Chinese Politics Illustrated

The Cultural, Social, and Historical Context

Lance L P Gore

• Publisher: WSPC
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9789814546768
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Asian Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This unique book offers the readers a ring-side seat to watch the drama of Chinese politics as it is experienced by the players themselves. It provides an opportunity for non-Chinese readers to get a feel of the intricacies of contemporary Chinese politics as they are played out in real-life situations. The vivid stories contained in this book offers the students of Chinese politics from the English-speaking world a rare glimpse that is unfiltered by the cultural and ideological assumptions as well as by the conceptual framework developed in Western political science, and how these create systematic biases and blind spots in understanding politics in a very different cultural and historical context.

In between the collection of short stories and the author's highlights, this book illustrates key areas of Chinese politics and society: elite politics, political structure and power distribution, political culture and social networks ( guanxi ), state-society relations, policy and decision making, political participation, contentious politics, political economy of development etc. It provides a succinct description of the Chinese political system, the patterns of politics arising from it, as well as the cultural, social and historical legacies that continue to drive Chinese politics. As such, this book is not only suitable for students of politics but also for Western business people and policy makers trying to understand and navigate the unfamiliar and treacherous waters of the Chinese politics.

Contents:

• The Stories:
  • Computer Assimilation of Finance Bureau Chief (Guo Zhenghai)
  • Son of Yellow Earth (Xi Jinping)
  • Integrity at Retirement (Tian Dongzhao)
  • Administrative Achievement (Xiang Dong)
  • An Endless Street (Liu Zhengquan)
  • The Disadvantaged among the Privileged (Pu Yang)
  • The Tao of Careerism in the World of Officialdom (Zhong Daoxin)
• The Study Units:
  • The Cultural and Historical Context
  • The Context of “The Great Chinese Revolution”
  • The Structural Context (The Political System)
  • The Chinese Communist Party
  • The Mao Era
  • Post-Mao Reform and Development
  • Social Transformation and State–Society Relations
  • Popular Protests
  • Elite Politics
  • Corruption
  • China's Unresolved Issues
• Topical Essays:
  • The Genesis of the Post-Mao Market Economy
  • The Political Impact of the Market
  • Industrial Relations Management as the Development of the Developmental State in China
  • China in Search of New Development Models
  • Status Quo Interests Stall China's Reform

Readership: Undergraduates, graduates, academics, political science majors, sociology, cultural anthropology and business majors, and professionals who are interested in Chinese politics and society.

PART I

THE STORIES

STORY 1: COMPUTER ASSIMILATION
OF FINANCE BUREAU CHIEF¹

Guo Zhenghai

Upon graduation from college, Zhou Dewei was hired as a clerk in the financial department of a company. He was a good learner, motivated, and upright as a person. His friends always said that if he entered public service he would certainly be a good official. Zhou also believed it. As the saying goes, “The soldier who does not want to become a general is not a good soldier.” The greatest dream of his was to become a finance bureau chief of the government someday by working hard and conscientiously.

One day, he found an online game while surfing the internet. It had a special program that allowed anyone to experience being a government official — all it took was to fill in your name and the position you wanted. Zhou was excited about it. After registration, he entered his username. In the space for “Position” he put in without hesitation “Finance Bureau Chief.” Instantly the screen exploded with flowers, fireworks, and a line: “Congratulations! You have been officially appointed as the director of the financial bureau by the authorities!”

After the celebration, a line appeared on the screen: “How are you, Director Zhou? The municipal water bureau chief Wang would like to invite you for dinner tonight. Do you want to go?” At the bottom of the screen there was a hint: You have always had a good relationship with Director Wang. If you agree to go, please click on “Yes” and if you do not, click “No.”

As old friends it would be unnatural not to go; Director Wang would think that I am conceited. I should go. After thinking about for while, he clicked “Yes.”

In the evening, Director Wang came early and waited for him in a private dining room of the city’s most luxurious King’s Hotel, together with a few others. Zhou moved the mouse to make the virtual trip to the dining room. Upon arrival, Director Wang introduced the other people to him: this is President Liu; this is Manager Zhang, and this is Boss Wei. The computer screen flashed another question: “If they make toasts to you, will you drink?” Well, such question raised in such a setting, Zhou Dewei felt that the programmer was silly — a drink is a must when old friends meet. He clicked “Yes” without hesitation.

Amidst toasting and drinking, another question appeared on the screen: “Director Zhou, you are very drunk now. After dinner, Director Wang wants you to visit the nightclub; will you go?” The virtual Director Zhou was drunk but the real one was clear-minded. I wanted to be a good public servant even in my dreams; how could I set foot in such places? He pressed “No.” Immediately a big thumb up appeared on the screen and a sweet voice said, “Director Zhou, you are really a good official.” It made Zhou very happy.

