0:00

This message comes from NPR sponsor

0:02

play, message in Plymouth. Jane is imported

0:04

from England. South West Coast and is

0:06

distilled using a of seven. Botanicals,

0:09

including juniper berry coriander

0:11

seed and citrus peel Plymouth gin

0:13

in 1793.

0:15

You listen to rough translation from

0:18

NPR. A a can

0:20

tell you something, and

0:21

you don't hear the sting behind their words until much

0:24

later, when aerys was growing

0:26

up in Hubei, Province in China, her teacher

0:28

with single her. out my teacher

0:31

she would you say your feet

0:33

are he was smart both

0:35

a brace was so good this was

0:38

because she was had working

0:41

this is supposed to be praise she

0:43

didn't mean to hardly i

0:45

sell both was really hurt

0:47

the

0:48

the lesson that eris drew from there was

0:50

a failure which is one miss alarm

0:52

clock away and her mom had an

0:54

expression the me burners

0:57

the early birds has something to

1:00

the phrase it i know is the early bird catches

1:02

the worm yeah yeah he's

1:05

simulate years

1:07

later when eris would grow up to become

1:09

a high school teacher herself she

1:11

didn't want to seem or students into working hard

1:13

but she worried their students didn't seem to have

1:16

that work ethic needed for the grueling high

1:18

school exams the can decide your future

1:20

career for students were only five

1:22

years younger than her but already felt like a different

1:25

when i was a students i was very

1:28

obedient maybe because we

1:30

have fewer temptations like

1:33

mobile phones or video games

1:35

they have so much temptation

1:39

though they didn't learn hard

1:43

so air as gave herself homework

1:45

she would play video games league

1:48

of legends l l and

1:50

read the sports pages

1:52

oh did you know that someone

1:54

has landed campaign he wanted to

1:56

motivator students by connecting with

1:58

them so

2:02

they've been my students are

2:04

interested

2:06

then one day she remembers the bell

2:08

rang the classes still noisy and

2:10

she'd asked one boy to sit down and resume

2:12

studying the just looked at her

2:15

and he said no the

2:18

the i dashed off the he was

2:21

was he doing and then

2:23

she said

2:24

at houston because of the law to finish

2:26

to propel the law and

2:30

disgrace he says

2:31

i were not daddy i will become a boss

2:34

in the i will not work for others

2:36

then an unfamiliar accent notwithstanding

2:40

memory the student seller oh

2:42

it's a new joke on line

2:44

and she thinks okay this is

2:46

something my students are connecting with the i need

2:48

to know about it that night

2:50

she looked it up

2:52

coming out with , his own meals

2:54

and knew what he finds his this video

2:57

source of he said so that she later

2:59

learned was causing lots of people in china

3:01

to rethink all those lessons about working

3:04

hard that heiress heard as heard kid

3:08

at the video this guy said he

3:11

is handcuffed to the

3:13

bars on the wall the police station

3:15

somewhere

3:16

we first heard the story from and the are seizing corresponded

3:19

emily saying

3:20

judging by his accent he is in southern

3:22

china has hair

3:24

is gonna disheveled as disheveled as are going all

3:26

over the place and turns out

3:28

he's jailed because he'd been caught

3:30

stealing scooters the by cnn

3:34

it seems to have been filmed on a local television

3:37

station

3:38

and in this video interview whoever

3:40

is asking the questions i'm says

3:43

why do you keep stealing scooters i can't

3:45

you get a real job i'm not

3:47

limited by people that the guy in the video

3:50

the guy's been arrested says working

3:53

in this life this impossible for me it's

3:56

impossible for me to work this

3:58

is the braves and seventy the the

4:03

eris first heard from her student

4:05

i saw it and that realized it was

4:07

from a thief

4:10

the feet with apparently millions

4:12

of followers across china he's

4:14

not playing about a specific job

4:17

right you're talking about working general and

4:19

the fact that he won't do it at all he's

4:21

not suited to it at all and that

4:23

was really what struck a chord with people

4:27

this is rough translation of gregory

4:29

warner said ,

4:31

of ricochet across twenties work sites

4:33

and offices today the show

4:36

how a scooter cease became an icon

4:38

for brewing discontent and why

4:40

some guy saying it's didn't want to work anymore

4:42

game to be seen by the state as such a

4:44

thread and he says my office

4:46

so the police officers officers this

4:48

story the government uses surveillance and

4:50

censorship to try to stamp out stamp

4:54

see how that's working for them scooter

4:56

thief and what he unleashed among chinese

4:58

use from tech high

5:01

school students even to a high

5:03

school teacher. oh he was amazed

5:05

like for you today

5:12

It's Slackers at work after

5:15

this break.

