中国新闻奖报纸、通讯社新闻专栏参评作品推荐表

　　中国新闻奖报纸、通讯社新闻专栏代表作基本情况 

　　中美乒乓外交──半个世纪的记忆 

　　记者周文婷、贺琦上海报道 

　　中国第一所中美合办大学上海纽约大学的美方校长杰弗里·雷蒙是一名乒乓球爱好者，他打乒乓的日子可以追溯到童年时期。在他位于美国马里兰州的家里，地下室有一张乒乓球台。 

　　但谁都不会想到，几十年后的4月10日，在上海，他出现在了中美乒乓球友谊赛的赛场上。共有13位在长三角工作、生活的美国人与中国乒乓球爱好者一起上场参赛，雷蒙就是其中之一。这场友谊赛是在上海举办的纪念中美乒乓外交50周年活动的重头戏。 

　　在50年前的1971年4月10日，美国乒乓球代表团一行15人抵华，那次访问被普遍认为具有重要意义。 

　　在友谊赛现场，26位来自中美两国的乒乓球爱好者，两两配对打起双打，共13对选手分成四个队。该纪念活动由上海市人民对外友好协会、上海体育学院等单位联合主办。 

　　雷蒙在友谊赛中与上海市人民对外友好协会副会长刘生组成双打。他们所在的队伍最终获得了第三名。 

　　比赛当天有共计50位新闻记者，包括20多位来自境外媒体的记者在现场观摩、采访。比赛在国际乒乓球联合会博物馆暨中国乒乓球博物馆举行。 

　　“在这个球场上，这种友谊紧密连结的感觉太棒了!”在赛后的欢呼声和掌声中，雷蒙对《中国日报》记者说。 

　　“当人们有机会通过体育或其他形式展开交流，就可以更好地增进了解、消除隔阂。”雷蒙说。雷蒙是一位长期致力于为中美两国建立沟通桥梁的使者。早在2003至2005年，在担任美国康奈尔大学校长期间，他的工作内容之一就是增进与中国的连结。 

　　半个世纪前的同一天，美国乒乓球代表团应中国乒乓球队邀请访问中国。那次访问发生在两国疏远和对立持续二十多年之后。美国乒乓球代表团到访北京、上海、广州，与中国乒乓球运动员展开表演赛。 

　　此举被广泛认为是对中美民间交往的一次开疆拓土。乒乓外交的次年，时任美国总统尼克松访华一周。中美于1979年1月1日正式建立外交关系。 

　　中国驻美大使崔天凯在上海市纪念中美乒乓外交50周年系列活动上发表视频致辞。他说：“人们用‘小球转动大球’来形容中美乒乓外交。的确，这件事超越了体育交流，对塑造中美关系乃至世界格局产生了深远影响。” 

　　“今天，中美关系正面临何去何从的关键选择，双方更应继承和发扬乒乓外交所承载的相互尊重、求同存异精神……确保两国关系行稳致远。”他说。 

　　美国驻沪总领事何乐进在致辞中表示：“正如乒乓外交所展现的，体育运动可以弥合分歧，将人们团结在一起。” 

　　友谊的桥梁 

　　雷蒙说，小时候，他和父亲常在家里打乒乓球，父亲是他的启蒙老师。大学时期，他是乒乓球校队成员，参加校际比赛。 

　　“在我小时候居住的社区里，乒乓球在孩子们中间很流行，它也一直是我生活的一部分。”雷蒙说。 

　　1972年，也就是乒乓外交开启的第二年，中国乒乓球代表团应美国队邀请访美，在马里兰大学有一场表演赛。雷蒙清晰地记得当时他在现场观赛。 

　　“我在那场球赛上见过郑敏之打球！今天我在这个纪念活动现场见到郑敏之也在这儿，真是太激动了！1972年的表演赛节目单我至今珍藏着。”他说。 

　　雷蒙说，他致力于两国友好的初心始于1998年。时任密歇根大学法学院院长的他，在他的首次中国行中，见到了十位长期生活在中国的美国老教授。 

　　这批年龄无一例外均在90岁以上的老教授，正是上个世纪早期在上海创办东吴大学法学院的先驱。 

　　“那些前辈花了大半辈子致力于中美友好。那一次与他们的会面对我触动很大，让我更多地去思考我应该去做些什么。我感觉放在我面前的正是一个可以为中美两国建立桥梁的机会。”雷蒙说。 

