日系车主遭殴打

　中国西安——中国著名古都西安如今已是拥有800万人口的现代化大都市，在西安市中心，身体局部瘫痪的李建利躺在医院的病床上。李建利颅骨塌陷，只能说几句 “是的”、“谢谢”之类的简单短语。他最近才开始恢复行动和语言能力。李建利的亲属表示，他的恢复过程既缓慢又痛苦，伤情没多少起色。

　　XI’AN, China — In the heart of one of China’s famed dynastic capitals, now a modern metropolis of eight million, Li Jianli lay partially paralyzed on a hospital bed with his skull smashed in and his speaking ability reduced to a few simple phrases — “yes,” “thank you” and so on. Only recently has Mr. Li begun to regain his ability to move and talk. The recovery has been slow and painful and tenuous, his relatives said.

　　李建利还遭受了情绪创伤。不久前的一个下午，记者请李建利谈谈导致他入院的那次事件，他的妻子马上插嘴转变话题。之后，她在走廊告诉记者，“即使到了现在，如果谈论那天的事情谈得太多的话，他还是会变得不安，然后就开始哭。”李建利的妻子要求匿去全名，只称呼她为王女士。

　　Then there is the emotional trauma. When Mr. Li was asked on a recent afternoon to talk about the events that led to his hospitalization, his wife quickly stepped in to change the topic. “Even now, when he talks at length about the events of that day, he gets upset and begins to cry,” she said later in the hallway. She asked to be identified only as Ms. Wang.

　　51岁的李建利经历的事件是反日抗议活动中暴露出来的最丑陋插曲。上个月，长期存在的岛屿争端引发民众愤怒，中国各大城市纷纷爆发抗议活动。看起来，李建利唯一的过错在于驾驶了一辆日本车。暴徒们在西安市中心的一条大道上拦下他的车辆，他最终成为暴徒袭击的受害者。

　　What happened to Mr. Li, 51, was the ugliest known episode among anti-Japanese protests that convulsed cities in China last month after a longstanding dispute over an island chain erupted into fury. Mr. Li’s only offense, apparently, was driving a Japanese car. He ended up the victim of a mob that stopped the car on a wide boulevard in the middle of Xi’an.

　　现在，虽然反日情绪依然强烈，但对许多中国人来说，李建利已经成为一个标志，说明了潜在民族主义情绪失控的后果。

　　Now, even as anti-Japanese sentiment remains strong, Mr. Li has become a symbol for many Chinese of what can go wrong when latent nationalism spins out of control.

　　“它很有可能成为中国民主政治当中一个非常重要的转折点，”中国国家电视台著名评论员白岩松在自己主持的《新闻1+1》节目中说。“不能因为你去追求一个正义的目标，过程就可以是非法的。”

　　“These protests could be a very important turning point in China’s democratic politics,” Bai Yansong, a prominent commentator on state television, said on his program, “1+1.” “Just because you have a just cause doesn’t mean that the process can be illegal.”

　　他补充说，他们披着爱国的外衣，但实际上是在犯罪。

　　He added, “They’re using the outer clothing of patriotism, but in fact they’re committing a crime.”

　　一名抗议者击打李建利头部的暴行被一个旁观者用视频清晰地记录下来，这段视频已经成为网络热点。西安是陕西的省会城市，该市警方开始追捕袭击者，并动员全国各地的人民提供帮助。上周，警方宣布已经逮捕一人。中国国家新闻通讯社新华社称，如果罪名成立，犯罪嫌疑人有可能被判处死刑。

　　The violence done to Mr. Li by one protester who beat his head was vividly captured by a bystander in a video that has become an Internet phenomenon. The police in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, began a manhunt for the attacker and asked people around the country for help. Last week, the police announced that a man had been arrested. Xinhua, the state news agency, said the suspect could face the death penalty if convicted.

　　鉴于中日之间有关钓鱼岛——日本称为尖阁诸岛(Senkaku)——的领土争端仍然在继续发酵，另一场外交冲突有可能引发更多的抗议和骚乱。在上个月的集会活动中，艺术界异见人士艾未未拍摄了一段视屏，视频显示北京美国大使馆外的抗议人群正在围攻美国大使骆家辉(Gary Locke)乘坐的车辆。许多中国人都将日本政府近期的购岛行动归咎于美国的阴谋。

　　With the territorial conflict between Japan and China over the Diaoyu Islands — called the Senkaku by Japan — still simmering, another diplomatic flare-up could prompt more protests and riots. During the rallies last month, Ai Weiwei, the dissident artist, shot a video of protesters outside the American Embassy in Beijing attacking a sedan carrying Ambassador Gary Locke. Many Chinese have attributed the Japanese government’s recent purchase of the islands to an American conspiracy.

