外國夫婦“浙”十年

文/集體采寫

浙江是中國改革開放先行地，浙江吸引了來自世界各地的外籍人士前來創業、工作、學習和生活，還有些人舉家移居“浙”里，成為新浙江人。不久前，四對生活在浙江各地的外籍夫婦走進我們的視線，與我們交流起十年來在“浙”里的點點滴滴，講述他們在“浙”里親身經歷的故事。

意大利夫婦在濱江——“我們喜歡入鄉隨俗”

最近，臉書@Binjiang Feel等海外社交賬號上一段老外打太極的視頻引起近20萬人次瀏覽和分享。這位外籍友人就是從小癡迷中國文化的意大利人馬西莫。

9年前，他和妻子賈米拉從意大利來到杭州求學。如今，他們一家六口非常享受在濱江的中式生活。

馬西莫從小就對中國文化感興趣，如今在浙江中醫藥大學讀博。除了日常在校研究外，他每周都會在中醫藥大學門診部坐診，幫病人針灸。賈米拉已經從浙江大學教育學院博士畢業，目前正從事少兒英語教學。受丈夫影響，賈米拉也愛上了中國文化。工作之余，她喜歡學點中國哲學，探究孔孟之道在現代教育上的應用。

他們的四個孩子都在濱江讀書，最大的17歲，最小的4歲。每天早晨，和中國家長一樣，馬西莫都要送孩子們上學。到了周末，他經常帶著妻子在廣場上教鄰居們打太極。馬西莫說，太極拳的精髓在于以柔克剛，緩慢而有力的動作不僅強身健體，其中蘊含的哲學智慧也使他們夫婦倆始終保持平和的心態。

馬西莫一家。The Massimo family.

9年前，面對全新的文化背景、語言環境、飲食習慣，初來乍到的馬西莫夫婦并沒有感覺到文化差異帶來的焦慮與不適。

“我們接觸到的朋友、同事基本上都是中國人，包括孩子們也都在濱江公立學校上學，相對其他外國人生活的圈子更為本土化。” 馬西莫說，這或許與他們一家對中國的向往有關，初到濱江后他們就很快習慣了這里的一切。

工作學習之余，馬西莫也會和妻子做一些公益活動，在社區的幫助下舉辦一些針對兒童的太極拳公益課程，參與垃圾分類、亞運文化宣傳、義診等志愿者活動。

聊起在濱江的生活，馬西莫和賈米拉夫婦二人你一言我一語，很是激動。出門用手機叫車、沒事刷抖音、聯系朋友用微信……他們一家已經完全融入了本地生活。

“濱江基礎設施完善，創新創業氛圍很濃，在這里生活非常舒適。”賈米拉說，他們喜歡入鄉隨俗，中西方文化在濱江交融。她喜歡將學到的中國古人智慧運用到孩子的教育中，她說家長要言傳身教。他們夫婦二人一有空就和孩子一起看書學習，營造家庭學習氛圍。

馬西莫一家留在濱江還有一個重要原因，這里的人情味讓他們的異國生活充滿溫情。在他們所居住的濱江東信社區，鄰居們都愿意與這一家子“客人”交朋友。有時候，大家互相幫忙照看孩子，一起唱歌、做中餐、寫春聯，參與社區治理。隨著社交圈越來越大，一家人的幸福感得到不斷提升。

外籍夫婦在義烏——“這里給人帶來驚喜”

來自土耳其的奧茲坎是義烏蘇坦餐廳的老板。曾經，他是一名土耳其職業足球選手，來到浙江后，搖身一變成為了土耳其餐廳老板。這一切轉變并非偶然，2008年，由于傷病，奧茲坎的足球職業生涯不得不中斷。迷茫之際，已經在中國廣州探索出一片天地的奧茲坎哥哥建議他來世界小商品之都—義烏開土耳其餐廳。

奧茲坎來了，義烏是他重新開始的地方。怎樣讓大家都吃得開心呢？為此，自詡為“土耳其美食代言人”的奧茲坎最常思索的一個問題是：把什么樣的土耳其美食帶來中國？思來想去，他挑中了土耳其冰激凌。為了讓中國朋友能品嘗到最正宗的土耳其冰激凌，他專門從土耳其運來了新鮮營養的山羊奶，口味因此也原封不動地來到了中國。

