STORY: My 2023 in China: What it's like for an American translator to cycle through China
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 7-14, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 19, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:03
LOCATION: HAIKOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Marian Rosenberg
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator

STORYLINE:

Marian Rosenberg never expected her solo cycling tours through China would attract much attention. 

The American translator has been living in the southern Chinese city of Haikou since 2004.

And since 2005, Rosenberg has been traversing the vast expanses of the country on her bicycle.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
"I'm 42 years old. I've been living in Hainan for the past (almost) 20 years. And then outside of work, I know, I don't look terribly athletic. But I like to go biking. And when I say I like to go biking, I don't mean biking around the city, though I do use a bicycle for transportation. I mean that I rode my bike from Haikou to Tianjin (in north China)."

Over nearly two decades, Rosenberg has witnessed how cities and rural regions of China have transformed over the years.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
"Over the past, call it 35 years, China has gone from being really poor to being relatively wealthy. China has the concept called Xiao Kang She Hui, a moderately prosperous society in all respects. China is like (soaring)."

In Haikou, the city's rapid development has also impressed Rosenberg.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
"The last 6 or 8 months, the number of new restaurants that have opened in Haikou, and I don't just mean like new noodle shops, I mean like really high-end restaurants. We've got a new Thai restaurant, we've got a new taco restaurant. And these places are serving actual Western food. The improved quality of the F&B (food and beverage) environment in Haikou actually is a symptom, a positive symptom of the improved business environment in Hainan."

Looking to the new year, Rosenberg plans to embark on another cycling journey, while finishing some translation work.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): MARIAN ROSENBERG, American translator
"2024, the big bike trip is probably going to Northeast China, because that's like the only area of China that I've never visited. If it's not Northeast China, it's going to be throughout southern Sichuan. Other than that, I did mention I'm currently translating a book, another academic thing. I should have got like six books that I've already done which are waiting publication and like at least three of them should be coming out in 2024. One of them will be my first book that I get my name on the cover as opposed to in the back of the book. That'll be really cool."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Haikou, China.
(XHTV)