塞上薰衣草和小麥後 玩具熊在中國受熱捧

Starting weeks before Christmas, Robert Ravens had to ration sales of teddy bears to people visiting his lavender farm in this remote corner of Australia to one per customer. Demand was so fierce that as soon as each furry purple Bobbie Bear shell was stuffed with a mixture of lavender and wheat, it was rushed straight to the gift store.

從 誕節前好幾個星期開始，由於來自己這個位於澳大利亞偏遠角落的薰衣草農場購買泰迪熊的人太多，羅伯特·拉文斯 (Robert Ravens)不得不實行每人只能購買一隻的限制。由於需求太過旺盛， 被塞上薰衣草和小麥的混合物後，毛茸茸的紫色博比熊(Bobbie Bear)就直接被送到了禮品店。

Mr. Ravens had already stopped shipping overseas and interstate. He had stopped taking Internet orders. His small staff at Bridestowe Lavender Estate couldn't keep up with demand coming almost solely from one place: China.

拉文斯已經停止了向海外和州外供貨，也不再從網上接收訂單，因爲他在Bridestowe Lavender Estate薰衣草莊園的小團隊無法維護如此大量的需求。這些需求幾乎來自一個地方：中國。

'We're not aiming to dominate the world of fluffy bears. Our business is fine lavender,' said Mr. Ravens. 'But somehow we've tapped the cultural psyche of 30-year-old Chinese ladies.'

拉文斯說：“我們沒打算控制絨毛熊的世界。我們的主營業務是優質的薰衣草，但卻莫名其妙地觸碰到了30多歲中國女性心靈深處的需求。”

The rush on Bobbie Bears is what happens when suddenly insatiable Chinese demand meets limited supply. Mr. Ravens said the farm -- where a spacious gift shop overlooks trim rows of lavender, an hour's drive through quiet farmland from the closest airport -- has seen 'near riot' conditions since the rationing began. The annual number of visitors has nearly tripled in six years to 60,000 in 2013.

當中國人突如其來的強烈需求遭遇有限的供應，就會出現類似博比熊需求旺盛這樣的情況。拉文斯說，自限購開始後，農場就出現了“近乎暴亂”的情形。從最近的機場到這片寧靜的農場有一小時車程，從寬敞的禮品店可俯瞰一排排修剪整齊的薰衣草。2013年，全年遊客人數較六年前增長了近兩倍，達到6萬人。

Wealthy Chinese have bid up the price of investment assets in recent years from property in Vancouver to French Bordeaux and modern art. As prosperity in China spreads, Chinese are doing the same with consumer goods.

近幾年，從溫哥華房產到法國波爾多紅酒，再到現代藝術品，富有的中國人已經擡高了全球各地資產投資的價格。隨着中國繁榮勢頭的擴散，消費商品也遭遇了同樣的情形。

Voracious demand from Chinese tourists for luxury goods to give as gifts or to sell at a markup back home often threatens to clear the shelves of major brands in France. Gucci stores in Paris sometimes limit the number of bags customers can buy per passport to ensure supply.

薰衣草小熊中國遊客對奢侈品的旺盛需求常常會導致法國各大品牌的貨架被一掃而空，他們把這些奢侈品帶回中國送人或漲價轉手。巴黎的古馳(Gucci)商店有時會限制每本護照可購買手袋的數量，以確保供應。

Karicare, a brand of milk powder made from New Zealand goats' milk that sells in Australia and New Zealand, has quadrupled production to 20,000 tons over the last three years to meet demand from Chinese consumers, some of whom are reselling online in China. Even that might not be enough.

在澳大利亞和新西蘭有售的新西蘭羊奶奶粉品牌Karicare在過去三年內將產量增加了三倍，至2萬噸，以滿足中國消費者的需求，他們中的一些人會買來後在中國網上轉售。但即便如此，產量還是供不應求。

The company, a unit of Group Danone, says on its website that due to 'unprecedented demand' it cannot find enough high quality goats milk.