5:18

The

5:20

following message comes from NPR sponsor.

5:22

REI, Chief customer officer been

5:25

steel shares, the importance of engaging,

5:27

their Coop Community, to

5:29

make positive change in the outdoors.

5:31

REI cannot

5:33

single-handedly solve issues,

5:35

like sustainability like

5:37

climate change like equity in participation,

5:40

in the outdoors. But if you think the ripple

5:42

effect of what are millions

5:44

of people can do together, what

5:47

possible starts to get pretty exciting,

5:49

pretty fast to learn more, go

5:51

to rei.com, better

5:53

is out there. Sometimes

5:56

politics can feel like just a lot of noise, but

5:59

the decision. made by leaders in this

6:01

country affect you stay on top

6:03

of how changing policies breaking news

6:05

and new rulings affect your life

6:08

every weekday on the npr politics podcast

6:10

listen now

6:12

we're back with rough translation and gregory werner

6:14

a quarter starting here with emily st

6:17

great so yeah so where do you want to where you want to start with

6:19

a with a rock show yeah then

6:23

it is why that video games to mean

6:25

so much in china we're

6:27

going to start with a cultural phenomenon known

6:29

as song

6:30

i usually first noticed some because

6:33

, a bubble tea shop chain

6:36

and they specialize in making drinks

6:38

that had really long and elaborate name set

6:40

all reference some universal

6:43

problem that was very song for example

6:45

like my exes life

6:47

is better than mine fruit tea

6:50

or as achieves

6:52

absolutely nothing black tea

6:56

and i was discussing it one day with my producer

6:58

in beijing hollins have issues ago

7:00

yes i'm actually there's this guy

7:02

went to high school as he started a sample

7:04

trip fuel and they're all

7:06

about some

7:09

the you enter the show

7:10

now we've been i've been in the lighthouse

7:13

and schengen

7:19

there are probably two

7:21

, people showed up which is a good

7:23

crowd for thursday thursday

7:27

one thing that really struck me as everyone

7:29

was sitting down at the beginning of the of the

7:33

life has set up all these chairs

7:35

lining the perimeter of the rim

7:37

and people are sweeping

7:44

worse lot of people with their heads i

7:46

and other people shoulders

7:48

thunder took a male palermo

7:51

obama monotonous on

7:52

i started talking to somebody people like

7:55

why would you come out a way to a rock show

7:57

alive house and then just ticket

8:00

the

8:02

and everyone was like whoa and tires

8:04

and same as a matter if

8:07

, is is as like

8:09

as party for exhausted deeper

8:11

completely fake she

8:13

, have a special city because it's

8:16

china's technology to hub it's basically

8:18

try to silicon valley and all these really hot

8:20

new startup there there there's something

8:22

called nine something called in china yeah

8:26

a fortune from nine am to nine pm sixty

8:28

three technically now

8:30

illegal

8:32

practice nurse tech companies do

8:34

this and shinjin is notorious for

8:36

nine nine six

8:37

but it turns out that been exhausted least

8:39

in this crowd come up with a membership

8:42

card in a club known as song

8:45

the phone is an actual chinese character

8:47

which can be combined and various races

8:50

it just means the process or

8:52

tragic in general sad

8:55

the fact that people feel at her work is

8:57

pointless they're simply going

9:00

through the motions to just get through the

9:02

everyday and a job

9:06

the show so he picks up ships yours

9:08

is the last actually prefer him

9:12

most of their fans are between the ages is

9:14

like twenty to thirty somethings

9:17

a , of them are working white collar job

9:19

which might be procedures that don't

9:22

often pay that much and china and

9:24

even though labor laws are starting to get a little

9:27

bit more strict is

9:35

hey

9:38

they have no personal time as their own

9:40

they're often only children so they thought

9:42

financial burdens to make sure that they can take

9:44

care of your older relatives the

9:47

band members seal this you know they're struggling with

9:49

the same issues but issues think that's also

9:51

what connects them to their fans

9:54

their lyrics are about watching

9:56

your life happens

10:02

i've

10:04

been a passenger in your life and watching

10:06

in your dreams though he dies so

10:11

the lead singer of the bands

10:13

the manager chance that's his

10:15

stage name and his actual job title

10:17

he that manager he manages financial

10:19

products and or as it is as the

10:22

provincial bank creepy and

10:24

never act he he pauses and between

10:26

two songs and he says thank you all

10:28

for coming to his fans think it at the band members

10:31

but also thank you to my bank manager is for

10:33

letting me be here and everyone kind

10:35

of laughs and applauds because they

10:38

