中國公益圖書館被關停 組織者稱受到政府壓力

A nongovernmental organization that had run a rural library project with as many as 22 libraries across China has announced that it is closing down, citing “tremendous pressure” from the local authorities.

一間曾運營一個鄉村圖書館項目的非政府機構宣佈關停，表示不堪來自地方當局的“巨大的壓力”。該項目曾在全中國擁有多達22個圖書館。

Since 2007, Liren — which means helping someone find his way — had devoted itself to providing children in underprivileged areas with free access to books and fostering independent thinking. Its founder, Li Yingqiang, who studied economics at Peking University, had started by building a library in his own former school in Hubei Province. From there, the group formed partnerships with other primary and secondary schools, donating books and sending volunteers to help run libraries and organize reading sessions for students. Some Liren libraries that did not have partnerships with local schools were run by volunteers from private premises.

自2007年，立人一直致力於爲相對貧困地區的孩子們提供可供免費閱讀的書籍及培養獨立思考能力。曾在北京大學讀經濟學的機構創始人李英強從在湖北省的母校成立一所圖書館爲起點，啓動了這個項目。自此，這個組織與其他小學及中學建立合作關係、捐贈書籍，並派志願者協助圖書館運營併爲學生組織讀書會。一些沒有和當地學校合作的立人圖書館則由志願者在私人住宅運營。

In an open letter posted last week on its social media accounts, the group said it had ceased operations at nine libraries in early September, in most cases after rural schools terminated their partnerships. In one case, a library run by a volunteer from his home in Huaibin County, Henan Province was shut down by the local civil affairs department, which the group said did not give a reason for its actions.

在一封上週發佈在社交媒體賬戶的公開信中，該組織表示，自9月初，九家圖書館的運營已經終止——其中多數情況是鄉村學校終止了與立人的合作關係。在一例關停事件中，一個由河南省淮濱縣一名志願者用自家房屋運營的圖書館，被當地民政局取締。該組織表示，民政局沒有給出取締理由。

An official who gave only his surname, Jian, at the Huaibin civil affairs department said such matters were handled by the cultural affairs department, but the person who answered the telephone there said he knew nothing about it. Calls to the county’s education department went unanswered.

淮濱縣民政局一位只透露了自己姓簡的官員表示，這種事件由文化局處理。但是文化局一名接聽電話的職員表示他不知道這個事件。淮濱縣教育局的電話無人接聽。

The nine libraries whose relationship with Liren has just ended bring to 19 the number that have left the group’s network since 2011. In August, several schools told Liren they were ending the partnership, and by September, all Liren libraries had undergone inspections by officials from the local cultural affairs and education departments or public security bureaus. However, volunteers said the officials did not find any illegal publications or activity.

已從該機構鄉村圖書館網絡中消失的圖書館增至了19個。8月，幾所學校向立人表示它們要終止合作。至9月，所有立人圖書館都經歷了來自當地文化局、教育局官員或公安局的檢查。然而，志願者說，官員們沒有發現任何違法出版物或不法活動。

In their online letter, which was posted Thursday night, the group said: “We condemn the authorities for putting tremendous pressure on Liren, shutting down our branches, illegally seizing books, and threatening or even sending away our staffers and volunteers,” the letter read. The organization had 28 staff members and volunteers before it shut down.

在週四晚間發佈的公開信中，該組織說道：我們向“逼迫立人圖書館，關停分館，非法扣留圖書，威脅甚至遣返員工志願者的有關當局發出我們的抗議和譴責”。該機構在停止運營前有28名員工及志願者。

The letter, which was on Sina Weibo and the messaging app WeChat, had been deleted by Friday morning. The group said it did not delete the n’s board members said they are confused by the inspections and the schools’ decisions to end partnerships, saying neither the schools nor the authorities had provided a satisfying explanation. “Honestly, I have no idea why so many of our branches were shut down,” Mr. Li said in a telephone interview.

這封發佈於微博和微信上的公開信於週五早上被刪除，該組織說其並未刪除發文。立人理事會成員表示，他們對檢查和學校終止合作的決定很是困惑，無論是學校還是官方都未給出一個令人滿意的解釋。“實話說，我不知道爲什麼我們那麼多分館都被關了，”李英強在電話採訪中說。

“We have been very careful. We never solicited foreign donations,” he said, although the group had received small donations from abroad, mostly from overseas Chinese. Chinese nongovernmental organizations with funding from overseas are often subject to close government scrutiny.

“我們一向非常謹慎。我們從來沒有主動尋求過境外捐贈，”他說，儘管該機構曾接受小筆境外捐贈，但捐贈都來自海外華人。接受海外資助的中國非政府組織通常會受到政府的嚴密監控。

Mr. Li said the fact that he is a Christian might have caused some sensitivity, but he said he never used the organization to preach to students. The Chinese authorities have shown diminishing tolerance for Christianity in recent years.

