from problems >> to solutions

2

FROM

In 2005, China achieved 14% of the world economy mea-sured on purchasing power parity basis, second only to the United States. Statistics like these demonstrate Chi-na’s strong connection with the world economy. Since China exports about 30% of their g oods direct to the US, the West holds the power of life and death over Chinese financial conditions. In the early months of 2 0 0 7, the Western economic crisis led to the problem of businesses closing in China. In late 2007, the export rate in China dropped 18% from its usual levels. Nearly one-third of the factories in the Pearl River Delta closed during this six-month period. The number of Chinese unemployed may run as high as 100 million.

problems

在2 0 05年，中國的衡量購買力達到世界經濟的百分之十四，排名上僅次

於美國。這樣的統計說明了中國與世界經濟有著密不可分的關係。中國出

口的貨物約有百分之三十銷往美國，因此，西方世界對於中國的經濟，據

有絕對的掌握權。2007年前期，西方的經濟危機也直接性的影響到中國。

在20 07年年底，中國的出口率比平時降下百分之十八。在珠江三角洲工業

區中，僅僅六個月裡，近三分之一的工廠面臨倒閉。中國也感受到強烈的

世界經濟震盪危機，中國的失業人數可能高達一億。

in 2008, almost 70,000 factories nationwide have closed due to the global economic crisis.”

“

— Chinese Government, Beij ing

6

china’s economy has grown drastically during these yearsfactory of the world>>

美國進口總額從20 0 8年起開始一路下跌，這也同時直接性的影響著

中國，造成失業率大幅度上升的狀況。在很多層面上而言，中國相當

依賴於全球經濟。因此，在全球經濟萎縮的環境下，中國不可避免的

也遭受到強烈影響，這波振蕩造成中國外銷市場衰退，出口訂單萎縮

以及全國性的大幅度裁員動作。在廣東南部，數以萬計的企業已經關

閉，多餘的人力造成反向遷移回鄉村的風潮。為求繼續營運，舉例來

說，某個在廣東的工廠便將工資減低百分之七十五。儘管對於大部份

工人而言，百分之二十五的薪資幾乎讓他們難以生存，他們依舊待在

工廠內繼續工作，並且等待著外貿市場經濟復甦的那一天。這樣的金

融危機顯露出中國過於倚賴外部市場的嚴重狀況。

China’s share of GloBal output

cameras: over 50%air condit ioners: 30%t V sets: 30%laundr y machines: 25%refr igerator: 20%

USA imports were way down from 2008, which does not bode well for the employment situation in China. That directly inf luences rising unemployment. China is heavily dependent on the global economy. A cont r action in global demand has led to a sharp f all in g lobal trade. Given such a hig h deg ree of openness it is impossible for China to survive in an isolated way from the f inancial crisis.

As China’s main external markets plunge into recession and export orders shrink, layof fs have multiplied in the coun-try ’s big manuf acturing regions. In Guangdong, tens of thou-sands of firms have closed, sparking off reverse migration to the countryside by redundant workers. The crisis has helped expose extent to which the country has become dependent on the outside world. In one factory in Guangdong, salaries have been reduced by up to 75%. Although 25% is hardly a sustainable pay level for most workers, they may have to wait until the economic climate improves in China’s foreign makets.

8

China is f ollowing a policy that is, in ef fect, one of imposing high tariffs and providing large export sub-sidies, because that’s what an under valued currency does. That should be a violation of trade rules; it might in fact be a violation, but the language of the law is vague on the subject. The entire China is in the grip of a depression. China is the world’s largest producer and exporter, so when demand drops it has devastat-ing effects. Over half of the toy exporters in Guang-dong have gone out of business, according to customs of f i ci als since 2 0 0 8 . The economic boom that has drawn millions of workers from all over China to this southern province near Hong Kong is over, as compa-nies suf f er effects of the recession gripping the whole country. Now, anger amongst the unemployed is on the rise, raising the spectre of social order breaking down in what was once China’s most prosperous region.

a serious economic depression is happening in china nowthe depression>>

中國政府對於該國貨幣逐漸趨於低糜所採取的政策為提供大量的外銷補

貼。這其實應該是違反各國貿易法則的，但是這樣的法規中又存在著無

法用言語解釋清楚的模糊地帶。整個中國現在都面臨大蕭條。中國是全

世界最大的生產國與出口國，因此，當需求量大幅度降低，造成的就是對

於該國經濟破壞性的影響。在廣東，超過半數以上的玩具輸出公司與工

廠在20 08年起面臨倒閉的命運。經濟繁榮吸引世界各地來到中國南部靠

近香港地區投資的時代已經結束。經濟衰退的影響困擾著全國每一個角

落。現在，群眾的憤怒伴隨著失業的腳步一起蔓延開，這個曾名為中國最

繁榮地區的治安也逐漸不穩定起來。

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12

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unemployment rate: 4.8%true rate excluding migrant workers: 7%the rate publish by the government: 3%

unemployment rate: 5.9%true rate excluding migrant workers: 8.2%the rate publish by the government: 3%

unemployment rate: 6.i%true rate excluding migrant workers: i2%the rate publish by the government: 3%

