@Yadan Ma
I am Chinese, 44 years old this year. My childhood spanned the entire 1980s and 1990s. When it comes to maintaining cleanliness, this question brings back some memories of a "dirty and chaotic China."
The first memory is a small detail. In any indoor place in China today, whether it's a restaurant, hotel, or home, every room will have a plastic trash can. There will be a plastic bag lining the trash can to make it easy to remove the garbage. They usually look like this:

我是中國(guó)人，今年44歲。我的童年跨越了整個(gè)20世紀(jì)80年代和90年代。說(shuō)到保持清潔，這個(gè)問(wèn)題讓人回想起“臟亂差的中國(guó)”。
第一個(gè)記憶是一個(gè)小細(xì)節(jié)。如今在中國(guó)的任何室內(nèi)場(chǎng)所，無(wú)論是餐廳、酒店還是家庭，每個(gè)房間都會(huì)有一個(gè)塑料垃圾桶。垃圾桶內(nèi)襯有一個(gè)塑料袋，以便于清除垃圾。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處


However, these things were not part of my childhood memories. In other words, decades ago in China, there were no such trash cans. So, how did people throw away garbage in rooms back then? My memory is that people either put the trash in a shared outdoor trash can or threw it on the ground inside the room. Once the trash on the ground accumulated enough, they would then throw it into the large outdoor trash can.

然而，這些事情并不屬于我的童年記憶。也就是說(shuō)，幾十年前的中國(guó)，還沒(méi)有這樣的垃圾桶。那么，當(dāng)時(shí)人們是如何扔房間里的垃圾的呢？我的記憶是，人們要么把垃圾放在共用的室外垃圾桶里，要么扔在房間里的地上。地上的垃圾積累到一定程度后，他們就會(huì)將其扔進(jìn)戶(hù)外的大垃圾桶里。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://www.top-shui.cn 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處


Moreover, there is an evolving version of this small detail: I remember when I just got married in 2005, the plastic bags used to line trash cans were the ones from the vegetable markets. People collected these plastic bags after buying vegetables and used them in their trash cans. No one would buy plastic bags specifically for trash cans.
But today, various types and sizes of trash bags are essential in every Chinese household. The most popular ones are the trash bags that, when full, have two drawstrings on the sides that can be pulled to close the bag. This way, you can lift the heavy trash without worrying about it spilling:

而且，這個(gè)小細(xì)節(jié)還有一個(gè)演變版本：我記得2005年我剛結(jié)婚時(shí)，用來(lái)裝垃圾桶的塑料袋是菜市場(chǎng)的塑料袋。人們購(gòu)買(mǎi)蔬菜后收集這些塑料袋，并將其放入垃圾桶中。沒(méi)有人會(huì)購(gòu)買(mǎi)專(zhuān)門(mén)用于垃圾桶的塑料袋。
但如今，各種類(lèi)型和尺寸的垃圾袋已成為每個(gè)中國(guó)家庭的必備品。最受歡迎的是垃圾袋，裝滿(mǎn)后，側(cè)面有兩條拉繩，可以拉動(dòng)以關(guān)閉袋子。這樣，您就可以抬起重垃圾而不必?fù)?dān)心它溢出：

My second memory is about littering. I remember when I was in elementary school, around 1992. My mother took me to a newly built park. As we walked, I was eating peanuts and casually throwing the shells on the ground.
A sanitation worker stopped me, but my mother argued with her because she didn't see a problem with throwing peanut shells on the grass. We thought that even if we didn't litter, the wind would blow leaves onto the grass. Prohibiting littering was a common slogan on radio, newspapers, and television in China at that time. It’s important to note that because people didn't care about environmental cleanliness, the government used all mass media to educate the public.

我的第二個(gè)記憶是關(guān)于亂扔垃圾的。記得1992年左右，我上小學(xué)的時(shí)候，媽媽帶我去了一個(gè)新建的公園。一邊走，我一邊吃著花生，隨手把花生殼扔在地上。
環(huán)衛(wèi)工人攔住了我，但我媽媽卻和她爭(zhēng)論，因?yàn)樗徽J(rèn)為把花生殼扔在草地上有什么問(wèn)題。我們以為即使我們不亂扔垃圾，風(fēng)也會(huì)把樹(shù)葉吹到草地上。禁止亂扔垃圾是當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)廣播、報(bào)紙、電視上常見(jiàn)的口號(hào)。值得注意的是，由于人們不關(guān)心環(huán)境清潔，政府利用所有大眾媒體來(lái)教育公眾。

This situation didn't significantly improve even by the late 1990s. In 2000, a Chinese TV station released a popular crime drama called "The Struggle Between Black and White," which depicted the solving of a dismemberment case. The most intriguing aspect of this series was that it featured almost no professional actors! Nearly all the key roles were played by ordinary people, and all the police officers and detectives were the actual officers who solved the case.
Since this drama was released in 2000, it reflected the urban landscape of China at that time. The city in the show had a fictional name, "Beihuan City," but everyone who watched it could recognize it as xi'an, the city with the Terracotta Army. You could see paper scraps, plastic bags, and other trash flying along the main roads of the city.

