VOA慢速英语:Chinese Businesses Struggle as Economy Slows

Economists are debating the possibility that China's economy could have a "hard-landing" or lengthy recession.
经济学家们正在争论中国经济可能发生“硬着陆”或长期衰退的可能性。

For most Chinese businesses, the slowdown has become a reality. The question that concerns those businesses most is how to keep going.
对大多数中国企业来说，经济放缓已经成为现实。这些企业关心的问题是如何坚持下去。

In the Chinese city of Yiwu, sellers are feeling the effects of a slowing economy. But they also are finding ways to weather the storm.
在中国义乌市，卖家开始感受到经济放缓的影响。但是他们也正在想法设法渡过难关。

Henry Kou's family has been in the porcelain business for many years. The family business was good when China's economy was booming. But now, the economy is growing at its slowest rate in more than 25 years. The market for dinner plates and other porcelain products is weak.
Henry Kou的家族多年来一直从事瓷器生意。当中国经济蓬勃发展时，该家族生意还不错。但是现在，经济正以25年来的最低水平增长，餐具等瓷器制品的市场非常疲软。

Slowing conditions have led to falling profits
经济放缓现状导致利润下滑

Over the past two years, Henry Kou says, sales have dropped by 20 percent. To keep afloat, he has cut production and packaging costs, even his own profits.
Henry Kou表示，过去两年的销售额下降了20%。为了维持下去，他已经削减了生产和包装成本，甚至降低了自己的利润。

"Our customers are really hurting too, so we've tried to limit our profits in the hope that we can keep business going."
他说，“我们的客户也很受伤，所以我们试图限制利润希望能够维持业务运转。”

He sells porcelain products in Yiwu's huge wholesale market. The long trade mall area is home to thousands of storefront businesses.
他在义务的大型批发市场销售瓷器，该商贸城有着数千家店铺。

Yiwu is in Zhejiang province near the Chinese ports of Shanghai and Ningbo.
义乌市位于邻近中国港口上海和宁波的浙江省。

Many companies consider Yiwu a good place to do business because of the support and freedom the local government gives sellers. This includes reduced taxes and less interference in business.
很多公司认为义乌是个做生意的好地方，因为当地政府赋予了卖家支持和自由度，其中包括减税和商业干扰少。

The area has a long history of being a base for traders.
该地区作为商家基地有着长期的历史。

China's Communist Party-led government tried to suppress the business activity but later let trading expand when market reforms began in the 1980s.
中国政府曾经试图压制商业活动，但是随后在上世纪80年代开始市场改革时扩大了贸易。

Today, Yiwu is known to some as the small commodities wholesale capital of the world.
如今义乌被一些人称之为全球小商品批发之都。

Almost everything and anything that is made in China can be found and bought in the city. From Yiwu, goods are shipped overseas -- to Africa, the Middle East, Europe and America.
几乎一切中国制造的商品都可以在这个城市找到和买到。商品被从义乌出口到非洲、中东和欧美等国家。

Specialized markets have helped
专业市场有帮助

Henry Kou's business is international. He has buyers in the Middle East and Europe. He says sellers can do little to change the overall environment they are facing. However, he is finding ways to protect his business, including making specialized products for his customers.
Henry Kou的生意是国际性的。他的买家在中东和欧洲。他说，卖家无力改变自己面临的整体环境，然而他正在设法保护自己的生意，包括为客户制造专业产品。

"With every product, you have to constantly innovate. If you can't continually do that, the market will leave you behind," Kou said.
他说，“每件产品都得不断创新。如果你不能持续做到这一点，就会被市场淘汰。”

The number of shoppers was low during several recent visits to the trade mall. Many shop owners just sat in their stores. Some watched Korean soap operas, while others spoke with friends.
在最近几次探访商贸城期间，买家人数都不多。许多店主枯坐在店里。有人在看韩剧，有人在同朋友聊天。

In some stores, however, traders from Africa, Azerbaijan, Turkey and South America seemed in a hurry to place orders.
然而在一些店铺中，来自非洲、阿塞拜疆、土耳其以及南美的贸易商似乎急于下单。