Since the onset of the current crisis, Chinese government has tried to get a better grasp of the situation, sending officials fanning out across the coun-try to try to count the number of migrant workers without jobs. Results varied, but a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture got the most attention. It put the number of lost jobs at roughly 20 million, out of a total migrant population of about 130 million, by early 2008. The sharp fall in the United States and European imports in the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 reflects a sharp fall in the United States and European GDP in those quarters. China experienced a quite sharp slowdown back then and suffers from long-term unemployment. It is not only just the loss of a job, but also the loss of community, routine, and purpose.

i i%

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2002 2004 > > >

China’s urban unemployment ratefrom i936-2002

unemployment rate: 7%true rate excluding migrant workers: i i%the rate publish by the government: 4%

global economic crisis influences business in chinathe effect >>

從金融危機開始，中國政府一直試圖更精確掌握狀況，包括大動作的派

遣官員前往全國調查失業的移民工總數。調查的結果不盡相同，但是由

農業部提出的報告引起了注意。他們指出，2 0 0 8年前段，在總數為一億

三千萬的移民工中，約有兩百萬的人是失業狀態中。2 0 0 8年的第四季與

2 0 09年的第一季裡，出口前往美國與歐洲的輸出總額明顯的大幅下降，

也反映出美國與歐洲國民總額的下滑。這樣的情形使得中國經歷嚴重的

經濟減緩以及大幅度的長期失業狀態。對於這些失業人口而言，他們失

去的不僅僅是工作，同時更失去了一般生活的常規與目標。

14

Factories have struggled as global growth has slowed in recent years. For decades, the steamy Pearl River Delta area of south-ern Guangdong Province served as a primary engine for Chi-na’s astounding economic growth. But an export slowdown that began earlier this year and that has been magnified by the global financial crisis of recent months is contributing to the shutdown of tens of thousands of small and middle size factories here and in other coastal regions, forcing labourers to scramble for other jobs or return home to the countryside. Due to the mass unem-polyment, many migrant workers are heading home in the late of January, 2008. Looking back in history, the sudden closure of the “Smart Union” toy factory leading to 7,000 job losses, together with the plunge in global stock markets in the October 2008 period, would probably mark the point at which the global eco-nomic collapse started, kicking off the Second Great Depression.

vil lage

shanghai

Beij ing Guangzhou

suzhou

在近幾年間，中國的工廠竭盡所能與全球性金融減緩的步調抗衡。幾十

年來，在廣東省南方的珠江三角洲地區一直是開啓中國經濟成長的重要

引擎。但由於世界經濟造成的中國出口大幅減緩，導致上萬靠近沿海城市

的中小型企業面臨大幅度的裁員，這些勞動人口被迫返鄉。這波大幅度

的裁員動作促使許多移民工在2 0 0 8年的一月間回到自己的城鎮。回溯歷

史，2 0 0 8年的十月間成為了一個標示全球經濟崩潰的起點。第二次的經

濟大蕭條已經在合俊集團玩具工廠無預警的倒閉造成七千人突然失業，加

上全球股市的暴跌影響下悄悄展開。

16

China is now experiencing the largest mass migration of people from the countryside to the city in history. An estimated 230 mil-lion Chinese have lef t the countryside and migrated to the cities in recent years. About 13 million new people join the legions every year. The number is expected to reach 250 million by 2012 and surpass 300 million and maybe reach 400 million by 2025. Many are farm-ers and farm workers made obsolete by modern farming practices and factory workers who have been laid off from inefficient state-run factories. So many migrants leave their homes looking for works. They include men and women and couples with children. Men often get construction jobs while women work in cheap-labour factories. Those that work on construction sites often live in cramped dormi-tories that in some cases have two or three men sleeping together on bunks in 10-meter-long rooms crammed with 40 men.

