Findlay A.Nicol
As a foreigner who has to read many articles for every issue, I am sure that the most interesting for me are the ones that tell me more about the place where I live – the news about what is planned for Shandong in the future and insights into historical places and people who have done or are doing something to add lustre to the reputation of the province.
Some of the most attractive articles have been about the different places in Shandong and about the interesting characters who have lived here at one time or another. There is a rich vein of such material to be mined and I am certain that there is nothing more guaranteed to encourage the tourism industry in Shandong than lively articles highlighting this heritage.This brings us to opening in another direction. As Shandong people from many walks of life have the opportunity to travel to places outside the province and outside China, they bring back news and pictures of different worlds. Openings has served as a useful medium for introducing Shandong people to places which they may never visit but about which they now know at least something more than they studied in their geography class. Of course, these are only snapshots and subjective opinions but they should encourage us all to learn more about places that were not even a name to us before.
Another area of interest to readers both Chinese and foreign is the type of article that brings under the spotlight individuals who have made some kind of special contribution to the province. This is usually of most general interest when it concerns ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. It is encouraging for everyone to know that the efforts that they make to improve Shandong are appreciated and the highlighting of such contributions is most welcome.
I am sure that as opening continues Openings will continue to play a leading role in the process. I am proud to have played a small part in that exercise.
作为杂志的英文顾问,我要读《走向世界》每一期的很多的文章,让我最感兴趣的就是那些有关介绍我居住的地方的文字——山东远期规划的新闻,名胜古迹的描述,人们为山东做过以及正在做的贡献等等。
那些最有吸引力的文章是关于介绍山东各地的风土人情和那些不同时期居住在这里的有趣的人们。这里有如此多的资源可以挖掘,我想没有比用生动的文字来描述这里的文化遗产更能保证山东旅游业的发展了。
说到这里,就把我们引向了另外一个话题。山东的各界人士都有机会出省或者出国旅游,他们将各地的见闻和拍摄的图片带回山东。《走向世界》便成为一个很好的媒体,向人们介绍不同地方的风土人情。人们也许从来都没去过这些地方,不过现在,他们至少比上学时地理课上了解的多很多了。当然,这些文章体现的只是一些快照和主观的见解,不过却能让我们了解到以前甚至连名字都叫不出的地方。
另外一个让中外读者都比较感兴趣的内容就是介绍为山东做过特殊贡献的那些名人的文章。尤其是关注普通人做出杰出贡献这类的文章常常得到人们的普遍关注。这激励着每个人,让他们了解自己为山东的发展所做的贡献是非常令人欣赏和赞扬的,同时也强调了这样的贡献是最让人欣喜和感动的。
我确信随着改革开放的不断深入,《走向世界》会一直走在这个进程的前列。而我,能为《走向世界》贡献自己的微薄之力,也感到非常骄傲。
(作者为本刊特邀英文顾问,来自英国,过去10余年时间里,一直在山东经济学院从事英语教育工作)