近日，记者前往广西壮族自治区首府南宁——这座中国南方的经济边陲小城进行采访，发现平陆运河和美国科技巨头苹果公司的最新产品发布会几乎成了街谈巷议的热门话题。
During a recent reporting trip to the economic backwater of Nanning, the capital of southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the Pinglu Canal and US tech titan Apple’s latest product launch were on nearly everyone’s lips.
平陆运河于9月16日正式开通，旨在将广西打造成为中国西部内陆省份的海上物流门户，以及面向东南亚的贸易枢纽。然而，尽管地方政府大力宣传该水道的广阔前景，许多南宁市民仍不确定能否在日常生活中立刻感受到实惠。
The canal, which was officially opened on September 16, was built to make Guangxi a maritime logistics gateway for landlocked provinces in southwestern China and a nexus for trade with Southeast Asia. But many Nanning residents are not sure they will feel any immediate benefits in their daily lives, despite the regional government’s promotions of the waterway’s prospects.
在运河开通前一周，苹果公司在加州举办了年度最大规模的新品发布会，新款设备于9月18日起在中国各地开售，南宁也不例外。
A week before the canal opened, Apple staged its biggest new product launch of the year in California, and the new line-up of gadgets went on sale across China, including in Nanning, on September 18.
这些产品或将成为运河重塑经济版图、将宏大愿景转化为切实成果的闪亮范例。
They could become a shining example of the canal’s ability to reorganise economic geography and turn grandiose visions into something tangible.
据南宁苹果直营店一位“天才吧”技术专家透露，部分在越南组装的热门苹果产品——从无线AirPods耳机、Apple Watch可穿戴设备到HomePod智能音箱及其他配件——未来可能利用新运河更快抵达广西，再由此辐射至庞大的中国内地市场。
Some popular Apple products that are assembled in Vietnam – ranging from wireless AirPods earbuds and Apple Watch wearables to HomePod smart speakers and other accessories – may make use of the new canal to reach Guangxi faster, and from there move on to other parts of the massive Chinese market, according to a “Genius Bar” tech specialist at Apple’s store in Nanning.
他在做出这一乐观预测时，正被一群争相询问何时能买到心仪产品的准买家团团围住。
He made that optimistic forecast while being overwhelmed by a scrum of would-be buyers asking when they could get their hands on their desired products.
在运河开通前，部分苹果产品及其他来自东南亚的海运货物必须经由广州港中转，才能抵达广西及昆明、成都、重庆等西南城市，这一绕行路线使行程增加了500多公里（约311英里）。
Before the opening of the canal, some Apple products and other sea freight from Southeast Asia had to pass through Guangzhou’s port before reaching Guangxi and southwestern cities like Kunming, Chengdu and Chongqing, with the detour adding more than 500km (311 miles) to their journey.
人们也寄希望于这条连接省际河流、铁路线与北部湾的运河，能助力南宁振兴低迷的经济。这座拥有900万人口的城市，年经济总量在全国所有城市中仅排第49位，其4.7%的国内生产总值增速低于全国平均水平。
Hopes are also high that the canal, which connects interprovincial rivers and railway lines to the Gulf of Tonkin, will help revive Nanning’s sluggish economy. Home to 9 million people, the city’s annual economic output ranks just 49th across all cities in China, and its 4.7 per cent gross domestic product growth lagged the national average.
运河通航恰逢第23届中国—东盟博览会在南宁举行，中国官员包括排名第一的副总理丁薛祥在会上详细阐述了运河如何可能成为贸易与发展的催化剂。
The canal’s opening coincided with the 23rd China-Asean Expo in the city, where Chinese officials, including first-ranked Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, spoke at length about how it may become a catalyst for trade and development.
在博览会上，一家文莱海洋科技公司的代表告诉我，她读过《南华早报》关于该运河的报道。她说，许多东盟企业得益于这届年度博览会，已熟悉南宁及广西其他地区，并渴望研究互联互通增强带来的红利。
At the expo, a representative from a Bruneian marine technology company told me she had read South China Morning Post reports about the canal. Many Asean businesses had become familiar with Nanning and the rest of Guangxi thanks to the annual expo, she said, and were eager to study the benefits of enhanced connectivity.
尽管参展的外商对运河普遍热情高涨，但许多人因运河位于南宁郊外偏远农村地区而无法实地参观。当地官员表示欢迎自行前往参观，但未提供太多协助。
Despite the widespread enthusiasm about the canal among foreign exhibitors, many were unable to visit it due to its remote, rural location outside Nanning. Local officials said people were welcome to visit the canal on their own, without providing much help.
来自香港、台湾和东南亚的记者获安排参观了一座运河展览馆，馆内设有沙盘模型。
Reporters from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia were offered a guided tour of a canal exhibition hall that featured a sand table model.
许多人抱怨称，博览会期间甚至在南宁市内出行都很麻烦，居民需通过多层安检，从机场出发的出租车乘客还须接受面部、身份证及行李的AI扫描。
Many complained that even getting around Nanning was a hassle during the expo, with residents having to navigate multilayered security checks, and taxi passengers travelling from the airport subjected to AI-powered scans of faces, IDs and bags.
博览会场馆与附近地铁站之间的一座大型地下商业广场内的商铺，被勒令在活动期间连续关闭六天，以确保安全并让非参会人员保持距离。
Shops in a massive underground commercial plaza between the expo venue and a nearby subway station were ordered to shut for six consecutive days during the event to ensure safety and keep those not attending the expo at a distance.
一位新加坡记者告诉我，面对博览会和运河通航引发的关注度激增，广西当局的应对显得有些笨拙。但在南宁，人们切实感受到该地区正处于重大变革的前夜。
One Singaporean reporter told me the Guangxi authorities had been a bit clumsy in handling the spike in attention sparked by the expo and the opening of the canal. But there is a palpable sense in Nanning that the region is on the cusp of a big transformation.
人群继续挤满该市的苹果直营店，这凸显了国际品牌在中国这个民族多元、远离东部繁华大都市地区的市场潜力。
Crowds continue to pack the city’s Apple Store, pointing to the market potential for international brands in an ethnically diverse part of China that is far from its bustling eastern metropolises.
更多由基础设施驱动的商业活动可能再次使中国的一个地区实现现代化，沿用了交通便利的沿海地区开创的成功模式。文/Frank Chen
More infrastructure-powered commerce may once again modernise a Chinese region, following the successful pattern pioneered by well-connected coastal regions.