From Kaifeng to New York, glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds
As this millennium dawns, New York City is the most important city in the world, the unofficial capital of planet Earth. But before we New Yorkers become too full of ourlves, it might be worthwhile to glance at dilapidated Kaifeng in central China.
Kaifeng, an ancient city along the mud-clogged Yellow River, was by far the most important place in the world in 1000. And if you've never heard of it, that's a uful warning for Americans - as the Chine headline above puts it, in a language of the future that many more Americans should start learning, "glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds."
公司搬迁
公司管理制度范本 As the world's only superpower, America may look today as if global domination is an entitlement. But if you look back at the sweep of history, it's striking how fleeting supremacy is, particularly for individual cities.
芦荟的 My vote for most important city in the world in the period leading up to 2000 B.C. would be Ur, Iraq. In 1500 B.C., perhaps Thebes, Egypt. There was no dominant player in 1000 B.C., though one could make a ca for Sidon, Lebanon. In 500 B.C., it would be Perpolis, Persia; in the year 1, Rome; around A.D. 500, maybe Changan, China; in 1000, Kaifeng, China; in 1500, probably Florence, Italy; in 2000, New York City; and in 2500, probably none of the above.
Today Kaifeng is grimy and poor, not even the provincial capital and so minor it lacks even an airport. Its sad state only underscores how fortunes change. In the 11th century, when it was the capital of Song Dynasty China, its population was more than one million. In contrast, London's population then was about 15,000.
An ancient 17-foot painted scroll, now in the Palace Muum in Beijing, shows the bustle and prosperity of ancient Kaifeng. Hundreds of pedestrians jostle each other on the streets, camels carry merchandi in from the Silk Road, and teahous and restaurants do a thriving business.堕落的灰尘
Kaifeng's stature attracted people from all over the world, including hundreds of Jews. Even today, there are some people in Kaifeng who look like other Chine but who consider themlves Jewish and do not eat pork.
As I roamed the Kaifeng area, asking local people why such an international center had sunk so low, I encountered plenty of envy of New York. One man said he was arranging to be smuggled into the U.S. illegally, by paying a gang $25,000, but many local people insisted that China is on cour to bounce back and recover its historic role as world leader.
"China is booming now," said Wang Ruina, a young peasant woman on the outskirts of town. "Give us a few decades and we'll catch up with the U.S., even pass it."
She's right. The U.S. has had the biggest economy in the world for more than a century, but most projections show that China will surpass us in about 15 years, as measured by purchasing power parity.
So what can New York learn from a city like Kaifeng?
One lesson is the importance of sustaining a technological edge and sound economic policies. Ancient China flourished partly becau of pro-growth, pro-trade policies and tec
hnological innovations like curved iron plows, printing and paper money. But then China came to scorn trade and commerce, and per capita income stagnated for 600 years.熊猫可爱
A cond lesson is the danger of hubris, for China concluded it had nothing to learn from the rest of the world - and that was the beginning of the end.
大黑帮
I worry about the U.S. in both regards. Our economic management is so lax that we can't confront farm subsidies or long-term budget deficits. Our technology is strong, but American public schools are cond-rate in math and science. And Americans' lack of interest in the world contrasts with the restlessness, drive and determination that are again pushing China to the forefront.
Beside the Yellow River I met a 70-year-old peasant named Hao Wang, who had never gone to a day of school. He couldn't even write his name - and yet his progeny were different.
"Two of my grandsons are now in university," he boasted, and then he started talking about the computer in his home.
浩瀚如烟
Thinking of Kaifeng should stimulate us to struggle to improve our high-tech edge, educational strengths and pro-growth policies. For if we rest on our laurels, even a city as great as New York may end up as Kaifeng-on-the-Hudson.
从开封到纽约 ——辉煌如过眼烟云证劵协会
历史走进了一个新的千年，纽约成了全世界最重要的城市。虽然没什么官方认可，
但说是世界的首都恐怕没人会不同意。然而，我们这些纽约客切不可狂妄自大，回望中国中部消失在历史尘埃里的大都会开封，也许会使我们更清醒。
公元1000年，坐落在泥沙淤塞的黄河岸边的古城开封，是世界上最重要的城市。我这篇文章用了个汉语标题，叫做《辉煌如过眼烟云》，这样做是为了说明汉语是许多美国人将来都要去学习的语言，而“繁华如梦”的哲理也是美国人需要了解的。
作为世界上唯一的超级大国，美国也许会认为自己在世界上这种“一览众山小”的地位是理所当然的。然而，回望大浪淘沙般的历史长河，你会看到辉煌，特别是某一个城市的辉煌，多么像萤火般转瞬即逝,也会为这种无常的兴替感到震惊。
