A Parallel Chinese-Language Internet Helps Immigrants Navigate Life in America美国平行中文网为移民导航

弗兰克·熊

When Grace Hui moved to Los Angeles from China in 2014 and Googled the Chinese characters for “Los Angeles immigrant，” the first result was Chineseinla.com.

The Chino Hills1-based website， a disorganized Yelp2-meets-Craigslist3 hybrid， was a throwback4， and Hui， 29， thought some of the posts were phishing5 scams.

But with more than 680，000 listings， more than 350，000 registered users， 2 million monthly visits and sister sites in 15 cities， Chineseinla.com has become a teeming virtual portal to Chinese life in America. Its one of the only ways that Hui could connect to a country she couldnt understand.

In the San Gabriel Valley and in Chinese enclaves across the nation， a new wave of Chinese immigrants—many of them affluent students with poor English skills and a smartphone habit—are tapping into a parallel system of Chinese-language apps and websites geared toward helping them navigate life in America.

The growth of these websites are a side effect of a stubborn reality： The language and cultural barriers that new immigrants face extend onto the Internet.

As unprecedented numbers of Chinese people arrive in Los Angeles searching for prosperity， they find themselves in an alternate version of the city—a Los Angeles where the best restaurants are in San Gabriel， the most capable doctors are in Monterey Park， and Arcadia is the hottest real estate destination in California.

Chineseinla.com， launched in 2006， is one of the oldest parts of the Chinese-language Internet， according to founder Zach Song. It began as a Wikipedia-style collection of knowledge that Song hoped would help new immigrants combat the feeling of helplessness he and his wife felt when they first came from Shanghai in 2003.

The websites users eventually grew more interested in selling things， so he redesigned the website to function like Craigslist and include business listings and reviews like Yelp. As online advertising became their main source of revenue， he incorporated Chinese-language news posts and discussion forums to draw traffic.

More than half of Los Angeles Countys Chinese population speaks limited English， according to the American Community Survey6， and a larger， temporary population of Chinese students， tourists， and travelers has even fewer English skills.

The language barrier that Chinese immigrants face also prevents American businesses from reaching them. For example， ToGo626.com7 offers delivery from about 400 mostly Chinese restaurants—fewer than 10 of which are listed on American food delivery apps such as Postmates8 and Eat249， said co-founder Mac Xu. The app has been downloaded 20，000 times since it was created and the company processes about 200 orders every day with a staff of about 40 drivers， he says.

One of the biggest shortcomings of the English-language Internet， many say， is how sites evaluate Chinese food.

Dai Ho， a noodle restaurant in Temple City10， has 3.5 stars on review site Yelp， typical for a cash-only Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley that lacks service， variety or amenities. But the noodles， hand-pulled and made fresh in limited quantities each day， are revelatory， said Amy Duan， the founder of Chihuo， a Chinese food community. Her app lists it as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles.

“We always saw five-star rated restaurants that arent very good， and three-star restaurants where the food is fantastic，” Duan said.

At thechihuo.coms offices in El Monte， an illustrated map displays a distorted projection of Los Angeles based on Chinese food preferences. The San Gabriel Valley takes up two-thirds of the map， Torrance11 is featured more prominently than Long Beach， and South and East Los Angeles arent depicted at all.

Duan and a group of Chinese students at USC launched Chihuo seven years ago after their dining clubs social media posts became popular. Their audience， Duan said， is Chinese people who are intensely specific about Chinese food. They want to know if a spicy dish has ma la （numbing heat）， xin la （pungent heat） or suan la （sour heat）， and whether the noodles are hand-pulled or knife-shaved.

“We needed a platform or a place where people could discuss food in Chinese，” Duan said. “We provide a perspective based on Chinese peoples tastes.”

Specific Chinese tastes also spurred the creation of dating website 2RedBeans， said founder Qinghua Zhao.

The site， named for the red bean that symbolizes love in Chinese culture， has more than 690，000 users across the U.S. and in China， and about 70，000 of them are in Los Angeles.

Zhao founded the site in 2011 after years of bad experiences with eHarmony， OkCupid and Match.com.

She speaks perfect English and shes open to dating someone who isnt Chinese， but finding someone who wanted a serious relationship and shared her values was like “finding a needle in a haystack.”

Its not just a language barrier fueling the Chinese-centric sites popularity， Zhao said. Swipe12-style dating apps， such as Tinder and Bumble， are often too forward and casual for Chinese users， she says.

Chinese singles tend to be shy， Zhao said. 2RedBeans caters to that with several nonverbal ways to interact. Users can wink at， favorite or secretly admire other users. If both people admire each other secretly， the app matches you. 2RedBeans also regularly hosts dating events where staffers help Chinese singles socialize.                                   ■

当格蕾丝·惠在2014年从中国移居到洛杉矶時，在谷歌上用汉字搜索“洛杉矶移民”，搜索结果第一条是洛杉矶华人资讯网。

这家总部位于奇诺岗市的网站页面杂乱，布局是Yelp和Craigslist的混合体，整个网站比较老套，29岁的惠女士以为有些帖子是钓鱼诈骗。

但是洛杉矶华人资讯网拥有68万多条目、超过35万名注册用户、每月200万次访问量，还在15个城市有姊妹网站，已经成为在美华人生活的一个热闹非凡的虚拟门户网站。这是惠能够融入这个她不了解的国家仅有的几条途径之一。

