But on the streets the women are dressed in bright colors, and many carry several shopping bags, especially on the Nanjing Road, which is lined with boutiques and malls. In its first two weeks of business the Gucci store took in a surprising $100,000.
然而，走在街上，尤其在两边布满精品店和各种购物广场的南京路上，妇女衣着艳丽，很多人拎着几个采购的商品。古驰专卖店刚刚开业两周营业额就达到十万美元，实在令人吃惊。
"Maybe young women today don't know what it was like," says Wu Ying, editor-in-chief of the Chinese edition of the French fashion magazine Elle. "But ten years ago I wouldn't have imagined myself wearing this blouse." It was red, with white polka dots. "When people bought clothes, they thought ‘How long will it last?’ A housewife knew that most of the monthly salary would be spent on food, and now it's just a small part, so she can think about what to wear or where to travel. And now with refrigerators, we don't have to buy food every day."
中国版法国时装杂志《百丽》总编吴颖说：“也许现在的年轻女性不知道过去的情形，但10年前我绝不会想到我会穿这样的宽松衬衫。这是件衬有白圆点图案的红色衬衫。那时，买衣服时人们会考虑‘能穿多久’，家庭主妇知道她们每月的大部分工资都要用来购买食品，而现在食品消费只占工资的一小部分，所以她会去想穿什么，去哪儿旅游。现在有了电冰箱，人们不必每天都购买食品。”
As for the cultural dislocation this might bring: "People in Shanghai don't see it as a problem," said a young German businessman. "The Chinese are very good at dealing with ambiguity. It's accepted—It's very different, but it's OK, so, so what?"
谈及由此可能带来的文化错位问题，一位年轻的德国商人说：“上海人认为这不是问题。中国人长于应变。接受就是了。‘这与众不同，但还可以。能怎么样？’”
Potential: This is largely a Western concept. Set aside the Gucci store and skyscrapers, and it's clear that the truly great leap forward here is at the level of ideas. To really grasp this, I had only to witness the local performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth by the Hiu Kok Drama Association from Macau.
潜力：这多半是个西方观念。抛开古驰专卖店和摩天大厦不谈，上海真正的飞跃表现在观念上。看看澳门Hiu Kok戏剧协会上演的莎士比亚戏剧《麦克白》就足以说明问题。
There we were at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, some 30 professors and students of literature and drama from all over china and I, on folding chairs around a space ont alike half of a basketball court."
在上海戏剧学院，我和大约30名来自全中国文学与戏剧专业的教授和学生坐在折叠椅上观看演出。演出的场地大约有半个篮球场大小。