Da Jilu/zh-en/Band 2

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book = Da Jilu |title = 大记录 Band 2 (中文) |prev = Da_Jilu/zh/Band_1 |next = Da_Jilu/zh/Band_3 }}	“When I went to Hong Kong,” Liang recalled, “my wife told me, 'What I fear most is that you'll lose your integrity. If you do, divorce me at once.' Of course, I never lost it. Any cadre sent overseas with even a drop of hot blood in his veins wasn't chasing the so-called 'four big items'—the material comforts of television, refrigerator, washing machine, and tape recorder that had become symbols of prosperity. We only wanted to hold our heads high.”
= 大记录 — 卷二 = 卷二 — Der große Trend der chinesischen Landwirte, Der Theoretiker, u.a.	He paused, then added, “When I first arrived, I'd see news reports every night of illegal border crossers in handcuffs—long lines of them—and sometimes bodies floating in the sea. We couldn't bear to watch. We'd turn off the TV. Our country's development back then wasn't going well. Even the children of some overseas cadres who grew up in Hong Kong looked down on us—it was painful. So I completely understand Yuan Geng's drive for reform. He said, 'The reason I'm doing this is to fulfill the original purpose for which I joined the Party.'“
----	His words left me silent for a long moment. Then he summed it up simply: “Among all the people I've known, there are two truly hot-blooded men—one is my wife's father, Liu Rentao; the other is Yuan Geng.”
中国农民大趋势	What a phrase—hot-blooded men. It captured them perfectly, and the comparison was apt. I was deeply moved; it felt as if I had glimpsed the clearest path into Yuan Geng's inner world.
胶东风情录（节选）	By coincidence, I knew Liu Rentao well. Twenty years my senior, he was both an elder I admired and a friend despite the age gap. One of China's foremost ophthalmologists, he had served as director of the Shanghai Labor Hospital in the early years of the Republic and had fitted Marshal Liu Bocheng with an artificial eye. Later, after writing the film script Peace Dove, he switched careers and became a screenwriter.
李延国	During the Cultural Revolution, he was falsely accused of being a “historical counterrevolutionary” at the Pearl River Film Studio, beaten so badly that five of his ribs were broken, and imprisoned.
第一章オ目会在北京	While serving under supervised labor at the Yingde “May Seventh Cadre School,” he once met a peasant woman who had gone blind from cataracts. Though he had no surgical instruments and was himself under political persecution, he resolved to operate using nothing but a razor blade. Friends tried to stop him: “If you fail,” they warned, “they'll call it class revenge—you'll be sent back to prison.” He refused to listen—and succeeded. “In saving her sight as a doctor,” he later said, “I also redeemed my own soul.”
初春。北京电影制片厂。	Now in his seventies, he has pledged to donate his corneas to the Zhongshan Medical College eye bank after his death and still travels tirelessly across the country, campaigning for the creation of schools for the blind.
我住在这个厂招待所的一间斗室里,正没完没了地修改ー个电影文学剧本。 一天,值班室的服务员用扩音器通知我:有客人来找。	Liu Rentao and Yuan Geng lived completely different lives, yet the same passionate blood ran in their veins. Both had unclouded hearts and an unshakable spirit of dedication. Through the Liu Rentao I knew, I began to imagine the Yuan Geng I had not yet met—and in that imagining, I felt I had already begun to understand him.
我走下楼去。几个身穿呢料制服的男子汉正等候在那里。	3. Adventurer
“弟弟!”我一下把他从人群中辨认出来,他那黝黑的、已经被岁月的犁铮犁出 了沟痕的面孔,刚经修饰,显得容光焕发。他彬彬有礼地上前来同我握手,向我介 绍同来的人们。他们的神采和装束使我大为惊讶,要知道,他们是文学概念中的 “庄稼汉”呀!	For Liu Rentao, performing cataract surgery on a blind peasant woman with nothing but a razor blade under the dictatorship's watch took immense courage. Yet the risks Yuan Geng faced in Shekou were even greater. Only two years earlier, some had published veiled newspaper critiques of the Special Economic Zones, warning that such experiments courted disaster.
“你们怎么来的?”	But times had changed. These reforms were unfolding under the direct leadership of the Party's Central Committee. On February 9, 1983, General Secretary Hu Yaobang visited the Shekou Industrial Zone. During that inspection, Yuan Geng spoke to him candidly, and the two shared a remarkable conversation.
“自己带的车!”他指指外面的“吉普”。	Yuan Geng: When it comes to reform, what we need now is comprehensive reform. Looking back through history, reformers have rarely met good ends. Over two thousand years ago, Shang Yang was executed—torn apart by five horses—for his reforms. Wang Anshi's reforms ended in failure. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao sought only a constitutional monarchy—moderate reformism—and yet six of their followers were executed. Even Sun Yat-sen's reforms met defeat. But this time, I believe we won't share their fate. We are carrying out reform under the Party's leadership. There should be no problem. It's a risk worth taking.
两千多里路,他们竟然坐上了“专车” 〇	Hu Yaobang: In the past, reforms were pushed from below by a few individuals, while those in power worked to suppress them. Now it's different—the leadership itself is calling for reform and urging change from the grassroots up. That makes all the difference.
“你们要去哪里?”	Yuan Geng: I feel that our cadres aren't afraid of the masses—they're afraid of their superiors. They worry that if those above them disapprove, they'll lose their positions. Take me, for instance. Every time I arrive in Shekou, I'm greeted at the dock by crowds of subordinates anxious not to overlook a single courtesy. If I'm not careful, I could easily become complacent. Over time, one stops fearing the people or one's subordinates—after all, they can't remove you from office. But I still fear the Ministry of Communications, fear my direct superiors—because only they can.
“深圳!”	That's why public supervision of officials—giving the people the right to elect and dismiss their leaders—is crucial. We want to make Shekou a testing ground for this. The management committee should be elected by the people, with annual votes of confidence. If more than half express no confidence, the entire committee must be re-elected; if a single member receives a majority of no-confidence votes, that person must step down.
“到深圳做什么?”	A leadership team chosen directly by the people will think as the people think and care about what they care about. Once some officials gain power, gifts and flattery begin to pour in. If they're not clear-headed and lack self-discipline, corruption follows. Many pretend to understand what they don't. But if the masses have both the right to elect and the right to supervise, I believe it will transform not only our leadership structure but also our work style. This is a serious reform—and we're prepared to take the risks it requires.
“考察!”	Hu Yaobang: (nodding) Good. Very good.
故乡,在我的情思里,那是黄昏的茅屋上一缕淡淡的炊烟,那是黎明的原野上 一声悠长的牛叫,那是父亲头上ー顶破了边的草帽,那是母亲褪色的衣襟上一块杂 色补丁,那是弟弟一双饥饿的眼睛,那是妹妹辫子上一根粗糙的头绳……眼前的景 象,使我无法和过去联系起来。	Yuan Geng: The General Secretary says it's good—then we'll record this and submit it in our next report.
“你们办好去边境的手续了吗?”	Hu Yaobang: (smiling as he stood) We once had a great dramatist, Guan Hanqing, who satirized corrupt officials. But he didn't dare curse them directly, so instead he mocked the drum used to open court sessions. There's a line: “A big tree hollow inside, both ends stretched tight like bark—beaten three times daily in court: dong, dong, dong! Dong, dong, dong! They still don't understand the irony!”
“办好了！”	Everyone laughed.
“坐火车去吗?”	That day, the General Secretary of the Party and the Party Secretary of the Shekou Industrial Zone spoke with one voice and shared one conviction. Their exchange should be remembered as a milestone in Shekou's history.
“不,坐飞机去!”	On April 24, 1983, elections produced the new Shekou Industrial Zone Management Committee. A year later, on April 22, 1984, the scheduled confidence vote was held. Was such voting truly necessary?
“你们是怎样买到飞机票的?”	Yu Dehai, director of the Organization Department, admitted: “Even I hesitated. The results of a confidence vote have to be honored—those who fail to win majority support must step down. I wondered whether we should just hold a simple opinion survey instead. But Chairman Yuan insisted: we must have a real vote of confidence.”
“作家协会的一位同志帮忙买的。”	The results spoke for themselves. Every committee member secured majority confidence, and Yuan Geng received the strongest support. That evening, the ballots were made public. Even blunt criticisms—”so-and-so is incompetent,” “so-and-so cannot be trusted”—were laid bare. Nothing was concealed.
我从ー个农民走上文坛,足足用了二十多年的工夫,那是一条漫长的路,我仿 佛觉得,这条路已经离开家乡很远很远,不料想,兄弟们斜刺里从青纱帐杀了出来, 竟一下子冲进了这个世界的核心部位。	Among all the reforms launched in Shekou, this was the most significant of all.