隸屬達能集團(Group Danone)的Karicare在公司網站上宣佈，由於“前所未有的旺盛需求”，公司無法找到足夠的高品質羊奶。

The craze for Bobbie the teddy bear has come with all the attendant effects of a China boom.

博比熊熱就是伴隨中國繁榮帶來的影響而出現的。

Bridestowe sells Bobbie for about $48.50 or about 300 yuan, up from about $23 five years ago, after raising the price five times. In China, online retailers currently sell them for about 400 yuan, up from 300 only a few months ago. But, Mr. Ravens said, many are knockoffs; his authorized distributor estimates 100,000 fakes have been sold online. Three online retailers reached in China all said they were selling authentic Bobbie Bears.

博比熊五年前的定價是23美元左右，後來Bridestowe莊園陸續漲價五次，目前價格約爲48.5美元，相當於人民幣300元左右。在中國，網上零售商目前要價約400元，而幾個月前才300元。但拉文斯說，很多都是冒牌貨；他的授權經銷商估計網上售出的假貨共有10萬個。記者在中國聯繫的三家網上零售商均表示自己出售的是正品博比熊。

The price of lavender in Australia is also rising, selling for $55 to $90 per kilogram, up from less than $40 a year ago, according to Jean Sargeant, president of the Australian Lavender Growers Association.

澳大利亞薰衣草種植者協會(Australian Lavender Growers Association)會長讓·薩金特(Jean Sargeant)表示，澳大利亞薰衣草的價格也在上漲，每公斤售價在55到90美元之間，一年前還不到40美元。

'I've had three lots of Chinese here over the picking season,' said Ms. Sargeant. 'One guy said 'I'll buy the entire crop.' '

薩金特說：“採摘季的時候這裏有相當於三塊薰衣草田面積的中國人。有一個人說‘ 我全都包了’。”

Bobbie Bears have tapped into Chinese consumers' desire for peace of mind after recurring food and product safety scandals at home.

中國接連發生食品及產品安全醜聞後，博比熊抓住了中國消費者尋求內心平靜的渴望。

'Anything natural from somewhere with blue skies and clean air and water is dreamy for Chinese consumers,' said Chen Huan, a 28-year-old who works for a public-relations firm in Shanghai. She bought four bears -- three as gifts -- from a friend.

供職於上海一家公關公司、現年28歲的Chen Huan說：“從藍天到幹 的空氣和水，任何自然的東西對中國消費者來說都是夢寐以求的。”她從朋友那裏買了四個博比熊，其中三個是禮物。

The outside of the bear itself is made in southern China. What consumers want is stuffing: lavender grown in Tasmania, without pesticides or herbicides, and locally-grown wheat, which warms up when microwaved so that the bear also works as a heat pack.

博比熊外皮是在中國南方地區製造的。消費者想要的是裏面的填充物：塔斯馬尼亞(Tasmania)種植的薰衣草，沒有殺蟲劑和除草劑，還有當地種植的小麥，微波加熱後會變暖，所以小熊還能當保暖袋用。

Mr. Ravens, who used to be chief executive of a chemicals company, and his wife Jennifer bought the 92-year-old farm in 2007 as a retirement project. They started making teddy bears as a way to use the shed-loads of dried lavender that came with the farm. Soon they developed the idea of selling the bears to market the farm for tourism. Seeing the bear was popular among Chinese tourists to the farm, they got a store near Chinatown in Sydney to stock them. Two years ago they started marketing them in Hong Kong with the help of a celebrity chef from there.