如今，奧茲坎不斷“開疆拓土”，將蘇坦餐廳的分店開到了上海、廣州、成都、新疆等地。未來，他還希望通過“義新歐”中歐班列進口更多的原材料，讓更多人品嘗到地道的土耳其美味……

來義烏前，奧茲坎剛和妻子新婚不久，對于遙遠的義烏和不曾涉及的美食領域，夫妻二人都感到前途未卜。可現在，他在妻子的支持下生意越做越大，還有了兩個可愛的女兒，她們都在義烏的國際學校讀書，中文是她們的第一語言，而義烏儼然已經成為了她們的家鄉。奧茲坎一家扎根于此，其樂融融，并自豪地稱自己為“新義烏人”。

剛來義烏時，奧茲坎在土耳其的朋友時常好奇地問他：“義烏在哪里？為什么選擇來這里？”現在，當被這樣問時，奧茲坎可以不假思索地回答：“我認為渴望成功的人都該來這里尋求一個機會，義烏是一個給人帶來驚喜的地方。”漸漸地，朋友們也都認可了這個答案。

同樣，在義烏，醫學博士出身、來自也門的阿馬爾和妻子妮絲琳也積極融入本地生活。阿馬爾不僅會說一口流利的相聲，還是義烏市唯的曲藝協會外籍會員。妻子妮絲琳原來也是一名醫生，為了照顧孩子留在家中。疫情期間，阿馬爾在國外社交平臺開設賬號，發布中國抗疫最新情況，以及抗擊疫情的各種感人場景和事件。

阿馬爾（左一）表演說相聲。Amar (left) performs Chinese xiangsheng, also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue.

奧茲坎一家四口。The Ozcan family.

瑪格達萊娜、阿圖爾夫婦在貴州晴隆縣定汪村。Magdalena and Artur pose for a picture at Dingwang village, in Qinglong county, Guizhou province.

今年義烏“8.2”疫情發生以來，阿馬爾更是用中文、英文、阿拉伯文3種語言，制作成短視頻發送到微信朋友圈。每次他都會穿著白大褂、戴著藍色醫用口罩出鏡，希望能以一名醫生的身份安撫大家焦慮、緊張的情緒。 “阿馬爾幫助別人，我們全家都非常支持他。” 妮絲琳說。

波蘭夫婦在寧波——“把這里的美告訴全世界”

前不久，瑪格達萊娜、阿圖爾這對波蘭夫婦將他們的浙江鄉村調研成果整理成書稿。他們希望向世界展示中國通過鄉村振興推動共同富裕的經驗。

瑪格達萊娜、阿圖爾分別是社會人類學與文化地理學專家，目前任教于浙大寧波理工學院。因為對馬可 · 波羅筆下的絲綢古國抱有濃厚的興趣，2014年他們來到了中國。

2020年，寧波紅牡丹書畫國際交流社邀請他們走訪了鄞州區東錢湖鎮城楊村。“去之前，覺得這個村莊只是普通的中國山村，到了以后才發現與我們想的大不一樣。”瑪格達萊娜說。

城楊村原本是一個普通村莊，通過當地組織的一場“藝術振興鄉村”實踐，短短8個月，廢棄的豬圈變身為酒吧、展覽館、直播間，堆柴火的雜亂空間變身為別致的草帽坊，荒廢的農田變身為智慧共享農場……就連村里的古樹、古道等都物盡其用，使得整個村莊充滿藝術氣息。千年古村蝶變成了網紅村。遇上假期，日均接待游客幾千人，村民嘗到了甜頭。

“我們以前參觀過不同國家的許多鄉村。在其他地方一些要被扔掉的舊物，在這里都變成了別具一格的藝術品。變美的村莊帶來了游客，鼓了村民腰包。”阿圖爾說：“我們隨后決定結合自己的專業，研究藝術振興鄉村模式。我們進行了為期一年的鄉村調研，要把這里的美告訴全世界。”

