We are in the same Olympic city but remain a world apart 我们同在奥运之城，却又咫尺天涯
Beijing (CNN)
这篇报道是我在CNN的网站上看到的，作者是一个美国华侨，叫Selina Wang，也是CNN的记者。她的父母早年来到美国读研究生，然后就留了下来，生下了包括Selina在内的第二代。阅读这篇文章，可以让我们从这个能够说中文的美国黄皮肤记者的视角，来看看北京的冬奥会，以及那一堵冰冷的，被大多数国人忽略的玻璃墙。
Two months ago, I called my grandma to tell her I’d be in Beijing for the Winter Olympics. She was thrilled. 两个月前，我打电话给奶奶，告诉她我会来北京参加冬奥会。 她听了非常高兴。
But I explained that even though we’d be in the same city, I wouldn’t be able to see her. I’d be in a strict bubble, separate from the rest of China’s population. 但我又解释说，即使我们在同一个城市，我也看不到她。 我将处于一个管理严格的泡泡中，与中国其他人口分开。
My grandma said not to worry. Just focus on your work, she said. 奶奶说不用担心，好好工作就可以了。
I lived in Beijing before taking up a posting in Tokyo early in the pandemic. 在疫情初期，我住在北京，后来在东京工作。
When I left, I wasn’t sure when I’d see my grandma again. 当我离开时，我不知道何时能再见到我的奶奶。
China’s borders have been virtually closed for two years because of Covid, and the government has accepted limited visas for journalists. 由于新冠疫情，中国的边境实际上已经关闭了两年，政府只接受有限的记者签证。
The Winter Olympics offered a rare chance for me to return to the country. 这次冬奥会为我提供了难得的回国机会。
Yet within the Olympic closed loop, it’s as if I’m traversing the city in a glass box, unable to experience the Beijing I know. 而在这个封闭的奥运环中，我仿佛置身于一个玻璃盒子里，在城市中穿行，无法体验我所熟悉的北京。
Hotels and venues are surrounded by temporary walls, fences, and security. 酒店和场馆都被临时围墙、栅栏和安保所包围。
I’ve gotten used to seeing workers in hazmat suits — waiting tables, serving cocktails, or taking my Covid test. 我习惯了看到穿着防护服的工人——在服务台、在供应鸡尾酒，或给我做新冠肺炎核酸测试。
As I watch the familiar Beijing streets zoom by through car windows — a colorful blur of tall buildings, masked faces and delivery scooters — I long to step out just for a moment. 看着熟悉的北京街道从车窗里掠过——高楼、带着口罩的面孔和脚踩踏板车送货者组合成的色彩斑斓的模糊街景——我真想从玻璃盒子里走出片刻。
So when I noticed a bridge near my hotel that allowed Beijing residents to look down into the closed loop, within the temporary walls, I saw a window of opportunity to see my grandma. 因此，当我注意到酒店附近有一座天桥，可以让北京居民俯视位于临时围墙内那个封闭起来的奥运空间时，我觉得有机会见一见我奶奶了。
I dropped a location pin to my relatives, and told them that unfortunately, this was the closest we could get while I was in Beijing. 我在手机上给亲戚发了个定位，并告诉他们，不好意思，这个天桥就是我在北京时，能最接近他们的地方。
Still, my grandma was delighted, arriving 20 minutes early in her nicest winter coat. I yelled Happy New Year in Mandarin as loud as I could, as she’s hard of hearing, and jumped up and down. 尽管如此，我奶奶还是很高兴，穿着她最好看的冬衣，提前 20 分钟到达了这个地点。 我用普通话大声喊新年快乐，因为她听力不好，然后我蹦蹦跳跳和奶奶打招呼。
She took off her mask and smiled broadly, her face crinkling at the edges. 她摘下口罩，笑得很灿烂，就像一朵花。
Our meeting was emblematic of the isolation the world has dealt with since the pandemic began. 我们的这场古怪的会面，很像疫情以来，整个世界所面临的各种隔离。
Early on, I was separated from my husband for nine months. 早些时候，我与丈夫分居了九个月。
I didn’t see my parents for more than two years. 另外有两年多没见过父母。
I spent months and months in various quarantines in Asia. 我在亚洲的各种隔离区呆过几个月。
