莱拉

Close your eyes and imagine China， home to 1.4 billion of the worlds population. What do you see？

Rice paddies， pointed little hats strapped on under the chin， long， wispy mustaches floating above the wide grin of a country farm worker？... Well， while agriculture is still one of Chinas biggest industries， a lot has changed. Today， the state of modern China and its innovations are changing the game for what people think about this oriental giant. So， here are a few things to bring you up to speed on modern China.

1. China has the fastest trains in the world

In a country as large as China， people need to get around， and quick！ The Shanghai Maglev is the worlds fastest commercial train， clocking in at 431 kph （303 mph）. So， when you are in Chinas capital of Beijing， you can travel to the shiny city of Shanghai on one of these bullet trains in around 4? hours.

In addition， you can hop on a train in China and arrive at the doorsteps of major attractions such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xian， often with less hassle and a similar speed to flying， as the second-longest railway network in the world connects every major city in China （except Macao）.

2. China will boldly go where no man has gone before

Not to be confused with the Pink Floyd album， China is setting course to be the first nation to reach the dark side of the moon1. In 2018， China sent their Change 4 probe out to see if they can establish a suitable communication link. China is using their leaps in technological innovations to fill a void in the experts understanding of the universe.

If you want to learn more about Chinas explorations to infinity and beyond， during your visit you can check out the 10，000-square-meter China Space Museum in Beijings Fengtai District， featuring the history and future of the space industry in China.

3. The Silk Road is back in action

This billion upon billion dollar investment will create modern infrastructures in areas less trodden and open up vast opportunities to walk in the footsteps of those who risked their lives and adventured the trails to find new and exciting places and riches along the way. With the One Belt， One Road initiative well underway， China is linking up the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road to create connections with more than 60 countries along its path.

4. Chinas gone bot-y2

While Skynet3s takeover is probably a few millennia away， today many of Chinas industries are going bot！ Robots are doing taxes， conducting surgical operations， taking over dangerous jobs at ammunition plants， and even made into cute little helpers rolling around banks waiting areas servicing and joking with customers.

However， China is still labor heavy， and labor is still relatively cheap， keeping the bots at bay; with many jobs still being done by many people that would be done by machine in the developed world： farming， factory processing， construction， toll gate ticketing...

5. Poverty-free is the way to be

China has lifted 68 million people out of poverty over the last five years. China has set a goal to lift all of the people in the nation out of poverty by 2020.

One major bonus for people living in small poor regions of China is that there is now a tourism infrastructure being built around and invested in ancient towns， allowing people to earn money as well as preserve their historical cultures.

6. WeChat is where its at

Since its launch in 2011， WeChat has become the all-in-one tool for modern China. Before you step foot across Chinas border make sure to download this app as it is the favored tool of communication for its 980 million active users in China.

There are 300 million users who have their credit cards attached to their accounts which allows users to have food， groceries and goods delivered to their house， pay cell phone， utility or other bills through third-party plugins and even hail a cab. It even has a built-in QR scanner to make all your QR purchases a breeze4.

7. QR codes， QR codes everywhere

Payment and information come in a nice， neat little package in China—QR codes. While in the West， these never quite caught on， QR codes are a way of life here， from getting another persons contact information and following a publication you like， to ordering food or paying bills.

If you are walking down the street and see a wrinkled old man serving some local Chinese snacks， you can be sure that you will also see a QR code somewhere to scan and pay for his wares over the phone！

8. A booming sharing economy

Remember those QR codes we just talked about， well they go even farther. In China， the sharing economy is so vast that you can share just about anything. But the biggest boom in todays market is the share transportation.

With one little scan， you are off on your share bike to your destination. Pesky 15-min walks from the subway have turned into 5-minute jaunts and weekends are now spend “share-biking” the city with friends. With over 600 million people participating in Chinas $550 billion sharing economy， there is nowhere to go but up.

9. China has Uber， well Didi， too

Founded in June 2012， Chinas car-hailing app Didi Chuxing （Didi）， the only company to have all of Chinas three internet giants—Alibaba， Tencent， and Baidu—as its investors， is the most valuable start-up company in the world.

With an interface like Uber or Lyft， users can simply plug in their location and destination and be on their way in a few minutes. In addition to regular car-hailing services， customers can also request luxury cars， airport pickup and full day car and driver rentals. In addition， Didi added an English interface in 2017 making it accessible to more and more people living in and visiting China.

10. Life in China is a mixed bag

While you can dine in lavish Michelin-starred restaurants in Chinas large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai， there is still deep-rooted culture at every turn.

In a little more than an hour from Beijings city center， you can step into rural China and tour ancient villages and even participate in homestays to learn more about traditional culture.

China is one of those places where you can see a Tesla zoom by and also have handmade dumplings from a vendor for less than one US dollar.

While there is a lot of modern changes happening in this vast country， there are still areas that are practically untouched that you can spend some time getting away from it all.

