南方是否該集中供暖 Heating the south
Every winter, as homes in northern China are warmed up by central heating, a debate emerges over whether to provide the same service to southern China. This year is no exception.
每年冬天，當北方家庭享受着集中供暖的時候，關於南方是否應該供暖的爭論就浮現出來。
The controversy stems from a government decision made six decades ago. In the 1950s, the government drew a line on the map of China, which runs almost along the Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River. The line not only defines China’s northern and southern regions, but also determines whether you live in a region cold enough to receive government-supported heating, Xinhua reported.
爭論來源於60年前的一項政府決議。20世紀50年代，我國政府沿着地圖上的秦嶺和淮河劃了一條線，據新華社報道，這條線不僅成了中國南方和北方的界線，更決定了你住的地區是不是冷得夠得上享受政府提供的集中供暖。
Cities north of the line have coal-fired central heating, which circulates hot water generated by government heating stations through pipelines and radiators to almost every residential building and public facility.
秦嶺-淮河一線以北地區燃煤集中供暖，政府供熱站生產的熱水不斷循環，並通過管道和暖氣片向各個居民樓和公共場所供暖。
Cities south of the line, including Shanghai, Chongqing and Nanjing, do not have this service. Most residents have to turn to various private heating devices to stay warm in winter, although some local governments have started to build trial heating networks in urban communities and public places.
而以南的地區，包括上海、重慶和南京在內，則不能享受這項服務。儘管有些地方政府在城區和公共場所開始了試點供暖系統，但大部分市民還是不得不使用各種自採暖設備在冬天取暖。
In recent years, there have been growing calls to provide central heating to the south, as more and more people expect a better quality of life. But opinions are divided on the matter.
近年來，隨着老百姓對生活質量要求的提高，南方集中供暖的呼聲也越來越高。不過大家對此事的看法卻有分歧。
Zhang Xiaomei, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, supports reform. Pushing the line southward will keep more people warm and is “a solution for energy conservation and emission reduction”, said Zhang. But industry experts have yet to reach a consensus on this claim, as coal-fired central heating often leads to smoggy weather.
中國人民政治協商會議委員張曉梅支持改革。她認爲將供暖界限南移能讓更多人享受溫暖，還能“節能減排”。不過業界專家們並未就此達成一致，因爲燃煤集中供暖往往會導致霧霾天氣。
Han Xiaoping, CIO of the energy information site , opposes heating the south. “It is definitely not economical, in terms of energy efficiency, to install public heating in the south,” he told China National Radio.
能源信息網站——中國能源網首席信息官韓曉平就反對南方供暖。他告訴中央人民廣播電臺：“從能源利用率的角度來說，南方安裝公共供暖（設施）並不划算。”
“The coldest time in the south may not exceed 60 days each year, compared with 120 to 180 days in the north,” said Han. “Thus it is not just to build a complicated heating network from scratch.”
“北方一些特別寒冷的地區，供暖期可能會達到120到180天，而部分南方地區恐怕都到不了60天，”他說。“這不僅是從零開始建設這麼複雜的城市管網系統的事兒。”
Another problem concerns China’s energy security. Qiu Baoxing, former vice-minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, worried that providing a central heating service in the south may undermine China’s energy supply.
另外一個問題和中國的能源安全有關。住房和城鄉建設部前副部長仇保興擔心，南方集中供暖會影響中國的能源供應。
