Emperor Cuckoo: Human interest in China

Jack-o'-Lanterns
南瓜灯 nánguā dēng

Kindergartens celebrate Halloween 
幼儿园过万圣节
Yòu'éryuán guò Wànshèngjié

Halloween is coming and, of course, on this foreign holiday we only go through the motions, but many parents are complaining about it.  Kindergartens want to celebrate the holiday, so parents are busy dressing up their kids as wizards, goblins, and in all different kinds of costumes.  Some parents say that letting the child be exposed to new things is a good idea, but other parents point out that the costumes are used only once and go to waste, so they find it hard to accept celebrating this "Ghost Festival," and feel it isn't an appropriate thing for a kindergarten to do.
万圣节将至，本来是个“不疼不痒”的洋节，却令很多家长叫苦。因为幼儿园要过节，家长忙着把自己的孩子打扮成法师、小鬼等各种造型。对此，有家长觉得让孩子接触新鲜事物挺好，但有家长却表示许多装饰属于一次性用品，太过浪费，而且对给孩子过“鬼节”难以接受，幼儿园这么做实在不妥当。Wànshèngjié jiāng zhì, běnlái shì gè "bù téng bù yǎng" de yáng jié, què lìng hěn duō jiāzhǎng jiàokǔ. Yīnwèi yòu'éryuán yào guòjié, jiāzhǎng mángzhe bǎ zìjǐ de háizi dǎbà chéng fǎshī, xiáoguǐ děng gèzhǒng zàoxíng. Duìcǐ, yǒu jiāzhǎng juédé ràng háizi jiēchù xīnxiān shìwù tǐng hǎo, dàn yǒu jiāzhǎng què biǎoshì xǔduō zhuāngshì shǔyú yícìxìng yòngpǐn, tài guò làngfèi, érqiě duì gěi háizi guò "Guǐjié" nányǐ jiēshòu, yòu'éryuán zhème zuò shízai bù tuǒdang. 

Parents: For kids to dress up as little ghosts makes people uncomfortable
家长：孩子扮小鬼 让人不舒服 Jiāzhǎng: Háizi bàn xiáoguǐ ràng rén bù shūfu 

According to Mrs. Liu, ever since her daughter began to attend a bilingual kindergarten, it's become a requirement to celebrate Western holidays such as Christmas, but the one that gives her the biggest headache is Halloween.  Whenever Halloween comes around, not only do you have to make a costume and decorations for your child, you also have to make Jack-o'-Lanterns, and have sweets and other things necessary for the holiday, and you have to spend about 300 yuan [about $45].
据刘女士讲，自打女儿上了双语幼儿园之后，西方节日如圣诞节成了必过的盛典，其中最让她头痛的就是万圣节。每逢万圣节，不但要给孩子准备服装、配饰，还得有南瓜灯、糖果等节日必要物品，每次花销需要300元左右。Jù Liú nǚshì jiǎng, zìdǎ nǚ'ér shàngle shuāngyǔ yòu'éryuán zhīhòu, xīfāng jiérì rú Shèngdànjié chéngle bì guò de shèngdiǎn, qízhōng zuì ràng tā tóutòng de jiù shì Wànshèngjié. Měiféng Wànshèngjié, búdàn yào gěi háizi zhǔnbèi fúzhuāng, pèishì, hái dé yǒu nánguā dēng, tángguǒ děng jiérì bìyào wùpǐn, měicì huāxiāo xūyào 300 yuán zuǒyòu. 

But the expenses aren't the biggest problem: Mrs. Liu really doesn't want her child celebrating Halloween.  Seeing designs that look like skeletons, and other bizarre costumes, a child filled with curiousity is always asking about them, and this makes the parents feel a little embarrassed.  "On Halloween Day, when you go into the kindergarten's main room, you find that the decorations are distasteful, you hear sounds of ghosts haunting, there are flickering candles everywhere, the kids all are dressed up like little ghosts, this makes you feel uncomfortable. But if you don't dress up your child, and all the other children have costumes, this is something your own kid won't allow you to get away with."  Ms. Liu added that the costumes are one-time use, because each year the kids grow bigger and fashions change.
开销还不是最大问题，刘女士是打心眼里不喜欢让孩子过万圣节。看到那些类似骷髅的标志或者其他奇装异服，好奇的孩子总会问这问那，可家长解释起来实在有些为难。“到了万圣节当天，一进幼儿园大厅，就发现那里布置得很别扭，耳边飘着闹鬼的声音，到处都是飘忽的蜡烛，孩子更是被打扮得跟小鬼差不多，让人很不舒服。但如果不给自己孩子准备，别的孩子都有，自己的孩子也不干呀。”刘女士讲道，这些节日物品基本都一次性使用，孩子每年长得快，服饰也是一年一换。Kāixiāo hái búshì zuì dà wèntí, Liú nǚshì shì dǎ xīnyǎn lǐ bù xǐhuan ràng háizi guò Wànshèngjié. kàndào nàxiē lèisì kūlóu de biāozhì huòzhě qítā qízhuāng yìfú, hàoqí de háizi zǒng huì wènzhèwènnà, kě jiāzhǎng jiěshì qǐlái shí zai yǒuxiē wéinán.  "Dàole Wànshèngjié dàngtiān, yíjìn yòu'éryuán dàtīng, jiù fāxiàn nàlǐ bùzhì dé hěn bièniu, ěrbiān piāozhe nàoguǐ de shēngyīn, dàochù dōu shì piāohū de làzhú, háizi gèng shì bèi dǎbàn dé gēn xiáoguǐ chàbùduō, ràng rén hěn bùshūfu. Dàn rúguǒ bù gěi zìjǐ háizi zhǔnbèi, biéde háizi dōu yǒu, zìjǐ de háizi yě bùgān ya." Liú nǚshì jiǎng dào, zhèxiē jiérì wùpǐn jīběn dōu yícìxìng shǐyòng, háizi měinián zhǎng dé kuài, fúshì yě shì yì nián yí huàn. 

The reporter then interviewed Professor Xia Xueluan, a sociologist at Beijing University.  Professor Xia said that the foreign holiday called Halloween (or "Ghost Holiday") is not a traditional Chinese holiday.  In China it has become commercialized, and in order to make money, merchants try to present the holiday as a big celebration.  People who work at kindergartens should be aware of what they are exposing the children to, and ask whether celebrating this holiday is appropriate.  Right now, the kindergartens celebrate this holiday purely for amusement, but it can't just be fun for the sake of fun, because that shows irresponsibility.
记者随后采访了北京大学社会学夏学銮教授。夏教授表示，万圣节是国外的“鬼节”，并非中国传统节日，在国内是商业化产物，商家是为了赚钱才隆重推出的。幼儿教育工作者应该了解什么是孩子可以接触的，幼儿教育推广这个节日是不恰当的做法。现在有些幼儿园纯粹为了娱乐活动才过这些节日，不能为了娱乐而娱乐，这是不负责任的表现。
Jìzhě suíhòu cáifǎng le Běijīng Dàxué shèhuìxué Xià Xuéluán jiàoshòu. Xià jiàoshòu biǎoshì, Wànshèngjié shì guówài de "Guǐjié," bìngfēi Zhōngguó chuántǒng jiérì, zài guónèi shì shāngyèhuà chǎnwù, shāngjiā shì wèile zhuànqián cái lóngzhòng tuīchū de. Yòu'ér jiàoyù gōngzuòzhě yīnggāi liáojiě shénme shì háizi kéyǐ jiēchù de, yòu'ér jiàoyù tuīguǎng zhège jiérì shì bú qiàdàng de zuòfǎ. Xiànzài yǒuxiē yòu'éryuán chúncuì wèile yúlè huódòng cái guò zhèxiē jiérì, bùnéng wèi le yúlè ér yúlè, zhè shì bú fùzé rèn de biǎoxiàn. 

Parents: We support having our kids exposed to new things
家长：支持孩子接受新事物Jiāzhǎng:  Zhīchí háizi jiēshòu xīn shìwù

Mrs. Liu may disagree, but Mrs. Pan's son just this year began kindergarten, and she was enthusiastically making him a Halloween costume; in her eyes, this is a chance for her son to be exposed to something new, there's nothing inappropriate about it, and as far as Mrs. Pan knows, there are quite a few parents who want to celebrate along with their children.
与刘女士不同的是，潘女士的儿子今年刚刚上幼儿园，她最近正在积极为儿子准备万圣节的服装，在她眼里，这可是个能让孩子接触新鲜事物的机会，并无不妥，而且据潘女士了解，还有家长也想跟着孩子一起过节呢。
Yǔ Liú nǚshì bùtóng de shì, Pān nǚshì de érzi jīnnián gānggāng shàng yòu'éryuán, tā zuìjìn zhèngzài jījí wéi érzi zhǔnbèi Wànshèngjié de fúzhuāng, zài tā yǎnlǐ, zhè kě shì gè néng ràng háizi jiēchù xīnxiān shìwù de jīhuì, bìng wú bùtuǒ, ér qiě jù Pān nǚshì liáojiě, hái yǒu jiāzhǎng yě xiǎng gēnzhe háizi yìqǐ guòjié ne. 

However, when talking about having to purchase a costume, Mrs. Pan also thought this was a bit of a headache, because many of the costumes have skeleton patterns printed on them, and she said these kinds of costumes weren't appropriate for her son, and also the choices were limited and it was hard to find anything different, so finally she chose a magician's costume for him. 
不过谈及购置服装时，潘女士也比较头疼，因为很多服装上面印有骷髅图案，潘女士觉得这样的图案出现在孩子身上确实有些不妥，孩子对图像的分别能力是有限的，她最后选择了一套魔法师的衣服。Búguò tánjí gòuzhì fúzhuāng shí, Pān nǚshì yě bǐjiào tóuténg, yīnwèi hěn duō fúzhuāng shàngmian yìn yǒu kūlóu tú'àn, Pān nǚshì jué dé zhèyàng de tú'àn chūxiàn zài háizi shēnshàng quèshí yǒuxiē bùtuǒ, háizi duì túxiàng de fēnbié nénglì shì yǒuxiàn de, tā zuìhòu xuǎnzé le yí tào mófǎshī de yīfu. 

