Hooray for Chollywood

Move over, Hollywood. China's movie industry, or 'Chollywood, ' is getting so influential it can now save another country from recession.

靠边站，好莱坞。中国的电影产业“中莱坞”(Chollywood)正变得极具影响力，以至于能够帮助另外一个国家避免陷入衰退。

The country in question, Thailand, has seen its trade balance disintegrate to a deficit of 6% of gross domestic product from a surplus of the same over the past two years. The only reason this hasn't sent the currency plummeting, and forced a recession, is that tourist inflows are acting as an offset, says Jonathan Anderson of the Emerging Advisors Group.

这里所说的国家是泰国。过去两年里，泰国的贸易差额从占国内生产总值(GDP) 6%的贸易顺差变为同样比例的贸易逆差。Emerging Advisors Group的安德森(Jonathan Anderson)说，泰国的货币没有随之暴跌、经济没有出现衰退的唯一原因就在于，入境游客流抵消了贸易逆差。

Net travel revenue doubled to 9% of Thai GDP today from five years ago--and like in so much else, the new demand comes from China. Visitors from the mainland jumped 93% year-over-year between January and April.

如今泰国净旅游收入占GDP的9%，较五年前增长了一倍。与其他很多事一样，新的需求来自中国。今年1月至4月，来自中国内地的游客同比增长了93%。

For the recent tourists, Thailand can especially thank the 2012 box-office-hit 'Lost in Thailand.' Consider that comedy China's version of 'The Hangover II, ' except the movie makes Thailand seem charming, not seedy. The Thai prime minister was so grateful she even invited the movie's director for a recent meeting.

对于最近的游客潮，泰国尤其应该感谢2012年的热映影片《人再囧途之泰囧》(Lost in Thailand)。这部中国喜剧片可以说是中国版的《宿醉2》(The Hangover II)，只是在《泰囧》中泰国似乎充满魅力，而不是破破烂烂的。泰国总理对此很是感激，她最近甚至还接见了《泰囧》的导演。

China isn't anywhere near yet to exerting the global cultural influence wielded by Hollywood. Still, there's a lot to be said for Chollywood's hard-currency clout.

中国目前在全球文化领域还远远没有好莱坞那样的影响力。不过，中国电影产业的经济影响力却是有目共睹的。