　　日本汽车制造商周二宣布，日本品牌汽车上个月的在华销售量暴跌。这个消息说明中国民众对日本的敌意仍未减退。

　　In a sign of continuing hostility, Japanese automakers announced Tuesday that sales of Japanese-brand vehicles in China had dropped significantly in the last month.

　　西安机场高速公路上一块广告牌上写着这样一条标语，“钓鱼岛是中国的。”

　　In Xi’an, a slogan on a billboard by the airport expressway says, “The Diaoyu Islands belong to China.”

　　如今，西安的中心地带基本见不到抗议活动的迹象。一些目击者称，西安市的工作人员用了几天时间才李建利留下的大滩血迹清理干净，但街道已经恢复正常。不过，仔细观察车辆的话，就会发现车上插了大量小国旗，尤其是那些日系车。

　　Today, there are barely any signs of the protests in central Xi’an. Witnesses said it took a few days for city workers to clean up a pool of Mr. Li’s blood, but the street is back to normal. People looking closely at cars, though, can see that there are now a large number of small Chinese flags affixed to them, in particular those of Japanese make.

　　9月15日，李建利和妻子一起，开着一辆白色丰田花冠车行驶在回家的路上。王女士说，那天上午，他们一直在为儿子的新居挑选建筑材料。在离古城墙西门不远的地方，他们碰到了一群挥舞着中国国旗、高喊口号，正在砸车的抗议者。

　　Mr. Li was driving home with his wife on Sept. 15 in a white Toyota Corolla after they had spent the morning looking at construction materials for their son’s new apartment, Ms. Wang said. Not far from the western gate of the ancient city wall, they encountered a crowd of protesters waving Chinese flags, chanting slogans and smashing cars.

　　这些人迅速包围了这对夫妇的丰田花冠，举起棍子、砖头和自行车锁砸车，尽管夫妇俩还在车里。

　　Protesters quickly encircled the Corolla and used batons, bricks and bicycle locks to smash the car with the couple inside.

　　夫妇俩走下车，恳求抗议者停手。之后的事情经过尚不清楚，但网络视频显示，一名体形健硕的男子向李建利扑了过去，用一把自行车锁朝他的后脑勺猛击了四下。在视频中，尽管人声鼎沸，还是能听到金属击碎颅骨的尖利声响。王女士坐在地上，一面努力给丈夫的伤口止血，一面嘶声呼救。

　　The two stepped out of the car to plead with the protesters to stop. Details of what happened next are murky, but the Internet video shows a heavyset man leaping at Mr. Li and delivering four blows to the back of his head with a bicycle lock. In the video, the sharp sound of metal whacking against skull can be heard above the din of the crowd. Ms. Wang screamed for help as she sat on the ground trying to stop the blood flowing out of her husband’s wound.

　　抗议者们仍在砸车，一名路人高喊，“先救人能不能行?都是中国人。你们已经把他当日本人看了吗?”

　　As protesters continued to smash the car, one bystander yelled: “Can we first save this guy? We are all Chinese. Have you started to take him for a Japanese?”

　　在几名路人的帮助下，王女士拖着丈夫穿过街道，拦下一辆出租车。李建利随后在医院接受了脑部手术。

　　With the help of a few bystanders, Ms. Wang dragged her husband across the street and flagged down a taxi. At a hospital, Mr. Li underwent brain surgery.

　　“场面太混乱了。我的心怦怦直跳，”王女士说。“他们怎么能这么狠心呢?”

　　“It was complete chaos; my heart was thumping,” Ms. Wang said. “How could they be so heartless?”

　　她还说，“我们听说，当时警察不敢管。如果他们插手的话，场面可能会更加混乱。”

　　She added: “We heard that at the time the police did not dare to intervene. If they intervened, the situation would have become even more chaotic.”

　　入院之后，李建利上周才首次下床走了几步路。他的下一次手术安排在6个月之后。医生表示，他可能永远无法完全康复。王女士说，李建利一直是家里的主要经济来源。

　　Last week, Mr. Li was able to walk a few steps for the first time since he was hospitalized. He is scheduled to have another surgery in six months. Doctors say he may never fully recover. Ms. Wang said Mr. Li had been the main provider for the family.

　　“这是电视上才会发生的事，”她说。“我们从来没想过，这样的事情会发生在自己身上。”

　　“This is the kind of thing we see on television,” she said. “We never thought it could happen to us.”