　　2008年起，雷蒙担任位于深圳的北京大学国际法学院的创始校长。四年后，他接到纽约大学与中国政府的邀请，出任仍在建设阶段的上海纽约大学的美方校长。 

　　“2012年我来到上海，随着时间推移，我越来越感觉到，我在这个城市里生根了。”64岁的雷蒙说道。在上海纽约大学的校园里也有乒乓球台，有时他会与同事一起打乒乓。 

　　在友谊赛上，克里斯·米勒是另一位美方参赛选手。30岁的他供职于美中贸易上海代表处。他说在他位于夏威夷的家中也有一张乒乓球台，他经常与家人、朋友打乒乓。 

　　米勒说，当他最早在上海获得工作机会时，他并不打算待很久，但后来逐渐改变了想法。 

　　“上海富有活力，我在这里工作和生活都很开心。而且上海的营商环境很高效，开放程度也很高。” 

　　22岁的李欣娜是中国乒乓球学院的学生，她是参加友谊赛的13位中国人之一。她说，为了这场友谊赛，从五周前开始，所有中美选手每周会集训一次。 

　　“因为是一名中国人和一名美国人搭档双打，选手们需要在技术和情感上不断磨合。”李欣娜介绍说。 

　　“也正是因为中美队员这样的组合，整个比赛过程中，随着赢球输球，我们两个人一起去感受或紧张或激动的情绪，这种情感上的共振是很强烈的。” 

　　李欣娜的搭档是雅典娜·梅西克，其丈夫欧文·梅西克是美国精油制造商多特瑞中国分公司的总裁。 

　　欧文在上海工作已有14年。当记者问及参赛感受时，他直呼“太棒了，太棒了！”  

　　“中美两国人民长期友好相待。我的不少美国朋友来这儿探望过我，他们来过之后，每个人都喜欢上了中国，他们对这个国家和这儿的人民都有很好的印象。”欧文说。 

　　金色的回忆 

　　73岁的康妮·史维利斯是1971年到访中国的美国乒乓球代表团成员之一。她从密歇根州的家中为上海的50周年纪念活动专门邮寄来了她签名的乒乓球和球拍。 

　　她说，除了在人民大会堂受到周恩来总理的接见并与他握手外，那一次中国行的高光时刻还包括在北京一万八千名观众面前打了友谊赛，以及漫步万里长城。 

　　“在那次行程中，中国运动员邀请我们和他们一起训练，并向我们展示训练方法，帮助我们提高比赛水平。友谊赛非常友好，他们甚至‘放水’让我们赢得了一些比赛。”她说。 

　　朱迪·霍尔弗罗斯特（婚前姓氏为博琴斯基），是1971年访华的美国乒乓球代表团里最年轻的球员，当年仅15岁。 

　　“当时，有人告诉我，我们是中华人民共和国成立之后首个受邀到访中国的美国团体。这令我觉得，我的角色不仅仅是一名运动员，更是代表我们国家的友好使者。”她说。 

　　霍尔弗罗斯特表示，国际媒体对他们的中国行的关注持续了很长一段时间，这也为她和队友们带来了许多有趣的机会。“直到今天，新闻机构仍然会打电话约我做采访。” 

　　回忆起那次访华经历，她说“友谊第一，比赛第二”这句话经常在他们耳畔响起。“我想，这句话适用于乒乓球，也适用于那次访问之于两国关系所象征的更大的图景。” 

　　霍尔弗罗斯特回忆道，在他们访华期间，中国乒乓球运动员们全程陪同，每到一处都耐心回答他们的各种问题，向他们解释中国文化、政治和生活方式。她还学习了一些汉语词汇和歌曲。 

　　姚振绪今年74岁。在1971年的上海，他曾与美国乒乓球代表团成员格伦·科恩因乒乓交手结缘。他也应邀参加了本次纪念活动。 

　　他回忆道，科恩在整个中国行中一直处于高度兴奋状态。作为前国手的姚振绪说：“有时候围着他的人太多了，因为他的打扮不一样，嬉皮士嘛。他还问了周总理对嬉皮士是怎么看的。” 

　　郑敏之也是1972年访问美国的中国乒乓球代表团成员之一。 

　　当时，该代表团是新中国成立后首批访美的中国人。在为期18天的访问开展之初，他们在白宫受到了尼克松总统的接见。 

　　现年76岁的郑敏之表示，中国代表团在美所到之处都受到热烈欢迎，并且比她预期的要热烈许多。 

　　“我记得，有一场表演赛是在一家汽车工厂举行。工人们向我们表示了由衷的欢迎，我们可以从他们的脸上和肢体语言中充分感受到这一点。 

　　“我很钦佩周恩来总理、毛泽东主席和尼克松总统能有如此的战略远谋。他们用一个小小的乒乓球打开了外交大门。”郑敏之说。 

　　半个世纪以来，中美乒乓外交的周年纪念活动多次在两国举行，诸多中美亲历者一次次成为历史延续的参与者。 

　　姚振绪说：“中美民间交流这些年来越来越真实广泛。不管政府间关系如何，两国民间友谊始终是牢不可破的，中国人民对外国人民始终是友好的。” 

