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A short boat ride from the wealthy city-state of Singapore is something rare – a small, quiet island.
从富裕的城市国家新加坡乘船坐一小段就能看到一个罕见的地方——一个安静的小岛。
People living on Pulau Ubin still talk about the arrival of solar power 11 years ago. They call it a “miracle.”
乌敏岛的居民至今仍在谈论11年前太阳能的到来。他们称之为“奇迹”。
Although the electricity was expensive, Chu Yok Choon said he loved the convenience.
虽然电费很贵，但朱玉春说他喜欢这种便利。
He could just press a button, and a pump would send water to his home from the village well.
他只要按下一个按钮，水泵就会把村里井里的水送到他家。
Until 2013, Chu had to carry water from the well by hand and use generators to provide electricity.
在2013年之前，朱玉春都得用手从井里打水，并使用发电机供电。
Chu is one of 30 people living on Pulau Ubin. The island measures only 10 square kilometers.
朱玉春是居住在乌敏岛的30人之一。这个岛只有10平方公里。
He spoke to Reuters recently and compared life on the island to life in Singapore, or as he calls it, the mainland.
他最近接受了路透社的采访，并将岛上的生活与新加坡的生活进行了比较，他称新加坡为大陆。
"Life on the mainland doesn't feel natural," said the 79-year-old. "Life here is quieter."
“大陆的生活感觉不自然，”79岁的他说。“这里的生活比较安静。”
Pulau Ubin includes forest areas and wetlands.
乌敏岛上有森林和湿地。
The wetlands were once under threat from development until the plans were postponed.
湿地曾经受到开发的威胁，直到计划被推迟。
The island offers visitors walks along thick greenery and lakes that were formed from rock quarries.
游客可以沿着茂密的绿色植物和采石场形成的湖泊漫步。
They can ride bicycles on roads free of vehicles and eat seafood meals by the water's edge.
他们可以在没有机动车的道路上骑自行车，在海边吃海鲜。
For those living in Singapore, the island is an escape. It can be reached in about 10 minutes by ferry.
对那些生活在新加坡的人来说，这个岛是让人可以暂时逃避的地方。乘渡轮大约10分钟即可到达。
But for those who live on the island, those ferry rides can be inconvenient.
但对于那些住在岛上的人来说，乘坐渡轮可能很不方便。
Trips to the mainland to buy food and other necessities can be delayed.
前往大陆购买食品和其他必需品的行程可能会被推迟。
Also, ferries can be costly. For visits to the city, Chu said he would have to wait until the ferry filled up with 12 passengers.
此外，渡轮可能很昂贵。朱玉春说，如果想去新加坡，他必须等到渡轮上达到12名乘客才能出发。
Each person pays $3. This cost is similar to Singapore's public transportation.
每人支付3美元。这个费用和新加坡的公共交通差不多。
But if he is in a hurry, he would have to pay $36 for the whole boat.
但如果他赶时间，他就得一个人给整艘渡轮支付36美元。
Still, the residents stay. They say they are enjoying a life different from the busy, stressful conditions in the city.
尽管如此，居民们还是留下来了。他们说，他们是在享受一种与城市繁忙、紧张的生活不一样的生活。
"The energy is so fantastic," said 54-year-old Koh Bee Choo.
54岁的Koh Bee Choo说：“这里的能量太棒了。”
She lives in a house on top of wooden supports that extends out over the water.
她房子的地基是木头的，位于水面上方。
"I go for morning walks and I absorb the energy in the jungle," added Koh.
“我早上会去散步，在丛林中吸收能量，”Koh补充道。
She lived in Singapore for nearly five years but returned to the island to run a bicycle rental shop.
她在新加坡生活了近五年，但回到岛上经营一家自行车出租店。
While the older generation enjoys island life, their children have moved to the city after going there to attend school.
在老一辈人享受海岛生活时，他们的孩子却搬到了城市去上学。
This has left an aging population. The island's youngest residents are in their 50s.
这导致了人口老龄化。岛上最年轻的居民都是50多岁。
Conservation experts worry about the island's future. No one is permitted to move to the island from the city.
保护专家对岛屿的未来比较担忧。没有人可以从城市搬到岛上。
In 2001, the government said the island was safe from changes until changes are required for development.
2001年，政府表示，岛屿是安全的，不会改变，除非为了发展才需要改变。
At the height of its popularity, almost 4,000 people lived on the island.
在它最受欢迎的时候，几乎有4000人住在岛上。
They worked in granite quarries and on farms. But the largest quarry closed in 1970.
他们在花岗岩采石场和农场工作。但最大的采石场于1970年关闭。
Then, many people moved to the city where a policy to develop industry grew the economy and covered a once-struggling nation in new developments, roads and factories.
后来，许多人搬到了城市里，那里发展工业的政策推动了经济增长，并为这个曾经陷入困境的国家提供了新的开发项目、道路和工厂。
Each June for the past nine years, Singaporean officials have celebrated "Ubin Day."
在过去九年里，新加坡官员每年6月都会庆祝“乌敏节”。
The goal is to help people value and love the island's heritage and ecosystem, the National Parks Board says on its website.
国家公园委员会在其网站上表示，庆祝“乌敏节”是为了帮助人们珍惜和热爱该岛的遗产和生态系统。
Games and enrichment booths mark the celebration. So do plans for the island's future.
庆祝活动上会有游戏和丰富的摊位。岛上的未来规划也是如此。
In 1991, the government stopped a plan to extend the subway to the island.
1991年，政府停止了将地铁延伸到岛上的计划。
Now there are talks about saving the island for future generations. But there will come a day when no one will live there anymore.
现在有人谈论，为了后代要拯救这个岛屿。但总有一天，不会再有人住在那里。
"The old people have died off, one by one…,” said Chu. He told Reuters that young people do not want to stay.
“老人们一个接一个地死去了……”他告诉路透社，年轻人不想留下来。
Koh said she hoped officials would let more people stay in guesthouses.
Koh说，她希望官员们能让更多的人住在宾馆里。
"Not the high-end ones but the kampung-type," she added, using the Malay term for a village.
“不是高端的，而是甘榜式的，”她补充说。甘榜是马来语对村庄的称呼。
Lim Csye See is a 69-year-old who runs a bicycle rental shop.
69岁的林子喜（音）经营着一家自行车出租店。
Lim said he did not want the island to become like Sentosa, Singapore’s theme park island which is crowded with costly hotels and homes.
林子喜说，他不希望该岛变成像新加坡的主题公园圣淘沙岛那样，挤满昂贵的酒店和住宅。
"If this place becomes like Sentosa, then that's the end," said Lim.
“如果这个地方变得像圣淘沙一样，那就完了，”林子喜说。
I’m Anna Matteo.
安娜·马特奥报道。
