In 2004, my wife, two sons (aged 7 and 9 at the time), and I gave up our careers in America, sold our home and came to China to pursue a dream steeped in idealism and respect.

2004年，我和妻子带着两个儿子（时年七岁和九岁）放弃了美国的事业，卖掉房子，来到中国，追求一个饱含理想和敬意的梦想。

steeped /'sti:pt/ in：充满…的色彩；深受…浸淫的

Our goal was to create a social enterprise: A sustainable business that would demonstrate its values - a reverence for Chinese culture - via tangible and intangible contributions.

我们当时的目标是创办一家可持续性的社会企业，通过有形和无形的贡献，体现企业的价值观和对中国文化的崇敬。

reverence/'rɛvərəns/：尊敬，崇敬

We arrived as a family with this mission and have spent the last fifteen years refining it. What started as a small hotel is now inspiring many people to recognize the beauty and wisdom of China's cultural heritage.  

我们一家带着这一使命来到中国，在过去的十五年里不断精益求精。我们最初创办的一家小客栈，如今正令许多人领略到中国文化遗产的美丽和智慧。

Our model's tangible aspirations are embodied in our protected structures. Restoring said buildings requires more money, time and care than new construction. We felt that our preservation efforts would demonstrate our commitment to the promotion of China's august cultural heritage and would symbolize the first step in the creation of our social enterprise.

我们这一创业模式的雄心壮志都实实在在地体现在了我们保护的建筑当中。修复那些建筑需要投入比盖新楼更多的金钱、时间和心血。我们深感这种维护工作能够体现我们推广中国辉煌文化遗产的承诺，也象征着我们创建社会企业迈出的第一步。

august /ˈɔːɡəst/：威严的

From a business point of view, we understood that heritage buildings often could not provide the same comforts that many increasingly wealthy travelers expect in a hotel. The physical restoration, while honorable and important, was not enough to make a functioning business. Without unique 'software', we would never be able to compete and survive as a hotel.  

从商业角度来看，我们明白，文物建筑的舒适性往往无法与酒店相比，不符合许多日渐富裕的旅客之期待。修复旧建筑固然光荣而重要，但还不足以达到酒店的商业运作需求。没有独特的“软件”，我们就无法作为一家旅店竞争和生存。

We set out to source our 'software' from the indigenous culture and traditions of the region, most importantly its people. We felt that the world, in the rush to cater to a booming tourism industry, did the easy thing: Invest in 'hardware' because the 'software' takes time and energy to develop. 

于是，我们从当地的本土文化和传统，尤其从当地百姓中，寻找“软件”的灵感源泉。如今世人急于迎合迅猛发展的旅游业，选了一条容易的路：投资“硬件”，因为“软件”需要时间和精力来培养。

Idiosyncratic architecture and extraneous attractions such as large bathtubs, massive televisions, and French wine cellars became the routinely financed expectations of many travelers. Guests were trained to value hardware in lieu of any software.

奇特的建筑和与之无关的特色，比如超大浴缸、大屏电视和法国酒窖成了许多旅客的常规期望。久而久之，旅客被训练得只看重硬件，而对软件毫不在意。

idiosyncratic  /,ɪdɪəsɪŋ'krætɪk/：怪异的; 另类的

extraneous  /ɪkˈstreɪniəs/ 无关的；外来的

in lieu /ljuː/ of：代，代替

In such models, the cultural and social resources of a destination become inconsequential, less important than the physical comforts of hotels that too often are designed and managed by non-local staff. Few benefits trickle down to the community.  

在这种模式中，旅游目的地的文化和社会资源变得无足轻重，还不如酒店的实际舒适度重要，而这类舒适的酒店一般是由非本地的工作人员设计和管理。酒店的收益也极少能惠及当地百姓。

Our social enterprise aimed to reverse this trend. As travelers ourselves, we were inspired by our past interactions with local people. We felt that the spirit of travel was being bankrupted in the name of superficial comforts. We believed that locals were benefiting little from the economic disruptions in their backyards, and we wanted to inspire our neighbors and travelers alike to aspire after a more sustainable model. 

我们的社会企业旨在扭转这一趋势。同为异乡客，我们在过往与当地人民的交流中获得了许多灵感与激励。而如今人们似乎正在借肤浅的舒适之名破坏旅行的精神。我们相信当地人并没有从自家后院遭遇的经济骚扰中获得多少好处。所以，我们希望给当地人和旅行者以启迪，共同追求一种更为可持续的旅游模式。

We have worked hard. We got our hands dirty. We took on risks that affected our whole family. We sold our home in America, gave up our professions and invested every dollar we had in these projects. We home-schooled our boys until university. China became our home and the Chinese embraced us like family. Leaving this special place has never entered our minds.  

我们勤勤恳恳，事必躬亲。我们冒着影响全家的风险，卖掉了美国的房子，放弃了事业，把每一分钱都投进了这些项目中。两个儿子上大学之前一直在家中接受教育。中国成了我们的家，中国人也像家人一样张开怀抱接纳了我们。我们从未想过离开这个特别的地方。

I first arrived in China in August 1984 and stayed until 1988. China has given me and my family a supportive platform upon which to pursue our dreams. We initially could offer this country little more than our passion and respect; in return, China has not allowed us to fail.

我第一次来到中国，从1984年8月一直待到1988年。中国给了我和家人一个追梦的平台。起初，我们能献给中国的只有一腔热忱和无限敬意；作为回报，中国没有让我们失望。

We firmly believe that America must respectfully remain engaged with China. The Chinese have a saying: “风向转变时，有人筑墙，有人造风车”. The times may be changing but opportunities also abound. Let's not build walls.  

我们坚信，美国应当带着尊重继续与中国交好。中国有句谚语，“风向转变时，有人筑墙，有人造风车。”时代在变迁，机遇亦无限。我们不该筑墙。

We kindly decline the request to leave this great country and its people, Mr. President. We are proud to be Americans, but we are equally honored to say that China is and will remain our home.  

总统先生，我们拒绝离开这个伟大的国家和她的人民。身为美国人，我们很自豪，但我们同样荣幸地说，无论现在还是将来，中国都是我们的家。

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