Now, even though I was finally back in the same city as my grandma, literally just meters away from her during the Lunar New Year holiday, I couldn’t embrace her. 现在，即使我终于回到了奶奶同一个城市，即使在这个农历新年假期中，离她只有几米远，我还是无法拥抱她。
Tears started to well. It was overwhelming to see her face from a distance. 我双眼含泪。 远远地看着她的脸，真是百感交集。
I took out my phone to video call her so she could hear me properly. 我拿出手机给她视频通话，让她能正常听到我的声音。
How ironic it was that even in our face-to-face meeting, we still had to resort to a virtual call to communicate. 真是讽刺，即使相对咫尺面对面，我们仍然不得不求助于虚拟电话来进行交流。
Grandma told me she was mostly staying at home for the holidays, as there were no festivities to attend in Beijing because of Covid. 奶奶告诉我，她大部分时间都待在家里过节，因为新冠疫情，在北京没有庆祝活动可以参加。
She recently relocated from Henan to live with relatives in Beijing to have heating in the wintertime. 她最近从河南搬来和北京的亲戚住在一起，冬天抱团取暖。
She was grateful for the warmth and was comfortable — albeit sometimes lonely — at home. 她很感激这种家庭温暖，在家里呆着也很舒服——尽管有时也很孤独。
Despite the joy I felt in seeing my grandma, the tears continued to flow. 尽管看到奶奶很高兴，但眼泪还是不停地流。
It was a cathartic emotional release. 这是一种宣泄的情感释放。
She’s my last living grandparent, and it was heartening to see that despite the tumult of the last few years, she’s safe and healthy. 她是我在世的最后一位祖父母，令人欣慰的是，尽管过去几年经历了世事动荡，她仍然全康。
Olympic sacrifices 奥运之牺牲
Throughout the pandemic, China has sealed off entire communities or cities over even a single Covid case. 在整个疫情期间，中国甚至因一个 新冠病例就会封锁了整个社区或城市。
In some cities, like in Wuhan and Xi’an, residents have endured draconian measures. 在一些城市，如武汉和西安，居民忍受了严厉的防疫措施。
At the same time, for many locals like my grandma, who haven’t lived in cities with major outbreaks, the strict Covid rules are just a way of life. 同时，对于很多像我奶奶这样还没有大面积爆发过疫情的城市生活过的当地人来说，严格的 新冠管控规定只是一种生活方式。
They’ve accepted the restrictions, preferring the sporadic lockdowns and confinement to the skyrocketing numbers of death they see reported elsewhere. 他们已经接受了这些限制，愿意面对小面积的封锁和限制措施，也不愿看到新闻报道中显示的其他地方激增的死亡人数。
Beijing’s Olympic ‘bubble’ will be the most ambitious Covid quarantine ever attempted. Will it work? 北京的奥运“泡泡”将是有史以来最雄心勃勃的疫情隔离尝试。但 它有用吗？
I spoke to one of the Covid testers stationed outside my hotel. 我与驻扎在酒店外的一名 核酸测试人员进行了交谈。
He sits in a small cubicle the size of a phone booth, wearing a hazmat suit, mask and face shield. 他坐在一个电话亭大小的小隔间里，身穿防护服、戴着口罩和面罩。
Through the plexiglass, he told me that during his shifts that last at least six hours he cannot drink, eat, or use the bathroom. 透过有机玻璃，他告诉我，他上一次班至少持续六个小时，这期间他不能喝水、吃饭或上厕所。
To prevent himself from needing to relieve himself, he doesn’t eat before his shift starts. He says it’s difficult to be away from his six-year-old son for so long, but he manages to video call him every day. 为避免自己上厕所的需要，他在上班开始前都不吃东西。 他说难过的是要离开他六岁的儿子这么久，但他每天都设法和他视频电话。
Despite the grueling work, he said it’s all worth it to be a part of the Games. 尽管工作很辛苦，但他说成为冬奥会的一员是值得的。
On Lunar New Year’s Day, I saw little festivities. 在农历新年那天，我看到庆祝活动很少。