After dinner another line jumped on the screen, “Director Zhou, Deputy Mayor Liu, whose portfolio includes financial matters, called asking you to give the green light to an investment project. The paper works for this project are not complete yet. Will you give the go ahead? Hint: Deputy Mayor Liu played a big role helping you to secure your promotion to financial bureau chief.”

This is a tough one. If I reject it, I may well offend my direct boss, to whom I owe so much. I want to give the nod but the paper works are incomplete. As Zhou was wondering what to do another timely hint jumped up, “Director Zhou, Deputy Mayor Liu called again, complaining that you are too slow at work.” It looks that he has no choice, and he clicked “Yes.”

“Director Zhou, someone came to your home to seek your help on some matter. That day you happened to be out but your wife accepted a 20,000 yuan diamond ring. Your wife married you against strong objections from her parents and you pledged to her that you would achieve success to give her a good life. Now, how will you deal with this diamond ring?”

Zhou felt that the ring should be returned but clicked “Keep” when he thought about the sacrifice his wife had made for him.

“Director Zhou, the children of many other leading cadres at the same rank as yours have gone abroad to study. You also want very much to send your child but cannot afford it. As if sending coal to someone in a snowy day, somebody gives you a sum of money, stating clearly that this is a gift. Will you accept it?” Since it is clearly stated that the money is a gift, not in exchange for some favor, accepting it is not against the law nor in violation of the party discipline. He clicked “Yes” again.

“Director Zhou, it’s almost the Lunar New Year now. Other cadres at the same rank as yours all pay visits to their superiors, bringing presents. Will you send presents also?” Zhou knew that he must go with the flow even if he is reluctant at heart. Once again, he clicked “Yes.”

“Director Zhou...” Zhou Dewei was mesmerized playing the virtual finance bureau chief and answering the questions. Suddenly, the computer flashed, “Your game is over. Do you want to know the result?”

Zhou pressed “Yes.” Consequently, an extra-large handcuff appeared on the screen, sparkling with cold light.

1. Political Culture

Political culture is defined by the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences as “the set of attitudes, beliefs and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system.” It encompasses both the political ideals and operating norms of a polity. Political culture is thus the manifestation in aggregate form of the psychological and subjective dimensions of politics. A political culture is the product of both the collective history of a political system and the life histories of the members of the system and thus it is rooted equally in public events and private experience. Political scientist Daniel Elazar identified political culture as one reason that different states enact different policies to deal with similar problems.

Political culture differs in different nations. Some national political cultures are characterized as “individualistic,” “moralistic,” “traditionalistic,” etc. Individualistic political culture often emerges from capitalist market economy where individuals have to make life choices based on their comparative advantage at the marketplace. Such political culture favors a limited role for the government and is distrustful of bureaucracy. A moralistic political culture emphasizes the collective over the individual. It regards government as a force to advance public interests, which can also play a positive role in the lives of citizens. Politics tends to evolve around real issues rather than abstract ideals. Corruption is less tolerated because government officials are expected to play a morally exemplary role for the public. Bureaucracy is viewed favorably as a way to achieve the public good. Traditionalistic political culture embraces established rules, rituals, authorities and the patterns of role expectation among individuals of different statuses. A central role of the state is to maintain the established order. Politicians come from society’s elite, especially established families. They have paternalistic obligations to the people who offer their loyalty, obedience or compliance in exchange for protection. Ordinary citizens are not expected to participate in politics or even want to vote in elections. Politics tends to be competition between rival factions within the elite rather than between class-based parties.

The dominant political culture of China is informed by Confucianism with an emphasis on the family metaphor (see Boxed Essay 7 on page 197, Confucianism). It is both traditional and moralistic, but is also increasingly infused with elements of individualistic political culture that insists on individual rights because of inroads into the market economy and capitalism.

Proverbs:

— Sending coal to someone on a snowy day.

— A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.

Reading Questions:

1. The author describes Mr. Zhou as “a good learner, motivated, and upright as a person.” Do you agree with the choices he made in the game? In your cultural context, would you describe him as a decent guy? Why and why not?

2. If you were playing the same computer game, would you make different choices? If so, please think carefully and give your reasons.

3. Hoping to be a good public servant, why did Mr. Zhou end up in jail? What went wrong, if any, in his logic of thinking that led him to the unexpected as well as unintended outcome?

¹From Wang Yaowen et al. 2011. Being an Official (youguan zaishen). Nanjing, China: Jiangsu People’s Press.