Zong Chunshan, the director of Beijing's Center for Youth Law and Psychology, told the reporter that Halloween is the foreigner's way of teaching about death, and if the kindergarten teaches this holiday's cultural concepts, that would be acceptable, but if it's all just for fun, and they just let children dress up as little ghosts, this is not recommended, because it's meaningless.
北京市青少年法律与心理服务中心主任宗春山告诉记者，万圣节是国外的一种死亡教育，如果幼儿园给孩子传播的是这个节日的文化概念，是可以接受的，但如果纯粹是图娱乐，让孩子扮鬼玩，则不提倡，没有任何意义。
Běijīng shì qīng-shàonián fǎlǜ yǔ xīnlǐ fúwù zhōngxīn zhǔrèn Zōng Chūnshān gàosu jìzhě, Wànshèngjié shì guówài de yìzhǒng sǐwáng jiàoyù, rúguǒ yòu'éryuán gěi háizi chuánbō de shì zhège jiérì de wénhuà gàiniàn, shì kéyǐ jiēshòu de, dàn rúguǒ chúncuì shì tú yúlè, ràng háizi bàn guǐ wán, zé bù tíchàng, méiyǒu rènhé yìyì. 

The reporter contacted a bilingual kindergarten, and the person in charge said their kindergarten had been celebrating Halloween for the past four years; at first, the parents took the initiative and wanted to celebrate the holiday, so they began to have a hand in the arranging it.  This particular kindergarten encourages kids to make their own costumes and not to buy costumes, and it is simply a way of studying English; while celebrating the holiday, the children can learn about cultural differences between China and the West, and this promotes the children's understanding of Western culture, broadens their horizons, and creates conditions for studying a foreign language.      
记者联系到了一所双语幼儿园，园长表示，该园举办万圣节活动已有四年了，之前有家长主动要求过这个洋节，他们才开始着手举办活动。这个幼儿园鼓励让孩子自己动手制作服饰，而并非在商场直接购买服饰，而且过万圣节是一个纯英语的活动，孩子们可以在活动中了解中西文化差异，促进孩子了解西方文化，开阔孩子视野，为学习外语创造条件。Jìzhě liánxìdào le yìsuǒ shuāngyǔ yòu'éryuán, yuánzhǎng biǎoshì, gāi yuán jǔbàn Wànshèngjié huódòng yǐ yǒu sìnián le, zhīqián yǒu jiāzhǎng zhǔdòng yāoqiú guò zhège yáng jié, tāmen cái kāishǐ zhuóshǒu jǔbàn huódòng. Zhège yòu'éryuán gǔlì ràng háizi zìjǐ dòngshǒu zhìzuò fúshì, ér bìngfēi zài shāngchǎng zhíjiē gòumǎi fúshì, érqiě guò Wànshèngjié shì yí gè chún yīngyǔ de huódòng， háizimen kéyǐ zài huódòng zhōng liáojiě zhōng-xī wénhuà chāyì, cùjìn háizi liáojiě xīfāng wénhuà, kāikuò háizi shìyě, wéi xuéxí wàiyǔ chuàngzào tiáojiàn. 

Sources: 《北京晨报》2011-10/27: "幼儿园过万圣节打孩子'鬼'主意惹争议" online  

Stolen time
偷来的时光  Tōu lái de shíguāng

In recent years, literature from Hong Kong and Taiwan has been enjoying a surge in interest, and a group of outstanding contemporary Hong Kong and Taiwanese writers gradually has been gaining recognition by mainland Chinese readers who are familiar with them and like them, and this in turn has caused the publishing world's enthusiasm in recommending works from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
近两年，港台文学的引进热潮中，一批优秀的当代港台小说家渐渐被内地读者所认知、熟悉以及喜爱，因此也使出版界引进港台文学成为一股热流。Jìn liǎng nián, Gǎng-Tái wénxué de yǐnjìn rècháo zhōng, yì pī yōuxiù dí dāngdài Gǎng-Tái xiǎoshuōjiā jiànjiàn bèi nèidì dúzhě suǒ rènzhī, shúxī yǐjí xǐ'ài, yīncǐ yě shǐ chūbǎn jiè yǐnjìn Gǎng-Tái wénxué chéngwéi yì gǔ rèliú. 

Now it is Chen Xue's turn.  An early, popular avant-garde writer who has been widely discussed, a Taiwanese woman who has experience with literary circles focusing attention on her, this week she arrived in Beijing, and brought with her the first mainland publication of one of her books, a representative work called Child on a Bridge.
这次，轮到了陈雪。这个早期以写作前卫辛辣而广受讨论，备受文坛瞩目的台湾女作家，本周来京，带来了她在大陆出版的第一本书，其代表作品《桥上的孩子》。Zhècì, lúndào le Chén Xuě. Zhège zǎoqī yǐ xiězuò qiánwèi xīnlà ér guǎngshòu tǎolùn， bèishòu wéntán zhǔmù de Táiwān nǚzuòjiā, běnzhōu lái Jīng, dàilái le tā zài dàlù chūbǎn de dì-yì běn shū, qí dàibiǎo zuòpǐn 《Qiáo shàng de hái zi》. 

She believes this novel is a "style-transforming work from a relatively mature period" -- a work that has gained the praise of Chinese writers including Hou Xiaoxian, Zhu Tianwen, Liang Wendao, Zhi An, and others famous writers from both sides of the Straits and in the Third World, all of whom recommend reading her.  Interestingly, from her novels you can analyze other dimensions of life, this is not only because of the exquisiteness and humor in her "autobiographical" style, a form which heightens interest, but also because in her "autobiographical style," you can sense the author's perspective on life.
这是她认为“改变风格的作品，比较成熟的作品”，也得到了侯孝贤、朱天文、梁文道、止庵等两岸三地文化名人一致推荐阅读。有意思的是，你可以从她的作品中得到剖析生活的另一个维度，这不仅是在于其“自传”式的细腻与幽微，以形成一种探究的兴味，更在于在这种“自传”中，你可以感受到一个写作者打量生活的角度。Zhè shì tā rènwéi "gǎibiàn fēnggé de zuòpǐn, bǐjiào chéngshu de zuòpǐn," yě dédào le Hóu Xiàoxián, Zhū Tiānwén, Liáng Wéndào, Zhǐ Ān děng liǎng'àn sāndì wénhuà míngrén yízhì tuījiàn yuèdú. Yǒu yìsi de shì, nǐ kéyǐ cóng tā de zuòpǐn zhōng dédào pōuxī shēnghuó de lìng yí gè wéidù, zhè bùjǐn shì zài yúqí "zì zhuàn" shì de xìnì yǔ yōuwēi, yǐ xíngchéng yì zhǒng tànjiū de xìngwèi, gèng zàiyú zài zhè zhǒng "zì zhuàn" zhōng, nǐ kéyǐ gǎnshòudào yí gè xiězuòzhě dǎliang shēnghuó de jiǎodù. 

The substance of the novel, and the stories that take place, are Chen Xue's, and one could say they are identical with the reality of her life. This woman, who appears slender and a bit delicate, with her family once hawked goods from a blanket on the ground, and so has earned the name "wuchang" ["battle drums"], since she had to yell loudly to sell things, and her voice has grown hoarse; she equates appearing on stage as a performer with selling things as she was growing up.
小说的底子，故事的发生，是陈雪的，与她真正的生活可以说是吻合的。这个看上去纤细的女子，是在与家人一起摆地摊卖货，而且是被称作“武场”的大叫大卖、扯破嗓子，连带登上舞台“表演”似的卖货中长大的。Xiǎoshuō de dǐzi, gùshi de fāshēng, shì Chén Xuě de, yǔ tā zhēnzhèng de shēnghuó kéyǐ shuō shì wěnhé de. Zhège kànshàngqù xiānxì de nǘzǐ, shì zài yǔ jiā rén yìqǐ bǎi dìtān mài huò, érqiě shì bèi chēngzuò "wǔ chǎng" de dà jiào dà mài, chěpò sǎngzi, liándài dēngshàng wǔtái "biáo yǎn" shì de mài huò zhōng zhǎngdà de. 

If her life really was this way, she long ago experienced the meshing together of fertility and barrenness, and from that small pile of goods for sale, there unfolded stories for her earliest literary creations..
也许正是如此，她很早就体会到繁华与贫瘠交错间那种独有的冲撞，也使她很早就在小山一般的货物间展开了自己最早故事的创作。Yéxǔ zhèngshì rúcǐ, tā hěn zǎo jiù tǐhuì dào fánhuá yǔ pínjí jiāocuò jiān nà zhǒng dúyǒu de chōngzhuàng, yě shǐ tā hěn zǎojiù zài xiǎoshān yìbān de huòwù jiān zhǎnkāi le zìjǐ zuìzǎo gùshi de chuàngzuò. 

"In the noisy and bustling market, one hand holding plastic bags, one hand taking things from customers and wrapping them, one hand taking money, one hand giving change, haggling over prices with customers, and at the same time carefully making sure no one is stealing anything, and also looking in the distance for the police who come and prevent you from selling, a little girl learned from an early age how to gain skills in any situation.  Sometimes she would jump into the crowd brimming with youth, like a prettily-dressed little girl window-shopping and buying things, sometimes she was that ingratiating, happy little girl at home being embraced by her father and mother ...
“忙碌而嘈杂的闹市里，一手拿着塑料袋,一手拼命把客人递过来的货物包装起来，一手收钱,一手找钱，时而跟客人讨价还价，时而留心有没有人趁乱偷东西，还要注意远方有没有警察来取缔买卖的过程里，小女孩很小就学会了将自己随时抽离所处环境的本事。她有时跳跃进人群里化身成那些青春洋溢、衣着漂亮的女孩仿佛在逛街买东西，有时她混进和乐的家庭里变成爸爸妈妈牵着抱着的小孩……”
“Mánglù ér cáozá de nàoshì lǐ, yìshǒu názhe sùliàodài, yìshǒu pīnmìng bǎ kèrén dì guòlái de huòwù bāozhuāng qǐlái, yìshǒu shōuqián, yìshǒu zhǎoqián, shí'ér gēn kèrén tǎojiàhuánjià, shí'ér liúxīn yǒu méiyǒu rén chèn luàn tōu dōngxi, hái yào zhùyì yuǎnfāng yǒu méiyǒu jǐngchá lái qǔdì mǎimai de guò chéng lǐ, xiǎo nǚhái hěn xiǎo jiù xuéhuì le jiāng zìjǐ suíshí chōulí suǒchù huánjìng de běnshi. Tā yǒushí tiàoyuè jìn rénqún lǐ huàshēn chéng nàxiē qīngchūn yángyì, yīzhuó piàoliang de nǚhái fǎngfú zài guàngjiē mǎi dōngxi, yǒushí tā hùnjìn hélède jiātíng lǐ biànchéng bàba māma qiānzhe bàozhe de xiǎohái..."

