The always-interesting ESWN blog out of Hong Kong translates an internet posting about a high school vice principle sacked for refusing to make a donation for the Sichuan earthquake relief.
The story rang a bell for me because I wrote a story last week saying that not all donations rolling into quake relief were really voluntary, at least as we in the West see it. Some are given after arm twisting. Here’s the link.
So here’s what reportedly happened in Qingdao, a port city east of Beijing and quite far from the Sichuan earthquake:
At a Qingdao news forum, a post titled “Qingdao School Vice Principal Dismissed For Refusing To Make Earthquake Donation” appeared and received more than 10,000 hits within hours. The post was then circulated to the major portals. The post alleges that the vice principal named Zhao told the teacher in charge of the donation campaign that he has no money to give. In spite of pleas, he was adamant that he won't donate a single cent. When the school staff and students learned about this behavior, it created bad influence. "The school leaders spoke to Zhao but he insisted that it was his choice to donate and it was nobody else's business. Zhao had also been derelict in his duties, showing up late and leaving early. The school board has made the unanimous decision to dismiss Zhao.
Zhao was interviewed by Southern Metropolis Daily. He said that he had previous disagreements with the school principal named Ma over working styles. Zhao preferred to be practical but Ma was apparently more flamboyant, including throwing one RMB notes into the air for people to grab. Zhao had unsuccessfully tried several times before to quit, but he was persuaded to leave. When the Wenchuan earthquake occurred, Zhao asked Ma to organize a donation campaign but Ma refused. So Zhao made two separate donations totalling 1,200 RMB through other channels. On May 21, the school began to organize donations. Zhao received a telephone call from a worker and said that the school principal required middle-level managers to donate at least 100 RMB. Zhao resented the use of "required" and "at least." Zhao said, "I was born in the 1980's. I have my own personality and views. I don't think people should be forced to donate money. This is a personal matter. What was he doing when I was making my donations? This school principal wants to use the workers' money to accomplish his own goals. That is why I refused." He said that Ma used his departure to hype up the topic, and that was really disappointing.
Ma was also interviewed by Southern Metropolis Daily. "I left the delegated the donation campaign to the school workers. I did not force anyone to donate any fixed amounts. It does not matter if it is 10 RMB or 20 RMB, but isn't it unreasonable not to donate even one cent? We have two vice-principals. One donated 2,000 RMB while the other gave not one cent. This is hard on me. You make more than 4,000 RMB per month. Is it too much to ask you to donate one or two hundred RMB?" He thought that Zhao had talents, but he lacked character, responsibility and concern. Therefore, the school board decided to dismiss him.
P.D. I'll be traveling in the Guangxi autonomous region for a few days and postings may become erratic till early next week.
Where is the Chinese press with this kind of reporting?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/world/asia/16quake.html?hp=&pagewanted=all
Being out scooped is one of the best ways for China's reporters to lose face.
Miracle in Sichuan: The School That Didn’t Fall
By EDWARD WONG
Published: June 16, 2008
SANGZAO, China — In the minutes after the May 12 earthquake, the students lined up row by row on the outdoor basketball courts of Sangzao Middle School. When the head count was complete, their fate was clear: all 2,323 were alive.
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Shiho Fukada for The New York Times
Ye Zhiping in a classroom at Sangzao Middle School. “We learned a lesson from this earthquake: The standards for schools should have been improved,” he said.
How to Help
A list of agencies providing relief in the earthquake zone.
Times Topics
Sichuan Earthquake
Sichuan Earthquake Complete coverage of the aftermath of China’s earthquake.
* More: China | Earthquakes
Related
Turning Schools From Death Traps Into Havens (May 27, 2008)
Grief in the Rubble: Chinese Are Left to Ask Why Schools Crumbled (May 25, 2008)
Earthquake in China Highlights the Vulnerability of Schools in Many Countries (May 14, 2008)
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Shiho Fukada for The New York Times
Li Chan Liang, 15, a student at Sangzao Middle School, retrieved his belongings.