他们这一行,是由年轻的镇委书记谢玉堂带领的,其中包括已经声名大震的农 民企业家李德海等。他们去深圳不仅是为了开开眼界,原来家乡在那里是投了资 的,ー甩手拿出几十万、上百万元,现在他们将以“股东”的身份走在深圳繁华的街 市上,从那个窗口去瞭望世界!	4. “If They Won't Let Go, I'll Resign!”
我不知该怎样招待他们这些“天外来客” 〇	Elections to select leadership teams and the introduction of regular confidence votes were not impulsive experiments but carefully thought-out reforms conceived by Yuan Geng. He was convinced that without transforming the cadre system—without changing how officials were selected, promoted, and held accountable—no meaningful reform could take root. The “Four Modernizations” of China would remain little more than slogans.
我忽然想到了我的优势:“我领你们去看看摄影棚吧,里面在拍电影,挺好 玩的。”	At the time, the problem of bureaucratic stagnation was painfully evident.
他们一行人顿时变成了“中国农民电影考察团”,随我向摄影棚走去。艺术对 他们曾是遥远的、朦胧的,今天他们要走近前去看个仔细。	Some senior officials asked visiting scholars from Cambridge University, “How large are the bridges your university builds?”
我们被挡在摄影棚巨大的铁门外边,这里的制度是严格的,参观的人需经厂保 卫科批准。	Others asked American guests, “Since the British speak English, what language do you Americans speak?”
“中国农民电影考察团”被尴尬地晒在那里。	One cadre, reporting his “lessons learned” from a Hong Kong visit, proudly declared, “My thinking has made a 360-degree turn!”
我忽然又想起了另ー个优势:“去看看'北影一条街’吧！”	Such absurdities were both laughable and tragic. How could officials so limited in knowledge and imagination shoulder the task of national modernization?
“北影一条街”是ー个半永久性的露天布景,坐落在厂院后区,巧夺天工的美 エ师们在这里搭起了具有古典风格的店铺、楼阁、墙垒。走在这里,像走进了陈旧 的岁月之中。《垂帘听政》《海囚》《双雄会》《骆驼祥子》等等许多撼动人心的历史 场面都是在这里拍摄出来的,中国农民在这里扮演了屈辱和失败的角色！	Even in Shekou's earliest days—when the zone was still focused on the “five connections and one leveling” (bringing in water, electricity, roads, gas, and communications, and flattening the land)—Yuan Geng was already looking ahead. With barely twenty cadres in the command post, he began to think seriously about how to train a new generation of young, educated, and forward-thinking administrators.
农民兄弟们巨大的步幅,很快把这一条小小的街道丈量完了,他们好奇地转到 布景的后面,ー个个不禁哑然失笑:“都是假的呀!”	In 1981, despite resistance, he decided to launch a new training program for enterprise management cadres, recruiting university graduates in science and engineering from across China. “I'm an adventurer,” Yuan said. “For Shekou's reform, I've gathered a group of small adventurers from around the country.”
没有什么事情能唤起他们的兴趣。我决意尽主人之道,把他们领到北影小食 堂狠狠来上一顿,花个三十二十的！	At that time, Shekou lacked the personnel to conduct national recruitment on its own. The task was therefore entrusted to the Information Office of the Ministry of Communications' Communications Science Institute, which organized the first round of exams in Wuhan. The first candidate to step into the exam room was Wang Chaoliang, an engineer from the Yangtze River Navigation Research Institute's Ship Structure Division.
“不,跟我们去吧！”他们反客为主。	Wang was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, in 1938. He graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University with a degree in aircraft design in 1960. As early as 1958, he had begun experimenting with hovercraft air-cushion principles—using foreign reference materials—and even built a working prototype with classmates on Peking University's Weiming Lake. At the time, Britain's hovercraft research was barely six months ahead. Yet in an era when “steel production” was prized above scientific innovation, the efforts of a few young researchers were doomed to neglect.
“去哪里?”	After graduation, Wang was assigned to the design office of an aircraft factory, where production orders came directly from resident military representatives who trusted only Soviet blueprints. “Certain propellers must use Ural wood; sand casting must use Ukrainian sand,” they insisted. “Even if China has better materials, substitutions are forbidden.” Frustrated but powerless, Wang spent seventeen years designing aircraft, only to watch China's aviation industry fall behind even India's. He devoted four years to hovercraft research without ever seeing one launched. His ambition curdled into disillusionment.
“小洞天,西餐!”	When a chance arose to send one engineer to West Germany for technical inspection, the position went not to him but to the department head's daughter—who lacked the qualifications. Then one day he saw a newspaper advertisement for Shekou Industrial Zone's enterprise management training program. The words electrified him. “Shekou is a place where ability determines success,” he thought. “I'm going.” He carefully cut out the advertisement and pasted it into his notebook as a vow.
我简直是五体投地！我想象不出来,他们是怎么睁大寻觅的眼睛,在偌大的北	He was the first to enter the exam room—and the first to finish. Both his written and oral scores were exceptional. Lin Hongci, director of the Information Office, was impressed. “This is real talent,” he said. “He's accepted.”
京城找到了那个藏在地缝里的“小洞天”的。	But one obstacle remained. In China, a peculiar contradiction still prevailed: the means of production belonged to the people, yet officials themselves were treated as the property of their work units. A single office or bureau could hold onto a person for life, stifling their ambitions and preventing them from ever moving elsewhere.
我的兄弟们在我面前变得陌生了,这一切变化是怎样开始的?是谁给了他们 这新的风采、新的气质?	The Yangtze River Navigation Research Institute refused to release Wang. In November 1981, Yuan Geng was hospitalized in Guangzhou. Lin Hongci visited him at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital's East Wing to report on the recruitment progress—and raised Wang Chaoliang's case.
他们似乎在追赶着什么一乘上飞机,用超音速……	Yuan immediately grew animated. “Is Comrade Wang a Party member?”
文学,将仰首注视他们!	“No.”
中国,是世界上拥有农民最多的国家,谁不了解当代的中国农民的变化,谁就 不了解当代的中国。	“That makes things simpler,” Yuan said, his eyes alight. “Let's see if he has the courage to set a precedent. If they refuse to let him go, he can resign—and I'll take him in myself. At worst, they'll complain and take this all the way up to the State Council. So be it. I only need one or two brave comrades to break this barrier. When the complaints reach Beijing, we'll state the facts openly. I'm sure the central leadership will stand behind us. Even Zeng Tao from Xinhua has said it—we must end this so-called 'private ownership of cadres.' The waste of talent is intolerable. People's skills lie idle in one unit, and yet they're forbidden to move. This cannot go on.”
传统的农民观念在我的头脑里发生了动摇。	Moved by Yuan's resolve, Lin Hongci wrote to Wang Chaoliang, relaying every word of their conversation while continuing to press his case through every possible channel. In the end, Wang didn't need to resign, his unit finally relented and released him.
到胶东去!	In 1982, Wang Chaoliang arrived in Shekou, marking not only the beginning of his own transformation but also a quiet victory for Yuan Geng's daring experiment in reform.
到故乡去!	5. Enterprise Management Graduate Student
第二章故乡之门	One evening in December 1982, a man in his thirties arrived at Yuan Geng's home in Beijing's Xiyuan compound. The meeting had been arranged in advance. The visitor, Yu Changmin, was a recent graduate of Tsinghua University's first Enterprise Management program.
烟台,我的故乡。	Yu had originally completed his undergraduate degree in automation from Tsinghua's Department of Electrical Engineering in 1970. After nearly a decade in the workforce, he had grown acutely aware of China's deep-rooted problems in enterprise management. In 1979, he returned to Tsinghua for graduate study, and a year later went to Japan to research Japanese management practices. His research drew attention there—Yomiuri Shimbun even ran a feature on him, complete with photographs.
据说,这是ー个没有待业青年的城市。一位空军战斗英雄在这里担任副市长; 一位从北京招聘来的硕士研究生被委任为市委宣传部长（他们都是胶东的儿子）； 留职停薪的教师开办旅游开发公司,市政府领导亲临剪彩;上海交通大学的几位校 友创办烟台思源新技术开发公司,经济学家于光远发来贺电;新建的电视台将于7 月1日开播;集资兴办的综合性的烟台大学正在开挖地基;现代化的海上游乐园正 在啞桐岛上破土动エ;东郊的飞机场、西郊的高速公路正在筹建之中；那些农民办 的饭店、旅馆、商场、烤鸭店、运输公司更是兴隆昌盛……真个是:昨梦乘风破浪去, 满山灯火是烟台。	Now, newly graduated, Yu faced a choice. The university suggested he join the China Enterprise Research Association under the State Economic Commission—a prestigious, secure post. But his wife worked in Wuhan, and transferring her to Beijing seemed impossible.
