In China or at least that seems to be a common 在中国，金钱确实可以
belief in this increasingly materia"listic country. 为你买来爱情——起码在
这个物质文明日益繁荣的国度，这似乎是某种共识。

Many personal stories seem to confirm that the 有太多的真人真事仿佛
ideal mate is the one who can deliver a home and a 在反复证实这个观点——
car, among other things; sentiment is secondary. 一个理想的结婚对象最 +
基本条件是“有房、有 车”，感情是则次要的

However widespread this "mercantilist spirit, not 但并非每一个人认同这
everyone thinks it is a good thing. A spate of 种观念，尽管拜金主义
Chinese films, plays and television shows have 肆虐横行。一系列的中
raised the question: What is love in an age of 国电影，戏剧以及电视
breakneck economic growth? 节目均引人深思——在这
个经济飞速发展的时代 ，爱情究竟意味着什么?

Many Chinese were shocked this year when a female 今年，有这么一番言论
contestant on a popular TV dating show — “If You 轰动了大半个中国。在
Are the One” announced: “I’d rather cry in a BMW “非诚勿扰”，一档当前
than smile on a bicycle.” But others insisted that 火红的相亲电视节目上
the contestant, Ma Nuo, now popularly known as ，女选手马诺宣称：“
“the BMW woman,” was merely expressing a 我宁愿坐在宝马车里面
social reality. 哭，也不愿坐在自行车
后架上笑。”但其他人 则坚持认同马诺的这番 言论。他们认为，这位
如今被称为“宝马女”的 马诺，不过是道明了社 会现状罢了。

Rocketing property prices in recent years have 近年来暴涨的房价大部
contributed to such feelings, with many people in 分生活在北京及其他城
Beijing and other cities accepting the idea that a 市的人们渐渐认可，单
woman will pursue a relationship with a man only 身女性只愿意和有房子
if he already owns an apartment. 的男人发展关系。

Feng Yuan, a 26-year-old who works in a government 26岁的冯媛目前供职于
education company, tried to set up a friend with a 政府教育部门。她曾尝
man she thought suitable. “When she heard he 试与一位她自认为合适
didn’t own an apartment, she refused even to meet 的男性谈恋爱。“当冯
him,” recalled Ms. Feng. She said, “ 媛一听说她的男朋友没
What’s the point ? Without an apartment, love isn’t 有房子，（她甚至不愿
possible.” 意再见他一面）。”冯
太太回忆道，“有什么意义呢？没有房子，没有爱情。”

Fueling these attitudes is a drumbeat of fear. 三十年的经济高速飞
After three decades of fast-paced, uneven economic 跃，滋生了一种强大的
growth, there is enormous anxiety among those who “集体紧张感”。当个体
feel they are being left behind, lacking the 暴富与物价飞涨四处上
opportunities and contacts to make big money while 演，焦虑的人们深恐落
all around them others prosper and prices soar. 后于社会潮流，失去一
The new creed can be hard, as a 26-year-old 跃致富的大好时机和人
cultural events organizer learned. 脉关系。
正如一名26岁地文化活动发起人所认识的那样，这种新的社会意识可谓根深蒂固.

The man, who asked for ano’nymity to protect his 这位要求匿名以保护个
privacy, earns about 4,000 renminbi, or $600, a 人隐私的的男士，月薪
month, making even a modest apartment in an 4000元人民币左右（约
unfashionable district of Beijing unaffordable. 600美元），只可勉强
These homes can cost about $3,000 per square 应付北京老城区的一套
meter, or about $280 per square foot. 简陋公寓的租金。这一
Housing inflation is severe. Ten years ago, a 地段的房价可高达每平 +
similar apartment cost about $345 per square meter. 方米3000美元，甚至每
平方英尺280美元。房 地产泡沫现象十分严重 。十年前，一套规格类
似的房子仅售价每平方 米345美元左右。

Instead, he tried to impress his girlfriend of 相反
three years by saving for a year to buy an iPhone3. ，为了博红颜一笑，他
The newer iPhone 4 — a hot status symbol had 用自己一年的积蓄买下
just gone on sale. But at about $900, that was 了一部第三代苹果机，
beyond his means. The phone was not enough. Last 赠送给相处了三年的女
week, she left him, citing pressure from her 友。然而，象征上流社
parents to find a richer mate. 会身份的新标志——新一
代的苹果四代刚好上市 。但是他买不起这售价 近900美元的新产品。
事情远不止这般简单。 上周，他的女朋友绝尘 而去，理由是父母施压
，要求自己另觅“富”偶

He is heartbroken, believing, despite all, that 他心碎了，却仍然坚信
his girlfriend truly loved him. “ Why else did she 他的女朋友曾真爱过他
live with me for three years?” albeit in a rented 。“否则，她为何与我
apartment. Yet, he is philosophical, too. 一同生活了三年？”——
尽管三年的时光不过是 在一套出租屋里渡过。 但面对感情，他尚有理 性的一面。

“I understand her situation and the pressure from “我理解她的处境，和
her family,” he said. “I also understand that her 承受的来自家庭的压力
parents want their daughter to find someone who ，”他说，“我也能够体
can give her a better life.” 谅她的父母，不过是想
为女儿找一个好人家， 让她生活得更好。”

The only way to find love, he said, is to become 他认为，寻找爱情的唯
rich. “The most important thing for me now, is to 一途径便是致富。“对
work and earn a living.” he said. “I need to grow 现在的我而言，最重要
stronger, support myself and my parents, and then 的，莫过于工作和挣钱
my future girlfriend can have a good life.” 。我必须强大起来，养
活自己还有父母，才能 给我未来的女朋友幸福

