中国高铁列车追尾
Interrogating the Party
质问执政党
Jul 25th 2011, 15:20 by J.M. | BEIJING
The unfiltered responses to a terrible train crash leave the Communist Party scrambling
对于这次可怕的列车追尾事件的草率回应使共产党陷入困境
CHINA'S high-speed railway network, once a source of great pride for the Communist Party, has turned into an embarrassment. A collision between two trains on July 23rd near the coastal city of Wenzhou not only killed at least 35 people but also unleashed a torrent of online criticism of the network and the railway bureaucracy.
共产党曾经引以为豪的中国高速铁路网络，已经变为一件令人尴尬的事。7月23日，发生在中国沿海城市温州的列车追尾事件，不仅造成至少35人死亡，还在网络上掀起了一场对于铁路局和铁路网的批评热潮。
The prompt dismissal of three senior railway officials is unlikely to diminish public outrage at the accident, which came hard on the heels of several malfunctions in a new high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 1,318km (820-mile) line was launched with much fanfare at the end of June to coincide with official celebrations of the party's 90th birthday. Even the rare sight of a Chinese official bowing in apology at a press conference about the crash appears to have done little to placate critics. Online demands abound that the railway minister, Sheng Guangzu, lose his job too. Mr Sheng was appointed only in February following allegations that his predecessor Liu Zhijun (a high-speed rail fanatic) was involved in corruption.
发生在新的京沪高速铁路的这次事故，是由于该铁路线的几个故障引起。铁路部门三个官员被迅速免职，也无法平息公众的愤怒。这条长1318公里的铁路线是在六月底开通的，与建党90周年庆典同一时间。在本次事件的新闻发布会上鞠躬道歉，这一对于中国政府而言很少见的景象，却无法平息人们的批评。大量网友要求现任铁道部部长盛光祖也要下台。今年二月份刚刚就任的盛光祖随后指控其前任刘志军（高速铁路狂热者）涉嫌贪污。
The internet has proved a powerful amplifier of public scepticism in China, especially since Twitter-like services began to take off a couple of years ago. In this case, it has provided real-time, uncensored insights into a disaster that the authorities would doubtless have preferred to be covered in bare-bones style by trusted party organs. ChinaGeeks, an internet-monitoring website, has translated some of the comments that have been posted online by Chinese users. As China Media Project, another website, notes, even the official press has been quoting the observations of microbloggers.
互联网将中国公众的怀疑之声迅速传播扩散，尤其是从几年前Twitter一类服务兴起开始。在这种情况下， 它提供了关于这次灾难的实时的、无拘无束的独到见解，虽然毫无疑问当权者希望民众相信他们"令人信服"的政府所提供的事件梗概。ChinaGeeks，一个互联网广告监测网站，翻译了一些中国用户贴在网上的评论。另一个网站China Media Project（中国传媒研究计划）注意到，就连官方新闻都引用了微博上的评论。
The party has been stumbling in its response. The railway ministry took hours to issue its apology. Mr Sheng, the minister, gave a terse interview (in Chinese) to state television on his way to the scene, saying nothing about human error. The sacking of three top officials of the Shanghai rail bureau, which is responsible for the area where the collision occurred, was no more than a routine party response to major accidents. It took similar action in 2008 after the last big railway disaster. Global Times, a Beijing newspaper, said in an English-language commentary that the latest accident had delivered "a strong shock to China's social psychology" and raised doubts about the country's railway construction plans. These call for a huge expansion of the high-speed network in the next few years.
党在对这次事件的回应中步履蹒跚。铁道部花了好几个小时才发布道歉内容。盛部长在去往现场的路上接受了国家电视台的简短采访，其间没有提到任何人为的错误。对事故发生地区负有责任的三个上海铁路局高官被免职，至多是党对于严重事故的例行回应。这很像2008年上一次大的铁路灾难发生后的行为。一份北京报纸《环球时报》，在一个用英语写的报道中指出，新近发生的这次事故引发了"对中国社会心理的强力震撼"，同时使民众对于国家铁路建设计划产生了越来越多的怀疑。这些计划将使高速铁路网在未来几年急速扩张。
The political shockwaves of this incident will probably reverberate longer than those of the rail disaster in 2008, even if the death toll remains lower (more than 70 died in the previous accident). China's high-speed rail plans have been highly controversial. Some Chinese complain that the new services are effectively forcing up the price of rail travel by reducing the number of, cheaper, slower-speed trains. State-owned airlines also worry about competition (though concerns about rail safety might work in their favour). China Media Project has translated extracts from what it says are leaked directives to the official media banning discussion of the accident's implications for the construction of high-speed rail. It is unlikely this will silence the debate.
这次事件的政治冲击可能比2008年铁路灾难持续更长时间，即便死亡人数相对较少（前次事故中有70多人死亡）。中国的高速铁路计划已经引起激烈争议。一些中国人抱怨说这些新的服务项目减少了那些速度慢但更便宜的列车数量，直接导致铁路旅行价格飙升。国有航空公司也担心来自高铁的竞争。China Media Project 翻译了一些摘录的内容，其中写道，在被泄露的给官方媒体的指令中，禁止讨论此次事故中牵涉高速铁路建设的内容。不过此举好像无法平息争论。
Interrogating the Party
质问执政党
Jul 25th 2011, 15:20 by J.M. | BEIJING
The unfiltered responses to a terrible train crash leave the Communist Party scrambling
对于这次可怕的列车追尾事件的草率回应使共产党陷入困境
CHINA'S high-speed railway network, once a source of great pride for the Communist Party, has turned into an embarrassment. A collision between two trains on July 23rd near the coastal city of Wenzhou not only killed at least 35 people but also unleashed a torrent of online criticism of the network and the railway bureaucracy.
