BEIJING - The United States isn't the only country holding an election this week. The Chinese village of Yutai, in Henan Province, also held a vote to elect their village head. Below is a translation from a BBS post from a person in the village. The original post, in Chinese, can be found here.
Yu Tai Village (Qinyang City, Henan province) had its own election on October 30th, 2008. The number of candidates made it a really tight competition. In order to compete, all the candidates campaigned their best to win. The whole election process was quite a show. It was like a big festival. As you entered the village, you were fully embraced by the “election” atmosphere. Brochures and flyers were sent out to everyone on the street. You had to pass “rainbow” bridges to go in to the village. The propaganda lines and images were everywhere you can imagine. And of course, there was no shortage of music and pretty girls. You may have experienced an election somewhere before, but not this kind: this was a village-level election in China. (I shot these photos via my mobile phone)
Picture One:
One on the right side of the red bridge:“Yang Jun (a candidate) is young, capable and full of energy." The other one, on the left, said: “He is willing to work hard to make villagers rich.”
Picture Two:
The security guards, in red, are welcoming voters.
Picture Three:
Candidate Chen Guanli’s campaign line is: “Chen always follows the Communist Party of China.”
Picture Four:
On the red board, Candidate Yin Shenghai warned the voters: "Don’t be fooled! Follow your own heart!” The top line reminds people how much another candidate has invested in the village to benefit villagers.
Picture Five:
Three major candidates post their propaganda lines together, on each of their own lines showed how capable they are and what they can do to benefit the villagers if they were elected.
Picture Six:
Candidate Chen Guanli’s promise to the voters:
He is willing to use his own money to:
Give 100 yuan to all communist party members in the village over age 60
Give an additional 100 yuan to all villagers over the age of 80
Give 200 yuan to students who pass the examination and enter the No. 1 middle school
Give 300 yuan to students who pass the college examination
Give 500 yuan to students who pass the university examination
Give 1000 yuan to students who are accepted to renowned universities
Give 500 yuan per year to very poor families
Picture Seven:
Chen Guanli's campaign flyer: A Hearted Promise from Chen Guanli
1. I promise to give 1,000,000 yuan over three years to all the poor families, students, and elder communist party numbers of our village
2. I promise to give around 1,600,000 yuan to all the villagers as medical care and insurance, which comes out of my own savings
3. I promise again the money I mentioned above is all coming from my own money. I won’t use a pence of the villagers’money.
4. Look at my actions, I will keep my promise.
Picture Eight:
Cast your ballot here.
Picture Twelve:
Count!
Comments:
作者： 馄饨［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 09:17
只能说民主意识提高了不少。。。。。浪费严重。这么大排场不得不让人怀疑当选后是否有巨大的利益可得
The democracy sense has been improved a lot. But what a waste of money! Such a big festival kind of election makes me wonder what huge interest is behind it.
作者： bajie［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 12:15
这样好，比内定的再出来装模作样选举的强多了
I think this is not bad! It is way better than just putting on a show, but they already had someone appointed.
作者： bankro［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 13:55
能够不顾脸面做这样滑稽的事，证明了背后有多么大的利益让他们追逐~！~！可见大家都知道党了村长的好处~！~！~党了村长就掌握了土地使用权啊~！~
This is freaking funny! It proves how huge the benefit is to be the head of a village. The village head has control over the land!
作者： 乐［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:06
我们村当过村长的人都先富有起来（四层房子+豪华装修，没见过村委有人上班的）了，GCD说的让一部分人先富起来，就是当GCD那部分。
The village head of my village has got rich first! (A four-floor villa with fancy decorations... I have never seen any of the leaders in the village government go to work.) GCD promised to make a portion of popularity get rich first , surely they got rich first of all.
作者： 又被和谐［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:08
农村这种形式只是少数地方，大多数地方还是只有一个候选人，拿票到你家里盯着你添，你选也是他，不选也是他！
This is still rare in most of the villages in China. Mostly, there is just one candidate. He goes to every village’s house and makes them write his name down on the ballot. You vote, it is him. You don’t vote, it is him, too.
作者： 阿Q［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:14
强烈支持，中国的新希望从农村开始！
Support this strongly! The hope of China starts from the village!
