As in most countries, uniform wearing begins from a young age in China. A student at Beijing No. 55 Middle School, 12-year old Fu (below), wears the mandatory tracksuit school uniform in blue, white and red. The tracksuit-style uniform has been worn by schoolchildren for more than two decades.
像許多國家一樣，中國人也是從很小的年紀開始穿制服的。付（下圖），北京第55中學的學生，今年12歲了，身著學校強制性統一的藍白紅相間的校服。學生穿運動服風格的校服已經20多年了。

“Foreigners at my school don’t have to wear the uniform. I’d rather not have to wear it either because I don’t think it looks very good. I think other countries' school uniforms look much better.”
“外國學生在我們學校不用穿校服。我也不想穿，因為我覺得我們的校服不好看，我覺得其他國家的校服要好看得多。”

She tells us that her school has three uniforms (though all are variations on the tracksuit), which cost RMB480 altogether. The tracksuits were designed – like many school uniforms – to prevent comparisons between students’ appearances and to eliminate worries over clothing choice. The style fulfills these criteria, but at what cost? As one online commentator bluntly assessed: “They are the ugliest in the world.”
他告訴我們，學校共發了三套校服（都是運動服風格的），一共480元。像許多校服一樣，運動服風格的設計是為了防止學生之間攀比，也是為了消除學生選擇穿什么衣服的憂慮。校服滿足這些要求，但是代價是什么呢？一位在線評論者直言不諱地評價：“這些校服是全世界最丑的。”

This particular comment came after US First Lady Michelle Obama visited a Beijing high school in 2014 and photos from the trip were splashed across social media. Commentators pointed out that the tracksuit is practical and wear-resistant, though many expressed that other designs can fulfill the same goals.
這個特別的評論是在美國第一夫人米歇爾2014年訪問北京一所高中時發表的，她的行程照片被刊登在社交媒體上。評論者指出運動服很實用，耐磨，但是很多人同時表示其他設計也能達到這一要求。

For students, as with adults, uniforms can increase the wearer’s confidence. Some believe that more stylish school wear may help students perform better (or feel happier, at least). In April 2013, the Henan Provincial Experimental School in Zhengzhou decided to let students design their own uniforms. The results were met with praise from parents and the public, and delight from students.
學生和成年人一樣，穿制服可以增加他們的信心。一些人表示穿時髦的校服可以幫助學生表現得更好（至少他們會感到更開心）。2013年4月，河南省鄭州市實驗學校決定讓學生自己設計校服，這一決定受到家長和公眾的一致好評，學生也從中得到了樂趣。

“Students have their own sense of aesthetics at their age,” the school’s Student Affairs Director, Feng Yan, told CCTV.
“這個年齡段的學生有他們自己的審美觀”，該校的教務處主任馮艷告訴央視。

Such experiments are not necessarily a sign of relaxing attitudes toward uniforms in contemporary China. Despite a growing sense of individualism among younger generations, uniforms’ historic, cultural and practical role may see them widely retained across the country – and across industries. But while dressing in the same way may be, in some respects, the antithesis of fashion, uniforms are also subject to change over time. If these changes can accommodate both function and form, their place in society may be safe for some time to come.
這一實驗并不是指當代中國對制服有了一定放松的態度。盡管年輕一代有著越來越強烈的個人主義觀念，但制服的歷史性、文化性和實用性在全國各地廣泛地保留著，而且是跨行業。在某些方面，穿著一樣的衣服可能是站在時尚的對立面，但制服也在隨著時間的改變而改變。如果這些改變能夠同時兼顧功能和形式，那么制服在社會中仍將保持它的地位。

Vocabulary

generic: 通用的
hospitality industry: 服務業
tracksuit: 運動服

英文來源：www.thatsmags.com
譯者：張聽聽
審校&編輯：丹妮