　　乒乓国礼 

　　来自上海的体育用品生产商红双喜是此次纪念活动的赞助商，也是六届奥运会赞助商。红双喜表示，外交部是它的常客之一。 

　　上海红双喜股份有限公司总经理楼世和说：“乒乓球是中国的一项标志性运动，很多中国驻外使领馆都订购了我们的产品作为礼物送给海外城市。” 

　　比如，在国家主席习近平2015年访美期间，红双喜运动器材被作为礼物赠送给了华盛顿州塔科马市的一所高中。次年，在习近平主席访问拉美国家期间，红双喜再一次被作为国礼相赠。 

　　“习主席在向塔科马市林肯中学师生发表讲话时，回忆起乒乓外交的往事，并勉励两国青少年加强交流、增进友谊。”楼世和说。 

　　他后来得知，在收到乒乓球器材后，这项运动逐渐成为了林肯中学校园里学生最喜欢的活动之一。 

　　自2016年起，该校每年安排一次中国行。学生们到访过的城市包括北京、上海、成都、四川都江堰，以及福建福州。学校也接收了来自中国的交换生。 

　　林肯中学校长帕特里克·埃尔文在今年2月致习近平主席的信中写道：“中美两国都经受住了新冠大流行的考验。如今，青年学生们帮助两国相互支持、恢复元气可谓正当其时。” 

　　英文原文： 

　　 Jeffrey S. Lehman, vice-chancellor of New York University Shanghai, the first higher education institute established between China and the US, started playing table tennis as a child in the basement of his home in Maryland, in the United States. 

　　  On Saturday afternoon, he was among 13 US citizens living in Shanghai and provinces neighboring the city who joined Chinese amateur players for a friendly match marking the 50th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy between the two countries. 

　　  The event commemorated the landmark visit to China by a 15-member US table tennis delegation on April 10, 1971. 

　　  On Saturday, 26 players from the two nations were paired together for doubles games. There were four teams for the event, which was organized by the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Shanghai University of Sport, among others. 

　　  Lehman was paired with Liu Sheng, vice-chairman of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Association. 

　　  Their team won third prize at the event, which attracted about 50 journalists, including more than 20 from overseas media organizations. The match was held at the International Table Tennis Federation Museum and China Table Tennis Museum. 

　　  "The feeling of friendship in the room is really wonderful," Lehman said amid cheers and applause. 

　　  "When people have the opportunity for exchanges through sports or other interests that bring us together, we gain understanding of each other－and that helps break down barriers." 

　　  Lehman has always striven to bridge relations between the two countries. As president of Cornell University from 2003 to 2005, part of his job was to renew ties with China. 

　　  The US delegation arrived in China 50 years ago on Saturday at the invitation of the Chinese table tennis team. 

　　  After more than two decades of estrangement and antagonism between the two nations, the visitors played demonstration matches against Chinese players in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province. 

　　  Believed to have helped pave the way for people-to-people exchanges between the two nations, Ping-Pong Diplomacy also laid the groundwork for US President Richard Nixon's landmark one-week visit to China in 1972 and the establishment of diplomatic relations on Jan 1, 1979. 

　　  Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the US, said in a video address to the anniversary event: "People use the phrase 'the little ball moves the big ball' to describe China-US Ping-Pong Diplomacy. It indeed went beyond sports exchanges and had a far-reaching impact on shaping China-US relations and the global landscape. 

　　  "Today, the China-US relationship faces a critical choice as to its future path. The two sides should carry forward the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy featuring mutual respect and seeking common ground while reserving differences … so as to ensure sustained and steady progress of our relations," he said. 

　　  James Heller, US consul general in Shanghai, said, "As Ping-Pong Diplomacy showed, sports can bridge differences and bring people together." 

　　  Bridging relations 

　　  Lehman said his father had a table tennis table at home and taught him how to play. He went on to represent his university team. 

　　  "Table tennis was a popular sport for kids when I was growing up and it has been a big part of my life," he said. 

　　  In 1972, one year after Ping-Pong Diplomacy was created, a Chinese table tennis delegation was invited to visit the US, and Lehman watched an exhibition match at the University of Maryland. 

　　  "I saw Zheng Minzhi, who was on the Chinese team at that match, and I'm excited to see that she's also here at the commemoration event today. I still have the program from that day," Lehman said. 

