毕业论文-我国农产品价格上涨的原因及对策.doc

河南师范大学本科毕业论文 学号： 我国农产品价格上涨的原因及对策学院名称： 商学院 专业名称： 经济学 年级班别： 姓 名： 指导教师： 2013年5月1河南师范大学本科毕业论文河南师范大学本科毕业论文我国农产品价格上涨原因及对策摘 要 农产品价格波动已经成为我国物价上涨的一个主要因素。很多农产品的进口依赖于外国，从而国际农产品价格的上涨也就带动了国内农产品价格的上涨。供需失衡，种植面积减少，农产品种植成本上涨，市场游资抬升产销中间环节冗长等因素也在一定程度上助长了农产品价格的上涨。为抑制农产品价格过度上涨，需要完善农产品进出口管理制度及产品期货市场，培育农民专业合作组织，稳定农作物种植面积。另外，还应加强农产品流通管理，降低农产品批发运输等中间环节费用，严厉打击农产品囤积炒作行为，加快信息化建设，发展订单农业等新型交易方式。关键词 农产品价格；上涨；对策Agricultural Prices Rise Causes and Countermeasures of Our CountryAbstractAgricultural price volatility has become a major factor in rising prices in China. Many agricultural products depend on foreign imports, and international agricultural prices has led to the domestic agricultural prices. Factors such as imbalance of supply and demand, reduction of planting area, risen costs of agricultural planting, risen of market liquidity, and long intermediate of production and sales also contributed to rising prices to some extent. To curb excessive agricultural prices rise, we need to improve the system of agricultural products import and export management and product futures market, cultivating farmers professional cooperative organization, and stable crop planting area. In addition, we should strengthen the management of the agricultural products circulation, reduce the fee of wholesale and transport of agricultural product. We also need to crack down on hoarding hype behavior of agricultural products, speed up the informatization construction and developing the order agriculture as a new way to trade.Keywords prices for agricultural products ; rising ; countermeasures一、我国农产品价格上涨的状况近年来，我国农产品价格节节上涨，且上涨幅度明显高于CPI整体涨幅，引发社会强烈反响。2004-2012年，全国农产品批发价格指数年均约涨9个点，其中2007年-2008年受国际市场大幅上涨带动，涨幅在15个点左右，2008年下半年起在国际金融危机影响下小幅下跌，2010年有所反弹，2011年涨幅扩大至20个点，2012年涨幅趋缓。综合农产品价格变化的历史规律和当前国内外市场形势，预计2013年我国农产品价格总体正常上涨，但涨幅可能会小幅回落。预计2013年全国农产品批发价格指数约为205，比上年高7个点左右。2013年国内大米、小麦涨幅在5%左右，玉米涨3%5%，棉糖分别降3%和7%。1农产品价格的非正常上涨，进一步提高了居民的生活成本。面对涨价，一些消费者选择减少消费或者选择其他的替代品。通货膨胀、物价上涨，使居民的生活预期蒙上了一层阴影。为了降低物价上涨对生活的影响，部分居民不得不选择做“海屯族”：囤积衣物、冬季过冬的大白菜等等，以应对农产品价格的不断上涨。2另外，农产品价格的上涨并没有增加农民的收入。中间商的囤积炒作是造成价格上涨的主要原因，因而获利最多的不是广大农民而是流通环节的中间商。所以，农产品价格的上涨也并没有相应的提高农民生产的积极性从而扩大供给，调节价格。由此可以看出，农产品价格的非正常上涨一方面使城市居民的生活成本增加，在看似繁华的城市里贫困依然存在，另一方面农民在涨价过程中并没有真正收益。这是我国经济发展和城市化进程中所突显得矛盾，会造成贫富差距的进一步扩大，不利于整个经济社会的和谐发展。3因此，积极探索农产品价格上涨的原因并提出切实可行的解决方法具有很强的现实意义。二、我国农产品价格上涨的原因分析（一）很多农产品的进口依赖于外国，从而国际农产品价格的上涨也就带动了国内农产品价格的上涨随着全球经济的快速增长、人口的增加、生活水平提高对动物蛋白和食用油消费需求的增加，大大刺激了对粮食的需求。在过去的45年时间里，世界粮食消耗从每天230万吨增加到了现在的每天560万吨，增幅达149%。供应的不足和需求的旺盛，使全球的粮食储备水平不断下降。根据FAO的要求，世界粮食储备的安全线应达到粮食消费水平的17%18%。在2000年，世界的粮食储备可以满足全球111天的消费，到2010年，只能满足全球54天的消费,远远低于FAO的安全储备标准了。其结果，自然是推高粮价。我国有一些重要的、战略性的农产品比较稀缺，主要依靠进口。据海关统计，2012年一季度，我国累计进口天然橡胶49万吨，与去年同期相比增长30.3%，其中，进口均价高达2600美元/ 吨，比去年同期上涨1000多美元/ 吨。据美国食品与农业政策研究所预测，到2017年，我国牛肉、猪肉和鸡肉这三大类肉类净进口量将分别为66.6万吨、16.3万吨和69.2万吨。该机构预测，未来我国也将成为玉米净进口国。据推算，2013年我国进口大豆会超过6000万吨，继续处于历史较高水平。国际农产品价格上涨、国际高额的关税加载在进口农产品上，必然导致该产品在国内的价格上涨4。（二）供需失衡，种植面积减少供需关系是影响商品价格的最基本、最主要力量。