What do Chinese college graduates have in common with ants? The recent book 'Ant Tribes' (http://book.qq.com/s/book/0/18/18461/index.shtml), about the life of some young people who flock to Beijing after leaving university, depicts the graduates, like ants, as smart but insignificant as individuals, drawing strength from living together in communities.
中国的大学毕业生跟蚂蚁有何共同之处？新书《蚁族》描绘了北漂大学毕业生的生活，他们就像蚂蚁，头脑聪明，但作为个体微不足道，只有在群落中“聚族而居”才能获得力量。
The book, which is based on two years' of interviews with about 600 low-income college graduates in Beijing, came out in mid-September, about a month ahead of an announcement by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security that 74% of the 6.11 million new graduates from China's universities and colleges had been employed by Sept. 1.
这本书根据对北京约600位低收入大学毕业生历时两年的采访写成，9月中旬面世。该书出版一个月后，人力资源与社会保障部宣布，中国611万应届大学毕业生当中，有74%在9月1日之前找到了工作。
For the book's chief editor, Lian Si, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, that piece of statistic says little about the real situation for many of these graduates. 'I am always wondering how many of these employed college graduates are leading a decent life,' Lian said. 'I hope this book could offer a window on these graduates, whose stories are rarely known.'
本书主编廉思是对外经济贸易大学副教授，在他看来，上述统计资料基本无关这些毕业生的真实处境。他说，我一直在怀疑，这些找到了工作的大学毕业生当中，有多少生活过得不错。我希望这本书能够成为一扇展现他们生活的窗户，他们的故事很少有人知道。
The setting of the book is several so-called 'settlement villages for college students' in the outskirts of Beijing, where a large number of college graduates live. Most of these graduates work for small or medium-sized businesses, earning less than 2,000 yuan ($293) a month. They live together because it's cheap: The rent in these communities is only around 350 yuan a month. Many of them travel several hours a day for short-term jobs or job interviews.
书中的故事发生在北京郊区几个“大学毕业生聚居村”。这些毕业生当中，多数在中小企业工作，月收入不到人民币2000元（合293美元）。他们住在一起是因为花钱少：这些社区的月租大约只有人民币350元左右。很多人为了短期工作或面试，每天要在路上耗费几个小时。
Tangjialing, a small village 20 kilometers from Tian'anmen Square, has around 3,000 original villagers, but has become a home for more than 50,000 migrants, most of them graduates from all over the country. Lian calls it 'a community with small lanes, dotted with small hair salons, clinics, groceries and Internet cafes.' He describes the students' dormitories as five- or six-storey buildings built by local farmers with 12 rooms on each floor and two or three people crammed together in each room of about 10 square meters. Up to 70 or 80 people share the same toilet and kitchen.
唐家岭是个小村庄，距天安门广场20公里，本地村民大约三千人，但外 来人口已超过五万人，其中多数是自全国各地的毕业生。廉思说，这是一个由小街小巷组成的社区，小理发店、诊所、杂货店和网吧遍布其间。他描述说，这些学生 住的都是当地农民修建的五六层高的楼房，每层12间房，每个房间在10平米左右，两三个人挤一间。最多有七八十人共用一个厕所和厨房。
According to the book, around 60% of these college graduates are from rural areas and smaller towns around China. Back home, many of them are the pride of their families and possibly the best hope for the family in the struggle against poverty. Many of them lost their jobs during the financial crisis in late 2008, but decided not to go home, not wanting to admit defeat in Beijing.
书中说，这些毕业生当中大约六成来自中国各地的农村地区和小城镇。在老家，他们都是家人的骄傲，或许也是生活贫困的家人最大的希望所寄。很多人在2008年下半年的金融危机中失了业，但决定不回家，不想承认在北京遇到了挫折。
Lian described a Lunar New Year dinner he spent with the graduates: 'At first, everyone was in a festive mood; we made dumplings and cooked many dishes...but then when it turned late and the bustle outside quieted down, completely unexpectedly, all of these boys and girls just huddled together, crying. At this very special occasion, there was no reason to hide their homesickness and frustrations any more,' he recalled.
廉思描述了他和这群毕业生一起吃过的一顿年夜饭。开始，人人都像过节一样，大家包了饺子，做了很多菜……但后来，当天色已晚，外面的喧嚣静下来的时候，突然一下子，所有这些男孩女孩都聚在一起哭了。在这个非常特别的场合，再也没有理由掩盖他们对家的思念和挫折感。
Deng Kun, a 24-year-old college graduate, is an 'ant' featured in the book. After graduating from his university in Yunnan province, he came to Beijing and once lived in Tangjialing for about half a year and is now thinking about returning to Tangjialing due to the low cost of living there. Despite many setbacks over the past two years, he is still hopeful. 'I don't really care what hardships I have to go through, as long as I persist with my goal and continue to pursue a better life with an active attitude and a strong mind, I am sure I could succeed in the end. In this regard, we are indeed like ants.'
24岁的大学毕业生邓锟就是书中描述的一位“蚁族”。从云南一所大学毕业后，他来到了北京，曾经在唐家岭住了大约半年，现在正在考虑搬回唐家岭，因为那 里生活成本低。虽然过去两年遭遇了不少失败，但他还是踌躇满志。他说，我并不在乎要经历的艰难，只要坚持目标，用积极的态度和坚强的心态去追求更好的生 活，最终肯定会取得成功的。在这方面，我们确实像蚂蚁。
The book has struck a chord with readers, especially those in similar circumstances, and has garnered many positive reviews on cultural site Douban.com. (http://www.douban.com/subject/3995799)
这本书在读者中引起了共鸣，特别是在那些处境相似的人当中。这本书在文艺网站豆瓣网(Douban.com)上得到了不少正面评价。
'The concept of 'ants tribes' has been widely recognized among Chinese college graduates thanks to this book, so we are going to include the life and struggle of more 'ants' in other parts of China in our next book.' Lian said.
廉思说，因为这本书的原因，“蚁族”这个概念已在中国大学毕业生中被广为认可，所以下一本书将涵盖中国其他地区更多“蚁族”的生活与奋斗。
Sue Feng