row)。世界上很少有哪處度假勝地可以讓如此之多的超級富豪如此集中地置業。旅行者能夠發現，在這個以大西洋美景和粉白兩色的夾竹桃樹籬而著稱的小區，只有一位百無聊賴的看門人守在門口。

The old money here say Bermuda has always had a special appeal, from its relatively close distance to the power elite of the U.S. Northeast, to a natural beauty that photographs can't quite capture. The island is emerald green, one big park, complete with a botanical garden and the occasional postage-stamp-sized garden farm growing onions and carrots. Not one blade of grass appears to be withered or out of place, even though Bermuda has hardly any fresh water and depends almost entirely on rain for its water supply. Bermuda could be England with palm trees and decent weather.

這裏的老派富人表示，百慕大一直都具有特殊的吸引力，一方面是由於這裏距離美國東北部的權力精英相對較近，另一方面是由於這裏有照片都無法捕捉到的美麗景緻。百慕大島滿目蒼翠，就像一個巨大的公園，一所植物園和衆多種植着洋蔥和胡蘿蔔的小型家庭農場點綴其間。這裏的植物生機盎然、規劃有序，儘管百慕大幾乎沒有淡水資源，淡水供應差不多全靠雨水。百慕大可以稱作擁有棕櫚樹和宜人氣候的英國。

In this setting, the rich seem to get lost amid a population that could care less about them and local papers that ignore their comings and goings. 'Bermuda is very unassuming,' says Neal Churchill, a private banker with Butterfield Bank (UK) Ltd., who lived here for three years and was back for a visit from Monaco. 'You can mingle with wealthy people and not know it.' Pink from the sun as he sips a cup of tea at a hotel pool, Churchill says homes are the only status symbol here. 'There is no showing off here,' he says. 'There are no flashy cars, no super yachts in the harbor.' Drinking a rum punch on the terrace of the Mid Ocean Club, Nir Sadeh, chairman of the club's membership committee who also heads private banking at Butterfield, concurs. 'It's not flashy,' he says. 'You have people walking down the street in shorts who are worth billions.'

在這樣的環境中，鉅商富賈似乎可以隱身，因爲百慕大人對他們沒有那麼在意，當地報紙也不關心他們的行蹤。巴特菲爾德銀行（英國）有限公司(Butterfield Bank (UK) Ltd.)的私人銀行家尼奧・丘吉爾(Neal Churchill)表示：“百慕大非常低調。”丘吉爾曾經在這裏居住過三年，目前又從摩洛哥返回百慕大遊覽。“你可能和鉅富近在咫尺而並不自知。”當夕陽 下粉紅色的光輝時，丘吉爾一邊在酒店的游泳池品茶一邊說，住宅是這裏唯一的身份象徵。他說：“這裏沒有人招搖過市，沒有花哨的汽車，港口裏也沒有超級遊艇。”尼爾・薩德(NirSadeh)是中海俱樂部會員委員會的主席，他同時也是巴特菲爾德銀行私人銀行部門的主管。在中海俱樂部的陽臺上，薩德抿了一口朗姆酒飲料並且表達了同樣的觀點。他說：“百慕大不招搖，你能在這裏看到身價數十億的人穿着短褲在街上閒逛。”

The problem is this happens to be the polar opposite of what today's new generation of global wealth wants. The 30-year-old Russian billionaire zigzagging around city streets in his new Lamborghini. The Chinese 'whale' gambler giddy from another run of luck at the Baccarat tables in Macau. Bermuda doesn't expect, or want, to attract all of this kind of wealth. But its government officials are staring down some awful declines in the country's second-largest industry, tourism, that reflect Bermuda's staleness. At its peak in 1980, Bermuda welcomed some 500,000 plane-arriving tourists a year, and counted on some 12,000 hotel beds, says Shawn Crockwell, the island's minister of tourism. Last year, the island received about half that number by air, and had only 2,500 hotel beds to offer them. About 60 percent of last year's tourists were low-spending visitors who arrived on the island on cruise ships. The remaining 40 percent arrive by air, a figure that continues to decline. 'We need to reverse that ratio,' says Crockwell.