当天晚上,市委书记王济夫同志来到宾馆。凡来烟台的学者、作家、画家、书法 家、记者、编辑、科学家,他总要抽空来看望。他身上兼有军人的敏捷和学者的优 雅,讲话却又充满诗人的激情,那浓重的乡音,又使我如见故里。	Just then, word of Shekou's reforms reached him. Each week he bought the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, poring over every issue, treasuring an early Investment Guide that he studied like a secret manual. It was clear to him: Shekou was where China's future was taking shape.
他也是胶东当代的ー个传奇人物。他ー会儿身穿西服登上党代会的主席台, 一会儿在宾馆和外商洽谈大型旅游服务系统的投资,一会儿又拉着商业局长深入 个体饮食店解决原料供应,一会儿又到新成立的画院和画家们评论新作,一会儿又 到某郊区县为农民企业家发表辩护演说……此刻为迎接对外开放,他刚刚从海湾 对面的姊妹城市一大连考察回来,毫无倦意地坐在沙发上。	He decided—he would go south. The department supported his choice, and when Yuan Geng came to Beijing for meetings, Yu arranged, through a mutual friend, to meet him.
“最近写些什么作品了?”他拍拍我刚送给他的《在这片国土上》的单行本,“你 很少回家,应该回来看看我们这片乡土。这是一片烈士洒过鲜血的土地,今天发生 了翻天覆地的变化。你应该看看农民怎样变成企业家的。”他边说边挥动手臂,仿	At first sight, the two men sized each other up.
佛这不是在屋里,而是在ー个视野开阔的制高点上,“'牟平七雄’’蓬莱ハ仙’’黄 县五杰’’栖霞三能’……他们都是ー窝子ー窝子的。英雄无独有偶,都是竞争出 来的。三中全会造就了一大批英雄,你应该去看看他们怎样跟着三中全会的旗帜, 改变了自己的命运。现在的家乡,可不是昔日的家乡了;现在的农业,可不是传统 的农业了;现在的农民,可不是当年鲁迅笔下的阿Q、赵树理笔下的李有オ,也不是 高晓声笔下的陈奂生了。就是说,这个深刻变化不仅发生在地貌上、生产关系上, 也发生在人的灵魂深处,动摇了很多传统的东西……”	So this is the famous reformer Yuan Geng? Yu thought. He looks nothing like the image I'd imagined—just an ordinary old cadre in a cotton jacket. His education isn't said to be high either… is it really worth following him?
来也匆匆,去也匆匆。他走下楼去,站到汽车门前,海风掀起他黑色的衣襟,像 鼓起的船帆。他回头说:	The thought flickered and was gone. Yuan Geng was already pouring tea and inviting him to sit.
“人是复杂的,文学也应该是复杂的。唱改革者之歌的时候,不要忘记他们的 辛酸、他们的磨难。任何ー项改革都不是在笔直的路上走的……”	“What do you think,” Yuan began, “is the most fatal problem in China's economy?”
车走了,仲夏的海滨卷起一阵旋风。	“The system,” Yu answered without hesitation.
好有力的旋风啊!	“Exactly!” Yuan's face lit up. “A Shanghai shipyard director once complained to me that he needed a thousand workers, but the Labor Department sent him only three hundred capable ones—the rest were deadweight. If he asked for more, they'd just assign more useless people. Everyone eats from the same big pot, muddling along, and they call that the superiority of socialism! Factories swell with redundant staff until they become miniature societies where the lazy exploit the diligent. It corrodes our national character! Without reforming this system, we have no way forward.”
第三章走进蓬莱仙境	Yu nodded. “In one of my papers, I raised the issue of enterprise quality.”
蓬莱阁上	“Oh?” Yuan leaned forward. “What insights do you have?”
神话今说	“Quality,” Yu said, “is like basic conditioning. It's what gives a team strength—like how the women's volleyball team developed its own style, and from that came fighting power.”
蓬莱,民族英雄戚继光的故乡,八仙过海传说的发祥地,你把魂魄凝聚在小小 的蓬莱阁上。不是吗?要不,在这里只做过五天知府的苏东坡为什么留下了“东方 云海空复空,群仙出没空明中”的诗句?为什么远离热土的老华侨要登临神堂烧上 ー炷香烛?为什么那些蓝眼睛的异国人要在参天的古柏前留一帧小照?	Yuan's eyes gleamed. “Let's compare an enterprise to a ball team. Suppose you're the coach, and someone starts assigning players to you at random. What would you do?”
在我登上这座建筑在民族心理上九百余年的仙阁时,适逢ー批外国友人乘兴 游览,导游员刘妍,一位端庄聪颖的农民女儿（她爱好田径,学过武术,酷爱外语）, 带领他们穿行在神话传说的历史中。	“I wouldn't take them.”
“请问刘小姐,这里为什么叫蓬莱呢?”	“But you can't refuse.”
“据说,当年秦始皇为了求长生不老药,曾来到这里,他突然发现海里有一片赤 色,就连忙问随行的方士:’那是什么?’方士答道:'那是仙岛。’秦始皇又问:'那仙 岛叫什么名字?’方士回答不上来,慌乱中发现海水里有一片海草,'蓬’和'莱’都 是草名,方士就顺ロ应付说:'蓬莱。’从此,蓬莱仙岛这个名字就流传开了……”	“Then I wouldn't coach.”
“刘小姐,您刚オ说,ハ仙过海中的八位神仙,是在蓬莱阁上喝醉了酒之后飘然 过海……请问,他们过海到哪里去了?”	Yuan slapped the table, beaming. “Exactly! That's what I wanted to hear. You mean management should have the right to choose its people—and people should have the right to choose their management. That's what we call two-way selection. That's the direction of reform!”
“传说很多。不过,今天的蓬莱农村,发生了翻天覆地的变化,我想,八位仙人 一定是留恋人间的新生活,投胎为农民企业家、专业户、个体户。如果先生和女士 们有兴趣,不妨到蓬莱农村一游……”	Their conversation flowed late into the night. By the end, Yuan Geng had found his man, and Yu Changmin had found his cause. The two men quickly found themselves kindred spirits. Whatever hesitation Yu had felt dissolved completely.
刘妍莞尔一笑,博得一阵喝彩! 一位外宾说:	“We'll have to take some risks,” Yuan said.
“刘小姐,你可以做何仙姑了!”	“That's exactly why I want to go,” Yu replied. “What would be the point if everything were already built?”
伊甸园的葡萄熟了	“Do you have any personal requests?”
商品生产观念的形成	“Only that my family can come with me.”
今天,庄户人的自给自足的传统观念像雪山一样崩塌了 !	“We'll arrange it.”
大姜家大队的300亩葡萄园,就曾经是ー个和传统观念搏斗的战场！	Two months later, Yu's father passed away, and he returned home for the funeral. In his absence, Tsinghua's attitude shifted—the department wanted to keep him. The Enterprise Management Department was still new and badly needed faculty. Their reasoning was sound, but Yu's heart had already gone south with Yuan Geng to Shekou.
开始,28岁的支部书记姜世谭,决定根据三中全会精神调整农业内部结构,拿 出西南洼110亩水浇地改种葡萄,立时受到围攻,上面点名,下面咒骂,连老父亲也 质问他:“现在国家提高粮价,你去种什么葡萄?”	In March 1983, Yuan invited Tsinghua University's president, Liu Da, to visit Shekou. The department sent Yu to accompany the delegation, hoping the trip would persuade the president to keep him in Beijing while resolving his family's registration issues.
为了使葡萄园方方正正,还要耕掉50亩漫脚面的麦苗,于是老队长姜世希领 着四个生产队长和姜世谭滚打在ー起:	But events took an unexpected turn. As soon as the group arrived, Yuan Geng asked whether Yu's transfer had been approved. Yu hinted that President Liu still needed convincing.
“败家子儿！这是四五万斤麦子呀!”	“President,” Yu said, “please let me go to Shekou.”
“老祖宗撇下这么点好地,你穷作!”	“The department asked me to help keep you,” Liu Da replied. “And I promised I would.”
“你不是吃人饭长的……”	Yuan pressed gently but firmly. “Comrade Liu Da, please—lend us this young man. Shekou urgently needs specialists in enterprise management.”
姜世谭被逼成个“红眼狼”,鞭子ー甩:“耕!”他推着雪亮的犁刀,绿生生的麦 苗被翻到地下去了！	Liu Da was moved. A veteran of the December 9th Movement and once Minister of Forestry, famed for his defense of intellectuals in 1957, he fully understood both Shekou's importance and Yuan and Yu's determination. Yet he had to respect the department's authority. He promised to discuss the matter after returning to Beijing.
