Ryugyong Hotel: The story of North Korea's 'Hotel of Doom'
英文原文選自 CNN 2019-08-10
In 1987, ground was broken on a grand new hotel in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang. The pyramid-shaped, supertall skyscraper was to exceed 1,000 feet in height, and was designed to house at least 3,000 rooms, as well as five revolving restaurants with panoramic views.
1987年，新的酒店在朝鮮首都平壤破土動工。這座金字塔形的超高層摩天大樓高度將超過1000英尺(約合300餘米)，設計將容納至少3000個房間，以及5個可欣賞全景的旋轉餐廳。
（圖）自由女神像、艾菲爾鐵塔、柳京飯店高度比較
The Ryugyong Hotel -- named after a historical moniker for Pyongyang meaning "capital of willows" -- was supposed to open just two years later. But it never did.
柳京飯店——命名自平壤歷史的綽號，意思是「楊柳之都」——本來應該在兩年後開放。但它從未開放。
While the structure reached its planned height in 1992, it stood windowless and hollow for another 16 years, its naked concrete exposed, like a menacing monster overlooking the city. During that time the building, which dwarfs everything around it, earned itself the nickname "Hotel of Doom."
建築結構在1992年達到了其計劃的高度，它沒有窗戶且中空擱置了16年，混凝土暴露在外，就像一個險惡的怪物俯瞰全城。在此期間，這座建築使周圍的一切都相形見絀，並為自己贏得了「末日酒店」的綽號。
The hotel has since been clad in metal and glass, and was later fitted with LED lights to turn it into a colorful nighttime spectacle. Construction work has started and stopped many times, fueling constant speculation over whether it will ever open to guests.
酒店現今已經用金屬和玻璃覆蓋外牆，後來裝有LED燈，把它變成一個豐富多彩的夜間景觀。建築工程已經開工停建多次，人們不斷猜測它是否會對遊客開放。
Still closed to this day, the Ryugyong Hotel is the world's tallest unoccupied building.
柳京飯店至今仍處於關閉狀態，但它是世界上最高的空置建築。
The Ryugyong Hotel was a product of the Cold War rivalry between US-supported South Korea and the Soviet-backed North. The year before construction commenced, a South Korean firm had built what was then the world's tallest hotel, the Westin Stamford in Singapore. The South's capital Seoul was meanwhile getting ready to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, with the country transitioning to a capitalist democracy.
柳京飯店是美國支持的韓國和蘇聯支持的朝鮮冷戰時期競爭的產物。開工前一年，一家韓國公司在新加坡建造了當時世界上最高的酒店——斯坦福威斯汀酒店。與此同時，韓國首都首爾正準備舉辦1988年夏季奧運會，該國正在向資本主義民主過渡。
As part of North Korea's political response to the South's achievements, Pyongyang organized the 1989 World Festival of Youth and Students, a sort of socialist version of the Olympics. The country planned to build the massive hotel just in time for the event, stealing the world record away from the South.
作為朝鮮對韓國成就的政治回應的一部分，平壤組織了1989年世界青年和學生節，這是一場社會主義版的奧運會。該國計劃在這場大型活動開幕前及時建造這座大型酒店，從而搶走了韓國的世界紀錄。
But due to engineering problems it wasn't finished in time for the festival. The government had already poured billions into the event, building a new stadium, expanding Pyongyang's airport and paving new roads. That put a strain on the hermit state's frail economy, while the Soviet Union's collapse left it deprived of vital aid and investment.
但由於工程問題，它未能在世界青年學生節前及時完工。政府已經為這次盛會投入了數十億美元，建造了一個新的體育場，擴建了平壤的機場，並鋪設了新的道路。這給這個「隱士國家」脆弱的經濟帶來了壓力，而蘇聯的解體使它失去了至關重要的援助和投資。
North Korea was bound for an economic crisis. Although the external structure had been completed, construction was halted in 1992 and a crane was abandoned on top of the building.
