英语作文范文·中国的厕所革命China's toilet revolution
China's toilet revolution
From the outside it looks like an art gallery.
But this is a gallery of toilets, brought to the residents of Shanghai by Roca,
the Spanish bathroom people.
It has loos disguised as stacks of books and conveniences that flush with grey water from the sink. The best seller is a sleek commode designed by a former Audi stylist,
with a leather seat made by the people who supply BMW with motorcycle perches.
The best-selling colours? A striking deep red, viewed as lucky,
and a deliciously understated champagne gold known as tuhaojin, or “nouveau riche gold”. Roca’s China manager says the tuhaojin toilet became popular after Apple launched a golden iPhone in China last year.
“People apparently wanted a toilet like their iPhone,” he says.
Nothing would be easier than to caricature China’s golden water closets as symbols of a civilisation in decline.
But that’s not what I see in them. Because development is always,
when it comes right down to it,
about just such everyday intimacies: is the loo half a football field away or right next to the bedroom?
Does it reek or sit there quietly conserving water?
Does it open automatically,
play music and let you trade stocks from the comfort of its heated surface?
Proper pundits mutter darkly about rule of law and universal suffrage,
shadow banking and debt defaults.
But I prefer to tell a tale of toilets.
When I first came to live in China in 2008, mainland loos said “developing country” loud and clear.
On our first train journey, to the home town of my then eight-year-old adopted Chinese daughter Grace,
the rail car’s potty ponged so much that we could not stomach our picnic.
But very soon all that began to change.
The train loos stopped stinking.
Prefabricated stainless steel commodes showed up on all newer rolling stock,
complete with staff to sluice them down at regular intervals.
The only odour on Chinese trains these days is freshly brewed coffee from the dining car.
中国的厕所革命
从外面看上去，这像是场艺术展，但实际上它是西班牙卫浴品牌乐家(Roca)为上海市民带来的一场卫浴展。其中有外形像一堆叠在一起的书本的马桶，还有用洗手池中的污水冲水的一体式马桶。最畅销的是一款奢华时尚的马桶，设计者为前奥迪(Audi)设计师，它的真皮垫圈由宝马(BMW)摩托车座椅供应商打造。
最畅销的颜色呢?是醒目的深红色(象征幸运)，以及一种低调而悦目的香槟金色(即所谓的“土豪金”)。乐家中国的管理人员表示，苹果(Apple)去年在华发布金色iPhone后，土豪金马桶就开始走红了。他说：“看样子人们想要一个跟他们的iPhone颜色一样的马桶。”
将中国的金色抽水马桶讥讽为文明衰落之象征，是一件再容易不过的事情，但我却不这么看。因为真正说起来，发展总是要落实到这类日常生活的舒适感受上：厕所是离卧室有半个足球场那么远，还是紧挨着卧室?是臭气熏天，还是静音又节水?能否自动翻盖，播放音乐，让你舒服地坐在加热马桶垫圈上炒股?真正的专家们严肃地讨论着法治和普选、影子银行和债务违约，我却宁愿讲一个关于马桶的故事。
2008年，我第一次来到中国内地生活时，内地的厕所响亮而清楚地宣告着自己“发展中国家”的身份。我们第一次乘火车去我的中国养女(当时8岁)格雷丝(Grace)的老家时，列车上的厕所臭到我们连盒饭都吃不下去。
但这一切很快就发生了改变。火车上的厕所不再臭气熏天，所有比较新的列车上都装了带盥洗台的预制不锈钢马桶，列车员会定期冲刷。如今在中国的火车上，唯一的气味就是餐车飘来的现煮咖啡味。
From the outside it looks like an art gallery.
But this is a gallery of toilets, brought to the residents of Shanghai by Roca,
the Spanish bathroom people.
It has loos disguised as stacks of books and conveniences that flush with grey water from the sink. The best seller is a sleek commode designed by a former Audi stylist,
with a leather seat made by the people who supply BMW with motorcycle perches.
The best-selling colours? A striking deep red, viewed as lucky,
and a deliciously understated champagne gold known as tuhaojin, or “nouveau riche gold”. Roca’s China manager says the tuhaojin toilet became popular after Apple launched a golden iPhone in China last year.
“People apparently wanted a toilet like their iPhone,” he says.
Nothing would be easier than to caricature China’s golden water closets as symbols of a civilisation in decline.
But that’s not what I see in them. Because development is always,
when it comes right down to it,
about just such everyday intimacies: is the loo half a football field away or right next to the bedroom?
Does it reek or sit there quietly conserving water?
Does it open automatically,
play music and let you trade stocks from the comfort of its heated surface?
Proper pundits mutter darkly about rule of law and universal suffrage,
shadow banking and debt defaults.
But I prefer to tell a tale of toilets.
When I first came to live in China in 2008, mainland loos said “developing country” loud and clear.
On our first train journey, to the home town of my then eight-year-old adopted Chinese daughter Grace,
the rail car’s potty ponged so much that we could not stomach our picnic.
But very soon all that began to change.
The train loos stopped stinking.
Prefabricated stainless steel commodes showed up on all newer rolling stock,
complete with staff to sluice them down at regular intervals.
The only odour on Chinese trains these days is freshly brewed coffee from the dining car.
中国的厕所革命
从外面看上去，这像是场艺术展，但实际上它是西班牙卫浴品牌乐家(Roca)为上海市民带来的一场卫浴展。其中有外形像一堆叠在一起的书本的马桶，还有用洗手池中的污水冲水的一体式马桶。最畅销的是一款奢华时尚的马桶，设计者为前奥迪(Audi)设计师，它的真皮垫圈由宝马(BMW)摩托车座椅供应商打造。
最畅销的颜色呢?是醒目的深红色(象征幸运)，以及一种低调而悦目的香槟金色(即所谓的“土豪金”)。乐家中国的管理人员表示，苹果(Apple)去年在华发布金色iPhone后，土豪金马桶就开始走红了。他说：“看样子人们想要一个跟他们的iPhone颜色一样的马桶。”
将中国的金色抽水马桶讥讽为文明衰落之象征，是一件再容易不过的事情，但我却不这么看。因为真正说起来，发展总是要落实到这类日常生活的舒适感受上：厕所是离卧室有半个足球场那么远，还是紧挨着卧室?是臭气熏天，还是静音又节水?能否自动翻盖，播放音乐，让你舒服地坐在加热马桶垫圈上炒股?真正的专家们严肃地讨论着法治和普选、影子银行和债务违约，我却宁愿讲一个关于马桶的故事。
2008年，我第一次来到中国内地生活时，内地的厕所响亮而清楚地宣告着自己“发展中国家”的身份。我们第一次乘火车去我的中国养女(当时8岁)格雷丝(Grace)的老家时，列车上的厕所臭到我们连盒饭都吃不下去。
但这一切很快就发生了改变。火车上的厕所不再臭气熏天，所有比较新的列车上都装了带盥洗台的预制不锈钢马桶，列车员会定期冲刷。如今在中国的火车上，唯一的气味就是餐车飘来的现煮咖啡味。
