抗疫关键时刻，老潘从美国写来了一封信...

众志成城，全民抗疫。中国新型冠状病毒感染肺炎疫情也牵动着外国友人的心。就在昨晚，一封来自大洋彼岸的信向新航道人送来了最深切的问候。这封信的作者是新航道的老朋友，厦门大学外籍教授、新航道“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使潘维廉。

潘维廉博士（Dr. William N.Brown）：“感动中国2019年度人物”候选人、厦门大学管理学院教授，曾荣获中国政府授予的“国家友谊奖”、福建省荣誉公民等称号。潘维廉教授是《用英语讲中国故事》丛书的主编之一，并在2019年11月担任新航道“用英语讲中国故事”形象大使，与中国故事研究院携手讲述中国故事，让世界更了解中国。

作为一位在中国生活了三十余年的美国人，潘维廉对中国人民正在遭遇的这场危机感同身受，他十分赞赏中国政府在应对这场疫情中所表现的果敢和担当，更为自己此刻未能留在中国与中国人民在一起而遗憾：“如果我能更早意识到事态的严重性，我更希望此时是身在中国......”老潘的来信字里行间所展现的这份关切和真诚令人动容。

潘维廉的来信

Dear New Channel Family,（亲爱的新航道大家庭：）

I just returned to the U.S. to help my 90-year-old mother-in-law only a couple of days before the world realized the coronavirus was so serious. On the one hand, I should feel lucky, as many foreigners are scrambling frantically to leave. Yet on the other hand, I regret that I am not there in China to help. Had I realized the situation was so dire, I would have preferred to stay.（就在新型冠状病毒的危急性为世界所知晓的前几天，我回到了美国去探望我90岁高龄的岳母。对比许多争相离开这片土地的在华外籍人士，我应该感到幸运，但我也后悔此时未能在中国同大家并肩作战。如果我能更早意识到事态的严重性，我更希望此时是身在中国。）

But I see two reasons that the world is lucky this happened in China and not elsewhere: 1) the Chinese government, and 2), the Chinese people. No other government would have had the ability, resolve or courage to act so decisively or quickly. Within two weeks of seeing an unknown virus, Chinese scientists had isolated and published the virus’ genetic sequence needed to make a vaccine! While China’s reaction to SARS in 2003 was slower, the nation has certainly learned a lot since then—which is not surprising. Never before in history has there been such a large nation with so many people, and so many lives have improved so quickly. With no historical precedent, China must of course learn as it goes. But this present challenge underscores that China is using what it learns to help not only China but the rest of the world as well.（对于此次疫情发生在自中国而非别的地方，我有两点理由相信世界应该感到幸运：1.中国政府；2.中国人民。因为其他没有一个政府有这样的能力、决心和勇气，能如此果断迅速地采取行动。在发现新型冠状病毒的两周内，中国的科学家就已成功地将病毒进行分离，并公布了它的基因序列用以疫苗的研制。尽管2003年时，中国政府对非典的反应相对滞后，但自此这个国家也获得了许多应对公共卫生事件的经验。这并不令人惊讶。回望历史，从未出现过一个拥有如此众多人口的大国，且该国民众的生活水平能如此迅速地得以改善。既然，中国当然是在自身的发展中不断学习。而当下的挑战也正强调了这一事实——中国以往的经验不仅帮助了本国此次疫情的抗击，也给其他国家提供了借鉴。）

But what really moves me is the Chinese people’s response to the virus. While the rest of the world is panicking (and I don’t blame them), Chinese are stoically dealing with the situation. People the world over are amazed at media reports of how, even in the virus’ epicenter of Wuhan, people shout from windows to people on the streets, “Jiāyóu!” 加油!” “Press forward!” My WeChat messages from Chinese friends are not fearful but positive. “Our government and our people will overcome this!” one said, and another wrote, “We are careful but not afraid!” （但真正打动我的是中国人民对疫情的响应。此时，尽管外界心存恐慌（我并无指责之意），但中国人民却展现了极具坚忍的一面。当世界通过媒体听到身处疫情中心的武汉人民透过窗户对街上的同胞大喊“加油”时，为此深为震惊！而从中国朋友发来的微信中，我感受到的也非恐惧，而是满满的正能量。其中一位用微信说道：“我们的政府和人民定会赢取这场战役！”另一位则写道：“我们并非害怕只是谨慎待之！”）

They remind me of the Chinese that an English author, Ann MacKenzie-Grieves, encountered when she lived in Amoy (Xiamen) in the 1920s. She felt Chinese,’“immense vitality the moment I first set foot in Amoy …It was a life, at times, frightening in its force. It needed to be strong to survive such human miseries as it daily faced.”（他们让我想起了英国作家安·麦肯兹·格丽芙笔下的中国人。那时是19世纪20年代，她正居住在厦门。一到厦门，她就感受到中国人民“充满着巨大的活力……那是一种生命力，有时，它所折射的力量甚至令人震撼。因为只有拥有强大的生命力，才能在充满着苦难的生活里得以生存。”）

This frighteningly powerful Chinese spirit is why China has survived not just centuries but millennia, and today it will carry not just China but the rest of the world through this present crisis.（这种强大的中国精神也正是中华文明得以流传几千年而仅非几个世纪的原因，到了今天，它也将引领中国以及全世界穿越当下的这场危机……

）

Our hearts are with all of you, and we hope to see you all again soon! 加油！（我们的心与你们同在，希望能尽快再次见到大家！加油！

）

William N.Brown

潘维廉

January 31, 2020

2020年01月31日

危难之中见真情。老潘的来信不仅温暖了所有正在积极防疫抗疫的新航道人，更给所有身处疫情笼罩的中国人以信心和力量。

不仅是老潘，新航道中国故事研究院英国籍专家斯明诚（David Symington）老师，在英航全面停飞往返中国航班的情况下，辗转从伦敦改签到巴黎再返回中国，坚定地与中国同事一起积极应对疫情；新航道武汉学校的美国外教Chris回美国后被隔离14天，解除隔离后立即投入到线上教学中……这些外国友人们无不用行动向我们传递出一种信心：中国加油！中国人民一定能战胜病毒，迎来最终的胜利！