中國文化曾影響世界,未來也同樣可以

FOR at least four centuries, from the 14th to the 18th, China was looked upon by the West with awe. The Venetian trader Marco Polo (1254-1324), whose family had long been travelers on the Silk Road, spent over 20 years exploring Asia, including much of China and Mongolia.

至少四個世紀，從14世紀到18世紀，中國被西方國家仰視與敬畏。威尼斯商人馬可•波羅(1254 - 1324)，他的家人一直是絲綢之路上的旅行者，花了20多年探索亞洲，包括中國大部分地區和蒙古。

Another word for cultural power is "soft power," a subject that has increasingly over recent years challenged Chinese policymakers and thought leaders.

另一個表述文化力量的詞是“軟實力”，一個近年來越來越挑戰中國政策制定者和思想領袖的課題。

There have been some developments. The opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics projected some brilliant images of Chinese tradition; the Chinese pavilion of the Shanghai World Exposition in 2010 was an architectural masterpiece, while its techno-artistic display of the recreation of the scroll "Along the River during the Qingming Festival by" Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) was simply brilliant.

已經有了一些進展。2008年夏季奧運會開幕式展現了中國傳統的一些精彩圖像；2010年上海世博會的中國國家館是一個建築傑作，而其數碼藝術展示的宋代畫家張擇端(1085 - 1145)《清明上河圖》的大幅再現是極其輝煌的。

Similarly, Chinese contemporary authors are getting to be much better known in the world, a trend which should get a spurt with this year's award of the Nobel Prize of Literature to Mo Yan (born in 1955).

同樣，中國當代作家越來越成爲世界所熟知，這一趨勢隨着今年的諾貝爾文學獎得主莫言(生於1955年)而應該得到井噴。

China's rising cultural flourishing is reflected not only in the traditional arts, but also in its absorption of Western culture. China stands out especially in its embrace of Western classical music; the annual Beijing Music Festival is becoming increasingly known and hailed.

中國不斷增強的文化繁榮不僅反映在傳統藝術上，也反應在對西方文化的吸收上。特別是在擁抱西方古典音樂方面中國脫穎而出，一年一度的北京國際音樂節越來越知名和廣受讚譽。

While these developments are important and impressive, it no doubt remains the case that China's global cultural reach remains modest when compared to that of the US and some European countries.

儘管這些發展重要且令人印象深刻，但中國的全球文化造詣與美國和一些歐洲國家相比仍然保持中等，毫無疑問事實依然如此。

Though Chinese universities are attracting more and more foreign students , the numbers pale in comparison with American, European and Australian universities. Indeed, Western soft power still exerts great impact on China as many of its students flock to Western universities.

儘管中國的大學正吸引着越來越多的外國學生，這一數字與美國、歐洲及澳大利亞的大學相比相形見絀。事實上，隨着許多中國學生涌向西方大學，西方軟實力依然對中國發揮着重大影響。

As its economic power matures and its population ages, China should increasingly develop its cultural fields. In the course of the decades ahead, as China may be exporting fewer goods, it should aim at exporting more culture.

由於經濟實力的成熟和人口老齡化，中國應該日益發展文化領域。在未來幾十年的過程中，因中國可能將出口越來越少的商品，它應該致力於出口更多的文化。

Soft power is the best means to make friends and influence people.

軟實力是影響朋友和他人的最好手段。