即使到了20世紀(jì)90年代末，這種情況也沒(méi)有明顯改善。 2000年，中國(guó)一家電視臺(tái)推出了一部熱門(mén)犯罪劇《黑白之爭(zhēng)》，講述了肢解案件的偵破。這個(gè)系列最有趣的一點(diǎn)是它幾乎沒(méi)有專(zhuān)業(yè)演員！幾乎所有的關(guān)鍵角色都是普通人扮演的，所有的警察和偵探都是真正破案的警察。
該劇自2000年上映以來(lái)，反映了當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)的城市風(fēng)貌。劇中的這座城市有一個(gè)虛構(gòu)的名字“北環(huán)城”，但每個(gè)看過(guò)它的人都能認(rèn)出它是西安，一座有兵馬俑的城市。你可以看到紙屑、塑料袋和其他垃圾沿著城市的主要道路飛舞。

In today's China, littering is unthinkable. If someone throws a piece of waste paper on a commercial street, people will consider them uncivilized. Within minutes, a sanitation worker will pick it up and throw it into a trash can. A few years ago, a moving car threw a pile of shredded paper out the window. A highway cleaner witnessed this and recorded it on his phone, uploading it online, which sparked public outrage. Eventually, the police used roadside cameras to identify the offender, fined him, and demanded a public apology.

在今天的中國(guó)，亂扔垃圾是不可想象的。如果有人在商業(yè)街上扔一張廢紙，人們會(huì)認(rèn)為他不文明。幾分鐘之內(nèi)，環(huán)衛(wèi)工人就會(huì)把它撿起來(lái)，扔進(jìn)垃圾桶。幾年前，一輛行駛中的汽車(chē)將一堆碎紙扔出窗外。一名高速公路清潔工目睹了這一幕，并用手機(jī)記錄下來(lái)并上傳到網(wǎng)上，引發(fā)了公憤。最終，警方使用路邊攝像頭識(shí)別了肇事者，對(duì)他處以罰款，并要求其公開(kāi)道歉。

My child was born in 2010. If he generates trash while playing outside and can't find a trash can, he will keep the trash with him until he gets home to throw it away. Once, he had a runny nose and spent an afternoon playing in the community park. When he returned home, all four of his pockets were filled with used tissues. I asked him why he didn’t throw them in the park's trash cans, and he replied that the park was under renovation and the trash cans were temporarily unavailable.

我的孩子是2010年出生的，如果他在外面玩耍時(shí)產(chǎn)生垃圾，找不到垃圾桶，他就會(huì)把垃圾留在身邊，直到回家再扔掉。有一次，他流鼻涕，在社區(qū)公園玩了一下午。當(dāng)他回到家時(shí)，他的四個(gè)口袋里都塞滿(mǎn)了用過(guò)的紙巾。我問(wèn)他為什么不扔到公園的垃圾桶里，他回答說(shuō)公園正在裝修，垃圾桶暫時(shí)沒(méi)有。

My third memory is about vegetable markets. Up until 2005, going to an open-air farmers' market was a challenge. You had to walk on rotting vegetable leaves, wade through the waterlogged seafood section, and endure the nauseating smell of the poultry area just to buy ingredients. In the past decade or so, such farmers' markets have almost disappeared in China. They have been transformed into tall, specialized buildings, with floor-cleaning machines constantly sweeping the floors, and water flowing through specially designed hidden pipes into the city's sewage system. Today, farmers' markets are almost indistinguishable from supermarkets, equipped with elevators, central air conditioning, ventilation systems, Wi-Fi, and each shop having its own independent water supply system.

我的第三個(gè)記憶是關(guān)于菜市場(chǎng)的。 2005年之前，去露天農(nóng)貿(mào)市場(chǎng)還是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。為了買(mǎi)食材，你必須踩著腐爛的菜葉，涉水穿過(guò)被水淹沒(méi)的海鮮區(qū)，忍受家禽區(qū)令人作嘔的氣味。近十幾年來(lái)，這樣的農(nóng)貿(mào)市場(chǎng)在中國(guó)幾乎消失了。它們被改造成高大的專(zhuān)門(mén)建筑，地板清潔機(jī)不斷地清掃地板，水通過(guò)專(zhuān)門(mén)設(shè)計(jì)的隱藏管道流入城市的污水系統(tǒng)。如今，農(nóng)貿(mào)市場(chǎng)與超市幾乎沒(méi)有什么區(qū)別，配備了電梯、中央空調(diào)、通風(fēng)系統(tǒng)、Wi-Fi，每個(gè)商鋪都有自己獨(dú)立的供水系統(tǒng)。

My fourth memory is about public restrooms. The relationship between Chinese people and public restrooms could fill an entire book, as there are many legendary stories. When I was a child, public restrooms did not have flushing systems. Everyone, regardless of gender, had to squat over two concrete slabs. If you weren't careful, you might splash yourself.
Workers would clean the waste once a day. In the summer, Chinese public restrooms would become an unforgettable experience for anyone. In 2006, I bought a book called "Foreigners' Views on China." Some foreigners' most painful memories of China at that time were about "using public restrooms."