　　  He added that his passion for helping bridge relations between the two countries was triggered in 1998 during his first visit to China, where he met 10 professors from the US. At the time, Lehman was dean of the University of Michigan Law School. 

　　  The professors, who were all in their 90s, founded the Soochow University Law School in Shanghai early in the 20th century. 

　　  "Meeting those Americans, who spent a large part of their lives in the connection between China and the US, was very emotional for me. It made me think about how I wanted to live my life. I felt I was given this opportunity to act as a bridge between the US and China," Lehman said. 

　　  In 2008, he was invited to become founding dean of Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Four years later, he received calls from New York University and the Chinese government to serve as vice-chancellor of New York University Shanghai, which was still being established. 

　　  "I returned to Shanghai in 2012. Each year I'm here I feel more and more rooted to the city," the 64-year-old said, adding that there are table tennis tables at NYU Shanghai and he sometimes plays against faculty members. 

　　  Another player at Saturday's event, Chris Miller, 30, from the Shanghai branch of the US-China Business Council, said he also had a table tennis table at home in Hawaii and played with family members and friends. 

　　  Miller said he initially did not plan to stay in Shanghai for long when he received a job offer, but later changed his mind. 

　　  "I enjoy both work and life in this vibrant city. Regarding the business environment, everything is very centralized and open here," he said. 

　　  Li Xinna, 22, one of the Chinese players taking part in the match on Saturday, who is a student at the China Table Tennis College, said preparations for the commemorative event began five weeks ago when participants from the two countries got together to train once a week. 

　　  "It was important for those paired together to spend time getting to know each other both personally and in terms of playing style," she said. 

　　  "Because each Chinese player was paired with an American player, we could share feelings of being nervous or happy together throughout the game." 

　　  Li was paired with Athena Messick, whose husband Owen is president of the China arm of doTERRA, an essential oils maker from the US. 

　　  Owen Messick, who has worked in Shanghai for 14 years, said it felt "great "to join the commemorative event. 

　　  "People in China and the US are always friendly to each other. All my friends from the US visiting me here love China and have very good impressions of the country and its people," he said. 

　　  Golden memories 

　　  Connie Sweeris, 73, a member of the US delegation to China in 1971, sent a table tennis bat and ball she signed to organizers of the anniversary event from her home in Michigan. 

　　  She said that in addition to meeting Premier Zhou Enlai and shaking hands with him at the Great Hall of the People, other highlights of the trip included playing a friendship match in Beijing in front of 18,000 people and walking on the Great Wall. 

　　  "During the trip, the Chinese players let us train with them and showed us drills to practice so we could improve our game. The matches were very friendly and they even let us win some games," she said. 

　　  Judy Hoarfrost, whose maiden name is Bochenski, was the youngest player on the US delegation in 1971, when she was 15. 

　　  "I was told we were the first US group invited to China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. I felt that my role was to be a player and also a good ambassador for our country," she said. 

　　  Hoarfrost said international media attention remained focused on the trip for a long time and resulted in many interesting opportunities for herself and her teammates. 

　　  "Even today, I'm still called by news agencies to do interviews," she said. 

　　  She added that during the China trip, the US participants repeatedly heard the term, "Friendship first, competition second." 

　　  "This applied to the table tennis and also to the larger picture of what the trip symbolized for the two countries," she said. 

　　  Hoarfrost added that the local players who toured with them in China were happy to spend a long time answering questions and explaining their culture, politics and way of life. She also learned some Chinese phrases and songs. 

　　  Yao Zhenxu, 74, who played Glen Cowan from the US in Shanghai in 1971, was invited to the anniversary event. 

　　  He said Cowan was frequently hyperactive during the visit. "Because he dressed differently－like a hippy－he was often surrounded by many people. He also asked for Zhou Enlai's thoughts about hippies," said Yao, a former player with the national team. 

　　  In 1972, Zheng Minzhi was a member of the Chinese table tennis delegation that visited the US. 

　　  The group, the first from China to arrive in the US since the founding of New China, was received at the White House by Nixon before starting an 18-day visit. 

　　  Zheng, now 76, said they received a much warmer welcome than she had expected. 

　　  "I remember that when we went to an auto factory to play table tennis, the workers gave us a heartfelt welcome, which we could see from their facial expressions and body language," she said. 

　　  "I appreciate that Zhou Enlai, Chairman Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon had this forward-looking strategy that used a table tennis ball to open the gates to diplomacy," she said. 

　　  Ping-Pong Diplomacy reunion trips continue to be held in China and the US to mark key anniversaries, with many former players attending them. 

　　  Yao said, "People-to-people exchanges between the two nations over the years have become increasingly open and genuine. No matter the state of relations between the two governments, the civil friendship is unbreakable." 