朝鮮勢必陷入經濟危機。雖然外部結構已經完成，但施工在1992年就停止了，並在建築頂部廢棄了一臺起重機。
The building consists of three wings, each sloped at a 75-degree angle, converging into a cone encasing the top 15 floors, which are intended for restaurants and observation decks.
建築由三個側翼組成，每個側翼都以75度的角度傾斜，匯聚成一個圓錐體，包圍了用於餐廳和觀景臺的頂層15層。
The pyramidal shape is about more than aesthetics -- it's because the Ryugyong, unusually for a skyscraper, is made of reinforced concrete rather than steel.
金字塔的形狀不僅僅是為了美觀——因為柳京飯店是用鋼筋混凝土而不是鋼材製成的，這是摩天大樓中極其少見的。
"It was built like this because the upper levels needed to be lighter," said Calvin Chua, a Singapore-based architect who has extensively researched Pyongyang's urbanism, in a phone interview. "They didn't have advanced construction materials, so it was built entirely in concrete. You can't achieve a slender tower that way, you need to have a massive base with a tapered top.
「它設計成這樣是因為上層需要更輕一些，」新加坡建築師卡爾文蔡(Calvin Chua)在電話採訪中說，他廣泛研究了平壤的城市生活。「他們沒有先進的建築材料，所以完全是用混凝土建造的。不可能用混凝土這種方法得到一個細長的塔，所以需要有一個巨大的底部和錐形的頂部。
"If you look at the history of construction in North Korea since the end of the Korean War, most of the buildings are made of concrete: That's the material that they are familiar with, and the technology transfer between Soviet or communist states is purely based around concrete."
「如果你看看韓戰結束以來朝鮮的建築史，你會發現，大多數建築都是用混凝土建造的：這是他們熟悉的材料，並且蘇聯或其他共產主義國家之間的技術轉讓完全是基於混凝土。」
According to Chua, who has worked in North Korea with local architects, the Ryugyong may have been designed to look like a mountain, not a pyramid, because mountains play an important role in the country's symbolism. The official biography of Kim Jong Il, the deceased father of current ruler Kim Jong Un, states that he was born in a secret military camp on Mount Paektu, the tallest mountain in the Korean peninsula that is depicted in the national emblem of North Korea. (Many historians believe Kim Jong Il was actually born in Russia.)
據蔡說，他曾與當地建築師一起工作，柳京飯店之前可能被設計得像一座山，而不是金字塔，因為山有著重要的象徵意義。朝鮮現任領導人金正恩(Kim Jong Un)已故的父親金正日(Kim Jong Il)的官方傳記稱，他出生在白頭山(Mount Paektu)的一個秘密軍營裡。白頭山是朝鮮半島最高的山，朝鮮的國標上有這座山的圖案。(許多歷史學家認為金正日實際上出生在俄羅斯。)
"It's a very iconic building, but I think it's important to consider where it sits in relation to the entire city fabric of Pyongyang," said Chua. "It's like a sort of obelisk. If you think of the obelisk in Rome's St. Peter's Square, it provides a [beacon] for the city apart from its symbolism. The Ryugyong is similar, but it's also more symbolically defined."
蔡說，「這是一個非常具有標誌性的建築，但我認為重要的是要考慮它與平壤整個城市結構之間的關係。它就像一種方尖碑。如果你想到羅馬聖彼得廣場的方尖碑，它除了象徵意義外，還為城市提供了一個燈塔。柳京飯店與此類似，但它的定義更具象徵意義。」
A second start 二次開工In 2008, after a 16-year pause, construction unexpectedly resumed, as part of a deal with Orascom, an Egyptian conglomerate that was contracted to build North Korea's 3G network.
2008年，在中停工了16年之後，建設意外地恢復動工了，這是與埃及企業集團Orascom達成的一項協議的一部分。Orascom承建了朝鮮的3G網絡。
The rusty old crane that had stood atop the building for two decades was finally removed. Workers aided by Egyptian engineers installed glass and metal panels to the concrete structure at the cost of $180 million, glazing it completely and giving the building a polished, sleek appearance.