Chen Xue, an avant-garde Taiwanese woman writer, says, "In the past I felt inferior about my background, because when I first published I was considered the most avant-garde of the Taiwanese women writers, everyone thought I'd returned from the States, I was always reluctant to leave the nightspots, really fashionable.  But it all was an illusion, I never really did that, it was my friends who brought me to those bars." 　
陈雪说：“我以前很自卑于我的出身，因为我刚出书的时候被当作台湾最前卫的女作家，大家都误以为我是美国回来的，我每天留恋夜店，最时髦。其实都是幻想，我根本没有，我去过酒吧都是朋友带去的。Chén Xuě shuō："Wǒ yǐqián hěn zìbēi yú wǒde chūshēn, yīnwèi wǒ gāng chūshū de shíhou bèi dàngzuò Táiwān zuì qiánwèi de nǚzuòjiā, dàjiā dōu wùyǐwéi wǒ shì Měiguó huílái de, wǒ měitiān liúliàn yèdiàn, zuì shímáo. Qíshí dōu shì huànxiǎng, wǒ gēnběn méiyǒu, wǒ qùguò jiǔbā dōu shì péngyou dàiqù de." 

"In Child on a Bridge, the thing I wanted to encounter was my own inner pain."  A bridge, a little girl, pushing a carriage from one end of the bridge to the other... "But the novel doesn't want to tell the story of one person's life, the novel's perspective is a universal point of view." 
《桥上的孩子》，我想要碰出的东西是我内在的疼痛。” 一座天桥，一个小女孩，推着车从桥的一头跑到另一头。“可是小说不是要讲某人的一生，小说是一个观看世界的角度。”  "Qiáoshàng de háizi," wǒ xiǎngyào pèngchū de dōngxi shì wǒ nèizài de téngtòng."  Yí zuò tiānqiáo, yí gè xiǎonǚhái, tuīzhe chē cóng qiáo de yì tóu pǎodào lìng yì tóu. "Kěshì xiǎoshuō bú shì yào jiǎng mǒurén de yìshēng, xiǎoshuō shì yí gè guānkàn shìjiè de jiǎodù."

Here is a novelist's universal point of view: "I like those moments of plunging into the imagination, the time of writing is 'stolen time', to pass through the imagination is to see in half-light things never before seen, to pass through fiction is to be able to change yourself into a different identity, to arrive at another place where you want to be ... In those days, through writing I experienced 'the power of story-telling' ... Every book was like a different room, each one was a fictional time-space in which to build substantial castles, and each successive book helped me understand what fiction meant to me, taught me I had to write through any difficulties, I had to forge myself into being" ...
这里，是一个小说家观看世界的角度。“我喜爱沉浸于想象的时刻，写作的时刻是‘偷来的时光’，透过想象的微光看见未曾看见的事物，透过虚构让自己能够化身成不同的身份，到达其他想去的地方。那时的我透过写作体会了‘故事的力量’……每一本书都像一个个不同的房间，一个又一个虚拟的时空却建造出坚实的城堡，我透过写一本又一本书让自己更加了解小说之于我的意义，了解我要继续写下去会面对何种困难，我要如何继续锤炼自己。
Zhèlǐ, shì yí gè xiǎoshuōjiā guānkàn shìjiè de jiǎodù 。 "Wǒ xǐ'ài chén jìnyú xiǎngxiàng de shíkè, xiězuò de shíkè shì 'tōulái de shíguāng,' tòuguò xiǎngxiàng de wēiguāng kànjiàn wèicéng kànjiàn de shìwù, tòuguò xūgòu ràng zìjǐ nénggòu huàshēn chéng bùtóng de shēnfèn, dàodá qítā xiǎngqù de dìfang. Nàshí de wǒ tòuguò xiězuò tǐhuì le 'gùshi de lìliàng' … … Měi yì běn shū dōu xiàng yí gè gè bùtóng de fángjiān, yí gè yòu yí gè xūnǐ de shíkōng què jiàn zàochū jiānshí de chéngbǎo, wǒ tòuguò xiě yì běn yòu yì běn shū ràng zìjǐ gèngjiā liáojiě xiǎoshuō zhīyú wǒ de yìyì, liáojiě wǒ yào jìxù xiěxiàqu huì miànduì hézhǒng kùnnan, wǒ yào rúhé jìxù chuíliàn zìjǐ. 

"In my world, that was an ever-changing castle; unable to take root on the ground, the castle always was in motion, passing through time, seeking its own shape.  I remember thinking that continuously writing novels was itself the process of a literary work taking shape, and at the same time I succeeded in reshaping myself.  We all are in the process of taking shape, we all are constantly destroying ourselves, then rebuilding, whatever kind of castle you are building always is smashed by life, your only place of residence is in the rebuilding" ...   
"在我的世界里，那是一座会不断变形的城堡，那是一座无法附着于土地、总是不断迁移着自己的城堡，随着时间经过，它仍在寻找自己的形状。我想起我不断写着小说的那些时刻，那是透过正在成形的作品，又再次成功地重塑了自己。我们都正在成形，且不断被自己摧毁，然后重建，无论是打造什么样的城堡，都是把生命打碎，重新建造起仅属于自己的居所。”
"Zài wǒ de shìjiè lǐ, nà shì yí zuò huì búduàn biànxíng de chéngbǎo, nà shì yí zuò wúfǎ fùzhuó yú tǔdì, zǒng shì búduàn qiānyízhe zìjǐ de chéngbǎo, suízhe shíjiān jīngguò, tā réng zài xúnzhǎo zìjǐ de xíngzhuàng. wǒ xiǎngqǐ wǒ búduàn xiězhe xiǎoshuō de nàxiē shíkè, nà shì tòuguò zhèngzài chéngxíng de zuòpǐn, yòu zàicì chénggōngdì zhòngsù le zìjǐ. Wǒmen dōu zhèngzài chéngxíng, qiě búduàn bèi zìjǐ cuīhuǐ, ránhòu chóngjiàn, wúlùn shì dǎzào shénmeyàng de chéngbǎo, dōu shì bǎ shēngmìng dǎsuì, chóngxīn jiànzào qǐ jǐn shǔyú zìjǐ de jūsuǒ."

Here, life and time are not co-linear.  In much of Taiwanese writing, life in the urban centers is treated as  appealing; in Chen Xue's works, a novelist's story causes the novel's existence and the existence of the novel to merge as one.  This is how she treats it.  As the writer Liang Wendao has said, "Everyone who reads Chen Xue's novels thinks of them as autobiographical, and that is lure of her style, and in them what is dissected is how a person becomes a novelist.  So it is with Child on a Bridge, but that's more than an autobiographical novel; more accurately, after the revelation of life's unpredictability, its seriousness, ruthlessness and riddles, the work as a whole essentially asks how is it possible not to be a novelist, and why is it possible to continue writing." 
这里，生活与时间不再是线性的。在很多港台作家笔下，现代都市生活都有着富于韵味的处理。在陈雪的作品中，一个小说家的故事，使小说的生活与生活的小说合二为一。这是她的处理。正如梁文道所言：“陈雪的小说一向被人读作某种自传，那是陈雪式的诱惑。《桥上的孩子》亦然；只不过这却不是一般意义下的自传小说，而是一个人如何成为一个小说家的剖析。更准确地说，在细密展现了生命的种种不测、沉重、残酷与难解之后，它其实是要质问一个人怎可能不是一个小说家，又为什么还能写得下去。”
Zhè lǐ, shēnghuó yǔ shíjiān búzài shì xiànxìng de. Zài hěn duō Gǎng-Tái zuòjiā bǐxià, xiàndài dūshì shēnghuó dōu yǒu zhe fùyú yùnwèi de chúlǐ. Zài Chén Xuě de zuòpǐn zhōng, yí gè xiǎoshuōjiā de gùshi, shǐ xiǎoshuō de shēnghuó yǔ shēnghuó de xiǎoshuō hé'èr wéiyī.  Zhè shì tā de chúlǐ.  Zhèngrú Liáng Wéndào suǒyán: "Chén Xuě de xiǎoshuō yīxiàng bèi rén dú zuò mǒu zhǒng zìzhuàn, nà shì Chén Xuě shì de yòuhuò. 《Qiáoshàng de háizi》yìrán ； zhǐ búguò zhè què búshì yìbān yìyì xià de zìzhuàn xiǎoshuō, ér shì yí gè rén rúhé chéngwéi yí gè xiǎoshuōjiā de pōuxī. Gèng zhǔnquè dì shuō, zài xìmì zhǎnxiàn le shēngmìng de zhóngzhǒng búcè, chénzhòng, cánkù yǔ nánjiě zhīhòu, tā qíshí shì yào zhì wèn yí gè rén zěn kěnéng búshì yí gè xiǎoshuōjiā, yòu wèishénme hái néng xiědé xiàqu." 

[Note:  We are unable to find a translation of Chen Xue's novel, and cannot say for certain that Child on a Bridge would be an accurate rendering of the Chinese title for any English translation of the novel] 

Source: 《北京晨报》2011-10/29 第A17版：“小说的生活与生活的小说” online

Three teeth  
仨牙  Sā yá

"Troublemaking sewer" knocks out three teeth: Who will say they own it?
“肇事井”磕掉仨牙 谁来认领？“Zhàoshì jǐng”kē diào sā yá shuí lái rènlǐng?