Internet selling has helped some
网上销售帮助了一些人

But increasingly, as the cost of business rises, a store front can only do so much. Creativity, however, is a sure way to keep going.
但是随着企业成本上涨，店面渐渐地只能做这么多了。然而创意是维持下去的一种明确办法。

Clock designer Zong Fanzhong sells his specialty timepieces at Yiwu's trade mall. His timepieces are also selling well in Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Iran. Getting legal protections for his products has helped his business, he said. He has also found the Internet a way to keep his business developing.
时钟设计师宗凡忠（ Zong Fanzhong，音译）在义乌的商贸城销售他的专业钟表。他的钟表在日本、韩国、土耳其和伊朗都卖得很好。他说，为自己的产品获得法律保护对他的生意有帮助。他还发现互联网是维持生意发展的一种途径。

"We're using other avenues (online) such as TMall and Taobao and that has helped to make up for some sales. Trade overseas has slipped significantly since last year, by as much as 30 to 50 percent," Zong said.
宗先生说，“我们正在利用天猫和淘宝等线上渠道，这有助于弥补一些销售额。海外贸易自去年以来已经明显下滑，下滑幅度高达30%到50%。”

But not everyone is willing or able to change to do business online.
但是并非所有人愿意或能够转向到网上做生意。

Xue Yaqing is a salesman for the e-commerce company Alibaba. He tries to help shop owners sell their products through the Internet. He said that from his work, he can see the effect the slowing economy is having.
薛亚庆（Xue Yaqing，音译）是阿里巴巴电子商务公司的业务员。他试图帮助店主通过网络销售他们的产品。他说，从自己的工作中他可以看到经济放缓产生的影响。

"Some shop owners are losing money, not making any profits and mounting up debt, and because of that, some are only here for a while and then have to shut down their businesses," Xue said. He hopes to get them online, but not all are willing.
他说，“一些店主开始赔钱，赚不到任何利润并且背上了债务。正因为如此，一些人只能维持一段时间然后关闭自己的企业。”他希望让他们上网，但是并非所有人都愿意。

"Some have been doing business offline for many years and from their perspective, they don't need it," he said.
他说，“一些人多年来一直在线下做生意，从他们的角度来看，他们不需要互联网。”

And with a growing number of stores online, competition is increasingly fierce.
而随着网店数量的增加，竞争愈发激烈。

Customer service is important
客户服务非常重要

Many of the business owners who said they are coping had a few things in common. They owned their own factories and kept their attention narrowly on what they know best.
很多声称自己正在应对的企业老板都有一些共性。他们拥有自己的工厂，狭隘地关注着他们最熟悉的部分。

Having long-time customers and an ability to find ways to react to their changing needs is also important, said Bob Shu, president of Vifa Group.
威发集团总裁束继周表示，拥有长期客户并具备想法设法应对客户不断变化需求的能力也很重要。

"We really, really work hard with our customers. We are spending more money on product, quality and cost control as well as new product development," Shu said. "With such close relationships with our customers, we work in a very strategic way."
他说，“我们同我们的客户一起苦干实干，我们在产品、质量、成本控制以及新产品开发上投入更多资金。通过这种同客户的紧密关系，我们的工作方式极具战略性。”

He said while his company is also feeling the pinch, China's economic slowdown has yet to hurt his company. Over the past five years, the company's profits have kept growing. Just recently, he was able to buy new office space because prices are so low.
他说自己的公司也感受到了压力。中国的经济增速放缓尚未伤害到他的公司。在过去五年里，该公司利润一直保持增长。就在最近，由于价格如此之低，他得以购买了新的写字楼。

In Shu's opinion, there is and is not a crisis.
束先生认为，有危机也没有危机。

"It all depends on yourself, nothing else. It depends on how you do it (do business). Most of the people are suffering. That's true, but the world is so big. There are so many opportunities. In every industry, there are opportunities."
他说，“这完全取决于你自己，没有别的。这取决于你怎么做生意。大多数人都在煎熬，这是事实。但是世界这么大，机会很多。每个行业都有机会。”