<p>Answering my own question, with the best version among all submissions, "To have a taste of two thousand years of China, visit Xi'an; One thousand years of China, Beijing; One hundred years of China, Shanghai; And ten years of China, Shenzhen."</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-02T18:32:03.860Z
2019-02-02T18:32:03.860Z
WordyCraft
<p>要看两千年的中国，去西安；<br>
Wanna taste the flavour of China 2000 years ago? Go to Xi An!<br>
要看一千年的中国，去北京；<br>
Wanna taste the flavour of China 1000 years ago? Go to Beijing!<br>
要看一百年的中国，去上海；<br>
Wanna taste the flavour of China 100 years ago? Go to Shanghai!<br>
要看十年的中国，去深圳<br>
Wanna taste the flavour of China 10 years ago? Go to Shen Zhen!</p>

<p>The Chinese is not native, I would say. Is it a back translation from some English language tourist stuff?</p>

<p>Shanghai is rockin' and rollin', has not stopped at 100 years ago!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-21T14:48:53.240Z
Your are right, the Chinese does not sound native.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-21T14:50:21.377Z
I think the sentences do not mean these cities are in their ancient form, it just means how long those cities have been founded!
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-21T16:17:12.797Z
It sounds like a construction you'd use in English.  Not for tourism, but to mock the lack of culture/history in Shenzhen.  The other cities are just a setup for the punchline.
Ben Jackson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-29T03:02:38.990Z
The "ago" part seems to restrict what you call "flavor" one could get from each city to a specific time point in the past. However, I think the more precise idea should be more about the overall and entire time range dating back from current era to that time point in the past. So, any other alternative to "ago"? "Your translation is more suitable if the original is 要看n年**前**的中国，去X。"
WordyCraft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-30T03:16:58.053Z
If you have taken a train to Shanghai you will hear the exact sentences broadcasted in the train(minus the Shenzhen part). I believe it started in the early 2000s.
Wang Dingwei
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-30T02:06:18.413Z
Quote:- "The other cities are just a setup for the punchline" Yes, totally agree. The punchline is to "show" how China has deteriorated from a high culture society for the last 2000 years to the degenerated China as represented by Shenzhen, and it took only 10 short years to do it. The fact that it was broadcasted on trains, minus the Shenzhen part, proves it.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T09:01:30.153Z
I think the chinese sounds native. Maybe you should say 要看两千年"前"的中国, but as it is it seems ok. More concise expression. Also I think the saying actually is saying the cities Xian, Beijing, Shanghai are in their current form what they were n thousand years ago. Whether that is true or not is another matter.
i_dont_know
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T09:14:51.050Z
It is an incidental fact that cities founded n years ago look like chinese cities n years ago, not what the saying is implying.
i_dont_know
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-21T08:22:23.923Z
2020-01-29T18:01:31.237Z
2020-01-29T18:01:31.237Z
Pedroski
<p>To see how China looks like two thousand years ago, you'd visit Xi'an. To see the look of China one thousand years ago, you'd visit Beijing. To see the look of China one hundred years ago, visit Shanghai. To see the look of China 10 years ago, Visit Shenzhen.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-23T14:09:30.737Z
2018-12-23T14:09:30.737Z
stonelia
<p>What's the best translation to 「要看两千年的中国，去西安；要看一千年的中国，去北京；要看一百年的中国，去上海；要看十年的中国，去深圳」？</p>

<p>My version is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>To find two thousand years of China, go to Xi'an; To find one thousand years of China, go to Beijing; To find one hundred year of China, go to Shanghai; To find ten years of China, go to Shenzhen.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>My second version is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>To have a taste of two thousand years of China, visit Xi'an; One thousand years of China, Beijing; One hundred years of China, Shanghai; And ten years of China, Shenzhen.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Can someone make a better translation?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-20T20:01:02.077Z
Why do you translate 看 as 'find' but not 'see'?
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-20T21:57:38.827Z
You can probably replace *find* with *find out about*.
zyy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-20T21:58:17.850Z
"Find" seems more abstract and less restricted to the sense of visually and physically observing, which is closer to what "see" is more appropriate for. I think what this sentence intends to mean essentially is that you could also *experience* instead of just see such different things in the three different cities.
WordyCraft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-10T13:35:55.027Z
Personally I would put it as "...China of...years instead of "...years of China".
Rethliopuks
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T19:30:03.190Z
If you write the complete translation in an answer, I'll consider accepting it as the answer.
WordyCraft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-29T22:44:28.533Z
I'm sure exactly this has been asked before here! I just don't know how to find it!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-03T09:19:36.780Z
I personally think it is more appropriate to translate it literally. In the chinese form, that you can experience as well as see china n years ago is an inferred meaning. So it should be with the english translation.
i_dont_know
<translation><word-choice>
What's the best translation to 「要看两千年的中国，去西安；要看一千年的中国，去北京；要看一百年的中国，去上海；要看十年的中国，去深圳」？
# What's the best translation to 「要看两千年的中国，去西安；要看一千年的中国，去北京；要看一百年的中国，去上海；要看十年的中国，去深圳」？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-20)

