中國百萬"蟻族"的命運該何去何從
他們大學畢業，懷揣夢想來到大都市，居所狹小、收入微薄、現狀堪憂。他們和螞蟻有許多類似的特點：高智、弱小、羣居，他們，就是在中國被稱爲“蟻族(ant tribe)”的100萬的龐大羣體。“蟻族”的數量不斷上升也彰顯了一代人的痛苦、無奈和彷徨。
Dressed in a crisp suit, Li Zhirui, sitting on the window seat of a Beijing bus, silently gazes at the European-style villas, luxury cars and illuminated shopping malls as they pass him by.
西裝筆挺的李志銳（音譯）坐在北京公交車中臨窗的位置，默默地凝視着那些掠過眼前的歐式別墅、豪華汽車以及燈火通明的購物中心。
As soon as his stop arrives, he takes off his tie and walks to his rickety second hand motorbike parked nearby.
到站之後，他立即解下領帶，走到他那停在附近的，破舊的二手摩托車旁。
He doesn't even have a license. But he is far away from the city, safe from the traffic police and his colleagues, who might judge his life outside of the office.
他甚至連個駕照都沒有。但他住得離市區較遠，這樣既躲避了交警，也逃開了那些想窺探他私底下生活的同事的視線。
After a 15-minute ride, he finally squeezes his way into the reality of life: An 8-square-meter room that costs 500 yuan ($74) a month, or a fourth of his salary, where he sleeps away his nights.
經過15分鐘的車程，他最終回到了自己侷促的現實生活中：一間8平米的房間，500元的月租（合74美金）相當於他月收入的 1/4，在這裏他度過了無數長夜。
It's just another day in Li's life.
在李志銳的生活中，這只是平常的一天而已。
The 27-year-old native of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province is trying to save every penny he can to buy an apartment in the national capital.
作爲土生土長的黑龍江人，27歲的李志銳儘量節省每一分開支，以便可以在首都北京買房。
His determination to one day become a homeowner has become even stronger after his fiance, a fourth-year university student, dumped him last month when he refused to buy a second hand car and an engagement ring for her.
他立志有一天要擁有屬於自己的房子。就在上個月，他還在就讀大學四年級的未婚妻提出分手，而原因就李志銳未能給她買一輛二手車以及訂婚戒指。此後李志銳想要買房的決心更加堅定不移。
"She hated the fact that I used to bring my drinking water from home and only bought her a cup of coffee when we went out," he said
他說：“她不喜歡在我們出去約會時，只她買一杯咖啡而我自己卻總是從家自帶水喝。”.
"My monthly salary is only 2,000 yuan. So you calculate how many cups of coffee I can afford."
“我的月薪只有2000元。所以你可以算算我能夠買得起幾杯咖啡。”
Li's story is similar to that of many low-income graduates who have moved into the fringes of China's wealthiest cities like Beijing and Shanghai to squeeze out a living.
李志銳的故事並非個案。在北京、上海等富庶城市中，許多收入微薄的大學畢業生都居住在城市的邊緣地帶。
They are China's "ant tribe", a term coined by the country's sociologists to describe the struggling young migrants, who, armed with their diplomas, scramble to big cities in hope of a better life only to find low-paying jobs and disastrous living conditions.
他們是中國的“蟻族”，這一術語是中國社會學家們提出的，用來描述那些爲生活而奮鬥的年輕外來者，他們懷揣大學文憑，夢想着能夠過上更好的生活，爭相涌向大都市，結果只找到些收入不高的工作，且生存環境極其惡劣。
According to a survey in the Blue Book about the country's talents, which was released by the Social Sciences Academy Press, more than 1 million such "ants" live in the big cities of China.
根據社會科學文獻出版社發佈的《中國人才藍皮書》顯示，有超過100萬的“蟻族”生活在中國各大城市中。
The survey said more than 100,000 low-income college graduates live in Beijing, and such groups also exist in large scales in cities like Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Zhengzhou and Nanjing.
該調查顯示，超過10萬低收入的高校畢業生生活在北京。在廣州、西安、重慶、太原、鄭州以及南京這些城市中，這一羣體同樣數量衆多。
The number of college graduates, aged 22 to 29, has been growing since China greatly expanded its university enrollment system over the past decade.
在過去十年中，中國大力推行高校擴招政策，22至29歲之間的高校畢業生數量與日俱增。
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates has jumped from 1.07 million in 2000 to 6.11 million in 2009.
教育部相關統計數字顯示，高校畢業生已從2000年的107萬人增加到2009年的611萬人。
The shabby houses where the "ant tribe" lives usually have many tiny restaurants, Internet bars, hair salons and clinics in close proximity, the survey said.
調查顯示，通常“蟻族們”所居住的破舊房屋附近，有很多的小餐館、網吧、理髮店以及診所等。
The "ants" don't have a stable job and their average salary is below 2,000 yuan per month, it said.
報告稱，“蟻族”們的工作並不穩定，平均月薪低於2000元。
Lian Si, a post-doctoral fellow at Peking University, who wrote a book about the "ant tribe", said: "They share every similarity with ants. They live in colonies in cramped areas; they're intelligent, hardworking, yet anonymous and underpaid."
北京大學博士後研究員廉思曾出版過一本關於“蟻族”的著作，他表示：“他們和螞蟻有着許多類似特點。他們羣居在狹小的空間中；高智商，勤勞肯幹，但卻默默無聞，收入微薄。”
The embarrassing living situation of the "ant tribe" has been a serious social issue and the government should develop "second- and third- tier cities" to attract more graduates from big cities, the Blue Book said.
藍皮書中還提到，“蟻族”們的尷尬困境已成爲一個嚴重的社會問題，政府應該發展二、三線城市以吸引更多來自大城市的高校畢業生。
