From NetEase:



According to internet media reports: On the morning of May 5th, a cremation ceremony in Taiwan was held for the three victims from last month’s [April] 24th incident in Taipei where a crane smashed a mainland tour bus. After the cremation, the family brought their ashes back to Guangdong. The initial investigation results, the construction contractor compensated for each victim7,500,000 NT, which is over 1,800,000 yuan [RMB].

Upon release of this news, it attracted a lot of attention online. First was because the astronomical figure truly made mainland netizens sigh/sob, with some netizens even humorously saying: those who want to commit suicide, loan some money to go to TW (sorry, those two words/characters are sensitive words) to vacation, then wait under a crane to die, as this is the new age’s “waiting for good things to fall in your lap”; Second was because many netizens complained “why is the death compensation for the mainland so little? When the railway hit and killed a person they only paid 200 yuan…”; Third was because some netizens felt being born in mainland China was unfair, that even death was not worth anything…

Although netizens feelings are a little emotional, from another angle it shows that in mainland China, there are indeed many problems/issues regarding the value of life.

Coincidentally, similar things have happened at the beginning of 2008. In an explosion and large fire of a refrigerated logistics warehouse in Korea’s Kyeonggi Province where 12 Chinese citizens died, the final agreement reached between the victim’s family members and “Korea Refrigeration [?]” was: “Victims’ families got at least 145 million WON to at most 480 million WON compensation, with an average compensation of 240 million WON (about 1.95 million yuan RMB).

1.80 or 1.95 million, to the ordinary common people in China is definitely an astronomical figure. According to present income standards/norms, over 80% of China’s married couples can struggle/work an entire life and, even without eating or drinking, not earn this amount. Because of these two accidents, the moment the compensation agreements were announced, people in the country were shocked, and being saddened is already very normal. However, apart from being shocked and saddened, combined with China’s death compensation standards, people also could not help but be amazed and have many questions.

Not only is it surprise with the huge difference between the enormous sums of compensation compared to the standards of death compensation in mainland China, it is more the indignation seeing the difference in principles between how China and foreign countries treat death compensation, the difference in understanding the value of life, and also how China looks down upon and treats the lives of its own citizens!

China’s death compensation, having changed over the years, at present, the highest limit is 400,000. Please note, there is a probem with a highest limit here because itself is an unbelievable thing.

The value of a life is supreme/paramount, intrinsically unable to be measured by money, which is also to say, the value of life should not be a highest limit problem. Life is not merchandise, it should not be haggled over, and even less have a highest limit. Instead, there should be the opposite regulation, which is to have only a lowest limit, and even without one, there should not be an upper limit standard. The 400,000 upper limit, actually is us standardizing the value of our own citizens’ lives, treating Chinese people like merchandise, whose lives have a price tag, and what more is a low price! If this is not us insulting (prostituting) ourselves, then what is it? Moreover, how often do the families of victims get 400,000 in compensation? Just looking at “2007’s Shanxi Hongtong mine accident” compensation, with such a large storm, such broad affects, with 104 coal miners dead, each victim’s family only received 215,000 yuan.

The most exasperating and incredible is the railway department, which completely deviates from the country’s unified standards and created its own system, unilaterally setting its own compensation standards.

Its compensation is based upon the State Council’s 1979 document #178 “Provisions for accidents involving collisions between trains and other vehicles and railway staff casualties”. “Provisions” point out: “The victim’s families indeed will have difficuties, so the railway department at its discretion can give 80-150 yuan for cremation or burial expenses, and also at its discretion give a one-time relief payment of 100-150 yuan, but the patient’s hospital food expenses mus be paid by the patient himself…” no matter what the reason, even suicide, it will be these few hundred yuan compensation. I bet even African refugees would mock Chinese people’s cheap price! However, this is how it is in China, and it continues to exist confidently!

Seriously speaking, the compensation amount TW and Korea gives Chinese victim family members in comparison to China is of course a lot more, but it is still far inferior whome compared to America and other even more developed countries. However no matter what, their understanding and attitude towards the value of life is the same. It is said, Chinese people who die in Korea are basically third-class citizens, also what is known as “illegal workers”. However, in the process of compensation, Korea’s company did not bring up their legal status issue, but treated them like other ordinary citizens, and compensated them as they would other ordinary citizens, because from their perspective, people are people. On the other hand, let us again look at mainland China. We ourselves have divided ourselves into various levels. The cities and rural areas are not the same; and the cities from different areas are also not the same. The so-called “after the Chinese people have stood up” has been over 50 years now, all day shouting and screaming that everyone is equal, but now, even death compensation can be divided into various grades, so what face do we have to say everyone is equal?

