Tianjin and Switzerland are an awkward but interesting pair: both sit just next door to a large political capital, both have a reputation for cautious money-handling, both speak with a slight twang that the capital finds amusing, both feel a little overlooked despite handling a startling share of the wealth. Switzerland is the safe-deposit box of Europe; Tianjin held similar safe-deposit functions during the late Qing and early Republic, and even today is China's largest port of foreign trade by tonnage.天津与瑞士是一对略显尴尬却有趣的搭档：两地都紧邻一座大政治首都；都以「金钱处理上谨慎」著称；说话都有口音被首都觉得「逗」；都觉得自己处理着出人意料份额的财富，却被略为忽略。瑞士是欧洲的保险箱；天津在晚清与民国曾承担相似职能；今日仍是中国按吨位计最大的对外贸易港。

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  Adjacent to a large political capital.紧邻一座大政治首都。

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  Reputation for cautious finance.以谨慎金融著称。

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  A distinct local accent / dialect.鲜明的本地口音／方言。

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  Outsized international trade for the population size.国际贸易体量远超人口比例。

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  Switzerland is mountainous; Tianjin is a coastal flat.瑞士多山；天津是滨海平原。

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  Swiss neutrality is national doctrine; Tianjin is a Chinese municipality.瑞士中立是国策；天津是中国一直辖市。

1. Cosmopolitan period国际都会期
   CN

   1860–1949 — eight foreign concessions in Tianjin.1860—1949——天津八国租界。

   EU

   1648 — Treaty of Westphalia recognises Swiss neutrality.1648——《威斯特伐利亚和约》确认瑞士中立。

2. Banking age金融时代
   CN

   1900s — bond market and silver trade hub.1900 年代——证券与白银交易枢纽。

   EU

   1900s — Zurich + Geneva as global banking centres.1900 年代——苏黎世与日内瓦为全球金融中心。

3. Modern role近代角色
   CN

   Today — China's industrial port for the capital region.今天——京津冀工业出海港。

   EU

   Today — global capital management + UN, WHO.今天——全球资产管理 + 联合国、世卫总部。

Both maintain a careful, almost private quality. They don't shout — and that's the point.两地都保持一种谨慎而近乎私密的气质。它们不喧哗——这正是用意。

• Tianjin Under Nine Flags
  Pierre Singaravélou · 2017
• The Swiss, the Gold and the Dead
  Jean Ziegler · 1997