By Sun Le (孙乐), an editor with the EO online
Economic Observer Online
Feb 22, 2012
Translated by Zhu Na
Original article: [Chinese]  

In China, no one would think to contact the police about something as trivial as the theft of a bicycle; no reasonable person would expect that it could be found – you’re more likely to win the lottery.

But this is also a country where the theft of a bicycle can make headlines, captivate internet users and ignite debate.

 
The theft that made headlines concerns a Japanese nursing student who rode into the Hubei capital, Wuhan, on the early stages of a bicycle trip around the world and then had his bike stolen.

 
The student wrote about the misfortune on his microblog and soon the people of Wuhan, encouraged by their television newscasters, were helping their international friend (外国朋友) locate his bike. The Wuhan police responded quickly, sending out a search party that very evening. It was as though Wuhan’s reputation rested on the fate of this missing bike. 

China’s pride was restored that night, when the police found the bike in an illegal market and returned it to its owner.

What a happy ending! Wuhan demonstrated to its Japanese visitor the warmth of the Chinese people and the efficiency of their police. Unfortunately, that’s not the way that most internet users saw it. Wuhan police force’s exceptional achievement didn’t earn plaudits, but criticism from all sides.

Why was it that the police responded so quickly when a Japanese person lost his bicycle, whereas they act so slowly if any of their own citizens have their bikes stolen? Is the problem that the police can’t find bikes that have been stolen from Chinese people or that they don’t bother to look for them?

It’s not necessarily about nationality. When Chinese researcher Zhong Nanshan (钟南山), had his computer stolen recently, it was also found very quickly. It’s as though the police treat people differently according to their status.

If you’re not foreign or famous – just an ordinary person – you can expect second-class treatment. Aren’t people used to that?

This treatment has become so familiar that we use it to make sense of events – why does a stolen bike get television coverage? Because it’s labeled “Japanese” and thus becomes a question of China’s image abroad

Is the problem that police neglect ordinary people or that ordinary people let themselves be neglected? Government is always blamed for discontent, and social problems are always ascribed to mismanagement by officials.

But there are plenty of people acquiescing in this. If people reported every minor theft to the police, chased up the officers and made complaints for their incompetence, then wouldn’t the government take action? Wouldn’t lazy policemen lose their jobs? Wouldn’t this improve society?

We seem to be living in two separate worlds. Like Don Quixote fighting windmills, online, we identify all of society’s failings and attack every injustice, but find every excuse to reconcile ourselves to the inadequacies that we’ve described.

How many of us cherish the idea of one person one vote? But, we don’t even believe that we are worthy of claiming this right. We wait for someone to accord it to us. How then can we complain if society doesn’t turn out the way that we expect?

Why do foreigners always get special treatment in China? Is it because, unlike many Chinese who are willing to put up with the way things are, they insist on making a fuss?

The way you act, helps to determine what kind of country you live in. Only if you’re willing to stand-up for what’s right, will your country pay attention to your civil rights.

Links and Sources
ChinaSMACK: Japanese Man Cycling Globe Has Bike Stolen in Wuhan, China
People’s Daily Online: Serving the people urged after Japanese man\'s bike retrieved
Ministry of Tofu: Globe-trotting Japanese cyclist has bike stolen on China leg; netizens’ reaction