Upper-Intermediate - The Glory of Labor (D0502)

终于盼到五一黄金周了。我们劳动人民辛苦了一年，总算可以好好休息一下了。
zhōngyú pàndào Wǔyī huángjīnzhōu le 。wǒmen láodòng rénmín xīnkǔ le yī nián ，zǒngsuàn kěyǐ hǎohāo xiūxi yīxià le 。
The Golden Week we've been looking forward to is here at last. We working people have sweated it out for yet another year, and now we can finally get a little rest.

有那么夸张吗？现在一年有三个黄金周，不知道有多幸福呢。不过话说回来，大家现在好像都一门心思地关心放假，没人重视劳动节的劳动意义了。以前大家老把“劳动最光荣”挂在嘴边，现在还有几个记得啊？
yǒu nàme kuāzhāng ma ？xiànzài yī nián yǒu sān ge huángjīnzhōu ，bù zhīdào yǒu duō xìngfú ne 。bùguò huà shuō huílai ，dàjiā xiànzài hǎoxiàng dōu yīménxīnsi de guānxīn fàngjià ，méirén zhòngshì Láodòngjié de láodòng yìyì le 。yǐqián dàjiā lǎo bǎ “láodòng zuì guāngróng ” guà zài zuǐbiān ，xiànzài hái yǒu jǐ ge jìde a ？
Is it that bad? Now there are three golden weeks a year, and I can't tell you how great that is. On the other hand, though, it does seem like everyone is focused on the vacation. No one puts any importance on the labor-related meaning. Before, everyone was always using the phrase "labor is the most glorious," but how many people remember it now?

哎，时代不同了嘛。刚建国的时候，不管什么行业、什么工作，大家都一条心，争着去劳动，个个都想为国家作贡献。
āi ，shídài bùtóng le ma 。gāng jiànguó de shíhou ，bùguǎn shénme hángyè 、shénme gōngzuò ，dàjiā dōu yī tiáo xīn ，zhēng zhe qù láodòng ，gègè dōu xiǎng wèi guójiā zuò gòngxiàn 。
Ah, it's a different era. When the state had just been established, no matter what your industry or job was, you and everyone else were of one mind, all striving to make a contribution to the nation through labor.

那倒是。过去劳动人民一直受压迫，直到新中国成立，才翻身做了主人了。你说，能不兴奋吗？
nà dàoshì 。guòqù láodòng rénmín yīzhí shòu yāpò ，zhídào xīn Zhōngguó chénglì ，cái fānshēn zuò le zhǔrén le 。nǐ shuō ，néng bù xīngfèn ma ？
That's true. In the past the working people were always oppressed, up until the establishment of the new government, when the roles were reversed and they could take control. Tell me, how could that not be exciting?

那当然。所以，新中国一成立，政府就把国际劳动节定为法定假日，全国放假一天。
nà dāngrán 。suǒyǐ ，xīn Zhōngguó yī chénglì ，zhèngfǔ jiù bǎ Guójì Láodòngjié dìng wéi fǎdìng jiàrì ，quánguó fàngjià yī tiān 。
Of course it is. So when the new government was established, it declared International Labor Day a state holiday, giving the whole nation the day off.

我想起来了，前几天我看了一个纪录片，说的就是五十年代，人们怎么庆祝五一的。那时候全国欢庆，就跟过年一样。
wǒ xiǎng qilai le ，qián jǐ tiān wǒ kàn le yī ge jìlùpiàn ，shuō de jiùshì wǔshí niándài ，rénmen zěnme qìngzhù Wǔyī de 。nà shíhou quánguó huānqìng ，jiù gēn guònián yīyàng 。
I just remembered something. I watched a documentary a few days ago and it was about how the people celebrated May first in the fifties. Back then the entire nation really got into it, just like Chinese New Year.

是啊，我到现在还记得爸爸妈妈单位里组织的五一联欢会。每年都会评选劳动模范，每个人胸前还戴上一朵大红花。可有意思了。
shì a ，wǒ dào xiànzài hái jìde bàba māma dānwèi lǐ zǔzhī de Wǔyī liánhuānhuì 。měinián dōu huì píngxuǎn láodòng mófàn ，měi ge rén xiōng qián hái dàishàng yī duǒ dà hónghuā 。kě yǒuyìsi le 。
Yeah, even now I can remember the celebration that my parents' work unit organized. Every year they would select model workers, and each one would wear a large red corsage on his chest. It's really interesting.

没错、没错，还会评全国劳模。要知道能评上这个称号是很光荣的。所以大家的工作积极性都很高。
méicuò 、méicuò ，hái huì píng quánguó láomó 。yào zhīdào néng píngshàng zhège chēnghào shì hěn guāngróng de 。suǒyǐ dàjiā de gōngzuò jījíxìng dōu hěn gāo 。
Yup, yup. And they'd choose a national model worker too. You have to understand that being given this title was really an honor. So everyone's enthusiasm for work was really high.

嗯，听说那时还练出很多绝活。比如售货员，抓一把就知道东西有多重，准极了。
ng4 ，tīngshuō nàshí hái liàn chū hěn duō juéhuó 。bǐrú shòuhuòyuán ，zhuā yī bǎ jiù zhīdào dōngxi yǒu duō zhòng ，zhǔn jí le 。
Yeah, I've heard that back then a bunch of people mastered some weird talents as well. For example, vendors could grab a handful of something and know how much it weighed, extremely accurately.

对啊，真让人佩服。现在可没人这么做了，大家都忙着赚钱。
duì a ，zhēn ràng rén pèifú 。xiànzài kě méirén zhème zuò le ，dàjiā dōu máng zhe zhuànqián 。
Right, it's really impressive. Now there's just no one doing it. Everyone's too busy making money.

赚钱也是劳动啊。这就叫有中国特色的社会主义。
zhuànqián yě shì láodòng a 。zhè jiù jiào yǒu Zhōngguó tèsè de shèhuìzhǔyì 。
Making money is also labor. This is what is called "socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Vocabulary

心思	xīnsi	thought, idea
光荣	guāngróng	honor; glory
贡献	gòngxiàn	contribution
压迫	yāpò	to oppress
法定	fǎdìng	legal; statutory
欢庆	huānqìng	to celebrate joyously; celebration
联欢会	liánhuānhuì	get-together, gathering
模范	mófàn	model, exemplary
绝活	juéhuó	unique skill, talent
表彰	biǎozhāng	honor, cite, commend
无私	wúsī	unselfish
自私	zìsī	selfish
天翻地覆	tiānfāndìfù	earth-shaking
漠不关心	mòbùguānxīn	indifferent; unconcerned