矗立在大樓頂上20年的生鏽的舊起重機終於被拆除了。工人由埃及工程師協助，在混凝土結構外安裝玻璃和金屬板，成本1.8億美元，玻璃給這個建築構建了一個完美的時尚外觀。
The project, completed in 2011, fueled speculation about the hotel's opening. In late 2012, German luxury hotel group Kempinski announced that the Ryugyong would partially open under its management in mid-2013, but then pulled out a few months later, stating that entering the market was "not currently possible."
這個項目在2011年完成，引發了關於酒店開業的猜測。2012年底，德國豪華酒店集團凱賓斯基(Kempinski)宣布，柳京酒店將在2013年年中由其管理部分開業，但幾個月後又宣布退出，稱「目前還不可能」進入這個市場。
Long-standing rumors that the building was structurally unsound due to poor construction techniques and materials gained strength once again. In 2014, a 23-story apartment building collapsed in Pyongyang because construction was "not done properly," according to North Korean state media reports.
長期以來關於這座建築因施工技術和材料不佳而結構不牢固的傳言再次得到加強。據朝鮮官方媒體報導，2014年，平壤一座23層的公寓樓倒塌，原因是施工「沒有做好」。
"Judging from the exterior, the building looks structurally sound, although the interior may be a different story," said Chua. "I think the real problem might be the ease of fitting it out, because it was built with concrete and it would take a lot of time to rewire the necessary services and ventilation systems that were originally created to 1980s specifications. That would be much easier with a steel structure."
蔡說，「從外部來看，這座建築的結構看起來很好，儘管內部可能是另一番景象。我認為真正的問題可能是建造起來很容易，因為它是用混凝土建造的，但是需要花很多時間重新布線，安裝必要的服務和通風系統，這些最初是按照20世紀80年代的規格建造的。用鋼結構的話就容易多了。」
Photographs of the hotel's interior from 2012 revealed that, inside, very little work had been done. The images were taken by Simon Cockerell, general manager at Koryo Group, a Beijing-based company specializing in North Korea tours, and one of the very few foreigners to have been inside the Ryugyong Hotel.
2012年的酒店內部照片顯示，酒店內部幾乎沒有做過什麼裝飾。這些照片是由西蒙·科克雷爾(Simon Cockerell)拍攝的，他是高麗集團(Koryo Group)的總經理，該公司位於北京，專門從事朝鮮旅遊業務。科克雷爾是進入柳京酒店的為數不多的幾個外國人之一。
"It was arranged through a Korean connection as a birthday gift for me," he said in a phone interview. "First of all, we had a presentation from the director of the site, with videos made quite a long time ago. Then they took us into the lobby area, where there was a lot of exposed cement. Then we went (on) the one working elevator to the top, which was the 99th floor, I believe.
他在電話採訪中說，「這是通過一個韓國人安排的，作為給我的生日禮物。首先，網站的導演給我們做了一個演示，視頻是很久以前製作的。然後他們把我們帶到大廳，那裡有很多暴露的水泥。然後我們乘電梯上了頂層，我想就是第99層。」
"It took a long time to get there, because it was a service elevator, not a modern lift with a string of buttons. There was a lift operator who determined where to stop. At the top we had a look around, took some pictures and went back down to the lobby again."
「到那裡花了很長時間，因為那是一部服務電梯，而不是那種只有一串按鈕的現代電梯。電梯操作員決定停在哪裡。在頂層我們環顧了一下四周，拍了一些照片，然後又回到大廳。」
Although its external appearance had been transformed, the Ryugyong still wasn't open.
雖然柳京飯店的外觀已經改變，但仍然沒有開放。
A brighter future ? 光明的未來？The Ryugyong came back to life in 2018, when LEDs were installed on its facade, turning the building into Pyonyang's biggest light show -- as well as a propaganda machine. A four-minute program shows North Korea's history and a variety of political slogans, while the cone at the top projects a huge North Korean flag.