Such calculations have their critics. The 这种,“宝马女”马诺固
hard-nosed attitude of Ms. Ma, the BMW woman, 执的态度遭到了电影导
earned her a gentle reprimand recently from the 演张艺谋的强烈谴责。
film director Zhang Yimou. In an interview in The 在回应香港报社《南华
South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, 早报》的采访时，张艺
he urged young people to re-ex"amine their .谋呼吁年轻人们重新审
values. “I don’t think economic advancement and our 视自身的价值观。
yearning for love are mutually exclusive,” he “我认为经济发展和追
said. 寻爱情并非两个互斥的
过程。”张导如是说。

Mr. Zhang, who turns 59 on Sunday, represents an 张导即将在本周日迎来
older generation that remembers the more 第59个生日。他代表着
egali"tarian, if also poorer and more politically 难忘毛泽东时代的老一
repressive, Maoist era, before the economic 辈中国人。在物欲犹如
changes that unleashed the scramble for material 洪水猛兽，随着经济发
advancement. 展泛滥成灾之前，落后
的经济和肆虐的政治压迫是那个时代的标签，社会却更为平等。

His latest film, “Under the "Hawthorn Tree,” 张艺谋的最新电影《山
depicts the innocent love between a teacher, Jing 楂树之恋》描绘了一段
Qiu, and a ge"ologist, Lao San. Set in 1975 toward 女教师静秋和地理学者
the end of the Cultural Revolution, and without a 老三之间的纯洁爱情。
BMW in sight, the film shows the teacher spending 这部电影的背景为1975
quite a lot of time smiling on her sweetheart’s 年，正值文化大革命的
bicycle. Love is the thing, it concludes. 尾声。电影里没有宝马
车，镜头里充斥着女主角静秋坐在她的恋人老三的自行车前架上恬静地微笑的画面。
正如电影所阐释的，这，便是爱情。

Other productions have joined the debate.“Fight 其他的电影作品也纷纷
the Landlord,” a play by Sun Yue that pre"miered in 加入了这场探讨。《斗 +
Shanghai last month, is another ringing defense of 地主》，这部由孙悦主
love in an age of ma"terialism. A character known 演的作品上月在上海首
as B, grilled by a potential mother-in-law about 映，是在物欲横流的当 +
his very ordinary income, yells: “Don’t think that 代捍卫纯真爱情的又一
because I have nothing to be proud of you can 声高呼。
insult and destroy me!” 这部电影中，男角色B
的未来岳母斥责其收入平平，B大喊：“不要以为我一无所有，你便可以羞辱诋毁我！”

“I have my dignity and pride,” B says, “and I “我还有尊严和骨气，”
don’t want to turn love, which I value so much, B说，“而且我不想将自
into something vulgar and pale!” A new film, 己珍视的爱情变成什么
“Color Me Love,” celebrates the cult of 庸俗苍白的东西！”新
materialism but also comes down, somewhat, on the 电影《爱出色》也讲述
side of love. Modeled on “The Devil Wears Prada,” 了一段由最初物欲熏心
and with product placement for Hermès, Versace and ，但最终回归本真的爱
Diesel, it follows poor but gorgeous Fei as she 情故事。该电影模仿《
arrives in Beijing to intern at a fashion magazine. 穿普拉达的女魔头》的
情节，植入了爱马仕、 + 范思哲和迪赛等时尚元素，故事围绕清贫但才华横溢的小菲来到 北京，在一家时尚杂志实习而展开。

“Fei, one day you’ll understand,” Zoe, her “小菲，总有一天你会
glamorous editor, cautions her. “Nothing is as 明白的。”头顶光环的
important as the person you’ll spend the rest of Zoe曾提醒她，“世间再
your life with.” A tu"multuous courtship with a 无它物比那个与你共度
wacky artist named Yihong ends up with the couple 余生的人更加重要。”
united in New York. A closing shot shows her in 小菲和怪癖的画家亦鸿
his arms, a diamond on her finger. The real 跌宕起伏的爱情故事，
fantasy, perhaps, is love plus money. Ms.Feng, 随着二人在纽约的重逢
who had failed to find a match for her 而接近尾声。最后一幕
apartmentless friend, said the demands that many 画面，小菲与亦鸿紧紧
Chinese women make on prospective mates reflected 相拥，她的指间套着一
weakness, not power. Lower in status, they fear 颗钻石戒指。也许，现
not getting what they want in life, and look to 实版的童话等于爱情加
men to provide it. 金钱。
冯小姐为她一个没有住所的朋友寻找伴侣，可是失败了。她说，众多中国女性对未来老公诸 多要求，这不是强势的表现，而是软弱的。她们地位低下，害怕得不到生活中想要的，于是 转而依赖自己的丈夫。

“Women are very dependent,” she said. “I blame “女人们缺乏独立性。
them. Why can’t they work hard and buy a house 我认为这是她们的错。
together with their man? But very few women today 为什么她们就不能努力
think like that.” 工作，与心爱的男人一
起供房呢？但当今社会，会这样想的女人不多了。”

Few Chinese men do either, reinforcing the rules 一些中国男人则在这场
of the game. For the 26-year-old events 游戏中推波助澜。那位
organizer, losing his love to money was 26的文化工作者为金钱
justifiable. “We didn’t need to waste time on a 输了爱情情有可原。
relationship that was doomed to vanish,” he said. “我们不必再为一段注
定没有结局的爱情浪费时间。”他说。