　　  Overseas gifts 

　　  According to Double Happiness Sports, a sports equipment producer based in Shanghai, and sponsor of the commemorative event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of its biggest regular clients. 

　　  Lou Shihe, general manager of the company, which has been among the sponsors for six Olympic Games, said, "Many orders for our equipment have been placed by Chinese embassies and consulates as gifts for cities overseas, as table tennis is a signature Chinese sport." 

　　  For example, he said the company's products were offered as gifts in the US to a high school in Tacoma, Washington state, and to Latin American countries during President Xi Jinping's respective visits in 2015 and 2016. 

　　  "When delivering a speech to students and teachers from the school, President Xi recollected stories about Ping-Pong Diplomacy and encouraged teenagers from the two nations to boost exchanges and strengthen friendship," Lou said. 

　　  He added that he was later told that after receiving the equipment, table tennis had become one of the most popular activities for the students from Lincoln High School in Tacoma. 

　　  Since 2016, the school has arranged annual visits to China. Students have visited cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, and Fuzhou, Fujian province. The school has also received exchange students from China. 

　　  In a letter written to Xi in February, Patrick Erwin, the school's principal, said, "As China and the US withstand the test of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the best time for the students to play a leading role in helping the two nations support each other and recover." 

　　    中国新闻奖报纸、通讯社新闻专栏代表作基本情况 

　　严守祖国西南边境  筑牢筑强抗疫长城 

　　记者：李映青 陈美玲 

　　下午六点，白泽已经狼吞虎咽地用完晚饭，匆忙赶去履行自己的职责──在中缅边境，云南省瑞丽市的章凤口岸巡逻。 

　　这条两岁的警犬穿着黑色的夹克，显得仪态威严。 

　　训练员高雷阳说训练有素的警犬具备敏锐的嗅觉、听觉和视觉，灵活性强，在检查工作中有着不可替代的作用。 

　　章凤口岸附近植被繁茂，下水道系统复杂，便于犯罪分子藏身。在四月午夜的一次巡逻中，白泽吠叫起来，警察马上抓捕了一名企图通过下水道非法入境中国的外国人。 

　　云南在8个州市有25个边境县，境外输入新冠肺炎的风险高。 

　　自从新冠疫情爆发以来，云南已经报告过几次疫情。许多输入型病例在瑞丽这样的边境地区传播。 

　　为了加强疫情防控，警察、医务人员和村民们24小时待命，打击非法入境，进行健康指导，推广疫苗接种。 

　　瑞丽南部的姐相乡与缅甸山、河、陆地相连。中缅居民有着很长的贸易和通婚史。他们正团结一致共同对抗病毒。 

　　姐相有瑞丽最大的工业园，两千多名不通汉语的缅籍务工人员在此工作。对此，姐相边境派出所成立了一支由警察、医务工作者和村民组成的特别联合服务队。 

　　当巡逻员发现有人试图非法进出中国时，医务人员对他们进行消毒和隔离。来自缅甸的团队成员则为非法入境者提供翻译服务。 

　　28岁的于海洋是姐相边境派出所的一名警员。他平均每天工作十个小时以上。当有旅客抱怨边境检查排队太长时，于海洋说他会笑着给予问候。 

　　缅甸人孟喊帅12年前和一名中国女性结婚后搬到姐相生活。他主动加入了服务队，概述了为缅甸籍务工人员疫情防控作出的努力。 

　　他说：“我们在中国就像在家一样。我相信每个人都会很安全。” 

　　姐相边境派出所教导员胡文武说任何的努力都是为了守好边境，防止新冠疫情传入中国。 

　　交通检查 

　　在中缅边境12公里长的瑞丽江边，瑞丽市公安局的突击队负责打击包括通过皮筏和木筏在内的水路偷渡。除了沿江巡逻，他们也做道路检查。 

　　突击队队长王佑裕说：“去年九月以来，我们队员每天穿着防护服转运偷渡人员、其他违法犯罪嫌疑人和自首人员。我们也负责保障8辆救护车。” 

　　“有时候警员们没时间吃饭，工作到半夜。夏天的时候，他们经常浸泡在汗水里。” 

　　王佑裕说警员们主要吃泡面，睡帐篷，便于他们在江边有可疑事件发生时立刻行动。他们没有干净的饮用水、电和网络。 

　　到目前为止，突击队查获了47艘非法船只，40名偷渡人员，劝返35名企图从缅甸非法入境中国的人。自去年1月以来，突击队员转运了13,000多名曾偷渡出境缅甸，后为逃避病毒自首回国的人员。 

　　突击队副队长张君天说：“我们一刻也不能放松，因为到处都有隐患。” 