Yu Tai Village (Qinyang City, Henan province) had its own election on October 30th, 2008. The number of candidates made it a really tight competition. In order to compete, all the candidates campaigned their best to win. The whole election process was quite a show. It was like a big festival. As you entered the village, you were fully embraced by the “election” atmosphere. Brochures and flyers were sent out to everyone on the street. You had to pass “rainbow” bridges to go in to the village. The propaganda lines and images were everywhere you can imagine. And of course, there was no shortage of music and pretty girls. You may have experienced an election somewhere before, but not this kind: this was a village-level election in China. (I shot these photos via my mobile phone)
Picture One:
One on the right side of the red bridge:“Yang Jun (a candidate) is young, capable and full of energy." The other one, on the left, said: “He is willing to work hard to make villagers rich.”
Picture Two:
The security guards, in red, are welcoming voters.
Picture Three:
Candidate Chen Guanli’s campaign line is: “Chen always follows the Communist Party of China.”
Picture Four:
On the red board, Candidate Yin Shenghai warned the voters: "Don’t be fooled! Follow your own heart!” The top line reminds people how much another candidate has invested in the village to benefit villagers.
Picture Five:
Three major candidates post their propaganda lines together, on each of their own lines showed how capable they are and what they can do to benefit the villagers if they were elected.
Picture Six:
Candidate Chen Guanli’s promise to the voters:
He is willing to use his own money to:
Give 100 yuan to all communist party members in the village over age 60
Give an additional 100 yuan to all villagers over the age of 80
Give 200 yuan to students who pass the examination and enter the No. 1 middle school
Give 300 yuan to students who pass the college examination
Give 500 yuan to students who pass the university examination
Give 1000 yuan to students who are accepted to renowned universities
Give 500 yuan per year to very poor families
Picture Seven:
Chen Guanli's campaign flyer: A Hearted Promise from Chen Guanli
1. I promise to give 1,000,000 yuan over three years to all the poor families, students, and elder communist party numbers of our village
2. I promise to give around 1,600,000 yuan to all the villagers as medical care and insurance, which comes out of my own savings
3. I promise again the money I mentioned above is all coming from my own money. I won’t use a pence of the villagers’money.
4. Look at my actions, I will keep my promise.
Picture Eight:
Cast your ballot here.
Picture Twelve:
Count!
Comments:
作者： 馄饨［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 09:17
只能说民主意识提高了不少。。。。。浪费严重。这么大排场不得不让人怀疑当选后是否有巨大的利益可得
The democracy sense has been improved a lot. But what a waste of money! Such a big festival kind of election makes me wonder what huge interest is behind it.
作者： bajie［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 12:15
这样好，比内定的再出来装模作样选举的强多了
I think this is not bad! It is way better than just putting on a show, but they already had someone appointed.
作者： bankro［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 13:55
能够不顾脸面做这样滑稽的事，证明了背后有多么大的利益让他们追逐~！~！可见大家都知道党了村长的好处~！~！~党了村长就掌握了土地使用权啊~！~
This is freaking funny! It proves how huge the benefit is to be the head of a village. The village head has control over the land!
作者： 乐［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:06
我们村当过村长的人都先富有起来（四层房子+豪华装修，没见过村委有人上班的）了，GCD说的让一部分人先富起来，就是当GCD那部分。
The village head of my village has got rich first! (A four-floor villa with fancy decorations... I have never seen any of the leaders in the village government go to work.) GCD promised to make a portion of popularity get rich first , surely they got rich first of all.
作者： 又被和谐［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:08
农村这种形式只是少数地方，大多数地方还是只有一个候选人，拿票到你家里盯着你添，你选也是他，不选也是他！
This is still rare in most of the villages in China. Mostly, there is just one candidate. He goes to every village’s house and makes them write his name down on the ballot. You vote, it is him. You don’t vote, it is him, too.
作者： 阿Q［个人空间］ ［给我留言］ 发表:2008-11-04 14:14
强烈支持，中国的新希望从农村开始！
Support this strongly! The hope of China starts from the village!
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1 Response to "Chinese villagers head to the polls" 
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said this on 05 Nov 2008 11:02:24 PM PST
Your attempt to use someone else's material goes astray--the photos are a compilation of different elections, held many months ago; in at least one case, nearly two years ago.
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