Yesterday, the reporter went to Changping to meet Mr. Dai, who'd just gotten out of the hospital.  Mr. Dai's left eye obviously was bruised, he had eight stitches in his lip, he'd lost three teeth, and he is forced to wear a face mask.
昨天，记者在昌平见到了刚出院的戴先生。戴先生左眼上方有一块明显的挫伤痕迹，嘴唇缝了八针，牙掉了三颗，无奈只能戴着口罩。Zuótiān, jìzhě zài Chāngpíng jiàndào le gāng chūyuàn de Dài xiānsheng. Dài xiānsheng zuǒyǎn shàngfāng yǒu yí kuài míngxiǎn de cuòshāng hénjì, zuǐchún féngle bā zhēn, yá diàole sān kē, wúnài zhǐnéng dàizhe kǒuzhào. 

[Photo: Mr. Dai explaining to  the reporter how the accident happened   戴先生向记者介绍事发经过  Dài xiānsheng xiàng jìzhě jièshào shì fā jīngguò]

As he recalls it, on October 22nd at around 9:45 in the evening, he was riding his electric bike and taking his girlfriend home by way of Jing-Zang highway, and on the way to the intersection of Fu Road and Manbai Road, he suddenly saw that in the road ahead of him there was a dark hole, "and as I became aware of the danger I hit the brakes, but it was already too late, the bike's front wheel went straight into the open sewer, and both of us were thrown down."  Mr. Dai remembers his face hit the ground first, his forehead and lips were seriously injured, and he lost three teeth.  
据其回忆，22日晚9点45分左右，他骑电动车带女朋友回家，途经京藏高速进京方向辅路满白路口时，突然发现前方路面有一个黑洞，“当我意识到危险刹车时，已经来不及了。前车轮直接栽进井内，我俩被直接甩了出去。”戴先生回忆，他是脸部先着地的，面额和嘴唇受伤最重，牙被磕掉3颗。Jù qí huíyì, 22 rì wǎn 9 diǎn 45 fēn zuǒyòu, tā qí diàndòngchē dài nǚpéngyou huíjiā, tújīng Jīng-Cáng gāosù jìnjīng fāngxiàng Fǔ Lù Mǎnbái lùkǒu shí, tūrán fāxiàn qiánfāng lù miàn yǒu yí gè hēidòng, "Dāng wǒ yìshí dào wēixiǎn shāchē shí, yǐjīng láibùjí le. Qián chēlún zhíjiē zāi jìn jǐng nèi, wǒliǎ bèi zhíjiē shuǎile chūqu." Dài xiānsheng huíyì, tā shì liǎnbù xiān zhuódì de, miàn'é hé zuǐchún shòushāng zuì zhòng, yá bèi kē diào 3 kē. 

After the accident, Mr. Dai was taken to the hospital for treatment, "they put eight stitches in my lip, I've already spent 3,000 yuan [about $450], and that's not counting future medical expenses and dental fees."  Apart from the medical fees, the bike he bought just a few months ago now basically is worthless.
事发后，戴先生被送往医院救治，“嘴唇缝了八针，费用已花了近3000元，这还不算后期药费和治牙的费用。”除了医药费，刚买几个月的电动车也基本报废。Shì fā hòu, Dài xiānsheng bèi sòng wǎng yīyuàn jiùzhì, "Zuǐchún féngle bā zhēn, fèiyong yǐ huāle jìn 3000 yuán, zhè hái bú suàn hòuqī yàofèi hé zhìyá de fèiyong." Chúle yīyào fèi, gāng mǎi jǐ gè yuè de diàndòngchē yě jīběn bàofèi." 

Mr. Dai said his girlfriend told him that that same evening, the traffic police arrived on the scene, and the sewer cover was found about five meters away in the sand by the side of the road.    
戴先生说，事后据女朋友透露，当晚交警到场后，在5米外的路面沙土旁找到了井盖。Dài xiānsheng shuō, shì hòu jù nǚpéngyou tòulù, dāng wǎn jiāojǐng dàochǎng hòu, zài 5 mǐ wài de lùmiàn shātǔ páng zhǎodào le jǐnggài. 

Yesterday afternoon, the reporter and Mr. Dai went to the scene of the accident, and saw the "troublemaking sewer" in fact already had been covered; the writing on the sewer cover reads "Beijing Municipal," and in the middle is the word "sewage" ... Nearby, one could see faint traces of bloodstains. Mr. Dai confirmed that those bloodstains were his from that evening.
昨天下午，记者与戴先生再次来到事发地，“肇事”井口确已盖好，井盖上的字样是“北京市政”，中间是一个“污”字。在路旁，还能隐约看到斑斑血迹。戴先生证实，该血迹是他当晚留下的。Zuótiān xiàwǔ jìzhě yǔ Dài xiānsheng zàicì láidào shì fā dì, "zhào shì" jǐngkǒu què yǐ gàihǎo, jǐnggài shàng de zìyàng shì "Běijīng shìzhèng," zhōng jiān shì yí gè "wū" zì.  Zài lùpáng, hái néng yǐnyuē kàndào bānbān xuèjī. Dài xiānsheng zhèngshí, gāi xuèjī shì tā dāngwǎn liúxià de. 

But finding out who has authority over the sewer cover has presented some serious difficulties.  Mr. Dai made a round of phone calls, and inquired at several offices, but nobody was clear about its "owner" ...
但找到井盖的权属单位，却让他犯了难。戴先生打了一圈电话，询问了多个部门，均未能弄清它的“主人”。Dàn zhǎodào jǐnggài de quán shǔ dānwèi, què ràng tā fàn le nán. Dài xiānsheng dǎle yì quān diànhuà, xúnwèn le duō gè bùmén, jūn wèinéng nòngqīng tā de "zhǔ rén." 

Yesterday, Mr. Dai again called the municipal administration in charge of cityscaping, but the person who answered checked the location and said that the sewer at the location did not come under their authority, and the highway bureau also said that the sewer was not their responsibility.
昨天，戴先生再次致电市政市容委，对方核实地点后证实，此处权属尚未划归他们，而市公路局等单位也否认井盖归他们管理。Zuótiān, Dài xiānsheng zàicì zhì diànshì zhèngshì róngwěi, duì fāng héshí dìdiǎn hòu zhèngshí, cǐchù quán shǔ shàngwèi huàguī tāmen, ér shì gōnglùjú děng dānwèi yě fǒurèn jǐnggài guī tāmen guánlǐ. 

However, the reporter found out that the building contractor for that street is the Beijing Zhenbang Chengji Development and Construction Company, Ltd., and when Mr. Dai contacted that company, the person who answered said they did own that sewer, but they'd already transferred the rights, and they refused to reveal where the rights had been transferred.
不过，记者查到该道路的投资建设方——北京振邦承基开发建设有限公司，戴先生向其咨询井盖权属问题，对方称权属已移交，但却拒绝透露移交对象。Bú guò, jìzhě chádào gāi dàolù de tóuzī jiànshè fāng — — Běijīng Zhènbāng Chéngjī Kāifā Jiànshè yǒuxiàn gōngsī, Dài xiānsheng xiàng qí zīxún jǐnggài quán shǔ wèntí, duìfāng chēng quán shǔ yǐ yíjiāo, dàn què jùjué tòulù yíjiāo duìxiàng. 

Later, the reporter called the company, and a Mr. Zou in the office answered and confirmed that they had built the road, but the authority over the waste water sewer "wasn't clear," and he emphasized several times that "who has authority is a problem for specialists"; moreover, he refused to inform his superiors about his interview with the reporter.
随后，记者致电这家公司，办公室一位邹先生回复称，该道路确实是他们公司投资修建，但该污水井及其权属问题他“不清楚”，并多次强调“权属问题是一个专业问题”。另外，他拒绝将记者的采访意图告知相关领导。Suíhòu, jìzhě zhìdiàn zhè jiā gōngsī, bàngōngshì yí wèi Zōu xiānsheng huífù chēng, gāi dàolù quèshí shì tāmen gōngsī tóuzī xiūjiàn, dàn gāi wūshuíjǐng jíqí quán shǔ wèntí tā "bù qīngchu," bìng duōcì qiángdiào "quán shǔ wèntí shì yí gè zhuānyè wèntí."  Lìngwài, tā jùjué jiāng jìzhě de cáifǎng yìtú gàozhī xiāngguān língdǎo. 

As the conversation was about to end, Mr. Zou threw out a few words: "You tell him (Mr. Dai), if he fell into the sewer and hurt himself, what does that have to do with us? If he thinks we are responsible, let him sue!"
通话即将结束时，邹先生扔下一句话：“你告诉他（戴先生），他自己摔伤了跟我们有何关系？他要是觉得我们有责任，可以去法院告啊。” Tōnghuà jíjiāng jiéshù shí, Zōu xiānsheng rēngxià yí jùhuà: "Nǐ gàosu tā (Dài xiānsheng)， tā zìjǐ shuāishāng le gēn wǒmen yǒu hé guānxi？Tā yàoshì juédé wǒmen yǒu zérèn, ké yǐ qù fǎyuàn gào à."

Mr. Dai said he won't give up, and will continue to pursue this matter.
戴先生表示，自己不会放弃，还会继续查下去。 Dài xiānsheng biǎoshì, zìjǐ bù huì fàngqì, hái huì jìxù chá xiàqu.

Sources: 《北京晨报》2011-10/27 “'肇事井'磕掉仨牙 谁来认领?" online　

Fifty years on the streets 
流浪了近50年   Liúlàng le jìn 50 nián

On October 26th, quite a few good-hearted people showed up at Xi'an's relief center to visit an old man, He Guili, who lived a vagrant's life on streets far from home for nearly fifty years.  When he learned that he would be able to return home, eighty-two-year-old He Guili burst into tears.
10月26日，西安市救助站，不少爱心人士赶到救助站看望在外流浪了近50年的贺贵立老人。当得知自己能回家了，82岁的贺贵立失声痛哭。10 yuè 26 rì, Xī'ān shì jiùzhù zhàn, bùshǎo àixīn rénshì gǎndào jiùzhù zhàn kànwàng zàiwài liúlàng le jìn 50 nián de Hè Guìlì lǎorén. Dāng dézhī zìjǐ néng huíjiā le, 82 suì de Hè Guìlì shīshēngtòngkū. 

