老外战“疫”记⑱丨英国媒体人Frank：万众一心则赢，我们一定会胜利！

编者的话：自新冠肺炎疫情发生以来，社会各界力量都积极参与到这场无声的战役中。而在这场看不见硝烟的战斗中，有一支特殊的力量，他们肤色不同、语言各异，在异乡的土地上，他们共同以友爱之名为抗“疫”之战贡献出星星之火。他们是工作、生活在江苏的各国友人。

JiangsuNow将邀请这些与我们并肩作战的外籍友人们讲述他们的抗“疫”故事。

近日，新华日报全媒体国际传播部收到一封特别的邮件，洋洋洒洒的1400多个英文单词里，英国人贺福（Frank Hossack）回顾了在他认知中，中国近五十年里战胜的地震、洪灾、非典、雪灾等一场场重大灾难，并肯定地说：“我们一定会胜利”。

贺福是南京女婿，人生的大半都在中国度过，2003年定居南京。曾经做过电台音乐节目主持人，也办过英语节目。2010年开始，贺福与在南京的外国人一起创办了英文杂志《南京人》（《Nanjinger》），运营两个英文网站和公众号，面向在南京和海外的外国人，用他们习惯的表述方式，讲述南京和南京人的故事。贺福积极致力于中西方文化交流，2015年被评为“情动江苏•杰出国际友人”。

（视频来源：江苏国际频道）

新冠肺炎疫情暴发后，这个洋女婿选择留在南京，他说：“政府的防控措施很好，信息公开透明，我想把我了解到的真实信息告诉给国外的读者。我相信中国一定能战胜病毒。”贺福和太太把中央电视台播出的一幅新型冠状病毒肺炎防护措施线路图翻译成英语并放在海外网站和社交媒体上。这张防护措施路线图，把上班、返程、就医、宅家、洗手、户外和居家观察七条线路，像乘地铁一样直观地呈现出来，从这一站出发到那一站该怎么办，简洁明了，给在中国生活的外国人带来极大便利。

除了翻译工作，这段时间，贺福还做了很多事，在网站和公众号上及时更新相关信息，介绍、解释中国的防疫防控措施，提醒读者一些必要的防护措施和最新的政策。春节期间，南京多处地标建筑亮灯为武汉加油，贺福和妻子创作英文口号“We will win together”，特地投稿，这一串闪烁在南京河西金鹰的巨型大屏上的单词，也为中国人民抗击新冠肺炎疫情注入更多信心。

除了赞扬中国政府及时高效的防控措施和全国各地的医疗卫生人员不知疲倦的奋斗，贺福还在信中比较了面对灾难，东西方不同的应对模式，他称赞中国模式更加有效、果断，而且是经过深思熟虑之后做出的决定。“政府在防控疫情方面是有准备、有能力的。如果政府觉得必须采取某些措施，那肯定会付之行动。中国已经动用了世界上最大规模的人力物力资源，应对这一巨大的挑战。”面对疫情，中国14亿人民万众一心宅在家里，贺福认为这是一种勇气和担当，也是对政府最好的支持。

自我在家隔离，远程办公的贺福说，外国人和南京人没有什么不同，都是这个城市的一份子。希望疫情赶快结束，早日恢复正常生活。“万众一心则赢，一盘散沙则亡。我们一定会胜利。”

We will Prevail

By Frank Hossack

When I was born, the Beijing metro had just opened 3 weeks earlier (National Day, 1969). I have spent more than half my life in China and it therefore seems fitting that I now reflect on the country’s present situation, for I have never before seen anything like it. 

Much has been written about the enormous change and challenge that China has undergone and endured in her thousands of years history. As our comrades in healthcare nationwide work tirelessly in the fight against the coronavirus, it’s worth noting how China has reacted to 50 years of natural disaster.

On 28 July, 1976, In the early hours, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the region around Tangshan, Hebei Province. In minutes, the city of Tangshan, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants, ceased to exist. 85 percent of buildings in the city collapsed or became unusable, all services failed and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. At the time, 10,000 miners were underground. Most escaped within hours, but some did not reach the surface until 2 weeks later. A quarter of a million people died, putting it in the top three earthquakes as regards fatalities in recorded history. It has been called one of the deadliest wraths of nature in modern times.