1983年秋天,葡萄熟了,ー嘟噜ー串地压满了架子,听听那些名字吧:龙眼、泽 香、白茹、枣晶、贵人香、赤霞珠……姜世谭把全村老少六百口子请了来:	Back at Tsinghua, Yu submitted a formal report thanking the university for its training and explaining why graduates from the new Enterprise Management Department needed to participate directly in Shekou's construction—it was essential, he wrote, for both national reform and the department's future research.
“今天请乡亲们来吃葡萄！ ー百多个品种管尝！大家边吃,边算ー笔账,按市 价这ー嘟噜葡萄能卖ー块钱,大家可以数数有多少嘟噜……”	The matter was soon resolved. By July, transfer procedures for Yu and his wife were complete.
数得过来吗?	When Yu reported to the Shekou Industrial Zone offices, Yuan Geng happened to meet him at the entrance. He clasped Yu's hand warmly, walking him toward the elevator.
最后的账目还是由会计算出来的,ー亩葡萄的收益相当于1万斤小麦,1〇〇多 亩葡萄超过了全村1500亩粮田的总收入！	“You study enterprise management,” Yuan said as they walked. “First get familiar with things here—once you understand the situation, we'll talk about your work.”
伊甸园的葡萄熟了,大姜家人的思想飞跃了！	Later, Yuan wrote a personal letter of thanks to President Liu Da, including these lines:
姜世谭又来了第二个惊险的跳跃:建立食品加工厂,生产葡萄罐头,增值！	Regarding Comrade Yu's transfer, everyone here deeply admires your selfless spirit. Tsinghua's loss of one Little Yu does no harm to the whole, but Shekou's gain is like adding wings to a tiger. Watching Tsinghua's students spread across the world, the Industrial Zone will surely benefit from this.
食品厂在斗争中建起来了,开エ40天,产值就达14万元。	The sentimental Liu Da gave the letter to Yu Changmin as a keepsake—a small, tangible link between the academy he left behind and the frontier he was helping to forge.
“凡是要改革ー项事情,总是有阻カ。毛主席去世后,两个’凡是’听得多顺 溜? 一说毛主席有错误有缺点,农民根本不承认这个事。搞大包干、责任制,可又 舍不得丢掉大锅饭;要搞商品生产,阻力更大,这次改革是农民改行呀!农民做エ, 书记当经理。过去是春天捅ー棍,秋天吃ー顿,现在像《霍元甲》主题歌里唱的: ’沉睡百年,国人渐已醒,睁开眼吧,抬头看吧’,和几千年的小农生产方式决 裂了。”	6. Sunday Morning
草店流行红裙子	At eight o'clock on a quiet Sunday morning, Gu Liji had just gotten up, washed his face, and was making instant noodles. His four roommates were still fast asleep. Saturday nights meant late lights-out, so everyone had stayed up. He moved quietly, careful not to make a sound.
生活秩序、审美心理一见	“Excuse me, does Comrade Gu Liji live here?” came a voice from outside the door.
一走进草店大队,不时地看到ー些穿红裙子的姑娘,那么惹目。	Gu looked up to see a gray-haired man in his sixties and a young woman standing in the corridor.
她们来自何方?	“I'm Gu Liji. And you are…?”
两年前,党支部书记王明福六进天津请来ー个病休的女工程师,一下子给她涨 了 20级エ资（月工资300元,路费、生活费全包）,建起了一个染线厂。结果是:请 了一个人,办了一个厂,富了一个村。后来又在染线厂的基础上办起了羊毛衫厂。 整个草店的生活秩序改变了,实行生产责任制后的两个“剩余”（剩余劳カ、剩余时 间）变成了两个“紧张”,又从外村雇用了 500多劳カ,都是年轻的农村姑娘。	“I'm Yuan Geng—from Shekou.” The old man extended his hand. “This is my daughter, Niya. She worried about my health and insisted on coming along, though I'm perfectly fine. Look—I rode my bicycle here for half an hour. It was quite pleasant.”
这些来自南庄北瞳的姑娘们,ー开始是带着一些羞涩和矜持走上草店那带有 路灯的、25米宽的大路的。可是织布机很快改变了老ー辈留给她们的旧有的生活 节奏。她们不再像父辈们那样,日出而作,日落而息。这个“不夜村”里,她们见面 不再用父辈的“上山下山”,而是互相招呼着:“你夜班?”“你白班?”“你上班?”“你 下班?”每当说着的时候,你可以看出她们内心的自豪和欢悦。她们也像城里人ー 样,提兜里装上一个铝饭盒,吃饭的时候聚在ー起,说着班上的ー些事情。她们织 出的羊毛衫印上蓬莱阁图案,运到了东北、陕北、山西、河南……她们的审美观已不 满足于过去的头上插ー朵野花、扎ー根红头绳,现在她们用自己挣的工资买来了最 时兴的红裙子。	Gu was stunned. The famous Yuan Geng, in person—at the Tsinghua University dormitory?
去访问ー个穿红裙子的姑娘吧!	He was deeply moved. “Let's talk downstairs,” he said quickly. “My classmates are still asleep.”
她叫姜利华,是附近上口姜家大队社员,今年21岁,她胖乎乎的,生着ー个端 正的小翘鼻子,头发梳成两个“把把”,发梢是烫过的,显得很有韵致。	They found a bench under the morning sun. The May air was mild, the breeze soft, the campus quiet.
“你为什么到这里来?”	“I heard,” Yuan began, “that you organized an Enterprise Management Enthusiasts Association?”
“不愿意在家种地。”她爽直地向我笑笑,胖胖的手来回搓着。	“Yes,” said Gu. “We now have over a thousand members. Liu Da and Yu Guangyuan both attended the founding meeting.”
“家里分那么几亩地,也用不着闺女家,还有她哥,她爹。”陪伴我的离职老队 长在ー边插言。	“I also heard you said you wanted to be a factory director.”
“你打算在这里干到什么时候?”	Gu laughed. “Your information is well-informed. I did say that once—and it got me into a bit of trouble.”
“干到エ厂’黄’了的时候……不’黄'就在这里干!”	“What kind of trouble?”
“你去年收入了多少?”	“Some people said I was being ambitious.”
“1010块,年底开支一大摞,没敢往家喊（拿）,公社信用社在这里,存了活期, 存折交给俺爹……”	“Ridiculous!” Yuan said, striking his knee. “What kind of ambition is that? 'A soldier who doesn't wish to be a general is not a good soldier'—was that Napoleon, or someone else? What's wrong with a student wanting to be a factory director?”
“你花钱怎么办?”	“I study computer science,” Gu said, “but I think China needs management talent even more, so I've been auditing all the graduate courses in enterprise management.”
“问俺爹要……哎呀,你记这些干什么?让人家笑话。”	“Come to Shekou,” Yuan said immediately. “We're running a training program for enterprise management cadres. We need people like you.”
“你爹妈高兴吧?”	“I saw a video about Shekou last November,” Gu said. “I was really moved, but I hadn't made up my mind.”
老队长:“他们当然高兴,她ー个人挣的顶他们全家!”	“And now?”
姑娘抿嘴一笑:“以前俺上下班骑俺二姐的自行车,今年俺爹托人上北沟买了 辆'金鹿’。他说:’华,这辆车子就是你的了,好好骑。’俺回家一干活他就说:’不 用不用,你去睡觉吧。’大姐二姐都不如我。上夜班带饭,俺妈都非给两个鸡蛋 拿着。”	“Now I've decided. I'm going to Shekou.”
老队长:“你看看那些上夜班的闺女,哪个不拿鸡蛋?早先还有她们的?都是 早晨打给她爹她哥吃了。”	“Good! We welcome you. Any difficulties?”
“明天王绪庙会,俺妈说给俺和嫂子一人20元钱,再添些夏天衣裳。”	There were, of course. In the early summer of 1982, criticism of the Shenzhen Special Zone still lingered. Some newspapers compared it to the old foreign concessions, warning that it might become “a new concession in disguise.” Such comments created invisible pressure, and many whispered that “the Special Zone's future is uncertain.” But Gu Liji didn't care. He wanted to work alongside people like Yuan Geng. Taking risks was worth it.
老队氏:“还添衣裳！如今的姑娘家,哪个的衣裳都是一身一身的。也不嫌衣 裳多了生虫子!”	Shanghai factories had invited him to return, offering a choice of managerial posts in subsidiary plants—a tempting offer. He had joined the Shanghai Dyeing Machinery Repair Factory right after middle school in 1968, working for ten years as a boiler operator, lathe worker, miller, fitter, electrician, and Youth League secretary.
