中国日报外籍员工代表Bill Gaspard（比尔 盖斯帕）发言。 中国日报新闻图片中心供图

谢谢,我是中国日报设计总监Bill Gaspard，大家上午好！我是美国人，刚开始学中文，我想接下来为了让大家听起来更舒服，我最好还是用英语发言吧。

今天，我很荣幸能在这座辉煌的建筑里与各位贵宾一起庆祝中国日报三十岁生日。在此我代表报社70多位外籍员工，向我的同事、以及报社富有远见、励精图治的创业者们表示热烈祝贺。

50多年前，人民大会堂的建设工期仅用了10个月——这是当时建筑界史无前例的创举；而它的落成只是一个开始，在接下来的几十年里，世界更见证了中国成为世界第二大经济体，这又一“万丈高楼”的建设是如何完成的。

中国人有理由充满自信，但我发现没有人为如此辉煌的成就而志得意满。这个国家的发展和进步仍在持续。中国正经历着日新月异的变迁，在这种形势下，我们中国日报的作用也更加重要。

中国一直是国际舞台上的重要力量。现在她再一次引领世界发展，吸引着越来越多的闪光灯和媒体聚焦。但随之而来的不仅有更多的关注，也有更多的质疑；不仅有更多的“粉丝”，也不可避免有更多的批评者。

世界各地的新闻机构对中国的报道越来越多，但它们的角度和深度，还无法全面阐释这个广袤、复杂而文化多元的国家。我深知，在我的国家和中国之间，两国民众还严重缺乏必要的相互了解。中国有句老话：百闻不如一见。我自己的中国之旅就是一个生动的注释。

在来华之前，我和很多美国人一样，对中国的了解仅限于“你好”和“干杯”；对中国历史和传统的了解，也仅限于记忆中很久以前的课本。

我对现代中国的了解只是来源于一些媒体的文章，其中有理性的分析，也有政客的激烈言辞。

得到这份工作时，我很兴奋和紧张。在中国，很多初来乍到的外国工作人员都会有那么一点忐忑不安。如果没有人帮助，以前生活中想都不用想的简单问题都会变成大问题——这种感觉就像一个小孩子没法给自己倒杯水喝一样。所幸的是，这种不适的感觉很快就消失了。

刚来的头几个星期里，我走上北京的街头常会迷路，但在中国日报编辑大厅里我又找到了家的感觉——因为世界各地不同的编辑大厅里都会有共同的东西，能够超越语言和不同新闻传统而心灵相通。我本人曾在美国第三大报纸《洛杉矶时报》担任设计总监，还担任过世界新闻设计理事会会长，熟知世界各地的资深编辑和设计大师。报社有一支来自美国、英国、澳大利亚、印度、加拿大等英语国家的资深编辑和记者组成的国际化团队，所以我很自然地就在中国日报找到了家的感觉。

在适应期里，我的中国同事们更是给了我很多帮助。他们热情友好，富有使命感。我上班的第一天，报社总编辑跟我谈到了中国日报的使命——向世界讲述中国，向中国介绍世界。他说这一使命至关重要，这个变化纷繁的世界需要打破成见，增信释疑，促进国与国之间人民的相互了解。

这一使命得到了报社外籍员工的广泛认同，为进一步提升中国日报的专业水平竭尽所能。中国日报的专业水准就像其传播覆盖一样已经取得了长足的进步。中国日报像中国一样经历着日新月异的变化。我在中国日报工作一直十分开心，这是我一生中独一无二、十分宝贵的一段经历。每当有突发事件发生，或者接到重要报道任务或者新的项目启动时，不管是中国员工还是我们这些老外，都齐心协力共同战斗。这样的场景带我一种满足感。每每这种时候，大家工作时间长，换休时侯少，但是我们的团队却依然能够保持高昂的精神状态。在世界新闻设计圈子里，人们对包括中国日报在内的中国报纸的关注和赞扬与日俱增。

但正像一个30岁的人，中国日报仍然有很多的目标需要实现，有很大的空间继续进步。正像我刚开始讲的那样，中国日报人没有骄傲自满，而是继续励精图治。过生日是要许愿的，我对中国日报的愿望是，希望她继续迈上新台阶，在缩小世界和中国对过去的认知偏差，增进对未来的共识上，发挥更大的作用。

中国日报，生日快乐。

附：英文原稿

Xiexie. Wo shi Zhong Guo Ri Bao sheji zongjian Bill Gaspard. Da jia shang wu hao. I am an American who is just learning Chinese. I think it would be best for everyone’s mental well-being if I spoke in English.

