《时代周刊》原文链接20160929(版权归时代周刊及原文作者所有)
背景介绍：1970-1990年期间，亚洲有四个比较发达的经济体叫做“经济四小龙”，包括韩国、台湾、香港、和新加坡。几十年过去了，谁现在独领风骚呢？《时代周刊》在2016年9月的文章里回答了这个问题，答案是新加坡。
原文翻译如下
版权声明：文章版权归原杂志和作者所有。翻译仅为英语学习之用。谢绝任何转载及用于任何商业用途。
标题：曾经沉睡的新加坡已经成为亚洲的全球城市，而香港正在退步
作者：Norman Pearlstine（时代周刊副主席）
时间：2016年9月29日
I read with more than casual interest about The Wall Street Journal celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Asian edition in September. I had been the first managing editor of the edition, when it was called the Asian Wall Street Journal, and I recalled our launch from a former warehouse in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay where we rented space from the South China Morning Post.
翻译：华尔街日报在9月发布了庆祝其亚洲版发行40周年的纪念文章，我认真地读了。我曾经是这个期刊的第一个主编，当时它还叫“亚洲华尔街日报”。我回忆了我们当时在香港鲗鱼涌创建这个期刊时的情景，当时我们从南华早报那里租了房子。
Now working for Time Inc. in New York City, I was, by coincidence, visiting Hong Kong and Singapore as the Journal was celebrating its anniversary in both cities. The visits got me thinking about how Asia and these two extraordinary cities had and had not changed over the past four decades.
翻译：如今我在纽约市的时代周刊工作。一个偶然的机会，我访问了香港和新加坡。这两个城市都在做周年庆祝。这段访问经历让我不禁思考：在过去这四十年，亚洲和这两座超级城市经历了怎样的变化与不变。
Hong Kong and Singapore were the two most advanced centers of capitalism in South and Southeast Asia and, not surprisingly, they were the Asian Journal’s two most important markets. Hong Kong was the more entrepreneurial and, by far, the more interesting of the two cities. It was the better place to live, especially for anyone, including expatriates, involved in international business or in the media. In the 1980s and into the ’90s, Hong Kong benefited from being the gateway to a rising China. Dissent was tolerated in the final years of British rule. With low tax rates and limited regulation, Hong Kong was one of the world’s best cities for business.
翻译：香港和新加坡曾经是南亚和东南亚最发达的资本中心。不难理解，它们曾经是亚洲周刊最重要的两个市场。在这两座城市中，香港更具企业家精神，目前而言，也更加有趣。它更适合居住，特别是对包括外籍人士在内的从事国际商务或传媒的人而言。在上个世纪八九十年代，中国正在崛起，作为中国大门的香港从中受益不少。在大不列颠统治香港的最后几年，持不同政见的人也被政府包容。低税率和管制，使得香港成为世界上最适合从事商业的城市。
It still is, but in the 19 years since the “handover”—when Hong Kong was returned to Chinese control—Hong Kong’s star has faded. It has been overshadowed by Beijing, Shanghai and other mainland cities as China has learned to deal directly with the rest of the world. Beijing has increasingly imposed its will on the Hong Kong legislature while stifling dissent. The so-called Umbrella Revolution and the Occupy Central movement resulted in massive protests in the fall of 2014, and resentment against China’s heavy hand remains strong among students and pro-democracy dissidents.
翻译：它现在也还保持着曾经的优势，不过十九年前香港回归中国以后，它的优势逐渐减弱。由于中国已经学会如何与国外的世界直接联系，北京、上海和中国内地的其他城市渐渐使香港相形见绌。北京逐渐干涉香港的立法和打压持不同政见的人。2014年秋天，所谓的雨伞革命和占中运动产生了大规模的抗议。学生和亲民主的持不同政见人士仍然对中国的过度干涉表示不满。
Dinner conversations in Hong Kong today almost invariably reflect an inward-looking obsession with China and its influence over the city. Persistent air pollution has made living in Hong Kong much less attractive. Expatriates and locals who have mobility and can afford to live elsewhere increasingly talk about moving or buying second homes overseas.
