假新闻折射出中国的城乡分歧 [美国媒体]

By DIDI TANG | March 12, 2016 | 9:55 PM EST



In this March 2, 2016 photo, a woman rides a bicycle past propaganda on a wall that reads: "Diligent labor is the basis of the country, a brilliant sun shining over China" on the outskirts of Beijing.

在这张摄于3月2日的照片上，一名女子骑车经过北京郊区的一堵墙，墙上贴着标语：勤劳为国本，红日映中国

A fictional story on a soured relationship between a city woman and her rural boyfriend swept through Chinese media earlier this year, thrusting a spotlight on how split society has become between glitzy urban dwellers and abject villagers in the countryside. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

今年早些时候，一个编造出来的城市女和农村男的分手故事火遍了中国的媒体。反映了中国光鲜亮丽的城市居民乡与破落的农民的巨大差距。

BEIJING (AP) — A woman from a big Chinese city visits her boyfriend's rural hometown and is so appalled by the squalor she sees that she dumps him. The story was fake, but it swept through Chinese media because it highlighted a deep societal gap that the ruling Communist Party has vowed to close.

一名来自中国大城市的女子和男友回农村老家，结果被农村的脏乱差吓坏了，赶紧把男友甩了。这是一个编造的故事，却横扫了中国媒体，因为这个故事反映出一个巨大的社会差距，而这个差距是中国共产党誓言要消除的。

Rural Chinese not only make less than city-dwellers but also receive significantly fewer social-welfare benefits, worsening a divide that was brought into focus by the fictional breakup, initially posted online as a real-life account.

中国农民不仅挣的比城市居民少，而且社保福利也差的多，更加重了城乡差距。这个虚构的分手故事一开始是以当事人的口吻发表在网上，使得这一差距成了人们关注的焦点。

The Chinese leadership, currently presiding over the country's largely ceremonial legislature through March 16, has pledged to introduce policies to bring prosperity to the countryside. In a key policy address over the weekend, Premier Li Keqiang pledged to improve countryside infrastructure and access in rural areas to social benefits.

中国领导人目前正在召开中国最大的立法会议，这个花架子的会议持续到3月16号，会议宣称将推出惠农政策。在周末李克强总理发表了关于主要政策的讲话，宣布将改善农村基础设施以及社保。

"The core of our job is to bring a society of common prosperity," said Zhu Liangyu, a delegate to the National People's Congress from Beijing, "and we can only accomplish the task when the rural peasants are economically prospering."

“我们工作的核心是建设一个共富社会。”人大代表朱良玉说，“只有农民富起来，这个目标才算实现。”

Urban dwellers have only recently begun to outnumber rural ones in China, becoming more than half of the population in 2011. But the split between them has been entrenched by the decades-long practice of differentiating them and their rights based on residence registration. The Herculean task of addressing that split was highlighted by the uproar nationwide over the breakup story, which emerged earlier this year.

只是在近期，中国的城市居民人数才开始超过农民，2011年时，城市居民占人口半数以上。但是两者之间的差距却是几十年来执行户籍制度造成的。解决这一差距是一项艰巨的任务，前些日子网上流传的分手故事正反映了这一点。

"The fake love dispute and the ensuing heated discussions are only symptoms of a torn-up society," observed Tang Yinghong, a psychologist and a popular national columnist.

“这个虚构的故事和之后的热议反映出一个割裂的社会，”唐映红说，他是一名心理学家，也是一名人气专栏作者。

The female protagonist was from Shanghai, which represents "metropolitan China" and is comparable to any city in a developed country. Her lover hailed from a poor village in the hinterland province of Jiangxi, which could "be worse than Third World countries," Tang said. They matched two popular stereotypes — the sheltered, well-heeled "peacock" girl of the city, and the self-made "phoenix" man from the hinterland who makes good in the big city.

故事女主角来自上海，这个城市代表了“都市中国”，可以与任何发达国家的城市比肩。她的男友来自江西省一个破落小村庄，唐说“那里可能比第三世界国家还要糟糕”。他们是两类人的典型代表——一个是城市孔雀女，一个是从落后地区飞出来的凤凰男。

"The two Chinas have vastly different lifestyles, cultures and ideological thoughts, and the split between the two has reached an astonishing level," Tang said.

