2023年12月10日，第四届“用英语讲中国故事”活动在福建师范大学启动。本次活动由中国国家创新与发展战略研究会、中国教育电视台、新航道国际教育集团联合主办。

厦门大学美籍教授、“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使潘维廉一直致力于用讲故事的方式向西方世界介绍真实、客观的中国。在启动仪式上，他发表了题为“Why I Tell China Stories – and How（我讲述中国故事的原因和方法）”的演讲。

当谈到如何讲述中国故事时，潘教授建议，要展现中西方人民人性共通的故事，分享可信、可爱、可敬、可记的中国故事。

潘教授演讲全文

Good morning. I’m very honored to be here and share three thoughts on telling China Stories.

早上好,我很荣幸能在这里与大家分享关于讲述中国故事的三点想法。

One: Why tell China’s Story? If we don’t share it, the world will continue to hear only the West’s China Story. The West’s story creates fear; the real story gives hope.

一：为什么要讲中国故事？如果我们不分享中国故事，世界将继续只听得到西方视角下的中国故事。西方讲述的中国故事制造恐惧，而真实的中国故事会带来希望。

Two: How to tell China’s Story? I’ve found that Americans doubt stories about the real China, but they admire stories about real Chinese.

二：如何讲好中国故事？我发现，美国人会怀疑真实中国的故事，但他们非常欣赏真实中国人的故事。

Three: Xi Jinping’s Storytelling Lessons. In November, 2001, here in Fuzhou, Xi urged me to write more books about China’s Story because he has been a master storyteller since his teens!

三：习近平的 "讲故事课"。2001 年 11 月，在福州，习近平叮嘱我多写一些关于中国故事的书籍，因为他自己从十几岁起就是讲故事的高手！

When we moved to Xiamen in 1988, Western media portrayed Chinese as oppressed and hopeless, but I wrote to family that life had improved and people were optimistic. To my surprise, friends were angry I said their views on China were wrong, yet this is human nature. People dislike being told they are wrong, so I changed strategy. I wrote about Chinese instead of China, and then the same people who rejected the “real China Story” thanked me for stories about “real Chinese people.” Within six months, over 500 people read my monthly letters, and even children wrote with questions.

1988 年我们搬到厦门时，西方媒体把中国人描绘成受压迫、没有希望的人，但我在给家人的信中如实地说这里的人民生活有所改善，人们都很乐观。出乎我意料的是，我指出朋友们对中国看法有误时，他们会感到生气，但这是人的本性。人们不喜欢别人说他们错了，所以我改变了策略。我开始写中国人而不是国家，然后那些曾经拒绝 "真实中国故事 "的人都感谢我写了关于 "真实中国人 "的故事。在六个月内，有 500 多人读了我的家书，甚至还有孩子来信提问。

So how to tell China’s Story? I learned a lot from the master storyteller Xi Jinping.

那么，如何讲好中国故事呢？我从“讲故事大师”习近平主席身上学到了很多。

When Xi was a teen in Liangjiahe, he read late every night and then shared with illiterate farmers both Chinese and foreign stories to open their eyes to China’s place in the world.

习近平少年时下乡来到梁家河成为一名知青，每天晚上都读书读到深夜，然后跟不识字的农民分享中外的故事，让他们了解中国在世界上的地位。

In his late 20s, Xi edited the book Gujin Zhengding because if they forgot their past, they could not understand today or prepare for tomorrow. And in impoverished Ningde, he told the story, “Weak birds can fly first.” Today, Ningde is prosperous.

20 多岁时，习近平编辑了《古今正定》一书，因为如果人们忘记了过去，就无法理解今天，也无法去准备明天。在贫困的宁德，他曾经讲述了 "弱鸟先飞 "的故事。今天的宁德，繁荣昌盛。

In 2013 in Hunan’s 18 Caves Village, Xi told the Miao minority a story of eliminating abolute poverty by 2020. Today, he tells a story of humanity working towards a common destiny.  

2013 年，在湖南十八洞村，习近平向苗族人民讲述了到 2020 年消除绝 对贫困的故事。今天，他向世界描述了构建人类命运共同体的故事。

I’ll share a few of Xi’s storytelling secrets:

我将分享习近平讲故事的几个秘诀：

1、和而不同

He Er Bu Tong—Young Xi Jinping had He er bu tong on his Zhengding office wall because if we first share he, such as dreams, we can more easily accept butong, such as politics or economics.

