约翰·杰伊奖获奖感言
谢谢！谢谢哥伦比亚大学给予我的这份巨大荣誉！首先，我想感谢所有让我的哥伦比亚大学生活成为可能的教授们。他们中的一些人今晚也在这里：露丝·莱文森、乔纳森·科尔、杰克·格林伯格、兰斯·利伯曼、迈耶·费尔德伯格、凯瑟琳·亚特拉基斯，以及其他许多人。谢谢你们，也谢谢你们今晚能来到这里。
Transcript of Li Lu’s Speech at John Jay Award Dinner – March 7, 2012 Thank you! Thank you, Columbia, for this enormous honor! I want to start by thanking all of my professors who made my life at Columbia possible. Some of them are here; Ruth Levenson, Jonathan Cole, Jack Greenberg, Lance Liebman, Meyer Feldberg, Kathryn Yatrakis, and many others. Thank you, and thank you for being here tonight, too.
今晚站在这里，身边都是二十年前的老朋友，真有种时光倒流的感觉。我的好友玛丽·戴利也来了。23 年前，她是我最早结交的美国人之一。当时我刚从天安门广场逃出来，人人都追着我问那些高深的哲学问题，比如“中国的民主前景如何”。玛丽耐心等大家安静下来，然后问我：“你有地方住吗？有别的衣服可以换吗？”当然，这两个问题的答案都是“没有”。所以，我在美国头六个月基本上就住在玛丽的客厅里，她和另外十二个人合租一栋联排别墅，共享一个公共客厅。每晚我都得耐心等大家都回自己房间，还记得我坐在那里，穿着白色 T 恤，一直等着。等所有人都进了房间，我终于可以躺下睡觉了。但我盯着天花板，根本睡不着，心里想着未来会怎样。在这个陌生的新国家，一个人都不认识，一句英语都不会说，我到底怎么谋生？
Being here tonight surrounded by my old friends from twenty years ago, really is a throw-back in time. My good friend, Mary Daly, is here. And literally she was one of the first Americans that I became friends with 23 years ago. When I first escaped from Tiananmen Square, and everybody was asking me all these deep, philosophical questions like, “What’s the democratic prospect in China.” Mary patiently waited for everyone to quiet down then asked me: “Do you have a place to stay? Do you have any other clothes you can change into?” And of course the answer to both questions was “No.” So basically, for my first six months in America, I literally stayed in Mary’s living room, and she was sharing a townhouse with twelve other individuals, with a common living room. So every night I had to patiently wait for everyone else to go to their own room. I can still remember sitting there, wearing a white T-shirt, waiting. And when everybody else went to their rooms, I finally was able to sleep. But I was staring into the ceiling. Instead of sleeping, I was wondering what the future might bring. How can I ever make a living in this strange new country without knowing anybody, without a word of English?
现在快进二十二年。那件白 T 恤变成了一件白色燕尾服衬衫，配上黑色领结，全套行头都有了。这真是一段难以置信的旅程！
Now fast forward twenty two years. That white T-shirt has turned into a white tuxedo shirt, with a black tie and all. It was quite an unbelievable journey!
如果一定要说转变的最大原因，如果要举出三个原因，那就是：哥伦比亚、哥伦比亚、哥伦比亚！正是在哥伦比亚，我找到了归属。而且，很大程度上要归功于核心课程。通过核心课程，我第一次能够勾勒出西方文明基石的路线图。在阅读了上百部定义我们文明的伟大经典之后，我第一次理解了人们为什么那样思考，制度为什么那样构建，这里的一切如何运转。第一次，我感到这里并不陌生。最重要的是，我感到自己属于这里。
If I have to account for the biggest reason for that transformation, if I have to name three reasons, they would be Columbia, Columbia, Columbia! It was really at Columbia, that I found a home. And mostly I have to say it was through the core curriculum. Through the core curriculum, for the very first time, I was able to trace the roadmap of the founding blocks of the western civilization. For the first time, after reading a hundred or so great classics that define our civilization, I was able to understand why people think the way they think, why the institutions are built the way they are built, how things function here. For the first time. I felt that this is not a strange place. Most of all, I felt that I belonged here.
我还发现，美国和中国有一个共通之处：两国都将自身定义为文明型国家，而不是由地理界定的民族国家。做一个美国人，意味着真心认同一套理念和理想，这一点与中国非常相似。正是在修完核心课程之后，我才真正意识到：我和其他美国人一样是美国人，只不过其他人比我早来了一点。突然间，我仿佛从“无国籍外国人”——这正是我证件上写明的分类——“无国籍外国人”，变成了社会的一员。生平第一次，我找到了一种归属感和重新燃起的热情：我在这里能够成功。
What I also discovered, there is a commonality between America and China. They both define themselves as civilization states, instead of nation states that are defined by geography. To be an American is to really subscribe to a set of ideas and ideals, which is very similar to China. This is really when I realized, after the core curriculum, that I am as American as many other Americans, except everybody else came a little bit earlier than I did. All of a sudden, I was sort of transformed from a “Stateless Alien,” which was exactly how my document classified me, a “Stateless Alien,” to a member of society. For the first time, I find a sense of belonging and renewed enthusiasm that I could make it here.
所以，我得说，当吉姆告诉我哥伦比亚学院即将永久性地为核心课程提供捐赠时，我高兴坏了。未来一代代的哥伦比亚学生，必须能够享受到我们都认为处于教育核心的那些东西。要是受了教育却不了解那百来部伟大经典，我真不知道那怎么能叫受过教育。
So, I have to say, when I heard Jim telling me that Columbia College is about to permanently endow core curriculum, I was elated. Future generations of Columbia students must be able to enjoy what we all believe is at the core of education. To be educated without an understanding of those hundred or so great classics, I don’t know how to call them educated.
所以，谢谢安迪·巴思——我听了你的建议。我把七岁的弗朗西斯卡和九岁的朱莉娅带来了，让她们今晚清楚记住，最好的城市里最好的大学。千万别将就任何次等的东西！通过核心课程，你们能得到和所有学过并理解它的人一样好的教育。而且，她们的妈妈也来了。当你能说服前妻从洛杉矶飞过来参加颁奖晚宴，我觉得我还没把所有事都搞砸。所以，非常感谢你能来。
So thanks, Andy Barth-- I took your advice. I brought my seven year old Francesca and my nine year old Julia here so they will remember clearly tonight, the best university in the best city. Don’t you dare settle for anything lesser! And you will be able to get as well educated through the core curriculum as all of us who went through it and understood it. And, well, their mom is even here. When you can convince your ex-wife to fly all the way from Los Angeles, to attend the award dinner here, I guess that I haven’t screwed up everything. So thank you very much for being here.
谢谢大家！谢谢哥伦比亚大学！核心课程万岁！哥伦比亚学院万岁！
Thank you all! Thank you, Columbia! Long live the Core! Long live Columbia College!