China's National Bureau of Statistics has a tough time. If they are not being castigated for exaggerated wage data, then it's doubts about the reliability of GDP or accusations that the consumer price index understates the true increase in prices. Adam Dean/Bloomberg News

　　中國(guó)國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局的日子不好過(guò)：他們不是因?yàn)榭浯蠊べY數(shù)據(jù)而遭人痛批，就是所發(fā)布的國(guó)內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值（GDP）數(shù)據(jù)的可靠性遭人質(zhì)疑，或是因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者價(jià)格指數(shù)（CPI）低估了物價(jià)的真實(shí)漲幅而受到指責(zé)。

　　There's even a saying on the Chinese internet that 'the comrades in the statistical bureau don't buy vegetables.' The implication is that if they did they would know the true extent of price increases (in Chinese).

　　中國(guó)網(wǎng)民在網(wǎng)上甚至還有這樣一種說(shuō)法：統(tǒng)計(jì)局的同志們都不買菜。言下之意是，如果他們?nèi)ベI菜，他們肯定會(huì)知道物價(jià)上漲的真實(shí)幅度。

　　Those doubts can now be laid to rest, at least a little. 現(xiàn)在，這些質(zhì)疑可以放一放了，至少暫時(shí)如此。

　　At an open day hosted by the statisticians in Beijing Tuesday, Mrs. Wang from the Shanxi provincial statistics office confirmed in the margins of the event that she did buy vegetables. “If I didn't what would I eat?” she replied.

　　周二，國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局在北京舉辦了第二屆中國(guó)統(tǒng)計(jì)開(kāi)放日活動(dòng)。在參加活動(dòng)的間隙，山西省統(tǒng)計(jì)局一位姓王的女同志向記者證實(shí)，她確實(shí)會(huì)去市場(chǎng)買菜。“不買菜我吃什么？”，她問(wèn)道。

　　The event was part of a broader effort to open China's statistical system, long criticized for being opaque, to the public and the media. Senior officials, from NBS chief Ma Jiantang on down, fielded questions from the media, the public and online participants.

　　本次活動(dòng)是向公眾和媒體公開(kāi)中國(guó)統(tǒng)計(jì)制度的一系列舉措的組成部分。長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)中國(guó)統(tǒng)計(jì)制度因不透明而遭外界批評(píng)。國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局局長(zhǎng)馬建堂帶領(lǐng)一批高級(jí)官員回答媒體、公眾和在線活動(dòng)參與者的提問(wèn)。

　　One question from the floor was essentially a variation on the vegetable joke: “Why is there such a big gap between peoples’ perception of high inflation and the relatively low numbers for changes in consumer prices reported by the NBS?”

　　現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾提出的一個(gè)問(wèn)題從本質(zhì)上說(shuō)就是上面那個(gè)笑話的翻版：為什么公眾對(duì)高通脹的感知和國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局公布的CPI的小幅變動(dòng)之間存在巨大差異？

　　The answer from Pang Xiaolin of the NBS: Everyone's consumption basket is different, so some people will see prices rising faster than the average recorded by the CPI. People also buy food in different places, and might see prices rising sharply in their neck of the woods when prices elsewhere rise only more modestly.

　　對(duì)此，國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局城市司司長(zhǎng)龐曉林的解釋是：每個(gè)人消費(fèi)的“籃子”不一樣，所以部分人會(huì)覺(jué)得物價(jià)上漲的幅度高于CPI所體現(xiàn)的平均漲幅。另外，購(gòu)物的地點(diǎn)不同可能導(dǎo)致部分人覺(jué)得自己所在地區(qū)的物價(jià)大幅上漲，而實(shí)際上其它地區(qū)的價(jià)格水平只是適度上漲。

　　(Not on Mr. Pang's list of reasons, but perhaps more important, is the absence of property prices from the CPI basket. With rising property prices a major focus of attention for China's consumers, their absence from the CPI basket means there is often a mismatch between perceptions of inflation and the numbers published by the NBS.)

　?。ㄒ韵逻@點(diǎn)不在龐曉林司長(zhǎng)所列出的四點(diǎn)原因中，但或許更加重要：CPI一籃子商品價(jià)格中缺少了“房?jī)r(jià)”這一參數(shù)。由于不斷上漲的房?jī)r(jià)已經(jīng)成為中國(guó)消費(fèi)者關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)，CPI一籃子商品缺少了這一參數(shù)意味著民眾對(duì)通脹的感知和國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局公布的數(shù)據(jù)之間存在差異。）

　　Another topic of interest for the audience was the math behind China's official household income data. A survey in 2008 by Prof Wang Xiaolu suggested that the average annual income of China's richest 10% was 139,000 yuan, more than 300% higher than the official 43,000 yuan figure. Xu Xianchun, a NBS official, explained that the richest 10% were represented in the survey, and that problems with collecting data on the rich were not unique to China.

　　活動(dòng)參與者感興趣的另一個(gè)話題是官方公布的家庭收入數(shù)據(jù)是如何計(jì)算出來(lái)的。王小魯博士2008年進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示，中國(guó)最富有的10%的城鎮(zhèn)家庭的平均年收入為13.9萬(wàn)元，這是官方公布的數(shù)據(jù)4.3萬(wàn)元的3倍多。對(duì)此，國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局副局長(zhǎng)許憲春解釋說(shuō)，統(tǒng)計(jì)局的調(diào)查包括了10%的最富有人群，而統(tǒng)計(jì)高收入人群的收入所碰到的問(wèn)題并非中國(guó)特有。

　　One factor he did not mention -- the “gray income” China's rich receive from dubious sources and which they are typically unwilling to divulge to the statisticians.

　　不過(guò)，許憲春沒(méi)有提到的一個(gè)因素是中國(guó)富人從來(lái)路不明的渠道獲得的“灰色收入”。他們通常也不愿意向統(tǒng)計(jì)人員透露這部分收入。

　　“You can't get fat from eating a single mouthful” goes a saying in China. Change takes time and a transparent statistical system won't be built in a day, or even a year. But an increased willingness to engage with the public and the press, and to explain how the data is put together in greater detail, at least suggests things might be moving in the right direction.

　　中國(guó)有句老話，一口吃不成胖子。改變需要時(shí)間，一個(gè)透明的統(tǒng)計(jì)制度不是一天甚至一年就能建成的。但是，國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局越來(lái)越愿意與公眾和媒體接觸，并更詳細(xì)地解釋統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)是如何匯總而成的現(xiàn)象至少表明，情況可能正在朝正確的方向改變。