李英強說，他基督徒的身份或許製造了一些敏感性，但他說他從未利用該機構向學生傳教。中國當局對基督教的忍耐度在近幾年一直在走下坡路。

Mr. Li said it was possible that the group’s stated goal — “helping rural teenagers grow into healthy, normal modern citizens” — might have raised some concern. “The word ‘citizen’ might have worried some people,” he said. “Citizen” is a sensitive word in China because of its association with citizens’ rights, including freedom of speech.

李英強說，該組織公開設立的目標——“幫助鄉村青少年成長爲健康、正常的現代公民”——可能引發了一定擔憂。“‘公民’這個詞可能比較讓人擔心，”他說。“公民”一詞因其與公民權利的聯繫在中國成爲敏感詞。公民權利包括言論自由。

He estimated that around 40,000 readers, mainly rural primary and secondary school students, were affected by Liren’s shutdown.

他估計立人的關停會影響約4萬名讀者，主要是小學和初中生。

Zhai Meng, who ran a Liren library in Zezhou County, ShanXi Province, said officials from the local cultural affairs department conducted two inspections of the library in August, both “appearing to be targeting foreign publications.”

山西省澤州縣一家立人圖書館的負責人翟猛說，當地文化局官員8月對該圖書館實施了兩次檢查，都“像是衝着境外讀物來的”。

The officials singled out a Japanese comic book, an issue of Time magazine given by a donor in Nanjing and several copies of the Hong Kong magazine Phoenix Weekly, Mr. Zhai said. He said the officials also asked Liren to change the name of its publication, Liren Weekly, or Liren Zhoukan, saying the character “kan,” meaning “publication,” should not be used. Private publications are tightly regulated in China.

官員們挑出了一本日本漫畫、一本由一位南京捐贈者捐贈的《時代週刊》及幾期香港雜誌《鳳凰週刊》，翟猛說。他說官員們還讓立人更改其刊物《立人週刊》的名字，說“刊”這個字不應該使用。在中國，私人出版物被嚴格管制。

Mr. Zhai said the officials also wanted to know whether the library had received foreign donations, which it hadn’t.

翟猛說，官員們想知道該圖書館是否接受過境外捐贈——他們並未接受過境外捐贈。

Calls to Zezhou County’s education and cultural affairs departments were not answered.

澤州縣教育局及文化局的電話無人接聽。

Zhang Yang, principal of the Xiabamiao Middle School in Xiabamiao township, Sichuan Province, which recently ended its partnership with Liren, said the termination was simply a staffing adjustment.

四川省下巴廟鎮下巴廟中學的校長張揚說，終止合作不過是一次職員調整。下巴廟中學近期終止了與立人的合作。

“We now have more teachers,” he said in a telephone interview. “Before we didn’t have enough teachers to manage the library, so we asked volunteers from Liren to do it. Now we can have our own teachers do it.” He denied any government pressure.

“我們現在老師多了，”他在電話採訪中說。“以前我們沒有足夠的老師來管理圖書館，所以我們讓立人的志願者去管理。現在我們可以讓我們自己的老師去管理了。”他否認政府施壓。

However, Peng Xiong, who ran the school library when it was affiliated with Liren, said he was sure the decision did not originate with the school.

然而，與該校合作的立人圖書館的負責人彭雄則說，他確信終止合作的決定並非來源於校方。

“I could tell by the way the school talked about this, that it was not they themselves who wanted to end the partnership,” even though, he said, the principal never explicitly mentioned orders from government departments.

“從學校談起這個事請的方式，我就能看出來，不是他們想終止合作的，”他說，儘管校長從未明確談及來自政府部門的指令。

Hong Huating, who ran Liren’s Zhuoying Library in Guangdong Province, said the school told him the library building was slated for renovations. “Basically they meant we wouldn’t be welcome back in when the renovation was done,” he said in a telephone interview.

位於廣東省的立人卓英圖書館負責人洪華挺說，學校告訴他，圖書館所在大樓將被裝修。“基本上他們的意思也就是裝修以後也不歡迎我們回來了，”他在電話採訪中說。

Some Liren libraries will leave their books with the local schools, while others are removing them, volunteers said.

一些立人圖書館將把書籍留給當地學校，其他一些將把書籍帶走，志願者們說。

The group has started an online protest on Weibo under the hashtag “Liren has been shut down, I have something to say,” in which board members and Weibo users upload photos of themselves holding signs.

該組織在微博上用話題“立人圖書館被關，我有話說”發起了一個網上抗議活動——理事會成員和微博網友紛紛上傳了他們手舉標語的照片。

“Building one more library is better than constructing hundreds of real estate developments,” wrote a Weibo user who participated in the protest.

“多建一座圖書館，勝過建百座房地產，”一位參加網上抗議的網友寫道。