想不到做中日比较，看到中国自己的差距，竟然会让一些人不爽。会 censor 这样的东西。这也显示了中日的差距。

In crisis, Chinese see the gap with Japan

For many Chinese who are shocked to see the devastation inflicted by the 9.0 earthquake, powerful tsunami and radiation leaks in Japan, the spirit displayed by the Japanese during the past 10 days is simply stunning.

Since Day One, photos and reports about the calm, civility and orderliness of the Japanese people in the disaster-hit region have been widely circulated among the Chinese media and the public.

One photo shows how people line up in front of public telephone booths in good order, the other zooms in on the composure of crowds waiting in a subway station where service was temporarily suspended. Still another catches the moment of two Japanese women bowing deeply to international rescuers passing by.

One story written by a Chinese student in Japan tells how the teacher asked every student to seek shelter under the desks while he himself stood in the center of the classroom, exposing to the risk of possible falling ceilings. The other article is just repeating a Japanese myth to many Chinese. After hundreds of people left the green belts in the middle of the roads where they sought shelter for hours after the violent seismic tremor, no litter was found on the ground. Years ago, it was no garbage at all in a fully-packed Japanese stadium after a World Cup soccer match.

Many Chinese also feel awed at the strict construction codes in Japan. Most school buildings have withstood the strong quake and become shelters for displaced survivors, a big contrast to the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 when hundreds of school buildings collapsed within seconds, killing tens of thousands of students.

In fact, the 15-member Chinese search and rescue team to Japan last week had set up their tents on the playground of a local high school, where buildings remain intact.

The most moving of all is the Fukushima 50 who decided to sacrifice their lives in the fight to prevent a nuclear meltdown.

It would be wrong to say that those Japanese have no anxiety in their heart during the crisis, but civility and discipline, which Japanese have been taught and practiced since childhood days, have enabled them to display such grace under stress.

It is a big contrast to what happened a few days ago when panic salt buying frenzy swept many Chinese cities. Even with no crisis but sheer rumor, there is no calm to mention at all among the panic buyers.

That is why it should not be surprising for Chinese to be impressed by what the Japanese have exhibited in the disaster.

Many Chinese cities are still fighting an incessant battle against jay-walking, littering and spitting in public places. The garbage at bus stops, train stations, theaters and stadiums is still a constant eyesore. Many people still like to push around on sidewalks, in shops and even elevators.

Some of my high school alumni who are now living overseas talked in a recent gathering how they are amazed to find the growing living standards on the Chinese mainland but dismayed at the excessive material worship and lack of civility, courtesy and moral criteria in the society.

While China formally surpassed Japan as the world’s second largest economy last year, what the Japanese have demonstrated during the current crisis tells Chinese what the gap remains in catching up with Japan or in moving towards a harmonious society.

For decades, the pursuit of gross domestic product (GDP) growth has been the main and only goal in modernization. Everything has to be measured by economic terms. There is a lot of attention on teaching students about science and technology, yet very little attention paid on the education of liberal art and humanities. Campaigns on the so-called ethical and cultural progress have been largely lip service.

What the Japanese have exhibited during the crisis has revealed a serious crisis we have ignored for too long. It is no less important a task than fighting inflation, property prices and income gap, which are the nation’s priorities.