A Piece of Social News

　　　A Piece of Social News

Note: The following words are all taken from an item of social news entitled “On the Great Goose Pagoda Plaza in Xi’an Prostitutes of 40 to 50 Years Old Solicit Openly.” Except for versifying the text, the author alters almost nothing. My translation tries to be as faithful to the original words as possible, to the point that some of them do not read very idiomatic in English.

Xi’an. Aug. 8, 2007. Around 4pm., our correspondent
Came to The Great Goose Pagoda Plaza, where there are
Many people hanging around in the northern part.
It was burning hot, and people sat on chairs in the park
In the arbors, among whom there are several middle-aged women
Who were looking around all the time. Whenever there appeared
Single men, they would sneaked behind them to where
there were fewer people. The women would accost the men.

Our correspondent sneaked near the chair and sat
On a nearby stone for no more than five minutes
When a woman around 40 came by and patted on his shoulder
Saying “Hi, Young brother, alone?” and picked up a chat.
After an initial small talk, she elbowed our journalist
With such suggestive words: In such a hot day, what’s the point
In dry gossip? Don’t you want to play with an elder sister like me
Who can surely make you happy?” Our correspondent pretended
Innocence by asking “To play what?” and the woman whispered
To his ear in a mystical air: “What can a man and a woman play?
I see you are young and I only ask for 30 yuan. How about that?”

After a pretended bargain, our correspondent followed the woman
To a peasant’s house at Kuanyin Village. The house is small and dim
as a shed, with a double bed, an old TV set and an electric fan.
Upon entering, the woman started undressing, and our journalist
Saw on the bed stains of semen. He immediately stepped out, saying
He was going to pee and messaging his colleague to call back.
Therefore, our correspondent escaped upon his wife’s phone call.

A few days later, our correspondent came to the Greater Pagoda
And did an investigation there. No sooner did he take his feet
When getting off a bus than he was surrounded by a circle of women
Who asked in low voices: "Hi, Young man, play or not? 30 yuan only."
They were all around 30 to 40 of age, standing by the bus stops.
Whenever a lone man gets off or passes by, they approached.

Our correspondent pretended to be interested and picked up
A chat with a woman, and they sat on a step and talked.
This woman told him that she was from a Li family, coming
To Xi’an from the southern part of the province, "to make money."
They all rented small houses in the ghettos in the downtown,
And she has also a kid at her care. Puzzled, our journalist asked:
"With a kid, how can you do business with a guest?" She smiled:
"That’s easy! When a guest comes, the kid is asked to go away."
"Are you not afraid that your business will make your kid learn the bad?"
"What else to do? My family is poor, and his dad is out to do odd jobs;
The kid is too young, and no one would take care of him at home."
"How much could you make in a month, with each business of 30 yuan?"
"For a woman of my age which is a little old, 30 yuan is quite reasonable;
The monthly net income may be a little over 2000, rent and food paid.
I am more than satisfied, as this sum is much bigger than I can get
Through laboring at home. You know, I do all this for our kid."

After a few days’ observation around the Greater Pagoda area,
Our correspondent found the prostitutes usually target at men
Who are in the middle age or over and appear to be alone.
According to investigations, the reason for them to seek business there is
that the men found there are usually those spending their spare time.
About this phenomenon, many citizens frequenting there feel disgusted;
They think that the Greater Pagoda Plaza is a "Cultural Spectacle"
And "Image" of the Province, and those who dare to procure sexual business
So openly on the most majestic fountain and waterscape plaza in Asia
Are really a pollution to the harmonic graceful environment of our society.

A Mister Liu, who is a retired cadre, lives near the Xian Film Studio Road.
He said that he liked going there, not only often doing morning exercise there,
But also taking his grandson with him when he took a walk after dinner.
"Never did I think that once a woman approached me and asked 'do you want
To play, at only 30 yuan, and I will make you really comfortable…'
And to think that my grandson is at my side! And he kept asking later
What the auntie wanted me to play. Can you tell me what I should answer?"
Mister Liu was really angry: "The government has put in a lot for the renovation
Of the Greater Pagoda Plaza and made it especially attractive.
It has become the Business Card of Xi’an Image. But see how shameless
These people are, so brazenly open! The relevant departments of government
Should make great efforts to administer and control, to drive them away
And wipe them out. Otherwise, this city will be really blemished."

