未解之謎：英國小村為何引來中國游客

KIDLINGTON, England — The Chinese visitors fanned out of a tour bus, and suddenly stopped, transfixed, as if marveling at the Venus de Milo or the Eiffel Tower. Then they began photographing an unremarkable 1970s suburban home, an oak tree, a rosebush and a garbage bin.

英格蘭基德靈頓——從一輛旅游大巴上下來后，中國游客散開了。突然，他們停下腳步怔住了，像看到了米洛島的維納斯或埃菲爾鐵塔一樣驚嘆不已。之后，他們開始對著一棟普通的70年代郊區(qū)房屋、一棵櫟樹、一處玫瑰叢和一個垃圾桶拍照。

“It’s beautiful,” Liu Jingwen of Guangdong Province said as one of her travel companions crouched with his camera on the edge of a lawn and took a selfie in front of a small red brick bungalow. A porcelain schnauzer smiled from a nearby window. An angry passer-by yelled: “No photos! We’ll call the police!”

“真漂亮，”來自廣東省的劉婧雯(音)說。此時，和她同行的一名游客舉著相機蹲在一片草坪的邊上自拍，他的身后是一間紅磚小平房。透過附近的窗戶可以看到一件瓷器，是一條面帶微笑的雪納瑞犬。一名生氣的路人高喊著：“不要拍照!我們要報警了!”

Ever since busloads of Chinese tourists began arriving in this sleepy, nondescript English village this summer, the 13,723 residents of Kidlington, about five miles north of Oxford, have been variously baffled, annoyed and delighted.

自從今年夏天一車車中國游客開始來到這個寧靜、普通的英格蘭村莊以來，地處牛津以北大約五英里(約合八公里)處的基德靈頓的13723名居民便被以各種方式打擾著，感到既困惑又高興。

The sudden influx of Chinese has also grabbed headlines and spawned a national mystery.

中國人的突然涌入也成了重大新聞，并引發(fā)了一個全國性的謎團。

Why, for example, do the Chinese tourists ignore the village’s handsome 13th-century church and its thatched-roof cottages, preferring instead to peer through windows, film parked cars and traipse on the lawns of Benmead Road, a humdrum and modern residential street? One tourist asked a stunned resident if he could help mow her lawn. (She politely declined.) Another jumped joyously on a child’s trampoline in the front yard.

比如，中國游客為什么無視村里富麗堂皇的13世紀教堂和茅草頂房屋，反倒更喜歡透過窗戶窺探、拍攝停放的車輛、在無趣的現(xiàn)代住宅區(qū)街道本米德路兩旁的草坪上閑逛?一名游客問一名震驚的居民，他可不可以幫她修剪草坪。(她禮貌地拒絕了。)另一名游客開心地在前院一個兒童蹦床上蹦跳。

One theory, reported feverishly by the British news media, is that Chinese tourists had been told by a rogue tour operator that the village was the location of 4 Privet Drive, the childhood home of Harry Potter, the fictional wizard. (In fact, it is in Bracknell, Berkshire,) The Sun asked if supernatural forces had delivered the Chinese to Kidlington.

英國新聞媒體熱衷報道的一個理論是，中國游客被一家惡作劇的旅行社告知，這個村莊是小說中的法師哈利·波特(Harry Potter)童年時的家女貞路4號的所在地。(實際上，那個地方在伯克希爾郡的布拉克內(nèi)爾。)《太陽報》(The Sun)懷疑，是不是超自然的力量把中國人送到了基德靈頓。

Others suggested that the Chinese had been drawn by Kidlington’s claim to being one of the largest villages in the realm. Or perhaps they wanted to see the Kidlington mansion previously occupied by Richard Branson, the shaggy-haired billionaire?

其他人則表示，中國人是被基德靈頓那英格蘭最大村莊之一的名聲吸引來的。又或許他們是想看看頭發(fā)蓬亂的億萬富翁理查德·布蘭森(Richard Branson)位于基德靈頓的舊居。

Such is the interest in the enigma that the BBC dispatched a camera crew to Kidlington, along with a questionnaire in Mandarin to ask the Chinese why they were coming. On a Facebook page devoted to the village, solving the conundrum became a popular parlor game.

人們對這個謎團的興趣如此強烈，以至BBC派了一隊拍攝人員前往基德靈頓。他們還帶了一份中文調(diào)查問卷，問中國人為什么來這里。在該村專屬的Facebook頁面上，解開這個謎團成了一個長久不衰的室內(nèi)游戲。

“They don’t know of a monarch buried under your streets do they?” asked Rosie McCarter of Leicester, referring to the discovery of the remains of Richard III under a parking lot in her Midlands city.

