From Past to Present: To Observe China Without Filter
从过去到现在：请摘掉滤镜看中国
驻挪威大使易先良在《晚邮报》发表署名文章
Ambassador Yi Xianliang Published an Article on Aftenposten
2022年1月1日
1 January 2022
China has become a hot topic. In the past 30 days, there has been nearly 30 articles about China on Aftenposten alone. As the Chinese ambassador, I appreciate the attention to my country. However, I find it difficult to agree with some of the views in the articles. How should we observe China? What kind of civilization has persisted in the 5000 years’ history of China? What diversities does the land of 9.6 million square kilometers feature? What kind of values do the 1.4 billion people believe in? These elements are complicated issues. But it might be wise observe China from 4 perspectives:
关于中国的话题越来越受到关注。过去一个月中，仅《晚邮报》上发表专门关于中国的报道就有近30篇。作为中国大使，感谢大家对我的国家的关注。但是这些报道中的一些观点我不能认同。究竟该如何看中国？5000年历史中，什么样的文明绵亘于这个国家？960万平方公里国土，体现了什么样的多样性？什么样的价值取向最能代表14亿人民的诉求？这些问题不易解答，但至少可从四个角度看中国：
The historical perspective: During the Warring States period over 2000 years ago, China was a war zone where there was not so much of a livelihood for the people. During the Ming Dynasty 600 years ago, China became one of the most prosperous nation after having stabilized its borders. Zheng He, leading his gigantic fleet, made 7 overseas visits, reaching as far as eastern Africa, without claiming an inch of territory. Nor did he initiate any war or conflict against others. In the Qing Dynasty which collapsed 110 years ago, China was struggling deep in the chaos created by foreign warships and forced opium trade. The average life expectancy was less than 34 years. In the next century, tens of millions of people died in the melee during the Warlord Era, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Civil War. It was not until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 that the nation was back on track. In the early 1950s, China’s population was 570 million while its GDP was 68 billion USD. The country was in ruin and couldn’t even produce basic goods such as thumbtacks. Now in 2020, China enjoys an average life expectancy of 77 years and its GDP is at 14.7 trillion USD. It is the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions, and contributed more than 30% of the world’s economic growth. China has experienced both ups and downs in its 5000 years of history, and the lesson are clear. Only by continuous self-improvement can we realize peace. Only with peace can we prosper. Therefore, the Chinese people treasure peaceful coexistence.
从历史角度看。距今2000多年前的春秋战国时期中华大地一片混战，民不聊生。距今600年的明帝国，中国在稳固边疆后实现繁荣，郑和率领庞大船队七次出访，最远抵非洲东部，没有占领他国一寸领土，也没有发动任何战争。距今110年前消亡的清朝，中国国门被列强打开，坚船利炮和鸦片贸易几乎摧毁了这个国家，人均寿命不足34岁。此后一个世纪，数千万人死于军阀混战、抗日战争和内战。直到1949年人民共和国建立，中国才重回正轨。上世纪50年代，中国人口5.7亿，国内生产总值（GDP）680亿美元，连图钉都需要进口。2020年，中国人均寿命77岁，GDP14.7万亿美元，成为120多个国家和地区的主要贸易伙伴，对世界经济增长贡献率超30%。如果历史教会中国人什么经验，那首先是自强不息与和平共处。5000年强弱更替，冷暖自知。只有自强不息，才能赢得和平，只有和平，才能繁荣富强。因此，中国人十分珍视和平共处。
The realistic perspective: With a vast territory and great diversity, China’s development could not be realized simultaneously. There are metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, but also many underdeveloped regions. Although almost 800 million people have been lifted out of absolute poverty over the past 4 decades, China’s GDP per capita is still less than 1/7 of that in Norway. 600 million Chinese have a monthly income less than 1400 Norwegian Krones. China is and will remain a developing country for a long time. As a result, the primary task of the Chinese government is to meet the needs of its own people, maintain social fairness and justice, and to solve the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development. For instance, if 1.4 billion Chinese eat one egg per day, 500 billion eggs are needed for a year. And the problems China faces are more complicated than just providing eggs. Therefore, development is the first priority of China. We have no interest or extra resources to seek hegemony.
