自从我来到中国，作为一名美国MBA学生就读中欧国际工商学院(Ceibs)全日制课程以来，每当与新认识的人交谈时，不管是中国的同学也好，还是其他在中国的“老外”，往往以如下问题开始：“为什么来中国？为什么来中欧？美国那么多MBA课程，为什么不在那里读？”
Since arriving in China as a US MBA student and enrolling full-time at the China Europe International Business School, one question has begun nearly every conversation I strike up with a new acquaintance, be they Chinese classmates or other “foreigners” in China. That question is: “Why China? Why Ceibs? Why not attend one of the many US MBA programmes?”

我的答案很简单。考虑到在我的一生中，中国——及其聪明上进的13亿国民——将在全球经济中发挥的作用与影响，我知道，不来中欧会是一个不可原谅的失策。这座学校位于上海，具备理想的条件，可以教授未来商业领袖相应的能力，以使他们适应中国这个关键市场，并在这里脱颖而出。
My answer is simple. Given the role and influence that China – and its 1.3bn motivated and intelligent inhabitants – will have throughout my lifetime in this global economy, I knew it would be an unforgivable misstep not to come to Ceibs. Located in Shanghai, the school is perfectly positioned to equip future business leaders with the ability to adapt and excel in the crucial China market.

中美之间存在差异。这里不仅指的是地理距离、历史文化差异和语言障碍。在两国之间的商业谈判中，美国人和中国人在思维过程、信念、猜测与预期等方面，也存在无形的鸿沟。这就是为什么在西方与中国的商业往来中，误解层出不穷、合作如此艰难的原因。
A gap exists between the US and China. I am not referring only to geographical distance, historical and cultural differences or even the language barrier. An invisible chasm also exists between the American and Chinese thought processes, beliefs, assumptions and expectations that drive business negotiations between the two countries. This is why, in western-Chinese business dealings, misunderstandings are rampant and co-operation is so challenging.

远距离了解一个重要地区及其人民，是一种可敬的追求。但是，亲历其境——身处21世纪世界强国之一的中心，在其重新崛起于世界舞台的过程中，亲历这里的生活，亲身去感受——即MBA学生所谓的“差异化”。而这正是我所希望获得的。
To learn from afar about a key region and its people is a respectable pursuit. But to immerse yourself in it – to spark your senses by witnessing life at the centre of one of the 21st century's global powers during its re-emergence on the global landscape – that is what MBA students call “differentiation”. And that is what I am hoping to achieve.

我最早关于中国的印象，来自我的青少年时期，来自我伟大的叔公——美国前总统理查德•尼克松(Richard Nixon)——向中国打开大门所留下的遗赠。
My earliest impressions of China draw from my youth and from the legacy that my great uncle, US President Richard Nixon, bequeathed by opening the doors to China.

通过家族故事以及形形色色商界和政界人物所留下的经验教训，到我大学毕业时，我觉得自己已熟谙中国的文化和商业惯例。但我同时意识到，通过二手故事、演讲或案例研究，无法真正了解世界下一个超级大国。在中国生活，学习当地语言，通过旅行、与中国的教授及同事交流——尤其是在畅饮白酒（中国的国酒）后那些富于哲理的交谈——来吸收中国文化，是真正“进入”中国的必要步骤。
Through family stories and lessons passed down by various business and political figures, by the time I had graduated I felt well-versed in Chinese culture and business practices. But I also realised that the world's next superpower cannot be truly understood through secondhand stories, lectures or case studies. Living in China, learning the language, absorbing the culture through travel and discussions with Chinese professors and colleagues – especially those philosophical discourses that occur after sufficient amounts of bai-jou (China's national liquor) – are the steps necessary to really “enter” China.

例如，从竞争这个概念上，可以发现两国之间的一个核心差异。在美国，对于我这一代的多数人来说，不管是底层、中产阶层还是上流阶层的子弟，要达到宽裕的生活水准相对而言较为轻松。基本上，得益于二战后返回家园的那代人的奋斗和成就，我们在接受教育、社交和就业等方面唾手可得。我们的祖辈打好了基础，使婴儿潮时期出生的人过上了较为安逸的生活，也使得我们这一代人中，过多人形成了近乎自满的心态。
For example, one core divergence between the two countries can be found in the concept of competition. For the majority of lower- to upper-middle-class children of my generation raised in the US, the means to a sufficient standard of living were fairly easily within reach. For the most part, access to education, a social network and job opportunities were handed to us by the struggle and achievements of the generation returning home from the second world war. Our grandparents laid  the foundation for an easier life for the Baby Boomer generation and for an environment of near complacency for too many within my generation.

二十出头的中国人的境遇却截然不同。中国年轻人所接受的是无论何时何地都要竞争的教育——从教室座位的好坏次序，到竞争异常激烈的中考和高考，到日常如挤地铁（车门一打开，人群就一拥而上）的争夺。由于所受的是时刻竞争、要么出人头地（包括利用“关系”，即走后门）要么“泯然于众人”的教育，争强好胜的心态颇为盛行。
The situation is vastly different for 20-somethings in China. Chinese youth are trained to compete, all the time and on every level – from the best-to-worst seating order in classrooms, to the fiercely competitive high school and university entrance exams, to everyday struggles such as gang-rushing the metro car when the door opens. When you're trained to constantly compete and to either stand out (including using guanxi, or backdoor connections) or end up lost in the masses, a very aggressive mindset prevails.

未来美国和欧洲领导人（尤其是那些有意读MBA的人）必须在课堂内外丰富自己——但尤其要到国外丰富见闻。我们越努力在中国“了解本土文化”，克服分隔我们的鸿沟、进而获得共同成功的机会就越大。F
uture US and European leaders, especially those seeking an MBA, must educate themselves in and out of the classroom – but especially abroad. The greater the effort made to “know the locals” in China, the better our chances of overcoming the chasm that divides us and, as a result, we will succeed together.