“他們是不是以為你們的街道下面埋了一位君主啊?”萊斯特的羅茜·麥卡特(Rosie McCarter)說。她提到的是在自己所在的中部城市的一處停車場下面發(fā)現(xiàn)了理查德三世(Richard III)的遺骸。

The Mirror newspaper listed the village alongside other unlikely global tourism attractions like Chernobyl, Ukraine, and the Hair Museum in Turkey. “The world’s weirdest attractions now count a sleepy Oxfordshire suburb among their number,” it mused.

《鏡報》(The Mirror)將該村莊同全球其他不太可能成為旅游景點卻成為了景點的地方相提并論，如烏克蘭的切爾諾貝利和土耳其的頭發(fā)博物館(Hair Museum)。“現(xiàn)在，牛津郡一個寧靜的郊區(qū)讓全球最奇怪的景點多了一個新成員，”該報若有所思地寫道。

Ask a Kidlington resident why anyone, nevermind someone from as far away as China, would want to come here, and you will be invariably greeted with a look of dumbfounded amazement.

問基德靈頓的居民為什么有人——不管是不是來自遙遠的中國——想來這里時，無一例外會發(fā)現(xiàn)對方一幅困惑詫異的表情。

“Why the Chinese come here is one of those unfathomables,” said Liam King, 73, a telephone engineer who was raking leaves in front of his house on Benmead Road.

“中國人為什么來這里是那些難以理解的事情之一，”73歲的電話工程師利亞姆·金(Liam King)說。他正在自己位于本米德路上的房屋前面清理樹葉。

“There is nothing wow-wow here,” added Sanjay Aslam, 43, a driver, noting that Kidlington had long lived in the shadow of Oxford University.

“這里沒什么了不起的東西，”43歲的司機桑賈伊·阿斯拉姆(Sanjay Aslam)說，并指出基德靈頓長期處在牛津大學(Oxford University)的陰影中。

“It’s just a regular village, quite a nice place, no riffraff walking around,” offered Polly Bonney, a hairdresser.

“只是一個普通村子，還不錯的地方，沒有不三不四的人游蕩，”理發(fā)師波莉·邦尼(Polly Bonney)說。

Kidlington has had its moments. A history of the village notes that in 1937 three Siberian wolves escaped from the local zoo, causing great panic. And in 1987, the chairman of the parish council touched off a revolt when he tried to turn the village into a town.

基德靈頓也出過那么一兩次風頭。村史提到，1937年三只西伯利亞狼逃出當?shù)氐膭游飯@，造成了巨大的恐慌。再到1987年，當?shù)刈h會議長因試圖將該村變成一個鎮(zhèn)而引發(fā)反抗。

But until now, that was about it. A slice of middle England, Kidlington contains, among other things, a public library, seven pubs, two cafes, four restaurants, a main shopping street with a Domino’s Pizza outlet, an immigration detention center and a Baptist church with a sign outside saying, “Try praying.” A three-bedroom semidetached house sells for about $430,000, local real estate agents say.

但迄今為止僅此而已?；蚂`頓坐落在英格蘭中部，村里的的設(shè)施包括一家公共圖書館、七家酒吧、兩家咖啡館、四家餐廳、一條主要的購物街——達美樂披薩(Domino’s Pizza)店就開在這條街上——一個移民收容中心和一座浸禮會教堂，教堂外面掛著一個牌子，上面寫著“嘗試祈禱”。當?shù)氐姆康禺a(chǎn)中介稱，一棟三居室的半獨立式房屋的售價約為43萬美元(約合300萬元人民幣)。

On a recent day at The King’s Arms, a popular local pub, several Kidlington natives feasted on $8.55 plates of lamb, mushy peas and mint sauce, and puzzled at the town’s newfound fame, as Millie, the pub’s one-eyed dog, padded by. The pub is haunted by a resident ghost called Martha, who worked in the pub in the 1950s, and who is sometimes seen knitting, said Christine McGrath, its jovial manager. A “grumpy old men’s club” sign hangs over the spot where three regulars sit weekly and grouse.

前不久的一天，在當?shù)貍涫軞g迎的酒吧“國王徽章”(The King's Arms)里，幾名基德靈頓本地人花8.55美元享用著羊肉、豆糊和薄荷醬。他們對村子新獲得的名氣感到不解。酒吧里的獨眼狗米莉無聲地走過。開朗友好的酒吧經(jīng)理克里斯蒂娜·麥格拉思(Christine McGrath)說，這家酒吧鬧鬼，鬼的名字是瑪莎(Martha)，就住在這里，在50年代曾在酒吧里工作，有時會有人看到她在做針線活。一個“脾氣暴躁的老男人俱樂部”的標志掛在三個?？兔恐茏掳l(fā)牢騷的地方。

The consensus at the pub was that the Chinese guests had unintentionally helped the anonymous village gain international attention, and were good for the local economy. Ms. McGrath said Chinese tourists occasionally entered the pub, ordered Guinness, pulled a face and left. “The Chinese have put us on the map,” she said.

