With the swarm of anti-France/boycott-Carrefour messages still plaguing the wireless networks, IM chats and BBSes, it was a pleasant surprise to run across Jason’s post at Over and Out sharing a QQ forward he received that – shockingly – doesn’t rise up and call to arms the seething masses of ultra-nationalists.
For this laowai, I couldn’t be happier to see that there are young Chinese standing firm and illustrating that China HAS actually changed – and that the Red Guard-like mentality that has coursed through the country as if it were some common-sense killing virus is not necessarily representative of the population – but rather just more vocal.
From Over and Out ‘a breath of fresh air‘:
most of the crap flying around on the Chinese internet right now is doing nothing but fanning the flames of fervent nationalism. However, I recently stumbled across a QQ forward that was of a different tune.
…
韩寒, or Han Han, is a young Chinese author in his early twenties. From what I can gather, he’s popular because he writes in a voice that most young people feel they can relate to. He’s been speaking out online about cooling down and considering the issues before getting carried away. For doing so he’s received a lot of questions and criticisms from his peers. He’s brave for going against the grain at a time like this and I think there’s a lot wisdom in his words. More importantly, he carries a lot of respect with the younger generation and I think they’re listening…
The QQ message is a Q&A format (translated by Jason):
问题1:外国人过æ¥æŠ½ä½ ä¸€ä¸ªè€³å…‰ï¼Œä½ ä¹Ÿæ— åŠ¨äºŽè¡·ï¼Œä¸è¿˜æ‰‹ï¼Œæ¥æ˜¾ç¤ºè‡ªå·±å¾ˆå¤§åº¦ï¼Ÿ
回ç”:外国人没有过æ¥æŠ½æˆ‘耳光。
Q 1: If a foreigner came up to you and slapped you across the face would you be nonchalant, not slap back and show yourself as the bigger person?
A: A foreigner has never came up to me and slapped me in the face.
问题2ï¼šéŸ©å¯’ï¼Œä½ å¦ˆè¢«å¤–å›½äººå¼ºå¥¸äº†ï¼Œä½ ä¹Ÿä¸æŠ—议?
回ç”:外国人没强奸我妈。
Q 2: Han han, if your mother was raped by a foreigner, would you not protest?
A: My mother hasn’t been raped by foreigners.
问题3ï¼šç¥–å›½å°±æ˜¯ä½ çš„æ¯äº²â€¦â€¦
回ç”:祖国是祖国,æ¯äº²æ˜¯æ¯äº²ã€‚
Q 3: But your homeland is just that, your mother…
A: Homelands are homelands, mothers are mothers
问题4ï¼šä½ æ€Žä¹ˆå¯¹å¾—èµ·ä½ è„šä¸‹è‡ªå·±çš„åœŸåœ°â€¦â€¦
回ç”ï¼šæˆ‘æ²¡æœ‰è‡ªå·±çš„åœŸåœ°ï¼Œä½ ä¹Ÿæ²¡æœ‰è‡ªå·±çš„åœŸåœ°ã€‚
Q 4: How can you even feel worthy of standing on your own land…
A: I don’t have ‘my own land’ and neither do you.
问题5ï¼šä½ ä¸æ˜¯ä¸€ä¸ªä¸å›½äººï¼Œæ˜¯ä¸å›½äººå°±åº”该抵制家ä¹ç¦ã€‚
回ç”:宪法上ä¸æ›¾è¿™æ ·è§„å®šã€‚è¿™æ˜¯ä½ çš„å¼ºè¡Œæµæ°“爱国观。
Q 5: You’re no Chinese. To be Chinese is to boycott Carrefour.
A 5: That stipulation is not in the constitution. This is you forcing your fanatically patriotic view.
问题6:爱国是一个人与生俱æ¥çš„优秀å“è´¨å’Œä¼˜è‰¯ä¼ ç»Ÿã€‚
回ç”:å†è®©ä½ ç”Ÿä¸€æ¬¡ï¼Œå¦‚æžœä½ è¿˜é€‰æ‹©ç”Ÿåœ¨è¿™ä¸ªå›½å®¶ï¼Œé‚£è¿™æ‰æ˜¯çœŸæ£çš„爱国和优秀å“质。
Q 6: A patriot is someone who embodies, in their entirety, outstanding qualities and tradition.
