英文散文欣賞-中國(guó)大軍赴美國(guó)生子，只為孩子擁有美國(guó)國(guó)籍

Birth tourism: Chinese flock to the US to have babies
Lured by US citizenship for their children, thousands of Chinese women give birth annually in the States, supporting a thriving birth-tourism industry.
Jiang Wenjun was getting ready to go to America. His wife, due to give birth to their son any day, was already there. Like any expectant parents, the Shanghai couple agonized over how best to prepare for the arrival and upbringing of their firstborn child. American citizenship, they decided, was one of the finest gifts they could bestow. America is the strongest country in the world, says Jiang, whose son was born just days after he eventually arrived in California this month. We want our child to have the best future.
The US is one of the few nations where simply being born on its soil confers citizenship on a newborn. That policy has spawned a birth-tourism industry, in which pregnant foreigners flock to American hospitals to secure US passports for their babies. Although the foreign couple can t acquire US nationality themselves, once their American-born offspring turn 21 they can theoretically sponsor their parents for future US citizenship. Another perk: these American-born kids can take advantage of the US education system, even paying lower in-state fees for public universities, depending on where they were delivered.
More rich Chinese than ever are sending their families and money abroad. One study of Chinese millionaires found that half had either emigrated or were thinking of doing so. Boston Consulting Group estimates that Chinese have some $450 billion stockpiled overseas. What s driving the exodus? Some wealthy citizens are spooked about the impact of an anticorruption campaign on their murkily sourced income. Others worry about the long-term risks of raising their kids in a polluted environment with dirty air, water and food. The pressure-cooker atmosphere of Chinese schools makes overseas schooling attractive. And even though China s draconian one-child policy is being loosened, some couples feel it s easier to give birth overseas and circumvent meddling by Chinese family-planning bureaucrats.
All of which has led to a proliferation of so-called anchor babies. At least 10,000 such Chinese babies were born in America last year, according to an estimate by an online platform dedicated to monitoring and rating confinement centers for Chinese women giving birth in the States. Naturally, a thriving business catering to these tiny foreign passport holders has developed. The Jia Mei Canadian and American Baby Counseling Services Center, with offices across China, charges between $30,000 and $40,000 to women who want to deliver babies in the States. The fee includes a plane ticket, accommodation in Los Angeles or Chicago in a two- or three-bedroom apartment or house, plus all the citizenship paperwork for the newborn. Women spend two months in the US before delivery and one month postpartum. Nannies, drivers and a chef will be shared among three women, promises Jia Mei. Of course, Chinese-speaking doctors will be on call.
Last month, Jia Mei, which has been in business for seven years, helped eight clients give birth in the US and another six in Canada, according to an employee surnamed Lu. The agency s extensive website features pictures of cheerful blond kids though it s not clear how the average Chinese couple will produce such a child. A 24-hour online hotline allows clients in the US or China to write in with any question they might have. The agency even offers a primer on how the US welfare system works and recommends the best organic beauty products for pregnant Chinese staying in the States.
Jiang and his wife, the Shanghai couple, didn t use an agency. An English-speaking sales manager, his wife simply procured a business visa to the US something she had successfully done before and set up camp in Rowland Heights, Calif. The L.A. County community, among others, has become notorious for a proliferation of maternity hotels for privileged expectant mothers from China. Jiang s wife has hired a nanny for her son and expects to return to Shanghai with the newborn in a month s time, after the US passport paperwork is completed.
China doesn t allow for dual citizenship, so American-born babies will have to procure Chinese residency through sometimes shady means. There are other catches. Eventually, young Americans, even those living abroad, are supposed to file tax returns and possibly pay taxes, something that s not widely known among many Chinese parents. Jia Mei s website, for instance, doesn t mention this potential financial obligation.
Jiang, 31, doesn t expect his son to return to America until he s in junior high school and can profit from the relative freedom of the US education system. But his wife has so enjoyed her time in California that she s considering adjusting their timetable. My wife thinks the air in L.A. is very good, and the food safety is good, he says. The weird thing is that many products are actually cheaper in America than in China. Maybe it makes sense for my son to live there sooner rather than later.