翻译：如今，在香港的晚餐对话中，总是谈及对中国的痴迷和中国对这座城市的影响。持续的空气污染已经使得香港不那么宜居。能够搬走且有能力在其他地方生活的外籍人士和本地人越来越多地谈论有关要搬走或者在海外再买一套房子的话题。
By contrast, I hated going to Singapore in the 1970s, especially if the trip was in response to complaints about coverage from then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Lee’s People’s Action Party (PAP) had complete control over the city-state and had little tolerance for criticism or dissent—either at home or by the international media.
翻译：对比之下，我在上个世纪七十年代讨厌去新加坡，特别是因为有关首相李光耀的报道产生抱怨而不得不去做出回应的时候。李光耀的人民行动党对国家/城市有着绝对的控制，而且对不论是来自国内的还是国际的批评或者不同政见没有一点容忍。
Today Singapore remains under the control of the PAP, now headed by Lee’s son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. But the party won less than 70% of the vote in 2015 elections, suggesting that opposition parties are gaining strength. Although the government seems more tolerant of dissent and censorship seems less obvious than was true decades ago, the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index for 2016 ranks Singapore near the bottom of its list of 180 countries at number 154. (Hong Kong ranked 69th.) But to me the local press seems more robust than it did decades ago.
翻译：今天，新加坡仍然是人民行动党在统治，首脑是李光耀的儿子李显龙。但是，这个党派在2015年的选举中的得票低于70%，表明反对党的力量在增强。尽管这个政府看起来对持不同政见的人更加容忍，审查也不如几十年前严格，但是2016年的记者无边界世界新闻自由指数中，新加坡在180个国家排行第154名，接近榜尾（香港排行第69名）。不过，在我看来，当地新闻界看起来比几十年前有力量。
Singapore does better on other fronts. It tops the World Bank’s ranks for ease of doing business. It ranks second to last on Bloomberg’s most recent Misery Index. Although the government has worked to keep expatriates from taking jobs it thinks can be done by Singaporeans, ECA International, a service organization for multinationals, ranks Singapore as the world’s most livable location for expatriates in Asia, while Hong Kong ranks 15th.
翻译：新加坡在其他前沿领域做得更好。在世界银行发布的最适合做生意的城市的排行榜中，新加坡名列第一名。在彭博杂志最新发布的痛苦指数中，新加坡排名倒数第二。尽管政府已经尽力阻止外籍人士和新加坡本地人抢工作，但ECA国际（一家跨国服务公司）仍然把新加坡排在亚洲最适合外国人居住城市排行榜的榜首，而香港排在第十五名。
Lee Kuan Yew died in March 2015 at age 91. Although he had stepped down after 31 years as Prime Minister in 1990, he continued to serve Singapore as Senior Minister and then Minister Mentor until 2011. His legacy of clean government and commitment to the environment remain, while the introduction of casinos and a lively night scene have made Singapore seem less authoritarian under Lee Hsien Loong.
翻译：李光耀在2015年三月去世，享年91岁。尽管他在1990年已经从坐了31年的首相位置下来，他继续以高级部长和部长导师的身份为新加坡服务，直到2011年。他留下了政治遗产：廉洁政府与致力于改善环境的承诺，这些遗产现在还在。与此同时，赌场和美丽夜景的引入让李显龙管理下的新加坡看起来不那么专治。
If asked to choose between living in Hong Kong or Singapore 40 years ago, Hong Kong would have been the easy choice. But these days it’s a much closer call. Beijing’s clumsy attempts to throttle dissent have alienated many Hong Kong citizens and made the city a less desirable place to live and work. Meanwhile, innovation and imagination now seem to be Singapore’s bywords.
翻译：如果四十年前你问我在香港和新加坡中选一个居住，我会毫不犹豫选择香港。但是最近二者已经很接近了。北京对异见分子的打压已经使得它失去了部分香港市民的支持，也使得香港不如之前那样适合居住和工作。与此同时，如今创新和想象力看起来好像已经是新加坡的代名词了。
版权声明：文章版权归原杂志和作者所有。翻译仅为个人英语学习。谢绝任何转载及用于任何商业用途。
2017.03.16.
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