like as part of a stick

10:40

a bunch of tech workers nodding

10:42

off at a math rock show mina seem

10:44

like a big threat for the chinese government to

10:46

stress about but when we are talking

10:48

to eris for high school teacher she said

10:50

she would not go to one of these concerts doesn't

10:53

like with some culture represents

10:56

you are sir bradley

10:58

negative energy

10:59

negative energy is something the government has

11:02

been campaigning against for years

11:04

in areas says there's something shameful that

11:06

sharing how exhausted you are

11:08

when you say that you are tired of

11:11

his side are you might be

11:14

we the others when you might

11:16

not be suitable for job

11:18

that's just the job you're hired for but the bigger

11:20

job of building china lake

11:23

aren't you could see the

11:25

development of painter the

11:29

the

11:29

the propeller the propeller

11:32

be fine development is

11:34

each chinese people's efforts the

11:37

principle that was ingrained in era since primary

11:39

school

11:40

the new china needs everyone to work hard

11:42

to build up the country though

11:45

she wasn't admitting it harris was

11:47

really exhausted the hard

11:49

working as she was a teacher the

11:51

wasn't the career she wanted for self

11:54

repair and said pressure to getting your teaching

11:56

degree additionally

11:58

it's considered to be a great job

12:00

for

12:02

for girl to become a teacher he

12:04

means you have more time to

12:06

take healthy or children and your family

12:09

repairing the know

12:12

up so we

12:14

should be grateful for their

12:16

efforts so

12:19

what their own they should also

12:21

take care of them is

12:24

that other dreams for what she wanted for career

12:27

that she got he had a duty to obey her

12:29

parents how

12:31

i tried to be a good teacher

12:34

and i'm a weird as weird have

12:36

to work hard for my

12:38

students and the for my responsibility

12:41

and eat dog and a series

12:43

calm them that calm calm and

12:45

just don't forget to do

12:48

what i need to do right now there

12:51

is a living with their parents then

12:53

most nights she leave school at nine pm

12:55

take the bus home and wake

12:57

up at six thirty to take the bus back to school

13:00

he didn't see any way which

13:02

is why she was so intrigued by that

13:04

video the arrested scooter thief being asked

13:07

by local journalist

13:08

why don't you just get a job mechanic

13:12

not limited by the book hundred thousand iowa

13:15

he says it's and

13:18

what everyone wants to do

13:20

but they're smart too

13:22

that video give heiress away to talk

13:24

about those bad feelings in the

13:26

form of a sheer joke

13:28

but i sometimes when i when i do

13:30

feel good and then i

13:33

don't want to work father's today

13:36

right i said oh he was

13:38

amazing he was so brave

13:41

and i didn't want to go to prison so

13:43

i just working for you today

13:48

like i would follow his example but i don't

13:50

want to be entails so i'll just keep

13:52

my job

13:53

yeah yeah yeah size

13:55

is like a joke was a

13:58

joke the letter talk about these abu

14:00

feelings or on giving being

14:03

irresponsible

14:05

the who was this guy the scooters

14:08

the guy in the video is the miss joly

14:10

team when he says

14:14

that moment of my people can work

14:16

in the bible impossible for me was

14:18

a real besides the only way to live

14:20

is by stealing things i feel

14:22

like she's an aside i like

14:24

coming to jail as been arrested so many times

14:26

going to jail as like coming back home or

14:29

yoda his same there's no way that

14:31

i could ever work in his life the

14:34

guy

14:37

after the video explains it

14:40

, an entire sub culture as

14:42

phillies he send them a

14:44

splice a original interview

14:47

and they said it too corny retro

14:49

music need to protect

14:51

the be joe and mean this on

14:53

his philosophy the posting

14:56

rebellious accept they've done in their daily

14:58

lives and citing to lead she has their inspiration

15:01

online forums discussing about how

15:04

people can best slap for close

15:06

to home

15:07

making it seem like they're doing what they're supposed to be doing

15:10

is , people start of a tasting

15:12

his cartoon as

15:14

him saturated that saturated looks

15:16

like that same as poster che guevara opera

15:19

guy my early my buddy out

15:21

of were communists argentinian guerrilla

15:23

fighters

15:24

he does actually look a little bit like actually

15:26

looks a lot like take his horror you've

15:29

, the same gonna like peaked eyebrows

15:31

starts long hair hair

15:34

, he's got this express he

15:36

did less thing to have people

15:38

sir calling him yet guevara

15:41

see it being the trains were for young

15:47

meanwhile jealous else is still behind

15:49