“这两类人的生活方式、文化、意识形态有极大的不同，两者的差异达到了令人震惊的程度。”唐说。

The story as posted on a Web forum was from the point of view of the woman, explaining why she immediately fled from her boyfriend's hometown and from the relationship. Accompanying it was a dimly lit photo of a squalid dinner table with dubious-looking dishes.

有人把这个故事上传到一个网络论坛上，故事以女方的视角出发，讲述了她为什么飞快地逃离了她男朋友的家，并且迅速甩了他。同时配了一张光线暗淡的照片，照片上有一张脏兮兮的桌子，上面有一些看不出什么东西的菜。

The story hit the screens of millions of smartphones across China during the weeklong Chinese New Year holiday. Hardly anyone bothered to check its authenticity, but much of the country jumped to vent their thoughts. Prominent columnists opined, and even the cardinal party-run newspaper People's Daily and official Xinhua News Agency chimed in.

在中国春节期间，成千上万人阅读了这个故事。基本没有人去质疑故事的真实性，反而很多人直接滔滔不绝他们的感受。知名的专栏作者发表意见，甚至党报人民日报和官媒新华社也参与进来。

Some observers bemoaned the woman's lack of etiquette, while others argued that rural realities would be a shock to any city woman.

一些人说女方缺乏教养，另一些人则说农村的现实可以给任何一个城市女孩当头一棒。

Many real-life testimonials of such relationships soon followed, with some rural men wondering aloud whether they should even try for city women — a touchy subject in a country where men outnumber women because of the traditional preference for male children, especially in rural areas.

很多人出来现身说法，一些农村男大声诘问他们是不是一开始就不该追城市女——这个问题很敏感，因为在中国，尤其是农村，由于传统的重男轻女思想，造成男性人数超过女性人数。

Relationship gurus snatched the chance to sell their theories on what makes a good match, while state media called for more tolerance and respect.

恋爱问题专家抓住这个机会推销他们的理论，官媒呼吁更多的宽容和尊重。

"The fates of the protagonists are the foam created by the currents of our times," the People's Daily wrote. "The media should not feast on their pains but reflect on deeper issues reflected by the foam."

“主人公的命运是时代浪潮造就的泡沫，”人民日报如是说。“媒体不应该利用他们的悲伤，而应该关注更深层次的东西。”

Public discussions were so vehement that some Chinese journalists sought to find the protagonists and raised red flags when they could not. Eventually, China's online regulators stepped in, investigated and declared the story was fabricated and the photo pirated. Authorities did not reveal who was the creator.

公众讨论得如此激烈，一些记者就想找出这对分手的情侣，但是在找不到人的时候，他们产生了怀疑。最后，中国的网管介入，调查之后宣布，这个故事根本子虚乌有，照片是扒来的。官方未透露作者是谁。

Wu Qiang, a political scientist at Tsinghua University, said the furor over the break-up has showed the failure of Beijing to deliver the benefits of the past three decades of industrialization to ordinary people, especially those in China's vast countryside.

清华大学的一名政治学者吴强说，这一分手事件引发的愤怒显示了中国政府没有把过去30年工业化的成果惠及老百姓，尤其是广大农民。

"A single photo of a rural dinner table has condensed so many social meanings of our time," Wu wrote. "What kind of social relationships and social realities have made everyone uncomfortable? Is it the widening gap between the cities and the countryside? Is it the class discrimination against the rural man? Or is it simply the differences in living habits between the rural and the cities?"

“一张简单的农村晚饭的照片就凝聚了我们这个时代的诸多社会含义，什么样的社会关系和社会现实让所有人不舒服？是城乡之间日益扩大的差距？是针对农村男人的阶级歧视？或者仅仅是农村和城市的生活习惯差异？”

Wu argued that China's rural-urban differences must be addressed. "Only when everyone has equal rights can we make up the feudal gap between the cities and the countryside," he said.