[Photo: On the streets away from home for 50 years, a man in his eighties returns home  在外流浪50年 八旬老人回家   Zàiwài liúlàng 50 nián bā xún lǎorén huíjiā]

Mr. Cao, a kind-hearted citizen, said that we all grow old, so we go and visit him, make him feel warm, let him  know that society has not given up on him, and tell him never to lose the will to survive.  As Mr. Cao embraced him, the old man choked back sobs, and it was only after a long time that he was able to say thank you.
好心市民曹先生说，谁都有老的时候，我们看看他，让他感受到温暖，让他知道，他没有被社会遗弃，让他别失去活下去的信念。当曹先生拥抱老人的时候，老人泣不成声，许久，老人才说出谢谢的话来。Hǎoxīn shìmín Cáo xiānsheng shuō, shuí dōu yǒu lǎo de shíhou, wǒmen kànkan tā, ràng tā gǎnshòudào wēnnuǎn, ràng tā zhīdào. tā méiyǒu bèi shèhuì yíqì, ràng tā bié shīqù huóxiàqu de xìnniàn. Dāng Cáo xiānsheng yōngbào lǎorén de shíhou, lǎorén qìbùchéngshēng, xújiǔ, lǎorén cái shuōchū xièxiè de huà lái. 

According to reports, after He Guili has returned to Baihexian, his native town in Shaanxi province, the local Bureau of Civic Affairs will arrange matters related to his living situation. 
据悉，贺贵立老人回到陕西省白河县的家乡后，其生活事宜将由当地民政局安排。Jùxī, Hè Guìlì lǎorén huídào Shǎnxī shěng Báihéxiàn de jiāxiāng hòu, qí shēnghuó shìyí jiāng yóu dāngdì mínzhèng jú ānpái. 

Source: 《中国年轻报》2011-10/28 第1版: "在外流浪50年 八旬老人回家" online version

"Parent nibblers" 
"啃老族"  "Kěn lǎo zú"

They have become adults, but they stay at home all day and spend the money their parents have saved -- these kinds of people are known as "parent nibblers," and even though the parents who are being "nibbled" complain, there often is little they can do about it. 
 已经成年，却还成天赖在家中，啃老爸老妈的老本，这样的人被称为“啃老族”，被“啃”的父母即便有怨言，通常也无可奈何。Yǐjīng chéngnián, què hái chéngtiān lài zài jiāzhōng, kěn lǎobà lǎomā de lǎoběn, zhèyàng de rén bèi chēngwéi "kěn lǎo zú," bèi "kěn" de fùmǔ jíbiàn yǒu yuànyán, tōngcháng yě wúkě nàihé. 

[Photo: Caption on bucket says "The savings parents have amassed" (父母积蓄  Fùmǔ jīxù) -- which the kids are "wringing out of" the parent]

These days, the number of "parent nibblers" is increasing; one of society's most difficult problems is how to stop this. 
如今，社会上这种“啃老族”愈来愈多，如何杜绝还真成了社会一大难题。Rújīn, shèhuì shàng zhèzhǒng "kěn lǎo zú" yùláiyù duō, rúhé dùjué hái zhēn chéngle shèhuì yí dà nàntí. 

Recently, the 20th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 11th People's Congress opened in Jiangsu province, and a draft plan for "Rules ensuring the rights of senior citizens" was considered.
   近日，江苏省十一届人大常委会第二十次会议开幕，就《江苏省老年人权益保障条例(草案修改稿)》进行了审议。Jìnrì, Jiāngsū shěng shíyí jiè Rén-Dà chángwěihuì dì-èrshí cì huìyì kāimù, jiù 《 Jiāngsū shěng lǎoniánrén quányì bǎozhàng tiáolì (cǎo'àn xiūgǎi gǎo) 》 jìnxíng le shěnyì. 

In relation to the "parent nibblers," new laws were proposed: "When adult children make demands on parents, parents have the right to refuse ... Children or other close relatives cannot use real estate or other reasons to defraud, embezzle or take by force any property belonging to the parents."
    其中对“啃老族”现象提出新的规定：“有独立生活能力的成年子女要求老年人经济资助的，老年人有权拒绝。子女或者其他亲属不得以物业或者其他理由，骗取、克扣或者强行索取老年人的财物”。Qízhōng duì "kěn lǎo zú" xiànxiàng tíchū xīn de guīdìng: "Yǒu dúlì shēnghuó nénglì de chéngnián zínǚ yāoqiú lǎoniánrén jīngjì zīzhù de, lǎoniánrén yǒuquán jùjué. Zínǚ huòzhě qítā qīnshǔ bùdé yǐ wù yè huòzhě qítā lǐyóu piàn qǔ, kèkòu huòzhě qiángxíng suóqǔ lǎoniánrén de cáiwù"... 

Most people support Jiangsu's proposed law to prohibit children from "nibbling away at their parents' savings," and see it as a way to protect older people, and also as a means of strongly discouraging young people, especially those who are ignorant or incompetent, and who hide out all day at home and don't work, and thoughtlessly rely on the parents' life savings: to them we just have to say no! 
 对于江苏省首开先河拟立法禁止子女啃老的规定，大部分人表示赞同，这样即保护了老年人，也对年轻是一种鞭策，对于那些不学无术，整天猫在家里不工作的年轻人，自己不劳动盲目依赖父母生存的人，就应该向他们说不。Duìyú Jjiāngsū shěng shǒu kāi xiānhé nǐ lìfǎ jìnzhǐ zínǚ kěn lǎo de guīdìng, dàbùfen rén biǎoshì zàntóng, zhèyàng jí bǎohù le lǎoniánrén, yě duì niánqīng shì yì zhǒng biāncè, duìyú nàxiē bùxuéwúshù, zhěngtiān māo zài jiālǐ bù gōngzuò de niánqīng rén, zìjǐ bù láodòng mángmù yīlài fùmǔ shēngcún de rén, jiù yīnggāi xiàng tāmen shuō bú! 

Of those who represent the generations born in the '80s and '90s, many already are in their thirties, and are capable of working, but don't want to; not only do they rely on their parents, but they take for granted the behavior of "nibbling" at their parents, and think this is how it's supposed to be; they believe that since their parents gave birth to them, they can just live like this ...
其中以80、90后为代表，许多已到了而立之年，有劳动能力却不想工作，不仅依赖父母，而且还心安理得的把这种啃老行为当作理所当然，认为父母把他们生下来，就应该如此生活。Qízhōng yǐ 80, 90 hòu wéi dàibiǎo, xǔduō yǐ dàole érlìzhīnián, yǒu láodòng nénglì què bù xiǎng gōngzuò, bù jǐn yīlài fùmǔ, érqiě hái xīn'ānlǐdéde bǎ zhèzhǒng kěn lǎo xíngwéi dàngzuò lǐsuǒdāngrán, rèn wéi fùmǔ bǎ tāmen shēng xiàlái, jiù yīnggāi rúcǐ shēnghuó. 

This is especially true among the '90s generation; they grew up in well-off surroundings, so they don't have the spirit of hard work and suffering, and as soon as they encounter some minor setback, they beat the drums of retreat ... Then, many companies don't want to hire the '90s generation, and this indirectly makes it easier for them to become "parent nibblers" ... 
其中，90后一代尤为突出，从小在富裕的生活环境中长大，没有吃苦耐劳的精神，稍微遇到点挫折，就打起退堂鼓。 其次，许多企业不屑招90后，也间接促成他们成为啃老一族。Qízhōng, 90 hòu yídài yóuwéi tūchū, cóngxiǎo zài fùyù de shēnghuó huánjìng zhōng zhǎngdà, méiyǒu chīkǔ nàiláo de jīngshen, shāowēi yùdào diǎn cuòzhé, jiù dǎqǐ tuìtánggǔ.  Qícì, xǔduō qǐyè búxiè zhāo 90 hòu, yě jiànjiē cùchéng tāmen chéngwéi kěn lǎo yì zú. 

People who have analyzed this phenomenon believe that the '80s generation already has more or less endured some hardship, and gradually is understanding it was not easy for their parents, who exhausted themselves working ... Moreover, having been burnished a bit by hard times, the '80s generation already is marching into its thirties, and as they mature they are showing more responsibility towards their parents.
有关人士分析认为，“80后”或多或少都吃过一些苦，懂得父母奔波辛劳不容易。  而且，经过几年摔打磨炼，“80后”已经开始迈向而立之年，他们日渐成熟的心态开始懂的孝顺。Yǒuguān rénshì fēnxī rènwéi, "80 hòu" huòduōhuòshǎo dōu chīguò yìxiē kǔ, dǒngdé fùmǔ bēnbō xīnláo bù róngyì.  Érqiě. jīngguò jǐ nián shuāidǎ móliàn, "80 hòu" yǐjīng kāishǐ màixiàng érlìzhīnián, tāmen rìjiàn chéngshu de xīntài kāishǐ dǒngde xiàoshùn.   

But this isn't at all true of the '90s generation; the enviroment they grew up in was better than that of the '80s generation, they could spend money without thinking about it, they never had to worry about food or clothing, everything was going their way, they could do as they pleased ... So their expectations are higher, and if they encounter the slightest setback, they just give up, and ultimately it's the parents who suffer the hardship. 
但“90后”则不然。首先，他们的成长环境比“80后”更好，比较富裕的家庭环境，使他们花钱不愁、衣食无忧，一切顺着他们、由着他们。所以，他们求职时的心气更高。一遇到挫折，就选择放弃，到最后受苦的还是父母。Dàn "90 hòu" zé bùrán. Shǒuxiān, tāmen de chéngzhǎng huánjìng bǐ "80 hòu" gèng hǎo, bǐjiào fùyù de jiātíng huánjìng, shǐ tāmen huā qián bùchóu, yī-shí wúyōu, yìqiè shùnzhe tāmen, yóuzhe tāmen. Suóyǐ, tāmen qiúzhí shí de xīnqì gènggāo. Yí yùdào cuòzhé, jiù xuǎnzé fàngqì, dào zuìhòu shòukǔ de háishì fùmǔ. 

