distant ruminations

I saw this on the Southern Daily website yesterday, and I almost started translating it, but there’s an awful lot of new words…. Well, I gave up yesterday. It’s quarter past ten, I have class at one thirty…. I have time. Dare I? Might as well. Although I hope the university’s often unreliable excuse for broadband let’s me get to nciku sometime soon….

It’s a reprint of a Xinhua/People’s Daily article on the latest outbreak of hot-blooded patriotism, and it looks like interesting reading:

人民日报新华社发表文章评论呼吁　 爱国需热情更需理性

People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency publish an article commenting appealing: Patriotism needs passion but needs reason even more

本报讯　人民日报昨日发表署名何振华的文章，题目是《把自己的事情办好》，全文如下：

This paper reports: People’s Daily yesterday published an article signed by He Zhenhua titled “Handling our own matters well”. The full text is below:

近日，“加油中国”的呐喊在海外激荡，抗议卡弗蒂辱华言论的怒潮在国内掀起，互联网上“红心中国”的签名，也在飞速增长……

Recently, the cry “Go China” has surged overseas, the tide of anger protesting Cafferty’s words insulting China has risen in China, the “Heart China” signature on the internet has spread like wildfire…..

当“藏独”分子试图分裂祖国的时候，当一些西方媒体歪曲事实违背良知的时候，当一些政客居心叵测妖魔化中国的时候，中国人民用各种方式，表达了对祖国最朴素、最深厚的感情。这种强烈的爱国热情，令人动容，弥足珍贵。

When “T1b3t@n indie pen dance” activists try to split the motherland, when some Western media distort the facts and go against common knowledge, when some politicians harbour unpredictable intentions to demonise China, the peoples of China use every kind of method to expres their simplest, deepest feelings for the motherland. This kind of intense patriotic feeling is very moving and very precious.

每次爱国热情的表达都是自然的，但这爱国热情的激发却并非偶然。在愤激之后，更冷静地思考，更理性地分析，更从容地应对，我们才能将阻力变为动力，将磨难变为财富，将这个纷纷扰扰的春天变为凝聚民族精神、历练大国心态的契机。

Every time the expression of patriotic feeling is natural, but this arousal of patriotic feeling really isn’t by chance. After the incitement of anger, only if we calmly consider, rationally analyse, and unhurriedly respond can we turn resistance into motive force, hardship into wealth, this constantly troubling spring into cohesive nationalism, a turning point in the experience and training of a “Great Nation” attitude.

经过30年的改革开放，中国坚定不移地走向了世界，融入世界文明的潮流。开放的世界，给中国提供了巨大的舞台；发展的中国，也给世界带来了崭新的活力。作 为世界上第四大经济体的中国，拥有占世界1／4人口、13亿人民的中国，走中国特色社会主义道路的中国，这一系列的定义，足以让“中国”这两个字，在世界 的分量有所不同；也足以让“中国”这两个字，成为某些人的心中块垒。

Over 30 years of reform and opening up, China has unswervingly walked towards the world, entering the current of world civilisation. The open world has given China a huge platform; developing China has given the world a brand new vigour. China as the world’s fourth largest economy; China having 1/4 of the world’s population, 1.3 billion people; China taking the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics; this series of definitions are enough to give  the word “China” a somewhat distinct weight in the world and enough to let the word “China” become a rampart in some people’s hearts.

面对中国的迅速成长，我们听到了真诚的祝福，也看到出于各种目的削弱中国、遏制中国的企图。这就是为什么中国的发展，总会遭遇这样那样的“曲折”，面临这 样那样的“指责”。所谓“西藏问题”的流行与时髦，根源于此；一些西方媒体的狂妄与偏见，根源也在此。这一切告诉我们，在今后很长时间我们都将面对这样一 个问题：作为一个大国，我们必须学会承受各种压力，善于在压力甚至是打压之下，更好地发展。

Facing the speed of China’s growth, we hear sincere good wishes, and we also see attempts stemming from every kind of purpose to weaken and contain China. That’s why China’s development will always encounter this or that kind of “complication” or be faced with this or that kind of “criticism”. The fashion and vogue of the so-called “T1b3t problem” has its origin here; the arrogance and prejudice of certain Western media has its origin here. This tells us that from now on we’ll be facing this kind of problem for a long time: To be a great nation, we must learn to bear every kind of pressure, and be good at developing well even under enormous pressure.

