Chinese virtue

Chapter 54 Lack of altruism (2)
In the Chinese social system, there is a kind of person who can maximize his interests where he can. In the UK, this kind of person is called "the omnipotent person", while in China, this kind of person is called "the person who can do everything". bully".In Chinese society, bullies are a very important existence. If you don't understand bullies, you can't really understand the normal operation of Chinese society.Bullies can be seen in both urban and rural areas of China. Some of them are rich, some are poor, some are educated, some have not studied for a day, and some bullies are even women.We can see that the bully has many characteristics of the Chinese people, and sometimes the degree of expression of these characteristics can also determine whether a bully is successful or not.A bully should be able to deal with people and things, and be able to meddle in anything in his area of ​​control in order to draw attention to himself.There is a Chinese saying that still confuses people: "Tofu bullies rule one side, stick bullies rule one side." It is said that tofu is square and sticks are long. They are used to describe the shape of the area under the jurisdiction of the bullies.In some cities, the reputation of bullies spread far and wide, and Chinese people on the left and right feared them.I heard that in some places, a note saying "Tianjin people are forbidden to enter" will be posted on the door of the hotel, because in Tianjin, many bullies are famous for breaking strikes, and are even given the title of "thief" because of their crimes.They were responsible for the notorious Tianjin massacre, so no matter where they are, they are very dangerous.

After the experience of so many provinces, we found that it is very easy to cause some fuses to erupt, especially in some incidents related to foreigners, no matter at any time and for any reason.In fact, it is precisely because of the existence of these bullies that all foreigners in China are confused about when and what will happen to them.

Bullies may sometimes unite together, coupled with the complexity of the living environment in China, this makes foreigners in China may be in danger at any time.As the American sinologist Dr. Wei Sanwei said, foreigners in China are like living in a carriage, and they cannot know when the carriage will overturn.One thing that is extremely beneficial to the bullies is their close relationship with the government.They can initiate a lawsuit with little or nothing at all, so that those people can't help but get involved in the lawsuit and be blackmailed by the people in the yamen. The people in the yamen should thank these bullies for this.

Fights are a thing of the past for these particular bullies, and if they don't, they'll just go around looking for trouble.From the Chinese point of view, if these people don't quarrel with others for three days, they will feel uncomfortable all over, and then force themselves to yell at Lord Stove to ensure their good condition in the battle.If they had mastered it, they would be able to tolerate any degree of deceit without ever showing pain, which would cost them their prestige.If the body no longer limits them, then they will think that all the quarrels are beneficial to them.Because some officials hate people like them very much, they will punish them, but they think that this must be endured, and comfort themselves that this is exchanging the damage of the lower body for the strength of the upper body.Some bullies would blatantly abuse people in court, much to the chagrin of those trial officials.Bullies, crooks, and bachelors are no different in the city than in the countryside.If they read, they get some special benefits, and if they are poor and have nothing more to lose, they get more.Others could only sigh alone in the face of them, because they could not be driven away from them.Whatever their situation, they can have a key influence on the affairs of the village.

For a long time, the mayor of New York thought that the management of his city was the best, and he was proud of it.However, judging from the actual situation, his management methods have been well reflected in China and have been perfectly implemented. The results brought about by him are useless even for democracy.There are many such situations in China, although not every village has such a situation, but as it happens, the village where I live has such a situation.Over the years, we have always seized every opportunity to examine the ways in which the village bullies protect their own interests.We have described their various characteristics above, among which there are traces of historical development and historical stagnation.In the absence of any change in these characteristics, a mysterious fire may break out late one night and consume all the firewood a person has, and the real arsonist will not be caught.When the fire ignites, you will know who is really unlucky.

According to our investigation, once the fire in China burns, it will become a tragedy.

There were many people watching the fire around the fire, but very few people were willing to take the initiative to do something to put out the fire. Facing such a fire, the few people involved in the fire fight could be said to be a drop in the bucket.Under normal circumstances, a fire in a village can be easily extinguished without even using water. It only needs to be covered with a layer of soil, which is often more effective than water in extinguishing fires.But if the fire was started by some bully, then don't expect to put it out. If anyone makes a move to put out the fire, then he is likely to be the next unlucky person.

