What do Chinese college graduates have in common with ants? The recent book "Ant Tribes", about the life of some young people who flock to Beijing after leaving university, depicts the graduates, like ants, as smart but insignificant as individuals, drawing strength from living together in communities.
中國的大學畢業生跟螞蟻有何共同之處？新書《蟻族》描繪了北漂大學畢業生的生活，他們就像螞蟻一樣，頭腦聰明，但作為個體微不足道，只有在群落中聚族而居才能獲得力量。
The book, which is based on two years' of interviews with about 600 low-income college graduates in Beijing, came out in mid-September, about a month ahead of an announcement by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security that 74% of the 6.11 million new graduates from China's universities and colleges had been employed by Sept. 1.
這本書歷時兩年，根據對北京約600位低收入大學畢業生的采訪寫成，9月中旬面世。該書出版一個月后，人力資源與社會保障部宣布，中國611萬應屆大學畢業生當中，有74%在9月1日之前找到了工作。
For the book's chief editor, Lian Si, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, that piece of statistic says little about the real situation for many of these graduates. "I am always wondering how many of these employed college graduates are leading a decent life," Lian said. "I hope this book could offer a window on these graduates, whose stories are rarely known."
本書主編廉思是對外經濟貿易大學教授，在他看來，上述統計資料與這些畢業生的真實處境基本無關。他說，我一直在懷疑，這些找到了工作的大學畢業生當中，有多少人過上了體面的生活。我希望這本書能夠成為一扇展現他們生活的窗戶，他們的故事鮮有人知。
The setting of the book is several so-called "settlement villages for college students" in the outskirts of Beijing, where a large number of college graduates live. Most of these graduates work for small or medium-sized businesses, earning less than 2,000 yuan a month. They live together because it's cheap: The rent in these communities is only around 350 yuan a month. Many of them travel several hours a day for short-term jobs or job interviews.
書中的故事發生在北京郊區幾個“大學畢業生聚居村”。這些畢業生當中，多數在中小企業工作，月收入不到人民幣2000元。他們住在一起是因為花錢少：這些社區的月租大約只有人民幣350元左右。很多人為了短期工作或面試，每天要在路上耗費幾個小時。
Tangjialing, a small village 20 kilometers from Tian'anmen Square, has around 3,000 original villagers, but has become a home for more than 50,000 migrants, most of them graduates from all over the country. Lian calls it "a community with small lanes, dotted with small hair salons, clinics, groceries and Internet cafes. He describes the students" dormitories as five- or six-storey buildings built by local farmers with 12 rooms on each floor and two or three people crammed together in each room of about 10 square meters. Up to 70 or 80 people share the same toilet and kitchen.
唐家嶺是個小村莊，距天安門廣場20公里，本地村民大約三千人，但外來人口已超過五萬人，其中多數是自全國各地的畢業生。廉思說，這是一個由小街小巷組成的社區，小理發店、診所、雜貨店和網吧遍布其間。他描述說，這些學生住的都是當地農民修建的五六層高的樓房，每層12間房，每個房間在10平米左右，兩三個人擠一間。最多有七八十人共用一個廁所和廚房。
According to the book, around 60% of these college graduates are from rural areas and smaller towns around China. Back home, many of them are the pride of their families and possibly the best hope for the family in the struggle against poverty. Many of them lost their jobs during the financial crisis in late 2008, but decided not to go home, not wanting to admit defeat in Beijing.
書中說，這些畢業生當中大約六成來自中國各地的農村地區和小城鎮。在老家，他們都是家人的驕傲，或許也是生活貧困的家人最大的希望所寄。很多人在2008年下半年的金融危機中失了業，但決定不回家，不想承認在北京遇到了挫折。
Lian described a Lunar New Year dinner he spent with the graduates: "At first, everyone was in a festive mood; we made dumplings and cooked many dishes...but then when it turned late and the bustle outside quieted down, completely unexpectedly, all of these boys and girls just huddled together, crying. At this very special occasion, there was no reason to hide their homesickness and frustrations any more," he recalled.
廉思描述了他和這群畢業生一起吃過的一頓年夜飯。起初，人人都像過節一樣，大家包了餃子，做了很多菜……但后來，當天色已晚，外面的喧囂靜下來的時候，突然一下子，所有這些男孩女孩都聚在一起哭了。在這個非常特別的場合，再也沒有理由掩蓋他們對家的思念和挫折感。
Deng Kun, a 24-year-old college graduate, is an "ant" featured in the book. After graduating from his university in Yunnan province, he came to Beijing and once lived in Tangjialing for about half a year and is now thinking about returning to Tangjialing due to the low cost of living there. Despite many setbacks over the past two years, he is still hopeful.
24歲的大學畢業生鄧錕就是書中描述的一位“蟻族”。從云南一所大學畢業后，他來到了北京，曾經在唐家嶺住了大約半年，現在正在考慮搬回唐家嶺，因為那里生活成本低。雖然過去兩年遭遇了不少失敗，但他還是躊躇滿志。
"I don't really care what hardships I have to go through, as long as I persist with my goal and continue to pursue a better life with an active attitude and a strong mind, I am sure I could succeed in the end. In this regard, we are indeed like ants."
他說，我并不在乎要經歷的艱難，只要堅持目標，用積極的態度和堅強的心態去追求更好的生活，最終肯定會取得成功的。在這方面，我們確實像螞蟻。
The book has struck a chord with readers, especially those in similar circumstances, and has garnered many positive reviews on cultural site Douban.com.
這本書在讀者中引起了共鳴，特別是在那些處境相似的人。這本書在文藝網站豆瓣網上得到了不少正面評價。
"The concept of 'ants tribes' has been widely recognized among Chinese college graduates thanks to this book, so we are going to include the life and struggle of more 'ants' in other parts of China in our next book." Lian said.
廉思說，因為這本書的原因，“蟻族”這個概念已在中國大學畢業生中被廣為認可，所以下一本書將涵蓋中國其他地區更多“蟻族”的生活與奮斗經歷。
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（來源：北外網院，英語點津編輯）