这应该是我们爱国主义激情的落脚点——在机遇挑战并存的前进道路上，在改革发展的关键时期，在错综复杂的国际环境中，我们每走一步，都可能碰到这样那样的困难；而每一次困难，都需要坚定这样一种决心：集中力量发展自己，让中国更加强大！

 This should be the foothold of our patriotic passion- to stay on the progressive road through opportunities and challenges, in the crucial period of reform and development, in the complex international environment, with every step we take we could meet this or that kind of difficultry; and every difficulty requires this kind of steady determination: concentrat strength to develop ourselves to make China more powerful!

在这个意义上，爱国热情既要体现在对祖国、对民族、对人民的深厚情感上，更要体现在为祖国的繁荣、民族的振兴、人民的富裕而不懈奋斗的实际行动中。对我们 而言，最需要做的，是把自己的事情办好，把爱国热情凝聚成社会稳定、国家发展、民族振兴的共同意志，汇聚在推进改革开放、推动科学发展的事业里。不管遇到 怎样的艰难困扰，我们都要更加坚定地走向世界，广泛汲取人类文明的所有营养；不管世界如何风云变幻，我们都要更加坚定地改革开放，坚持中国特色社会主义道 路。树立大国风范，涵养大国心态，让世界看到中国人的团结、理性、智慧与勇气，让世界看到中国的开放、包容、自信与自强。

In this sense, patriotic passion both needs to give expression to profound feelings for the motherland, the ethnicities, and the people, and needs more to give expression to the flourishing of the motherland, the rejuvenation of the ethnicities, and the prosperity of the people as well as untiringly struggle for real action. From our point of view, what most needs to be done is to manage our own affairs well, to consolidate patriotic passion into a common determination for social stability, national development, and rejuvenation of the ethnicities, to gather in the cause for pushing forward reform and opening up and promoting scientific development. Regardless of what difficulties and complications we encounter, we must all even more determinedly walk towards the world, and extensively draw on all the nourishment of human civilisation; regardless of how changeable the world may be, we must all even more determinedly reform and open up, and persist on the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Establish the demeanour of a great nation, conserve the attitude of a great nation, let the world see the unity, reason, wisdom and courage of the Chinese people, let the world see the openness, forgiveness, confidence and strength of China.

“力争使祖国变得更加美好的人才是最爱国的。”要将爱国热情转化为强国行动，离不开每一个公民的努力。正如歌德所言，“我们为祖国服务，也不能采用同一种方式，每个人应该按照自己的禀资，各尽所能。”

“Working hard to make the talent of the motherland even more glorious is the most patriotic.”  We need to transform the patriotic passion into action to strengthen the country, and can not abandon the great efforts of every citizen. Just as Goethe said, “We serve the motherland, but can’t all adopt the same method. Everyone should do all he is able according to his own abilities.”

愿爱国主义在这样的理念下凝聚起来，表达出来。

I hope patriotism can coalesce under this kind of idea and express itself.

又讯　针对民众反对达赖集团“藏独”行为的义愤和网络上广为流传“抵制法国货”的呼声，新华社17日深夜和昨日凌晨分别发表题为《将爱国热情倾注到发展行 动中去》和《把自己的事情办好，就是最大的爱国》的时评，呼吁将爱国热情纳入理性轨道，转化为做好本职工作、搞好经济建设、办好北京奥运会的自觉行动。

New report: In light of the popular righteous anger at the “T1b3t indie pen dance” activities of the Doily Clique and the widespread calls online to “boycott French products”, Xinhua News Agency in the middle of the night of the 17th and the early hours of this morning separated the titles of the published editorials to “Pour patriotic passion into action for development” and “To manage our own affairs well is the greatest patriotism” and called to bring patriotic passion into a rational way and translate it into the consciousness of doing one’s own job well, strengthen economic construction, and running a good Beijing Olympics.

Not the hardest translation I’ve ever attempted, but still, two hours, and I’m sure I’ve stuffed up at least some of it- and as always constructive criticism and corrections are most welcome.

But clearly this was only for domestic consumption. I mean, all that patriotism…. man, if Helen Clark started talking like that she’d be met with scorn and derision. But there is one big key point here (I think- I may be wrong in my interpretation) that I think is worth repeating, and that is a call for more rational patriotism that focusses on building up and developing China first and foremost. Amen. I mean, I don’t see the point in getting all upset over the actions of a few idiots in Paris and London when so many Chinese kids still don’t have decent access to basic education, when so many are still living one step from famine, when so many don’t have access to even basic healthcare.

And I still can’t get to nciku, dammit! I had to do all of that using ChinesePera-kun, which is not very reliable, and my dictionary, which is starting to show signs of age. Nciku is great, but half the time I find myself shut out.