我的第四個(gè)記憶是關(guān)于公共衛(wèi)生間的。中國(guó)人與公廁的關(guān)系可以寫(xiě)滿(mǎn)一本書(shū)，有很多傳奇故事。當(dāng)我還是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，公共廁所沒(méi)有沖水系統(tǒng)。每個(gè)人，無(wú)論性別，都必須蹲在兩塊混凝土板上。如果你不小心的話(huà)，你可能會(huì)濺到自己身上。
夏天，中國(guó)的公廁將成為任何人難忘的經(jīng)歷。 2006年，我買(mǎi)了一本書(shū)，叫《外國(guó)人眼中的中國(guó)》。當(dāng)時(shí)一些外國(guó)人對(duì)中國(guó)最痛苦的記憶就是“上公廁”。

Today's public restrooms in China are quite a different story. Over the years, as I've traveled across the country with my family, we've encountered all sorts of interesting restrooms. Some restrooms have real-time status systems that show which stalls are occupied. Some provide tissues via QR code scanning. There are even restrooms equipped with sofas and coffee tables for people to wait comfortably. A significant number of public restrooms have "family toilets" designed for family members assisting elderly or young children.

如今中國(guó)的公共衛(wèi)生間卻是另一番景象。多年來(lái)，當(dāng)我和家人一起走遍全國(guó)時(shí)，我們遇到了各種各樣有趣的廁所。有些衛(wèi)生間有實(shí)時(shí)狀態(tài)系統(tǒng)，顯示哪些隔間已被占用。有些通過(guò)掃描二維碼提供紙巾。衛(wèi)生間里甚至還配備了沙發(fā)和茶幾，供人們舒適地等待。相當(dāng)多的公共衛(wèi)生間設(shè)有“家庭廁所”，專(zhuān)為幫助老人或幼兒的家庭成員而設(shè)計(jì)。

This summer, we traveled to Qinghai Province in northwest China. The G310 national highway winds through the desolate mountains of Gansu Province for over 100 kilometers. Sometimes, we didn't see another car for half an hour, and I had to make twelve consecutive turns to find a 500-meter straight stretch of road. This area is known for the Qinling Mountains. One afternoon, we stopped at a roadside public restroom in the middle of nowhere, not even near a village. Surprisingly, it was a well-appointed restroom, equipped with large mirrors, washbasins, stainless steel faucets, and running water. Though I'm not sure if it was tap water or spring water, in the 37°C heat that day, the water felt ice-cold on my hands. The restroom had four rooms: men's, women's, a "handicapped toilet," and a "management room." It had a functional flushing system, clean tile floors, intact stalls, and a working ventilation system.

今年夏天，我們?nèi)チ酥袊?guó)西北部的青海省。 G310國(guó)道蜿蜒穿過(guò)甘肅省的荒山，全長(zhǎng)100多公里。有時(shí)，半個(gè)小時(shí)都沒(méi)有看到另一輛車(chē)，我必須連續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)十二個(gè)彎才能找到一條500米的直路。該地區(qū)因秦嶺而聞名。一天下午，我們?cè)谝粋€(gè)路邊的公共廁所前停了下來(lái)，這個(gè)廁所位于一個(gè)偏僻的地方，甚至不靠近村莊。令人驚訝的是，這是一個(gè)設(shè)施齊全的衛(wèi)生間，配有大鏡子、洗臉盆、不銹鋼水龍頭和自來(lái)水。雖然不知道是自來(lái)水還是泉水，但那天37℃的高溫下，水摸到手上感覺(jué)冰涼。洗手間有男廁、女廁、“殘疾人廁所”、“管理室”四個(gè)房間。它有一個(gè)功能齊全的沖水系統(tǒng)、干凈的瓷磚地板、完整的隔間和一個(gè)工作的通風(fēng)系統(tǒng)。


So, if I were to explain why China is a clean country today, I would summarize based on my experiences: First, extensive and improved infrastructure means people don't need to dirty the environment to use the restroom or buy groceries. Second, trash cans, including recycling bins, are everywhere in cities and towns, so people don't have to search for them. Third, if everything is clean, people are less likely to litter out of embarrassment. In conclusion, China is becoming an increasingly clean and orderly country.

所以，如果讓我解釋為什么今天的中國(guó)是一個(gè)干凈的國(guó)家，我會(huì)根據(jù)我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)總結(jié)：首先，廣泛且完善的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施意味著人們不需要污染環(huán)境來(lái)使用廁所或購(gòu)買(mǎi)雜貨。其次，垃圾桶，包括回收箱，在城鎮(zhèn)里隨處可見(jiàn)，因此人們不必尋找它們。第三，如果一切都很干凈，人們就不太可能因?yàn)閷擂味鴣y扔垃圾?？偠灾?，中國(guó)正在成為一個(gè)日益清潔、有序的國(guó)家。