此后一年時間里，夫婦二人走訪了鎮海區秦山村、柯城區茶鋪村等十幾個浙江村莊，進行了50余次訪談。他們帶來的歐洲風情小木屋、融合五大洲元素的“五洲路”、民俗博物館、農家體驗等新想法也都在不同村莊落地。2020年11月，二人遠赴貴州省晴隆縣定汪村。此前，寧海葛家村的村民就來過這里，使這里的村莊舊貌換新顏，還幫助村民開出了第一家民宿和網店、辦起了第一家釀酒坊……這次旅程，使這對夫婦的鄉村調研又有了新視角。“東部發達地區幫扶西部欠發達地區，這是中國共同富裕的典型成功案例。”瑪格達萊娜說。

在調研過程中，夫婦二人不時通過社交平臺記錄所見所聞，用鏡頭讓網友們感受中國鄉村之美。不同國家和地區的朋友紛紛點贊，留下了“這也太棒了”“美麗的中國鄉村”等評論。“原本還有一些國外的朋友想和我們一起到浙江鄉村走走，但因為疫情影響尚未成行。”瑪格達萊娜說：“疫情過后，一定要邀請他們來看看。”

(感謝齊魯嫚、朱樂陶、張瑾瑜、杜羽豐、何賢君、竺佳對本文的貢獻。)

International Couples Living in Zhejiang

By Qi Luman Du Yufeng He Xianjun Zhu Jia Zhu Letao Zhang Jinyu

Zhejiang, the pioneer of China’s Reform and Opening-up,has attracted people from all over the world to study, work, and live here. Some have even brought their families to settle down permanently and become the “new Zhejiang people”. Not long ago, three international couples living in various parts of Zhejiang came into our sight and told us their stories with Zhejiang.

Recently, a video clip of a foreigner playingon a Facebook account @Binjiang Feel and on accounts of other social networks has been viewed and shared nearly 200,000 times. He is Massimo, an Italian who has been obsessed with Chinese culture since he was a child. Nine years ago, Massimo and his wife Jamila came from Italy to Hangzhou for studying. Today, their family of six is really enjoying living a Chinese-style life in the Binjiang district of Hangzhou.

Massimo has been interested in Chinese culture since childhood and is now a doctoral student at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. In addition to his daily research, he sits in his university’s clinic every week and helps patients using acupuncture.Jamila has graduated from Zhejiang University with a PhD in education and is currently teaching English to children. In fluenced by her husband, Jamila has also fallen in love with Chinese culture.During her spare time, she enjoys learning a bit of Chinese philosophy and exploring the application of the Confucian and Mencius philosophies to modern education.

All four of their children go to schools in Binjiang, the oldest is 17 and the youngest is 4. Every morning, Massimo takes the children to school like Chinese parents do. On weekends, he often takes his wife to teach their neighbors to playin the community square. Massimo says the essence ofis to overcome rigidity with flexibility, and the slow but powerful movements not only strengthen the body, but also contain philosophical wisdom that keeps the couple in a peaceful state of mind.

2022年1月19日，馬西莫的女兒蕾拉和佳南參加社區寫春聯活動。Massimo’s family members learn to write Chinese New Year couplets in their community on January 19, 2022.

Nine years ago, although faced with a completely new cultural background of different languages and foods, this Italian couple did not feel the anxiety and discomfort upon their first arrival.“The friends and colleagues we came in contact with were basically Chinese, plus our children all attended public schools in Binjiang.This creates a more localized circle compared to other foreigners living there.” For Massimo, this may have something to do with the family’s longing for China, which enabled them to quickly get used to everything.

Aside from his job, Massimo also does some charity activities with his wife, organizingclasses for children with the help of the community, and participating in volunteer activities such as garbage sorting, cultural publicity for the upcoming Asian Games,and free clinic.

Talking about their life in Binjiang, Massimo and Jamila couldn’t help bubbling. Using phone apps to call a taxi, browsing Douyin (the Chinese TikTok), and WeChating with friends ...the family has fully integrated into the local circle. “Binjiang has a sound infrastructure, and a rich atmosphere of doing business, and it’s very comfortable to live here,” Jamila says. “We like to follow the customs of our resident country, and are happy to see here in Binjiang the Chinese and Western cultures mingle.” She likes to apply the ancient Chinese wisdom she has learned to her children’s education, and believes that parents need to teach by example.Therefore, the couple read and study with their children whenever they can, creating a learning atmosphere for the family.

