章文 02月 12th, 2009
一是“2008-年终感言：民主必胜”，二是“2009，继续做清醒的爱国者”。最近，一位好友在后台留言告我“你的两篇博文被人翻译成英文了”，循迹而去（需要翻墙），发现是一家海外网站，开始有些紧张，怕是所谓的“反动网站”，怕因此引火烧身被有关部门找上门来（本人和许多人一样，也患有对某某的恐惧症）。
尽管本人在几个地方写博客，却从未主动投稿给任何网站，一来没有这个习惯，二来互联网时代，信息自由流动，不用自己投稿，博客上的文章也会被有心人转得到处都是。
仔细看过，原来这家名为“中国数字时代”（China Digital Times）的英文网站乃加州伯克利大学领衔举办，非“轮子”之类所有。心里稍安，并颇感自豪，加州伯克利大学那可是世界公认的名列前茅的著名学府啊！在此，要谢谢那位翻译者的辛苦工作！
附录两篇博文英文版：
CHINA DIGITAL TIME
Zhang Wen: Reflecting on 2008: Democracy Will Prevail
Zhang Wen (章文) calls himself “a media person in the time of China’s transition” on his own blog. The thirty-something writer/editor was former head of the editorial department of Xinhua’s Globe magazine, among other important positions in the official media. In the following blog post (already censored), he reflects on 2008 - “a year like no other” - and his hopes for 2009 in his year-end message “Democracy Will Prevail”.
Zhang reflects on bittersweet events that marked 2008, from the catastrophic Sichuan earthquake, to the highly-anticipated Beijing Olympic Games.
2008 also marks the 30-year anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening-up policy, and Zhang takes the opportunity to point out the increasing need for political reform in China - toward democracy - in addition to the significant economic reforms the country has already undertaken.
Zhang debunks the myth that democracy won’t work in China: “… democracy is suited for Chinese people,” he writes. “Chinese people can ‘experiment’ with democracy just as well as non-Chinese!” (The original post was deleted from his blog, but many copies have reappeared on other blogs. Exceprts translated by CDT):
Globalization is bringing the world closer together, not just economically but culturally and politically as well. Market economies have become a global necessity; even the former Communist countries had to accept this and change with the times. In the political domain the general value system is now democracy. There’s no denying or avoiding it.
What sort of cure does “socialism with Chinese characteristics” offer? I’m afraid that not only is this beyond the understanding of the common man, but even the purveyors of this system don’t believe it’s efficacious. The confrontation between it and democracy brightens and dims, but it is coming closer and closer to being defeated; it is certain to be defeated one day because it’s not popular.
It will remain in place for a short while longer, propped up by every means available to the state machine, especially through propaganda. For the past half century the propaganda machine has not tired of speaking loud, empty, false words, holding fast to the principal that a lie repeated a hundred times becomes a truth. It continues to follow the same old path.
It’s a pity, times have changed, but it’s still unable to close that chapter of its history. The Internet is developing rapidly, the flow of information is becoming freer, and it’s becoming harder and harder to deceive people.
Chinese democracy will be made possible by the Internet and because information flows more freely now. In today’s world, in which information is becoming harder and harder to control, people can access information from multiple sources, not just from the government, and they can understand beyond the basics of issues, and reason on their own.
And we - the intellectuals - have to make sure that we don’t speak in fits and starts; we have to always try to speak genuinely, never falsely, and not pontificate. We must fight against the powerful current of information and strive to be responsible voices, to be a counterweight to the lies.
Information that presents all sides of the issue (it’s not realistic to ask for Truth), in a world of deception and falsehoods, is the only thing that we can be certain of. I don’t dare say that people are fully prepared for this, but people would certainly welcome the chance to receive a brand new opportunity; they would develop the ability to reason, and they would be much harder to deceive.
Expansion of reason among people is the hope of Chinese democracy. People will cherish and defend their legal rights; they won’t sacrifice any individual rights for the so-called “benefit of the state,” nor will they change their attitude because the government tells them to; and as masters of their own destiny they will ensure that their civil servants are acting responsibly and diligently.
