Through centuries of Chinese history, the emperor’s annual visits to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven were an occasion of prayer for peace, prosperity and a bountiful harvest. This week, US President Donald Trump is due to visit the famous complex as part of a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping with hopes of a fruitful outcome again on the line.
几百年里,中国皇帝每年都会前往北京的天坛(Temple of Heaven)祭祀,祈求国泰民安、五谷丰登。
In the days running up to the visit, visitors to the temple voiced caution about Trump, who since his second term began just under 18 months ago, has launched a trade war against China, escalating tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, and a conflict in the Middle East.
本周,美国总统唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)将访问这片著名的建筑群,作为与中国领导人习近平举行的峰会的一部分,希望此次峰会能够再次取得丰硕成果。
Mao, a 63-year-old retiree from Lu-an in China’s eastern Anhui province, who requested to be identified only by her surname as with many others interviewed, was blunt: “I don’t welcome Trump,” she said. The “lao bai xing”, she added, referring to common Chinese people, “believe he is not reliable”.
在特朗普访华前几天,参观天坛的游客表达了对特朗普的谨慎态度。第二个任期开始不到18个月以来,特朗普对中国发动了贸易战,加剧了全球最大两个经济体之间的紧张关系,并在中东地区引发了冲突。