酒吧里的人一致認為，中國游客無意間幫這個普普通通的村莊贏得了國際社會的關(guān)注，對當?shù)亟?jīng)濟有利。麥格拉思說，中國游客偶爾會走進酒吧，點健力士黑啤酒(Guinness)，然后一臉難受地站起離開。“中國人讓我們出名了，”她說。

Fran Beesley, 74, an occupational therapist, said she was startled to walk out of her house one day and find a Chinese man photographing her front yard as his family waited nearby. “I’d like to organize cream teas and welcome them,” she said. Other residents have been less amused and have called the police.

74歲的職業(yè)治療師弗蘭·比斯利(Fran Beesley)說，有一天走出屋子后，她驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)一名中國男子在拍她家的前院，他的家人在旁邊等他。“我愿意準備奶油茶點歡迎他們，”她說。其他居民則沒這么高興，并且報過警。

In point of fact, there is a perfectly logical explanation for why droves of Chinese tourists are coming to Kidlington, and it is hardly going to burnish the local reputation.

其實，對于為什么有成群的中國游客來基德靈頓，有一個非常合理的解釋。它幾乎不會提升當?shù)氐男蜗蟆?/p>

Sun Jianfeng, a 48-year-old tour guide with Beijing Hua Yuan International Travel, said guides were routinely depositing in Kidlington tourists who did not want to pay an extra $68 for an optional Chinese language tour of nearby Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s majestic ancestral home.

北京市華遠國際旅游有限公司48歲的導游孫建鋒(音)說，導游通常會在基德靈頓放下不愿額外花68美元，去附近的布萊尼姆宮(Blenheim Palace)享受中文講解參觀服務(wù)的游客。雄偉的布萊尼姆宮是溫斯頓·丘吉爾(Winston Churchill)的祖居，去那里參觀不是旅行團的必選項。

He added that some wily tourists had figured out that buying tickets at the palace would cost only about $25, and were secretly sneaking there on foot, irking other tourists, who had already paid full price. As a result, he said, those who opted out of the Blenheim tour were being dropped in Kidlington, which is not within walking distance.

他接著表示，一些有心計的游客發(fā)現(xiàn)，去現(xiàn)場買票只花大約25美元，因此悄悄步行前往那里，這讓其他已經(jīng)付了全價的游客很生氣。因此，他說，那些選擇不參觀布萊尼姆宮的人就被留在基德靈頓，從那里無法步行前往布萊尼姆宮。

Mr. Sun said Kidlington was also a convenient stop on the way to Bicester Village, a must-go discount luxury retail destination for Chinese shoppers. The Chinese are big spenders, and European countries compete hard for their business.

孫建鋒說，在前往中國購物者必去的打折奢侈品零售目的地比斯特村(Bicester Village)的路上，基德靈頓也是便利的一站。中國游客出手闊綽，歐洲國家為招攬他們的生意的展開了激烈的競爭。

Mr. Sun stressed that the Kidlington phenomenon was also an outgrowth of modern China and globalization. Many tourists are a part of China’s rapidly growing middle class, many of whom live in anonymous concrete tower blocks in huge cities, he said. They are enchanted by the village’s tranquillity and intrigued by daily life in the English countryside.

孫建鋒強調(diào)，基德靈頓現(xiàn)象也是現(xiàn)代中國和全球化發(fā)展的結(jié)果。他說，很多游客屬于中國規(guī)模迅速擴大的中產(chǎn)階級，不少人生活在大城市，住在沒有個性特征的混凝土建筑里。他們?yōu)榛蚂`頓村的寧靜所吸引，對英格蘭鄉(xiāng)下的日常生活感到好奇。

“The environment in the countryside in China isn’t so great,” he said, noting that it could be run-down and gritty compared with England’s typically bucolic atmosphere. “In Kidlington, the environment is great. You see farm fields and ranches here. Also, many newly built houses here have brick or brick-and-wood structures, which you no longer see very often in urban China.”

“中國鄉(xiāng)下的環(huán)境沒這么好，”他說，并指出和英格蘭常見的鄉(xiāng)村氛圍相比，可以說是破舊和敗落。“在基德靈頓，環(huán)境很好。能在這里看到農(nóng)田和牧場。而且這里很多新建房屋都是磚或磚木結(jié)構(gòu)，這在中國的城市里不太?？吹?。”

As a tourist bus pulled out of town, a group of Chinese visitors waved from their windows, smiling widely. The Kidlington tour had lasted about 15 minutes, but that was more than enough for Ms. Liu.

隨著一輛旅游大巴開走，一群中國游客滿面笑容地向窗外揮手?；蚂`頓之行持續(xù)了大約15分鐘，但對劉婧雯來說足夠了。

“It’s so romantic,” she said, looking dreamy eyed. Then the bus sped away.

“太浪漫了，”她說，看上去眼神恍惚。然后，大巴疾馳而去。