Chinese Stories in English
News Translations Published in October 2012
5. He Discovers His Neighbor is a Thief
6. Spends Holiday Break Fighting Thieves
7. Words Diffident, Behavior Unchanging
8. Urban Control Theater – The Story of A-Mao
Click here to see the Chinese text for these stories
1. Taking Cattle by Force on the Expressway
Patrol Officers See Through Gang of Cattle Rustlers
Reporter Chen Yuewen, Correspondents Li Guojun and Wei Yongzhe, dispatch to the Evening News
On the afternoon of the 6th, several young men driving in canvas-top trucks stopped by the side of road on the Yi-Liu Expressway to load an adult water buffalo onto a truck. On-duty
personnel from the Yi-Liu Section of the Liuzhou Transportation
Enforcement Division were on patrol and happened upon the scene.
They saw through the scheme at a glance – this was a gang of cattle
rustlers. The Transportation personnel immediately proceeded to
intercept the gang, recovering two adult water buffalo that had
narrowly missed being stolen.
A little after 3 o’clock that afternoon, responding to peak
returning traffic on the expressway, the Yi-Liu Transportation
Enforcement Section strengthened patrols on the area of the road
under their jurisdiction. When Transportation personnel came to
the 978km+600m location while patrolling the Yizhou-to-Liuzhou direction, they saw three canvas-top trucks stopped in disorder on the side of the road. Four or five young men were tugging and pulling to herd an adult water buffalo. They were trying to get it to step over the curvilinear protective railing on the side of the expressway. The richly experienced Transportation personnel saw through their suspicious actions at a glance – if they were buying or selling cattle, why would they come to the side of the expressway to make the deal?
“What are you guys doing?” The Transportation personnel stopped their car on the spot to ask. A young man immediately threw down the lead rope he had been holding and ducked into the truck in a rush to escape. The Transportation personnel blocked the third canvas-top truck and a search revealed another water buffalo had already been loaded inside. They locked down the site and called the police.
Later nearby villagers heard the news and rushed to the spot. It was verified on site that these two water buffalo had been lost by the villagers.
“Come on, let’s go have a couple!” The villagers were extremely excited at having recovered the water buffalo they had lost. They pulled the Transportation personnel by the arm and earnestly invited them to their homes for a drink. Also, one villager took several hundred Yuan out of his pocket to express his gratitude. The two Transportation employees both politely declined and continued on patrol.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-08, p. 5
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2. Disturbed Woman Blocks Traffic
Patrol Officers Control Her and Rush Her to Hospital
Reporter Li Lan, Correspondent Xu Wenqiu, Direct to the Evening News
On the morning of October 2, an emotionally disturbed woman ran in and out of traffic on Zhongshan West Road. She also frequently cut off passing vehicles and was momentarily in an extremely dangerous situation. She caused a traffic jam on this part of the road that lasted almost half an hour.
Officers from the People’s Plaza Police Station subsequently rushed to the scene and took steps to straighten things out.
Mr. Li, an eyewitness, claimed: At the time he just happened to be passing that part of the road when he saw a woman wearing a white nightgown with black spots. “She looked to be about 30 years of age and was very spirited. The woman rushed onto the pavement and blocked the way of a moving sedan. The driver hit the brakes and stopped the car. The woman immediately yelled, ‘You hit me. That’s at least 100,000 in damages.’ The people on the road nearby laughed at her when they saw this. When she saw people laughing she laughed with them, but then spit at the pedestrians.” Mr. Li said he only then realized that the woman was emotionally disturbed. After that the driver of the stopped sedan had to get out of the car and urge the woman to get out of the way. Subsequently the woman continued to block cars on this part of the road as before, one car after another.
The officers from the People’s Plaza Police Station got to the scene quickly after getting the call and acted to stop her. They also took steps to get her under control and sent her to the Liuzhou Social Welfare Hospital for observation and treatment. According to a background investigation, the woman, named Su Lan, 38, is from Jinxiu County. She had been sent to the hospital for care on previous occasions.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-05, P. 04
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3. Husband and Wife Fight, About to Ignite Gas
Just Because Husband Spent Too Much Money on Guests
Reporter Xiao Jun, Special Reporter Zhou Liuning, Dispatch to the Evening News
On the 6th, to everyone’s amazement, one of a married couple who live in a residential community on East Ring Avenue wanted to ignite a tank of gas so that the two would perish together. Their daughter, who is only 8 and was terrified by her parent’s “daring-do”, picked up the phone and called the police. The police came and put an end to this frightening household war. What actually happened that led to this couple’s startling behavior?
The telephone rang urgently in the duty room of the Fish Peak Division, Public Security, on the morning of the 6th. A young girl called Little Qin wailed fearfully into the phone for help. “Mr. Policeman, you guys come quick, my mom and dad want to set fire to the gas and the house is gunna blow up!” Then she waited by the road, crying, and as soon as she saw the officers, she rushed with them up to her third floor home. The officers saw an electrifying scene upon entering the kitchen. The male owner of the condo had a lighter in his hand and the female owner was grasping a stick. The two were arguing fiercely. The officers immediately jumped forward and seized the lighter and stick.