Also, most '90s generation kids belong to "one-child" families, it goes without saying the parents doted on them. And with all of their needs being fulfilled in every possible way, for the '90s generation, family responsibilities and crisis never entered their minds, which brought about a situation where "parent nibbling" and parental guidance definitely are interrelated, and brain damage couldn't seem more normal.
另外，“90后”一般都是独生子女，父母对他们的溺爱自然不用说，生活上的富裕和父母无微不至的关怀使得很多“90后”没有家庭负担和危机意识，造成部分90后啃老和父母的教育也有一定关系，被批脑残也就再正常不过。Lìngwài, "90 hòu" yìbān dōu shì dúshēng zínǚ, fùmǔ duì tāmen de nì'ài zìrán búyòngshuō， shēnghuó shàng de fùyù hé fùmǔ wúwēibúzhì de guānhuái shǐ dé hěn duō "90 hòu" méiyǒu jiātíng fùdān hé wēijī yìshí, zàochéng bùfen 90 hòu kěn lǎo hé fùmǔ de jiàoyù yě yǒu yídìng guānxi, bèi pī nǎo cán yě jiù zài zhèngcháng búguò. 

The Jiangsu rules against parent nibblers should be implemented as a prohibition against those 80/90 generation kids who are ignorant and incompetent, and who day in and day out are online amusing themselves by cursing people -- this has become very worrisome for parents.  Of course, they can also serve as a kind of stimulation and punishment.
江苏拟立法禁止子女啃老，应该实行，禁止部分8090后不学无术，天天宅在家里上网骂人消遣，成为父母的一大心病。当然，也是对他们的一种督促与惩罚。Jiāngsū nǐ lìfǎ jìnzhǐ zínǚ kěn lǎo, yīnggāi shíxíng, jìnzhǐ bùfen 8090 hòu bùxuéwúshù, tiāntiān zhái zài jiālǐ shàngwǎng màrén xiāoqiǎn, chéngwéi fùmǔ de yí dà xīnbìng. Dāngrán, yě shì duì tāmen de yìzhǒng dūcù yǔ chéngfá. 

Source: 《中老年时报》2011-01/24 第3版: "江苏拟立法规定老人有权拒绝子女“啃老”要求" and online   

Many things can float in it 
很多东西都能浮起来

        For more than three hundred years, generations of villagers have safeguarded this well.  Now they urgently need experts on-the-spot to investigate and explain its riddles.
       距今三百余年  村民世代维护   亟待相关专家实地考察解谜  Jùjīn sānbǎi yú nián  Cūnmín shìdài wéihù   Jídài xiāngguān zhuānjiā shídì kǎochá jiě mí 

　   Everyone knows that in Yijie village [Wangqingtuo township, Wuqing district, Tianjin] there is a mysterious well:  Built more than three hundred years ago, this ancient well has never gone dry; through droughts and floods, the water always remains at the same level.  Even more mysterious, the water in this well is more buoyant than it is in other wells, and with it, one can make extremely sweet and fragrant cooked rice. 
       在武清区王庆坨镇一街村，有一口村民无人不晓的神奇水井：这口古水井建成三百多年，却从没干枯过，无论天干大旱，还是暴雨连天，井里的水都始终保持在一个高度。更为神奇的是，这口水井里的水浮力比普通的水大，而且用井水做出的饭非常香甜。
       Zài Wǔqīngqū Wángqìngtuózhèn Yìjiēcūn, yǒu yì kǒu cūnmín wúrénbùxiǎo de shénqí shuíjǐng: zhè kǒu gǔ shuíjǐng jiànchéng sānbǎi duōnián, què cóng méi gānkū guò, wúlùn tiān gān dà hàn, háishì bàoyǔ lián tiān, jǐng lǐ de shuǐ dōu shǐzhōng bǎochí zài yí gè gāodù. Gèng wéi shénqí de shì, zhè kóu shuíjǐng lǐ de shuǐ fúlì bǐ pǔtōng de shuǐ dà, érqiě yòng jǐngshuǐ zuòchū de fàn fēicháng xiāngtián. 

　　[Photo: Amazingly, plastic pens with coins attached  float on the well water's surface    水笔拴硬币 竟浮水面上  Shuíbǐ shuān yìngbì   Jìng fúshuǐ miàn shàng]

　　At a street corner in Yijie village center, the reporter saw the ancient well, called "Village Benevolence". Surprisingly, the well's mouth is about 2.5 meters in diameter, and has four viewing holes above ground ... When you look down into the well, the water is clear and translucent. 
       在一街村中心的一个路口，记者见到了这口名为“仁义庄”的古井。只见这口井井口直径2.5米，打有四口眼。从井口望下去，井水清澈晶莹。
        Zài Yìjiēcūn zhōngxīn de yí gè lùkǒu, jìzhě jiàndào le zhè kǒu míngwéi "Rényì zhuāng" de gǔ jǐng. Zhǐjiàn zhè kǒu jǐng jǐngkǒu zhíjìng 2.5 mǐ, dǎ yǒu sì kǒu yǎn. Cóng jǐngkǒu wàng xiàqu, jǐngshuǐ qīngchè jīngyíng. 

       Li Mingyi, the person who takes care of the well, said "The water in 'Village Benevolence' is extremely buoyant, and many things can float in it; in the past, people have fallen into the well, but no one has ever drowned in it.  In the 1970s and '80s, one day when the village chief's grandfather was drawing up water, he was a little careless and fell in, but the water in 'Village Benevolence' was so buoyant, the old man did not sink, and his life was saved." 
      护井人李明义说，“仁义庄”井水浮力很大，很多东西都能浮起来，历朝历代“仁义庄”里都掉下过人，却没有淹死过人。上世纪七八十年代，村主任的爷爷打水时不小心掉到“仁义庄”里，但“仁义庄”井水的浮力让老人一直没有沉下去，最终老人成功得救。
      Hù jǐng rén Lǐ Míngyì shuō, "Rényì zhuāng" jǐngshuǐ fúlì hěn dà, hěn duō dōngxi dōu néng fúqǐ lái, lìcháo lìdài "Rényì zhuāng" lǐ dōu diàoxià guò rén, què méiyǒu yānsǐ guò rén. Shàng shìjì qī-bā shí niándài, cūn zhǔrèn de yéye dǎshuǐ shí bùxiǎo xīndiào dào "Rényì zhuāng" lǐ, dàn "Rényì zhuāng" jǐngshuǐ de fúlì ràng lǎorén yìzhí méiyǒu chénxiàqu, zuìzhōng lǎorén chénggōng déjiù. 

       Seeing is believing: A villager at the scene did a "float test": he threw in two pens, both of which could be seen to float; then he attached two one-yuan coins to the pens and the whole thing floated, and everyone thought this was miraculous!
       眼见为实，一位村民现场做了一次“浮力试验”，村民先是扔下两管水笔，只见水笔轻松地浮了起来，随后村民又在水笔上接连拴上了两枚一元硬币，再将水笔丢进井水中，却发现水笔连同两枚硬币又一起浮了起来，令人叹为观止。
       Yǎnjiàn wéi shí, yí wèi cūnmín xiànchǎng zuò le yí cì "fúlì shìyàn", cūnmín xiānshì rēngxià liǎng guǎn shuíbǐ, zhǐjiàn shuíbǐ qīngsōngdì fúle qǐlái, suíhòu cūnmín yòu zài shuíbǐ shàng jiēlián shuānshàng le liǎng méi yìyuán yìngbì, zài jiāng shuíbǐ diū jìn jǐngshuǐ zhōng, què fāxiàn shuíbǐ liántóng liǎng méi yìngbì yòu yìqǐ fúle qǐlái, lìngrén tànwéiguānzhǐ.

　　If you use the well's water, you don't need to add baking soda to make bread, and steamed rice is really sweet. 
      井水发面不用碱 蒸出米饭分外甜
      Jǐngshuǐ fā miàn búyòng jiǎn   Zhēng chū mǐfàn fènwài tián 
　
      The buoyancy of the well's water surprises people, and the villagers really are curious why it should be this way, but because the village has had limited resources in recent years, they still don't know the reasons why the water is so buoyant. 
      井水的浮力令人惊讶，村民也很好奇井水为什么会这样，但由于村里条件有限，这么多年来，村里人始终对“仁义庄”浮力大的原因疑惑不解。
      Jǐngshuǐ de fúlì lìngrén jīngyà, cūnmín yě hěn hàoqí jǐngshuǐ wèishénme huì zhèyàng, dàn yóuyú cūnlǐ tiáojiàn yǒuxiàn, zhème duōnián lái, cūnlǐ rén shǐzhōng duì "Rényì zhuāng" fúlì dà de yuányīn yíhuòbùjiě. 

       A villager explained that if you use 'Village Benevolence' water to make steamed buns, you don't need to add baking soda, and the steamed buns come out spongy and tasty; when used for cooking steamed rice, the rice turns out sweet and sticky, in summers, the villagers throw watermelon into the well, and after a few hours when they take them out, the watermelon is crisp and refreshing.
      村民还介绍，用“仁义庄”的井水发面做馒头不用放碱，馒头松软可口；用来蒸米饭，米饭又香又糯；夏天的时候，村民们都把西瓜扔到井里，隔几小时后捞起来，西瓜爽口脆生。
       Cūnmín hái jièshào, yòng "Rényì zhuāng" de jǐngshuǐ fāmiàn zuò mántou búyòng fàng jiǎn, mántou sōngruǎn kékǒu; yòng lái zhēng mǐfàn, mǐfàn yòu xiāng yòu nuò；xiàtiān de shíhou, cūnmínmen dōu bǎ xīguā rēngdào jǐng lǐ, gé jǐ xiǎoshí hòu lāoqǐ lái, xīguā shuángkǒu cuìshēng. 

