China and Japan The flowerpot man

　　From The Economist print edition

　　Trying to escape history

　　HOSTILITY toward Japan runs high in China. The history of the harsh occupation during the 1930s and 1940s is neither forgotten nor forgiven. So it should come as little surprise that “City of Life and Death”, a new film about one of the most gruesome chapters of that history, the 1937 Japanese assault on the city of Nanjing, has done well in China, earning $10m in the first week since its release. But it must have irked Japan’s prime minister, Taro Aso, that the film was released on the eve of his first visit to China since taking office last September.

　　The range of issues confronting the two countries is daunting. Territorial disputes, North Korea’s continued dalliances with long-range missiles and nuclear bombs, and bilateral trade tensions demand attention, along with the global economic crisis and swine flu. But their shared past is always near the surface.

　　Mr Aso himself has helped keep it there. A week bore the visit he donated a potted plant to Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine, where Japan’s war dead are honoured, including 14 convicted war criminals from the second world war. Unlike some of Mr Aso’s predecessors, he did not visit the shrine himself. But the move was not well received in China. Nor, however, was it met with the sort of scathing rebuke that was once obligatory.

　　In years past Chinese leaders and the state-controlled press were quick to use such incidents to whip up popular resentment against Japan. Spurred on by the press (and by Japan’s own rusal fully to confront its wartime past), angry Chinese were unobstructed as they organised boycotts of Japanese goods and demonstrated, sometimes violently, against Japanese institutions.

　　Official anti-Japan rhetoric was noticeably toned down in the two years bore last year’s Beijing Olympics, perhaps out of a desire to ensure a sportsmanlike reception for Japanese athletes and spectators. The games are now past, but the pressing need for a modicum of harmony in which to navigate the financial crisis together may be enough to keep the lid on all that unhappy history.

　　For Chinese who have seen “City of Life and Death”, what stands out most is its sympathetic portrayal of a Japanese soldier. This is a novel twist for Chinese treatments of the subject, and the film’s official sanction suggests a desire to promote more nuanced views. But the time may not be ripe. Lu Chuan, the film’s director, has received death threats and accusations of being a traitor and a stooge for Japanese revisionists.

　　【中文翻译对照】

　　中日之间的花瓶男人

　　摘自《经济学人》

　　努力摆脱历史

　　在中国，针对日本的敌意持续高涨。日本在1930和1940年代对中国的占领史既不能忘记也不能原谅。因此，一部反映1937年日军入侵南京的电影《生死之间的城市》(《南京!南京!》)在中国放映的效果非常的好，在其公映第一周门票收入就高达1000万美元，其中反映了那段历史中最恐怖的场景之一。但是此事也一定会使日本首相麻生太郎疲惫不堪，该电影就安排在去年9月份上台的他即将对中国访问的前夜进行公映。

　　这一困扰两国关系的问题使人不敢触及。其中包括边界争议，北朝鲜长程导弹和核武器问题的持续挑衅，双边贸易紧张问题的令人关注，同时还有全球经济危机和猪流感问题。但是他们共同的历史经历始终难以消失。

　　麻生太郎已经通过自身的努力将问题进行搁置。就在访问中国之前，他向靖国神社捐献了一个盆栽，在那里日本在战争中阵亡的士兵受到纪念，其中也包括二战中的14名日本战犯。不象他的前任首相，他自己没有参拜靖国神社。但是他的努力在中国没有受到良好的欢迎。同时其行为也被批评为权宜之计。

　　在过去一些年，中国的领导层和国家控制的媒体经常运用这些事件去快速管理对于日本的仇恨情绪。由于媒体的参与(以及日本不愿正视其过去的历史)，当愤怒的中国人组织抵制日货和组织针对日本的一些机构偶尔带有暴力行为的游行示威活动时，势头难以阻挡。

　　在去年北京奥运会之前的两年中，官方对于反日的宣传的语气明显缓和，可能是出于对奥运会期间的日本运动员和日本观众的尊重。现在尽管奥运会已经过去，但两国关系迫切需要相对和谐一些，对于历史问题不去揭开伤疤，以共同应对金融危机的挑战。

　　对于那些看过电影《生死之间的城市》(《南京!南京!》)的人来说，最有抵制情绪的是电影中对于有人性的日本军人的刻画。这是一种中国式的对于该历史问题的艺术手法，官方对于该影片的批准显示了希望增加另一个角度看待历史问题的想法。但是时机还不成熟。该影片的导演陆川已经接到了死亡威胁和指责，这些人说他是卖国贼，为日本军国主义当辩护人。

【双语阅读】中日之间的花瓶男人 中文翻译部分

　　China and Japan The flowerpot man

　　From The Economist print edition

　　Trying to escape history

　　HOSTILITY toward Japan runs high in China. The history of the harsh occupation during the 1930s and 1940s is neither forgotten nor forgiven. So it should come as little surprise that “City of Life and Death”, a new film about one of the most gruesome chapters of that history, the 1937 Japanese assault on the city of Nanjing, has done well in China, earning $10m in the first week since its release. But it must have irked Japan’s prime minister, Taro Aso, that the film was released on the eve of his first visit to China since taking office last September.

　　The range of issues confronting the two countries is daunting. Territorial disputes, North Korea’s continued dalliances with long-range missiles and nuclear bombs, and bilateral trade tensions demand attention, along with the global economic crisis and swine flu. But their shared past is always near the surface.

　　Mr Aso himself has helped keep it there. A week bore the visit he donated a potted plant to Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine, where Japan’s war dead are honoured, including 14 convicted war criminals from the second world war. Unlike some of Mr Aso’s predecessors, he did not visit the shrine himself. But the move was not well received in China. Nor, however, was it met with the sort of scathing rebuke that was once obligatory.

　　In years past Chinese leaders and the state-controlled press were quick to use such incidents to whip up popular resentment against Japan. Spurred on by the press (and by Japan’s own rusal fully to confront its wartime past), angry Chinese were unobstructed as they organised boycotts of Japanese goods and demonstrated, sometimes violently, against Japanese institutions.

　　Official anti-Japan rhetoric was noticeably toned down in the two years bore last year’s Beijing Olympics, perhaps out of a desire to ensure a sportsmanlike reception for Japanese athletes and spectators. The games are now past, but the pressing need for a modicum of harmony in which to navigate the financial crisis together may be enough to keep the lid on all that unhappy history.

　　For Chinese who have seen “City of Life and Death”, what stands out most is its sympathetic portrayal of a Japanese soldier. This is a novel twist for Chinese treatments of the subject, and the film’s official sanction suggests a desire to promote more nuanced views. But the time may not be ripe. Lu Chuan, the film’s director, has received death threats and accusations of being a traitor and a stooge for Japanese revisionists.

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