bars and yeah was no internet

15:51

me is no idea this is happening

15:53

even there for the fourth time for stealing scooters

15:56

surprise surprise the in a string

15:58

of twenty twenty these about to be released or

16:00

what is that he is or and idols like

16:03

he has in his final day before coming

16:05

home or finally our

16:08

our leader comes back to us

16:10

the ironic thing about joe becoming a slacker

16:12

hero for young white collar workers that

16:15

he had started working at a much earlier age

16:17

than most of his fans had to and

16:20

in much greater your job

16:21

he was born to a really poor family and rules

16:23

on c and he

16:25

quit school and years and third grade she has

16:28

done construction jobs and some

16:30

menial jobs smoking break

16:33

in various factories across gumshoe province

16:36

the know why why was his family stuck

16:39

in the bottom mother

16:41

has always had some an

16:43

illness where she's not able to work very

16:46

regularly his father is

16:48

physically very ill so as not able

16:50

to to labour to go out like most

16:52

men in the village and do construction work

16:54

and earn a steady wage every

16:56

time he got out of jail and he went back home

16:59

his home was just was run down as

17:01

it was before where is everyone else in the

17:03

village was building up their homes and

17:05

modernizing them

17:07

anything when he says you know

17:09

i don't want to go that home jealous better

17:11

i think he's referring to the fact that he feels a

17:13

sense of failure that ,

17:16

home his family has not kept

17:19

has not kept pace to the way the

17:22

rest of china is developing

17:24

they would become an icon for people that wanted to opt

17:26

out of the rat race for the real job

17:29

was more like you've been left behind the

17:31

train is grocery

17:37

jody she emerges from prison at

17:39

six thirty in the morning on april eighteenth

17:41

twenty twenty to put this in perspective

17:44

endemic lockdowns of only recently

17:47

ended inter province travel is

17:49

still heavily restricted outside

17:51

the prison though he finds a cloud

17:54

offense

17:55

quarter is and well wishers waiting

17:58

outside the prison for him also

18:00

telescope

18:02

offering him up to half a million us

18:04

dollars to be their brand ambassador

18:06

and to sell products for them online and

18:10

the police who do not like all this attention

18:12

he is getting one that fits

18:15

they were going away they bring him to the local

18:17

police station his home town then please

18:20

give him talk the what is gonna happen

18:22

to the icon now that he's free

18:25

the rough translation returns

18:28

this message comes from npr sponsor base

18:30

camp

18:31

the news is that your businesses growing

18:33

but so are the number of files

18:36

emails chats and meetings its

18:38

becoming impossible to stay on top of it all

18:40

your team needs help keeping up no problem

18:43

join the thousands of growing businesses each

18:45

week that use base camp its the all

18:47

in one place solution for organizing and collaborating

18:50

keep it together but it in base camp

18:52

to learn more visit base camp dot com

18:54

slash and pr

18:58

we're back with rough translation and

19:00

our new season at work gregory

19:02

water the morning joe

19:05

his release from prison the police to them down

19:07

at a table in the police station and they give him

19:09

a talk i talked to his immediately

19:11

posted online with a soundtrack are

19:13

like lesson

19:14

we know you're a bad guy you done a lot of

19:16

bad things in your life size we trust

19:19

that you're gonna do the right the thing from here on for

19:21

it the hollywood hills

19:23

are not something you given the a good

19:25

influence in society right he the

19:27

out for those of if i do gooding

19:30

the if i guess i've learned my lesson and nephews

19:32

still scooters again i just wanna live a quiet

19:34

life and far

19:38

later that

19:40

immediately and i first day out

19:42

you've been approached by talent scouts wanted

19:44

to go and videos and hoc products

19:46

and they're offering sums of money for one appearance

19:49

in one video that are astronomically

19:51

higher than anything joe is made in an entire

19:54

year of labor

19:55

oh you've lived companies are like please please

19:58

i can you sign up as are branded acids

20:00

there will be hundreds of strangers penning to

20:02

his house bringing and guess expensive

20:04

gifts and trying to sign up for these brand deals

20:09

he told them no and he says

20:11

nope i said it before i will not work

20:13

for any one signing a contract means

20:15

i would become their employees and that was

20:17

eating my

20:18

while maintaining a bible know it's

20:20

illusion subtlety

20:22

and you can hear one reporter asked in joe

20:25

