[2008.05.22] China helps itself 中国自强不息

The earthquake in Sichuan
四川地震
China helps itself
自强不息

May 22nd 2008 | JIANGYOU
From The Economist print edition

The government’s relief effort is impressive; even more inspiring is what ordinary people are doing to fill the gaps
政府的救灾行动令人印象深刻，然而更鼓舞人心的是普通百姓为抗震救灾所做的贡献

SOME 200 survivors of China’s deadliest earthquake in more than 30 years line up for a handout of food. It looks good. There is rice gruel, braised diced pork, courgettes and hot steamed buns. There are also no officials. The Communist Party likes to be seen as society’s main benefactor, but this is private aid.
在中国近30多年来最严重的一场地震之后，有200多名幸存者排队领取救济粮。伙食还是不错的，有大米粥，炖猪肉，西葫芦，还有热腾腾的馒头。而提供这些的并非政府。中共一向以社会福利事业的带头人自居，然而这次却是私人援助。

The party has mobilised its own forces on a huge scale in response to the disaster on May 12th in the south-western province of Sichuan, which has left more than 74,000 dead or missing, 247,000 injured and 5m homeless. More than 100,000 troops and police have been deployed to help survivors and to rescue people trapped by rubble and landslides. Hopes of finding more are fast dwindling. But the scale of non-governmental involvement has been just as striking.
五月12日，位于中国西 南的四川省发生地震灾害，死亡与失踪的人口总数已有七万四千人，还有24万7千人受伤，五百万人无家可归。灾难发生之后，共产党已经动员了巨大的力量投入 抗灾工作。十万名解放军战士和武警官兵奔赴灾区，帮助受灾群众，并组织抢救因建筑倒塌和山体滑坡受困的居民。随着时间的流逝，搜寻幸存者的希望愈加渺茫。然而在这次灾难中投入的非官方力量非常引人关注。The food handout in Jiangyou, a small city 115km (70 miles) east of the epicentre, was being carried out by volunteers from an ad hoc group of private catering companies from another province. The recipients were refugees from the nearby town of Beichuan, which was all but flattened by the earthquake. Their appetising hot meal contrasted with the instant noodles and biscuits offered at other food stations.
来自外省几家私人饮食公司的志愿者自觉组织起来，在距震中115千米的江油市发放救济粮。救济的对象是来自附近的北川市的难民，北川市在地震中被整个夷为平地。他们所提供的热餐美味可口，比其他食物站点所提供的方便面和饼干要好太多了。

Even had it wanted to, it would have been difficult for the government to keep relief efforts in the hands of its usual instruments: military and civilian officials, the Communist Youth League and the Chinese Red Cross. The disaster struck at a time of nationalist fervour fuelled by a widespread feeling that China was being unfairly criticised for its handling of unrest in Tibet. Sentiments were further aroused by blanket coverage of the earthquake in the state-controlled media—a departure from the party’s usual tongue-tied approach to disasters.
在目前的形势下，政 府即使想把救灾行动控制在官方渠道中（包括解放军、民政部门、共青团和中华红十字会），也是有心无力。灾难暴发之时，中国国内民族主义情绪正处于高峰。在 之前西藏动乱事件中，外界的报道在中国国内引起了强烈不满。中国民众普遍认为国际社会对中国进行了不公正的批评。官方媒体一反中共以往在大灾中三缄其口的 态度，对地震进行了广泛详尽的报道，又在民众间激起了对灾区人民的同情。

Responding to the mood, the government declared three days of public mourning from May 19th. Disasters do not normally rate such attention—the last day of public mourning was 11 years ago, on the death of Deng Xiaoping. In Beijing thousands of people gathered in Tiananmen Square to observe an official call for three minutes of silence. They also, spontaneously, chanted slogans and punched their fists in the air, shouting “Come on China!” as police looked on warily. In Chengdu, the provincial capital, on May 21st a police car shadowed about 100 unofficial relief workers who marched through the streets after dark, carrying candles and chanting patriotic slogans.
为顺应这种情绪，政府宣布将5月19日之后的三天定为全国哀悼日。在中国还很少有自然灾害受到如此级别的重 视，上一次的全国哀悼活动乃是11年前邓小平逝世时举行的。在北京，为了响应官方号召的三分钟默哀活动，数千市民聚集到天安门广场。他们自发地挥舞拳头， 呼喊着“中国加油”的口号。此时，广场上的警察们小心地关注着默哀现场的状况。5月21日，在四川省省会成都，100名民间救灾工作者在天黑时分举行游 行。他们手持蜡烛，呼喊着爱国口号。一辆警车如影随形地紧跟着游行队伍。

A fast-growing middle class with money to spare on travel and, as it now seems, on charity, did not wait for official encouragement to help out in Sichuan. Thousands of volunteers headed to the disaster zone, from businessmen to Christian youth. Their cars, some bedecked with flags and slogans, ply the expressway between Chengdu and Jiangyou.
中国中产阶级的队伍正在迅速壮大。他们有闲钱可以用来旅 游，灾难之时则可以进行慈善活动。这次他们没有坐等政府宣传号召，便自发地组织起来前往四川进行救援工作。数以千计的志愿者奔赴灾区，这其中有商人，也有 青年基督徒。从成都到江油的高速公路上，志愿者的车辆往来不断，有些人还在车上打出了旗帜和标语。

