My Taobao life
　　我的淘宝生活

　　If you read the Western press much, you will get a very distorted view of what Chinese life is -really like. The average foreigner will probably assume that there is little freedom in China, that daily life is highly regulated, and that most of what you buy is substandard and fake. You might find it strange that in fact, daily life is much freer and more casual in China than elsewhere, that there is a very large majority of honest workers and business people, that you can purchase thousands of high quality and authentic products here, and that the so-called "American Dream" is actually at the moment more alive and well in China than in America!
　　如果你读过够多西方报道，你将会对中国的真实生活产生一种曲解。一般外国人都会认为中国人少有自由，日常生活受到严格控制，大部分商品都是不合格的假冒伪劣产品。但你会惊奇地发现，事实上，这里的生活比其他国家都要自由而随意，这里有如此多诚实可靠的工人和商人，你能买到许许多多高品质、值得信赖的产品；你会看到所谓的“美国梦”正在中国一幕幕真实上演，甚至超过了它的梦乡美国。

　　A simple way to describe what Taobao would be to say it's the Chinese equivalent of Amazon.com or better, buying online with "Chinese characteristics". The "old school of thought" here in China is that it is dangerous to buy online, that the products are all fake, and that you will often lose your money. Based on my experience, this manner of thinking is definitely "guoshi le" or out-of-date. Taobao has a system for reviewing sellers and helping you pick the responsible ones.
　　简而言之，淘宝相当于中国版的亚马逊或者比它更好，进行的是带有“中国特色”的网上购物。中国的“守旧派”认为，网上购物是危险的，卖的商品都是假货，你会经常上当受骗。鉴于我的个人经验，这种想法当然“过时了”。淘宝自有一套审查卖方的系统，能帮助你挑选负责任的卖家。

　　In the last few years, I have bought so many things online that I have lost track. I am now a "4 heart" buyer and soon to graduate to "5 hearts" (a scoring system based on how many items you buy and reviews you write). Some of the things I have bought online were expensive and many of my Chinese friends were really shocked that I would use Taobao. I used Taobao to buy a rare and beautiful guzheng made in Xi'an and later discovered that the sound was superior to those fresh from the factory, definitely an authentic Scarlet Bird zheng. I also used Taobao to buy an expensive coffee machine from Germany and although the process took a few weeks, the machine arrived at customs in Dalian triple wrapped and in perfect condition and the seller quickly compensated me for the duty I had to pay, not to mention that the price was very good to begin with. When I traveled to Yunnan, I discovered how wonderful Yunnan coffee is, but paid a hefty price for a bag of beans in a tourist store in Dali. Returning home, I discovered I could buy the beans at a rock bottom price on Taobao and they were quickly shipped absolutely fresh from the factory. And the examples can go on and on…
　　过去几年里，我在网上买了很多东西，多得都记不清了。我现在可是四星买家，要不了多久就荣升五星了（星级是根据你的购物数量以及评论而定的）。我买的东西中，有些非常昂贵，我的很多中国朋友对此都非常震惊，我居然会上淘宝。我买过一架西安的珍稀古筝，它的音色比那些厂家刚产的古筝还要出色动听，当然咯，这是一架纯正的朱雀古筝。我还买过一台德产的咖啡机，尽管这期间花费了几个星期的时间，当这台海外货到达大连海关时，它裹着三层包装，保护完好，卖家还很快补偿了我不得不付的关税，更别提这台咖啡机本身的价格就很便宜。当我去云南旅行时，我尝到了云南咖啡觉得非常美味，但是从大理店里买下的一袋咖啡豆花了不少钱。回来后我发现淘宝上的这种咖啡豆便宜很多，并且直接从厂家运来速度也很快。这样的例子还有很多很多……

　　You might think living in a foreign country means you will be a little lonely at times, but I most enjoy chatting online with the sellers and especially enjoy the casual online language of Taobao. Of course, you have to be able to read and write Chinese, but not on a terribly high level if you have a good dictionary on your computer. I particularly like being called "Qin"亲!
　　你在异国他乡生活的话，难免有时会觉得一点孤单。但我最喜欢在线和卖家们聊天，特别是喜欢用轻松随意的淘宝体和对方交流。当然，你必须会读、会写汉字，但如果你的电脑里有一款好字典的话就不一定要达到高水准的汉语水平。我特别喜欢开头的问候语“亲！”

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