Parents covered in blood and dust hugged them and cried. So did the school principal, Ye Zhiping.
“That was the single most joyful thing,” he said.
Given that some 10,000 other children were crushed in their classrooms during the devastating quake, the survival of so many students in Sangzao counts as a minor miracle. Students and parents credit that to the man they call “Angel Ye.”
Nervous about the shoddiness of the school building,
Posted by: A B | June 15, 2008 at 08:07 PM
Re tank man's analogy - seems to me that Wal-Mart could also be substituted in...
Posted by: CW | June 14, 2008 at 02:09 AM
I personally know of a teacher in a public middle school (in the US) who required students to either "donate" $5 or 5 canned food items for the school's holiday food drive a year or two ago. It was that or loose 5 points off the semester grade. All for a good cause, of course, but not sure if that made the matter much more palatable. In any case, nobody raised a fuss about it, but it still seemed to be coercion by another name. Unfortunately.
Posted by: CW | June 14, 2008 at 02:06 AM
tank man
It still sounds better than human being. I consider you as one. Human being have shit in their body wile eating. YAK.
Posted by: jeff | June 13, 2008 at 12:09 AM
China is pretty much like a mixture of a kitchen and a toilet.The kitchen produces huge amount of tasty juicy food at a very minimum of cost that people both inside and outside keep flocking to grab a bit to eat, yet in the meanwhile, the garbage and those nasty byproducts stem from this tasty juicy food production chain almost stinks them out. Sometimes it's really amuzing to hear and watch them acting like bunches of thirsty cold-blooded leeches to make the largest profit out of the kitchen while they keep whinny-whiney like those annoying mosquitos in the toilets
Posted by: the tank man | June 12, 2008 at 11:35 PM
China is pretty much like a mixture of a kitchen and a toilet.The kitchen produces huge amount of tasty juicy food at a very minimum of cost that people both inside and outside keep flocking to grab a bit to eat, yet in the meanwhile, the garbage and those nasty byproducts stem from this tasty juicy food production chain simply stinks them out. Sometimes it's really amuzing to hear and watch them acting like bunches of thirsty cold-blooded leeches to make the largest profit out of the kitchen while they keep whinny-whiney just like those annoying mosquitos.
Posted by: the tank man | June 12, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Talking about mandatory voluntary things... Japan just decided to deal with the overweight problem proactively...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
Specifically,
"Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, .... — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight.
If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months."
Now, imagine the outcry if China adopted such a program.... "mandatory re-education".
Come to think of it.... the US needs such a program.
Posted by: A B | June 12, 2008 at 10:37 PM
"Not to lose face" is still a big deal for Chinese. The boss of the school was competing with his peers of other schools. Firing his employee who openly opposed his donation campaign also served him well. It is more of a PR campaign for his school.
Posted by: jeff | June 12, 2008 at 03:48 PM
Sound like some places I've been, where a sign at the door says $ x dollars required donation. A required donation is an admission fee, and in this case a required donation would be a form of bribery to appease the boss and keep your job.
Posted by: Eve | June 12, 2008 at 02:29 PM
in the west we call such involuntary donations, "putting gas in the car."
Posted by: Wilbur Varela | June 12, 2008 at 12:52 PM
The chinese need to adopt the Indonesian way of obtaining voluntary donations.
Set up a scheme called "Philanthropic donations with prizes" where donors have a chance to win big prizes, like 100 million yuan, in proportion to how much they donate.
Posted by: A B | June 12, 2008 at 09:08 AM
It sounds like a private school. Public school principals are mostly CCP members. Don't think they have problem with donation. But forced donation is bad. It is not a big deal for Chinese. Doesn't look good in west.
Posted by: jeff | June 12, 2008 at 08:02 AM
We will make up for any erraticness in your postings by being equally or more erratic in our comments....
Have a good trip. Hope you are using a "green" broom with good fuel economy for your travels.
Posted by: A B | June 12, 2008 at 02:34 AM