But we prevailed.

In 1998, China experienced massive flooding, that included the Yangtze River, the Nen River, the Songhua River and the Pearl River. Above average rainfall in the region for several months before and during the summer of 1998 brought double the normal amount of rainfall during the rainy season to most areas. Some regions experienced levels as much as nearly three times their historical average. Combined with above average rainfall since the previous winter, this pushed water levels to above cautionary levels. 4,150 people died, and 180 million people were affected. 13.3 million houses were damaged or destroyed in what was considered the worst Northern China flood in 40 years. I was living and working in Shanghai at the time. I called my parents in Scotland and told them 20 cm of rain had fallen on the city that day and that I had waded across the street to the corner shop. They said, “20cm? That’s impossible”. When it was all over, the Chinese People's Liberation Army had earned a tremendous amount of respect because of their heroic behaviour in fighting the floods.

And we prevailed.

In recent days, the facts of SARS have been widely reported. Less well known is the fact that in 2017, Chinese scientists traced the virus through the to cave-dwelling horseshoe bats in Yunnan province. As of 2020, there is still no cure or protective vaccine for SARS that has been shown to be both safe and effective in humans. 

Again, I was in Shanghai at the time. Foreigners fled the city. My first business failed. All my customers had gone home. The Chinese were more pragmatic. Gathering places, entertainment venues and restaurants were all shuttered but there was not the overwhelming response from the public that we are seeing today. I will touch on the reasons for this later. Many people wore masks when out and about but it was very far from the majority. Little attention was paid to hygiene.

But we prevailed.

2008 was to be a monumental year for China. As it got off to a start, the country was ravaged by some of the most sever winter storms in half a century. Jiangsu was one of the hardest hit areas. Nanjing was cut off for a week. All of Shanghai's skyline night lights were shut off to support relief efforts and were not back in action until the storm was declared officially over. It was also the first time that snow covered the entire Taklamakan Desert at the same time. The period was the coldest recorded across the country since 1986-87 and it killed hundreds of people. For myself, I spent the week in a hotel, unable to return to my home in Pukou, given that the Yangtze River Bridge was closed, deemed unsafe to cross.

Those winter storms were followed by the tragedy of the Wenchuan earthquake that took place at 14:28:01, on 12 May, 2008. After the death and destruction, the State Council declared a 3-day period of national mourning for the quake victims, starting from 19 May, 2008. China's National Flag and the flags of Hong Kong and Macau were flown at half mast. Many websites converted their home page to black and white. I remember observing a minute of silence with my colleagues in our office in Nanjing’s Golden Eagle in Xinjiekou. Afterwards, in Tiananmen Square, crowds spontaneously burst out cheering various slogans, including "Long Live China”. On Children's Day, June 1, many parents went to the rubble of schools to mourn for their children.

Yet, the same year also saw China host its first Olympic Games and a Chinese man complete the country’s first spacewalk.

We had once again prevailed.

11 years after the tragedy of Wenchuan, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan Province again last June. This time however, tragedy found a hero in Wan Hao, the man who, after Wenchuan, dedicated himself to developing China’s earthquake early warning system that last saved hundreds seconds before the disaster hit. If the Wenchuan earthquake were to occur again with the early warning system, the number of deaths might be reduced by 20,000 to 30,000. The story hit headlines, and quite deservedly. Yet, the media made little reference to one 44 years prior, known for being one of the few earthquakes to be successfully predicted throughout history. The 1975 Haicheng earthquake hit with the magnitude of 7.5 that is associated with total destruction of infrastructure and property. However, Haicheng had been evacuated hours earlier, the government believing there to be a large chance of an earthquake occurring. The death toll that could have been as much as 150,000 was 2,041.

Not only had we prevailed, we had done it twice. And we were now better prepared for the future.

Much comparison with the current coronavirus has been made with SARS. Most of it is unwarranted, particularly as to public education.

Back in 2002 when the SARS virus hit, there was virtually no Internet in China. People replied on traditional media for their news, which was often slow, cumbersome and inaccurate. Today, all media is online and there is also WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. The Chinese people are today much better informed. This media literacy is playing an enormous role in our fighting of the coronavirus.