“出去旅游过吗?”	In 1974, when the factory was controlled by rebel groups loyal to Wang Hongwen, Gu had openly quarreled with them and been criticized for it, but the workers had supported him. After the fall of the Gang of Four, he was rehabilitated and placed in charge of the factory's materials group. Had he not gone to university, he would likely already be in leadership. Returning to Shanghai would mean stability—and no shortage of opportunities.
“还没有!”	But Shekou, with all its uncertainty, called to him more strongly than the familiar comfort of home.
老队长:“可不喜去,一点好处也没有。招远的ー帮子坐拖拉机上蓬莱阁,车翻 沟里去了,一下子死了俩！再说听景有景,看景没景。逛ー趟泰山来回得花ー百 多,还不如在家里喝100斤酒!”	The real difficulty lay elsewhere: his mother and wife opposed his leaving Shanghai. The family had a spacious apartment, and with his sisters living elsewhere, his mother hoped he would stay close. His wife's attachment to Shanghai was equally understandable.
姑娘没有吭声,也许她自有主张。	“I'll have to persuade my mother and my wife,” Gu admitted with an embarrassed smile.
回到招待所里,我思绪不能平息。过去这个村子是蓬（莱）黄（县）公路上的ー 个马车店,因兼卖草料而得名“草店”。至今老人们还能背下流传几辈子的歌谣: “草店穷,穷草店,吃水要走二里半,去时穿花鞋,回时露鸭蛋（后脚跟）,有女不嫁 穷草店。”从歌谣中的“花鞋”二字猜测,这歌谣一定是受尽了苦楚的妇女们编出来 的。而今妇女们进草店也不是那么容易了。王明福规定,来草店做エ的姑娘除了 要经过考试外,模样不耐看的不要,个头不高的不要ーー来记者照相没有机器高那 还行吗?以后不光要会说中国话,还要会说外国话的一这里常有外宾来。	Yuan nodded, fully understanding. He admired the young man's resolve and grew animated as he spoke.
在我门ロー边,有一个卖杂货的摊贩,五十多岁年纪,戴着ー副眼镜,一条眼镜 腿断了,是用麻线拴在耳朵上的。在那些杂七杂八的货摊上,竟还摆放着一本《性 的知识》,书的后面被老汉用钢笔把“0.32元”改为“0.45元”。黄昏,ー个穿红裙 子的姑娘匆匆走过我的窗前,她向四周瞥了一眼,丢下一元钱,拿起那本书,就红着 脸跑开了。	“Your choice is the right one. Shekou has enormous potential. Do you know why we chose to build an industrial zone there? To reform everything—from enterprise management and personnel systems to wages. Without reform, there's no way out. For thirty years, ultra-left thinking and rigid systems have held us back.
她们渴望了解世界,也渴望了解自身!	“When we first arrived in Shekou in early 1979, bodies of people who had tried to swim to Hong Kong were still washing ashore—all young people. Do you know why they fled? Because they were poor. The Gang of Four promoted 'political border defense,' but the more politics they imposed, the more people escaped. In some villages, nearly all the young adults had left. It was heartbreaking.
尽管还带着一点羞涩。	“Shekou faces Yuen Long in Hong Kong—just six kilometers apart. On clear days, you can see their tall buildings, built during our 'ten years of chaos.' We can't go on like that. We must develop the economy, and to do that, we have to reform.
我看到老汉并未打算给姑娘找零钱,而是从屁股下的木箱里又拿出了一本《性 的知识》,摆在原处,好像是唯一的一本。	“The Shekou Industrial Zone is only 2.14 square kilometers—a drop in the ocean compared with the nation's 9.6 million. But if we succeed, it will have significance for the whole country. And even if we fail, it's still just a drop in the ocean—it won't hurt the nation. Of course, we must do everything we can to succeed.
文明,又被蒙上了不文明的尘埃。生活中的ー些事情,往往是这样以多种色调 出现的。	“Our generation is already old. By the time we realized we had to accomplish something, there wasn't much time left. So we place our hope in you…”
村庄里的都市	As Yuan spoke, Gu felt his blood quicken, his body grow warm.
——金钱观念一瞥	Beside them, Niya, who had remained silent until then, looked at her father with shining eyes.
解放上海的时候,在广东同乡会门口的马路上,露天睡着我27军81师24I团 的一个年轻的机枪手,他有一米八的个子,打着绑腿,怀里抱着一挺“歪把子”。早 晨醒来,他看到那高大的楼门上挂着ー块牌子:“XX股份有限公司”。他好奇地 问班长,那是干什么的?班长答不上;问排长,排长也答不上。后来得知,那是资本 家集资做买卖......	7. The Press Conference
现在这个机枪手已经65岁了,他是孙陶大队“蔚阳农工商联合公司”总经 理ーー孙陶是烟台地区最早改为“公司”的大队。他毕竟不是当年的机枪手了,牙 齿脱落,嘴巴瘪瘪的,有点像画中的“太上老君”,而他的改革的某些方面也带有封 建家长制的色彩。在“农工商联合公司”的牌子旁边,还挂着ー块“村政府”的大牌 子。他的穿戴也是几个时代混合着:上身着旧蓝布褂,下身穿军裤,脚上却跋拉着 泡沫拖鞋。左右上衣兜甩齐插ー支钢笔,显得不伦不类。窗外则同时传来机耕声 和豆腐梆子声。	After graduating from the management training program, Gu Liji worked for a time as secretary of the Industrial Zone office before being appointed director in April 1984.
“老李呀,一句话,我抓钱!过去咱总怕钱烧手,现在重点搞经济建设,这个观 念不转不行!我现在四个经理部:农业经理部、エ副业加工经理部、商业经理部、供 销经理部。农业经理部下设机械、饲养、技术队、林业队、二林队、鸡场、菜园子、花 场……エ副业加工部下设木业、石子场、预制件厂、面粉厂、挂面厂、铸造厂、刀具 厂、酿造厂……商业经理部下设中医、缝纫、塑料厂、冷食店、浴池、饭店、商店、糕 点、面包厂、水果、牙科诊所、照相馆……应有尽有,我要把孙陶建成个小城市,小上 海。”我赞同地说:“你这里成了村庄里的都市了 !”	That July, I returned to Guangzhou on business before Yuan Geng's arrival. When I came back to Shekou on August 5, I heard that Gu was leaving for Hong Kong the following morning. That evening, I went to see him.
他接下去:“你刚オ去洗澡了,我那个浴池怎么样?比你们济南不差吧!花了	“Yuan Geng just returned to Hong Kong,” Gu told me as soon as we met. “He'll be back in Shekou tomorrow afternoon. At 7:30 p.m., he's giving a talk at the club auditorium. I'm delaying my trip by a day just to hear it. It's open to the public—you should come too.”
9万块!全是瓷砖铺地,从这里到黄县25里,到蓬莱40里,没有浴池!现在两毛五 ー个票,社员不用到河沟里洗澡了。青年妇女最愿意洗澡了,她们愿干净,过去都 在晚上到河里洗一洗。凡来洗澡的人都说这是个好事!”	“Could you arrange a time for me to speak with him?” I asked.
“牙科、照相、水果这些小门面能盈多少利?”	Gu smiled. “I'm afraid that's difficult. He never stays long when he's here—too many matters to handle. After tomorrow's talk, your best chance is to walk with him afterward, maybe to his son's home or to the hotel. You might get ten or fifteen minutes that way.”
“盈利不多,可碎金子也是金子呀!我的包子铺商号叫‘半分利’,它有吸引 力,喝茶水不要钱,都愿来。茶水喝多了,刮肚子,肚子空落落的,就要吃包子,不吃 包子,尿尿也是咱的肥料。别看这个小店,一年纯利润ー万四五千。”	I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Was Yuan Geng really that hard to reach? Still, I decided at least to attend the lecture.
老经理好动,坐在沙发上讲着,不时探出身子拍打一下我的脚面:	At 7:30 p.m. on August 6, Yuan Geng's report began precisely on time.
“人是钱架的,鳖是水架的。过去是越穷越革命,老鹰拴在鳖脖子上,有能耐也 飞不起来！现在,为了抓钱,我还搞了个’集体入股’。最小十元一股,多者千元一 股。农民攒钱怕人,这样入股,提高了集体主义思想,他觉得公司也有他的ー份。 我带头入了一万元的股。股金分红按四六。彭真讲'把社会上资金集中起来,长期 使用’,做事要有上面精神,打起官司来有说头。’肥水不外流’嘛！我还向你们牟 平李德海介绍过这个法儿。”	The club auditorium—usually used for film screenings or large meetings—had been converted into a press venue, with posters announcing the event along the streets. The hall, which could hold more than a thousand people, was nearly full. Looking around, I saw a sea of youthful, eager faces. On the stage sat Yuan Geng and Xiong Bingquan, the Hong Kong China Merchants Group's Development Department manager who had traveled abroad with him. Gu Liji served as host.
