“They teach us a theory that has
nothing to do with reality. The Mao
we love the most is the one printed
on 100 yuan bills”
Chen Qingpoor is widening, and [why] China is drifting away
from the Marxism ideal of a classless society. But, we
can’t say anything about the corrupt and the fuerdai
[the second generation of the rich in China] because
you may end up in jail. I’ve had to leave China to
understand what free speech and other human rights
are. Communism should grant those, but it doesn’t.”
Chen adds that the government says – and makes
Chinese people believe – that China is already a
democracy. “A Western-style democracy wouldn’t
work because we are too many, and China would
collapse. But that’s just pure speculation,” he says
with a shrug.
Prominent artist Ai Weiwei is also highly critical of
the political reforms in China. “The leaders say that our
country has the rule of law. But that’s just a plain lie.
The Communist Party controls all power and doesn’t
care for human life,” he says.
Ai’s words – along with his most controversial
artworks – landed him three months of detention,
but that won’t keep him quiet. “The Internet has
brought a lot of changes to China. Even though censors
try their best to keep it under control, it’s still a breath
of freedom,” he says. Ai hopes that the new generations
will use it wisely to push for democratic reforms “which
haven’t tagged the economic ones along”.
But stiff penalties are imposed upon those who
“subvert the power of the state”. Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Liu Xiaobo knew this well: He was sentenced
to 11 years in jail for demanding democracy for China.1958
The five-year plan of the
“Great Leap Forward” aims
to industrialise China and
collectivise agriculture. It has
disastrous consequences1949
The People’s Republic
of China is founded1946–49
After WWII, the Chinese
civil war erupts between
the nationalists and the
communists. Mao wins, and
Chiang is exiled to Taiwan1937
The nationalists of Chiang
Kai-shek and the communists
make a united front to fight
Japanese invaders→culture