Hundreds of taxis helped ferry the injured to hospitals in the city. At Mianyang, a big city close to Jiangyou, police erected barricades on an approach road to a stadium sheltering some 20,000 refugees, to prevent its being clogged by volunteer vehicles. A government plea for unofficial volunteers to stay away from the disaster zone and concentrate instead on activities such as raising money and donating blood has fallen on deaf ears.
数百辆出租车将伤员送往城市里的医院。在绵阳（江油附近的一座大城市）的一座大型体育馆里，收容了两万名灾民。警方在体 育场周围设立了路障，以防志愿者的车辆阻塞交通。政府向志愿者们发表了通告，希望他们离开灾区，通过捐款和献血等活动支援救灾工作。然而志愿者对此却置若 罔闻。

The government seems little inclined to deter the volunteers more rigorously. It knows that public opinion is mostly on its side. The prime minister, Wen Jiabao, appears to have earned considerable kudos by rushing to the scene and staying there for five days to direct relief operations, at one point in tears.
政府并没有进一步为难志愿者。执政者很清楚，这次民意是站在政府一方的。温家宝总理在第一时间奔赴灾区现场，在当地直接指挥救灾工作长达五天，期间甚至潸然泪下。这一举动已经博得了全国上下的一致好评。

Inside the stadium grounds, which are guarded by militia in camouflage uniforms, stalls set up by volunteer groups offer the refugees services ranging from psychological counselling to the (seemingly more popular) charging of mobile-telephone batteries. An American nurse at one stall helps doctors examine children. In the town of Shifang, south-west of Jiangyou, Buddhist monks say prayers for victims in a temple where the government has settled hundreds of refugees.
志愿者团体在大型体育场内立起了很多服务站点， 为灾民提供服务，而身着迷彩服的民兵部队则负责维持秩序。提供的服务涉及面很广，从心理咨询到手机电池充电无所不包，而后者似乎更受欢迎。在其中的一处服 务站，一名美国护士正在帮助医生为受灾儿童检查身体。当地政府把数百名难民安排在位于江油西南的什邡市的一座寺庙里避难，寺庙中的僧侣为罹难者颂经超度。

The combination of government and volunteer effort appears to have had good results. In refugee camps on the periphery of the disaster zone, tent areas appear clean and orderly, with adequate supplies of food and clean water. There have been no reports of serious outbreaks of disease. Most refugees seem in reasonable spirits. Tents, however, are a problem. Officials say there are still far from enough proper ones. Many refugees are sheltering under makeshift tarpaulin structures. Some Chengdu residents, fearing aftershocks, have taken to sleeping in tents. Demand has pushed up the cost of a small tent fourfold, residents complain, despite government orders to retailers to rein in prices of relief-related materials.
政府与志愿者的协作努力收到了良好的成效。在灾区外围的难民营中，帐篷 井然有序，净水与食物供应充足，至今还没有大规模疫情爆发的报道。大多数受灾群众的情绪稳定。然而帐篷的供应是一个问题。政府称目前的帐篷供应还远远不 够。许多居民还住在临时搭建的帆布篷里。由于害怕余震，部分成都居民也开始在帐篷里过夜。居民抱怨说，由于供不应求，尽管政府已经对零售商下达命令，严格 控制救灾物资的价格，小型帐篷的价格还是飞涨到了原先的四倍。

Much of the volunteer effort has involved individuals or small groups. China is still wary of large NGOs and has none that is truly independent of the government specialising in disaster relief. But in recent years the party has begun to acknowledge more openly that there may a role for them. Official press coverage of the earthquake, although careful to highlight the party’s contributions, has also paid rare tribute to the unofficial volunteers.
很 多自愿者行动是由私人或者小团体组织展开的。中国对待大型非政府组织的态度仍然非常谨慎，就目前而言，中国还没有真正独立于政府之外的专业救灾组织。不 过，近年来中国政府对非政府组织的角色认识逐渐开放。在官方媒体对地震灾害的报道中，虽然着力突出共产党的援助，对民间志愿者的行为也大加赞扬，这种情况 在中国非常罕见。

The government has been encouraging firms to give more generously to worthy causes. From this year it has increased tax incentives for corporate donations to charities. But this applies to only a small number of government-approved organisations. For the sake of earthquake relief the authorities are letting down their guard. But the government gives little encouragement to new NGOs and often treats the small existing ones as potential germs of political opposition. The response to this disaster might ease its fears.
政府也在鼓励企业多进行有价值的慈善活动。今 年出台了一些相应的税务政策，鼓励公司企业为慈善事业捐款。然而这些政策所惠及的只是一少部分由官方支持的组织。出于抗震救灾工作的考虑，政府正在放松对 民营慈善机构的警惕，然而也没有对成立新的NGO表示支持。之前政府对待已有的小规模NGO的态度一向不善，认为这种组织是政治反对派的潜在温床。灾难之 后，这份担心可能会有所缓解。

译者：Lennon.W
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