Some wolves like to move in packs. If a passer-by is exhausted by being chased by wolves, after he kills a wolf, he will not be able to deal with the remaining wolves.The remaining wolves will temporarily stop their pursuit and eat their own dead companions first.Among the Chinese, the same situation occurs.Many people will think that this is impossible, but we can draw inferences from one incident to understand this situation.Bullies are largely responsible for many tragedies in Chinese society.As I said before, the Chinese dare not offend others. If a Chinese dares to offend others and gets the opportunity to argue with others, then there is no power to restrain him.Although the public opinion of the public will show separation and opposition, why should he care.

To describe this kind of person in one word, it can be said to be "not easy to mess with".Bullies themselves have nothing to lose, so they are keen to wreak havoc on the existing social order.Although they do not realize it themselves, in fact, they have epitomized anarchism and nihilism.

At the beginning, the turmoil is often just accumulating its own strength, and gradually develops, it will become a disaster that affects the entire country like the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom".

In a village not far from where I live, a child knocked off the finger of a clay statue while playing in a temple.As you can imagine, the normal procedure for handling this matter is to ask the child's father to fix the statue.But this way of handling will make the bully dissatisfied.What bullies want to see is disputes about compensation, heavy fines, and banquets for those involved.This kind of interference by bullies often occurs in many places, and people have become accustomed to it.If a dead person is involved in the incident, the situation can be taken to the extreme and the bully can take advantage of the incident to make a fortune.For the Chinese who respect life most, this is their maintenance of their own dignity.There is a very vivid Chinese saying: "When you are born, you are as cheap as grass, and after you die, you are as expensive as silver." After that, it will bring great wealth to the family.Corresponding to this statement is the Chinese way of doing things that is completely divorced from the law.It's like on a road where people come and go, after someone makes a statement, he shoots at the first passer-by who passes by, and then settles it by paying compensation.But there is one thing that cannot be changed even in China, that is, dirt does not feel sad, and money cannot heal wounds.

What is the real thinking behind the Chinese people's charitable deeds?Figuring this out is the hardest part.

At first, the general feeling was that Chinese people do not do good deeds. Later, people corrected this prejudice, but then slipped to another extreme, as if China has too many good deeds to count.Further investigation reveals that Chinese acts of kindness are, as Irish silk is called, "defective".However, some acts of kindness that appear from time to time prevent us from turning a blind eye to them.In such a docile nation like China, there must be countless acts of kindness within the family.In the face of illness and hardship, people are often called out to be better.

In a hospital dedicated to Chinese people, I have witnessed many sincere and selfless acts of kindness, not only between parents and children, but also between husband and wife.This kind of thing often happens between people who don't know each other.Many breastfeeding women gave excess milk to starving orphans without mothers.

Recently, an old friend told about such an incident that he witnessed, which happened to reflect another aspect of Chinese life.A Chinese woman rode a donkey to another city, which was twelve miles apart.Passing by a large puddle, the donkey slipped and fell into the pit. The woman was thrown onto a stone, her chest and back were badly injured, she lay on the ground moaning in great pain, but the boy leading the donkey Leaving her alone, he led the donkey and ran away in a hurry.This happened around seven o'clock in the morning, on the side of a bustling avenue leading to the provincial capital, but even though she was lying there all day, someone just moved her to keep her from the scorching sun.Only one person offered to help her and send her home, but asked her to pay $5, even though her home was only two or three miles away.Although this woman was in great pain, she was still clear-headed, and this clear-headedness helped her carefully consider whether she should accept this condition.Twelve hours had passed since the incident happened, and the young man leading the donkey came back again. He was afraid that something might happen to this woman, and he would not be able to get rid of it.He went back to the place where the accident happened, hoping the woman had left, only to find that she was still lying there, the boy found a flat-bottomed basket, put the woman in, the pain was so painful that she writhed like a pig .The boy found two men and carried her to a nearby town.When they arrived in the town, the woman was in pain and frightened, half of her life was gone.