P.S. by me: This piece of "news" is more than a fly in my dish. It is not the prostitution that makes me sick, as poverty-stricken farmers had nothing left to sell. What really rapes my mind is the way the news is written. Damned are the correspondents who are too shit-minded not to investigate the reasons behind the prostitution.


　　　一条社会新闻

按：以下文字来自一篇题为《西安大雁塔广场四五十岁卖淫女公然拉客（组图）》的新闻报道；除了分行分节方式之外，几乎没有改动。

8月8日下午4时左右，本报记者
来到大雁塔北广场西侧的休闲区，
天气炎热，很多人来此纳凉和休息。
凉亭附近的长椅上，几位中年妇女
不停地环顾四周，每当有单身男性路过，
她们便悄悄跟着男士走到人少的地方，
然后不失时机地主动上前搭话。

记者凑近那长椅，在附近的石头上坐下，
不到5分钟，一名40来岁的女人走来，
轻轻拍一下记者的肩膀：“小伙子，你一个人？”
然后便靠着记者聊了起来。几句闲话之后，
她用肩膀碰了一下记者，暧昧地说道：
“这么热，在这儿聊天有啥意思？想不想
跟姐去姐姐那里玩玩？包你开心。”
记者假装不解地问：“玩什么呢？”
她神秘地凑近记者的耳朵，轻声地说：
“男人和女人能玩什么？看你年轻，
姐姐只收你30块钱，你看怎么样？”

记者假装了一番讨价还价之后，跟着那妇女
来到位于观音村内的一处民房。
房子很小，很阴暗，里面摆放着一张双人床，
一台破旧的电视机和一台电风扇。
一进屋子，那个女人就开始脱衣服，记者
看到那张床上精液斑斑，连忙以上厕所为由
退出了房子，发短信给候在外面的同事，
于是记者接到了妻子的电话，得以脱身。

记者日后再次来到大雁塔，对周围进行探访。
刚在公交站旁下车，他就被几名妇女拦住；
她们低声询问：“小伙子，玩不玩？三十块而已！”
她们都在三、四十岁左右，都在公交站牌附近停留，
每看到有单身男子下车或经过，她们都这样上前询问。

记者装作很感兴趣的样子，与其中的一个妇女
坐在车站旁边的台阶上聊了起来。这位妇女
告诉记者，她姓李，从陕南来西安这边“赚钱”。
她们都在附近的城中村租住房子，她还带着孩子。
记者奇怪地问道：“有孩子同住，你带客人过去怎么办？”
她笑着回答：“客人来的时候，叫娃出去玩就行了！”
“你带着孩子出来赚这钱，不怕孩子学坏？”
“那有什么办法？家里穷啊，他爸出去打工，
孩子太小，家里没人照看，只能我带他出来。”
“像你们这样，每次30元，一个月能赚多少？”
“像我这年龄已经大了，所以只能收人家30元，
每个月交了房租，吃了饭，最后还能落下2000多块；
我很满足，这比我在老家闲着高强。都是为了娃啊。”

经过在大雁塔附近观察几天，记者发现，
拉客妇女将目标锁定在一些上了年纪的单身男性。
据调查，她们之所以在这里拉客，是因为
来这儿的人以一些没有事情的休闲人为主。
对于这种现象，很多常来此地休闲的市民十分厌恶；
他们认为，大雁塔广场是陕西省的“文化景点”
和“形象景点”，这些人竟然大白天
也敢在这个亚洲最大的喷泉广场和水景广场上
公然拉客，实在是污染了和谐优美的社会环境。

刘先生是一名退休干部，就在西影路附近居住。
他说他很喜欢那儿，不仅常去那儿晨练，
而且常在晚饭后带着小孙子去那里消食散步。
“没想到，有一次，那些妇女竟然对我说：
玩不玩，30块，保证让你舒服……；
而我的小孙子就在我身边，后来他还一直问我
那些阿姨让我玩什么。你说叫我该如何回答？”
他气愤地说：现在政府花钱把大雁塔广场
修得非常迷人，已经成了西安的‘城市名片’，
而这些人竟然不知廉耻，如此明目张胆；
相关的职能部门应该下大力度整治一下，
将她们赶走，不然真的会给这座城市抹黑。”
　　　　　　　　　　　2007年8月14日