Zhang Weiwei (This is China, Episode 75)
On October 12th 2020, in the 75th episode of Dragon TV’s “This Is China”, Professor Zhang Weiwei, Dean of the Institute of Chinese Studies at Fudan University, and Professor Wu Xinwen from Fudan University, jointly interpreted the new ideological emancipation of the current Chinese society.
The dramatic rise of China over the past few decades has been accompanied by a series of ideological emancipations. The discussion in 1978 that practice is the only criterion for testing truth can be said to be a great emancipation of the mind. At that time, I had just been admitted to Fudan University, and I can still recall the excitement and shock when discussing this topic.
“Practice is the only criterion for testing truth” turned out to be a contribution from the philosophical edition of Guangming Daily, written by Hu fuming, a philosophy lecturer at Nanjing University. He believes that the “two whatevers” run counter to Marxism. After seeing the sample of the manuscript, Yang Xiguang, editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily, was acutely aware of the significance of this article to the direction of national development. Therefore, he discussed the revision of the article with the author and put forward two requirements: first, to clearly point out that Mao Zedong thought should be fully and accurately understood, and this is also a core of Comrade Xiaoping’s thought of rectifying chaos; second, it is necessary to clearly point out that the “two whatevers” are wrong.
This article was first published in the theoretical Trends, an internal publication of the Central Party School. At that time, someone in the party school said that Guangming Daily did not dare to publish it, so it was necessary to start with “theoretical trends.” Yang Xiguang was very angry and said, “I’ll tell you what, I’m not afraid to note a contribution from Guangming Daily when the theoretical Trends is published.” It should be said that Hu fuming, a theoretical worker, and Yang Xiguang, a leading cadre of the propaganda department, have demonstrated a real spirit of seeking truth from facts and responsibility. I think we also need this spirit very much today.
Later, in the name of a special commentator of this newspaper, this article was published on the front page of Guangming Daily on May 11, 1978. I still have the original copy of this newspaper. Immediately after the article was published, it sparked a nationwide discussion. Deng Xiaoping himself highly affirmed the discussion, and he made some enlightening remarks: “if a party, a country, and a nation proceed from the book, thinking is rigid, and superstition prevails, then it cannot move forward.” its vitality will stop, and the party will perish and the country will perish. ” This discussion has freed our country from the shackles of dogmatism and returned to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts advocated by Chairman Mao for a long time, enabling us to start the great process of reform and opening up on the basis of the achievements made in the previous 30 years.
In 1992, we experienced another great emancipation of the mind. In that year, the world had just experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and the western world cheered. Many people in China doubt how long the China’s red flag can be waved, and are doubtful about reform and opening up, especially the market economy. Deng Xiaoping visited the south in early 1992 and issued a series of statements calling for the adherence to socialism, reform and opening up, and the improvement of the people’s living standards. He made a final judgment on the issue of market economy, which has been debated all the time, saying that “capitalism also has a plan, and socialism also has a market.” The measure of whether China’s development is good or bad is not “fundamentalism”, but whether it is conducive to the development of productive forces, the improvement of people’s lives, and the enhancement of comprehensive national strength. This ideological emancipation has laid the foundation for China to establish a socialist market economic model. Although this model is still in the process of improvement, it has brought about the rapid improvement of the people’s living standards and the all-round rise of the people’s Republic.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, we have further deepened our understanding of the ruling law of the Communist Party of China, the law of socialist construction, and the law of the development of human society. As a result, new and historic changes have taken place in China.
At the beginning of this year, a COVID-19 epidemic struck, allowing different social systems and governance models to compete on the same stage. Under the personal command and leadership of General Secretary Xi, China has won major strategic achievements in epidemic prevention and control with the people’s war, the war of resistance, and the overall war against the epidemic. This war “epidemic” can be said to be a stormy life experience for the vast majority of Chinese people. Our people have become more mature. After seeing the success of China’s anti-epidemic model and the defeat of the western anti-epidemic model, we are all glad to live in China, in a socialist country that embraces the great culture of supremacy of life, and in a super-large-scale modern country that can withstand all-round international comparisons.
