Chinese Help Rebuild New York

The 9/11 terrorist¹ attack in New York not only killed people. It also killed local businesses, too, as many residents and companies moved out of the devastated² area. 10 years on things are finally recovering. One Chinese restaurant has been part of this regeneration. Dominic Swire recently visited and brings us this report.

 
Anna Lou and her mother show me around the kitchen of their Chinese restaurant in southwest Manhattan. The building's located in a classy area close to the World Trade Center. But just a few years ago the property lay derelict in an area still suffering from the 9/11 terrorist attack. Owner Marianna Lou explains.

"After 9/11 a lot of space downtown was closed. Because here was so much dust and dirt. A lot of people had to move out from here because the whole area here was empty, no one here. Many places downtown were closed, here, too."

The building's located in an area called Battery Park City. It used to be a Chinese restaurant before 9/11, catering³ for many workers from the World Trade Centre. But after the terrorist attack it had to close. Anna Lou is the owner's daughter.

"A lot of their clientele came from the two buildings that came down, so a lot of people that worked there would come here for lunch. Then after 9/11 I think this whole Battery Park City was covered in dust and sediment⁴ from the buildings. So a lot of people evacuated⁵ the area and the government even had to pay subsidies⁶ to persuade people to stay here in their apartments instead of moving away to another city or state."

These subsidies helped the current owners start their business. Now, several years on, the place is just one of several smart restaurants looking across the Hudson River towards the Statue of Liberty. But it shares another link with 9/11, as waiter Tony Tom used to serve food at the top of the World Trade Center in the 1970s. So, for him the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is even more poignant⁷.

"I feel sad of course. I didn't expect to see anything like that in my life. I didn't expect to see anything like that in America. Impossible. I could find these things on the TV but not in reality. I didn't expect a plane to hit the World Trade Center. That was... I can't describe my feeling, you known what I'm saying?"

Just a few blocks away by the World Trade Center you can feel a resurgence⁸ of energy as businesses return and new buildings are constructed. It's a recovery towards which the Chinese have also played their part.

Reporting for CRI in New York, I'm Dominic Swire.

1 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

2 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

3 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

4 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

5 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

6 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

8 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。