年轻的习近平在他正定的办公室墙上挂着 "和而不同"字画，因为如果我们先分享 "和"，比如我们共同的梦想，我们就更容易接受比如政治或经济上的 "不同"。

Here in Fuzhou in 1992, Xi found common ground, “he”, when he invited the widow of an American born in Guling in the 1940s to visit and scatter her husband’s ashes on the Min River. 

1992 年在福州，时任福州市委书记的习近平邀请美国人密尔顿·加德纳先生的遗孀来访。原来，早在1901年加德纳还是个婴儿时就跟随父母来到福州，生活了十年。他一直想再回福州的鼓岭看一看，但直到去世也未能如愿。习近平得知这段感人的故事，特意邀请加德纳夫人访问中国，并将其丈夫的骨灰撒在闽江上。这个故事让我们看到中美两国人民在情感上的互通，即 "和"。

I like sharing stories such as Aladdin. Both Chinese and foreigners are surprised to learn Aladdin was Chinese—and even more surprised to learn why Aladdin was Chinese.

我喜欢分享《阿拉丁》这样的故事。无论是中国人还是外国人，得知阿拉丁是中国人时都会感到惊讶，而得知为什么阿拉丁是中国人时则会更加惊讶。

2、Ke Xin, Ke Ai, Ke Jing—and Ke Ji! 可信，可爱，可敬，可记！

Ke Xin: To be believable, personalize your story.

可信的故事： 要让人信服，就要个性化你的故事。

Share what you know. If you don’t know a story—learn one by reading books such as New Channel’s China Stories Retold in English. Personal stories are more persuasive because they are your story, not someone else’s.

分享你所知道的。如果你不知道有什么故事，可以通过阅读书籍来学习，比如新航道国际教育集团出版的《用英语讲中国故事》系列图书。个人故事更有说服力，因为它们是你自己的故事，而不是别人的故事。

In 2001, Fujian governor Xi Jinping suggested I write a book about Quanzhou, which he called my 3rd home because I knew it well. And Xi of course knew Quanzhou was the start of the maritime silk road. Even 20 years ago, Xi was preparing a story called the Belt and Road Initiative.

2001年，当时还是福建省省长的习近平建议我写一本关于泉州的书，他称泉州是我的第三故乡，因为我对泉州非常熟悉。习近平当然知道泉州是海上丝绸之路的起点。甚至在 20 年前，习近平就在准备一个名为 "一带一路 "倡议的故事。

Personal stories can be passionate. For example, foreigners criticized me for writing about China’s development when I’d not seen West China. So in 1994, I drove 40,000 km around China, then wrote passionately about changes I’d seen firsthand. And people who had criticized me thanked me.

个人化的故事可以充满激情。例如，外国人批评我在没有看到中国西部的情况下就写中国的发展。于是在 1994 年，我驱车环游中国 4 万公里，然后满怀激情地写下了我亲眼所见的变化。那些曾经批评过我的人都对我表示了感谢。

Fuzhou people should share Houguan’s stories! Lin Zexu was from Fuzhou. I visited his descendants while acting in the Lin Zexu TV series. Fuzhou had many talents like Yan Fu, who journeyed to the West, because it emphasized higher education, and even had China’s first public library. Houguan’s cultural level was said to surpass even that of Chang’an, China’s capital.  No wonder Houguan was home to people like Shén Bǎozhēn 沈葆祯, Hóu Débǎng侯德榜, Huáng Chūnpíng黄春平 and dozens more.

福州人应该分享侯官的故事！林则徐是福州人。我在拍摄《林则徐》电视剧时，曾拜访过他的后人。福州还有很多像严复这样曾前往西方求学的人才，因为福州重视高等教育，甚至有中国第 一家公共图书馆。据说侯官的文化水平甚至超过了当时中国的都城长安。难怪侯官出了像沈葆祯、侯德榜、黄春平这样的人才。

Ke’ai: Tell stories that are relatable/guanxinde, such as stories of love for family and country, or underdog stories such as the weak defeating injustice, or the success of the youngest son with no inheritance. 

可爱的故事：讲述亲切的/关心的故事，例如关于家庭之爱，国家之爱的故事，或者弱者逆袭的故事，比如弱者凭自己的力量战胜不公，像没有继承遗产的小儿子最终获得了成功这样的故事。

I shared stories such as my XMU streetsweeper friend who sent his son to college, or the Pingtan man with only 4 years education who was too poor to wear shoes until he was a teen, but today is a wealthy entpreneur and philanthropist.