The significance of this institutional and cultural prosperity cannot be overestimated. Most of our ordinary people, especially young people, no longer look up to the West, but look down on the West. China’s mobile Internet and social media are at the forefront of the world, which has also contributed to a new emancipation of the mind and a mobile phone to know the world. We ordinary people have gained a broader international vision and great wisdom, and it is very difficult for China’s so-called public intellectual to deceive the majority of people. Through one fresh case after another, people have increased their knowledge, and their understanding of the institutional disadvantages of the West has also been deepened with the development of the epidemic. Is there a better emancipation of the mind than this?
Ten cases to share
First, it is said that Western multi-party competition is more likely to produce leaders who serve the people, but the reality is how to elect such inconsiderate leaders. But their handling of the epidemic shows them to be more like wayward grown-up children or ruthless speculators, following their feelings rather than following science, with little regard for human lives.
Second, it is said that Western democratic systems can be more accountable. So many people have died in the United States. By September 2, the death toll from the epidemic in the United States was 40 times that of China. The population of the United States is less than 1/4 of that of China. China disciplined more than 3000 officials in Hubei Province alone. Half a year later, how can the United States have any accountability system to speak of?
Third, it is said that Western countries pay the most attention to human rights, and the United States will save everyone with the spirit of “saving Private Ryan,” but in fact, they have developed herd immunity and even ignored the lives of the elderly. During the epidemic, how many nursing home staff abandoned the elderly and fled? How many hospitals give up treating the elderly or people with underlying diseases?
Fourth, it is said that the freedom of the press in the West can give people the right to know and make rational choices. But American leaders made a number of contradictory statements, mainstream media and social media are rife with party battles, everything is politicized, and it takes months to debate whether to wear masks or not. Such information confusion has misled the public, how to make people make rational choices?
Fifth, it is said that freedom of speech allows whistlers to sound the alarm in advance. But the situation in the United States is that it is useless for you to have ten whistlers and twenty whistlers. As long as you dare to violate the interest and power of capital, you will be silent if it tells you to be quiet. It won’t matters whether you are a scientist, a doctor, or the captain of an aircraft carrier. Fauci, the chief expert on epidemic prevention and control in the United States, exclaimed that he and his family members were threatened. McCarthyism now seems to be making a comeback in the United States, and scholars are now silent, and taking more objective approach on China has become a taboo.
Sixth, it is said that the marketization of health care can enable the market to play a role and automatically achieve a balance between supply and demand. The United States is the most fully market-oriented Western country, the result is that tens of millions of people do not have health insurance, tens of millions of people do not have adequate health insurance, do not see a doctor for mild illness, and may go bankrupt if they see a doctor seriously. How can such a backward health care system deal with the great crisis of the COVID-19 epidemic?
Seventh, it is said that European and American citizens are of high quality and have a high degree of self-discipline. But unexpectedly, this time, Chinese people have seen the power of anti-intelligence in Western society, from setting fire to 5G base stations to drinking disinfectant to prevent epidemic. So many so-called civil society organizations are busy not fighting the epidemic, but taking to the streets to boycott the anti-epidemic measures.
Eighth, it is said that the Federal Reserve follows the principles of economics and strictly controls the money supply, but the United States has no bottom line in printing money and desperately releases water in order to save the stock market, the rich and the economy.
Ninth, it is said that the United States is a market economy country, and by adjusting through the invisible hand of the market, it can avoid power rent-seeking; it is said that the United States is still a country under the rule of law, and private property is sacred and inviolable. Even in a small shack, “the wind can enter the rain, but the king cannot enter.” But the president of the United States is forcing a Chinese company to sell away the TikTok app, or it will be forcibly shut down. In addition, he openly asked for a commission, “because we made it possible,” he said.
Tenth, it is said that the United States respects personal privacy, but border personnel in the United States can inspect and detain anyone’s mobile phones, computers, and other electronic communication devices without applying for a search warrant beforehand, and even disclose the so-called address and identity information of the so-called sanctioned persons.