問題是，百慕大的這種特質恰好與當今新一代全球財富掌握者所期望的背道而馳。三十歲的俄羅斯億萬富翁駕駛着新蘭博基尼跑車(Lamborghini)在城市的街道上飛馳，中國的豪賭客在澳門忙不迭地試手百家樂。百慕大並不期待，或是希望全部吸引這種類型的財富。但是，百慕大的政府官員卻發現這裏的第二大產業─旅遊業正經歷着可怕的衰退，這反映出了百慕大止步不前的現狀。百慕大的旅遊部部長肖恩・克羅克韋爾(Shawn Crockwell)表示，在百慕大最輝煌的1980年，這裏一年接待的飛行旅客數量大約爲50萬名，那時百慕大擁有的酒店牀位總數高達12,000張左右。去年，百慕大接待的飛行旅客數量只有1980年的一半，酒店牀位數也縮減至僅2,500張。在去年百慕大接待的遊客中，大約有60%都是消費較低的乘坐郵輪抵達的旅客。剩餘40%的遊客是乘坐飛機抵達百慕大的，而這一比例正在持續下降。克羅克韋爾表示：“我們需要扭轉這一局面。”

The British territory is also groaning under a record $1.4 billion in debt, the result of shrinking revenues not only from tourism but from the island's largest business sector, reinsurance. (Bermuda is famous for a so-called economic 'miracle' of sorts: It produces almost nothing and imports almost everything, and has no income, capital gains or sales taxes. Yet it has thrived with a strong standard of living for decades on payroll taxes and import duties.) In response, the newly installed government, run by the One Bermuda Alliance party, thinks one solution is to send more positive signals to the international money elite, the people and firms who create the jobs and the lifestyle that spurs a stale economy. 'I didn't think the business community was feeling the love,' says Bermuda's new premier, Craig Cannonier.

百慕大這個英國自治領同時也在承受着達到紀錄高位的14億美元債務的困擾，這是財政收入銳減所帶來的結果，導致這種局面的原因不僅包括旅遊業的蕭條，還有百慕大第一產業─再保險行業的衰退。（百慕大以所謂的經濟“奇蹟”而聞名：這裏幾乎不出產任何產品，並且幾乎所有物品都依賴進口，這裏也不徵收任何收入稅、資本增值稅或消費稅。然而，工資稅和進口關稅卻讓百慕大得以在幾十年來一直維持着很高的生活標準。）爲解決百慕大的困境，由百慕大統一聯盟黨(One Bermuda Alliance Party)領導的新政府認爲，向國際財富精英釋放更多的積極信號不失爲一種方案，這些精英人士和公司創造就業崗位，創造能刺激停滯的經濟恢復增長的生活方式。百慕大的新任總理克萊格・康涅(Craig Cannonier)表示：“我認爲工商業界沒有感受到愛意。”

Certainly, Bermudians will agree that the island, wrapped tightly in protectionism and red tape, has tended to irradiate a certain feeling of unfriendliness toward nonislanders. With just 69,000 souls jammed into its 21 square miles, the island has long feared that foreigners would push locals aside. So the country has done everything from setting time limits on how long nonresidents could live here (six years) to at one point banning Bermudians from selling any real estate to outsiders. In an interview, Cannonier, a bear-like U.S.-educated gas-station owner, says he is trying to put his foot down on a lot of this, quickly ending the residency limits. Members of his cabinet say it was a big move. 'You would find that even if a top executive had term limits waived, there were term limits imposed on the nanny,' says Michael Fahy, Bermuda's minister of home affairs. 'If you are saying your nanny has to leave, then why stay?'

當然，百慕大人都會同意，保護主義和官僚習氣濃重的百慕大一直都給人一種對非本島居民不太友好的感覺。鑑於這個54平方公里的小島上擠滿了大約69,000名居民，百慕大一直擔心外國人可能會令當地居民受到排擠。因此，百慕大向來竭盡所能地設置各種障礙，包括限制非本島居民在此居住的期限（六年），並曾經一度禁止百慕大人向島外人士出售任何房地產。在一次採訪中，康涅表示，他正在試圖儘快改變現狀，在短期內結束居住限期政策。曾在美國接受教育的康涅身材魁梧，擁有加油站業務。他的內閣成員表示，此舉是一項重大改變。百慕大內政部部長邁克爾・費伊(Michael Fahy)稱：“你會發現，即使某位高管能夠免受居住限期的限制，保姆的居住限期仍然無法擺脫。如果你說你家的保姆不得不離開百慕大，那你爲什麼要留在這裏呢？”

The rich are also getting a break on real estate now. Since 1926, Bermuda has imposed restrictions on purchases of land by non-Ber- mudians. Eventually, non-Bermudians were allowed to purchase only the most expensive of houses-those that have an annual rental value in the six-figure range. Today, that works out to homes worth about $3.5 million and up. What's more, foreigners had to pay a 25 percent license fee on home buys, which can drive even a billionaire a little batty. The high-rental rule remains, but Cannonier has temporarily cut the tax on real-estate sales to 8 percent of the purchase price, which then increases to 12.5 percent after 18 months. For now, a $4 million home no longer requires an extra $1 million, which MacIntyre, the realtor, says is 'a very welcome change of pace.'