A: Let you be born one more time. If you choose to to be born in this country again, that is truly loving your country and embodying outstanding qualities.
问题7ï¼šä½ è¿žè‡ªå·±çš„æ¯äº²éƒ½ä¸çˆ±ï¼Œä½ 还是个人å—?
回ç”:我妈å«å‘¨å·§è“‰ï¼Œæˆ‘很爱她。我用自己的努力,让我全家å¯ä»¥å¾—到基本的生活ä¿éšœï¼Œæƒ³ä¿éšœè‡ªå·±å›½å®¶çš„人,先把自己的å°å®¶ç»™ä¿éšœå¥½å§ã€‚
Q 7: If you don’t love your mother, are you still human?
A: My mom’s name is Zhou Qiao Rong. I really love her. I use my own efforts, let the basic life-needs of everyone be met. If you want to safeguard your country, first you must safeguard your family.
问题8ï¼šä½ è¯´å®¶ä¹ç¦çš„股东å¯èƒ½æ²¡èµžåŠ©è¾¾èµ–,我们也的确没找到什么他赞助了的è¯æ®ï¼Œä½†è¿™ä¸å¦¨ç¢æˆ‘们抵制法国货,家ä¹ç¦åªæ˜¯ä¸ªå†²å¤´ï¼Œäº‹å®žä¸Šï¼Œæˆ‘们è¦æŠµåˆ¶ä¸€åˆ‡å’Œæ³•å›½æœ‰å…³çš„东西,我们还è¦æŠµåˆ¶LVï¼ŒæŠµåˆ¶æ ‡è‡´æ±½è½¦ï¼ŒæŠµåˆ¶é›ªé“龙……支æŒ2008奥è¿ï¼Œä¸å›½äººçš„强大和团结让世界颤抖ï¼
回ç”:现代奥è¿ä¼šæ˜¯æ³•å›½äººé¡¾æ‹œæ—¦åˆ›åŠžçš„,一起抵制了å§ã€‚
Q 8: You say the Carrefour shareholder may not have sponsored the Dalai Lama and that we don’t have any evidence of him doing so, but what harm is there is in boycotting French products in general? Carrefour is just a dash to the head. Actually, we want to boycott anything that has any relation to France. We’ll boycott LV, Peugeot and Citroen…all to support the Olympics. The power of the united Chinese people will make the world tremble!
A: The modern Olympics were established by the French man, Peirre de Coubertin. Boycott the Olympics then.
问题9:åšå†³æŠµåˆ¶å®¶ä¹ç¦ï¼Œä½ ,居然能容å¿å¤–国列强对我泱泱大国的侮辱,如果æ¯ä¸ªäººéƒ½å‘ä½ è¿™ä¹ˆæ‡¦å¼±ï¼Œé‚£å›½å®¶æ—©å°±ç了。
回ç”ï¼šä½ å¼ºæ‚ï¼Œä½ å‹‡æ•¢ï¼Œä½ ä¸æ€•æ»ï¼Œä½ æ˜¯çƒˆå£«ã€‚å› ä¸ºä½ æ•¢äºŽä¸åŽ»æŸè¶…市è´ç‰©ã€‚è€Œä¸”ï¼Œä½ æ•¢äºŽæŠŠå®¶ä¹ç¦çš„的冰激凌放在手推车里ä¸ç»“å¸è®©å®ƒä»¬åŒ–æŽ‰ï¼Œä½ æ•¢äºŽåœ¨è¶…å¸‚é—¨å£éª‚结å¸å‡ºæ¥çš„äººæ˜¯æ±‰å¥¸ã€‚ä½ æ•¢äºŽçƒ§è·å…°å›½æ——æ¥è¦å‘Šæ³•å›½ã€‚
Q 9: We firmly boycott Carrefour but you tolerate the foreign power’s insults against our great nation. If everyone was as weak as you, our country would have already been extinguished.
