If you live in a country without a free-press you need to improvise. For this reason, almost every young Chinese person’s opinion about recent events has come information they received from one of two places: text messages, or QQ. This lends itself to a pretty simplified version of the issues and a real lack of verifiable sources.

In other words, 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. Ryan over at The Humanaught recently posted about a few reasons to remain hopeful, and I think this QQ message falls nicely into that category as well.

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…

I went ahead and translated the message. There are bound to be some problems with the translation, but I think I got the ides/tone right. (I’ll ask the gf later.)

Enjoy!

问题1：外国人过来抽你一个耳光，你也无动于衷，不还手，来显示自己很大度？

回答：外国人没有过来抽我耳光。

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2：韩寒，你妈被外国人强奸了，你也不抗议？

回答：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3：祖国就是你的母亲……

回答：祖国是祖国，母亲是母亲。

Q 3: But your homeland is just that, your mother…

A: Homelands are homelands, mothers are mothers

问题4：你怎么对得起你脚下自己的土地……

回答：我没有自己的土地，你也没有自己的土地。

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5：你不是一个中国人，是中国人就应该抵制家乐福。

回答：宪法上不曾这样规定。这是你的强行流氓爱国观。

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来的优秀品质和优良传统。

回答：再让你生一次，如果你还选择生在这个国家，那这才是真正的爱国和优秀品质。

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7：你连自己的母亲都不爱，你还是个人吗？

回答：我妈叫周巧蓉，我很爱她。我用自己的努力，让我全家可以得到基本的生活保障，想保障自己国家的人，先把自己的小家给保障好吧。

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8：你说家乐福的股东可能没赞助达赖，我们也的确没找到什么他赞助了的证据，但这不妨碍我们抵制法国货，家乐福只是个冲头，事实上，我们要抵制一切和法国有关的东西，我们还要抵制LV，抵制标致汽车，抵制雪铁龙……支持2008奥运，中国人的强大和团结让世界颤抖！

回答：现代奥运会是法国人顾拜旦创办的，一起抵制了吧。

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：坚决抵制家乐福，你，居然能容忍外国列强对我泱泱大国的侮辱，如果每个人都向你这么懦弱，那国家早就灭了。

回答：你强悍，你勇敢，你不怕死，你是烈士。因为你敢于不去某超市购物。而且，你敢于把家乐福的的冰激凌放在手推车里不结帐让它们化掉，你敢于在超市门口骂结帐出来的人是汉奸。你敢于烧荷兰国旗来警告法国。

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：合肥家乐福给中国降半旗，你为什么不愤怒。

回答：我相信这事情不是家乐福做的，他们也不敢这么做。国旗就在超市门口的广场上，这行为是典型的某些流氓爱者年自己把旗子降下去，贼喊捉贼，然后四处传播，以便煽动，惟恐天下不乱。这更加不道德。类似的行为和手段在类似的行动中太耳熟能详了。**

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11：在这万众一心的时刻，你假装清醒，说风凉话，给爱国志士浇冷水，和民意相违背，你这样的话居然都能发表，看来中国的言论还是太自由了，应该封杀你。

回答：我们的人一方面呼吁国家放开言论，一方面有人反对自己就希望国家封杀掉他，国家在进步，你逼它退步。小心百转千回，害人害己。

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.

Word.