What's the best translation to 「要看两千年的中国，去西安；要看一千年的中国，去北京；要看一百年的中国，去上海；要看十年的中国，去深圳」？

My version is

> To find two thousand years of China, go to Xi'an; To find one thousand years of China, go to Beijing; To find one hundred year of China, go to Shanghai; To find ten years of China, go to Shenzhen.

My second version is

> To have a taste of two thousand years of China, visit Xi'an; One thousand years of China, Beijing; One hundred years of China, Shanghai; And ten years of China, Shenzhen.

Can someone make a better translation?

**Tags:** translation, word-choice

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Why do you translate 看 as 'find' but not 'see'?  
> **username_2**: You can probably replace *find* with *find out about*.  
> **username_0**: "Find" seems more abstract and less restricted to the sense of visually and physically observing, which is closer to what "see" is more appropriate for. I think what this sentence intends to mean essentially is that you could also *experience* instead of just see such different things in the three different cities.  
> **username_3**: Personally I would put it as "...China of...years instead of "...years of China".  
> **username_0**: If you write the complete translation in an answer, I'll consider accepting it as the answer.  
> **username_4**: I'm sure exactly this has been asked before here! I just don't know how to find it!  
> **username_5**: I personally think it is more appropriate to translate it literally. In the chinese form, that you can experience as well as see china n years ago is an inferred meaning. So it should be with the english translation.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2019-02-02. Score: -1 | Accepted answer

Answering my own question, with the best version among all submissions, "To have a taste of two thousand years of China, visit Xi'an; One thousand years of China, Beijing; One hundred years of China, Shanghai; And ten years of China, Shenzhen."


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-12-21. Score: 7

要看两千年的中国，去西安；  
Wanna taste the flavour of China 2000 years ago? Go to Xi An!  
要看一千年的中国，去北京；  
Wanna taste the flavour of China 1000 years ago? Go to Beijing!  
要看一百年的中国，去上海；  
Wanna taste the flavour of China 100 years ago? Go to Shanghai!  
要看十年的中国，去深圳  
Wanna taste the flavour of China 10 years ago? Go to Shen Zhen!

The Chinese is not native, I would say. Is it a back translation from some English language tourist stuff?

Shanghai is rockin' and rollin', has not stopped at 100 years ago!

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Your are right, the Chinese does not sound native.  
> **username_2**: I think the sentences do not mean these cities are in their ancient form, it just means how long those cities have been founded!  
> **username_6**: It sounds like a construction you'd use in English.  Not for tourism, but to mock the lack of culture/history in Shenzhen.  The other cities are just a setup for the punchline.  
> **username_0**: The "ago" part seems to restrict what you call "flavor" one could get from each city to a specific time point in the past. However, I think the more precise idea should be more about the overall and entire time range dating back from current era to that time point in the past. So, any other alternative to "ago"? "Your translation is more suitable if the original is 要看n年**前**的中国，去X。"  
> **username_7**: If you have taken a train to Shanghai you will hear the exact sentences broadcasted in the train(minus the Shenzhen part). I believe it started in the early 2000s.  
> **username_8**: Quote:- "The other cities are just a setup for the punchline" Yes, totally agree. The punchline is to "show" how China has deteriorated from a high culture society for the last 2000 years to the degenerated China as represented by Shenzhen, and it took only 10 short years to do it. The fact that it was broadcasted on trains, minus the Shenzhen part, proves it.  
> **username_5**: I think the chinese sounds native. Maybe you should say 要看两千年"前"的中国, but as it is it seems ok. More concise expression. Also I think the saying actually is saying the cities Xian, Beijing, Shanghai are in their current form what they were n thousand years ago. Whether that is true or not is another matter.  
> **username_5**: It is an incidental fact that cities founded n years ago look like chinese cities n years ago, not what the saying is implying.  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2018-12-23. Score: 3

To see how China looks like two thousand years ago, you'd visit Xi'an. To see the look of China one thousand years ago, you'd visit Beijing. To see the look of China one hundred years ago, visit Shanghai. To see the look of China 10 years ago, Visit Shenzhen.


---

