Chinese Response to the Grave
Challenge (Once Again) 17 May 2008 This is the partial translation of an online post and comments. The original Chinese text in full can be viewed on 晋江网友留言区 (daqi.com/bbs/05/344834984.html) 2008-05-14 22:45
接听电话的时候最多外省电话大概是广东和福建等沿海地区的, 很多都是在那里打工的农民工,还有一些同乡会,他们大多是集合起来每人捐出一月工资或者是更多。他们其实钱赚的非常不容易，想想电视上常常出现的讨薪的新闻，突然觉得很心酸。还有个海南的电话, 他离开四川老家已经10多年了, 在海南安家落户了, 家乡话已经不会说了, 但是听说家乡出事了, 还是马上来打听捐助方式，想捐赠2万，然后又问可不可以收养地震后的孤儿。儿行天涯母担心，这一天，我相信, 游子的心终是系在这片土地上，他们最温柔的感情和最深的心愿始终还是故土。回答个问题，我是在成都。 Most phone calls were from Sichuan peasants working in coastal cities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. They put their money together and sent it to Red Cross, some offered their entire monthly salary, others even more. It's their hard earned money - I remember from time to time there would be news on TV about how migrant workers have to fight a tough battle to get their wages paid - I feel sad. Among them there is a man who has settled in Haian Province for over a decade and could not even speak his native Sichuan dialect, but when he heard his ancestral land is in trouble, he immediately called to enquire how to donate 20,000 yuans and to adopt a quake orphan.
2008-05-14 21:25 企业捐款最多的是中小企业，他们不象有的大企业那么大手笔，也没那么高调:要指挥部电话，或者要求联系领导人等等。很多都是打个电话过来，问最需要什么，他们就去找来，如果企业生产的东西用的上的话就拖过来几车，然后要求开个收据，拿着就开车走了。捐药物，润滑油，捐奶粉，童装，饼干，雨具，气垫....，林林总总，只要你能想出来的，都有企业来问要不要，他们大多不是很大型的企业，典型的民族企业，但是的确都不含糊。突然觉得国货还是可靠些，至少救急还得靠国货。有个保险公司提出为一线的战士提供总额30亿，每人20万的免费保险单。请负责人马上和他们接洽一下。非常巧的是另一家合资的保险公司，也打个电话来，说要提供些捐款。我问“是公司的捐款么？”负责人赶紧申明他们是想组织员工捐款，至于公司方面，还要和总公司讨论，总公司方面还没这个意向... 国人当自强吧。 Most businesses who make financial contributions to help quake victims are small to medium sized Chinese companies. Unlike big corporations, they don’t have a large sum to give away, nor do they make a big splash - they don’t demand to talk to headquarters or executives, but make a quick phone call to the hotline and enquire what we need. Then they would send truckloads of goods to us, take a receipt and leave. The things they donated include lubricating oil, baby milk powder, children’s clothing, biscuits, rain gears, air cushions, and almost everything that you can think of. I've realised our local Chinese brands and businesses are the ones we should trust and support, as when we are in trouble, they are the ones that provide help. A Chinese insurance company has offered 200,000 yuans of insurance cover for every single soldier who serves in the earthquake zone, that is totalling of 3 billion yuans. On the other hand, when a foreign-based multinational insurance corporation called in to discuss about donation, I found it was initiated by Chinese staff working there, as for their company, well, it has no such intention, yet …. My fellow Chinese, let’s firmly stand on our own feet.
2008-05-15 00:08 农民工很可爱。电话申请来做支援者的，如果是二三十人一大组的，多办是建筑工地的民工。 Those peasant migrant workers are really lovely people. If we received a call saying they have dozens of guys ready to do some volunteer jobs in disaster areas, they usually are construction workers. “I'm physically strong,” one would say. “I know how to repair buildings and demolish houses,” another told me. “I have experiences in working on aerial platforms,” some self-recommended. ... ... Currently all construction projects in Chengdu have been put on hold, which should be a time for the workers to take a break or visit their families in villages, but instead they come to offer their help. They may don’t have money to donate, but they contribute their time and labour to the relieve efforts. A poor man who has 100 yuans but nodates one yuan is as generous as a millennia who gives away ten thousand bucks. I used to look down the peasant workers, I feel ashamed now.