Most migrant workers have traditionally gone to Beijing, Shanghai, and those coastal cities but more are heading to the interior where new opportunities are opening up and there is less competition. In some cities, the migrants almost outnumber the residents. Many of them are very lonely and depend on their cell phones as lifelines to stay in touch with people back home.

came from villages and were driven by their families’ need for cashmigration workers>>

中國正經 歷著歷史上最大規模從農村到城市的人口遷移。據估計，近年

來，中國有兩億三千萬人口離開農村移居到城市。並以每年十三萬的速度

持續增加中。這個數字預計將於2 012年時達到兩億五千萬，2 025年間，

這個數值估計能高達三到四億。這些人中，許多是使用過時耕作方法的農

民和工人，或是被關閉國營工廠所解雇的工人。因此，許多移民工離開自

己的家園。這些人包括男人，婦女和有孩子的夫婦。男人尋找營造方面的

工作機會，而婦女則在廉價勞動的工廠尋找工作。那些在建築地工作的人

往往生活在擁擠的宿舍，在某些情況下，有時兩個或三個人一起睡在同一

張床鋪上，小小的十米長的房間擠滿了將近四十人。大多數農民工隨著潮

流在北京，上海，深圳及沿海城市尋找工作，但為了降低就業的競爭率，有

更多的人前往內地的新開發地區尋找工作。在一些城市裡，移民工人數幾

乎多於原居民。這樣的人們很多是非常孤單的，手機變成像是他們的生命

一樣，是與家裡聯繫的唯一管道。

work in the same posit ion lost their jobs and move back home without any support and help wait ing in l ines for job fairs

many of the great coastal cites of china hide from our cameras under a blanket of smoke from soft-coal fires.”

“

— space shut t le astronaut, Jay a pt wrote in nat ional Geographic

22

china overtakes the us as the biggest greenhouse emitter in the worldair pollution>>Air pollution is a growing problem in most cities. China is serious about climate change as a threat to the world and itself, and it intends to capi-talize on this inevitability with all its might. China will need to reduce its projected total greenhouse gas emissions from 35 billion tons in 2030 to 20 billion tons by 2050 if the world will have any chance of realizing the 2 degree Celsius maximum global temperature increase agreed to with the 2009 Copenhagen Accord. China was not supposed to overtake the United States as the world’s leading producer of greenhouse gases until 2020. But a study by a Dutch government-funded group released in June 2007 determined that China was already the world’s number one emitter of car-bon dioxide then. This rate of increase occurred ten years faster than the study predicted. China estimates its carbon-dioxide emissions will con-tinue to rise in the next two decades, peaking in 2030, as it burns more coal and oil to power the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

對 於大多數 城市而言，空氣污染是日益 嚴 重的問題。不可置否

的，氣候變遷的問題對於中國以及世界都是一個威脅。在2 0 09

年的哥本哈根會議中，中國被要求在2 03 0年以前將目前的溫室

氣體排放量從3 5億噸降低至2 0 億噸。如此一來才能在2 0 5 0年

前將全球氣溫上升控制在攝氏兩度以內。中國的溫室排放總額原

本不應該在2 02 0年前超越美國，但是一項由荷蘭政府提供的研

究指出，中國已經於20 07年6月間成為世界頭號的二氧化碳排放

國。這比原本的估計足足提前了十年以上。預估在未來的二十年

間，中國將會成為世界上經濟成長最快速的國家，為了提供這樣

的生產條件，中國也會燃燒更多的煤與石油，因此，該國的二氧

化碳排放量會持續上升，並且在2030年達到頂峰。

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2025 / Chinaemission levels: double or tr iple

2000 2002 20142010 2018 2020

Air pollution from China is not just local phenomena but also a regional and global one. During the spring there are fierce dust and sand storms in the Gobi desert and northern and western China. As the dust and sand are blown eastward by westerly winds, they pick up air pollution particles, espe-cially over heavily industrialized areas in northeast China like Shenyang, and carry them further east into Korea, Japan and further east. By some estimates China accounts for bet-ween 25% and 28% of global mercury emissions. Mercury can accumulate in the atmosphere and travel thousands of kilometres before being brought to earth by rainfall. Some of its ends up in water where it enters the food chain and accu-mulates in fish that are sometimes eaten by people.