首先，从供给角度来看，随着我国经济的快速发展，城市化和工业化的进程也在加快。在这一过程中农业种植面积在减少，许多城市郊区的农产品种植区变成了工业用地或住宅用地。这必然会导致农产品的供应减少。另一方面，近年来，我国气候条件恶劣，自然灾害不断，导致了农业减产及农产品供应不足。3其次，从需求角度看，随着我国经济的快速增长、人口的增加、生活水平提高对粮食、蔬菜水果等农产品的需求量增加。尤其是城市化进程的加快，许多农业生产者变成农产品的需求者，进一步导致了农产品需求的增加。另外，大量粮食作为新工业原料，增加了对农产品需求。农产品作为新工业原料指的是农产品在工业领域内作为生物性可再生原料重新替代石油、天然气、煤炭等矿物性原料，如利用农产品生产能迅速生物降解的润滑油、生物柴油、生物塑料、生物洗涤剂、汽车构件和特殊纸类等。随着十九世纪中叶的工业革命的开始，石油、煤炭及天然气等矿产资源的大量开发利用，矿物性原料迅速替代了生物性原料。但随着自然资源的日益耗竭和人们对环保要求日益迫切，工业原料转而依赖农业和生物工程等将是一种发展趋势，而现代化的技术和巨大的应用潜力使农产品重新作为工业原料成为可能5-6。（三）农产品种植成本上涨 一是生产资料如农药、化肥和柴油、农机等价格不断攀升。目前，农业生产对生产资料的依赖性逐渐增强，农业生产资料支出成为农产品成本的主要部分7。近年来，我国物价总体上一直处于上升趋势。同样，农产品生产资料价格也随着上升且快于农产品价格的上涨。每当农产品价格略有上涨，农药、化肥等生产资料会紧随其后大幅上涨。这直接导致了农产品种植成本的上升。二是土地和劳动力的机会成本也在不断提高。工业化与城市化的加速发展，挤占了大量农业生产资源，包括农地。为了增加土地的利用效率，大量农业种植用地被开发为工业或住宅用地。农业用地大面积减少，农产品供给也就相应减少。同时伴随经济快速发展产生了大量的就业岗位，带动农村劳动力加速向城市转移，相应减少农业生产中的劳动力数量。（四）市场游资抬升近年来，多种农产品遭游资频频炒作。国内外农产品期货市场价格大幅上涨， 就明显脱离了供求基本面的支撑而更多显现为投机性需求的作用。从其成因分析，投机性需求上升与通胀预期关系显著。在存在强烈通胀预期的情况下，以投机和盈利为目的的期货交易和投机交易就会迅速增加，农产品价格变化就会更多表现为资产属性而非商品属性。进一步看，通胀预期的形成既与农产品供给冲击等直接因素有关，也与货币因素密不可分。货币因素对通胀预期的影响，既可因货币廉价引发资产配置行为变化而起，也可因货币供应过量引发过度需求而生。我国正处于经济转型阶段，传统行业因为产品供过于求，缺乏投资机会；而新兴行业发展尚未成熟，风险大，门槛高，缺乏吸引投资者的热情。于是，大量剩余的资金在缺乏适当投资渠道之际，不忘寻觅增值时机。一些进入农业领域的企业为了实现自身利益最大化，会选择一些具备产量少、耐储藏和一定保健功能“特殊”农产品进行价格炒作9。农产品属于生活必需品，炒作起来不愁没有销路，大蒜、绿豆、糖等产品耐储藏，也方便操作。（五）产销中间环节冗长 随着城市化进程的推进，城市郊区的农产品种植区在减少，城市对农产品的需求不得不依赖于外地或农产品种植区的供应。这对现代农产品的供应的物流条件也提出新的要求。目前我国农产品流通一直存在小生产与大市场的矛盾。目前农产品销售的主要渠道是集贸市场、批发市场和社区菜市场，这些渠道的现代化和组织化程度低。在广大农村农产品的种植和销售没有形成规模，农户与市场之间存在着严重的信息不对称，由于农业具有生产周期长、风险不确定性、生产盲目性等特点，农户不能及时对市场的变化做出反应。农户的产销不得不依赖于“中间贩子”订单和收购。因此农产品从生产、流通到卖出，需要经过生产收购运输批发销售等环节。经过冗长的环节，农产品的成本自然就增加，导致了其价格偏高的现象3。三、控制农产品价格过度上涨的对策（一）完善农产品进出口管理制度我国是一个农产品生产大国，也是一个农产品消费大国。由于我国近年来城市规模的不断扩大，耕地面积呈逐渐减少的格局，总供给和总需求是大致平衡的，农产品的进出口主要是在某些品种上进行调剂。为了保证国内市场平稳和有效利用国际市场资源，对一些关系国计民生的重要商品，政府有关部门应根据国内及国际实际情况，制定相关政策，进行农产品进出口上下限管理制度，防止一些农产品进出口企业在短期内盲目过量地进出口农产品，造成国内农产品市场的大幅波动。（二）完善农产品期货和股票市场期货市场和股票市场的价格变化都会影响与之相对应的农产品价格涨跌。相关管理部门应负责掌控好期货市场与股票市场的相关信息，建立相应的、有法律法规保障的信息发布制度，及时、全面地披露市场信息，为农产品现货市场交易主体服务。现阶段，我国期货市场和股票市场尚处于弱有效状态，股票市场的“晴雨表”功能还需进一步完善，期货市场的价格发现功能仍需增强，它们的市场有效性都有待强化。相关企业应根据农产品期货价格做好本企业的生产和销售规划， 最大限度地规避农产品价格风险8。（三）培育农民专业合作组织目前，我国广大农户的生产和销售都处于粗放型、分散化和小规模的状态，他们的组织化和现代化的程度低。要建立真正的农村合作组织，这样无论在融资方面还是农产品价格谈判方面都更有话语权。农民专业化合作组织可以和经销商直接对接，减少农产品产销过程的环节，降低流通成本，防止经销商囤积居奇，哄抬物价。农民专业化合作组织能为农户提供有效的市场信息，能参与期货市场的交易，使单个农户能借集体力量参与套期保值，规避市场风险。此外，要鼓励其他类的企业包括购销企业，农产品加工企业，饲料企业，经营企业加入到农产品的加工销售中，从而为“订单农业”创造良好的外部环境，加速农业产业化的进程3。（四）稳定农作物种植面积影响农产品价格涨跌的最重要因素是农产品的供求，稳定农产品的种植面积，保证农产品总供给和总需求基本稳定，是保证农产品价格平稳的最重要因素。土地规模高度分散，生产经营高度分散，使得自主经营的农户在比较利益的驱动下，难以实现经营目标的一致性，难以从制度上确保农产品种植面积，土地抛荒实际上是农民资本投向选择的表现。稳定种植面积必须实现现代农业向专业化、社会化和农工商一体化经营转变。在当前的农村生产经营的体制下，应充分发挥农村专业合作社的作用，让千家万户的分散经营通过专业化生产结合在一起，规避风险，发挥整体优势，让更多的农民能从农业中获利更多的收入。积极鼓励经营大户集中农村分散的、闲置抛荒土地建立生产基地，实现农产品的社会化生产，确保农作物的种植面积，提高土地的利用率，降低农产品生产成本，从源头上保障农产品的供应。现代农业生产应积极向产前、产后相关企业联合，形成一个经营体系，实现农工商一体化。这样有利于产、供、销环节的紧密联系，减少流通环节，加快从农业生产要素投入到农产品价值实现的过程，提高经济效益；提高农业生产的专业化和商品化程度，充分有效地利用自然资源和农村劳动力。从而提高农业部门的比较利益，稳定农作物的种植面积。