人人心中的那个“中国梦”

不久前，美国国民正严肃看着民 主党代表大会(DNC)召开的同时，笔者人在深圳，不过还是可以透过iPad知道大会的一些讨论；而我并不预期DNC会在中国成为民众茶余饭后闲聊的话题。但当我与中国朋友约在深圳繁忙市中心的一家咖啡店时，几乎才刚坐下，她就问 我有关于美国总统奥巴马夫人蜜雪儿(Michele Obama)的问题。 我这位朋友是透过网络看了美国第一夫人的演讲，并总结其重点是将“家庭”与“信念”视为人生中最重要的东西；她完全无法想象中国有任何一位政治领导人会表达如此的情绪。她说，中国人如果被问到自己的“信念”是什么，通常会不知所措；如果有的话，中国人生活中的优先项目，应该是努力工作与赚钱。 当然，我告诉她，美国人也是一样相信需要努力工作赚钱，因为那样才能支应生活所需；把“家庭”与“信念”摆在前面是理想化的目标，有些美国人会真的把那些理想放在前面，但其它人不会。不同的可能是美国人认为说出来很重要，并会与同伴相互提醒彼此拥有共通的价值观；这种价值观对话特别会在总统大选期间被放大。 所谓的“美国梦” 是一个伟大神话(myth)，不过这个神话存在于美国，因为它已经在民族精神中根深蒂固；美国民 主党前任领袖Robert Strauss曾幽默地形容，最完美的美国总统候选人，最好是出生在他自己亲手盖的小木屋里。当我谈起“美国梦”时，我的中国朋友很疑惑地看着我；我解释说，当然啦，要当美国总统、或是美国最有钱的人，“美国梦”并非必要的，这个梦强调机会平等，所以每个人都可能成功。 然后我问她，“中国梦”是什么？ 几年前，《大西洋月刊(Atlantic Monthly)》记者James Fallows也曾经丢出这个问题，他并在新书《空降中国(China Airborne)》以及一篇月刊特别报导中，进一步表达了他的想法。这是一个很大的问题，而且一直萦绕在我的脑海；数月前，一个住在北京的朋友提醒我： “顺子，在中国有个电视节目就叫‘中国梦想’，非常受欢迎，中国确实有“中国梦”！” “中国梦想秀”是一个真人实境节目，邀请有不凡梦想的中国人上节目；每一集里，观众可参与决定当周的参赛者能否实现他们的梦想。当然，那个节目的焦点是个人的梦想，并不会有意识地体现任何一种 与民族精神相关的“中国梦”；如同Fallows最近在纽约“亚洲交流协会(Asia Society)”发表的演说指出：“目前的“中国梦”只是个人梦想的累积。” 确实，所有被我问到“中国梦”的中国朋友，都很难回答这个问题；而且就算我改问，是什么信仰、信念构成了中国，也没什么帮助；说到底，中国与美国一样，是个聚集了数十种居住在不同区域、拥有不同语言文化之民族的大陆。 有个中国朋友告诉我，中国的“黏合剂”是“调控”──来自中央的力量让国家团结，他认为，“调控”是让国家和平的必要手段：“至少这对现阶段的中国很重要。”还有另外一个答案是“金钱”；一个住北京的熟人表示，对金钱的渴望推动了中国走向繁荣的梦想，当人们理所当然地认为正义是遥不可及，至少金钱是每个人都能握在手中的。 对很多中国人来说，某人如何致富、或者是国家将如何确保每个人取得的致富机会是公平的，并不是很重要；更精确地说，“公正(fairness)”、“不择手段的正义(the means justifying the ends)”等词汇，不会成为公共论述(public discourse)的内容。 从日常生活中观察，中国人之间的共通情感，应该是：“我有我自己的，你也靠你自己。”或者是像Fallows在他的书里引述中国朋友所言：“一切都是为了我的家人和朋友，没有为了别人的。”──因此我怀疑，我该不会是唯一觉得中国在很多共同价值、 哲学上都跟美国的共和党很像的人吧？ 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Yoshida in China: What is the Chinese Dream?，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Yoshida in China: What is the Chinese Dream? Junko Yoshida SHANGHAI, China – Last week, while serious citizens in the United States were watching the Democratic National Convention unfold, I was in Shenzhen. But I was able to catch up with a few convention speeches on my iPad. The last thing I expected, however, was for the DNC to be a topic of water cooler conversation in China. I had barely sat down with my Chinese girlfriend at a Starbucks in busy downtown Shenzhen before she asked me about Michele Obama. The Chinese woman, who saw the First Lady’s speech on the Internet, summarized its essence as putting “family” and “faith” foremost in life. My friend can’t imagine any political leader in her country uttering such sentiments. Ordinary Chinese would be at a loss if asked what “faith” he or she professes, she added. If anything, life’s priorities in China are to work hard and earn money. Of course, I replied that Americans, too, believe in working hard and making money, because after all that’s what pays the bills and we all need to live. Putting “family” and “faith” first is an aspirational goal. Some Americans actually do put these ideals first; others don’t. The difference might be the American conviction that it’s important to spell out and remind one another that we are held together by common values. The values conversation gets amplified during a presidential election year. The so-called American Dream is a grand myth. But the myth lives on in the United States, because it’s ingrained in the national ethos. Former Democratic leader Robert Strauss