When the panic buying of masks started, I reached out to my family in other countries; my sister in France and two cousins in the UK. Their response was immediate. They quickly went about assembling supplies; surgical masks, hand sanitiser, alcohol wipes and other disinfectants. Very soon they found that masks were already sold out in many places, both in the UK and France, presumably bought by other people with the same purpose to send on to family and friends in China. I received a barrage of emails from them informing me that they had at last found a supply of masks, that the packages were on their way and the tracking numbers thereof. A cousin I have never met who is a retired vet had a supply of masks. They have sent them to China for me without being asked.

As I write and while I wait for those packages to arrive, I worry for my second business.

I will close with a comparison of east and west when it comes to dealing with humanitarian crisis. The Western model is slower, less certain with inefficient decision-making, and cannot make moves nearly as drastic. By contrast, the Eastern model is efficient, deliberate and swift.

If the government deems that something must be done, so it shall be. After Tangshan in 1976, the government's response showed that it was prepared and competent to quickly provide relief.

Without the cooperation of the people, any government is very limited in what it can achieve. When the two work together, miracles happen. In 2020, China has mustered the largest human resource on the planet to address urgent common concern. This year, in Wuhan, the human cost is unbearable, the economic cost incalculable.

Divided we fall. United we stand. We will prevail.

我们一定会胜利

我出生于1969年，那时北京地铁刚刚开通了三周（从十月一日国庆节开始）。我人生的大半时间都是在中国度过的，所以我觉得自己可以发表一下对中国目前形势的看法，毕竟这是我以前从未遇到过的。

关于中国在数千年历史长河中发生的巨大变化和遭遇的严峻挑战，已经有太多这方面的文章了。当全国各地的医疗卫生人员都在不知疲倦地抗击疫情时，有必要回顾一下中国在最近五十年应对自然灾害中的表现。

1976年7月28日凌晨，河北唐山市发生7.8级地震。在数分钟内，唐山这座拥有百万人口的工业重镇被夷为平地。市内85%的建筑倒塌或者无法再用，公共服务陷入瘫痪，大多数公路和铁路桥梁要么中断要么严重损坏。同时，一万多名矿工滞留井下。虽然在几小时内，这些矿工大多数得以生还，但是还有一部分人直到两周后才被救出。唐山地震造成了20多万人死亡，是世界地震史上伤亡最惨重的三大地震之一，也被认为是现代以来最致命的天灾之一。

但是我们赢得了胜利。

在1998年，中国遭遇了特大洪水，长江、嫩江、松花江和珠江等都发生洪水灾害。在当年夏季开始前以及整个夏季的数月时间里，这些流域降水量都超过了平均水平，大多数地区雨季开始后降水量达到了平均水平的两倍，还有些地区的降水量接近历史均值的三倍。由于之前的冬季就降雨量偏高，使得这些流域的水位线都超过了警戒线。洪水造成了4千多人死亡，受灾人口也达到了2亿人，另有近万房屋损坏或者倒塌。在中国北方，这场洪灾也是40年来最严重的。我当时就生活和工作在上海。有一天，我给我在苏格兰的父母打电话，告诉他们那天上海降雨量达到了20厘米，我只能蹚水过街去一个街角小店。他们说：“20厘米？不可能吧。“ 当洪灾过后，因为在抗灾救灾中的英勇行为，中国人民解放军赢得了巨大的尊敬。

但是我们赢得了胜利。

最近以来，又有很多关于非典的报道。但是很少有人知道的一个事实就是，直到2017年中国科学家才在云南一处洞穴中发现菊头蝠是携带非典病毒的来源。到2020年，仍然没有办法研制出完全有效、安全的非典疫苗。

非典肆虐时，我也在上海。很多外国人逃离了这座城市，我第一次创业也失败了，所有的客户都回国了。中国人是很务实的。那时候聚会娱乐场所和餐厅都关门歇业，但是当时的民众情绪不像今天这样强烈，我接下来会讲这里面的原因。总之，当时有些人出门活动时就带着口罩，但是大多数并没有这样做，那时候人们对卫生并不十分在意。