seriously are you sure that you're not

20:27

going to take these deals even a stick with that

20:29

decision to bush's of them didn't know what

20:31

life's dream was is it's actually really lucrative

20:34

as a prison sentence is really surprised

20:36

he's turned these companies down and

20:38

and that becomes viral to because people see

20:40

that refusal to work for

20:42

and internet marketing agency as proof

20:45

that joe is sticking to his principles of

20:47

are all these years in prison

20:49

in this feels jos reputation as

20:51

an anti worked icon and the authorities

20:54

seems to be nervous and wasn't much

20:56

that be a chinese ministry

20:58

comes out and said jelly she has been

21:00

blacklisted nobody can ever worked

21:02

with him he has a bad social influence

21:05

and know if we paying any attention them why

21:07

are we giving a convicted felon

21:09

and a cease all of our attention is

21:12

a bad

21:13

two months go by and then he opens

21:15

up his own accounts and post

21:18

this video

21:20

it's it's him facing the cameras and

21:22

he says i apologize i did some

21:24

bad things he says he's learned

21:26

that they're young people who are copying his behavior

21:29

and learning from him and he tells them don't

21:32

copy and they just mind your own business and live your own

21:34

life well

21:36

she was human ,

21:38

i'm sorry to see this to

21:41

see

21:42

the pie chasing the people who a solid

21:45

him for all these years

21:47

what do you have to love with own is apologizing

21:49

to his fans

21:50

yep he must apologize to his family for not

21:52

being there for them yeah

21:55

yeah

21:58

the journalism open houses

22:00

implemented that he is he's apologizing to this woman

22:02

who he apparently lost

22:04

like though because he wasn't at

22:06

the person at the time

22:10

and anybody else other videos all

22:12

about like studying hard so

22:15

do i don't there's

22:18

a video he breaks up a card game some

22:21

from president

22:22

the watson he grabs the cars and he throws

22:24

and to the side and he says were you doing

22:27

i'm talking to you and you to devices

22:29

he said he does he to work

22:32

the become the productivity police

22:34

yeah you know they're all these areas that you have to do

22:37

you haven't so that your car with gas you're

22:39

really not the type of person i know you're not the same person

22:42

the christopher's fans was what type

22:45

of person is joe the

22:47

still the i kind of slacking off who

22:49

turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars and brand

22:52

deals because he did not want to work for others

22:54

or busy this new moralists

22:57

promoting status quo fans

23:00

are confused

23:01

i went when he does a livestream like

23:03

an online talk with the local

23:05

police station to tell

23:08

people to behave and behave upright citizen

23:10

emily basis of scrutinizing these

23:12

work evangelist videos trying

23:14

to figure out is this the real joe or

23:17

was there someone just outside the frame

23:20

of these videos making me and say

23:22

these things

23:26

and all of a sudden i learned that he's open to barbecue

23:28

joint in his home province

23:31

the joe has become a boss

23:34

yeah we just called him his restaurant

23:36

and and he's there every night like

23:38

around eight pm on once but he won't be

23:40

phone interviews

23:41

apparently a lot of people called the restaurant asking a top

23:43

ten over the phone so someplace

23:45

like know we just guy come here you're very

23:48

welcome to hang out with him as long as he bar food

23:50

the only know and fly down to the province

23:52

of one she they check into a hotel

23:55

not really knowing what version of joe they're going to

23:57

meet that night will he be the slacker

23:59

hero the old where this virtuous

24:01

joe of late and then

24:04

they get to the restaurant i

24:06

you knew it has restaurant because that

24:08

was a giant picture as his face dressed

24:10

up as che guevara the friends the

24:13

motor didn't

24:16

hi

24:19

so it's like the retina in

24:21

there and it's covered with posters the

24:24

was slogans like

24:26

the other is her life

24:28

is a good beer and a good barbecue

24:31

and puns about drinking essentially

24:33

a cookie notice it is all men like

24:35

were the only woman and is to

24:38

for restaurant

24:39

shouting and as people like shagging

24:41

beers it's like of his cables

24:44

and tables as man who are taking off their shirts

24:47

because they're setting from eating so much and as

24:49

the games it as rocket as many empty beer bottles

24:51

of possible

24:54

the as a waiter you know like is

24:56

though here is mr jones is the home

24:58

boss joe bosco here so

25:01

, santa and

25:03

that i think she needed mistakes as

25:05

for like them

25:07

some might get ceaseless serious

25:09