闭上眼睛，想象一下中国——那个拥有14亿人口的国度。你想到了什么？

片片稻田，带子系在下巴处的尖顶小草帽，咧嘴大笑的农民随风飘动的长长胡须？……嗯，虽然农业仍然是中国最大的产业之一，但中国已经发生了很多变化。如今，中国的现状及其创新正在改变人们对这个东方巨人的看法。以下几件事可以让你快速了解当今中国。

1. 中国拥有世界上最快的火车

在像中国这么大的国家，人们需要到处走动，而且速度要快！上海磁悬浮列车是世界上速度最快的商用列车，时速高达431公里（303英里）。也就是说，如果从中国的首都北京乘坐这样的高速列车出发，大约4个半小时即可到达活力四射的上海。

此外，中国拥有世界第二长的铁路网，连接起国内除澳门外的每一个主要城市，只要踏上火车，便可直达西安兵马俑等主要景点，这不仅比搭乘飞机更方便，而且速度相当。

2. 中国勇于探索前人未至之地

别跟英国摇滚乐队平克·弗洛伊德的那张概念专辑混淆了，中国正努力成为首个真正发现“月之暗面”的国家。2018年，中国发射了“嫦娥四号”探测器，考察能否在月球上建立起合适的通信链路。中国正在利用其技术创新的巨大进步来填补专业人士对宇宙认知的空白。

如果想了解更多中國探索浩瀚宇宙的信息，在中国游览期间可以去参观位于北京丰台区的中华航天博物馆，该博物馆展出面积约达1万平方米，场馆主要展示中国航天事业的历史和未来。

3. 重振丝绸之路

这项数十亿美元的投资将用于在人迹罕至的地方建造现代化基础设施，为人们开拓广阔的机会，以追随那些为发现沿途新地方和新财富而冒着生命危险筚路蓝缕的先辈。在“一带一路”倡议的顺利推进下，中国正在搭建陆上“丝绸之路”和“海上丝绸之路”，以与沿线60多个国家建立联系。

4. 中国迎来机器人时代

虽然人工智能系统“天网”统治地球的那一天可能几千年后才会出现，但如今中国的许多产业都正在步入机器人时代！机器人可以做税务工作、做外科手术、做弹药厂的危险工作，甚至还可以化身可爱的小帮手——在银行的等候区游走，为顾客提供服务，和顾客聊天解闷。

然而，中国目前仍是劳动密集型国家，劳动力依然相对廉价，限制了机器人的大范围推广。发达国家许多可以由机器完成的工作，在中国仍依靠大量人力完成，例如：农业种植、工厂加工、建筑施工、收费站售票等。

5. 脱贫指日可待

过去五年，中国已经让6800万人摆脱了贫困。中国已设定目标，在2020年实现全民脱贫。

对生活在中国贫困小地方的人们来说，有一个重要的福利：如今许多古镇都获得投资，兴建了旅游基础设施，使当地居民既能从中挣钱，又能保护当地的历史文化。

6. 微信无“微”不至

微信自2011年推出以来，已然成为现代中国的一个全能工具。入境中国前，务必下载这个应用程序——它可是深受中国9.8亿活跃用户青睐的通信工具。

有3亿微信用户的账号绑定了信用卡，这些用户可以通过第三方小程序插件让食品、日用品和其他商品送货上门，支付话费、水电费或其他账单，甚至可以叫出租车。为了让用户可以轻松扫码支付，微信甚至内置了一个二维码扫描软件。

7. 二维码无处不在

在中国，付钱和获取信息有一种简洁小巧的形式——二维码。在西方，二维码从来不是很流行，在中国，二维码则是一种生活方式——从获取他人的联系方式、关注喜欢的出版物，到点餐或付账单。

如果走在街上，看到一位满脸皱纹的老大爷售卖着一些当地的中国小吃，你肯定也会在其摊位看到一个可供手机扫码支付的二维码！

8. 共享经济蓬勃发展

还记得刚才提到的那些二维码吧，它们的作用还多着呢。在中国，共享经济非常庞大，几乎任何东西都可以共享。但目前市场最火的还是共享交通。

只要简单扫描一下，便可以骑着共享单车前往目的地。出地铁后15分钟漫长的步行就此变成了5分钟轻快的骑行，周末还可以和朋友们一起在城市中“共享骑乐”。中国的共享经济价值5500亿美元，有超过6亿人参与其中，前途一片大好。

9. 中国打车有滴滴

2012年6月，推出中国打车应用软件“滴滴出行”（简称“滴滴”）的公司成立，该公司是唯一一家同时获得阿里巴巴、腾讯和百度这三大互联网巨头投资的公司，也是全球最具价值的创业公司。

滴滴的界面和Uber或Lyft相似，用户只需输入位置和目的地，几分钟后即可出发。除了常规的打车服务外，客户还可以选择豪华车、机场接送、全天租车和包车等服务。此外，2017年滴滴还新增了英文界面，方便越来越多在中国生活和游览的人使用。

10. 中國的生活丰富多彩

虽然可以在北京、上海等中国大城市奢华的米其林星级餐厅用餐，但其实中国每个地方都有其根深蒂固的文化。

从北京市中心出发，驾车一个多小时就可踏入中国农村，游览古村落，甚至入住民宿，体验更多的传统文化。

在中国，你可以看到一辆特斯拉疾驰而过，同时又能花不到一美元就买到街边小摊的手工饺子。

尽管这个幅员辽阔的国家有很多地方都变得现代化，但仍存在着一些尚未开发的原生态地区，那些地方可能是休闲度假的好去处。

（译者单位：江西科技学院）