　　在爱人刚刚生子的时候，张君天只请了几天假。他说：“她理解、支持我的工作。她总是说，只有每个人都做好自己的工作，瑞丽才能真正安全。” 

　　专家表示，西南地区边境守卫在疫情防控中很关键。这不仅对全国都非常重要，也是追求零感染目标的一条“安全底线”。 

　　前云南省委书记阮成发说，要通过提高基础设施建设，加强检查，优化社区管理，来堵住非法出入境的漏洞。 

　　夜幕降临，瑞丽160公里长的边境线为巡逻工作点亮，3,500多名边境工作人员昼夜轮班。在一些偏远地区，电力供应部门投资了300多万元（468,300美元）提供电力支持。 

　　成千上万的当地人牺牲了假期和家庭团聚的时光。 

　　腾冲市公安局出入境管理大队民警李睿中负责帮助为疫情而担忧的外国人。她会挨个打电话安慰他们，并提供自我防护指导。 

　　在疫情刚刚开始的时候，腾冲营运车辆停运，边境口岸关闭。李睿中和同事们帮助了800多名缅甸籍人员回家。她也加班加点对外来者开展轨迹核查，参与妨害边境安全的犯罪案件的侦办工作。 

　　然而，这也意味着她没有时间陪伴女儿。 

　　李睿中说：“去年她高考，但是每当我精疲力竭地回到家时，她已经睡了。每次她看见我接电话，都会抱怨我没有照顾好家庭。” 

　　好消息是女儿顺利考上了大学。 

　　这个月早些时候的国庆假期，字新云没有回家，他在十月二日拜访了云南雷允村一名姓陈的村民，帮他晒稻谷。字新云和同事们每天定期在这片区域巡逻，告知当地居民疫情防控措施。 

　　字新云在瑞丽出入境边检站雷允分站工作。他说雷允是一个边境村，法律意识薄弱，青少年违法犯罪时有发生。“我们的工作不仅是守好边境大门，也要帮助当地人。”他说。 

　　字新云已经三个月没有见到家人了。有一天，他在下午七点回到办公室，给妻子打了一个视频电话，视频里他看到蛋糕上插着蜡烛，正在为他孩子的两岁生日庆祝。 

　　“他们都有点习惯我不在家了。”字新云说。他说许多警员都在假日期间值守。 

　　一生的职责 

　　对某些人来说，守边是一生的使命。 

　　61岁的岩聪是云南普洱市西盟佤族自治县勐卡边境派出所的护边员。他不肯退休，说他的生命“和界桩紧密相连”。 

　　岩聪从5岁开始跟着爷爷和父亲在缅甸边境巡逻。那时候，界桩和界桩之间没有铺好的路，只有树林、峭壁和密集多刺的灌木丛。 

　　他曾被偷渡者打得遍体鳞伤，但是他没有被吓倒。“我得守护我们的领土。”他说。岩聪的父亲曾告诉他，守边是“应该被一代代传承下去的好事”。 

　　他喜欢一遍遍带着年轻警员在这7.9公里长的边境线上行走。岩聪还是省级非物质文化遗产传承人，他会演奏三十多种佤族流行乐器。在巡逻的休息间隙，他经常给大家唱歌、奏乐。 

　　努力工作的不止是人类。在西双版纳傣族自治州勐海县曼厂村，一只狗和两只鹅也参与到了疫情防控中。每次他们遇到陌生人都会叫唤。 

　　勐海县国境线长约146公里，其打洛口岸距缅甸仅86公里，距泰国仅240公里，为我国去往这两个国家提供了一条陆路通道。 

　　新冠肺炎在世界蔓延之后，通过这个口岸进入中国的人急剧增加，给疫情防控带来了很大挑战。 

　　村民岩文叫说正如狗对味道敏感，鹅对声音敏感。夜间他们可以制造很多噪音来发出警报。 

　　“鹅是无所畏惧的，它们有很强的领地保护意识，也有攻击性。它们可以阻止非法入境者，甚至可以吓退蛇。”他说。 

　　打洛出入境边防检查站民警李海振说几个月前站里买了一只狗。“即使在睡觉的时候，它也保持警觉，它的耳朵可以捕捉到任何声响。除此之外，它也是一个很好的陪伴者，给我们带来了很多乐趣。” 