（五）加强农产品流通管理，降低农产品批发运输等中间环节费用一是改革现行公路收费。目前我国经济总量次于美国，经济上已经具备了恢复公路公益性质的能力，兴建公路可以更多地依靠财政资金，减少商业贷款，以减少高速公路收费；通过法律法规制止普通公路收费；在公路收费期满后，彻底终止收费；实行运输农副产品车辆“绿色通道”政策，对运输鲜活农副产品的车辆实行免费政策等8。二是加强管理，采用多种运输方式，降低物流企业经营成本。物流企业的主要运输方式不外乎汽车、轮船、火车和飞机等,这些交通工具都会产生物流成本；还有仓储费，即物流公司建设或租用大型仓库和其他基础设施的费用；材料损耗费，即在货物运输过程中使用消耗的包装费、搬运设备的折旧费、物流公司自用货车的折旧费等；员工的工资；各种行政管理费及税收；另外,在很多时候,还要加上货物的保险费和货物损失赔偿费等。物流企业要想在激烈的竞争中生存，必须从降低经营成本上下功夫。首先要精简工作流程，去掉费时、低效步骤，然后制定一系列的诸如包装、装卸、运送等标准。在实践中要严格按照精简后的流程和标准执行，从点滴做起，降低耗费，控制成本。国家要给予物流企业以适当的专项补贴，通过减免税方式，降低物流企业的经营成本9。众多的民营物流企业既能造福社会又能有利可图。（六）严厉打击农产品囤积炒作行为各级政府应尽快建立农产品价格异常波动快速反应机制，加强监管，加大对不正当价格行为的处罚，预防农产品价格的恶意哄抬。坚决打击囤积居奇、哄抬价格和炒作农产品的投机行为。同时各级政府要及时掌握市场动态，并发布正确的信息，指导农业生产并引导生产者自发调节生产规模和种类，减少农业生产的盲目性，减少供给短缺和供给过剩交替出现的蛛网困境。政府的介入将为生产与市场的对接提供有效的平台，有利于提高农产品市场化的程度，建立健康有序的市场环境10。(七)加快信息化建设，发展订单农业等新型交易方式农产品市场信息化建设水平直接影响着信息使用者的决策质量。只有充分占有信息，生产者才能根据市场供求特征决定生产什么产品和生产多少产品，以实现产销有效衔接，进而增加收入。由于我国农业正处于由小农生产向产业化发展的过渡时期，绝大部分地区的农业生产仍然是以农户为单位，规模比较小，但农户面对的市场却是全国市场乃至全球市场，在“小农户”与“大市场”的对接中，信息不对称是常态，对于全国范围内某种农产品的播种面积、分布区域等关键信息，小农户是无法获知的，他们在选择农产品种植种类及数量方面往往是凭借经验，从众行为十分明显，埋下了农产品价格高低起伏的隐患。因此，政府必须为农民提供必要的政策指导及信息引导8。农业产区的基层部门应当高度重视并采取有力措施推进农产品信息化建设，全面采集与农产品有关的信息，并及时分析和发布这些信息，有效引导农户的农业生产。参考文献1 农业部市场与经济信息司课题组.2013年主要农产品市场走势预测N.农民日报,2013-01-15.2 文超，张宗有.我国农产品价格上涨的原因及对策分析J.现代商贸工业，2012（1）：70-71.3 曹文婷.关于农产品物价飞涨的原因分析与思考J.思想战线，2010（S2）：38-39.4 张军永.国内农产品价格上涨的对策分析J.企业导报，2012（22）：17-18.5 李美长. 我国现阶段农产品价格上涨原因及综合治理J. 安徽电子信息职业技术学院学报,2012（3）：106-110.6 谭建新,杨晋丽. 农产品价格上涨原因及对策思考J. 北京邮电大学学报(社会科学版)，2008，10（3）：44487 肖国安.粮食直接补贴政策的经济学解释J中国农村经济，2005(3): 65688 孙碧荣. 农产品价格波动的成因及控制对策J.价格月刊，2013-01-15: 34-35.9 蒲实，郭晓鸣.影响农产品价格的新因素不容忽视J.财经政法资讯,2011(2):67-68.10 仝爱华. 农产品价格的影响因素及稳定对策研究J.安徽农业科学，2012（11）：68-69.致 谢在论文的准备和写作过程中，笔者得到了任太增老师的悉心指导和热情帮助。他渊博的专业知识，严肃的科学态度，严谨的治学精神，诲人不倦的高尚师德，朴实无华、平易近人的人格魅力对我影响深远。不仅使我树立了远大的学术目标，掌握了基本的研究方法，还使我明白了许多待人接物和为人处世的道理。本文从选题到完成都是在老师的指导下完成的，倾注了老师大量心血。在此，谨向任老师表示崇高的敬意和衷心的感谢！另外，本论文的顺利完成也离不开同学们尤其是我们宿舍的陪朋友们的帮助。在论文的写作过程中，我们互相交换意见，尽力使我们的论文内容新颖、充实。完成初稿以后，我们还互相检查论文内容、格式、标点等以减少不必要的失误。在讨论中我们不仅学到了很多的专业知识而且更加深刻的理解到团队的力量，加深了彼此的友谊。最后，再次对关心和帮助我的老师和同学们表示衷心的感谢。 孙有选 2013年5月于河南师范大学您好，为你提供优秀的毕业论文参考资料，请您删除以下内容，O(_)O谢谢！A large group of tea merchants on camels and horses from Northwest Chinas Shaanxi province pass through a stop on the ancient Silk Road, Gansus Zhangye city during their journey to Kazakhstan, May 5, 2015. The caravan, consisting of more than 100 camels, three horse-drawn carriages and four support vehicles, started the trip from Jingyang county in Shaanxi on Sept 19, 2014. It will pass through Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and finally arrive in Almaty, formerly known as Alma-Ata, the largest city in Kazakhstan, and Dungan in Zhambyl province. The trip will cover about 15,000 kilometers and take the caravan more than one year to complete. The caravan is expected to return to Jingyang in March 2016. Then they will come back, carrying specialty products from Kazakhstan A small art troupe founded six decades