the get an autograph or something and happens

25:11

a lot san still come to the restaurant

25:14

and he is he is mobbed on the regular

25:16

by people who wanna take celsius with him

25:18

they meet the news vans and they learned that despite

25:20

to his apology videos and all his

25:22

hard work videos that he did after prison

25:25

the fans are here because of his original video that

25:29

, what he's still famous for for

25:32

, of emily and hours

25:34

sit down hours dinner or why

25:36

are we talked to more fans licensing

25:39

some minor say we

25:41

some more

25:43

no money no

25:46

clothes

25:51

oh and and i just kind of sat there until

25:53

midnight whole thing that bosco which

25:57

he never did we were

26:00

dad from having traveled down there early

26:02

that morning we actually lesson know

26:04

explaining that we're reporters and ha of

26:06

land interview him from the cash

26:10

the go back to the hotel

26:12

and then late that night pick your a knock

26:14

at their hotel room door the

26:16

police we've got to see your passport

26:18

suppose it prevention reasons

26:20

i don't know why the police would have to come by to check

26:22

your documents at two am

26:24

we are it i gave my passport and he scanned it and send

26:26

a picture to the police on eight or ten per chinese

26:28

law way that assume actual ask for

26:31

any and i just went on and on circles and eventually

26:33

give it to them but i realize

26:35

if they probably has been keeping tabs on us

26:39

the next night their back at a barbecue choice

26:42

we fucked up to his office nothing

26:45

a store hoping that he would be there

26:48

indeed he was so

26:50

, opens the door and he looks exactly

26:52

like like he looks

26:54

and obvious that ios i'd lost his him his

26:57

he's got long dark hair he's got the death

26:59

eyebrows but

27:02

he looks really focused

27:04

the super serious and he

27:06

immediately agrees us to says

27:09

what my dc size when

27:12

rough translation returns the

27:14

past year

27:23

support for npr and the following message

27:26

come from thorns rest of aerosol lack

27:28

of sleep and daily stressors can speed

27:30

up the aging process thorns rest of

27:32

the carousel is designed to offset the symptoms

27:35

of early aging by featuring a combination

27:37

of nicotine mit right beside and other a

27:53

this is rough translation and gregory warner

27:56

back to our story with emily saying emily saying barbecue

27:58

joints joe finally shown

28:00

up for his interview but something isn't

28:03

right

28:04

a new we are any brings us to another

28:06

side room and he says of has has actually

28:08

got a really important meeting a my office right

28:10

now keegan

28:12

you feel like ten to twelve

28:14

guys i thought he was in a business meeting

28:17

so we say no problem dear meeting will be

28:19

outside having dinner me this afterward what

28:22

hot one the

28:28

barbecue place

28:30

come that about half an hour later looking

28:33

even more harried even more stressed

28:36

as my office is so the police officers

28:38

they suddenly came by to do with fire inspection

28:40

of the restaurant and then

28:42

before that i got this random call

28:45

from someone who said he worked in state security

28:47

services like china

28:50

image in the cia and as be i sang

28:53

to reporters from beijing were going to come

28:55

down and try to interview me and

28:57

i suppose you refuse at all costs

29:00

and as he sang this he sits down

29:02

and he gets he phone call phone his why

29:05

and

29:05

from the same state security guys i

29:07

can hear him over in the speaker on

29:09

chosen asking

29:11

where are you what are you doing right now for you talking

29:13

to are you in the restaurant and

29:15

joe is completely bewildered he doesn't was going

29:17

on his on his is yes i'm in a restaurant wow

29:19

maybe it's and working hours long

29:26

heavy cat for a little baby tony smart

29:28

heart he still trying to be nice

29:30

and this is the kind of breaks my heart is

29:32

trying to be good host yeah says the as a good time

29:35

to really apologizes that he can't like

29:37

sit down and have a proper drink with us this

29:40

point he goes back to his office

29:42

i don't you

29:51

know after he lasts more people

29:53

started coming in

29:54

addressing are black addressing when

29:56

breakers

30:01

the new diners that came and in order anything

30:03

anything alcoholic drink which

30:05

it stands out when you've got table full

30:08

of men pounding back leaders of beer fuzzy

30:10

math

30:13

i realize that all the people sitting around

30:15

us ah , watching

30:17

us quite closely one of them

30:19

begins filming us with his cellphone camera

30:22

so i think that yes several other

30:24

several number of plainclothes police and that

30:26

and the restaurant with us

30:30

