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Lending a helping hand 伸出援手

11/16/2011

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Lucky in the midst of misfortune
不幸之中的万幸 Bụ̀xìng zhīzhōng de wànxìng

In the vegetable market, the stand belonging to Zhang Zhengcai is completely deserted and covered with dust, and whenever his wife, Gui Qingmei, sees the place from a distance, she bursts into tears and is overwhelmed with grief to the point of fainting; all that is left now of this close family of three are a tearful mother and son, and this suffering has come about because of a car accident.
菜市场里,原本属于张正才的摊位现在空空荡荡,布满了灰尘,他的爱人归庆梅只要远远看到这个位置就哭号不已,悲伤得几近昏厥,温馨的三口之家如今只剩下每天以泪洗面的母子俩,这些苦难都缘于一场意外车祸。
Càishìchǎng lǐ, yuánběn shǔyú Zhāng Zhèngcái de tānwèi xiànzài kōngkōngdàngdàng, bùmǎnle huīchén, tā de àiren Guī Qìngméi zhǐyào yuǎnyuǎn kàndào zhège wèizhi jiù kūháo bùyǐ, bēishāng de jǐ jìn hūnjué, wēnxīn de sān kǒu zhī jiā rújīn zhǐ shèngxia měitiān yǐlèixǐmiàn de mụ̌-zǐ liǎ, zhèxiē kǔnàn dōu yuán yú yī chǎng yìwài chēhuò.

[Photo: "So many people helped to keep the sky from falling on my family"
那么多人帮我 家里的天没塌  Nàme duō rén bāng wǒ jiā lǐ de tiān méi tā] 

Zhang Zhengcai was from Cangzhou, a few years ago he was laid off, and in order to support his family he opened a vegetable stand in the market, and the money he earned was enough for his family to live on; he got to see his son admitted to university, and he and his wife felt that life was filled with hope.  No one expected that when Zhang Zhengcai left home to buy goods early in the morning on September 11, 2011, he would not return. 
张正才是沧州人,前几年下了岗,为了维持生计他在菜市场里做起了卖菜的生意,挣的钱刚够一家三口的温饱,眼看着18岁的儿子考上了大学,夫妻俩也觉得生活有了盼头。谁想到,2011年9月11日清晨,张正才出门进货,却再也没有回来。
Zhāng Zhèngcái shì Cāngzhōu rén, qián jǐ nián xiale gǎng, wèile wéichí shēngjì tā zài càishìchǎng lǐ zuòqǐle mài cài de shēngyi, zhèng de qián gāng gòu yījiā sān kǒu de wēnbǎo, yǎnkànzhe 18 suì de érzi kǎoshangle dàxué, fūqī liǎ yě juéde shēnghuó yǒule pàntou. Sheí xiǎngdào, 2011 nián 9 yuè 11 rì qīngchén, Zhāng Zhèngcái chūmén jìnhuò, què zài yě méiyǒu huílai.

In tears, Zhang Zhengcai's elder sister said that a friend who sells vegetables with her told her that something had happened to her younger brother, and urged her to hurry to the hospital, but no matter what she asked, her friend refused to say more. "I knew it was bad, but I never expected my brother to die like this!" She recalled that on the day of the incident, it was like a bolt out of the blue, she could not believe her brother had died that way.
对方也不肯多说了张正才的姐姐哭着说,同在一个市场卖菜的朋友告诉她弟弟出事了,让她赶紧去医院,但是再怎么问,对方也不肯多说了。“我就知道不好,但怎么也想不到,弟弟就这么没了!”回忆起出事当天的情况,姐姐表示就像是晴天霹雳,她无法相信弟弟就这样离开了人世。
Zhāng Zhèngcái de jiějie kūzhe shuō, tóng zài yī gè shìchǎng mài cài de péngyou gàosu tā dìdi chūshì le, ràng tā gạ̌njǐn qù yīyuàn, dànshì zài zěnme wèn, duìfāng yě bù kěn duō shuō le. “Wǒ jiù zhīdao bù hǎo, dàn zěnme yě xiǎngbudào, dìdi jiù zhème méile!” Huíyì qǐ chūshì dàngtiān de qíngkuàng, jiějie biǎoshì jiù xiàng shì qíngtiānpīlì, tā wúfǎ xiāngxìn dìdi jiù zhèyàng líkāile rénshì.