It is a privilege to be here speaking to so many honored guests in this magnificent and historic building. And it is a pleasure to be speaking on the occasion of China Daily’s 30th birthday. As a representative of the more than 70 foreigners working at the newspaper, I congratulate my current colleagues as well as those whose vision and hard work from the beginning have made this a day worth celebrating.

When the Great Hall of the People was built more than 50 years ago, the construction was completed in just 10 months — an unprecedented feat in architecture at the time. Yet it was just a preview of the even more unprecedented building of the world’s second-largest economy in the decades that followed.

And while optimism here is justifiably and refreshingly prevalent, I’ve not found anyone satisfied that the work is done. The country’s evolution and development very much remain a work in progress. It is against this backdrop of transformation that is now a constant and defining characteristic of China, that the role of our newspaper becomes more meaningful.

China has always been a player on the world stage, but it once again finds itself in a lead role, performing in an increasingly bigger and brighter spotlight. With that spotlight comes more interest but also more scrutiny, more fans and, inevitably, more critics.

News organizations worldwide are writing more about China but their scope and perspective can’t adequately tell the story of a country this big, complex and diverse. I know between the people of my country and China there remains a crucial lack of understanding on both sides. You have a saying: bai wen bu ru yi jian — one hundred times listening is not as good as one time seeing. My own journey to China illustrates this.

Like many of my fellow countrymen, I didn’t know much Chinese beyond ni hao and gan bei or about the nation’s history and traditions beyond what little I remembered from classes taken long ago. What I knew of modern China came from a handful of press articles and the sometimes reasoned, and sometimes inflammatory, statements of politicians.

I was excited and anxious when I got the job. For many expats coming to work in China there is a brief moment of panic when you arrive. Simple things that you didn’t even have to think about before become complex problems that require help to solve. You feel like a child unable to pour himself a glass of water. It’s a weird feeling that fortunately passes quickly.

So, in those first weeks I felt constantly lost when I was out on the streets ofBeijing, but in the newsroom I felt right at home. There was so much that felt familiar — things common to every newsroom that transcend language and journalistic traditions.

It was also a big help during that transition that my Chinese colleagues were very welcoming and enthusiastic about their jobs. My first day at work I spoke with a top editor about the mission of China Daily — to bring the story of China to the world and to bring the world’s story to China. He spoke about how important it was — in such a complex, fast-moving world — to break down stereotypes, dissipate the mistrust between people and to promote mutual understanding.

I used to work as design director at the U.S.’s third-largest newspaper, The Los Angeles Times. I was also president of the international Society for News Design and know many designers and editors around the globe.  So I certainly felt at home among our international team that includes senior editors and writers from the U.S., Britain, Australia, India and Canada, to name a few.   

That mission resonates with us as we push to improve the professional standards of China Daily. And those standards have improved substantially along with the reach of the paper.

My time with China Daily has been very good. I’m happy to be here, to have this unique and valuable experience. It’s especially gratifying to see how the staff – both Chinese and foreigners – rise to the occasion when a big story breaks, a special project is coming together or a new product is about to launch. In these instances, when the hours are long and the days off scarce, the spirit and dedication of the team remains strong. In the news design world, there has been a lot more attention and praise being paid to the work being done in Chinese newspapers, including China Daily.

Despite all this, as is true with any 30-year-old, there is still much for China Daily to accomplish, still room for growth. As I said at the beginning, I’ve not found anyone satisfied that the work is done, only those wanting to push forward.

Birthdays are for wishes and mine for China Daily is that it continues to reach for new heights and help to bridge the divide between our view of the past and our understanding of the future.

Zhongguo ribao shengri kuaile .