　　云南财经大学旅游文化产业研究院院长明庆忠说，边境地区是维护国家安全与稳定的关键。除了军事安全，守边也包括了打击非法出入境、走私、极端民族主义和恐怖主义。 

　　对于通过航空渠道的入境人员，发现和控制输入型新冠病例相对容易，但我们也应该更加重视通过陆路口岸输入的情况，他说。 

　　漫长的边境线和复杂的自然地形带来了很大的挑战。频繁的人员交流和尖端设备的缺乏也增加了压力。 

　　对此，仅仅依靠警察是不够的。利用无线传感、无人机、人工智能、生物信息识别、实时定位等技术建立一个智能安全管理系统，以及加大边境管理国际合作，应该是很好的解决方案，他说。 

　　英文原文如下： 

　　BORDER PATROL OFFICERS RISE TO COVID CHALLENGE 

　　Family time sacrificed as hard work keeps cases at bay 

　　By LI YINGQING in Kunming and CHEN MEILING 

　　Bai Ze wolfed down his dinner at 6 pm before being rushed off to perform his duty－patrolling the China-Myanmar border at the Zhangfeng land port in Ruili, Yunnan province. 

　　  The 2-year-old police dog was clad in a black jacket, giving him a commanding presence. 

　　  Gao Leiyang, the animal's handler, said well-trained police dogs have acute senses of smell, hearing and vision and are highly flexible and irreplaceable for inspection work. 

　　  Border areas around the port are covered in lush vegetation and also have complex sewage systems, making it easy for criminals to hide. While patrolling at midnight in April, Bai Ze barked and police officers captured a foreigner attempting to enter China illegally through a sewer. 

　　  Yunnan is home to 25 border counties in eight prefectures or cities, and there is a high risk of COVID-19 cases being imported to China. 

　　  Several outbreaks of the virus have been reported in the province since the pandemic broke out. Many imported cases have been spread in border communities such as Ruili. 

　　  To strengthen prevention and control efforts, police, health workers and villagers are on call 24 hours a day to clamp down on illegal migration and to promote health guidance and vaccination. 

　　  Jiexiang village in southern Ruili shares rivers, mountains and fields with Myanmar, and residents from China and Myanmar, who have a long history of trading and intermarrying, are standing together to fight the virus. 

　　  Jiexiang is home to the largest industrial park in Ruili, which employs more than 2,000 workers from Myanmar who cannot speak Chinese. A special coordinated service team comprising police, medical workers and villagers has been set up by the Jiexiang border police station. 

　　  When patrols detect people intending to enter or leave China illegally, the health workers disinfect and quarantine them. Members of the team from Myanmar provide interpretation services for illegal immigrants. 

　　  Yu Haiyang, 28, an officer at the station, works more than 10 hours a day on average. When travelers complain about long waiting times for border inspection, he said he greets them with a smile. 

　　  Meng Hanshuai, a Myanmar national who moved to Jiexiang after marrying a Chinese woman 12 years ago, has volunteered to join the team. He outlines efforts to contain the pandemic to workers from Myanmar. 

　　  "We feel at home here in China, and I believe everyone will stay safe," he said. 

　　  Hu Wenwu, an instructor at the station, said every effort is made to guard the border and prevent cases of COVID-19 being imported to China. 

　　  Traffic inspections 

　　  Along the 12-km-long Ruili River, which forms part of the border between China and Myanmar, officers from the task force at Ruili police station prevent people stowing away on vessels, including kayaks and rafts. In addition to patrolling the river, they inspect road traffic. 

　　  Wang Youyu, head of the team, said: "Since September last year, our team members have worn protective clothing each day to transfer illegal immigrants, other criminal suspects and those who surrender to police. We also have eight ambulances on the roads. 

　　  "Sometimes, the officers don't have time for dinner and they work until midnight, while in summer, they are soaked in sweat." 

　　  The officers mainly eat instant noodles and sleep in tents, enabling them to act immediately a suspicious incident is reported along the river. They don't have clean drinking water, electricity or internet access, Wang said. 

　　  To date, the team has seized 47 vessels operating illegally, 40 illegal immigrants and turned back 35 people trying to enter China unlawfully from Myanmar. Since January last year, team members have transferred to China about 13,000 Chinese who entered Myanmar illegally, but turned themselves in to police, as they wanted to escape the virus. 

　　  Zhang Juntian, deputy head of the team, said, "We cannot relax for one moment, because there is always hidden danger." 

　　  Taking only a few days off when his wife had their baby, Zhang said: "She understands and supports my work. She often says that only when everyone stays on top of their job can Ruili be truly safe." 

　　  According to experts, guarding the borders in Southwest China is key to preventing COVID-19 cases, which is vitally important nationwide and "a bottom line for security" as the nation pursues the goal of zero infections. 

　　  Ruan Chengfa, former Party secretary of Yunnan, said the province aims to plug loopholes in illegal immigration and emigration by improving infrastructure, tightening inspections and optimizing community governance. 