但是我们赢得了胜利。

2008年对中国也是有特殊意义的一年。 年初中国就遭遇了半个世纪以来最严重的雪灾。江苏是受灾最严重的地区之一，上海也关闭了夜间景观灯照明，以节约用电支持抗灾救灾，直到灾情结束。整个塔克拉玛干沙漠第一次都被白雪覆盖。那个时候是1986-87年有记录以来全国最寒冷的季节，上百人死亡。那时，我在宾馆里待了一周，没法回到我在浦口的家，因为长江大桥为安全起见也暂停通车。

在这场雪灾之后紧接着就是2008年5月12日14时28分发生的汶川大地震，造成了巨大伤亡和破坏。国务院宣布从5月19日开始为期三天的全国哀悼日，悼念大地震中的遇难者。中国各地，包括香港和澳门特别行政区都降半旗致哀。很多网站把首页颜色变成了黑白色，我和同事也在我们位于新街口金鹰国际商城的办公室里默哀一分钟。在天安门广场，群众在默哀后自发高呼“中国万岁“。在那年的六一儿童节，很多家长返回被地震震毁的学校，悼念他们失去的孩子。

但是，也就是在同一年，中国第一次举办了奥运会，中国宇航员也完成了首次太空行走。

我们又一次赢得了胜利。

在汶川地震这场悲剧发生11年后，四川又在去年6月发生了6.0级地震。幸运的是在地震发生前数十秒就发出了警告，挽救了数百人的生命，其中一位幕后英雄就是王暾，他在汶川地震后就致力于开发中国的地震预警系统。如果汶川地震再次发生，那么这样的预警系统估计可以将死亡人数减少2-3万。关于地震预警的报道理所当然地成了新闻头条。然而，媒体很少提及45年前发生的海城地震，那是人类历史上迄今为止极少数被成功预报的地震。1975年发生的里氏7.3级海城地震给基础设施和建筑造成了彻底破坏。由于政府认为很可能会发生地震，就在海城地震发生数小时前就发出了预报，所以将地震死亡人数降低到了2041人。如果不是因为提前预报，这样一场地震估计造成15万人死亡。

我们不仅赢得了胜利，而且是两次获胜。面对未来，我们现在准备得更加充分。

关于这次新冠肺炎和非典的比较，已经非常多了。但是，很多比较不够合理，特别是公众教育方面。

2002年非典发生时，中国的互联网并不十分发达。人们主要依据传统媒体阅读新闻，这种报道比较慢、篇幅冗长，有时也不够准确。今天，几乎所有媒体都提供网上阅读服务，而且还有微信、微博和抖音这类新媒体。中国人今天比以前更加消息灵通，这种媒介素养在抗击新冠肺炎方面至关重要。

当人们抢购口罩时，我联系了我在其他国家的家人，包括在法国和英国的亲戚。他们反应都很迅速，立即开始准备物品，包括口罩、洗手液、酒精湿巾和其它消毒用品。很快，他们就发现法国和英国一些地方的口罩销售一空，估计也是被人们买了后寄给在中国的家人或者朋友。他们给我发了很多电子邮件，告诉我终于买到一些口罩，把快递查询单号也告诉我。我有一位表亲是退休兽医，他还有一些口罩。我们从来没见过面，但他问都没有问就把口罩寄给了我。

在我写这些文字以及等待这些快递时， 我对我的第二次创业也不无担忧。

最后，我想比较一下东西方如何应对这些灾难，作为这篇文章的结束。西方的模式是缓慢的，其低效的决策造成更多不确定，也无法采取如此强有力的措施。相比而言，东方的模式更加有效、果断，而且是经过深思熟虑之后做出的决定。

如果政府觉得必须采取某些措施，那肯定会付之行动。自从1976年唐山大地震后，抗灾救灾方面的措施说明政府是有准备有能力的。

没有人民的合作，任何政府都难有所作为。当两者紧密合作，就会出现奇迹。在2020年，中国已经动用了世界上最大规模的人力资源，应对这一巨大的挑战。今年，武汉所遭遇的伤亡是沉重的，经济损失也难以估计。

 万众一心则赢，一盘散沙则亡。我们一定会胜利。

交汇点记者 朱娜

编辑: 刘浏