A: You are valiant, brave, unafraid of death and a martyr…because you don’t shop at a supermarket. Moreover, you ‘dare’ to put Carrefour’s frozen items in your cart and not pay for them. You ‘dare’ to stand at the door cursing people who exit; calling them race traitors. Finally, you ‘dare’ to burn the Dutch flag in protest of the French.
问题10:åˆè‚¥å®¶ä¹ç¦ç»™ä¸å›½é™åŠæ——ï¼Œä½ ä¸ºä»€ä¹ˆä¸æ„¤æ€’。
回ç”:我相信这事情ä¸æ˜¯å®¶ä¹ç¦åšçš„,他们也ä¸æ•¢è¿™ä¹ˆåšã€‚国旗就在超市门å£çš„广场上,这行为是典型的æŸäº›æµæ°“爱者年自己把旗åé™ä¸‹åŽ»ï¼Œè´¼å–Šæ‰è´¼ï¼Œç„¶åŽå››å¤„ä¼ æ’,以便煽动,惟æ天下ä¸ä¹±ã€‚è¿™æ›´åŠ ä¸é“德。类似的行为和手段在类似的行动ä¸å¤ªè€³ç†Ÿèƒ½è¯¦äº†ã€‚**
Q 10: The Hefei Carrefour flew the Chinese flag at half-mast, how can you not be furious?
A: I don’t believe this was Carrefour’s doing and that they would even dare to do such a thing. The flag was located outside the door in the square. Pulling the flag down is likely due to the behavior of some of the hooligans outside. Shouting and yelling all over the place in order to incite chaos and fear. This is even more immoral. This kind of behavior is all too familiar.
问题11ï¼šåœ¨è¿™ä¸‡ä¼—ä¸€å¿ƒçš„æ—¶åˆ»ï¼Œä½ å‡è£…清醒,说风凉è¯ï¼Œç»™çˆ±å›½å¿—士浇冷水,和民æ„相è¿èƒŒï¼Œä½ è¿™æ ·çš„è¯å±…然都能å‘表,看æ¥ä¸å›½çš„言论还是太自由了,应该å°æ€ä½ 。
回ç”:我们的人一方é¢å‘¼å国家放开言论,一方é¢æœ‰äººå对自己就希望国家å°æ€æŽ‰ä»–,国家在进æ¥ï¼Œä½ 逼它退æ¥ã€‚å°å¿ƒç™¾è½¬åƒå›žï¼Œå®³äººå®³å·±ã€‚
Q 11: During this divisive time you pretend to be clear-headed and speak calmly as a gentleman and patriot, yet speak out against public opinion. If words such as yours are able to be published, apparently China is far too free. You should be banned.
A: Our people are on the one hand unleashing their political opinions, and on the other wishing the country be closed off? Our country is in the midst of progress and you force it’s degeneration. Be careful of what comes back around. Harm other and you harm yourself.
—–
Fantastic stuff. Thanks to Jason for the translation, and thanks to Han Han for being so damn cool. If anyone has the original context in which this was written, please let us know.
It is indeed refreshing to see someone not acting like a lemming and remaining objective and cool headed in the context of the current China / Tibet / France “agitation”. Thanks for spotting this exchange, and for translating it.
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This was great to read. I used to think Han Han was a little arrogant. Nice to hear he has an open mind.
J.
Thanks for this one…
Even the taxi drivers are lecturing me when I head in the direction of Carrefour about the evil French.
Perfect comebacks by a very bold and very wise Han Han.
gorgeous stuff… Ryan, I think you’re dead right, the BBS et al hordes shout the loudest but I think it’s a mistake to suppose them the voice of a nation.
Looks like it’s from his blog:
Here is his intro to the questions with my quick translation:
And it is probably a reaction to responses he got to this essay:
If I have time I’ll translate the essay and put it up on my site.
Awesome kmm – please post a link here if you put it up.
I agree with Hanhan.We Chinese should act more rationally.
Ryan, wonderful post! Following the link to Han Han’s blog post, it was also great to see the number of comments supporting him.