2019年经济学人 中国家长更喜欢乐高而非芭比(1)

 

Business

来源于《商业》版块

Lego v Barbie in China

乐高和芭比娃娃在中国的竞争

Yellow brick road

黄砖路

Budding engineers cluster around a table-sized model of the China Art Museum, a landmark¹ of Shanghai, adding helipads, carrot patches and other improvements with colourful bricks. Prising a child from Lego’s vast shop near People’s Square can be like unsticking two stubborn bits of Lego. Li Yang, visiting for a few days from Shenzhen, has been waiting for her daughter for two hours. Zhu Yunfei, watching his son, marvels² at the variety: “Coming here to play with him is making up for my childhood,” he says. They drop by every week.

正在崭露头角的工程师们聚集在上海地标性建筑——中国美术馆的一个桌子大小的模型周围，用五颜六色的积木增加了直升机停机坪、胡萝卜块和其他改进。让一个孩子离开人民广场附近的乐高大型商店，难度好比拆下两块牢固的乐高积木。李阳从深圳来这里玩了几天，她已经等女儿两个小时了。看着儿子的朱云飞惊叹于这种多样性:“来这里和他一起玩弥补了我的童年，”他说。他们每周都会来。

Lego’s rise in China has been vertiginous³. In 2017 it overtook Alpha Group, a local giant, to become the country’s leading toy company (not including video games). In the past two years it has opened 89 stores. It wants 50 more by December, which will bring it to 30 cities. Its first Chinese factory started moulding bricks in 2016. The toy industry is growing by 9% annually⁴ in the country, but the Danish firm’s Chinese arm notches⁵ up “very strong double digits”, says Paul Huang, its boss.

乐高在中国的崛起令人目眩。2017年，它超越了当地巨头阿尔法集团，成为中国领先的玩具公司(不包括电子游戏)。在过去的两年里，乐高已经开了89家店。到12月，还想再开50家，届时30个城市都有店。乐高第一家中国工厂于2016年开始做积木。中国的玩具业正以每年9%的速度增长，但是这家丹麦公司的中国分公司却取得了“非常强劲的两位数增长”，其老板保罗·黄如此表示。

It has done so even as the brickmaker’s global business has looked shakier. In 2017 Lego cut 1,400 jobs and recorded its first drop in revenues and profits in over a decade. But last year both ticked up again, by 4% each. Lego has thus retained its status as the world’s biggest toymaker, snatched from Mattel in 2014—even as its American rival last year earned its highest revenues in five years from its Barbie dolls.

尽管这家积木厂的全球业务看起来更加摇摇欲坠，但在中国的业绩却蒸蒸日上。2017年，乐高裁减了1400个工作岗位，实现了10多年来的首次收入和利润下降。但去年收入和盈利都再度上涨，涨幅均为4%。因此，乐高保住了全球最大玩具制造商的地位。2014年，乐高从美泰手中拿回了乐高的市场份额。即使去年，其美国竞争对手美泰因芭比娃娃达到了五年内的最高收入。

Newly affluent⁶ parents in China have helped Lego recover. “We have not maxed out there, by far,” says Niels Christiansen, whom Lego brought in as chief executive two years ago. As in the West, the educational merits of bricks appeal to Chinese parents. Last year 98% of those surveyed by Lego said that play was essential for their child’s well-being⁷, even more than Americans and Danes.

中国新富阶层家长帮助乐高重新辉煌起来。“到目前为止，我们还没有达到极限，”于两年前上任的乐高首席执行官尼尔斯·克里斯琴森表示。和西方一样，积木的教育价值吸引了中国家长。去年，乐高公司的调查显示，98%的中国家长认为玩耍对孩子的健康至关重要，甚至超过了美国人和丹麦人。

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

3 vertiginous   

adj.回旋的；引起头晕的

参考例句：

• House prices continued their vertiginous decline,with the US,UK,Spain and Ireland leading the way.房屋价格继续他们的旋转式下降，美国、英国、西班牙和爱尔兰引领着这个趋势。
• My small mind contained in earthly human limits,not lost in vertiginous space and elements unknown.我的狭隘思想局限在人类世俗之中，不会

4 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

5 notches   

n.（边缘或表面上的）V型痕迹( notch的名词复数 )；刻痕；水平；等级

参考例句：

• The Indians cut notches on a stick to keep count of numbers. 印第安人在棒上刻V形凹痕用来计数。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They cut notches in the handle of their pistol for each man they shot. 他们每杀一个人就在枪托上刻下一个V形记号。 来自辞典例句

6 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。