从现实的角度看。中国的辽阔和多样性注定中国发展不是整齐划一的，有北京、上海、香港，但也有许多不发达地区。尽管让8亿人脱离了绝对贫困，但中国人均GDP不足挪威1/7，有6亿中国人月均收入仅1400克朗，中国将长期是一个发展中国家。这决定了中国政府的首要任务是满足本国人民的需求，维护社会公平正义，解决发展不平衡不充分问题。比如，14亿中国人每人每天吃一个鸡蛋，一年就要5000亿只鸡蛋。而中国要解决的问题远不只鸡蛋。因此，唯有发展才是我们解决问题的根本，我们毫无兴趣也无多余的资源与别人去争夺损人不利己的霸权。
The future-oriented perspective: The driving force within China originates from the belief of a better world. As a responsible country, China wants to contribute more to the outside world. The surviving logic of Chinese is that one can only achieve better well-being when others are well and happy. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have produced 350 billion face masks, supplied the world with 2 billion vaccine doses and are among the first countries to support the sharing of vaccine patents. Nuclear weapon is a heated topic in Norway. China is the only one among countries with nuclear weapons that commits itself to the no-first-use policy, and will not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. China remains an open economy no matter how international conditions may change. The China International Import Expo has been held in four consecutive years, and China remains the world’s largest trading nation in goods. In 2019, 145 million tourists came to the Chinese mainland, while 155 million Chinese traveled around the world. China longs for a world of true multilateralism, with peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom as the common values of mankind. China’s development is not the result of colonization or invasion, but an outcome of hard work. China looks forward to a community with a shared future for mankind where no countries shall live at the mercy of other countries. Instead, all people have full right to achieve common prosperity through cooperation.
从未来的角度看。中国前进的动力，是源自坚信未来更美好。中国期待什么样的未来？中国希望成为能为世界做更多贡献的负责任的国家。别人好自己才能更好，这是中国人的生存逻辑。疫情以来，我们向世界提供了20亿剂疫苗，率先支持疫苗专利开放，为全球生产3500亿个口罩。我们希望用对话解决问题。比如近来，挪威人民非常关注核武器问题，有核国家中只有中国承诺永不首先使用核武器、不对无核国家和地区使用核武器。中国是一个开放的国家，无论国际风云如何变幻，中国将始终坚持对外开放。中国已连续举办四届进博会，是第一大货物贸易国，2019年接纳超过1.45亿境外游客，也有1.55亿中国人出境游览。中国期待一个真正多边主义的世界，坚持和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值。中国的发展不靠殖民，不靠侵略，靠的是埋头苦干。如果中国对未来有什么期许，那就是人类命运共同体，各国人民都不仰人鼻息，不看人脸色，不被欺侮。人类怀抱美好希望，在相互包容中实现共同进步。
The political perspective: China has always been seeking a development system that suits its reality. Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, numerous experiments on political systems were conducted, among which both constitutional monarchy and parliamentarism failed. It is through continuous exploration and practice that the current political, economic and social systems were established. The political system in Norway differs from that in the U.S. or the U.K. It was chosen by the Norwegian people according to the Norwegian conditions. For over 70 years, the Chinese, led by the Communist Party of China, have promoted democracy in their own unique way. The feeling of happiness and participation in public governance among all Chinese people have increased, the supervision of the government has become more effective, and the whole society has become more inclusive and vibrant. China is committed to developing whole-process people’s democracy, which is reflected in the satisfaction of ordinary people. Travel around China, and you will have a deeper understanding of the real life, including political life, of Chinese people. If there should be a universal principle in China, then it must be to seek truth from facts. And that is precisely the recipe for China’s progress. To distort the truth or mislead on purpose will pay a heavy price. There have been many hard-learned lessons for China and other countries throughout history.
从政治的角度看。中国人民一直在寻求符合实际的道路。1911年清朝覆灭，中国不断进行政治制度尝试，君主立宪制失败了，议会制失败了。中国现行政治、经济和社会制度是在不断探索和实践中确立的。挪威政治制度同美国不同，同英国也不同，这并不是谁强加给挪威的，而是因为这是挪威人民选择的符合挪实际情况的制度。过去70多年，在中国共产党领导下，中国人民用自己的方式推进民主，人民幸福感和对政府治理参与度均不断提高，对政府监督更加有效，中国社会包容性更强、更有活力。中国致力于发展全过程民主。中国是否民主，应该问老百姓对政府的满意度。中国人民过得怎么样，去中国走走、看看便明白。如果在中国有什么放之四海皆准的判断，那一定是实事求是，直面问题，客观看待，这是中国进步的关键。指鹿为马，颠倒黑白，终将付出惨重代价，中国和其他国家都有过这方面的教训。
The image of China in your eyes depends on your intention and will of observation. However, China should by no means be observed in one color or from one angle, just as no one visits the Munch Museum with sunglasses on. A diverse China deserves nuanced insight without filters, and the Winter Olympics in Beijing offers just such an opportunity. I’m convinced that if you could put away the prejudice, China might bring you a pleasant surprise. It is my sincere hope that you could understand China from an objective and friendly point of view.
如何评价中国，取决于观察者的内心和动机。但无论如何，看中国不应只有一个角度，一种色调，就像不会有人戴墨镜去蒙克博物馆赏画一样。一个多样的中国值得你摘下滤镜，进一步洞察，北京冬奥会就是一次难得的机遇。相信当你放下偏见，就会收获惊喜。期待你出于客观与善意认识中国。