Chinese cops on patrol in Italy to protect Chinese tourists

On a perfect May afternoon, with the Roman sunlight glinting off the ancient arches of the Colosseum, Officer Pang Bo adjusted his sunglasses and began his patrol. More or less. He walked around. He looked at tourists, and a few tourists looked at him. He posed for a few photographs.

一个美好的5月下午，罗马的阳光在斗兽场的古老拱门上闪耀，庞波警官扶了扶太阳镜，开始巡逻。多少也算是巡逻吧。他四下走动，看着游客，一些游客也看着他。他摆出姿势，让大家拍了几张照片。

In his dark-blue uniform and cap, Officer Pang is a top supervisor in one of China's biggest police departments, in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou. But for two weeks, he and three other Chinese police officers are in Italy with strict orders: to protect Chinese tourists.

身着黑蓝色制服和帽子的庞波，是南方城市广州的公安局——中国最庞大的警察局之一——的高级警官。但是他和其他三名中国警察要在意大利工作两周。他们接到的命令很明确：保护中国游客。

That is, even if it isn't completely clear how four Chinese cops divided between Rome and Milan can make a difference. Or what the tourists need to be protected from.

尽管尚不清楚在罗马和米兰的这四名中国警察能起到多大作用。同样不清楚的是游客在哪方面需要得到保护。

"The first day when we patrolled, the Chinese tourists saw us, and they were amazed," said Officer Pang, 44.

"在我们巡逻的第一天，中国游客看到我们，觉得很惊奇，"44岁的庞波说。

Tourist season is in full bloom in Italy, and few countries are more important suppliers of tourists than China. Nearly three million Chinese visit Italy every year, a figure that is steadily rising, as Italy has become one of the top European destinations for Chinese tourists, along with France.

意大利进入了全面的旅游旺季，中国基本上是其最重要的游客来源地。每年有近300万中国人前往意大利旅游，这个数字还在稳步上升。对中国游客而言，意大利和法国一样，已经成为欧洲的顶级目的地之一。

But for some Chinese tourists, Italy and other European countries can mean anxiety and confusion. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels have raised security concerns for tourists coming to Europe, including Chinese visitors. And reports of petty crime are fairly common in Rome (and in cities like Barcelona and Paris), especially of pickpockets preying on Chinese tourists known for carrying cash.

但对于一些中国游客来说，意大利等欧洲国家可能意味着焦虑和困惑。近来巴黎和布鲁塞尔发生的恐怖袭击，让赴欧游客对安全感到担心，其中也包括中国游客。在罗马（以及巴塞罗那、巴黎那样的城市），轻微犯罪行为相当普遍，中国游客喜欢携带现金，特别容易被扒手盯上。

Such thefts are amplified on Chinese social media, as some travelers spin dark tales of stolen wallets, lost passports and Italian swindlers. These are problems that can arise for travelers from any country, except Chinese also face a cultural and linguistic divide in knowing how to seek help.

这种盗窃案在中国的社交媒体上被放大，一些旅行者讲述钱包被盗、丢失护照和遭遇意大利骗子的糟糕经历。这样的问题可能发生在任何国家的游客身上，但在寻求帮助的时候，中国人还面临着文化和语言障碍。

"It's our duty to make Chinese fall in love with Rome and Italy," said Alessandro Zucconi, the president of the Young Hoteliers Federation in Rome, who agreed that "misunderstandings" sometimes occur between the two cultures. "They are not like the Germans, who mostly come knowing our culture and literature better than we do."

"让中国人爱上罗马和意大利，这是我们的职责，"罗马青年酒店业主联合会(Young Hoteliers Federation)主席亚历山德罗•祖科尼(Alessandro Zucconi)说。他同意两个不同文化之间有时会出现"误解"。"他们不像德国人，德国人大多比我们自己还了解这里的文化和文学。"

Enter Officer Pang and his cohort.

这就是庞警官及其同事的用武之地。

"So far, no," said Officer Pang, who once worked as a peacekeeper in Bosnia and who speaks English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. "We just help the people. Most of them say, 'Oh, I'm very glad to see you. I'm glad you are here.' "

"到目前为止还没有遇到过，"庞警官说，"我们都是在为游客提供帮助。大多数人都说，'噢，真高兴看到你。真高兴你在这里。'"庞警官曾在波黑参加维和行动，能说英语、法语、普通话和粤语。

In a report this year, Italy's Foreign Ministry cited the need to improve services for Chinese visitors, such as to provide more signs in Mandarin and also to be sensitive to the "perception of petty crime risks."

旅游业是至关重要的一个行业。在今年的一份报告中，意大利外交部称需要提升对中国游客的服务，比如增加中文提示牌，以及密切注意"轻微犯罪风险给人留下的印象"。

Out on the streets of Rome, Officer Pang and Officer Li strode down one of the capital's busiest shopping streets, Via del Corso, parting a sea of tourists. When they came upon two young women from China, they stopped, chatted and posed for selfies.

在罗马的大街上，庞波和李祥沿着首都热闹的购物街之一科尔索大道(Via del Corso)，在如潮的游客中穿行。他们遇到两名来自中国的年轻姑娘，停下来聊了几句，并与她们自拍合影。

One of the women, who would identify herself only by her surname, Fang, was an exchange student at a local university. Though she had not experienced any problems in Rome, she seemed pleased to see Chinese officers on the streets.

其中一名只愿透露自己姓方（音）的姑娘，是当地一所大学的交换生。尽管未在罗马遇到任何问题，但她似乎对在大街上看到中国警察感到很高兴。

"They make me feel very safe in another country," said Ms. Fang, 20.

"他们让我觉得在另一个国家非常安全，"20岁的她说。

Officer Pang acknowledged that four officers were not likely to make a big impact. But he said more officers could possibly come in the future. And clearly the publicity was raising awareness. Officer Pang said he had granted interviews to news media outlets from around the world.

庞波承认，四个警察不太可能产生很大的影响。但他说，将来可能会有更多警察来。并且显然相关宣传增强了民众的意识。庞波说，他可以接受世界各地的新闻媒体的采访。