美国国家公共电台 NPR Real Estate Jumps In Chinese City Bordering North Korea

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Now let's go to one place that will be closely watching this summit between President Trump¹ and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. It's a city on China's border with North Korea. If the North opens up, people there are well-positioned to be at the center of an economic boom. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports.

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE²: Each afternoon at half past four, the train from Pyongyang to Beijing passes over a rickety bridge spanning the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. North Korean passengers wear pins bearing the images of past leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il wave to hordes³ of tourists who come here from all over China to catch a glimpse of the mysterious land across the river.

Occasional trains like this are some of the only traffic left on the China-Korea Friendship Bridge, a structure that typically carries more than 70 percent of all goods imported into North Korea. But these are atypical times. U.N. sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests have reduced traffic on this bridge to a trickle⁴, hitting the economy of Dandong, a city of nearly 2 1/2 million people, hard. But then in April, Dandong's fate suddenly got brighter.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: North and South Korea agreed to work toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

SCHMITZ: The historic meeting between leaders of North and South Korea provided a glimmer⁵ of hope for Dandong that the quiet, closed country across the river may soon open for business. Investors⁶ from across the country flooded in.

BOB LI: (Through interpreter) They came from Beijing, Wenzhou and all over northeast China.

SCHMITZ: Bob Li oversees⁷ a crew of workers renovating⁸ his real estate agency, making it more accommodating for a sudden surge in customers. He says in the two weeks following the Korean summit, home prices here went up more than 50 percent.

LI: (Through interpreter) I've never seen anything like this in Dandong. We've had several buyers coming in from all over China buying up apartments. To them, the homes were very cheap, so they would buy as many as possible.

SCHMITZ: And now a city whose economy was battered⁹ by international sanctions appears to be back in business, apartment complexes and Spanish-style villas¹⁰ under construction despite new local laws meant to curb¹¹ speculation¹². A bulk of the sales are taking place near the foot of a massive new suspension bridge China built across the river to North Korea in the hopes that the North would build a road to it. Kim Jong Un refused. So for four years, this four-lane, $330 million bridge has connected the world's second-largest economy to a farm field on the North Korean side of the river, another empty Dandong bridge full of potential. Again, real estate agent Bob Li.

LI: (Through interpreter) The rumor¹³ around town is that if the North opens up, it'll finally build a road to the bridge, and our city will be linked to Seoul, South Korea. Pyongyang would just be a stop on the way.

SCHMITZ: It's this, a potential land link between Dandong and Seoul via North Korea, that has attracted real estate investors like Mr. Xu, who only gives his surname for fear of getting caught up in the local crackdown on real estate speculation. Xu just arrived from Shanghai.

XU: (Through interpreter) Whatever happens between the U.S. and the North is irrelevant¹⁴. It's clear to me that the relationship between China and North Korea is moving forward. And if the North opens up as a result, Dandong will be transformed. This is a port city after all.

SCHMITZ: But local businesspeople remain skeptical¹⁵.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHMITZ: Four men sit outside their auto¹⁶ parts shop in central Dandong grousing¹⁷ about how outsiders are taking a big gamble by investing in this city.

YANG: (Foreign language spoken).

SCHMITZ: "I just don't think a summit with Trump will persuade North Korea to open up," says a man named Yang. "Trump's always changing his mind," he says, "and we don't know what Kim Jong Un ever thinks either."

YANG: (Foreign language spoken).

SCHMITZ: "The two of them behave just like little children," he says. "And why," he asks, "should Dandong put its future in their hands?" Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Dandong.

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1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

5 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

8 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

9 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

10 villas   

别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅

参考例句：

• Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy. 在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅。
• Rich men came down from wealthy Rome to build sea-side villas. 有钱人从富有的罗马来到这儿建造海滨别墅。

11 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

12 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

13 rumor   

n.谣言，谣传，传说

参考例句：

• The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。
• The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

14 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

16 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

17 grousing   

v.抱怨，发牢骚( grouse的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He's always grousing about the workload. 他总是抱怨工作量大。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The group are grousing about the service in the hotel restaurant. 旅游团对这家饭店餐厅的服务质量抱怨颇多。 来自互联网