翻译Don’t flaunt it

Don’t flaunt it

Rubber-stamp billionaires

LEGISLATIVE impotence aside, many of the 3,000 delegates now gathered in Beijing for the annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament are genuine movers and shakers. Delegates at this year’s National People’s Congress (NPC) include 90 people on a locally published list of China’s 1,000 richest people. To get on it you must be worth at least 1.8 billion yuan ($290m). 抛开立法的重要性不谈,现在齐聚北京

参加一年一度的橡皮图章会议的3000代表才是真正的运筹帷幄之人。参加今年的全国人民代表大会(NPC)的代表中有90人被列入了地区前1000名富豪榜。上其富豪榜的门槛是18亿元人民币(合290美元)。

One delegate is Zong Qinghou (pictured), chairman of the Hangzhou Wahaha Group, a soft-drink maker. Mr Zong is reckoned to be mainland China’s richest man, with a fortune worth $13 billion. There are also billionaires from the technology and property industries, all given sinecures to help keep them inside the Communist Party’s political tent. 一个代表是宗庆后(如图),杭州娃哈哈集团的主席,一

个软饮料制造商。宗庆后被认为是中国内地首富,他拥有130亿美元的财富。代表中也有来自技术和房地产行业的富豪，他们都是有闲职的，这样才能保证他们能在中共政治下继续发展。

At last year’s NPC session wealthy legislators came in for sharp scrutiny—and scorn—from citizens scouring news photos for evidence of designer clothing and expensive handbags. This year delegates have been more careful to cover up their pricey status symbols. 在去年的全国人代会富有的代表们为索要照片和证据而来，为外界传言的带有讽刺意味的照片、服装、以及手提包等。今年的代表们已更小心掩饰代表他们富豪身份的象征了。

Yet contradictions remain in clear view. The ultra-rich make up only 3% of the delegates, but many of the rest are regional officials who also enjoy life at the top end of the inequality curve. China’s parliament may not be about rejecting legislation, but it is a good indicator of where influence lies. Many of the new senior leaders that are about to be rubber-stamped into office proclaim a desire to reduce inequality. But when it comes to preserving vested interests, in China as elsewhere, the ayes usually have it. 然而矛盾仍然清晰可见。超级富

豪只占了代表的3%,代表中很多是享受着不平等奢侈生活的地方官员。中国的人民代表大会可能不会拒绝立法,但是它却很好地暗示了会有哪些影响。许多新的将要成为人大代表的高层领导人都怀着缓解不平等问题愿。但是当谈到保护既得利益,在中国就像在其它地方一样,赞成者们都会享有利益。