我说:“这种做法合适吗?”	Yuan Geng began with a smile, waving two sheets of paper in his hand.
他并不理会我:“上头财政把得那么死,我们自己为什么不能搞活点?反正在 这个小村里我说了算。不宾（佩）服?谁的老婆在家干吗我都知道！我宾服李德 海这个人,有经济头脑。前ー阵子传谣言,说李德海被抓起来了,罪名是什么?’强 奸妇女’!当时我就不信。”他忽然压低声音,“别说他那么大的家业忙得没有心 思,就是有那个心思,像他这样的英雄还用强奸?……”	“Don't worry, everyone—this will take only about an hour.”
对这话,我只能报以苦笑。	The audience laughed, though many secretly hoped he'd speak longer.
神秘的登州商行	“This trip lasted twenty-three days,” Yuan began, “covering four countries, sixteen companies, and eighteen cities. We started in Singapore, went west to Britain, then to the United States and Japan—completing a full circle around the globe. Everywhere we went, we received an exceptional welcome. In my years as a diplomat, I was never treated so warmly abroad. Of course, it wasn't because they valued the four of us personally, but because of the transformation taking place at China Merchants Group and in the Shekou Industrial Zone. Everyone here shares in that honor. I deeply feel the pride of being a Shekou person.”
——信息观念及其他	Yuan had long insisted that official visits abroad should be funded with one's own resources. “If you spend other people's money,” he liked to say, “you lose the upper hand in negotiations.” For this trip, they carried credit cards worth 200,000 U.S. dollars—enough to cover all expenses. They maintained this rule everywhere—except in Singapore, where it proved impossible.
如果有人每年花3万元租金在城里租ー层宾馆,你一定会感到不可思议,如果 这个人是ー个走出磨道的农民,那你更会惊奇不已！	Though China and Singapore had not yet established diplomatic relations, the Singaporean authorities were exceedingly cordial. The delegation was exempted from customs checks, escorted directly from the airport to the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel, where Yuan was given the “Presidential Suite”—previously occupied by Margaret Thatcher and later by U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz. The daily rate was equivalent to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars. Every request was accommodated. But when they tried to settle the bill before departure, the hotel manager smiled and said, “Before you arrived, someone had already paid for everything.”
这是乡下农民进城办的ー个商行。宾馆门口“登州商行”四个钢铁铸的大字, 是花800元从青岛请了著名书法家写的。曾几何时,高晓声笔下的陈奂生在县城 的宾馆里闹出了一通又一通的笑话,这个“登州商行”里是否还有陈奂生这样的农 民呢?	From there they visited Aberdeen, the logistics base for Britain's North Sea oil fields. Despite an ongoing seamen's strike, British executives received them with exceptional courtesy. What impressed Yuan most, however, were the endless roses blooming across northern England.
我在这个商行的总经理室见到的第一个人物是位20岁出头的姑娘,她叫吴鸿 岩,圆胖胖的脸,扎两个把把,眉眼中带有农村姑娘的憨厚和灵秀	“We had originally planned to plant 200,000 roses in Shekou within three years,” he said. “Now I think that number is far too modest.”
我进门时,她正俯在ー个大书案上从四十多份报刊中检索,把有关商品信息的 部分剪贴起来。有些报刊是我从来没见过的:《上海译报》《上海物资市场》《致富 报》《市场周报》《经济预测》《农村金融》《深圳特区报》《湖南经济报》……	The highlight of the trip was the United States, where the delegation aimed to sign contracts to introduce a float glass factory. In Pittsburgh, the Chamber of Commerce made Yuan an honorary member. In Montreal, the city's Chinese-American mayor, Li Caizhuo, presented him with an honorary citizenship and a golden key, saying, “I am one hundred percent Chinese and one hundred percent American.” Yuan smiled and replied, “I deeply admire her words.”
“你是秘书吗?”我发问。	Negotiations, however, were far from simple. As Yuan later told his staff, “In business, even brothers can be ruthless. Family ties don't count—let alone when you're dealing with foreigners.”
“没有那么大,是文书。”她赧然一笑。	Before appreciating Yuan's diplomacy, one must understand the obstacles he had already faced at home. Speaking to the third enterprise management training class on March 22, 1984, he cautioned that reform was still far from secure. The Central Committee had just issued new directives on March 10, and while many were delighted, Yuan warned against premature celebration. Problems, he said, did not vanish simply because higher authorities spoke: open opposition might have faded, but bureaucracy, jealousy, and petty sabotage persisted.
当知道我是职业创作员时,她竟和我从文学角度探讨起社会问题:“你说现在 农民身上有没有阿Q精神?”	He cited the float glass project as an example. Negotiations for its approval had stalled despite clear national benefit. “China imports vast quantities of glass each year,” he told the class. “Why shouldn't we use the most advanced technology to replace those imports? We sent two capable women to the Building Materials Bureau, and at first the officials readily agreed. But when our office later sent staff with the contract for signature, they rejected it outright. When asked why, they said, 'You brought reporters and writers—how could I refuse then? If it went wrong, you'd write about it, and I'd be in trouble!'“
我一下子回答不上来。	It took nine months for the project to clear this domestic hurdle. Negotiating with the Americans would not take as long—but the struggle would prove far more intense.
她认真地说:“我一直在想这个问题。阿Q精神是有的。农民和土地绑在ー 块儿,受了欺侮也走不出去,就得自己安慰自己。有时候没有阿Q精神就活不 下去。”	The American float glass factory was a technological marvel, practically a “glass city.” It could produce every kind of glass, including a tempered type that could withstand a 25-pound hammer dropped from twenty meters. The floor would shake, but the glass remained unbroken.
这话不是在《文艺报》组织的农村题材座谈会上,而是出自ー个穷乡僻壤的农 村姑娘之ロ!	Shekou planned to establish a joint venture with the American company, investing 100 million dollars to import the same factory and purchase its patents, allowing them to build future plants independently. The debate centered on patent royalties: the Americans demanded six percent of annual sales; Yuan's side offered four. The Americans lowered to five; Yuan raised to four and a half. Negotiations stalled.
她的哥哥吴鸿康走进来了,他是这个商行的副经理,也ー起参与“农民政治经 济学”的讨论:“农村有些干部很像’土皇帝’!责任制某种意义上就是分散他们的 权カ,冲破旧的组合!为什么责任制受到群众那么拥护?不值得干部思考吗?我 们为什么进城?就是为了摆脱大队给我们的束缚！人挪活,树挪死。我们出来不 是为挣钱的,为了干ー番事业给他们看看!”	At last, Yuan spoke.
吴鸿岩插话说:“农民进城办商行,免不了带有农民的痕迹。有了成绩容易满 足,遇到挫折容易灰心丧气,办事不讲效率,拖拖拉拉。我们总经理对职员要求:农 民进城必须去掉农民意识,搞商品流通,散漫不行。现在是信息时代,ー些农民的 旧习气不改,根本搞不好商品生产和商品流通。光蓬莱,我们这样的商行就有九 家,农民办的就有三家,竞争很厉害,不抓紧能行吗?我们搞正规化,每天五点半起 床,跑步;六点钟回来,自学半个小时;七点开饭;七点半上班;中午十一点半下 班……晚上九点又和全国各地办事处打电话,互通信息。”	“Gentlemen,” he began, “our ancestors invented the compass four thousand years ago and gunpowder two thousand years ago. The whole world benefits from these great inventions, yet we never demanded patent fees. We don't call our ancestors fools—we take pride in them. Tell me, where were your ancestors then? Still in the trees, perhaps? Take a look at your chests—are they particularly hairy?”
神秘的登州商行！	The Americans glanced down, chuckling.
总经理侯日超出场了,夹着黑色皮包,穿着一身笔挺的西服,他40岁出头,方 方的额头,深深的眼窝,尖下巴,眼角有道道血丝,脸上表情淡漠,却隐示着ー种坚 毅。这个农民似乎是从地平线下突然冒出来的,不,确切地说,他是从土地里走出 来的,他大胆地割断了与土地的“脐带”,把承包的16亩责任田,全部转包给别人, 只要转包户每年向他全家每人提供200斤小麦、100斤花生,他用国家牌价购买,而 他和妻子都投身于这个商行的工作。	“But don't be afraid,” Yuan continued, smiling. “I'm not saying we shouldn't pay royalties. I'm saying only that they must be fair.”