我曾经讲过，我的一位在厦大当清扫工人的朋友把儿子送进了大学，还有平潭一个只受过四年教育的人，他曾经穷得直到十几岁才穿上鞋子。而如今，他已成为一位富有的企业家和慈善家。

Ke’jingde: We universally respect stories of loyalty, love, integrity, courage, generosity. 

可敬的故事：人们通常会被普通人的忠诚、博爱、正直、勇敢、慷慨的故事打动。

When XMU’s cafeteria refused cash, accepting only ration coupons, which I did not have, Chinese teachers gladly shared their coupons. I said, “You won’t have enough for yourself!”

当厦大食堂拒收现金，只接受粮票时，我没有粮票，中国老师们很高兴地跟我分享他们的粮票。我说："你们自己都不够用！"

“We have plenty!” they said. I later learned they did not have enough, even without sharing. I wrote home, “Who would not love such people?” And my readers agreed!

And we admire a stories of overcoming universal problems we all face—poverty, urbanization, pandemics. But keep it personal—not anti-poverty policies or programs, which sound political, but stories of people or villages with changed lives.

"我们有的是！"他们说。后来我才知道，即使不分享给我，他们也不够用。我在信中写道："谁会不爱这样的人？"而我的读者们也都同意我的观点！

Ke’jide (nanwangde): I’ve heard many wonderful China stories but forgotten most within days. An easily forgotten story won’t bring change. 

可记的（难忘的）故事：我听过成百上千个精彩的中国故事，但大多数都在几天之内被遗忘。一个容易被遗忘的故事不会带来改变。

But I will never forget the story of parents volunteering in Wuhan’s pandemic, or vivid demonstrations of skills in kung fu, music or other arts. Humor is a great icebreaker.

但是，我永远不会忘记一个孩子讲述武汉疫情时父母当志愿者的故事；不会忘记年轻人熟练掌握功夫、音乐或其他艺术的生动演示；还有，要知道幽默也是一种很好的破冰方法。

My favorite story was of Mencius’ mother, but most youth ended with, “If you don’t study harder, we will have to move again!” Mencius ignored that warning—and so will your audience. The story would have been unforgettable if the storyteller had cut a piece of cloth with scissors and said, “I toiled to make this, and now its wasted—just like your studies if you stop halfway!” A destroyed piece of cloth changed Mencius life, and changed the world. And stories told with imagination and passion can change your audience.

我最喜欢的故事是孟母的故事，但大多数年轻人都以 孟母说"如果你不努力学习，我们又要搬家了！"作为结尾。孟子忽略了这个警告，你的听众也会忽略。但是，如果讲故事的人用剪刀把一块布剪成两半，然后说："我辛辛苦苦做了这块布，现在它被浪费了——就像你的学业一样，如果你半途而废的话！"这个故事就会让人难以忘怀。一块被毁坏的布改变了孟子的一生，也改变了世界。用想象力和激情讲述的故事能改变听众。

I just finished my 21st book about China, which Prof. Hu Min suggested I write. Even so, I feel I’m barely getting started. Join us in sharing the real China’s Story, because only then will the world embrace Xi Jinping’s Global Story—a community of nations with a shared destiny.

我刚刚完成胡敏教授建议我写的第21本关于中国的书。即便如此，我觉得自己才刚刚起步。和我们一起分享真实的中国故事吧，因为只有这样，世界才会接受习近平提出的 "人类命运共同体 "的全球故事。

昨天严复西游，今天西方东游，明天，人类命运共同体。

嘉宾简介

潘维廉（William N.Brown）

管理学博士，厦门大学管理学院美籍专家、教授。潘维廉是福建省第 一位外籍公民，中国高校最早引进的MBA课程外籍教师之一。1993年中国政府“友谊奖”得主，1954-2014年十大“功勋外教”，CCTV感动中国2019年度人物，新航道“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使。

1988年，潘维廉辞去美国第 一证券公司副总裁，举家来到厦门，至今已在中国生活了35年。潘维廉热爱中国，一直用自己的方式向西方介绍真实的中国。1994年，潘维廉驱车4万多公里环游中国，2019年又完成了2万多公里的重走中国行。从1994年到2019年这25年间，他发现并记录了一个个平凡却不普通的中国故事，迄今已出版了21本讲述中国故事的书籍。

2019年2月，习近平总书记亲自致信潘维廉教授，祝贺他新书《我不见外－老潘的中国来信》出版，并寄语他：“我相信，你将会见证一个更加繁荣进步、幸福美好的中国，一个更多造福世界和人类的中国，你笔下的中国故事也一定会更精彩。”