ago has grown into a household name in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. In the 1950s, Ulan Muqir Art Troupe was created by nine young musicians, who toured remote villages on horses and performed traditional Mongolian music and dances for nomadic families. The 54-year-old was born in Tongliao, in eastern Inner Mongolia and joined the troupe in 1975.He says there are 74 branch troupes across Inner Mongolia and actors give around 100 shows every year to local nomadic people. I can still recall the days when I toured with the troupe in the early 80s. We sat on the back of pickup trucks for hours. The sky was blue, and we couldnt help but sing the folk songs, Nasun says. The vastness of Inner Mongolia and the lack of entertainment options for people living there, made their lives lonely. The nomadic people were very excited about our visits, Nasun recalls. We didnt have a formal stage. The audience just sat on the grass. Usually, the performances became a big party with local people joining in. For him, the rewarding part about touring isnt just about sharing art with nomadic families but also about gaining inspiration for the music and dance. Ulan Muqir literally translates as red burgeon, and todays performers of the troupe still tour the regions villages and entertain nomadic families, but their fame has spread around the world. On May 16 and 17, nearly 100 singers and dancers from the troupe performed at Beijings Poly Theater. Their show, titled Ulan Muqir on the Grassland, depicted the history and development of the art troupe. Being from the region allowed me to embrace the culture of Inner Mongolia and being a member of the troupe showed me where I belonged, Nasun, the art troupes president, who is also a renowned tenor, tells China Daily. During a tour in 1985, he went to a village and met an elderly local man, who told him a story about his friendship with a solider from Shenyang, capital of Northeast Chinas Liaoning province, decades ago. The solider gave the old man a handmade saddle when they bid farewell. The story inspired Nasun to write Carved Saddle, a song that later became one of his most popular numbers. Now, every year, Nasun recruits young singers and dancers for the troupe. The troupe has also designed a new repertoire, which is mostly based on the daily lives of Mongolian people, especially the lives of nomadic families, and has combined contemporary musical elements with folk songs of the region. Haimu, a 25-year-old khoomei (a local variant of overtone singing) singer, joined the troupe three years ago. Along with a six-member band, he performs fast songs and soft ones that he writesall while playing the horse-head fiddle.Although I learned the piano since childhood and grew up listening to various kinds of music, to me, the folk music of Inner Mongolia is the root, he says. Performing in remote villages is pleasant. I feel at