从纽约到开封.ppt

从开封到纽约--辉煌如过眼烟云(From Kaifeng to New York, glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds)May 22, 2005, Sunday By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF (NYT) As this millennium dawns, New York City is the most important city in the world, the unofficial capital of planet Earth. But before we New Yorkers become too full of ourselves, it might be worthwhile to glance at dilapidated Kaifeng in central China.　　 Kaifeng, an ancient city along the mud-clogged Yellow River, was by far the most important place in the world in 1000. And if you've never heard of it, that's a useful warning for Americans - as the Chinese headline above puts it, in a language of the future that many more Americans should start learning, "glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds."　　 从开封到纽约--辉煌如过眼烟云(From Kaifeng to New York, glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds)May 22, 2005, Sunday By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF (NYT) As the world's only superpower, America may look today as if global domination is an entitlement. But if you look back at the sweep of history, it's striking how fleeting supremacy is, particularly for individual cities. My vote for most important city in the world in the period leading up to 2000 B.C. would be Ur, Iraq. In 1500 B.C., perhaps Thebes, Egypt. There was no dominant player in 1000 B.C., though one could make a case for Sidon, Lebanon. In 500 B.C., it would be Persepolis, Persia; in the year 1, Rome; around A.D. 500, maybe Changan, China; in 1000, Kaifeng, China; in 1500, probably Florence, Italy; in 2000, New York City; and in 2500, probably none of the above.　　　　 从开封到纽约--辉煌如过眼烟云(From Kaifeng to New York, glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds)May 22, 2005, Sunday By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF (NYT) Today Kaifeng is grimy and poor, not even the provincial capital and so minor it lacks even an airport. Its sad state only underscores how fortunes change. In the 11th century, when it was the capital of Song Dynasty China, its population was more than one million. In contrast, London's p