STORY 2: SON OF YELLOW EARTH

Xi Jinping¹

This is an autobiography of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China. It tells the story of how a communist was hardened by the experience of a life of extreme poverty and hardships with the peasants. Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun (vice premier of China then), fell away from Mao and was stripped of all his positions. His disgrace affected his family, including his son, who was exiled from Beijing to northern Shaanxi where his father used to conduct revolutionary activities. The story sheds light on a great many things that happened during the Cultural Revolution and how people’s lives were changed because of it. More importantly, it sheds valuable light on the values, convictions and character of China’s new top leader.

The writing is colloquial (probably dictated rather than written) with mixed up pronouns and time line. The translation has kept the original style largely intact but re-paragraphed it for clarity.

In January 1969, I was sent to settle down in the village of Liangjiahe in Wenan township of Yanchuan county, Shaanxi province, as “the children of black gang.”² I was only 15. I felt lonely at first, having left the capital city, been thrust into an unfamiliar environment and surrounded by distrustful eyes. But then I thought, having raised my parents the Loess Plateau would also accept a naïve kid like me with her broad bosom. So, I tried sincerely to mingle with the peasants and consciously accepted the hard life as a way to build character.

5.5 The rural commune in Mao’s era did not pay the farmers’ wages. A workpoint system was used instead: a day’s work was kept on record as workpoints. Usually, a strong and skilled male adult earned 10 workpoints per day; a woman usually earned 8 points and child laborer 6. When crops were harvested, the farmers would be paid in kind according to the workpoints he or she made. However, a minimum ration was given to everybody regardless of whether they worked or not.

In the few years there, I overcame four major difficulties. The first was flea. I had never seen a flea when I lived in the city, but at Liangjiahe one almost slept on a blanket of fleas during the summer. The whole body became swollen from scratching the flea bites. But after two years, I got used to it. I slept soundly despite the fleas. The second difficulty was food. In the past, I ate fine rice and flour but now I had to eat roughage of various kinds. But before long I could swallow the food and began to enjoy it. Even today, I am fond of the food of rural northern Shaanxi. Take sauerkraut for example, I will miss it if I have not had it for several days. The third is labor. When I first started doing farm work, I earned 6 workpoints a day, less than what women earned. Two years later, I earned the full 10 workpoints accorded to a strong male farmhand and became a skilled farmer. The fourth difficulty was to change my mind set. This was most important. I have learned the peasants’ honest and practical ways and their spirit of hard work.

Meanwhile, the folks gradually treated me as one of them. I lived and worked among them and there was no distinction between us. They were frank with me and let me become a barefoot doctor,³ a book keeper, and an agricultural technician. They elected me to be party secretary of the production brigade when I was 20 years old. Together with the commune members, we dug wells, built dams, repaired roads and increased production in order to change the look of our hometown. I have determined that this is my second hometown.

7.6 The masses — the ordinary people — are often idealized in the communist ideology, which holds that they are the real history makers. The reality, however, is that the masses have no real leverage over the cadres and hold the latter accountable. Cadres easily turn into a privileged class.

When I returned to Liangjiahe in 1993, some folks mentioned to me the blacksmith shop I started for the village and that I led them in building the first biogas digester in Shaanxi province which the villagers used for lighting and cooking. However, what I remembered was that they had helped and protected me selflessly and, in particular, that their pure, honest and down-to-earth character had affected me deeply and edificated my soul.

When I first came to the Yellow Earth as a 15-year old, I was perplexed and lost; when I left at 22, I had firmly established my life’s purpose and was full of confidence. As a servant of the people, my root is in the plateau of northern Shaanxi. For it planted a firm belief in me: to do practical things for the people!

No matter where we go I will always be the son of the Yellow Earth.

The ancient poet Zheng Banqiao wrote a famous poem called “bamboo growing from the rocks”:

Clinging to Aoyama and never let go
sinking roots in the cracks between rocks.
Becoming ever stronger with thousands of hardships,
standing firm against wind blown from all directions.

I want to change a few words to make the poem a testimony to the profundity of my experience in the countryside:

Clinging to the grassroots and never relaxing,
for I am rooted in the masses;
Becoming ever stronger through thousands of hardships,
regardless of the direction the wind blows.

The grassroots are closest to the masses and the best place to build character. Seven years of living in the countryside have benefited me tremendously; they allowed me to forge deep bonds with the masses and laid the foundation for my growth and progress.

I was influenced by my family from a young age in the area of building comradeship with people around. My father often taught me about solidarity and required us to be the ones who sought and forged u...

Table of contents

• Cover
• HalfTitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• List of Boxed Essays
• Acronym
• A Storied Prelude
• Acknowledgements
• Part I The Stories
• Part II The Study Units
• Part III Topical Essays
• About the Author