the police course with their because emily was there

30:33

they don't want joe telling her story

30:35

that later when

30:38

emily and oh and get back to beijing

30:40

the realize that the censorship it goes

30:42

deeper a lot of

30:45

the beauty is that people had made

30:48

in two thousand and sixteen two thousand and seven

30:51

don't have been taken down jos original

30:53

viral video was still up but all of the

30:55

creative sabotage videos allows

30:58

the tribute to his slacker dumb empowered

31:00

office workers praising him they

31:02

will find any events so

31:05

this meeting as close

31:08

as though get to jail

31:09

at the very end he came out one last

31:11

time there is a man

31:14

i guess a plainclothes officer kind of holding

31:16

him by the elbow i

31:18

think they wanted to do it show that like so

31:20

sign his out and about he's totally normal

31:23

this is it totally regular evening for

31:25

him without

31:27

, reason

31:29

wants to take wants to with show and he like normally

31:32

would and he said on intrusive for always

31:34

takes pictures of sense that he hesitates then

31:37

he he didn't

31:39

want to say no but lead

31:41

well as several times and finally he

31:43

is like sure okay he has changed

31:45

the law says so he was so

31:47

carefree and as he was like

31:51

, years ago we get another restaurant

31:53

and suicide suicide

31:55

a completely different guys from the from

31:58

, tears as the videos that

32:08

oh we hear your home

32:11

, i've i've

32:13

him since he was

32:15

so sad now

32:26

ironically right he may have been more free to

32:28

do whatever he wanted back when he was

32:30

a scooter sees the now

32:35

so why is all this extra scrutiny

32:38

on joe happening now

32:40

this is playing out in the midst of the

32:42

global for another is pandemic and

32:44

china wants to put

32:47

on this image that it's controlled the pandemic it's economy

32:49

has bounced back

32:52

and to some extent

32:54

it has

32:55

the country is still hurting i mean a lot of people

32:58

are still at a jobs and so this is the time

33:00

when a local government the central

33:02

government they need people to stop thinking people

33:04

to

33:05

after having our babies and producing the future

33:07

generation of workers they need people to work

33:10

more they need people to manufacture methods

33:12

they can export to the u s dany

33:14

, to be paying their

33:17

taxes i mean the engine that is

33:19

the chinese economy needs to be running more

33:21

efficiently than ever and so

33:24

people like to lead see i

33:26

think that feels particularly dangerous now

33:33

you will never know what might

33:36

happen to you know moment

33:38

harris spent locked down and her own apartment

33:41

she moved away from her parents and

33:43

for the first time she had lots of time alone

33:46

the so if

33:48

i die right now

33:50

i would a sale very angry

33:53

because i didn't leave

33:55

for aires right now the

33:57

thought about the rules of society as

34:00

the few of them made sense

34:01

she wanted to learn the logic behind those rules

34:04

and that turned into a desire to study

34:06

law which is what she decided to do

34:09

they decided to

34:13

to be teaching and enroll in moscow

34:15

i mean keep my lesson

34:18

we are , august

34:21

but she wasn't the seller paris for not yet

34:23

when i am a meeting i was held

34:25

up as my plane

34:27

you'll get into law school and

34:30

, when you'll call them up

34:32

and say yeah that's that's

34:35

made this plane more complicated was that she'd say

34:37

the contract when she started teaching school that

34:39

she teach for a minimum of six years or pay

34:41

a fine she saved up enough

34:43

to pay the fine but when she called

34:45

the school and told them this say calls

34:48

her parents she thinks they wanted her

34:50

parents to talk her out of it when

34:53

she came home to face her parents rats

34:56

you realize the situation at home

34:58

was worse than she thought her mom

35:00

told her that she had lost the equivalent of

35:02

fifty thousand dollars gambling then

35:04

she told her her father didn't know any of this he

35:07

was afraid they might get divorced

35:09

unless eris could do something to help

35:11

them here's some of bobby

35:15

did you

35:17

have that kind of money to

35:20

be able to pay us i

35:23

could help her pay that

35:25

that i meant sacrifice

35:28

my own when

35:31

that means moving back hall

35:33

going back to my job and

35:38

i mean have neither

35:41

for me sometimes hurry

35:44

how family i'm

35:47

not sure whether i will have another

35:51

they're not a time of bravery

35:54

i mean i i am already and

35:56

already twenty six the

35:59

liquor one shot the change your career and

36:01

change your life

36:03

the that mean becoming the creative person who failed

36:05

to help her family