他走出土地,同时也走出了自己的历史。作为ー个农民,他推过车,挑过担子, 整过“大寨田”,当过生产队长,还曾被评选为民兵“学习毛主席著作积极分子”。 他好读书,好文娱,好搞创新性的玩意儿。当瓦匠,半年就掌尺,因为老瓦匠们舍不 得花钱买工具,而他知道石家庄的泥板是最好的。村里搞剧团,他鼓鼓捣捣,组织 起十来个人的小乐队。“文革”开始他又学会扎针,社员有个头痛脑热,不上公社 医院,来找他。1983年承包橡胶厂,发了财,三个支部委员和一个大队长,天天去 抢账,他ー气之下走出了村庄……	It was classic Yuan Geng—bold, humorous, disarming. The Americans appreciated his candor, and the deadlock broke. They settled at 4.75 percent for ten years—a remarkably good deal, given that another Chinese city had agreed to pay five percent for twelve years for a less advanced British plant.
现在登州商行有四十多个职エ,大都是在村里待得压抑的农民。侯日超ー跃 成为商行经理,下分经理办公室、供销科、总务科、财务科、信息科、エ业科,现在分 别在大连、沈阳、天津、北京、上海、青岛、哈尔滨等大城市派设有办事处和信息员。	Concluding his report, Yuan's voice rose with conviction.
信息观念在他们身上的建立,使我惊叹不已。	“America gathers both the best and worst of the world. We must learn from its strengths—but we must never follow its path. The global economy is declining, industries are reorganizing. Five years ago, when I last traveled abroad, there was still vitality. Now there is stagnation. Some say the world's economic center will shift eastward to the Pacific Rim by the late 1980s.
“搞商品流通,必须到经济发达的地方去办,经济发达的地方文化也发达,文化 发达的地方,消费也发达,这样才能正确地了解市场。过去是秀才不出门,便知天 下事,那是靠读书,现在光靠书本不行了,等书印出来,什么信息也晚了三秋。现在 信息手段很多,电话、电报、广播、报纸、电视、联络网、社会交往。生产カ发展的历 史,就是交往不断扩大的历史……马克思讲人与人之间的关系,是经济基础的核 心,只有有了人与人之间的关系,才能去创造财富。现在我们采用了广泛联系的方 针,在经济学上叫'广泛联合’,我们在这里是经营中心,在全国伸出了若干条腿, 借助各地大中心,发挥咱小中心的作用。这叫’经济横向联系’。”他随手撕下ー张 印刷的信息调查报告表,说,“在外的办事员、信息员、供销员定期ー个月寄回两 次。”这表上有物品种类、价格、规格型号、数量、信息编号、市场形势、预测分析, “我们还准备搞密码,考虑到经济信息要保密。我们还聘请了法律顾问、经济顾问、 政策顾问。”	“Our old system made people lazy—but it's changing. As I stepped off the boat at Shekou's dock at 4:30 this afternoon, circling the globe behind me, I felt invigorated. Every blade of grass looked dear to me.
在我面前的,绝不是“闰土”和“陈奂生” 了 !	“On October First, Shekou's float will pass before Tiananmen Square. If it moves the crowd, that will be everyone's achievement.
我顺手抓起一份信息剪报,在“山东莱芜羊里公社,可收获优质大蒜4万斤寻 求销路”这一段文字下面有红笔标示。	“The capitalist world is rich in material things but poor in spirit. We are rising. We must catch up—and then surpass them.”
“你们准备买大蒜吗?”我问。	He spoke for an hour and a half. When he finally ended, the audience still wasn't ready to leave. As Yuan Geng exited, a crowd pressed forward to surround him. I stood aside, abandoning my plan to follow.
“香港八汇有限公司找我们订了 300吨,照国家外贸价。”	8. “What Conspiracy Are You Plotting?”
“他们去莱芜联系过了吗?”	On August 7, Yuan Geng was in meetings all day. Word had it that the 8th would be just as busy and that he would return to Hong Kong early on the 9th. I no longer expected to see him before he left. That evening, I wrote him a letter explaining that if I couldn't speak with him this time, I would wait until his next return from Hong Kong. On the morning of the 8th, I gave the letter to Qiao Shengli, deputy secretary of the Industrial Zone Party Committee, and asked him to forward it.
“没有。大蒜价格还要落,现在去联系价格不好商量。”	Later that morning, while I was visiting Wang Chaoliang in the office building, Deputy Director Huang Zhenchao hurried in.
“你何以预测出大蒜要落价?”	“Director Yuan is back—go see him quickly!”
“第一个信息,今年蒜薰多,蒜薰丰收,大蒜也必然丰收。现在买是我们求他,	I apologized to Wang, promising to reschedule, and followed Huang toward Yuan's office. The Industrial Zone office and Yuan's personal office were separated only by a glass partition. From a distance, I could see him holding a thick stack of documents. When we shook hands, Huang said, “Just a brief meeting—it won't take long.”
将来买是他来求我!”	Yuan smiled. “You're from Huacheng, aren't you? What conspiracy are you plotting?”
其机敏可见一斑。	His teasing instantly broke the ice, though I sensed a playful undertone behind the words. I knew Yuan had a deep interest in literature. Liang Xian once told me that years earlier, at a meeting in Beijing, Yuan had read Zhang Jie's story Love Must Not Be Forgotten and several essays about it, then asked, “Do you know this writer? Let's invite her to Shekou!” It seemed likely that Huacheng, the magazine I worked for, had caught his attention for similar reasons—and that his word “conspiracy” was meant in jest.
“我们搞的代购代销,是商品流通的一种形式,是市场调节的手段。现在我们 也考虑办エ厂,先上纸箱厂、饮料厂、瓷雕厂、裘装厂一这个是和外商合办的。还 准备买专利……等到1985年可以打个漂亮仗,纯收入拿500万,向国家提供600 万元税收。蓬莱缺大旅馆,外国人来了还要回烟台去住。我们准备盖个十三层的 高级旅馆,要有占地100亩的高尔夫球场,将来蓬莱以它特有的条件一蓬莱阁成 为烟台的贸易中心,吸引外商。他不了解你这些人,怎么投资?”	I smiled back. “It's an open conspiracy—to write about you and Shekou.”
他回身用拇指指指墙上的彩色挂历,那是一幅夏威夷海滩浴场的照片:“你看 这夏威夷海滨,我们蓬莱为什么不能搞成这样?”	He laughed and led me into a small reception room between the two offices. Settling comfortably into a rattan chair, he said,
他的笑容中或有当年“乐队队长”的率直和快乐。	“There's really nothing worth writing about me. Don't make it sound like everything here is perfect—there are plenty of problems. Reform is a struggle at every step, full of contradictions.”
“中国的革命,在某种意义上说是农民的革命,可是农民还没有得到应有的利 益。三中全会解决了这个问题,现在政策允许你的思维发展。过去在农村是智力 高的伺候智力低的。古话说:出头椽子先烂,烂也是ー辈子。不要珍惜你的生命, ー千岁又怎么样?要珍惜社会贡献……有人说我们吹牛X。随他!过去说吹牛X 不纳税,现在吹牛X得纳税,不信试试!”	“That's precisely what interests me,” I replied.
第四章在历史的接合部上	Yuan nodded. “A country without democracy can't function, and without giving people the right to supervise and recall their officials, there's no real democracy. We've reformed our cadre system. In other countries, when politicians speak, the public can throw rotten eggs or tomatoes at them. They hold up umbrellas and keep speaking. You might say their democracy is false, but even that helps sustain their system. We, under socialism, must have genuine democracy. Our bourgeois-democratic revolution was incomplete—Sun Yat-sen wanted democracy but died too soon to realize it. The Chinese nation is great, but its historical burdens are too heavy.”
是的,无数个瞬间,组成了人类历史的长河。	At that moment, writer Huang Hongjiang entered and added, “I recently met a Central Committee official's daughter studying enterprise management in America. She said much the same thing—living there made her realize how heavy our nation's burdens are.”
历史学家在研究历史的时候,没有忽视“瞬间”这个历史的“微粒”。战争的决 胜,国家的兴衰,在某个瞬间所引起的质变:项羽鸿门宴却步于樊哙之勇,司马懿ー 念败退于诸葛亮的空城计,希特勒对盟军诺曼底登陆之失算……历史往往在某个 瞬间悄悄地开始了一个时代。国家、民族的命运是这样,个人的命运也是这样。但 历史毕竟是个记忆衰退的老人,它向后人叙述的,大都是些概念,而文学,却需要到 光阴之河里去捕捞无数充满感情色彩的细节,组成它的艺术生命。趁历史还没有 走远,我们还来得及去回首看ー看那打着时代变革印记的无数个瞬间。	“America has no such constraints,” Yuan replied. “I mentioned in my report their Governor cigarette slogan—'Just do it.' Even Hong Kong couldn't accept that; they translated it as 'Should do it, then do it.' Of course, doing whatever you want isn't right either, but here we can't even do what should be done.”
