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Liberalist Yu Shicun: Why do I object to Intellectuals?
By Yu Shicun/Melissa Diao (Anti Blog)
Updated: 2005-11-17 08:46
The news about the establishment of Sinology College at Renmin University of
皇冠体育app has been the focus of media for a while, and there are especially some
disputes among the intellectual circle.
AEB: Liberalist Yu
Shicun is the author of some bestsellers, including Supernormal Words.
Here is his latest column on 皇冠体育app News Weekly. [Anti
Blog] | Despite all these attention and different
voices, the Sinology College at Renmin University officially opened recently. On
the opening ceremony, the president of the University, Ji Baocheng quoted a
letter from the Taiwanese scholar, Nan Huaijin, saying: 鈥淛ust give your smile to
either hypercritical blame or unexpected praise; neither of them deserves much
discussion鈥�.
This is of course an expression much at ease. The academics have the right to
search for aid either privately or publicly. They also enjoy the freedom to
choose various studying fields, in which the authority of academic leaders may
vary, but any outsider could hardly put on any influence. For instance, a
university may start a teaching and research section for official theory of
鈥淭hree Representatives鈥�, another one may have a major of Deng Xiaoping鈥檚 theory
etc. It is true that the public and media could either praise or criticize, but
it is the choice of an academic body and none of their business.
If the similar stories happen too much, people may start to doubt on whether
an independent community, in which the conservatism and radicalism believers,
the one who insist everything should be westernized and who put the Chinese
classics above anything else, could have a fair attitude (as fair as politics)
towards their antagonists, really exists. They may disdain or belittle each
other within the community; but they respect each other鈥檚 existence and firmly
guard their rights in public. They take the common intellectual value and
reputation as seriously as one鈥檚 life. Unfortunately, later on I found, a
community like this does not exist in 皇冠体育app.
For the reasons above, in many occasions, I am one of those who make
criticism on intellectuals, or say, make self criticism. My expression being
obscure or frank, but has not turned out to be of much use, while readers and
netizens have had several discussions about it. Generally, people criticize me
on being an intellectual and despising intellectuals. Being treated as an
intellectual is nice, but it only makes me do not know whether to laugh or cry.
The fact is, it is not today that the problem of Chinese intellectuals come
out, and to criticize intellectuals is not my invention. When I wrote the book
Supernormal Words., I found the problem of intellectuals is so serious that it
is even beyond common people鈥檚 imagination. Mr. Lei Haizong said: 鈥淐hinese
intellectuals are good at keeping silence. The intellectuals in no other
countries could ever surpass us in that.鈥� When it comes to detail, Mr. Lei said
that the behavior of intellectuals in the past turbulent ages were almost all
harmful to the country. From the party uprising at the end of Eastern Han
Dynasty, to the fights between new and old party in Song Dynasty, to the case of
the Donglin party at the end of Ming Dynasty, 鈥淭hey banded together only for
selfish purposes, despite serious outside threat or inside upheaval. They may or
may not have pure motivations at first, but later on they all joined in a
competition for rights or involved in disputes simply for personal feelings.
They would rather save their face and insist their opinions and at the cost of
the nation, and never give up their own benefits. What they talked about are
high-sounding words which are neither subjectively frank nor objectively
practical.鈥� Yang Xianyi wrote himself elegiac couplet at his old age : 鈥淭he
smart kid does not necessarily turn out to be an excellent adult; the muddle
headed middle age finally become a toothless and disgraceful old man.鈥� The note
after that was: 鈥淚t is the elegiac couplet I wrote for myself. The intellectuals
in the recent one hundred years transitional period of 皇冠体育app are mostly like
this. It is the fate of the age and there is nothing strange. Therefore Tao Qian
has written: 鈥楯ust drink the alcohol in the cup, if that is the way God made it
up鈥� 鈥�. Mr. Zhao Fusan, who settled overseas, said that if there is a word that
could describe the mental development of the 20th century Chinese intellectuals,
he could not think of a better one than heart brokenness.
Mou Zongsan made a speech at Taiwan鈥檚
East Sea University on May 22, 1980 on What have the
intellectuals in mainland been thinking about for the recent 30 years.
The great scholar who wants to turn simple knowledge into intelligence said: 鈥淭he old intellectuals
have become idiots and kept silent on everything. Now they are rehabilitated, they still
don鈥檛 have the guts or ability to say anything.
They do not think on their own feet, not even at home after
closing the door. It is not only because they are repressed, it is that
they don鈥檛 have the ability. If there is no shakiness in the society,
they would have to follow the trace of the May 4th. The result is
that problems could not be solved, and the intellectuals won鈥檛 wake up at
last. Instead, they are still puzzled by the specious communism ideal.鈥� Many people would think that
Mou Zongsan has no basis to make this remark because he did not live in the mainland
and he did not know well the situation here. As a matter of fact, his comments
makes no difference from the self examination of mainland intellectuals. There
were Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, and Sakharov in the Stalinism dominated Soviet Union.
In Taiwan,
where the mainstream is Three Principles of the People, there came out Hushi鈥檚
liberalism, Lei Zhen and Yin Haiguang鈥檚 liberalism, and intellectuals like Li
Ao, Bo Yang and Long Yingtai. They have all influenced an age and a society. How
can intellectuals despise themselves? 鈥淲e must have great expectations, because
the burden is heavy and there is a long way to go.鈥�
I can only force a smile when
hearing people criticizing my thought and logic. The intellectuals are not
the only sufferers if they don鈥檛 have respect, honor and self recognition towards
themselves. If intellectuals don鈥檛 have glorious dreams and sense of responsibility,
their remarks could only be treated as editorials at most. 鈥渟peak out rather than no speak
out; it is futile to speak out; speak out even
if it is futile鈥� , most of the time they keep silent.
鈥淭hey forget what is right at the sight of profit and have to sacrifice
themselves when major events happen鈥�. There is no effective criticism among
intellectuals, not to mention effective criticism to the society. The
intellectuals lack the sense of self discipline and making contribution to the
society. This has lead the intellectuals either become followers of cynicism or
servants to merchants and officials.
The modernization of Chinese intellectual, therefore, is one of the key
elements in the process of Chinese modernization. If this failed, the
intellectuals, with themselves being humiliated and hurt, will continue to lead
a parasitic life which is harmful to the society. The famous 鈥済ood student of
chairman Mao鈥� , general secretary of Shanghai municipal government before the
Cultural Revolution, Mr. Ke Qingshi, often quoted from Mao鈥檚 speech: 鈥淭he
Chinese intellectuals could be generalized with two words: lazy and cheap. They
are lazy in that they often feel proud without self examination. They are so
cheap that they would take themselves great if they have not been beaten for
three days.鈥� Today鈥檚 situation reform and opening up also has something to do
with this. Materials show that the second generation of party leaders had had
much expectation on intellectuals, and they specially held a meeting to discuss
the importance of theory. But after the meeting, Deng said clearly that he was
disappointed with the theoretical circle. Deng and his peers had no choice but
to do things practically, which later became a theory called 鈥淒eng Xiao Ping
Theory鈥�. The two most important sprites of the age in modern 皇冠体育app are 鈥淢ao Ze
Dong Thought鈥� and 鈥淒eng Xiao Ping Theory鈥�, both of which are works of
politicians. Intellectuals did not make equal contribution. The fact, I think,
is more powerful that mine and other intellectuals鈥� criticism on the
intellectual world.
I would like to share this with friends in the intellectual circle, as a
lesson and encouragement.
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