The only reminder was the red lanterns that dotted the trees outside the media center. 唯一的春节迹象是媒体中心外的树上点缀的红灯笼。
That day, I noticed an Olympic worker standing at the edge of the closed loop, waving to her two young sons behind layers of barricades and fences. 那天，我注意到一名奥运工作人员站在封闭奥运环的边缘，在层层路障和栅栏后面，向她的两个年幼的儿子挥手致意。
Her sons gripped the fence, yelling to their mother that they missed her and wished they could be together for the New Year. 她的儿子们抓住栅栏，向他们的母亲大喊他们想念她，希望他们能在一起过新年。
It was a touching moment that inspired me to meet my grandma the following day. 这是一个感人的时刻，激发了我第二天想办法见一见我的祖母。
The woman told me this was the longest she’d ever been apart from her kids. 那位女士告诉我，这是她与孩子们分开时间最长的一次。
Once in a while, they would meet at the edge of the park and wave to each other from afar. 偶尔，他们会在公园的边缘相遇，远远地互相挥手。
Local Chinese staff have been in the Olympic bubble since early January and will stay in it through the end of the Paralympic Games. 当地的中国工作人员从一月初就进这个封闭的奥运泡泡中，并将一直呆到残奥会结束。
After that, they’re required to quarantine for as long as 21 days at a government facility. 之后，他们需要在政府指定机构隔离长达 21 天。
Especially on Lunar New Year Day, she said it made her tearful to think about how close she was to her children, yet unbearably far. 尤其是在农历新年那天，她说自己离孩子这种咫尺天涯的隔离，让她泪流满面。
I heard similar stories over and over again from drivers, security guards, restaurant waiters, and volunteers in the Olympic closed loop. 我一遍又一遍地从司机、保安、餐厅服务员和奥运闭环中的志愿者那里听到类似的故事。
They’ve all decided to live separately from their families for months, in order to be part of the Olympics. 为了参加奥运会，大家都决定与家人分开几个月。
Some are frustrated by the confinement — disappointed they can’t get closer to the Olympic action. 一些人对隔离感到沮丧——对他们无法近距离看到冬奥会的各种活动感到失望。
But most of them told me they’re proud and excited to help make the event happen, brushing off the personal sacrifice. 但大多数人告诉我，他们很自豪也很兴奋能帮助完成这个运动会，个人做出点牺牲无所谓。
Worlds apart 咫尺天涯
For my grandma, the pandemic times are just a small chapter in her life beset with struggle and sacrifice. 对我奶奶来说，她的一生充满了斗争和牺牲，疫情只是其中一小部分，。
She survived The Great Leap Forward in China, when tens of millions died from famine. 她在中国的大跃进中幸存下来，当时数以千万计的人死于饥荒。
When she was pregnant with my father, she had to subsist on porridge, tree leaves and tree bark to piece enough nutrition to survive. 当她怀着我父亲时，只有稀粥、树叶和树皮可以果腹，勉强活命。
My father grew up in similarly challenging conditions. 我父亲在同样充满挑战的环境中长大。
He remembers the Lunar New Year as one of the rare moments growing up when his belly was full. 他记得，农历新年是他成长过程中难得的饱腹时刻之一。
My parents attended graduate school in America, where they settled down and raised me and my sister. 我的父母是在美国读的研究生，后来就在这里安家，抚养我和我的妹妹。
My grandma and grandpa, who were farmers in China, came to the US to care for us until I was in elementary school, while my parents worked. 我的奶奶和爷爷在中国是农民，后来来美国照顾我们，直到我上小学，当时我的父母在工作。
Grandpa walked me to school every day. 爷爷每天送我上学。
Grandma’s handmade dumplings and noodles were sitting on the table when I came home. 回家时，奶奶的手工饺子和面条总是热腾腾地摆在桌上。