中國 的空氣污染不僅 是當 地 的 現 象，而且 是區 域和 全球性

的。在中國，春天有來自戈壁沙漠和北部. 西部的沙塵暴。由

於沙塵是由西風向東吹，它們會帶起起空氣中的懸浮粒子，

尤其是那些高度工業化的地區，如中國東北的沉陽，再繼續

揚著這些粒子一路往東飄至韓國，日本，甚至更為東方的地

區。據估計，中國約佔全球汞排放量的百分之二十五到二十

八。汞在大氣中可以積累和旅行數千公里後隨著雨水再度回

返地面。返回地面的帶汞雨水有時落入水中，並將其重金屬

的物質積聚在魚類體內，而經由食物鏈的循環，人類食用這

些魚類，汞則由此管道進入人體。

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28

The soot and dust clouds of China cause air pollution that also reaches the western United States and Canada. The effect could be enormous. More than 25% of the air pollu-tion in Los Angeles comes from China; at certain sites in California, as much as 40% of the air pollution comes from Asia. When the Chinese undertake this enormous, if short-term, change in their emissions, it will send a signal across the ocean to the United States that the control of air pollu-tion in one part of the world can in fact affect the atmosphere on the other side of the globe. If people can detect a change in China’s emissions as far away as the United States, the great experiment will dramatically illustrate that our choices about emissions can transform the health of the planet. A World Health Organization(WHO) report estimates that diseases triggered by indoor and outdoor air pollution kill 656,000 Chinese citizens each year. WHO’s air guidelines warn that pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, and young children are especially susceptible to suffering severe effects from high pollution levels. “Air pollution is estimated to cause approximately 2 million premature deaths worldwide per year,” said Michal Krzyzanowski, an air quality adviser at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

air pollution has also created an acid rain problem that impacts the world foul air, made in china>>

由於大氣運動造成了嚴重的影響，這些充滿污染物質的塵埃雲也隨著空

氣對流一路飄向美國西部與加拿大。在洛杉磯，超過百分之二十五的空氣

污染物源自於美國，而在加州的某些地點，甚至有超過百分之四十的空氣

污染物源自於亞州。若是中國正視這個問題，並且在短期內改善該國的廢

氣排放量，儘管是在太平洋彼岸的美國也能夠檢測出中國的改變，那麼，

這樣造成的效應將是相當巨大的。根據世界衛生組織（WHO）的報告指

出，每年有六十五萬六千人的死亡是由於室內和室外空氣污染所引發出的

疾病而造成。其中，以孕婦，老人，病人，兒童和青少年特別容易遭受直接

性的嚴重影響。根據世界衛生組織歐洲辦事處的專家克爾齊扎諾夫斯基

指出，每年由於空氣污染而造成的死亡人口約有兩百萬人。

30

Damaging air pollutants include sulfur dioxide, particulate mat-ter—a mixture of extremely small particles and water droplets—ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. In neighbouring India, air pollu-tion is believed to cause 527,700 fatalities a year. In the United States, premature deaths from toxic air pollutants are estimated at 41,200 annually. Air pollution can trigger or worsen a wide spectr um of respirator y and cardiovascular ailments. As the biggest CO2 emitter, China is definitely “the rousing giant” of global warming. It is one of the most influential countries in climate change.

In China, air pollution, smoke, and smog are a constant pres-ence in many cities. Residents near power plants and industrial sites face poor air quality. China’s carbon dioxide production not only af f ects China; it af f ects the entire world. Many in China feel that water and air pollution are bigger problems and deserve greater emphasis than the global warming problem and it is the responsibility of the United States, Europe, and Japan to solve the global warming problem since they were the ones that cre-ated it. China has said repeatedly that it is determined to reduce carbon emissions and do what it can to tackle the global warm-ing problem but it has been reluctant to set concrete targets or provide numbers.

China

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premature de aths from partiCul ate mat ter air pollution in Cities

空氣污染的成因包括二氧化硫與水結合產生的臭氧以及二氧化氮。中國的鄰

近國家印度，每年約有五十二萬七千七百人的死亡被認為與空氣污染有關。

在美國，由於帶有毒物的空氣所造成的早產兒死亡，每年估計約有四萬一千

兩百人。空氣污染亦可引發或加重各種呼吸系統和心血管疾病。作為全世界

最大的二氧化碳排放國，中國肯定是全球暖化運動下巨大的推手。中國是對

於全球氣候最具有影響力的國家之一。對於許多在中國的城市來說，空氣污

染，煙霧以及粉塵已經是司空見慣。住在電廠以及工業區附近的居民，更是

長期處於惡劣的空氣品質環境中。中國的二氧化碳生產不僅影響到中國本

身，更是影響到整個世界。許多在中國的人士表示，中國內部水與空氣的問

題比氣候變遷的問題更值得高度的注意。美國，歐洲與日本也是造成全球氣

候變遷的國家，大家應該一起解決現在全球面臨的問題。雖然中國一再表示

他們擁有減低二氧化碳排放量的決心和做法，但是該國卻一直不願意設立具

體的目標或提供的具體的數據。

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，這

也同

時造

成鄉

村勞

工短

缺的

現象

。

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t wist Press Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wistloCk

t wist Press Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk Cut t wist PressloCk

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36

air pollution

the world biggest Co2 polluter

jobless or unemployed