在圣盖博谷和全美的华人聚居地，新一波中国移民中，很多人是有钱的学生，英语不太好，习惯用智能手机，他们正在使用一系列平行中文应用和网站，这些应用与网站的设计初衷是帮助这些人轻松应对在美国的生活。

新移民面对的语言和文化障碍延伸到了因特网，而这些网站的发展正是这个难以解决的现实问题带来的意外结果。

数量空前的中国人来到洛杉矶寻求富裕的生活，发现自己好像身处不同版本的洛杉矶：最好的餐馆都在圣盖博，最棒的医生都在蒙特雷公园市，而阿卡迪亚则是加州最热门的置地安居之所。

据创始人扎克·宋介绍，洛杉矶华人资讯网创办于2006年，是美国最早的中文网站之一。该网站最初是维基百科式的知识汇总。宋和他的妻子在2003年从上海第一次来这里时曾感到无助，他希望这个网站可以帮新移民减轻这种无助感。

结果，该网站的用户对卖东西更感兴趣，所以他重新设计了网站，使网站功能类似Craigslist，而又包括像Yelp一样的企业名录和点评。当在线广告成为他们主要的收入来源时，他给网站增设了中文新闻和论坛来吸引流量。

美国社区普查数据显示，洛杉矶县超过半数的华人英语水平有限，还有更多暂住的中国学生、游客和旅客，他们英语水平更低。

中国移民面临的语言障碍也使他们无法享受美国公司提供的服务。比如，ToGo626.com提供约400家餐馆（大多是中餐馆）的外卖服务。联合创始人麦克·徐说，这些中餐馆只有不到10家被Postmates和Eat24这样的美国送餐应用程序收录。他说，自创办以来，该应用已被下载2万次，公司约有40个送餐员，每天处理约200份订单。

很多人认为，英语网站的一大缺点是其评价中餐的方式。

大和是位于天普市的一家面馆，在点评网站Yelp上的评分是3.5星——这家馆子服务和品种单一，没什么便利设施，且只收现金，对于圣盖博谷地区这样的普通中餐馆来说，这种评分很平常。但是，华人美食社区“吃货小分队”的创始人艾米·段说，这家的面条是手工拉的，而且为保新鲜每天限量供应，这种模式很有启发性。她的应用把这家面馆列为洛杉矶最好的中餐馆之一。

“我们常常发现，一些被评五星的餐馆不是很好，而三星餐馆里的食物却棒极了。”段说。

在吃货小分队位于艾尔蒙特的办公室里，有一幅插画式地图，展示的是基于食客对中餐的偏好绘制的变形的洛杉矶。圣盖博谷占据了地图的三分之二，托伦斯比长滩市更突出，而洛杉矶的南部和东部根本就没画出来。

七年前他们的美食俱乐部在社交媒体上的发帖火了之后，段和南加州大学的一群华人学生创办了吃货小分队。段说，他们的受众是对中餐要求极为明确的华人。他们想知道一道辣菜是麻辣、辛辣还是酸辣，面条是手拉的还是刀削的。

“我们需要一个可以用中文谈论食物的平台或地方。”段说，“我们提供了基于华人口味的评判视角。”

婚恋交友网“两颗红豆”创始人赵清华说，满足华人的特定喜好也是该网站创办的初衷。

该网站以在中国文化里象征爱情的红豆命名，在全美国和中国拥有69万多名用户，其中约有7万用户在洛杉矶。

在eHarmony、OkCupid和Match.com上有过很多年糟糕的体验后，赵清华于2011年创办了该网站。

她英语很好，也愿意和非华人约会，但是要找到一个想要认真交往并且和她有共同价值观的人就像是“大海捞针”。

赵清华说，促使这些以华人为中心的网站盛行的不仅仅是语言障碍。她说，Tinder和Bumble等“翻牌”式交友应用软件对华人用户来说常常太冒失、太随意。

她说，华人单身者往往很腼腆。为迎合这一点，“两颗红豆”用几种非语言方式来互动。用户可以对其他用户“眨眼”“喜爱”或“偷偷欣赏”。如果两个人彼此偷偷欣赏，应用就把两人配对。两颗红豆也经常主办交友活动，由工作人员帮助华人单身者进行交往。              □

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1洛杉矶华人东区的一个新兴都市。  2美国最大的点评网站。  3美国著名的分类广告网站。  4 throwback倒退。  5 phishing网钓（通过互联网或电邮骗取他人身份信息、银行账号等以盗取金钱）。

6指美国人口普查局每年进行的美国社区普查数据，每年调查350万社区居民，问题包括居民的居住和生活情况，从不同角度了解美国居民的生活状况。  7洛杉矶一家华人餐饮外卖平台。  8一家同城快递和外卖公司，提供食品配送应用程序。  9美国点评网站Yelp旗下的外卖服务平台。  10天普市位于华人最密集的圣盖博谷地区，距离洛杉矶市区15分钟左右的车程，城市面积10.37平方公里，是一个中产阶层聚居的华人移民小城。

11洛杉矶西南部城市。

12指交友软件的左滑（Swipe Left）和右滑（Swipe Right）功能。软件推送异性用户时，手机屏幕上只呈现一张照片，手指向左滑（Swipe Left）表示不喜欢，该用户以后都不会再出现;右滑（Swipe Right）表示喜欢。彼此右滑过的，双方自动配对成为好友，可以聊天。