雪白大地黑金狂潮石油改变了西伯利亚

撰文　保罗‧史塔罗宾 Paul Starobin

摄影　格尔德‧路德维格 gerd ludwig

午夜时分，一对对男女在皇宫餐厅的舞池里随着舒缓的旋律轻轻摇摆。「敬我们，敬石油，」歌手低声吟唱着，无论生活在何方，敬我们，敬石油，让我们斟满酒杯。

It's around midnight, and the couples on the dance floor at the Palace Restaurant are gently swaying to a slow one. "Za nas, za neft—To us, to oil," the singer croons,

Wherever life sends us,

To us, to oil …

We fill our glasses to the brim.

这一天是西伯利亚西部汉特—曼西自治区的油工节。这个一年一度的节日目的是向劳苦功高的石油工人致敬，时间落在9月初，也就是夏季蚊子肆虐最严重的时段过 后、10月第一次降雪之前。几个小时之前、天色逐渐昏暗时，数以千计的群众涌入一座巨大的户外综合体育场。深绿色的茂密森林前搭了一座舞台，人们释放气球、点燃火炬，一个乐团唱出一首歌：只有一件事情能让我们开心，这就是我们需要的，用石油钻塔冒出来的新油，清洗脸庞。

It is Oilers' Day in the western Siberian province of Khanty-Mansi. This annual holiday, honoring the hard labor of the oil workers, the neftyaniki, falls early in September, after the worst of the summer mosquito season and before the first snowfall, in October. Hours earlier, as daylight faded, thousands crowded into a huge outdoor sports complex. A stage was framed by a deep-green backdrop of unbroken forest. Balloons were released, torches were lit, and a troupe belted out a song:

There is only one joy for us,

And this is all we need,

To wash our faces in the new oil,

Of the drilling rig.

难怪俄罗斯人要为石油干杯，因为现在正值经济欣欣向荣的时期。全球油价自1998年以来已上涨十倍，俄罗斯也超越沙特阿拉伯，成为全球第一的原油生产国。克里姆林宫如今有充分的预算可以用在新学校、道路及国防计划上，莫斯科的新富阶级也砸下数百万美元购买豪宅级的「乡间别墅」。

Little wonder Russians are toasting oil: These are boom times. Global oil prices have increased tenfold since 1998, and Russia has pulled ahead of Saudi Arabia as the world's top crude oil producer. The Kremlin's budget now overflows with funds for new schools, roads, and national defense projects, and Moscow's nouveau riche are plunking down millions of dollars for mansion-scale "dachas."

经济繁荣的核心关键就在于西伯利亚西部的沼泽油田，那里每天生产大约700万桶石油，占俄罗斯总石油产量的七成左右。对面积接近法国大小的汉特—曼西自治 区来说，丰富的油脉提供前所未有的机会，让他们能在这个名称令人想起严酷荒凉的地区，打造现代化、甚至是令人向往的生活环境。汉特—曼西的首府，也就是这 场节日狂欢的举行地点，目前正运用石油税收来进行重建。当地的新建筑包括一座机场航站(以前的航站只是一个有附属库房的木造棚屋)、一间收藏19世纪俄罗 斯大师画作的美术馆，以及两家专收具数学与艺术天分的儿童、设备豪华的寄宿学校。就连在短短数十年前仍是穷乡僻壤的索古特市，如今也在规画新的郊区，同时还饱受交通壅塞之苦。