In short, what the United States has done over the years is outrageous, cold, ignorant and has no moral bottom line. In the face of China’s victory in the fight against the epidemic and China’s peaceful rise, the Trump administration was out of order, quickly turning America’s claims of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, fair competition and Internet freedom into a joke.
At the same time, China’s so-called public intellectuals have also become a joke. Many of their “gems” in the process of fighting the epidemic are still fresh in everyone’s memory:
- there is democracy, freedom and human rights in the United States, and no one will cover up the epidemic
- the epidemic will be eliminated in its infancy as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States is extremely efficient.
- The medical level is particularly advanced and more than 70,000 nurses volunteered to go to New York
- the magic medicine of Remdesivir in the United States is the hope of mankind. The ability and production capacity to mobilize and produce can eliminate the virus
- the United States has 35 medical ships. Overnight 180 field hospitals will be all over the United States.
However, the epidemic has proved that these are only “the emperor’s new clothes” made up by China’s public intellectuals.
Not long ago, the United States flagrantly closed the Chinese Consulate General in Houston. China announced countermeasures within 48 hours, closing the US Consulate General in Chengdu, and our people applauded. Foreign media have noticed that China’s online celebrity city of Chengdu is permeated with a festive atmosphere. Netizens are also “mentally inspired”. Some people suggest changing this place to Trump Hot Pot Restaurant; some suggest renaming this street to “No Consulate” Street, which means “no”no”, homophonic “beauty” of “America”; some people suggest that suona blow up; some people even set off firecrackers, although it is a violation, but it is indeed a bit festive atmosphere. Everyone praised CCTV for using 5G live broadcast of the US consulate to close, which is called “treating him in his own way” and “not going back and forth”. Another netizen wrote, “in 1999, the Chinese protested in front of the US embassy and consulate with tears. In 2020, the Chinese signed in in front of the US embassy and consulate with a smile. We are witnessing history and we are witnessing great changes in the times.”
The vast majority of Chinese are calm about the escalation of the diplomatic conflict between China and the United States, because the American myth is over and the American magic is gone. Unlike some of our elites who are worried about Sino-US relations, our people’s minds have been liberated, and the influence of China’s “public knowledge”, which worships beauty, fears beauty, and fears beauty, is rapidly declining. Our people are firm, confident, optimistic, not afraid of nor worship the US. They overwhelmingly support the decision of the government. We have a clearer view of the strengths and weaknesses of the United States, and its weaknesses are more apparent than its strengths. We despise it strategically, but we still attach importance to it tactically.
You may recall that in 2011, former US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman put forward the idea of bringing down China. He said at the time: “We should unite our allies and supporters in China, who are young people known as the ‘Internet Generation’.” China has 500 million Internet users and 80 million bloggers who will bring about changes, and similar changes will bring down China. At the same time, we will have the opportunity to rise and regain the power of our economic production. ” It can be seen that the US authorities are indeed pinning their hopes of subverting China on our Internet generation, with the intention of sweeping away the wealth accumulated by the Chinese people.
But today, it seems that they are going to be completely disappointed. The young people of China’s Internet generation, that is, our post-90s, post-1995 and post-00s groups, should be the most confident generation in China’s modern history, and they are the ones who really look down on the West.
From this point of view, the ideological emancipation in getting rid of the western-dominated liberal dogma and superstition will be of far-reaching significance. Because it mainly comes from the people, from the people and from the Internet revolution, from the great war “epidemic” that each of us personally participates in, from the omni-directional international comparison without dead corners, and from China’s confident education and practice of “up-and-down interaction” over the years.
This kind of experience is not only a powerful experience, but also a great practice. I think this ideological emancipation is an unparalleled psychological victory for most Chinese people.What it will bring is the ideological “de-Americanization” of the Chinese people, and it will certainly contribute to the our progress and development as we become richer and stronger. That’s all I want to talk to you about today.
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