吴说中国必须解决城乡差异。“只有在所有人都有同样的权利的时候，我们才能弥补城市和农村之间的封建式的差距。”

In 2014, the average yearly income for a Shanghai resident was 47,710 yuan ($7,300), more than four times the 10,117 yuan ($1,547) a year for an average rural resident in the province of Jiangxi, though costs of living are significantly higher in cities.

2014年，上海居民的人均年收入是47710元（7300美元），是江西省农民人均年收入的4倍，后者年收入10117元（1547美元），尽管城市的生活成本要大大高于农村。

Zheng Fengtian, a professor of agriculture and rural development at Beijing-based Renmin University, said the income disparity is not as alarming as inequality in social benefits.

人民大学的农业和农村发展方面的教授郑风天说，社会福利的不平等比收入不均更危险。

For decades, China's national policies have favored city residents, who are granted better social benefits, such as health, education, employment and pensions, while rural dwellers are left with reduced benefits on the grounds that they have access to land.

几十年来，中国的国家政策倾向于城市居民，他们享受更好的社会福利，比如医疗、教育、就业和养老，而农民的福利被打了折扣，理由是他们有地。

Nearly 55 percent of China's 1.37 billion people live in cities, and Beijing has shifted its focus from urbanization to rebuilding the countryside, where national policies are aimed at extending more benefits to rural residents, Zheng said.

中国13.7亿的人口中，55%居住在城市，中国政府已经把重心从城镇化调整为重建农村，制定了旨在扩大农民福利的政策。

Plans in the annual work report Premier Li presented to the National People's Congress include building 200,000 kilometers (124,000 miles) of new roads in rural areas, upgrading power grids and improving drinking water safety. The report also aims to promote farming and to increase investment in rural areas.

李克强总理对人大所做的年度工作报告中，包括在农村地区建设20万公里（12.4万英里）的公路、升级电网、改善饮水安全这样的工作计划。报告还提出要促进耕种和增加农村地区的投资。

"The dual system has been around for decades, and changes will take a long time," Zheng said. "The key is to narrow the gaps between the cities and countryside. Now we are building the villages, where residents there can one day enjoy the same benefits as everyone else."

“城乡二元体制已经持续了几十年，改变要花很长时间，”郑说。“关键是缩小城市和农村的差距。现在我们在建设这样一个农村，在那里农民有一天能享受到与其它人同样的待遇。”


Marisa70394  • 2 days ago  
I was in china last month, and the differences are staggering. chinese cities appear modern and local villages appear third world, but the reality really is, it is all third world to me. People in the cities are constantly spitting, snorting mucus through their throats (even young women), and the city toilets are totally disgusting. chinese people have no sense about bathroom etiquette and they constantly play with their noses and then touch handrails, elevator buttons, subway handles, etc. It is a disgusting place because the chinese are not quite civilized.

我上个月去了中国，差距大的吓人。中国的城市很现代化，农村像第三世界，但是现实却是，中国整个儿都是第三世界。城里的人到处吐痰，就算年轻妹子也把痰吸的呼呼作响，厕所令人作呕。中国人根本没有浴室礼仪，总是挖完鼻孔就去抓门把手、电梯按钮和地铁栏杆。那地方很恶心，因为中国人还不够开化。

Sam Gu > Marisa70394  • a day ago  
@Marisa70394，I am not sure how civilized you are, but the way you has presented yourself are certainly not.

不知道你有多文明，但是你说话的方式显然不文明。

China has been largest and one of the poorest countries for decades and China has never declared itself a developed country although its people's living standard has been improved dramatically in last 20-30 years, and we all know it takes even longer to changes social behavior.

中国几十年来一直是最大最穷的国家之一，中国从来没有说过自己是发达国家，尽管在过去20-30年中国人的生活标准显着提高，我们都知道改变社会行为需要更长的时间。

The things you pointed out do exist in China, in the same way, I can also describe that drug dealers and users, gun violence, bar fighting are everywhere and every day in USA while sending troops to kill others thousand miles away every day.

你说的现象在中国的确存在，同样，我也可以说说美国无时无处不在的贩毒者、吸毒者、枪支暴力、酒吧斗殴，同时美国还每年派出军队到几千英里以外的地方杀人。

That is old west style but it is civilized, LOL.

