Opinion / Li Xing
Don't forget all people are born equal
By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-05-25 05:48
From primary school to middle school, my pals and I filled in a great
many biographical forms.
At the time, the country was still embroiled in the chaotic "cultural
revolution" (1966-76) and politics dominated everyday life.
Most items in the forms were quite common, like the date of birth, sex,
the schools we'd attended, our parents' names and their work.
But one item seemed a little conspicuous. We were required to reveal what
kind of family we came from, with those classifications including
"worker," "clerk," "intellectual," "proprietor," "peasant" or "cadre."
Whoever opted for "cadre" would always place a label before it to make it
"revolutionary cadre."
Even as teenagers, we were conscious of the differences. At some class
reunions over the years, a number of classmates bitterly recalled that
teachers always favoured those from "revolutionary cadre" families with
such appointments as class monitors and other positions of academic
leadership.
In those days, we were told to distinguish people by their "classes" and
ideology "revolutionary" or "reactionary." However, reality also sank in.
For instance, "revolutionary cadre" families, usually having only one or
two children, lived in bigger apartments, while the homes of factory
"workers" were invariably smaller even though their families were bigger,
sometimes with three or more children.
Things have changed a great deal as a result of China's economic and
social development since the nation began to embark on its reform and
opening to the outside world.
My daughter has filled in very few biographical forms in the years from
primary to senior high school. The item for the family category no longer
exists.
Her teachers appoint students to leadership positions based on their own
merits. My daughter does talk about family differences, but those usually
concern child-parent relationships. Social status or the amount of wealth
is not mentioned.
But the whole of society is aware of societal gaps, between urban and
rural areas and between the rich and the poor.
While the media should urge society to aid the poor and the needy,
governments at all levels should work even harder to reduce and bridge
those gaps.
We do hear about a lot of government projects established to improve the
lives of the rural people.
For instance, quite a few mountainous villages in rural suburbs of
Beijing have been turned into eco-tourism sites, as new houses are built
to serve as bed and breakfast hostels. Farmers have become master chefs
and tourist guides, while also trying to keep the mountains green and
streams clean.
Meanwhile, many villages have opened their orchards and strawberry fields
to the public, charging more per kilo for those who want to experience
the joy of picking fruit.
Other projects, such as the opening of schools or free school enrolment
for migrant children, are also under way.
Those projects deserve applause, but we must also be aware that some
projects to beautify urban centres do not seem to work towards bridging
those gaps.
We have all witnessed the phenomenon of low-income residents being pushed
out beyond Beijing's third and fourth ring roads as their old low-rise
homes make way for expensive new apartments.
Developers may argue it is the work of the market economy, but some
officials have shown their lack of awareness of their responsibility
towards bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
A friend of mine personally heard one district urban planner talking
about drawing "gaoduan" (literally meaning high-end) people high-income
people into their newly-developed residential zones, even though the same
zone was home to many low-income families.
It is time we gave officials such as this urban planner the wake-up call
that everyone is born equal, if we hope to build a harmonious society.
Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 05/25/2006 page4)
Hot Talks
� Share Our Crafts: Naming contest
� The microprints of 1980s Shanghai
� The ceremony at the White House
� Do teenagers really need mobiles?
� China's Serious Environment Problem
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. Source model ship,
wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress,
pocket bike, Vaginal Speculum, Samurai Sword, String Panty and PVC Pipe.
Learn Chinese, Learn Mandarin online, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment