救房市出奇招
Amidst a persisting slump in China’s property market, a Chinese property developer has started looking into new strategies to attract new buyers: accepting crops as partial payment.
在中國房地產市場持續低迷的情況下，一家中國房地產開發商開始研擬新策略來吸引新買家：接受農作物支付部分款項。
amidst(prep.)在…之中=amid=in the midst of=in the middle ofpersisting(adj.)持續不間斷的=continuing=ongoingslump(n.)(價格、價值或銷售額)猛跌;突然下降、蕭條(期);衰落=recessiona slump in annual profits年利潤大幅下滑
Central China Management, a sister company of Central China Real Estate, the largest developer in the central province of Henan, announced on its WeChat account prospective buyers could use grain such as wheat to offset as much as RMB160,000 (around NT$710,000) of their down payment.
中國中部河南省最大的開發商、建業地產的姊妹公司中原建業，在其微信帳號上宣布，有意購屋的買家可以使用小麥等穀物來折抵高達人民幣16萬元（近71萬新臺幣）的頭期款。
subsidiary(n.)子公司real estate房地產;不動產prospective(adj.)潛在的;可能的;即將成為…的prospective buyers潛在的客戶prospective employers可能成為僱主的人prospective parents即將為人父母者
In a previous ad, down payment in garlic was similarly presented as a potent – and pungent – way to acquire property in the company’s residential project in Qi county.
之前中原建業也曾經在淇縣打廣告，以類似手法，推出用氣味刺鼻的大蒜換房，有效促銷建案。
present(v.)呈現potent(adj.)強有力的;有效的=very effectivepungent(adj.)(氣味)刺鼻的、(味道)強烈的
Henan province is China’s largest producer of wheat and garlic. A sales agent from the firm said this was to mainly target farmers in the region.
河南省是中國最大的小麥和大蒜產地，該公司的一位銷售人員表示，以小麥、大蒜換屋方案主要是針對當地的農民。
Central China Real Estate is still reeling from a 71.3% plunge in sales in May from a year ago and has seen a 48.6% drop in the first five months of 2022.
建業地產5月份的銷售額相較於去年同期暴跌了71.3％，2022年首五個月業績下滑48.6％。
reel from深受…的衝擊; 因為…感到恐慌plunge(n.)(價值或程度)暴跌;驟降=slump
The company said the promotion attracted 852 visits and 30 transactions involving about 500 tonnes of garlic during the 16 days when it was available.
該公司表示，促銷活動吸引了852人次看屋和30筆成交，活動16天就募集約500噸的大蒜。
involving=which involved…牽涉;涉及
But garlic will not prove to be a silver bullet when the crux of the matter appears to be a conflation of issues exacerbated by recent events.
但大蒜似乎不是解開問題癥結點的靈丹妙藥，中國房地產市場有一連串的問題，且因為近期發生的幾起事件而加劇。
silver bullet(解決事情的)萬靈丹the crux (事情的)關鍵、核心、癥結conflation(n.)合併;混合=combinationexacerbate(v.)使惡化、使加重、使加劇=worsen=make sth. worse
A debt crisis spreading amongst developers following Evergrande’s 2021 default has resulted in property sales falling by 31.5% from January to May, accelerating from the 21% drop recorded for the first four months of this year, according to official data.
官方數據顯示，繼恆大2021年違約後，債務危機在開發商之間蔓延，導致1-5月房地產銷售下降31.5％，高於今年前四個月21％的降幅。
default(n.)拖欠;不履行債務;違約defaults on loan repayments 拖欠貸款accelerate(v.)(使)加快、(使)增速=speed updecelerate(v.)減速=slow down
Property ownership is still a distant dream for large swathes of China’s middle class.
對於大部分中國中產階級來說，擁有自己的房產仍然是一個遙遠的夢想。
swathe(n.)部分；範圍large swathes of…=most of…the majority of…大多數的
Along with a middle-income trap China has been mired in for the last decade, the Chinese population is currently struggling with stifling inflation stemming from the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and strict Covid restrictions.
在過去十年裡，中國陷入中等收入陷阱，此外，近期俄烏衝突和嚴格的新冠防疫限制，加上沈重的通膨壓力，衝擊民生經濟。
along with…=in addition to…除此之外，還…a middle-income trap中等收入陷阱mired in…深陷…中mire(n.)沼澤;泥沼stifling(adj.)令人窒息的、悶熱的、沈重的stem from 起源於、由⋯⋯所造成=come from…=result from…=arise from…=originate from…
With the property sector accounting for as much as 30% of China’s GDP, Fitch Ratings is expecting the deepening crisis to knock 5.5% off China’s annual growth.
由於房地產業佔中國GDP的比例高達30％，惠譽評級預估，不斷加劇的危機將使中國的年成長率下滑5.5％。
Fitch Ratings惠譽評級deepening(adj.)加深的;加劇的knock off降低