Have you ever seen the Chinese High Speed Trains? They are just copies of Japanese Shinkansen Bullet Trains and German ICEs. If you had seen the bullet trains in Japan or the ICEs in Germany, you would surely agree with me. I wondered why China didn't modify them even in a small way, but maybe they couldn't due to the overwhelming high level of achievement. They must have thought that just a little bit of addition could impair the functions of trains.
There's an epigraph that remains unnoticed by all under the stairs of the 18th platform reading "NEW TOKAIDO LINE, Product of the wisdom and effort of the Japanese people". I feel that the monument is imbued with strong yet modest Japanese pride. Japan produced the most secure, most punctual and fastest train in the world only in 19 years after the war in the midst of devastated conditions.
Did you notice "the Japanese people" in the epigraph? I'd like to place an emphasis on this. The main cast of this great achievement was not the Japan Railways(JR), not the big figures, not the engineers, but the Japanese people. Those who wrote this epigraph must have carved those words with pride as Japanese people, not as staff members of the JR.
Ordinary Japanese people always think of others. Do you know that more than 3000 personnel work every midnight to maintain the security of the railway. Nothing happens. It is the best and natural. Those who engage in such maintenance work would never be applauded, but they never cut corners on their routine work. No one was injured for 45 years since the start of the service. This fact proves their sincerity.
The other day, a big accident occurred in China. Additionally, I've heard that other many small accidents had often happend in China. The Chinese authorities hide the fact from their people that they had received assistance from Japan and Europian countries and moreover insist that they should have developed by themselves. However, there's one thing that they didn't notice. That is, they can never steal the spirit of Japanese people, who treat others with respect.
(Vocabulary)
rip-off ぱくり
way [C] (状況などにおける) （…という）点, 面
In what ways is Japanese society changing? 日本社会はどのような点で変化していますか．
in a/one way ある点［意味］で（は）
In a way you're right, I suppose. ある点では君が正しいと思うよ．
I was glad he left in one way. ある意味で彼がいなくなってうれしかった．
epigraph (彫像などの) 碑銘, (巻頭・章頭の) 題辞
applaud [他] …を称賛する
applaud sb for sth ＜人＞の＜…＞を称賛する
She should be applauded for her honesty. 彼女はその誠実さを称賛されるべきだ．
cut corners 手抜きをする [＋cut corners on]
German InterCity Express （ICE)
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