目前，在房地產購買方面，富人可以稍稍舒一口氣了。自1926年起，百慕大就開始對非百慕大人在購買地產上施加限制了。結果是，非百慕大人只能購買最貴的房子，即那些年租金在六位數以上的住宅。按目前的房價計算，這意味着最低350萬美元（約合人民幣2,140萬元）的房子。除此之外，外國人還必須支付25%的房產購買許可費，其金額之大足以使億萬富翁咋舌。現在，高租金條例仍然有效，但是，康涅已經將房產購置稅稅率暫時降至了8%，在18個月後，這一稅率將上調至12.5%。目前來看，購買價格400萬美元（約合人民幣2,440萬元）的房產已經不再需要額外支付100萬美元的成本了，房地產經紀人麥金泰爾稱：“這是非常喜人的改變。”

But even government boosters say moves like these can only go so far in creating the kind of full-service playground the rich can so easily find elsewhere now. The island, for example, likes to boast that it has more golf per square mile than anywhere in the world. That's fine, except that today's rich-fitter and more active-want other options for high-end recreation, including celebrity trainers and yoga instructors working out of space-age gyms. In the Caribbean, it is possible to find a host of new private-jet airports, compared with Bermuda's one commercial facility. And once upon a time, it was charming that the country limited residents to one puny car per household, a policy dating back to when Mark Twain and Woodrow Wilson teamed up to help get motor vehicles banned for decades. But it is not exactly comfortable for today's stretch-limo crowd, which has to make due with the island's sparse supply of Mercedes-Benzes, which are available to rent by the hour.

但是，即使政府支持者也表示，諸如此類的舉措充其量只能創造出那種全方位服務的玩樂之所，而富人們在其他地方輕而易舉就能找到這類場所。舉例來說，百慕大總是喜歡吹噓這裏高爾夫球場的密度高於全球任何其他地方。這麼說沒有問題，只是當今更加健康、更有活力的富人們喜歡的是其他的高端娛樂項目，比如在現代感十足的健身房裏接受明星教練和瑜伽老師的指導。在加勒比海地區，你可以找到衆多新建的私人飛機場，而百慕大卻只有一個商業機場。曾幾何時，政府實施的每個家庭只能購買一輛小型汽車的限購政策還稱得上迷人，該政策起初由馬克・吐溫和伍德羅・威爾遜(Woodrow Wilson)共同推動出臺，使汽車被禁止了幾十年。但是，對於現在習慣了加長豪華轎車的人羣來講，這個政策並不那麼令人感到舒服，他們不得不訴諸於百慕大緊俏的、按小時租賃的梅賽德斯・奔馳(Mercedes-Benzes)資源。

From a corporate standpoint-and the island is keenly aware of how many wealthy executives encamp here when business flourishes-Bermuda doesn't even rate as an especially great tax haven. Sure it lacks taxes, but its conservative ethos requires a far more careful company-registration process than many newer and hotter resort countries have. Feeling the heat, the government two years ago extended the date that companies have before their tax-exempt status expires. Officials in Bermuda also argue that their island country maintains a program for registering off-shore companies that is respected around the world. Still, the number of tax-exempt companies in Bermuda has hovered around 12,000 over the past 15 years. In the Cayman Islands, by comparison, the number has nearly doubled in 10 years to more than 75,000.