The accident happened beneath Ya'an Bridge; the scene was chaotic, Zhang Zhengcai's minivan had already burned beyond recognition, all kinds of vegetables from inside the car were scattered on the ground, "You can just imagine what the person looked like from what the car looked like."  Gui Qingmei could hardly endure it, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, the main support for the family was gone in the blink of an eye, she and her son could hardly carry on with daily life, and tuition for the university quickly became a problem. 
出事的地点在雅安桥下,现场已是一片狼藉,张正才的面包车已经被烧得不成模样,车里的各种蔬菜也散落了一地,“车都这样了,人就可想而知了。”受不了打击的归庆梅哭得眼睛都红肿了,家中的支柱瞬间倒塌,她和儿子几乎无法继续正常生活,大学的学费也眼看就成了大问题。
Chūshì de dìdiǎn zài Yǎ'ān qiáo xià, xiànchǎng yǐ shì yī piàn lángjí, Zhāng Zhèngcái de miànbāochē yǐjing bèi shāo de bùchéng múyàng, chē lǐ de gèzhǒng shūcài yě sànluòle yī dì, “chē dōu zhèyàng le, rén jiù kẹ̌xiǎng'érzhī le.” Shòubuliǎo dǎjī de Guī Qìngméi kū de yǎnjing dōu hóngzhǒng le, jiāzhōng de zhīzhù shùnjiān dǎotā, tā hé érzi jīhū wúfǎ jìxù zhèngcháng shēnghuó, dàxué de xuéfèi yě yǎnkàn jiù chéngle dà wèntí.

The vegetable market owner who rented the stand to him saw what was happening, "It was unsually lucky that in the middle of misfortune, we found out what a good person manager Zhang is, we've come across so many warmhearted people," said Gui Qingmei, her eyes again filling with tears.  When the president of the Bo Shengda company, Zhang Shengbo, learned of the situation, he returned a full year's rent to Gui Qingmei,  "I thought I should do a little something to help the whole family."  President Zhang said that Zhang Zhengcai was a good person, everyone is saddened by the loss.  
这一切被租给他摊位的菜市场老板看在了眼里,“不幸之中的万幸啊,我们遇到了张经理这么好的人,遇到了市场里这么多的热心人。”归庆梅说着,眼泪又流了下来。泊胜达公司的总经理张双泊了解情况后,将张正才原本支付的一年租金全部退给了归庆梅,“我想我应该尽点力,帮帮这一家子。”张总说,老张是个老实人,这样走了谁心里都不好受。
Zhè yị̄qiè bèi zūgěi tā tānwèi de càishìchǎng lạ̌obǎn kànzàile yạ̌nlǐ, “Bụ̀xìng zhīzhōng de wànxìng a, wǒmen yùdàole Zhāng jīnglǐ zhème hǎo de rén, yùdàole shìchǎng lǐ zhème duō de rèxīnrén.” Guī Qìngméi shuōzhe, yǎnlèi yòu liúle xiàlai. Bó Shèng Dá Gōngsī de zǒngjīnglǐ Zhāng Shuāngbó liạ̌ojiě qíngkuàng hòu, jiāng Zhāng Zhèngcái yuánběn zhīfù de yī nián zūjīn quánbù tuì gěile Guī Qìngméi, “Wǒ xiǎng wǒ yīnggāi jìn diǎn lì, bāng bāng zhè yī̠jiāzi.” Zhāng zǒng shuō, lǎo Zhāng shì ge lǎoshirén, zhèyàng zǒule sheí xīnli dōu bù hǎoshòu.

At the same time, Zhang Zhengcai's family's circumstances also came to the attention of the Hongqiao district government, director Ma Yong of the Shaogongzhuang neighborhood committee said, "We have already sent condolences to the family, and at the same time together with the vegetable market we are collecting donations, as of now we've raised 5,000 RMB, and we are going to continue to try harder." 
与此同时,张正才一家的情况,还得到了红桥区政府相关部门的关注,邵公庄街道办事处马永主任说,“我们已经对家属进行了慰问,同时也和菜市场一起为张正才募集捐款,目前已经筹集了5000元善款,后面我们再继续努力。”
Yụ̌cǐtóngshí, Zhāng Zhèngcái yījiā de qíngkuàng, hái dédàole Hóngqiáo qūzhèngfǔ xiāngguān bùmén de guānzhù, Shàogōngzhuāng jiēdào bànshìchù mǎ yǒng zhǔrèn shuō, “wǒmen yǐjing duì jiāshǔ jìnxíngle wèiwèn, tóngshí yě hécài shìchǎng yī̠qǐ wèi Zhāng Zhèngcái mùjí juānkuǎn, mùqián yǐjing chóují le 5000 yuán shàn kuǎn, hòumian wǒmen zài jìxù nǔlì.”

Gui Qingmei is extemely moved by society's care and support, and is gaining the courage to go on living. "When his father left us, I began to believe the sky really was falling, but with so many people helping us, the sky won't fall on our family, I will do my best to raise my son, and make sure that he repays society!"  
社会的关注和支持,让归庆梅感动万分,也鼓起了生活的勇气。“他爸走了,开始我真觉得天都塌了,但是这么多人帮助我们,我们家的这片天塌不了。我要好好抚养儿子,以后让他回报社会!”
Shèhuì de guānzhù hé zhīchí, ràng guī qìng méi gǎndòng wànfēn, yě gụ̌qǐle shēnghuó de yǒngqì. “Tā bà zǒu le, kāishǐ wǒ zhēn juéde tiān dōu tā le, dànshì zhème duō rén bāngzhù wǒmen, wǒmen jiā de zhè piàn tiān tā bùliǎo. Wǒ yào hǎohāo fụ̌yǎng érzi, yǐhòu ràng tā huíbào shèhuì!”