　　  When night falls, the 160-km border with Myanmar in Ruili is lit for patrol work, and more than 3,500 border workers on are duty in different shifts day and night. In some remote areas, the local power supply bureau has invested more than 3 million yuan ($468,300) to supply electricity. 

　　  Thousands of locals have also sacrificed their holidays and family reunions. 

　　  Li Ruizhong, an officer with the exit and entry management unit at Tengchong police station, helps foreigners worried about the pandemic, calling them in individually to reassure them and provide self-protection instruction. 

　　  When the pandemic emerged, vehicles were barred from the roads in Tengchong and the border points were closed. Li and her colleagues helped more than 800 people from Myanmar return home. She also worked overtime to track outsiders and investigate criminal cases that threatened border security. 

　　  However, this work meant she had no time to spend with her daughter. 

　　  Li said: "She took the national college entrance examination last year, but when I came home feeling exhausted, she had already fallen asleep. Every time she saw me answering phone calls, she complained that I was not taking good care of the family." 

　　  The good news is that her daughter was accepted for university entrance. 

　　  Instead of returning home to celebrate the National Day holiday early this month, Zi Xinyun visited a resident surnamed Chen in Leiyun village, Yunnan, on Oct 2 to help dry his rice. Zi and his colleagues routinely patrol the area each day to tell locals about pandemic control measures. 

　　  Zi, who works at the Leiyun branch of the Ruili immigration inspection station, said Leiyun is a border village where legal awareness is low and where teenagers sometimes commit criminal offenses. "Our work not only involves guarding the border gate, but also helping local residents," he said. 

　　  Zi has not seen his family for three months. He returned to the office at 7 pm one day to make a video call to his wife, in which he noticed candles had been placed on a cake to celebrate his child's second birthday. 

　　  "They are kind of getting used to my absence at home," Zi said, adding that many police officers remain on duty during holidays. 

　　  Lifelong duty 

　　  For some, guarding the border is a lifelong mission. 

　　  Yan Cong, a 61-year-old border patrol officer in Mengka town, Ximeng Wa autonomous county, Pu'er city, Yunnan, has refused to retire, saying his life "is edged with boundary stones". 

　　  He began patrolling the Myanmar border with his father and grandfather when he was 5. Years ago, there were no paved roads between boundary stone markers, only forests, cliffs and dense, thorny undergrowth. 

　　  Yan was once beaten badly by illegal immigrants, but he remains undeterred. "I need to safeguard our territory," he said, adding that his father told him that guarding the border is "a good thing that should be passed down from generation to generation". 

　　  He likes to guide young officers in repeatedly walking the 7.9 km of border roads in the area. A provincial intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Yan can play 30 musical instruments popular among the Wa ethnic group. He often sings songs and plays music when patrol officers take a break. 

　　  Humans are not the only ones working hard. At Manchang village in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan, a dog and two geese are playing their part in pandemic control by barking or cackling every time they encounter a stranger. 

　　  The border with Myanmar at Menghai stretches for about 146 km, with Daluo Port, located 86 km from Myanmar and 240 km from Thailand offering a land route from China to the two countries. 

　　  After COVID-19 spread worldwide, the number of people entering China through the port surged, posing a significant challenge to controlling the outbreak. 

　　  Villager Yan Wenjiao said that as dogs are particularly sensitive to smell, and geese to sound, they can make a lot of noise at night to signal the alarm. 

　　  "Geese are fearless, have high awareness of guarding their territory, and are aggressive. They can help deter illegal immigrants and even scare away snakes," he said. 

　　  Police officer Li Haizhen said the Daluo immigration inspection station, where he is based bought a dog from a villager several months ago. "It remains alert even when it's sleeping, as its ear pick up any kind of sound. In addition, it is a good companion and gives us a lot of fun," he added. 

　　  Ming Qingzhong, director of Yunnan University of Finance and Economics' tourism and cultural industry research institute, said border areas are key to safeguarding national safety and stability. In addition to military security, safeguarding the border includes cracking down on illegal immigration and emigration, smuggling, extreme nationalism and terrorism, Ming said. 

　　  It is also easier to discover and control imported COVID-19 cases by using airplanes, and attention should also be paid to cases imported through land ports, Ming added. 

　　  Long borders and complex natural terrain pose great challenges. Frequent human exchanges and a lack of sophisticated equipment also add to the pressure. Ming said. 

　　  In view of this, it is insufficient to rely solely on the police. Establishing an intelligent safety management system by using wireless sensors, drones, artificial intelligence, biological information recognition and real-time positioning, as well as increasing international cooperation on border management, should provide good solutions, he added. 

　　  Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn 

　　附件5   

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