從企業的角度來看，百慕大根本算不上最理想的避稅天堂。當然，百慕大非常清楚，在當年經濟繁榮之時有多少富有的公司高管紛紛到此安營紮寨。的確，百慕大的稅賦很輕，但是由於百慕大的氛圍較爲保守，相較於許多新的、更熱門的度假勝地，這裏的公司註冊流程要嚴格得多。在感受到壓力之後，兩年前，百慕大政府延長了企業的免稅期。百慕大的官員還辯稱，百慕大擁有一個享譽全球的離岸公司註冊項目。然而，在過去的十五年中，百慕大免稅企業的數量一直保持在12,000家左右的水平。相比之下，在過去十年中，開曼羣島的免稅企業的數量已經增加了近一倍，達到了75,000多家。

SO THE QUESTION remains: How far into the fast lane will the island go to up its new-rich appeal, or will it just disappear someday off the high-end radar, like so many ships in the Bermuda Triangle?

所以問題依然是：爲提高自己對新財富的吸引力，百慕大還會在快車道上走多遠？還是百慕大某天會從高端財富的雷達上銷聲匿跡，就像在百慕大三角區消失的那些船隻一樣？

As his government dreams up more ideas, including considering a proposal to start a high-end casino here (bow-tied gamblers included), Cannonier provides a telling story about Ross Perot. Manning his gas station one day, he recalls seeing the 83-year-old former U.S. presidential candidate show up in his gardening boots. 'Here's a guy who can walk around Bermuda pretty much as he likes,' Cannonier says. 'They don't have to worry about the paparazzi. We've done a great job at protecting their privacy. That's one of the great things about Bermuda. They can come and relax.'

爲了提振百慕大經濟，康涅政府絞盡了腦汁，他們正在考慮在百慕大建設一所高端賭場的提議（賭場也會接待非富豪的高級專業人士）。康涅講述了一個關於羅斯・佩羅的生動故事。他回憶起一天，當他正在自己的加油站工作時，他突然看到了這位83歲的、穿着園藝靴的美國前總統候選人。康涅稱：“佩羅幾乎可以在百慕大隨心所欲地走動。他們不需要擔心偷拍記者。我們在保護名人的隱私上做得非常出色。這也是百慕大的優勢之一。名人來到這裏完全可以放鬆心情。”

For some, the country's best step may be just to concoct yet one more Bermuda miracle: a middle ground, way out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where East meets West, where new money finds enough razzle dazzle but old money can still enjoy the very anonymity and British DNA they have so long cherished. Hollis, the corporate attorney, likes to point out that the island, first settled by a ship running aground, goes by the motto 'where fate take us' and that now it's about time Bermuda forged its own.

在一些人看來，百慕大的最佳選擇或許是打造一個新的百慕大奇蹟：一個位於大西洋核心的中間地帶，一個東西方交匯的地方，一個新財富能夠縱情歡樂而舊財富也能享受傳統上的私密性和英式風範的地方。企業法律顧問霍利斯指出，百慕大 這個被擱淺的船隻征服的小島─一直信奉着“聽天由命”的信條，現在，百慕大是時候掌握自己的命運了。

But if it does, some Bermudians past and present will always have a divided view of their home. Jon Paradine, the owner of Aquamarina and a native Bermudian who is now living half way around the world, says, sure, the island needs to 'improve its product' and up its entertainment value. But get him talking about the days he spent there, the stunning views of the turquoise blue waters, the magnificently fresh salty air, and talk of change fades. Suddenly, it is hard to imagine how any of it-the dull shopping on Front Street, the MIA limos-really matters. As far as Paradine is concerned, his home would go for $50 million, easy, in Singapore, but you'll never find it there either. 'The beach in Aquamarina is the most beautiful beach I've ever seen,' says Paradine. 'I miss the natural beauty of Bermuda.'

但是，一旦百慕大開始掌握自己的命運，一些百慕大人─不管過去還是現在─對家鄉產生複雜的情感。“水世界”的主人、土生土長的百慕大人喬恩・帕拉丁(Jon Paradine)現在居住在世界的另一端，他表示，百慕大確實需要“改善形象”、提高自身的娛樂價值。但是，如果讓他聊聊他在家鄉度過的時光，他回憶起的則是迷人的湛藍海景和帶着鹹味的清新海風，關於變革的話題也逐漸被淡忘了。忽然間，很難想象前街(Front Street)乏味的商鋪、邁阿密機場的豪華轎車有什麼意義。帕拉丁知道，“水世界”這樣的住宅在新加坡可以輕易地賣出5,000萬美元（約合人民幣3.06億元），只是你在新加坡絕對找不到這樣的房子。帕拉丁稱：“水世界的海灘是我見過的最美的海灘。我想念百慕大的自然之美。”