home on the boundless grasslands, and the warm people there make me feel fulfilled. The first round of spring auction season in Beijing ended last week, but it failed to create much spring in the art market. Although two pieces of Chinese painting fetched more than 100 million yuan, the decline in trading volume and sale rate showed a downturn this year. In the “Grand View: Chinese Painting Highlight” session at China Guardian 2015 spring auctions, Pan Tianshous representative work Eagle, Rock and Flora hit a record auction price of 279 million yuan, while Li Kerans masterwork Jinggang Mountain fetched 126.5 million yuan, an unexpected high in recent years. However, the trading volume fells to 1.87 billion yuan from 2.22 billion yuan in the same period the year before. The Huangchen 2015 Spring Auctions, which recorded 42.5 million yuan in total sales, experienced the same. The section number went down to 5 from 12 compared to last year. According to expert Shao Jianwu, the art market did not attract much excitement this year due to the booming stock market and the persistent problems of forgery and fake deals. The two pieces of Chinese painting notched up high price this spring due to their own value not due to a revival in the market. The successful transaction of two works with a hammer price of more than 100 million yuan once again confirms that valuable and rare works of high quality always earn the long-lasting high price. Chinese painting and calligraphy is still the pillar of the market. However, the overall sales rate has dropped slightly, which reflects the demand for the ordinary auction goods has weakened,” said the president of China Guardians Hu Yanyan. Besides, the entry of new buyers also makes certain changes to the direction of purchasing. In a word, the overall market trend is very unpredictable. Although China Guardian 2015 Spring Auctions has achieved remarkable results, it does not mean that the market has walked out of the predicament. We still have to wait for the big economic boom to invigorate the art market.” Even so, the hot pursuit of some special items appeared this spring. A special session of China Guardian Spring Auctions titled “Fine GiltBronze Buddhist Images” achieved a great deal with total sales volume of 41.89 million yuan and 92 percent sale rate. The 5th Shamar Rinpoche Statue from 16-17th century of Tibet was sold for 5.06 million yuan. The Beijing Chengxuan Auctions featured almost 2,800 items of coins and stamps in three sessions with good sale rate. The Huachen Auctions also set a special session of photographs under the condition of large-scale decline of auction sessions. There was a palpable dull thud of disappointment that accompanied the return of the imperial entourage of Zhen Huan to her homeland. It followed a couple years of hushed excitement as Chinese fans were fed tidbits about their proud concubine who was