expressed it humorously by saying that the perfect presidential candidate is a man who was born in a log cabin that he built himself. My Chinese friend looked puzzled when I started talking about the American Dream. I had to explain that, of course, the American Dream isn’t necessarily about becoming the President of the United States, or becoming the richest man in the country. The dream is to ensuring equal opportunity, so that everyone has a chance to succeed. My question to her was: What’s the Chinese Dream? Journalist James Fallows popped that question in the Atlantic Monthly a few years ago. He further articulated it in his latest book "China Airborne" and in a special report in the magazine. It’s a great question, and it sticks in my mind. A few months ago, a friend living in Beijing reminded me, “Junko, there is even a TV show in China called ‘Chinese Dream.’ It’s very popular. Of course, China has a Chinese Dream!” Control? Money? “Chinese Dream” is a reality show featuring various Chinese people with extraordinary dreams. In each show, the audience participates in deciding whether that week’s contestants will be granted their dream. Of course, the show is really focused individual dreams. It doesn’t consciously embody any sort of national ethos about THE Chinese Dream. As Fallows said in a recent speech at the Asia Society in New York: “For the moment, the only Chinese dream that mattered was the accumulation of individual dreams.” Indeed, Chinese people I talked to do struggle to answer my Chinese Dream question. It doesn’t help when I ask what faith, and what beliefs hold China together. China, after all — like the United States — is a huge continent composed of dozens of ethnic groups living in different regions with different cultures and languages. One answer offered by a Chinese friend is that China’s “glue” is “control.” Control by the government holds the nation together. She views ‘control’ as a necessary to keep the nation at peace. “At least at this stage of China’s history, it’s important,” she added. Another obvious answer was “money.” A Beijing acquaintance said that the desire for money drives the Chinese toward a dream of prosperity. When the people assume that justice is out of reach, he explained, money is at least something everyone can hang onto. Among many Chinese, how one gets rich, or how the country ensures that everyone has a fair shot at getting rich, are issues that don’t seem to matter very much. More accurately, terms like “fairness” and “the means justifying the ends” tend not to pop up in public discourse. In a nation without national elections, perhaps it’s silly, or at least premature, to ponder abstractions like the Chinese Dream or “the faith of our (Chinese) fathers.” Certainly, such notions are not something requiring lip service from politicians here. Clearly, the common sentiment among the Chinese, observed in everyday life, comes down to this: “I’ve got mine. You are on your own.” Or, as Fallows said in his book, quoting a Chinese friend: “Everything for my family and friends; nothing for anyone else.” So, I wonder. Am I alone in thinking that China — supposedly the last great stronghold of Communism — seems to have an awful lot in common, philosophically, with the Republican Party?