共产党曾经引以为豪的中国高速铁路网络，已经变为一件令人尴尬的事。7月23日，发生在中国沿海城市温州的列车追尾事件，不仅造成至少35人死亡，还在网络上掀起了一场对于铁路局和铁路网的批评热潮。
The prompt dismissal of three senior railway officials is unlikely to diminish public outrage at the accident, which came hard on the heels of several malfunctions in a new high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 1,318km (820-mile) line was launched with much fanfare at the end of June to coincide with official celebrations of the party's 90th birthday. Even the rare sight of a Chinese official bowing in apology at a press conference about the crash appears to have done little to placate critics. Online demands abound that the railway minister, Sheng Guangzu, lose his job too. Mr Sheng was appointed only in February following allegations that his predecessor Liu Zhijun (a high-speed rail fanatic) was involved in corruption.
发生在新的京沪高速铁路的这次事故，是由于该铁路线的几个故障引起。铁路部门三个官员被迅速免职，也无法平息公众的愤怒。这条长1318公里的铁路线是在六月底开通的，与建党90周年庆典同一时间。在本次事件的新闻发布会上鞠躬道歉，这一对于中国政府而言很少见的景象，却无法平息人们的批评。大量网友要求现任铁道部部长盛光祖也要下台。今年二月份刚刚就任的盛光祖随后指控其前任刘志军（高速铁路狂热者）涉嫌贪污。
The internet has proved a powerful amplifier of public scepticism in China, especially since Twitter-like services began to take off a couple of years ago. In this case, it has provided real-time, uncensored insights into a disaster that the authorities would doubtless have preferred to be covered in bare-bones style by trusted party organs. ChinaGeeks, an internet-monitoring website, has translated some of the comments that have been posted online by Chinese users. As China Media Project, another website, notes, even the official press has been quoting the observations of microbloggers.
互联网将中国公众的怀疑之声迅速传播扩散，尤其是从几年前Twitter一类服务兴起开始。在这种情况下， 它提供了关于这次灾难的实时的、无拘无束的独到见解，虽然毫无疑问当权者希望民众相信他们"令人信服"的政府所提供的事件梗概。ChinaGeeks，一个互联网广告监测网站，翻译了一些中国用户贴在网上的评论。另一个网站China Media Project（中国传媒研究计划）注意到，就连官方新闻都引用了微博上的评论。
The party has been stumbling in its response. The railway ministry took hours to issue its apology. Mr Sheng, the minister, gave a terse interview (in Chinese) to state television on his way to the scene, saying nothing about human error. The sacking of three top officials of the Shanghai rail bureau, which is responsible for the area where the collision occurred, was no more than a routine party response to major accidents. It took similar action in 2008 after the last big railway disaster. Global Times, a Beijing newspaper, said in an English-language commentary that the latest accident had delivered "a strong shock to China's social psychology" and raised doubts about the country's railway construction plans. These call for a huge expansion of the high-speed network in the next few years.
党在对这次事件的回应中步履蹒跚。铁道部花了好几个小时才发布道歉内容。盛部长在去往现场的路上接受了国家电视台的简短采访，其间没有提到任何人为的错误。对事故发生地区负有责任的三个上海铁路局高官被免职，至多是党对于严重事故的例行回应。这很像2008年上一次大的铁路灾难发生后的行为。一份北京报纸《环球时报》，在一个用英语写的报道中指出，新近发生的这次事故引发了"对中国社会心理的强力震撼"，同时使民众对于国家铁路建设计划产生了越来越多的怀疑。这些计划将使高速铁路网在未来几年急速扩张。
The political shockwaves of this incident will probably reverberate longer than those of the rail disaster in 2008, even if the death toll remains lower (more than 70 died in the previous accident). China's high-speed rail plans have been highly controversial. Some Chinese complain that the new services are effectively forcing up the price of rail travel by reducing the number of, cheaper, slower-speed trains. State-owned airlines also worry about competition (though concerns about rail safety might work in their favour). China Media Project has translated extracts from what it says are leaked directives to the official media banning discussion of the accident's implications for the construction of high-speed rail. It is unlikely this will silence the debate.
这次事件的政治冲击可能比2008年铁路灾难持续更长时间，即便死亡人数相对较少（前次事故中有70多人死亡）。中国的高速铁路计划已经引起激烈争议。一些中国人抱怨说这些新的服务项目减少了那些速度慢但更便宜的列车数量，直接导致铁路旅行价格飙升。国有航空公司也担心来自高铁的竞争。China Media Project 翻译了一些摘录的内容，其中写道，在被泄露的给官方媒体的指令中，禁止讨论此次事故中牵涉高速铁路建设的内容。不过此举好像无法平息争论。
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