36:08

right

36:09

if i have trouble if i

36:11

if at all the other so much

36:13

money the parents will spare no

36:16

effort to pay them

36:18

off for be so he the

36:20

same way i should do the same

36:23

there's there's if in is tough moments

36:26

you ever thought about joe the scooter see then

36:29

she said no

36:30

the jos message had continued to be

36:32

a guiding influence on her decisions the

36:35

way that couldn't really be constrained by

36:37

any censorship the government

36:39

may have silence joe in his restaurant these

36:42

viral video given her point of connection

36:44

with her students then allowed

36:46

her to really talk to them in

36:49

the way to cheat always hoped to do with teacher we

36:51

have a nanny hundred patients

36:54

and day with a shell me with their dreams

36:57

in a building on the students

37:00

were , to pursue their dreams

37:02

and i'm also told them that

37:04

i am think again because they're quebec

37:07

their own decisions that choices than

37:09

that my fear and told me that i

37:11

could also be myself and they told

37:14

me that the most important thing

37:17

it to be happy hurry

37:20

and bleed health i

37:24

just i just feel i just

37:26

feel that removed when i when

37:28

i think of what what one night my

37:30

students told me i

37:33

just i just realized and all

37:35

my life choices they're made

37:38

of maybe

37:40

i can say for to

37:42

forgive or i could understand why

37:45

why this happened now

37:48

i can offer thief i saw anymore

37:51

and big if come into your to

37:53

make the choice that others made me

37:56

a me had i was not responsible

37:58

for my own eyes so

38:01

i think i should be brave

38:04

like tide she

38:07

leave though

38:11

an heiress thought about how to help her mom get out of

38:13

his dead what it meant for to put

38:15

her parents first the thought

38:17

about what her students told her the

38:19

finally i i made owner

38:22

he will sell for the toys

38:25

he decided to just pay ten percent

38:27

of or moans debt like us more help

38:30

and she's moved a second time

38:32

she's not telling your parents or new address

38:36

my parents also need to improve

38:38

that so i mean they also need to learn

38:40

to be responsible for themselves

38:43

there's is using your savings study for law school

38:46

lately since taking a lot about

38:48

that expression the early bird

38:50

has something to the

38:52

that are mom always said i think

38:54

ah is phrase is

38:56

too people you

38:59

have to suffer pain

39:03

if you don't have early

39:05

you will have no one the

39:14

the world some worth make an aldi

39:17

the mornings for some mckenna

39:19

married right

39:26

this is marched the national people's congress

39:28

delegate that china's parliament

39:31

suggested passing laws to

39:33

guard against for sub cultures

39:35

that have had quote icu roading

39:37

effect on the values of young people lgbt

39:40

culture study abroad program

39:43

fan culture and society

39:49

sincerely bellamy three of us for have been

39:51

the subject of rough translation ficus emphasis

39:54

next week on at work we

39:56

go from state sponsored exhaustion to

39:58

state mandated

40:00

the rest are you people ought to

40:02

simply have tier to

40:04

take a break some

40:06

, time storing the birthday

40:08

it's good for they are well be

40:11

be that i just don't buy it

40:14

what happens when you live in a country where it is illegal

40:16

to work for your lunch break from

40:18

iraq

40:19

am i love a

40:21

productive much

40:23

that next week on our series at work

40:32

this episode was produced by just seniors

40:34

with help from abilene the laziness or

40:36

editor and senior supervising producer

40:38

is bruce oster emily ,

40:41

and oh and so are imported from china

40:43

additional reporting by just senior in the

40:46

rough translation team includes the we stress

40:48

cobbler grass and testify elite

40:50

emily bogle is or visuals editor or

40:52

visuals producer is the honest answer

40:55

editorial

40:58

guidance by senior was just

41:00

jang rubber krulwich son across the

41:02

girls and shitty lives john

41:04

ellis composer theme music additional music

41:06

additional first got music and audio network

41:09

mastering by just knew of fact checking

41:11

by james yielded thanks

41:15

to npr is michael ratner and tony cabin

41:17

chief international editor dd skanky and

41:19

senior vice president for programming on your grandmother

41:23

the music you're listening if you right now is trip you

41:25

up from their album departure we

41:27

use their tracks throughout their episode as well big

41:29

thanks to wild records and the whole band and

41:32

especially the manager chen for taking the time

41:34

off work i'm

41:37

gregory warner back next week

41:39

with more at work on rough

41:41

translation