Grandpa turned our backyard into a vegetable garden. 爷爷把我们的后院变成了菜园。
Grandma sat by my bedside when I struggled to fall asleep. 当我难以入睡时，奶奶就会坐在我的床边。
They taught me to read and write Chinese. 他们教我读写中文。
I even spoke Mandarin with a villager’s countryside accent. 我甚至会说带有乡音的普通话。
“But increasingly, China’s rise is at odds with America’s — and many democratic nations’ — dream for the world.” “但中国的崛起越来越与美国——以及许多民主国家——的世界梦想背道而驰。”
As I looked at my grandma from afar, I could see an expression of pride on her face. 我远远地看着奶奶，我能看到她脸上洋溢着自豪的神情。
In her eyes, I had succeeded as the product of the American Dream and her other “grand” children in China were living through China’s rise. 在她眼里，我是美国梦的产物，而她在中国的其他孙辈们则正在经历中国的崛起。
The China my grandma lives in now is far wealthier and more powerful than the impoverished country she raised my father in. 我奶奶现在生活的中国，比她抚养我父亲时的贫困国家要富裕得多，也强大得多。
It’s also become increasingly authoritarian and intolerant of dissent. 它也变得越来越赚制和不容忍一议。
The United States and its allies have boycotted the Games as a statement against allegations of human rights abuses that Beijing vehemently denies. 美国及其盟国抵制冬奥会，以此作为对北京侵犯人权指控的声明，而后者当然坚决否认。
Tensions are growing between China and numerous countries. 中国与许多国家之间的紧张局势正在加剧。
Surveillance and censorship mechanisms have also become more sophisticated. 监控和深查机制也变得更加越来越复杂。
I’ve grown accustomed to seeing some of my television reports censored in real time on TV screens in China. 我已经习惯于在中国的电视屏幕上，看到我的一些电视报道被实时审查。
At the Olympics, the pandemic has also given China the ability to closely monitor and track participants, including journalists. 在奥运会上，这场疫情也使中国有能力密切监视和跟踪包括记者在内的参赛者。
The restrictions we face reflect a country that has become more hostile to journalists, free speech, and generally any criticism of China. 我们面临的限制反映了这个国家对记者、言论子由以及对中国的任何批评变得更加敌对。
In that environment, it’s harder than ever to tell stories about Chinese people. 在那种环境下，讲中国人的故事比以往任何时候都难。
Many are fearful of retribution for speaking to Western media, even on non-sensitive topics. 许多人害怕因向西方媒体发表言论而受到报复，即使是在非敏感话题上也是如此。
The woman I spoke to in the Olympic bubble on New Year’s Day — the one who was meeting her children — asked me not to use her name or show her face on camera, worried about the consequences of sharing her story. 元旦那天我在奥运泡沫中与我交谈的那个女人——那个正在和她的孩子见面的女人——要求我不要使用她的名字或在镜头前露脸，担心我分享她的故事会带来后果。
That sentiment makes it harder for the world to learn about the rich and multifaceted lives of China’s 1.4 billion people. 这种情绪使得外界了解中国 14 亿人民丰富多样的生活，变得更难。
As I watched my Grandma’s peaceful expression from the bridge above, I told her I couldn’t wait to eat her dumplings again. 我在桥上看着奶奶平静的表情，告诉她我迫不及待地想再吃她的饺子。
I wanted to give her a big hug and climb over that wall — the barrier between us, symbolic of a nation increasingly separated from the world, even for the people who want to see the country and its residents thrive. 我想给她一个大大的拥抱，然后翻过那堵墙——那是我们之间的屏障，一个与世界日益分离的国家象征，即使对那些真心希望看到这个国家及其居民繁荣发展的人来说，也是一堵难以逾越的高墙。