这是西方的方式，但是很文明，LOL。

hhour > Marisa70394  • a day ago  
You don't know the meaning of the third world, India and Philippines are third world. China as a whole is not. Do you really want to find a disgusting people? Go to India where people poop outdoors. I live in America. you find a lot of filthy people here too. A lot of homeless Americans defecate and urinate outdoors. You go to some migrant-worker camp sites in New Mexico and go to their restrooms , then tell me how horrible they are. By the way, I think you have never been to China but are just repeating what you read in some newspapers.

你不明白什么是第三世界，印度和菲律宾是第三世界，中国整体上不算。你想找一个恶心的人？去印度吧，在那里人们到处拉屎。我住在美国。这里也有很多肮脏的人。很多流浪汉随地大小便。去新墨西哥的移民劳工营地，看看他们的厕所，告诉我有多可怕。顺便说一句，我觉得你从来没有去过中国，只是人云亦云。

Ken  • a day ago  
But in the other hand, most of the farmers don't want to become city-dwellers as that means they have to give up the land they owned.

话说回来，很多农民不想成为城市居民，因为那意味着他们必须放弃自己的土地。

MrPanda415  • a day ago  
farmer owners in the USA are wealthy, not all of them but a lot of the bigger farms do produce a substantial amount for the family

美国的农民很有钱，不是全部，但是很多大农场的确是家庭收入的很大一部分来源

cieara  • 2 days ago  
May be a dual system, but that is the process of change. It takes time before all areas are reach equilibrium. Fighting poverty is on the high priorities on the current five year plan. 

可能是个二元体制，但这是变化过程中的产物。各地区都达到均衡需要时间。本次五年计划中，脱贫是优先目标。

Want to criticize others? How about look into our own low income sectors. Title loans and pay day loans are all over the country, 65% of the work forces are in quasi-minimum wages.

想要批评他人？先看看我们自己的低收入部门吧。这个国家负债泛滥，65%的劳工阶级拿的是最低工资。

dis666  • 2 days ago  
This hapless reporter is barely showing the tip of the iceberg....

这倒霉记者根本就没说到点上。。。

"In 2014, the average yearly income for a Shanghai resident was 47,710 yuan ($7,300), more than four times the 10,117 yuan ($1,547) a year for an average rural resident in the province of Jiangxi."

“2014年，上海居民的人均年收入是47710元（7300美元），是江西省农民人均年收入的4倍，后者年收入10117元（1547美元）。”

I've got news for you, DiDi Tang. Jiangxi is still a part of the eastern coastal rich area. Try taking a look at the Tibetan areas to the far west. Shanghai workers earn EIGHT TIMES the average salaries of the entire province of Qinghai, including cities. Can you imagine if workers in Mississippi earned $50,000 per year, while New Yorkers earned an AVERAGE of $400,000? The U.S. would break out in massive revolt.

DiDi Tang，我给你个新闻吧。江西省还处于中国东部沿海的富裕地区。看看西藏和大西部。上海的工人收入是青海省（包括城市）的平均收入的8倍。你能想象如果密西西比州的工人每年挣5万美元，而纽约市民挣40万美元的情景吗？美国人早就揭竿而起了。

Eagle  • 2 days ago  
The slogan: "Diligent labor is the basis of the country, a brilliant sun shining over china" is pure comedy. Most chinese can't see the sun because of the diligent labor in coal power plants.

那个口号：“勤劳为国本，红日映中国”，简直就是个笑话啊。大多数中国人就因为他们勤劳的煤炭火力发电站而看不到红日。

dis-qussion  • 2 days ago  
who would want a miserable chinese boyfriend besides their own... or some desperate southeast asians ?

谁会想要身边有一个猥琐的中国男朋友啊。。。只有饥不择食的东南亚女人才会？

in Japan and Korea, if a girl goes with a chinese boyfriend she's definitely looked down and laughed at by her fellow Japanese or Korean friends. and the guys call her a slut.. 

在日本和韩国，如果一个妹子跟中国男友出去，她绝对会被自己的女性朋友看不起和嘲笑的。男人则会叫她婊砸。。