supposed to conquer the high ground of the North American market. Zhen Huan is, of course, the title character of The Legend of Zhen Huan, a 2011 television series that swept China off its feet and later took other Asian countries by storm. Two years ago, it was reported that HBO, a premium cable service headquartered in the United States, was going to air it in North America after some modification. Now, a condensed version that provides English subtitles but no dubbing has finally been made available on Netflix for online streaming. This version, highly anticipated as a milestone in Chinas cultural foray overseas, has been widely panned by its home audience. Retitled Empresses in the Palace, the American version has been shortened from its original 76 episodes at 45 minutes each, to six 90-minute episodes. The quick pacing threw off many native viewers, who are accustomed to a more leisurely daytime-soap-style narrative rhythm. (Chinese TV stations would run two or three episodes every day.) I did not finish the full-length version and found the truncated one not difficult to follow. Whats lost, I believe, are the interesting setups and pauses that illuminate the Chinese art of storytelling. Much of the plot is still there. It is the flavor that was sacrificed. The American edition uses the framework of the Empress Dowager in her senior years reminiscing at the beginning and the end of each episode, hinting at whats to come and recapping the key points. This device, not used in the original, is culturally understandable but artistically mediocre. What puzzles me is the two new songs for the opening and end credits. They were written in English, but sung by Chinese with an uncomfortable accent. They were obviously designed to appeal to an English-speaking base, but do not jibe with the Chinese dialogue. Speaking of the dialogue, the English translation, picked apart by some Chinese, is too literal for my taste. I can imagine a typical American hit by a flurry of royal ranks, addresses and greetings, even multiple names and titles for the same person. The first half hour must be a swamp to wade through, very much like my experience of getting through a Tolstoy tome with its endless inflections of names transliterated into lengthy Chinese. I see the choice of verbatim translation as an effort for conveying exotica. It is fairly competent, with no error that I could detect, but fails to rise above words or capture the essence of the language. A cultural product usually crosses over to a foreign territory first by an emphasis on the commonalities. But whether inside or outside China, the temptation to sell it for the differences is just too great. Sure, the sumptuous sets and costumes are a big attraction, but the narrative technique has becomehow shall I put it?a bit anglicized, which is necessary for cultural export. Judging by the responses, this legend, which, contrary to