繁榮銳變中的休斯敦國際區

身為國際區區長二十多年來，我常常覺得自己不是「管理一個區」，而是陪著一個社區一起長大、一起呼吸、一起走過風雨。

我看過它最辛苦的時候：店家撐著租金與人潮的起落，移民家庭在語言不通中摸索，街道有時顯得老舊、沉默，大家的腳步卻從未停下。也看過它最耀眼的時候：節慶的鼓聲把人心敲醒，新開的店面燈火通明，年輕人願意留下來，外地人也願意走進來——那一刻你會明白，國際區不是被「打造」出來的，而是被一代又一代人的汗水與信念「撐」出來的。

這二十多年，我最珍惜的，不是頭銜，而是每一次握手、每一次協調、每一次在關鍵時刻挺身而出：為商家爭取改善道路與停車、推動環境整潔與治安提升、促成活動與招商、連結市府資源與社區需求。很多事情不會上頭條，卻能慢慢改變生活；很多成果不是一天完成，而是靠長期的耐心，一點一滴堆起來。

我也更深刻體會到，國際區的價值不只是經濟繁榮，更是「多元共生」的象徵。這裡的人來自不同國家、講著不同語言、吃著不同味道的家鄉菜，但大家共享同一條街、同一盞路燈、同一種對安穩生活的渴望。只要我們願意彼此尊重、彼此照顧，差異就不會是距離，而會變成力量。

走到今天，我依然相信：國際區的下一步，不是單純更熱鬧，而是更有秩序、更安全、更乾淨、更友善，也更讓下一代感到驕傲。只要我們繼續把「人」放在中心，把「社區」放在心上，這片土地就會一直繁華，也會一直向前。

Houston’s International District in a Season of Transformation

In recent years, as newcomers continue to arrive, Houston’s International District has been expanding like a river that never stops widening—flowing day and night, gathering strength with every new current. This is no longer a neighborhood defined by a single community. It has become a living portrait of the city itself—languages weaving through the air, aromas taking turns at every corner, cultures lighting up one by one like lanterns in the dusk.

Walking these streets, you can feel that something is constantly happening: longtime businesses refresh their storefronts, restaurants renovate their interiors, glass facades reflect the steady stream of people passing by. New cafés, clinics, markets, and service shops continue to appear—like fresh shoots in spring—proof that this district is still growing. Many are not just upgrading a space; they are renewing a kind of confidence—writing hope into bright signage, laying the future into newly set tiles.

This prosperity is not an accident. It is built from countless journeys and choices: families arriving with children and suitcases, entrepreneurs carrying skills and dreams, newcomers facing uncertainty but refusing to surrender their determination to build a better life. That is why the International District feels so powerful. It doesn’t rely on slogans. It relies on everyday effort—each storefront, each light left on, each door opened to welcome customers—day after day, until today’s vibrancy becomes undeniable.

Perhaps transformation does not mean erasing the past. It means honoring memory while learning to move forward with greater order, dignity, and strength. The International District is still being renewed. The streets are still changing. And that ongoing change—never stopping, always reaching—may be exactly what makes this place so compelling: it proves its vitality through bustling life, answers growing crowds with real construction, and quietly lays the road for tomorrow, one day at a time.