Affairs of life are hard to change. The journey is long and hard, and ought to be taken one step at a time. Let us bid farewell to a very difficult 2008 and welcome the long road: 2009. Let us loudly proclaim our most heart-felt wish: Let China do more than flourish; let there be democracy and rule of law as well!
Zhang Wen (章文): Continue to be a Clear-Minded Patriot in 2009
Zhang Wen (章文), a thirty-something writer/editor and former head of the editorial department of Xinhua’s Globe magazine, makes the case for “clear-minded” patriotism in China in a recent blog post, translated by CDT’s Linjun Fan:
As the new year approaches, I’d like to say a few words out of my heart, to boost the spirit of myself and my friends.
To the Chinese people, the past year was one of great joy and great sorrow. It was also a year of heated debates on several major incidents. Fervent public opinions were aroused on the Tibet Independence incident, Carrefour boycott, the Olympic Games, etc. Among all the debates, the topic of patriotism and betrayal is the most conspicuous one in 2008.
As we have seen, anyone that tried to keep a calm mind and to comment reasonably on the incidents was labeled as a traitor. The more passionately one spoke about the issues, the more patriotic he was regarded. The case of the Olympic torch bearer Jin Jing illustrated the phenomenon well. She was highly lauded as a patriot after she bravely defended the torch in France. However, shortly afterwards - surprisingly and almost incomprehensibly - she was belittled as a traitor after she said she didn’t support boycotting Carrefour.
The dramatic change in public opinion toward Jin Jing vividly reflected the mentality of contemporary Chinese people. Narrow-minded patriotism is still the mainstream ideology. The mindset of people in a weak nation still dominates the general public. Whereas the attitudes of tolerance, magnanimity, and responsibility are being formed slowly and with great difficulty.
I never doubt the sincerity of my fellow countrymen’s patriotism, just as I never doubt the patriotism of those who kept calm in the face of adversity. We all love this country and this land. We differ only in how we love it.
In a civilized society, patriotism is not equal to the love of a government or a party. This point needs little explanation. Citizens need to monitor and often criticize the government and the ruling party - this is an act of patriotism. A nation is composed of its citizens. A government comes into being to serve the people, and its ultimate goal should be the development and happiness of the people.
Therefore, we should love our nation, but not blindly. We should remain aware of China’s real status in the world, of the gap between China and other developed nations. We should not be arrogant and boast about ourselves. Being a clear-minded patriot will benefit the nation much more than being a narrow-minded nationalist.
Times have changed, and our patriotism needs to change as well. Narrow-minded nationalism leads to an ignorant, extremist, and violent world view. People with such views fail to see how the world is getting increasingly more connected. They don’t know how to communicate with the outside world in a peaceful and reasonable way. Such attitudes bring China more harm than benefit. It’s time we throw them away.
It angered and saddened me to see so many newspapers (with Global Times leading the pack) and opinion leaders blatantly advocating extremist nationalism. They ignored the trend of global development and trumpeted narrow-minded ideologies out of their own self interest.
The media and people at large have been saying repeatedly that China’s current political system is superior and that democracy is not suitable to China. They have devised a vague concept of the “China Model”, and use it to resist accepting universal values. Since information does not disseminate freely in China currently, their assertions have negatively influenced public opinion. Many people have lost the opportunity to open themselves to different ideas. And China’s integration into the modern civilized world has been obstructed.
To decrease this negative impact, a large number of “clear-minded” patriots must stand out and resist the pressure from those in power who try to manipulate public opinion. They must make public the common sens that has been distorted and covered: Every man is born equal. Every man is born free. He has natural rights (jus nafural). It is a universal principle. It is applicable in all countries and nations. Any excuse to go against these principle should be denounced, whether it’s history or China’s special conditions.
I will continue to be a clear-minded patriot in 2009 instead of being a muddleheaded one.