那一瞬间,他们像没娘的孩子	I asked about his background. He answered briefly, emphasizing his Party membership and his imprisonment during the Cultural Revolution. Without realizing it, we had talked for nearly an hour when Deputy Director Wang Jingui entered, smiling but silent. His presence was a signal: it was time for Yuan to move on to his next meeting.
困惑篇	Soon after, Huang telephoned Yuan's wife, Wang Zongqian, who was staying at the Prince Hotel. We went there immediately. Mrs. Wang, gentle and composed, spoke with us for an hour, mostly about Yuan's imprisonment. Her account gave a vivid sense of his life inside and outside the prison walls.
“辛辛苦苦30年,一夜回到解放前！呜呜呜……”	“Many people lost their spirit after such torment,” she said softly, “but not him. It only made him stronger.”
烟台地区责任制的巨大闸门终于被撬动起来之时,在栖霞县ー个山沟的野布	I thought to myself: That's Yuan Geng.
大队办公室里,7个党支部委员对着毛主席的画像伤心地哭了起来。	A few days later, Qiao Shengli told Chen Yihao, “Director Yuan read your letter and said he'll speak with you next time he returns.”
他们平均55岁,7个人中有6个当过八路军、3个二等残疾军人一个个是共 产党的忠诚战士。这里是革命老区,许世友司令员曾住在附近的东下布。他们给 子弟兵缝过军装,养过伤员……是社会主义救了这个旧社会有名的“叫花子布”， 今天有了果园,有了水库,有了马车,有了柴油机和拖拉机……	But before that could happen, Yuan was invited to Fujian by Comrade Xiang Nan.
这些家业,都是他们听毛主席的话带领群众创出来的。今天毛主席订的某些 章程要更改了,是在他老人家已经不在了的时候……	On the morning of August 25, hearing that he had returned to Shekou, I hurried to call the Prince Hotel. It was too late—he was leaving for Hong Kong after noon, and his morning was already packed. Even while speaking to me, he had to pause to answer knocks at the door.
“呜呜呜……”老年人的哭声是悲怆的。	“Just ask your questions over the phone,” he said cheerfully. “No problem—we have no secrets.”
那一瞬间,他痛苦地否定了自己	I hadn't prepared for a phone interview and could only think of a few factual questions about his recent overseas visit, which he answered patiently one by one.
省悟篇	“Will this also be published?” he asked.
这是个倔老头儿!	“Not necessarily,” I said.
他很少服输。“文化大革命”中一连斗了他33次,在黄县,造反派都说他磨山 迟家是“小台湾”,而他迟本达,就是顽固不化的“蒋光头”。在批斗大会上,“造反 派”踢他ー脚,他当即回敬一拳,硬是把“造反派”给打散了。后来,他磨山迟家成 了“红色革命根据地”,县里的老干部,干社会主义的“铁柱子”,每天有几百人在这 里吃饭。现在他大小机械100多台,汽车3辆,拖拉机6台,果园!000亩,还搞不 过你的“大包干”?他有空就悄悄往邻队地里一蹲,不是去学习,而是挑刺儿。	“That's fine,” he replied. “Even foreigners heard my speech that day.”
和共和国同龄的县委书记杜世成,苦口婆心来劝说:“还是搞责任制好,700户 社员,就有700个’队长’,专业化、社会化是今后的方向。”	I asked, “When I prepare the proofs, may I send them for your review, just to avoid factual errors?”
老头儿不服劲儿,又不得不做出样子,把大锅饭改成“中锅饭”,ー个大队分成 两个,12个生产队分成了 24个生产组,中央不是说“多种形式”吗?	“No need,” he said. “Don't bother with reviews. Small mistakes don't matter. People have flesh and blood—it's natural to make a few errors. A little trouble is fine too.”
年底公社列表张榜,挂到会议室正面墙上,迟本达不敢过去正视,因为磨山迟 家这个一向当“领头雁”的,一下子变成了尾巴梢子,简直令人不敢相信,却又是千 真万确的事实!	“Thank you,” I said.
那一瞬间,老头子垂下了白花花的脑袋,却装着用手去搔头……	“Thank you,” he replied.
那一瞬间,他失明的双目透进了阳光	I suddenly remembered two remarks of Yuan's that seemed to capture his entire spirit.
——信仰篇	Once, he personally led a group of enterprise management trainees on a factory tour. Standing at the entrance of an aluminum plant, he told them that its construction had been contracted to a Japanese company. Twenty-three Japanese workers completed the entire facility in just twenty-seven days. They worked through heavy rain without pause. When one worker fell and was injured, his brother came, saw that the injury wasn't serious, and went straight back to work.
掖县是烟台地区的“西南大门”,紧挨着责任制搞得较早的昌潍地区。当初有 的领导同志曾提出:“掖县要挡住西南风!”	“Japan's prosperity,” Yuan said, “is perfectly understandable. With such discipline, how could they not become rich? And if China's reform were to fail, that would make no sense at all.”
ー个双目失明的瘦小老人点着ー根七尺长的竹竿走出来了,他是掖县过西乡	Now, after everything I had seen, I could only add: Shekou's reform failing would make no sense either.
徐家大队的当家人徐斌。这个双目失明的人当了 30多年支部书记,他用一根竹竿 探路,带着全村600多户人家,两千多口子人,从昨天走到今天。	9. Dapeng Spirit
一切都是摸索过来的。这或许反映了中国农民在特殊条件下的历史进程!	At sixty-six, Yuan Geng stood tall and composed, his bearing a blend of a diplomat and an entrepreneur, his presence marked by quiet charisma. But who was this man, and where had he come from?
他是怎样把徐家大队领成一个“先进”啊一竹竿上刻着尺寸,翻过的地,他 要逐块去量一量,看是否够深度。社员剜谷苗,他要去摸一摸稀疏。到后来,有的 社员锄地光锄地头,糊弄他这个瞎汉,他检查生产,不得不点着ー根竹竿,向青纱帐 深处走去。过去,这ー些被当作先进事迹,在各种会议上介绍,那其实是ー种多么 深刻的悲剧,ー种多么令人痛心的象征! !	Brush away the fog of history, and a vivid figure begins to emerge—a man of conviction whose footprints trace a long and turbulent path. Yuan Geng was born in Shuiba Village, Dapeng Town, Bao'an County (now Longgang District, Shenzhen), Guangdong Province. His family owned an orchard and lived in modest comfort. The winds and waves of Dapeng Bay shaped his temperament: calm in bearing but restless in spirit.
他率先实行了生产责任制。用竹竿捅破那长期以来形成的不符合实际情况的 固有观念!	In 1935, he graduated from Guangzhou's Guangya Middle School and later enrolled in a surveying institute. After a brief stint as a surveyor, he entered the Yantang Military Academy run by Chen Jitang. When Chen fell from power, the academy was absorbed into the Nationalist (Kuomintang) Central Military Academy. At school, Yuan was an energetic football goalkeeper, cultivating both a strong physique and a determined character.
他率先发展了商品生产,办起了糖厂、面粉加工厂、冰库（这是我见到的第一座 农民冰库）、修配厂……	After graduating, he grew disillusioned with what he saw: instructors who spoke of righteousness yet remained blind to the nation's peril. In anger, he returned to his hometown, where he became principal of Dapeng First Primary School and also helped organize local self-defense forces.
他不能看电影,却在全公社修起了第一座带座位的农民影院;他不能看书,却 办起了有数千册藏书的图书馆;他没有孩子在身边,却修起了连联合国的考察团也 为之咋舌的幼儿园。	The school operated under the Kuomintang, the self-defense corps was aligned with Deng Yanda's Third Party, and yet both were infiltrated by members of the underground Communist Party. Yuan—returning in his military uniform, sword at his side—was a local figure of influence, admired by all three factions. Wang Wen, the Communist county secretary, even lodged in his home and quietly observed him. Shared patriotic ideals soon drew Yuan into the Party's orbit.
他看不见色彩,却在创造着彩色的生活！	He worked closely with underground members Wang Wen, Zhong Wen, and Lai Zhongyuan, as well as teacher Wang Bai, a Party-trained activist. Together they organized night schools and performed anti-Japanese plays. During one performance of Put Down Your Whip, Wang Bai played the enslaved girl while Yuan took the role of the young man rushing to stop her father's cruelty. When he shouted, “Put down your whip!” he was so overcome by feeling that he forgot he was acting—his passion stirred the audience to rush forward with him.
王济夫带着《烟台日报》的总编辑刘鹏雁来到这里,激动不已,对总编辑说: “掖县有了领头人,发个头条!”	On March 27, 1939, Yuan Geng formally joined the Chinese Communist Party, introduced by comrades Wang Wen and Zhong Wen. From that day forward, he never once disgraced the title of Party member.