　　These days the villagers all have running tap water, so few people use "Village Benevolence" to draw water, but during periods when water or electricity are shut off, or when disaster strikes, the well is indispensable, and it continues to be a life-saver for the villagers.  The village Party secretary said he hoped experts could clear up doubts, but he still didn't know what kind of experts should be called in to investigate.
      现在家家户户都用自来水了，在“仁义庄”里打水的村民少了，但它却能在停水停电或是火灾的时候解燃眉之急，继续为村民的生活提供保障。一街村的村书记表示，村民们希望能有专家解开谜团，可现在又不知道该找哪方面的专家来实地考察。
      Xiànzài jiājiāhùhù dōu yòng zìláishuǐ le, zài "Rényì zhuāng" lǐ dǎshuǐ de cūnmín shǎole, dàn tā què néng zài tíngshuǐ tíngdiàn huòshì huǒzāi de shíhou jiě ránméizhījí, jìxù wéi cūnmín de shēnghuó tígōng bǎozhàng.  Yìjiēcūn de cūn shūjì biǎoshì, cūnmínmen xīwàng néng yǒu zhuānjiā jiěkāi mítuán, kě xiànzài yòu bù zhīdào gāi zhǎo nǎ fāngmiàn de zhuānjiā lái shídì kǎo chá. 
　
      The well was first built in the Ming Dynasty, and to this day has been protected by the villagers
      古井始建于明朝 至今村民仍维护
       Gǔ jǐng shǐ jiàn yú Míngcháo   Zhìjīn cūnmín réng wéihù 
　
      "Village Benevolence" has survived under the care of Yijie and Erjie villagers, and could not continue to be preserved without their help ... Recently, the well has undergone extensive renovation ... The villagers spontaneously donated more than 10,000 RMB for the materials to have the well completely restored.
      “仁义庄”能够保留下来，跟附近一、二街村村民的悉心维护离不开。前几天，“仁义庄”刚刚结束修缮。村民们自发捐了一万多元买材料，将水井修葺一新。
      "Rényì zhuāng" nénggòu bǎoliú xiàlái, gēn fùjìn Yī, Erjiēcūn cūnmín de xīxīn wéihù líbùkāi.  Qiánjǐtiān, "Rényì zhuāng" gānggāng jiéshù xiūshàn. Cūnmínmen zìfā juān le yí wàn duō yuán mǎi cáiliào, jiāng shuíjǐng xiūqìyìxīn. 

      Li Mingyi, the well's caretaker, told the reporter that beginning with his grandfather's generation, his family has been the caretaker of "Village Benevolence," and in the Ming Dynasty, because of war they came to Wangqingtuo, and in order to have drinking water, a well was dug into the ground.  In the Qing dynasty, a wooden mouth for the well was built.  The well has undergone many repairs, and eventually has become the cement and tiled well that it is today.
       护井人李明义告诉记者，从爷爷辈起，他们家就一直守护着“仁义庄”，“仁义庄”始建于明朝，当时先辈因战乱来到王庆坨，为了饮水，挖了一口土井。清朝时，村民将“仁义庄”修葺，并建起了木头的井口。历经数次修缮，“仁义庄”成了现代的水泥砖瓦井。
       Hù jǐng rén Lǐ Míngyì gàosu jìzhě, cóng yéye bèi qǐ, tāmen jiā jiù yì zhí shǒuhù zhe "Rényì zhuāng", "Rényì zhuāng" shǐ jiàn yú Míngcháo, dāngshí xiānbèi yīn zhànluàn láidào Wángqìngtuó, wèi le yínshuǐ, wāle yì kǒu tǔjǐng. Qīngcháo shí, cūnmín jiāng "Rényì zhuāng" xiūqì, bìng jiàn qǐle mùtou de jǐngkǒu. Lìjīng shùcì xiūshàn, "Rényì zhuāng" chéngle xiàndài de shuǐní zhuānwǎ jǐng. 

     An eighty-year-old villager said that "Village Benevolence" once supplied drinking water for more than two thousand villagers.   
     村里一名八十多岁的村民介绍，“仁义庄”这口井，曾经供两千多名村民饮用。
     Cūnlǐ yì míng bāshí duō suì de cūnmín jièshào, "Rényì zhuāng" zhè kǒu jǐng, céngjīng gòng liǎng qiān duō míng cūnmín yǐnyòng. 

Sources: 《每日新报》2011-10/22 第A4版：“神奇古井浮力大 人落水中不下沉” and online version

A thousand miles apart  
千里之外  Qiānlǐ zhīwài 

Last February 5th, having come across "Message in a Bottle" -- a way to search online for someone -- Jiang Leming finally was able to find his elementary school classmate, Wang Qichen, and because once when they were children he had hit him, he could say from the bottom of his heart a few words he's been keeping back for 30 years: "I'm sorry." 
通过网络漂流瓶的寻找, 2月5日, 江乐明终于找到了小学同学王其琛, 为儿时自己曾经打了他, 郑重地说了句埋藏心底近30年的"对不起." Tōngguò wǎngluò piāoliúpíng de xúnzhǎo, 2 yuè 5 rì,  Jiāng Lèmíng zhōngyú zhǎodào le xiǎoxué tóngxué Wáng Qíchēn, wéi érshí zìjǐ céngjīng dǎ le tā, zhèngzhòngde shuō le jù máicáng xīndǐ jìn 30 nián de "duìbùqǐ."

It seems these kinds of touching stories are happening ... a cherised desire, a weight on one's mind,  a self-introduction, a question, or a chance just to send regards...
像这样动人的故事也许正在发生……一份心愿, 一番心事, 一段介绍, 一个问题, 哪怕只是一声问候……Xiàng zhèyàng dòngrén de gùshi yéxǔ zhèngzài fāshēng … … yí fèn xīnyuàn,  yì fān xīnshì,  yí duàn jièshào,  yí gè wèntí,  nǎpà zhǐshì yì shēng wènhòu … 

Strangers separated by thousands of miles can put a secret message in a fictional "message bottle" and, by connecting through e-mail, websites, forums, send the message out onto the Internet randomly "floating" towards a person fated to receive it. 
千里之外的陌生人把装满秘密的虚拟漂流瓶, 通过邮件, 网站, 论坛等平台, 放进浩瀚的网络, 随机“漂”向有缘人.  Qiānlǐ zhīwài de mòshēngrén bǎ zhuāngmǎn mìmì de xūnǐ piāoliúpíng, tōngguò yóujiàn, wǎngzhàn, lùntán děng píngtái, fàngjìn hàohàn de wǎngluò, suíjī "piāo" xiàng yǒuyuánrén.

If that fated person is you, then according to the principles of fate, you can scoop it up, read it, and send a reply, or you can throw it back into the "ocean," to float away somewhere else  ... When in the boundless "Internet ocean," it reaches one of those who call themselves "bottle friends," whether at that point they will become a friend is not certain, but definitely a lot of amusing and touching stories will come out of it ... 
也许这个有缘人就是你, 那就随缘吧, 捞捞看, 给个回应, 或者重新把它扔进“海”里, 漂到别处去. 在茫茫"网海"中的他们互称"瓶友", 就此成为好友也说不定, 自然也会引出很多好玩感人的故事来.  Yéxǔ zhège yǒuyuánrén jiù shì nǐ, nà jiù suíyuán ba, lāolāo kàn, gěi gè huíyìng, huòzhě chóngxīn bǎ tā rēng jìn "hǎi" lǐ, piāo dào biéchù qù. Zài mángmáng "wǎng hǎi" zhōngdì tāmen hùchēng "píng yǒu", jiùcǐ chéngwéi hǎoyǒu yě shuōbúdìng, zìrán yě huì yǐnchū hěn duō hǎowán gǎnrén de gùshi lái.
 
The medieval European craze for "message in a bottle" has actually "floated" to the Internet; this new game of interacting with strangers on the web, full of mystery, surprises and warmth, seems overnight to have begun to fascinate online players of this ancient game, because today people really thirst for communication, and thirst to share -- and, this kind of "anonymous" communication is safer and more relaxed. 
曾在欧洲中世纪盛行的漂流瓶从现实“漂”到了网络, 这种与陌生网友互动的新玩法, 充满神秘, 惊喜和温暖……似乎一夜之间, 网友开始热衷起这个古老的游戏, 因为现代人都有一颗渴望交流, 渴望分享的心, 而这种“匿名”沟通无疑更安全更踏实.  Céng zài ōuzhōu zhōngshìjì shèngxíng de piāoliúpíng cóng xiànshí "piāo" dào le wǎngluò, zhèzhǒng yǔ mòshēng wǎngyǒu hùdòng de xīn wánfǎ, chōngmǎn shénmì, jīngxǐ hé wēnnuǎn … … sìhū yí yè zhījiān, wǎngyǒu kāishǐ rèzhōng qǐzhè ge gúlǎo de yóuxì, yīnwèi xiàndài rén dōu yǒu yì kē kěwàng jiāoliú, kěwàng fēnxiǎng de xīn, ér zhè zhǒng "nì míng" gōutōng wúyí gèng ānquán gèng tāshi.

"I'd heard a lot of Message in a Bottle stories, but I never expected that this past Spring Festival, Message in a Bottle would help me fulfill a wish I had for many years" ... Thirty-seven-year-old Jiang Leming had a fight in third grade with his classmate, Wang Qichen, which caused Wang to lose some hearing.  Although his family reached out and paid for medical expenses, over time as he grew up, Jiang felt deeply guilty, and really wanted to make amends, but because so much time had passed, he could not find a way. 
"听过很多漂流瓶的故事, 没想到今年春节, 一个网络漂流瓶竟帮我完成了多年的夙愿." 今年37岁的淮南人江乐明上小学三年级时和同学王其琛打架, 造成其右耳听力受损. 虽然家人登门道歉, 赔偿医药费, 但慢慢长大后, 他还是深感内疚, 很想找个机会补偿, 却因时间太长无法找到.  "Tīngguò hěn duō piāoliúpíng de gùshi, méixiǎngdào jīnnián chūnjié, yí gè wǎngluò piāoliúpíng jìng bāng wǒ wánchéng le duōnián de sùyuàn."  Jīnnián 37 suì de Huáinán rén Jiāng Lèmíng shàng xiǎoxué sān niánjí shí hé tóngxué Wáng Qíchēn dǎjià, zàochéng qí yòu ěr tīnglì shòusǔn.  Suīrán jiārén dēngmén daoqiàn, péicháng yīyàofèi, dàn mànmàn zhǎngdà hòu, tā háishì shēngǎn nèijiù, hěn xiǎng zhǎo gè jīhuì bǔcháng,  què yīn shíjiān tài cháng wúfǎ zhǎodào.