拉文斯曾經是一家化學藥品公司的首席執行長，他和妻子詹妮弗(Jennifer)於2007年買下了這座有92年曆史的農場，作爲他們退休後的項目。他們最初做泰迪熊是爲了把農場剩下的大量幹薰衣草用掉。不久他們有了通過賣泰迪熊推廣農場旅遊的想法。看到這些熊很受來到農場的中國遊客的歡迎後，他們在悉尼中國城附近盤下一家店來存貨。兩年前，他們開始在香港通過那裏的一位名人主廚推廣泰迪熊。

Demand in mainland China took off in July. A 26-year-old Chinese celebrity famous for dating a Hong Kong television personality -- and whose ex-boyfriend is a distributor of Bobbie in China -- posted a photo of herself with the bear on social media. 'The ideal bedtime companion for a cold Shanghai night,' Zhang Xinyu told her 8.7 million followers on Weibo, a microblogging site.

中國內地的需求是從去年7月開始高漲的。盛傳與香港某電視名人交往的26歲中國明星張馨予──前男友是博比熊在中國的經銷商之一──在社交媒體上發了一張與博比熊的照片。她在微博上對870萬粉絲說，在上海這麼寒冷的夜晚，它是陪我睡覺的理想伴侶

Bridestowe stuffed 30,000 bears last year -- up from 3,500 in 2011 and 7,500 in 2012 -- and expects to double production this year, using a full ton of lavender for stuffing, rather than for aromatic oils, its traditional use.

Bridestowe去年生產了3萬隻泰迪熊，而2011年和2012年分別爲3,500個和7,500只。今年產量還將翻番，他們準備用一整噸薰衣草來填充泰迪熊，而不是按照傳統，將其製作成精油。

Nancy Li, a tour guide from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, led a group of middle-aged Chinese men around Tasmania in late January. She said that she intended to buy 60 bears for family and friends from Bridestowe, but decided not to visit when she heard she could only buy one.

深圳導遊Nancy Li今年1月帶領一箇中國中年男性的旅遊團去塔斯馬尼亞附近旅遊。她說她原打算到Bridestowe買60個熊送親戚朋友，但聽說只能買一個後就決定不去了。

Mr. Ravens said people regularly try to get around the bear-buying restriction. Some people hire students to enter and leave the Bridestowe farm multiple times a day, repeatedly buying an admission ticket of about $14 that entitles them to the right to buy a bear, he said. Some tour guides will buy the admission tickets but then not hand them over to the group, instead hoarding the bears for themselves, he said.

拉文斯說，人們常常會試圖繞過限購規定。他說，有人僱傭學生一天進出農場好幾次，重複購買約14美元的門票，因爲有門票才能買熊。他說，有些導遊會買門票，但不會把票給旅遊團，而是自己囤貨。

While at the farm, a middle-aged Chinese academic approached this reporter to try to buy an additional bear.

在農場時，有一名中年中國學者接近記者，想再買一隻熊。

Mr. Ravens said people often get angry when they learn they can only buy one bear. 'The staff are always on edge. Tempers get frayed,' he said. 'Our staff don't cope so well' with the animosity.

拉文斯說，在聽說只能買一隻熊的時候人們通常會很生氣。他說：“員工總是處於緊張的狀態，脾氣變得很不好。我們的員工對人們憤怒的情緒應付得不好。”

With this year's lavender crop now in, Mr. Ravens has resumed selling the bears wholesale again to some stores. He is also fighting back against the counterfeiters, with each Bobbie coming with an identification tag that buyers can verify on line.

由於今年的薰衣草種植又流行起來，拉文斯又開始把熊批發給部分商店。同時他也在努力打擊假貨，每個博比熊都會有識別標籤，消費者可以在網上驗證。

As far as Mr. Ravens is concerned, one sniff is enough to determine authenticity. 'The Bridestowe lavender is a global classic. It's unmatched. It's rich and deep,' he said. 'You can tell a fake from the smell.'

拉文斯表示，其實聞一聞就能辨真假。他說：“Bridestowe的薰衣草是暢銷全球的經典，它是無與倫比的，香味濃郁深沉，從氣味就能聞出是不是假貨。”