The male said furiously: “Leave us alone! She didn’t want to do it, so we’ll die together!”
Through questioning, the officers learned that the male is named Deng and the female is named Yang.
It had started two days previously when several of Mr. Deng’s old classmates came to Liuzhou from out of town for a visit. If one is playing the host, it is common to invite your guests to dinner. But Ms. Yang determined that her husband was being overly “cordial”. He had invited his classmates to a Karaoke bar and spent an astonishing 4,000 Yuan (≈$640) in one evening! The two of them are salaried office workers, and it upset Ms. Yang so much for her husband to go so far as to spend that much money that she didn’t get any sleep for a whole night.
Early in the morning on the 6th, just after daybreak, Ms. Yang yelled at her husband to wake up and started in on him. “My friends only come once a year. You spend I don’t know how much money on clothes in a year!” Mr. Deng retorted in anger. The more the two fought the worse it got. They brought up old grievances from years past and worked them over again.
In a fit, Mr. Deng dragged his wife into the kitchen and shouted, “We’ll die together.” The two were so wrapped up in their fight that they completely forgot their daughter Little Qin.
The officers proceeded to talk it through with Mr. Deng and Ms. Yang. After almost an hour of this Deng said that he and his wife’s resentment had dissipated. “A fight is a fight, but to really die, I couldn’t handle that. We won’t do this kind of dangerous stuff anymore. If we have an issue, we’ll talk it out.” When Little Qin saw her mom and dad were reconciled, a smile broke out on her face which had been covered in tears.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-08 , p. 5
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4. Li Na Visits Fantastic Stones Display
Reporter Yu Fen – Chairman Mao’s daughter Li Na came to participate in the seventh Liuzhou International Fantastic Stones Festival yesterday. She was completely engrossed in looking at the exotic stones all the way through her visit to the Liuzhou Fantastic Stones Hall. When she saw a stone she liked she would rub it or take a souvenir photo.
When Mayor Zheng Junkang introduced “Great Leader Chairman Mao’s daughter Li Na” during the opening ceremonies, the audience was immediately rocked by a surge of emotion. One after the other they stood up and craned their necks, hoping to see Chairman Mao’s daughter. Because her physical condition is not optimal, Li Na was sitting in a wheelchair pushed by her husband Wang Jingqing (President of the China Council for the Promotion and Exchange of Red Culture). Li Na was wearing gray, everyday clothes, extremely plain and simple. She was genial and in good spirits despite some discomfort in her lower extremities. A crowd followed her throughout the visit. A Mr. Zhang from Laibin was moved to say: “Seeing Li Na made me especially long for Chairman Mao. I especially wanted to shed a tear. She looks like Chairman Mao….”
At the Magic Cloud Stone the docent told her to “rub it for luck.” Li Na was all smiles as she gave it a rub. She also paused in front of the water-worn stone “Such Lovable Scenery” for a long time. This fantastic stone has been praised as the “Municipal Treasure” of the Liuzhou Fantastic Stones Hall. It is like a work of the gods, imposing and majestic, profoundly meaningful. Li Na took a photo there with her husband and friends as a keepsake.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-03 , P. 02
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5. He Discovers His Neighbor is a Thief
Doesn’t Catch Him until Half Year Later
Reporter Zheng Kai, Correspondent Zhang Qicai, Dispatch to the Evening News
“Hurry back, Old Wei is in the neighborhood!” On the evening of the 26th, Mr. Lü, a city resident, unexpectedly received a phone call from a neighbor telling him that the guy he’d been looking for for half a year had finally appeared. Mr. Lü returned to the Hongguang neighborhood on City Station Road at once. He also asked his neighbor to call the police for him first.
It was on March 29 when Mr. Lü had come home and discovered that his front door, which had been left unlocked, was wide open. A man who was using his shirt to cover his face came running straight out. When the man saw Mr. Lü coming forward to block him, he had to open up his shirt in order to run faster. Mr. Lü was shocked when he saw the man’s face: “Isn’t this my neighbor, Old Wei?” He’d just stuck out his hand to drag him in when he was knocked down and injured by Old Wei.
When he saw he couldn't catch Old Wei, Mr. Lü decided to go in his home to see what was missing. The inventory outraged him: He had lost fully 7,000 Yuan (≈$1,120) in cash. But later, no matter how hard Mr. Lü looked, he never found a trace of Old Wei – until the evening of September 26th, when a neighbor saw Old Wei enjoying himself in a crowd in the neighborhood.
When he saw Mr. Lü coming with the police, Old Wei could only sigh and get cooperatively into the police car.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-09-29, p.10
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6. No Break for the Holidays
On the Street Fighting Thieves
Reporter Kong Defang, Correspondent Dai Weihua, Dispatch to the Evening News
“You guys spend the holidays out catching thieves. That’s a tough job. Thanks, you guys!” On the morning of September 30, when he saw officers of the Anti-Theft Brigade of the City Patrol Police Division suddenly burst out from a crowd of people and arrest a suspect who was stealing his property, Mr. Huang of Stone Tablet Plain couldn’t help but sigh with relief. On September 30 and October 1, officers of the Anti-Theft Brigade split into four groups to fight thievery throughout the city, so that the people of the city could enjoy a happy and peaceful holiday. Over the two days they arrested 12 thieves and law violators.