Mainland China’s insult (prostitution) toward itself also directly encourages the citizens or oneself to disregard life. How many news reports have there been of cars, after hitting people, repeatedly running them over [to kill them]? You cannot remember clearly, right?! Why does this kinda of tragic thing repeatedly happens in China? The reason is simple, because Chinese people’s lives has an upper limit, and if they die, there is a standard for death so there is no need to worry. If they are injured, and must receive ongoing care, that would be a bottomless pit… If instead there were a lower limit provision, just like America and other developed democratic countries where every life must be compensated 1 million to 800,000, even several million, I bet all drivers would know how to drive even without warnings. Also, why is it that coal mine accidents keep happening? It is because the coal mine bosses who make huge amounts of money each day know very well that each life is only 400,000 and under and only a loss of a day’s or even a few hour’s profit. So everyone, would they take safety seriously? Moreover, there are even more similar phenomenon…

Even more frustrating is that China’s laws has reduced the worth of Chinese people’s lives to less than animals!

Previously there was a new report in Xinjiang where a wild horse was accidentally hit and killed by a driver, and in the end the sentenced compensation amount was actually 810,000! It is not to say that wild horse is not worth that amount of money, nor is it to say that the driver shouldn’t have been sentenced to pay that much, but just like killing a giant panda, the price of 8 million would even be low. What people find hard to understand is how could the value of human lives not be that high? How could human lives in China be inferior to animals?

Another thing, as long as you are a foreigner who dies in China or dies riding a Chinese cargo vessel, it will immediately be in line with international standards, and huge differences immediately appear in the compensation standards! Why is it that simply being born in China automatically means a cheap life? Yet foreigners are born automatically noble? Either way, foreigners look down upon us Chinese, and even act as if they are aggrieved. Just take a look at China, we ourselves reducing the value of life, so what face do we have to still say anything?

Indeed, in mainland China there are a lot of people, and the level of consumption is relatively low, so drawing up the compensation sums of developed countries is not very practical, but we still cannot stipulate an upper limit for compensation. Stipulating an upper limit is essentially devaluing human life.

Seriously, seeing news about compensation similar to the TW crane crushing people and Korea’s refrigerated warehouse explosion incidents, the first thought of this author first is: If it is possible, I want to go to a place or country like Taiwan, Korea, America to die, because at least there is gain in dead…otherwise, it will be like that popular phrase on the internet — being born in China and also dying in China is truly a lot of misfortune!

Notice: Recently, because there cross-provincial pursuits of guilt for speech (text) have happened, this person has cautiously, wary, and silently written this post. All clues and quotes come from the internet. of come from the internet. If the BBS forum editor and moderator discover there is a problem, please timely notify through private message and delete to protect the author and forum. If a legal dispute occurs as a result of untimely post deletion, this person is not responsible. Thank you!

Comments from Tianya:

做鸭鸭:

It is because these who can go travel are all those who have money and power.

If you do not believe, go and search about these deceased people yourselves.

If they are not officials, they are bosses.

Their lives are expensive.

惊弓↑鸟:

There is an even more traffic example, a car hit and killed three children, and it turns out that two had city hukous while one had a rural hukou. The ones with city hukous were compensated over 200,000 each, but the rural hukou only got 40,000. This is the mysterious China…

我很Book14:

First, let us see if what would happen if Chinese tourists at a mainland China tourist attraction suffered the same accident. I bet the death compensations would be between 200,000-300,000. Yet Taiwan paid 1.8 million, which is 6-9 times the mainland’s standards. According to America’s authoritative “World Wealth Report”, Taiwan’s per capital income is already over 16,000 USD, but mainland China’s per capita income is 2000 USD, which means Taiwan is 8 times more than mainland. It is therefore easy to see that the compensation amount is determined in accordance with the per capita income and price index. Taiwanese people’s per capital income is 8 times the mainland’s and death compensation is 6-9 times, very fair and reasonable, so where does the “astronomical figure” come from? If the lou zhu is envious, you can illegally immigrate to Taiwan before dying.