2018年，柳京飯店重新煥發了生機，LED被安裝在它的立面上，把這棟建築變成了平壤最大的燈光秀，同時也成為了一個宣傳機器。一個四分鐘的節目展示了朝鮮的歷史和各種政治口號，而頂部的錐形體則展示了一面巨大的朝鮮國旗。
"It's really striking the first time you see it, especially after so many years of the building sitting there in darkness," said Will Ripley, a CNN correspondent who has taken multiple trips to Pyongyang, in an email. "I know they turn it on whenever there are major events in the city, but it's not on all the time -- I would assume to save scarce electricity."
「第一次看到它的時候，真的很震撼，尤其是這麼多年來，這座建築一直處於黑暗之中，」多次前往平壤的CNN記者威爾雷普利(Will Ripley)在一封電子郵件中說，「我知道城裡一有重大活動，他們就會打開它，但不是一直開著——我想這是為了節省稀缺的電力。」
In recent years, extensive work has been carried out on the site surrounding the hotel, which was recently opened up, making it possible for anyone to walk right up to the front entrance (but not get in). In June 2018, a sign was added to the building, reading simply "The Ryugyong Hotel" in Korean and English.
近年來，人們在酒店周圍進行了大量的工作，該酒店最近才開放，使得任何人都可以直接走到前門(但不能進去)。2018年6月，建築添加了一個標誌，用英文和韓文寫了「柳京飯店」。
The question remains: Will it ever open? "It's very hard to say, because since the building was clad in glass, you can't see inside," said Cockerell. "No doubt something's going on. It's a very large building. It's not inconceivable that some part of it may open before the whole of it could open. If it was my building, I'd focus on the top and the bottom."
問題是：它會開放嗎？科克雷爾說，「這很難說，因為大樓是玻璃覆蓋的，你看不到裡面。毫無疑問，有什麼事在進行。這是一個非常大的建築。在它全部打開之前，它可能會部分打開，這不是不可想像的。如果這是我的建築，我會關注頂部和底部。」
The Ryugyong Hotel is no longer the tallest building in the Korean peninsula: The Lotte World Tower in Seoul, completed in 2017, surpassed it by nearly 800 feet (240 meters). It is still the tallest in North Korea, although Pyongyang has seen a growth spurt of high-rise residential towers recently, with the tallest being just 197 feet (60 meters) shorter than the Ryugyong.
柳京飯店已不再是朝鮮半島最高的建築：2017年完工的首爾樂天世界大廈(Lotte World Tower)的高度超過了柳京酒店近800英尺(240米)。但它仍然是朝鮮最高的建築，儘管平壤最近出現了住宅高樓的激增，最高的僅比柳京飯店矮了197英尺(60米)。
For years, to avoid embarrassment, the North Korean government has airbrushed the building from official pictures of Pyongyang. But the installation of the LED lighting may signal that there's a plan for its future.
多年來，為了避免尷尬，朝鮮政府從平壤的官方照片中抹去了這座建築。但是LED燈的安裝可能預示著它的未來是有計劃的。
"I think the North Korean government would definitely like to do something with it," said Ripley. "For years, it was an embarrassing eyesore -- especially before the glass exterior was installed. I imagine if they do finish it, and Kim Jong Un makes an inspection and it's all over the state media, it will be more widely acknowledged as a proud centerpiece of the city.
雷普利說，「我認為朝鮮政府肯定會想用它做點什麼。多年來，這是一個尷尬的眼中釘——尤其是在玻璃表面安裝之前。我想，如果他們真的完成了，金正恩(Kim Jong Un)進行了視察，官方媒體上會到處都是，它將被更廣泛地視為城市驕傲的中心。
"Personally, I think it would be fascinating to see what they do with the inside and go all the way to the top. I'm sure the views are extraordinary."
「我個人認為，看到他們在內部做些什麼，然後一路升到頂層，這將是非常有趣的。我相信這裡的景色非常棒。」
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