Another important reason for Massimo’s family to stay in Binjiang is that people here make them feel warm and welcomed.In the community they live in, the neighbors are all willing to make friends with them. Sometimes they help each other with babysitting, and do things together like singing, cooking, writing Chinese New Year couplets. As their social circle widens, the family’s happiness also grows.

Ozcan comes from Türkiye and now is the owner of the Sultan Restaurant in Yiwu city in Zhejiang. He was once a professional football player back in his native country, and he turned into a Turkish restaurant owner after coming here, which happened for a reason. In 2008, Ozcan had to give up his career because of injury. When he was feeling lost, Ozcan’s brother who had already fared well in Guangzhou, suggested that he come to Yiwu, the world’s capital of small commodities, to open a Turkish restaurant.

So Ozcan came to Yiwu to start afresh. How to make everyone happy with Turkish food? This self-proclaimed“spokesman for Turkish food” thought hard about what kind of food to bring to China, and his answer was the Turkish ice cream.To make his Chinese friends taste the most authentic Turkish ice cream, he has brought fresh and nutritious goat milk from Türkiye to reproduce the same taste.

Nowadays, Ozcan keeps “expanding the territory”, opening branches of the Sultan Restaurant in Shanghai, Guangzhou,Chengdu, Xinjiang and other places. He also hopes to import more raw materials through the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe China Railway Express, so that more Chinese people can taste authentic Turkish delicacies.

Before coming to Yiwu, Ozcan had just been married, and both felt uncertain about the future about an unfamiliar food business in a strange country. Now, with the support of his wife,Ozcan has an ever-growing business and has also become a father of two lovely daughters. His girls are studying in international schools in Yiwu, with Chinese as their first language. For this family, Yiwu has become their hometown, a place to settle, to live a happy life, and make them proudly enough to call themselves“new Yiwu people”.

Similarly, another doctor couple, Amar and Nisreen from Yemen is also actively integrating into local life in Yiwu. During the epidemic, Amar opened an account on social platforms to report the latest situation of China’s fight against COVID-19,and to share touching stories. Nisreen, now a stay-at-home mom,shows great support for her husband.

Not long ago, Magdalena and Artur, a Polish couple,compiled the results of their research on Zhejiang’s villages into a book. They hope to show the world China’s experience of promoting common prosperity through rural revitalization.

Magdalena and Artur are experts in social anthropology and cultural geography respectively, and currently teach at NingboTech University. They came to China in 2014, out of interest in the ancient country depicted by Marco Polo (1254-1324).

In 2020, they were invited to visit Chengyang village in Dongqianhu township, located in Ningbo’s Yinzhou district.“Before we went there, we thought the village was just an ordinary Chinese mountain village. But when we arrived, we realized it was so different from what we thought,” Magdalena said.

Chengyang village was an ordinary village, and a local program of “rural revitalization through arts”, has transformed it into an“internet celebrity” village in just eight months. “We have visited many villages in different countries before. Some old things to be thrown away in other places are turned into distinctive artworks here. The reinvigorated village brought in tourists and filled the villagers’ pockets,” Artur said. “We then decided to combine our specialties and study the model. We conducted a year-long rural research to tell the world about the beauty of this place.”

During their research covering over 10 Zhejiang villages, the couple often recorded what they saw and heard through social media platforms, letting people around the world enjoy the beauty of China’s countryside through their cameras. “There were also some friends outside of China who wanted to go with us to the Zhejiang countryside, only to be hindered by the epidemic,” said Magdalena. “After the epidemic, we will definitely invite them to come and visit.”

2021年，寧海葛家村向瑪格達萊娜、阿圖爾夫婦遞交了“瑪格達小屋”的鑰匙，由他們來管理基地，讓外籍人士在此“曬”出自己國家的文化符號。In 2021, the “Home of Magda” of the International Art Center for Developing the Villages officially opened in Gejia village, Ninghai county of Ningbo, and Magdalena and Artur became the “managers”. Here international expats can freely showcase the cultural symbols of their nations.