At about 9:00 a.m. on September 30, Mr. Huang of this city took his grandson to the No. 63 bus stop platform at the Seas and Rivers Furniture Market to catch a bus back to Stone Tablet Plains for the holiday. Mr. Huang had to pick his grandson up and hold him in his arms because there were so many people on the platform waiting for busses. He didn’t realize that the suspect, whose name is Li, had an eye on his wallet. When he got to the door of the bus with his grandson in his arms and was getting money ready to put in the fare box, he noticed several men rush up to him out of the crowd and grab a man who was right behind him. Mr. Huang thought it was a fight until one of the men explained they were police: “Sir, look and see if you’ve lost something.” As requested, Mr. Huang immediately felt his pockets and discovered that 20 Yuan in loose bills (≈$3.20) had vanished from his right pocket. The officer then pulled 20 Yuan from the pocket of the man they had arrested and returned it to him.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-05 p. 4
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7. Their Words are Diffident and Accepting
But Their Actions are Stubbornly Unchanging
Liuzhou North District Gets Disorderly Peddlers in Line
Reporter Zhang Jitong, Correspondent Zhu Kaijian, Direct to the Evening News
"Yes, control them well, otherwise, what will it look like to outsiders who come and see such a mess." That’s what Officer Liang Apo said as she was passing by. Yesterday morning under the Tanzhong Central Overpass, law enforcement officers from Urban Control, Public Security, Traffic and other departments of Liuzhou North District brought the displays of peddlers who had taken over the street up to standard. Vendors who hadn’t changed after several warnings were punished by temporarily confiscating their vehicles, restoring the unobstructed flow of traffic on the street.
Cleaning Up Scofflaw Peddlers
"Bananas! Bananas! Three kuai (≈48¢) a pound!" The vendors would cry out like that, some louder, some not so loud, pestering passers-by to death. As soon as law enforcement officers would arrive, the vendors would close the doors of their vehicles and pretend they were just parking there; when the officers left, they would open their rear doors right away and continued to hawk their wares.
"I just parked here to take a break. I wasn’t selling anything."
The owner of a canvas-back truck who was parked illegally on this
section of the road, occupying a space to sell fruit, made that
"facetious" claim while arguing with an urban control officer.
An officer told your reporter that when these itinerant vendors
face education and admonishment from law enforcement, they
always seem "diffident" and say they accept the law; but their
actions are “stubbornly unchanging”. After taking evidence, the
officers selectively chose from measures such as education by
propaganda, reform through instruction and monetary fines, with
the severity of the punishment depending on the circumstances
of the offence. For those vendors who had consistently refused to
accept guidance, traffic officers temporarily impounded the vehicles used to illegally block the road.
That same afternoon, Liuzhou North District Urban Control law enforcement officers, joined by Public Security and the Traffic Police, initiated standard administrative measures against peddlers with displays blocking the following sections of road, among others: White Sand along the periphery of the former zinc works, the periphery of the Guangya New Market and central Yaru Road, and North Sparrow Road along the periphery of the Liuzhou Chemical Company.
[For Fannyi's own experience with Chinese police "education and admonishment", see here.]
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-09-29, p. 10
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8. Urban Control Theater – The Story of A-Mao, Urban Control Officer
[Translator’s Note – Urban Control officers have three main duties insofar as I have been able to determine: (1) Hassling street vendors; (2) Drinking tea; and (3) Reading the newspaper (not necessarily in that order). They have a reputation for getting carried away by their power over people’s lives. The name of this story’s author, Mei Cuo, is a homophone for “That’s right”.]
Edited and Drawn by Mei Cuo, Assisted by Anna
Good Deeds Go Unnoticed, But Scandal Spreads Fast
“I know there can’t be just one “Heh, heh, heh!” “Let me help you, Grandpa!” “My baby! I was scared
kind of voice in this world.” “Thanks!” to death!”
For Urban Control, a negative “Mama”
voice is much louder than a On the street we often see
good voice. old people having difficulties. When we happen
We all step forward like upon a lost child, we’ll
heroes to help. help find the worried
parents.
“Hunh? Just this little bit “I’ll smash you!” Blows Beatings
in the report?” “Oh, Jeez!” “No. This is just
intimidation of Urban
Often when there’s a news But one tiny bit of negative Whether or not it’s something Control.”
story about our good deeds news is like a huge Urban Control did, we’re left
and the good people among wave and stirs up holding the bag. Everyone’s
us, it’s like a chestnut a tempest. interest is peaked by headlines
floating in the big blue sea. like ‘Urban Control Beats Man’,
or ‘Urban Control Beaten’.
Liuzhou Evening News, 2012-10-17, p. 11
To get Chinese text by return email, send name of story to jimmahler1@yahoo.com
1. Rustling Cattle by Force on the Expressway
2. Disturbed Woman Blocks Traffic
3. Husband and Wife Fight, About to Ignite Gas
4. Li Na Visits Fantastic Stones Display