Just by chance, he found Message in a Bottle, and in October 2010, he began using the message bottle to send messages every day about his story, and the replies he got contained blessings, and offered comfort ... Soon it was Spring Festival, and he took his wife and son to Huainan; on February 5th, he opened a bottle as usual, and in it there was only a phone number; Jiang Leming had a feeling, could this be Wang Qichen's phone number?
 一个偶然的机会, 他发现了网络漂流瓶, 从2010年10月开始每天都要扔出关于这件事的网络漂流瓶, 回应有祝福的, 有安慰的……转眼到了今年春节, 他带着妻儿回到淮南.  2月5日下午, 他像往常一样点开网络漂流瓶, 只有一个手机号码.  江乐明有一种感觉, 这会不会是王其琛的手机号码?  Yí gè ǒurán de jīhuì, tā fāxiàn le wǎngluò piāoliúpíng, cóng 2010 nián 10 yuè kāishǐ měitiān dōu yào rēngchū guānyú zhèjiàn shì de wǎngluò piāoliúpíng, huíyìng yǒu zhùfú de, yǒu ānwèi de … … zhuányǎn dàole jīnnián chūnjié, tā dàizhe qī ér huídào Huáinán.  2 yuè 5 rì xiàwǔ, tā xiàng wǎngcháng yíyàng diǎn kāi wǎngluò piāoliúpíng, zhíyǒu yí gè shǒujī hàomǎ.   Jiāng Lèmíng yǒu yì zhǒng gǎnjué, zhè huì bu huì shì Wáng Qíchēn de shǒujī hàomǎ?

He immediately called, and the person who answered said, "Hello" ... He couldn't help blurting out, "Are you Wang Qichen?" ... After a few moments, the other person asked, "Are you Jiang Leming? It's me, Wang Qichen" ... Choking back sobs, it took him a while to ask, "Where are you?  How are you?"  When he found out that Wang also was in Huainan celebrating the Spring Festival, he immediately arranged to meet him the next day. 
他马上拨通了电话，对方刚说了句“你好”，他便忍不住问道：“是王其琛吗？”停顿了几秒钟后，对方说：“江乐明吗？是我，王其琛。”他哽咽了，半天才说出一句话：“你在哪儿？现在好吗？”得知王其琛也在淮南过年，他当即约好转天见面。Tā mǎshàng bōtōng le diànhuà, duìfāng gāng shuō le jù "Nǐ hǎo", tā biàn rěnbúzhù wèndào: "Shì Wáng Qíchēn ma?" Tíngdùn le jǐ miǎozhōng hòu, duìfāng shuō："Jiāng Lèmíng ma? Shì wǒ, Wáng Qíchēn." Tā gěngyè le, bàntiān cái shuōchū yí jù huà: "Nǐ zài nǎr？Xiànzài hǎo ma?" Dézhī Wáng Qíchēn yě zài Huáinán guò nián, tā dāngjí yuēháo zhuǎn tiān jiànmiàn. 

On the afternoon of February 6th, after not having seen each other for nearly thirty years, they met and embraced each other tightly:  "Brother, I'm sorry..." 
2月6日下午, 近30年未见的他们如约相见, 紧紧相拥.  "兄弟, 对不起…"  2 yuè 6 rì xiàwǔ, jìn 30 nián wèijiàn de tāmen rúyuē xiāngjiàn, jǐnjǐn xiāngyōng. "Xiōng-di, duìbùqǐ …"

He finally was able to say the words that had weighed on him for so many years. Wang Qichen didn't say anything, he just patted him on the back.
他终于说出了埋藏在心底多年的话. 王其琛什么话也没说, 只是拍着他的后背.  Tā zhōngyú shuōchū le máicáng zài xīndǐ duōnián de huà. Wáng Qíchēn shénme huà yě méi shuō, zhǐ shì pāizhe tā de hòubèi.

It turns out that the Message in a Bottle had reached a friend of Wang's daughter, who told her about it, and because her father's hearing was not good, she thought this story was very much like her father's; and that is how the reunion came about. 
原来, 他发出的网络漂流瓶是王其琛女儿的同学当一件新鲜事儿告诉女儿的, 而女儿知道爸爸听力不好, 便觉得像是爸爸的故事, 才有了这次重逢.  Yuánlái, tā fāchū de wǎngluò piāoliúpíng shì Wáng Qíchēn nǚ'ér de tóngxué dāng yí jiàn xīnxiānshìr gàosu nǚ'ér de, ér nǚ'ér zhīdào bàba tīnglì bùhǎo, biàn juédé xiàng shì bàba de gùshi,  cái yǒu le zhècì chóngféng.

[Note: the article goes on to tell other stories about Message in a Bottle (also known as "Drift Bottle"); sign up for it on renren.com, qq.com, or get the iPhone app]

Source: 《每日新报》2011-03/07 第A23版："寻你千里之外 用心说声抱歉" and online version

(We would) never allow a student not to be able to attend school...
绝不能让孩子上不了学 juébù néng ràng háizi shàngbuliǎo xué

Liu Ying is twelve years old, and she is a fifth grade student at a school in Liaoning [a province in northeast China] ... But her life as a student is somewhat different from that of other students, because at her school, Liu Tang Elementary, she is the only fifth grade student.  
不过,她的小学生活与其他的小学生有些不同,因为,柳塘小学五年级组的全部学生只有她一个人. Búguò, tā de xiǎoxué shenghuó yǔ qítā de xiǎoxuésheng yǒu xiē bùtóng, yīn wèi, Liǔ Táng xiǎoxué wǔniánjí zǔ de quánbù xuésheng zhí yǒu tā yí gè rén. 

[Photos show a teacher tutoring Liu Ying in English; Liu Ying reading lessons aloud  老师在英语课上辅导刘颖, 刘颖在朗读课文.  Lǎoshī zài Yīngyǔ kè shàng fǔdǎo Liú Yǐng; Liú Yǐng zài lǎngdú kè.]

In September 2007, when Liu Ying had become old enough to attend school, her grandfather brought her to register at Liu Tang Elementary ... But the only child registering was Liu Ying.
2007年9月,刘颖到了上学的年龄,爷爷带着她到柳塘小学报名.  可是,报名的只有刘颖一个孩子.  2007 nián 9 yuè, Liú Yǐng dào le shàngxué de niánlíng, yéye dàizhe tā dào Liǔ Táng xiǎoxué bàomíng.  Kěshì, bàomíng de zhíyǒu Liú Yǐng yí gè háizi. 

"Following the principle of fairness in education, every child has a right to an education, we would rather the school and the teachers do more, and we would never allow a student not to receive an education," Li Dejun,  the headmaster, told the reporter.
"秉承公平教育的理念,让每个孩子都有受教育的权利, 宁可学校, 老师多负担, 也绝不能让孩子上不了学." 校长李德军告诉记者.  "Bǐngchéng gōng píng jiàoyù de lǐniàn, ràng měi gè háizi dōu yǒu shòujiàoyù de quánlì, nìngkě xuéxiào, lǎoshī duō fùdān, yě juébù néng ràng háizi shàngbùliǎo xué," Xiàozhǎng Lǐ Déjūn gàosu jìzhě.

Thus, a class with only one student was started.
就这样, 一个人的课堂开课了.  Jiù zhèyàng, yí gè rén de kètáng kāikè le.
 
As the school's only student in the fifth grade, Liu Ying is offered mathematics, Chinese, English, music, science, ethics, social studies, computers, health sciences and other classes; it is only in the physical education class that she is together with students who are in other grades.  
学校单独为刘颖开设了数学, 语文, 英语, 音乐, 科学, 品德和社会, 微机, 健康等多门课程, 只有体育课才同其他年级的同学一起上. Xuéxiào dāndú wéi Liú Yǐng kāishè le shùxué,  yǔwén,  Yīngyǔ,  yīnyuè,  kēxué,  pǐndé hé shèhuì,  wēijī,  jiànkāng děng duō mén kèchéng, zhí yǒu tǐyùkè cái tóng qítā niánjí de tóng xué yìqǐ shàng.  

Even though she is the only student in her class, her classroom has multimedia teaching equipment; the school has assigned a homeroom teacher, and about seven or eight teachers every day prepare classes for her, write lesson plans, lecture, help her with class assignments. 
一个人的课堂里使用的是多媒体教学设备,学校专门配备了班主任, 七八位老师每天为她一个人备课, 写教案, 讲课, 辅导作业.  Yí gè rén de kètáng lǐ shǐyòng de shì duōméitǐ jiàoxué shèbèi, xuéxiào zhuānmén pèibèi le bānzhǔrèn, qī-bá wèi lǎoshī měitiān wéi tā yí gè rén bèikè,  xiě jiào'àn,  jiǎng kè,  fúdǎo zuòyè.  

Having a single student in a class breaks with the conventional educational model; the teaching has to be more flexible, the interaction between the teachers more frequent, and the student-teacher interaction tends to become more like a friendship ... A single student classroom is not at all isolating; apart from coming to class, tidying up, writing news on the blackboard, and practicing writing characters with a brush, there are all sorts of extra-curricular activities.
 一个人的课堂也打破了原有的教学模式,教学方式更加灵活,师生之间的交流也更为频繁,师生成为了最亲密的朋友.  一个人的课堂并不寂寞,除了上课, 扫除, 写黑板报, 练毛笔字等课外活动样样都不少.  Yí gè rén de kètáng yě dǎpò le yuányǒu de jiàoxué móshì, jiàoxué fāngshì gèng jiā línghuó, shī-shēng zhījiān de jiāoliú yě gèng wéi pínfán, shī-shēng chéngwéi le zuì qīnmì de péngyou.  Yí gè rén de kètáng bìngbú jìmò, chúle shàngkè, sǎochú, xiě hēibǎnbào, liàn máobǐzì děng kèwài huódòng yàngyàng dōu bùshǎo.

Pang Jingli, the teacher in charge of the class, told the reporter that for Liu Ying, whose family's financial situation is not good, society, the school and the teachers are doing their utmost to help her; and that the school should not only teach her knowledge, but also make sure she understands gratitude and respect.  
班主任庞景丽老师告诉记者, 家境不好的刘颖得到过社会各界和学校各位老师的大力帮助, 在学校里我们不仅要教会她知识, 更要教会她懂得感恩与尊重.  Bānzhǔrèn Páng Jǐnglì lǎoshī gàosu jìzhě, jijìng bùhǎo de Liú Yǐng dédàoguò shèhuì gèjiè hé xuéxiào gèwèi lǎoshī de dàlì bāngzhù,  zài xuéxiào lǐ wǒmen bùjǐn yào jiàohuì tā zhīshí, gèng yào jiàohuì tā dǒngdé gǎn'ēn yǔ zūnzhòng.

Source: 《新华每日电讯》2011-10/21: "辽宁本溪:一个人的课堂"  online