Source 《每日新报》2011-11/15  第B10版: "丈夫意外离世 妻儿生活困难 市场老板与街道办伸出援手"   online  

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Coming home 回家

10/28/2011

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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

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Underage worker: Employed "out of pity" ?

09/25/2011

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(15 岁小童工   雇佣他因为可怜他? 15 suì xiǎotóng gōng   Gùyōng tā yīnwèi kělián tā?)

The headline for this article, which appeared on April 12th in one of Tianjin's leading daily newspapers, frames underage hiring as a question, suggesting that there may well have been mitigating circumstances, but at the same time hinting that the employer used "pity" as an excuse to exploit the young man: 15岁童工   雇用他因为可怜他15 suì tónggōng   gùyòng tā yīnwèi kělián tā?  15-year-old worker: Was he hired "out of pity"?

A synopsis of the story precedes the main article itself: A 15-year-old boy, who should be sitting in a classroom, instead is working for a small shop in Tianjin's Hebei district ... Every day before dawn he begins his workday, and is on duty straight through until about 9:00p [Note: his job is to change out seats in cabs] ...  He's been doing this hard labor for a little more than a month ... Most of his salary has been put into a "pledge" account by his employer.  With the help of officials from the city's Labor Board, the boy has been "rescued" from this disastrous situation.  原本应该坐在课堂内的15岁少年,却在河北区一家小店打工。每天清晨就要开始干活的他,一直要到21:00左右才能休息。辛苦干了一个多月,大半工资却被店主做了“押金”。在市区两级劳动监察部门的帮助下,这名少年终于“获救”.  Yuánběn yīnggāi zuòzài kètáng nèi de 15 suì shàonián,què zài Héběi qū yījiā xiǎodiàn dǎgōng. Měitiān qīngchén jiùyào kāishǐ gànhuó de tā,yīzhí yào dào 21:00 zuǒyòu cáinéng xiūxi. Xīnkǔ gànle yī ge duō yuè, dàbàn gōngzī què bèi diànzhǔ zuò le “yājīn”. Zài shìqū liǎng jí láodòng jiānchá bùmén de bāngzhù xià,zhè míng shàonián zhōngyú “huòjiù”...

The story came about because a cab driver, whose car the young man was servicing, thought the boy was "especially young-looking "特别‘面嫩'" tèbié‘miànnèn’  ... The cabby casually asked the boy his age, and figured out that he probably had just turned 15 years old ...  As a concerned citizen, he called the newspaper; when the reporter arrived on the scene and asked, the boy claimed he was "16 years old," but also, perhaps unwittingly, revealed his zodiac sign, the Year of the Rat  .少年说道:“16岁,属鼠的”  Shàonián shuōdao:“16 suì,shǔ shǔ de” ... The reporter seized on this, because given the boy's approximate age, he had to have been born in the 1996 Year of the Rat, which meant he could not yet be 16 years old 但属鼠的孩子应是1996年出生,并非16岁 Dàn shǔ shǔ de háizi yīngshì 1996 nián chūshēng,bìng fēi 16 suì ...

The Labor Board authorities were called in ... They established the boy was born in October 1996, that he had been promised a salary of 1,400 RMB/month (about $225/month), was working 14-hour days [Note: at 420 hours/month, his hourly wage would be about $.50] ... They learned that his mother had passed away, and his father was bed-ridden ... The shop owner said that the boy showed up one day looking for work; they listened to his story, took pity on him, and decided to help him out by employing him ... But the shop owner also admitted that he actually paid the boy only a fraction of what he'd earned, keeping the rest of the salary in a "pledge account," to be paid later ... So it's hard to see how the shop owner actually improved the boy's situation ... 

The authorities ordered the boy to stop working immediately, and set about reuniting him with his family ... They reminded the shop owner of the law ("National laws clearly state that no employer can employ anyone under the age of 16 国家明确规定,任何单位和个人都不得雇用16周岁以下的儿童 Guójiā míngquè guīdìng,rènhé dānwèi hé gèrén dōu bùdé gùyòng 16 zhōu suì yǐxià de értóng) ... The penalty for hiring underage workers is at least 5,000 RMB/month, and they explained to the shop owner that although they can accept that by hiring the boy he showed sympathy (雇用童工是出于同情这种说法在感情上可以接受 Gùyòng tónggōng shì chūyú tóngqíng zhèzhǒng shuōfa zài gǎnqíng shàng kěyǐ jiēshòu) , nevertheless, he had broken the law and would have to pay the fine, and admit to criminal behavior 店主不但要承担相应的赔偿责任,甚至还要承担刑事责任 Diànzhǔ bùdàn yào chéngdān xiāngyìng de péicháng zérèn,shènzhì háiyào chéngdān xíngshì zérèn...

Source: 《每日新报》 20110412 第B10版, “15 岁小童工   雇佣他因为可怜他? 15 suì xiǎotóng gōng   Gùyōng tā yīnwèi kělián tā?”

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