With reporting by Chengcheng Jiang / Beijing
為了讓孩子擁有美國(guó)國(guó)籍，每年有數(shù)以千計(jì)的中國(guó)準(zhǔn)媽媽選擇在美國(guó)接生，這樣一來(lái)，生育旅游產(chǎn)業(yè)應(yīng)運(yùn)而生并且發(fā)展迅速。
姜文君正準(zhǔn)備趕赴美國(guó)。他即將臨盆的妻子已經(jīng)在那里等候他了。和其他準(zhǔn)父母一樣，這對(duì)上海夫婦也在犯愁，如何才能給他們第一個(gè)孩子提供最好的降生和成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境。他們認(rèn)為，美國(guó)國(guó)籍是他們能夠給予子女的最好的禮物。 美國(guó)是世界上最強(qiáng)大的國(guó)家， 姜先生說(shuō)，他到達(dá)加州后沒幾天兒子便出生了， 我想要我的孩子有最好的未來(lái)。
美國(guó)是少數(shù)幾個(gè)在本土出生便擁有該國(guó)國(guó)籍的國(guó)家之一。正是由于這一政策，生育旅游產(chǎn)業(yè)應(yīng)運(yùn)而生，為了讓孩子一出生就擁有美國(guó)國(guó)籍，他國(guó)孕婦紛紛奔向美國(guó)醫(yī)院，即使這些媽媽們自己拿不到美國(guó)國(guó)籍，等子女一旦成長(zhǎng)到21歲，理論上也可支持父母申請(qǐng)美國(guó)國(guó)籍。美國(guó)產(chǎn)子的另一個(gè)好處是，這些美國(guó)出生的孩子能享受美國(guó)的教育，而且，公立大學(xué)只對(duì)本州學(xué)生收取非常少的學(xué)費(fèi)。(加利福尼亞州由于其享譽(yù)全球的大學(xué)教育系統(tǒng)而成為生育旅游的圣地。)
現(xiàn)在，比以往任何時(shí)期都多的中國(guó)富人選擇把家庭以及財(cái)產(chǎn)安頓到國(guó)外。一項(xiàng)針對(duì)中國(guó)富翁的調(diào)查顯示，其中有一半要么已經(jīng)移民，要么正正有此意。波士頓咨詢公司(BCG)估計(jì)，中國(guó)人約有4500億美金的海外儲(chǔ)蓄。是什么導(dǎo)致資產(chǎn)的大量外流呢?很多富人擔(dān)憂國(guó)內(nèi)的反貪污運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)波及到自己的灰色收入。其他的一些是擔(dān)心國(guó)內(nèi)空氣，水以及食物污染會(huì)給孩子的健康成長(zhǎng)帶來(lái)危害。另外，中國(guó)高壓鍋式的教育環(huán)境使在國(guó)外求學(xué)變得更有吸引力。而且，即使中國(guó)的獨(dú)生子女制度已經(jīng)不那么嚴(yán)苛，很多夫妻仍認(rèn)為到國(guó)外生子是規(guī)避與計(jì)劃生育官僚糾纏的更簡(jiǎn)單的方式。
所有這些導(dǎo)致了所謂 錨孩子 的數(shù)量激增。據(jù)一家專門監(jiān)控評(píng)估在美月子中心的網(wǎng)絡(luò)平臺(tái)估計(jì)，去年一年在美國(guó)出生的中國(guó)嬰兒達(dá)到一萬(wàn)名，這些月子中心專為中國(guó)孕婦在美產(chǎn)子開設(shè)，自然而然，這一服務(wù)于能拿到美國(guó)護(hù)照的小嬰兒的生意不斷壯大。加美生子咨詢服務(wù)中心就是這樣一家機(jī)構(gòu)，其分支遍布中國(guó)各地，服務(wù)費(fèi)高達(dá)3-4萬(wàn)美金。這一費(fèi)用包括一張機(jī)票，在洛杉磯或是芝加哥的兩或三居的住所，以及所有用于新生兒落戶的文件。孕婦可從臨盆前兩個(gè)月住到產(chǎn)后一個(gè)月。該機(jī)構(gòu)承諾，三個(gè)孕婦可共用保姆，司機(jī)以及廚師，而且有說(shuō)中文的醫(yī)生隨時(shí)等待接診。
據(jù)一位姓陸的員工所講，上個(gè)月，這家從事此行業(yè)已有七年的機(jī)構(gòu)已成功幫助八名孕婦在美產(chǎn)子，六名在加產(chǎn)子。該機(jī)構(gòu)網(wǎng)站上布滿了可愛的黃頭發(fā)寶寶的圖片 盡管搞不明白中國(guó)夫妻怎么能生出黃頭發(fā)寶寶。24小時(shí)在線熱線服務(wù)可及時(shí)解答在美或在中客戶提出的問題。該機(jī)構(gòu)甚至還為在美的中國(guó)孕婦提供介紹美國(guó)福利系統(tǒng)的讀本以及向他們推薦最棒的有機(jī)美容產(chǎn)品。
姜先生和她妻子并不是通過機(jī)構(gòu)去的美國(guó)。他妻子是一名銷售經(jīng)理，會(huì)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)，她僅拿了商務(wù)簽證去的美國(guó) 她曾經(jīng)這樣做過 并在加州的羅蘭崗安營(yíng)扎寨。洛杉磯縣社區(qū)是出了名的能為中國(guó)待產(chǎn)孕婦提供 月子賓館 的地方。姜為妻子雇了個(gè)保姆，并期待一個(gè)月內(nèi)在嬰兒所有美國(guó)護(hù)照手續(xù)完成后就帶著新生兒回上海。
中國(guó)不允許雙重國(guó)籍，因此這些美國(guó)出生的寶寶就不得不采取不正當(dāng)手段獲取中國(guó)國(guó)籍。(當(dāng)然，許多機(jī)構(gòu)都可提供此服務(wù)。)此外還有其他的束縛，這些小美國(guó)人即便不生活在美國(guó)，也要納稅并且申報(bào)納稅，但很多中國(guó)家長(zhǎng)并不清楚這一點(diǎn)。加美的網(wǎng)站上也沒提及這種潛在的經(jīng)濟(jì)負(fù)擔(dān)。
姜今年31歲，他希望等到兒子上初中時(shí)再回美國(guó)，到時(shí)候享受美國(guó)相對(duì)自由的教育。然而他妻子非常喜歡加州的生活，并考慮更改此前的計(jì)劃。 我妻子認(rèn)為洛杉磯的空氣質(zhì)量非常好，食品安全也讓人滿意， 他說(shuō)， 而且非常奇怪，許多商品都比國(guó)內(nèi)便宜。也許應(yīng)該讓我兒子盡早在美國(guó)定居。