卧槽他吗:

With so many Chinese people to go, more dying is no big deal, it will even alleviate the employment pressure and traffic congestion. Some have to give way for others!

TOM8306:

This is the lack of human rights problem that America often points at China for.

扬州府才子_a:

China is poor, Taiwan and Korea’s GDP per capita is 20+ times our’s. China is simultaneously poor, chaotic, unequal, and unfair.

I党指挥抢I:

Too JB shocking, how can Chinese people be worth this much money?

Taiwanese people must have a plot, attempting to disrupt the mainland’s harmonious human life marketplace!!! Comrades, we must be on our guard!!

爬着过河:

We cannot choose where we are born, but at least we can choose where we live and where we die.

爱雅虎:

Posting these kind of topics these days one needs to be careful. If you anger the wrong person you could be taken to be reeducated.

haotaiyang12345:

I do not understand what your point is. When something like this happens, how much money can heal the wound? Money for the disabled/deceased is determined by so many factors: The financial ability of the party responsible, the kindness of the responsible party’s leadership, the level of importance to the government, the identity/social status of the victim, the government’s relevant laws, and the human rights we scream about daily. Which factor can determine how much the compensation should be? I personally believe, that the deceased is deceased, and so long as the family members get comfort/appeased it is good. Everyone be well.

ppl666:

Taiwanese people have said: If Taiwanese people were united [with China], the value of life would immediately drop N fold. If it were you, would you do it?

重庆一棒棒:

Chongqing’s newest compensation standards have been promulgated/released/announced. City hukou is over 280,000, rural hukou is 80,000. Truly shameless.

白髮小妖:

Regarding donations, China has never been stingy, Especially with foreign aid~~ Always easily giving how many hundreds of millions~~ Just hearing about it makes me drool~~

wshhhf:

Bullshit comparison!

You obviously know you live in the great socialist China, yet you still take things from the outside to compare compare compare!

Comparing bullshit, you TMD leave the country!

ayczq:

Not agreeing with some of your points, I personally believe:

1. In most circumstances, a train hitting a person is the pedestrians responsibility, and the train should not have to compensate.

2. On highways, when a car hits a person, it is also the pedestrian’s responsibility, and the driver should not have to compensate. This is not a problem of how much money, this is a problem of responsibility. and it is not related to your discussion of compensation being higher outside of the country and low inside the country. You should not have discussed the railway problem.

是不是总想狂扁:

*Spit! I get angry whenever I see these kind of posts, TMD Chinese people are not worth anything, living like dogs.

清醇佳酿:

Strongly request organizing a five day trip to Taiwan!

Comments from NetEase:

zhangrui_tr:

You think Guangdong tourists who can afford to go to Taiwan for vacation are only worth 1.8 million? I do not understand the victim’s background, I speculate that the victims in the incident can at least earn 1.8 million a year. I even feel they paid too little.

自己找对象:

After the internet police arrested several people, everyone has been very wary. If they arrest a few more, there will be even more good news on the internet.

luoyi00050:

China really is the minority’s heaven, and absolutely hell for the majority. For the vast majority of people born in China, aside from abandoning thinking, they also need to have good bodies.

duolingjiao:

They have all lost their lives, what is the point of thinking of these things. So pointless.

nndtsn:

Make some money and go to America to play a few days, and if you have nothing better to do, head towards the black people areas and look around! I guarantee there will be whatever you can think of! Hehe!

liudong19641:

Yeah, us Chinese always put down ourselves. When we do not respect ourselves, how can we raise our heads? Look at how all our movie stars like to marry foreign paupers (Zhang Ziyi), nevermind the ordinary common people.

daiyun1975:

Hehe, all you know are what normal Chinese citizens are compensated. I heard that some bureau-level leader from Hunan died while on a trip with his little secret [mistress], his family was compensated with 1.2 million. And it was considered dying in the line of duty. (This is just something I heard. I am not legally responsible.]

bubiao-liao:

How can life be measured with money? The problem of compensation should be determined by regulations. I personally hope this kind of thing will not happen to me.

森田国际电子:

The best part of this text was at the very end, everyone please skip the rest, thank you.

Note: Images are from EastSouthWestNorth.