She insisted on sending it to a foreigner, and she would die if she kept it in her own home. She was right to think so.Later the woman was sent to a pharmacy and her husband was called.When her husband arrived, he was furious with his wife for being so stupid that she fell off the donkey.The woman was nursed for several weeks and gradually recovered.

There is such a thing that we have heard.A foreign family moved to live in a certain city in inland China. The locals were very warm to them. The neighbors even offered to lend them some furniture and return it after they bought it themselves.There must be such a thing, but it can only be said to be an example, and everyone knows this.So far, the Chinese way of hospitality is basically to go and see what foreigners look like, to satisfy their curiosity, and to ignore other things.

Another thing is that they are greedy for cheap, and treat foreigners as fat geese bestowed by God, and will not give up until they pluck out the last feather on them. This kind of thinking makes them shrouded in hostility and anger every day.

I've never heard of a Chinese offering to help when a foreigner is in trouble.We have heard such a thing: a seaman wants to try to travel by land, first from Tianjin to Yantai, and from Yantai to Shantou, the journey is long, but no Chinese has ever provided him with a meal and an accommodation , of course, there may be exceptions.

It is difficult to do good deeds in China, but even harder to stop after doing them.No one can predict what kind of consequences good deeds will have over a long period of time, but they are very clear about the price they will pay, so they become very careful in everything they do.There was a foreign missionary who lived in a central province. The local gentry asked him to help a poor beggar who was blind in both eyes and help him regain his sight.Later, the cause was found out. This man had cataracts. He cured them with his own medical skills, and his vision improved greatly.The matter was settled, but the squire relied on the missionary, saying that the poor beggar used to beg everywhere with his blind eyes, but now that his eyes are healed, how can he beg?So, the missionary has to do something about it, ask this person to show the missionary the door, and give him a job.It must be admitted that there are not many sincerely doing charity in China. In the event of a famine, refugees are allowed to live in carports and some unused houses, but this is more out of necessity.If these refugees gather together and receive resistance from all sides, they will definitely resist.At this time, some people usually say, be careful and make some compromises.

In the West, even if you don’t know a person walking on the road, there is still a good chance that a passing truck will give him a ride if there are vacant seats.But in China, such a good thing will not happen even if a person walks thousands of kilometers alone.We have heard such a true story, a well-meaning foreigner wanted to practice the Western style in China. He was walking on the road in a carriage, and when he saw an old Chinese lady who was walking hard, he invited her into the carriage. .The carriage stopped, and when the old lady understood his true intentions, she felt that she had suffered a great humiliation, she didn't care about anything, she lay down on the ground, rolled around, and cursed very angrily at the person who tried to help her out of kindness. the foreigner.

When traveling in China, the deepest feeling is that strangers rarely get kind help from Chinese people.In summer, the torrential rain makes travel impossible, but sometimes people have to continue on their way. At this time, the factors of the sky, the ground, and people are all obstacles, as if they have been negotiated.He was on a road that led to a large swamp, but no one would warn him.If you wait for him to return and ask the Chinese people working in the fields, why don't you tell him that this road will not work?That's when he'd get a pompous, contemptuous reply: "Who knows where you're going?" Well, it's nobody else's business if you want to go to the swamp.

Regarding China's road construction, it has been mentioned several times before that when travelers face a swamp, they will find that there are roads everywhere around them, and they don't know which one to take.Every time at this time, a group of Chinese people gathered around. Naturally, they didn't come to help, but to watch the excitement.They will not agree to help until after bargaining and they are sure that you will pay a certain amount.The group, no matter how large, is united and vows to help at any time.Some people not only don’t help you, but also play tricks. Some people in the local villages will dig deep pits in the wilderness where few people go. They are specially prepared for foreigners. After these foreign travelers fall into it, they can only spend a fortune. Big money hired these villagers to rescue him.If someone doubts the road you have chosen, you should generally stick to it and not listen to the well-meaning advice of the locals, because no one knows whether they are kindly helping you or setting an ambush for you.

When I was in China, I was often moved by the intelligence of the people there, even a hard worker.He wants to accomplish something, and if there is no way out, he will find a way out.But if something has nothing to do with them, even if the village is full of smart people who are capable of solving the problem, no one will help unless they can see what benefits they can get by doing it.

(End of this chapter)