2008-05-15 00:41 最不愿回答的电话，就是有电话来质问指责。 其实我的专业正好是与地震沾一点点边，地震其实的确不可能准确预报的，看看日本台湾的大地震就知道，政府的确是在尽全力了。坐而言不如起而行，各尽其力吧。 The enquires that I‘m least willing to answer are those groundless accusations: “I‘m a college students, I care about the earthquake. Please tell me why the government didn‘t warn the public beforehand,” one would make a demand. “I heard there are signs before the quake, why didn‘t the authority evacuate the residents. So many people died becaused of the government inaction,” another would keen to point his finger. “I’m working at an Internet company, why haven’t we parachuted relief troops and materials into the disaster regions?” others lay a charge. There aren't many calls like this, just three or four, but they are irritating. At the beginning I would explain to them and urge them not to listen to rumours, but eventually I lost my patience and shouted back: Hi, this is help hotline, please don’t waste the precious resource. If you have too much time to kill and don't know what else you can do, go help the quake victims.
2008-05-15 01:57: 晚上的时候四川台在电视上发出呼吁，血库缺AB型血（其实我一直在帐篷里值电话，并没看见这则呼吁），问献血点的电话多了很多。刚开始是市内和省内的问讯，晚一点越来越多的是省份的电话过来问，如何捐献。北起黑吉辽，南至海南广东广西，西到内蒙新疆西藏，东到江浙沪，全国各地的电话不断的来。还有的很多是有工地同乡会和大学同学会的电话。13日的采血点全设成都，通知我是暂时不异地采血，主要呼吁成都市民献血，但是通知一播出，不仅成都，全国各地的电话都来问捐献地点。偏偏晚上的时候市内的采血点全都关闭了。一面是不断要求献血的请求，一面是无法联系不上成都血液中心的焦急，我们也只能让他们先和附近的医院联系，但是医院本来就忙得不可开交，怎么可能处理采血的事？联络了好久才知道，原来白天采血量太大，处理不过来，晚上采血车全部回中心去处理了，早上才能再出来。 晚上的时候还有重庆的电话，问如何献血，她家和几个朋友都是AB型。我向她解释暂时只有成都才有为灾区的采血点，我万没想到，三点多的时候，她的电话又打了进来，原来她们连夜驱车几百公里，从成渝高速冒雨赶到成都来献血。当听说白天才能采集时，她也只是说那么我们等到天亮吧。那一刻已经不是感动,或者别的什么简单的语言能形容我的心情了。 各地请求献血的电话源源不断。还有位老人，似乎有点年纪了，在电话里说，“你们四川的灾民太惨了，我在电视上看到了，太惨了。你们那儿缺血救命，但是我只能捐点钱过来，我又献不了血，帮不上忙。”然后她就哭了。一边哭，一边说自己帮不上忙。" 我觉得那一瞬间，自己的血在血管里呼啸起来。这都是中国的国民，是我的同胞。 写完这则就得睡了，已经和他们说好，明天早上再去看看能帮什么忙，关于献血和别的还很多感人的事，就在小小的电话线两端连接着，实在写不下来了，明天回来再来。 After Sichuan Television station last night plead people to donate type AB blood, we experienced a surge of calls regarding blood donation, with enquiries from northern province Heilongjiang, southern areas in Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi, western regions in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet to eastern provinces Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. There is a call from a woman in Chongqing who said her family and her friends are all type AB, so I explained to her that blood collection station can only accept blood donation from locals in Chengdu. Few hours later in 3am, she called again, telling me that they had arrived in Chengdu by car in the rain. When I told them the collection station opens during the business hour, she said: oh, well, then we just wait for the daybreak. I don’t know how to describe my feeling on hearing her reply, to say I was so touched is an understatement. Another elderly woman told me on the phone, “My heart felt for the quake victims in your Sichuan province, I saw it on TV, it’s terrible. I know you need blood, but I can only send some money to Red Cross, I am not eligible to donate blood,” And she cried, added, "I’m so sorry that I’m unable to give my blood to those injured." I felt my blood boiled. Such are my dear fellow countrymen and countrywomen. After this post, I have to go to bed. I’ve already told them that tomorrow morning I would go there to check if here is anything that I can help. I’ll continue to post tomorrow.
Pre: My Day on Red
Cross Hotline
Related: More:
|
