Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article: A1362-W974

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A1362-W974

Release Date: February 24, 2021

发布日：2021年2月24日

Topic: Why Praise the Tyrant? -- Wei Jingsheng

标题：为什么歌颂暴君？ -- 魏京生

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

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Why Praise the Tyrant?

-- Wei Jingsheng

Why sing praises to tyrants? The answers are pretty consistent: whoever wants to be a tyrant, must want to praise the tyrants. Recently, there was a TV drama on Mainland China that blatantly praised the most famous tyrant in Chinese history. So there was a lot of discussion, and the topic of contemporary tyrants became popular again. But on the other hand, the TV shows have become a hit, which seems strange. Why are there so many people liking the tyrant?

In my observation, there are at least two reasons. First of all, after decades of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule, people have become accustomed, numb, and do not know to be afraid. Moreover, under CCP years of brainwashing propaganda, people believe that tyranny is inevitable, or at least it cannot be overthrown. Then they accept it as the reality -- since resistance is useless, just as well lie down and enjoy. Many so-called Chinese middle class may belong to this lying-down and enjoying group, and their material living conditions also qualify them to lie down and enjoy. Some people even developed a Stockholm syndrome, who would defend the tyrants with tears in their eyes. There is no shortage of this kind of people in the elite class in China, including elites overseas.

Another reason is that the writers and directors for this TV series, which is called "The Epic of the Qin Dynasty", portrayed a very humane Qin Shihuang, the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. This makes those low-quality people get eager – just as well to use this to teach the men who have already hung their heads to study hard: be humane at home, and be like a man outside. Who cares what real history looked like? Isn’t that just like what was described in Jin Yong’s novels, or dramatized in other TV series? The Chinese men do not dare to talk about tyrants at home.

It is said that the part of Qin Shihuang killing his two younger brothers was censored and deleted. This part has been used by literati and scholars for more than two thousand years to describe his tyrannical character. The deletion of this part highlights the core purpose of the censor, which is to praise the tyrant. Qin Shihuang was also a person, and of course he also had a human side. But as a ruler, he brought the people more tyranny.

This brings up the definition of tyrant and tyranny. For more than two thousand years, people have denounced enough of tyrants and tyranny. These tyrants and tyrants have one thing in common, that is, they ignore the basic rights and dignity of the people. For their great goals, they enslave the people and sacrifice their power. To strip the power of the people, severe penalties are imposed, In order to implement severe penalties to deter the people, one must ignore human dignity. This includes grooming villains and cruel officials, corrupting social morality, and creating social unrest.

Why did most people oppose Mao Zedong’s tyranny from top to bottom during the Cultural Revolution? It is because most people felt the loss of human dignity, the loss of due security, the loss of social morality and mutual trust, as well as the loss of the rights to seek a better material life. Except for a few Maoists with vested interests, most people cannot bear the life of a slave without human rights. Because of this mass foundation, the high-level Communist leaders headed by Hua Guofeng were able to subvert the Maoist regime in one strike without causing too much social unrest in China.

At that time, not only the masses, but the majority of the Communist members also thought that the feudal serfdom system of Mao Zedong and the Soviet Union could not be continued. Everyone from Hua Guofeng to Deng Xiaoping believed that the social system must be reformed in China, which is what was later called “reform and opening up.” But they also believed that the vested interests of the one-party dictatorship could not be given up. So there was a half-way reform that changed the economy but not politics. They boasted it as “the Chinese model.” In fact, it is correct. It is a model that has been implemented for more than two thousand years in China to manage the market economy with authoritarian politics. It is not a genius invention of the so called “chief designer”, such as Deng Xiaoping.

Before the formation of modern democratic systems, that model could be said to be the most advanced model of that era. But compared with the system of democratic politics to manage the market economy, it is obviously a backward system. Not only can it not adapt to economic development and technological progress, but it also cannot adapt to modern people's pursuit of freedom and dignity.

Now the people in the West have also realized that continuing to infuse blood into authoritarian countries not only endangers their own interests, but also endangers their own living conditions and values. Stopping this blood transfusion diplomacy is the new political correctness. The Chinese model can no longer be maintained. So the CCP chose Xi Jinping. At the same time, it chose to return to the tyrant model of cruel repression and strengthened the despotism in an attempt to save the shaky vested interests of the despotism. Propagating an autocratic tyrant has become the only choice for the CCP.

(This English version is translated by Ciping HUANG, without any compensation. Wei Jingsheng and the Wei Jingsheng Foundation appreciate her decades of contribution, especially for allowing the use and distribution of her translations of these commentaries.)

Original link of the commentary broadcasted by Radio Free Asia:

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/pinglun/weijingsheng/wjs-02232021130311.html

To hear Mr. Wei Jingsheng's related commentary, please visit:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/RFA/RFA2021/WeiJS210222onPraiseTyrant.mp3

(Written and recorded on February 22, 2021. Broadcasted by Radio Free Asia on February 23, 2021.)

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中文版

Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article: A1362-W974

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A1362-W974

Release Date: February 24, 2021

发布日：2021年2月24日

Topic: Why Praise the Tyrant? -- Wei Jingsheng

标题：为什么歌颂暴君？ -- 魏京生

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

如有中文乱码问题，请与我们联系或访问：

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2021/report2021-2/WeiJS210224onPraiseTyrantA1362-W974.htm

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为什么歌颂暴君？

-- 魏京生

为什么要歌颂暴君？回答比较一致：谁想当暴君，就要歌颂暴君。最近大陆有一个电视剧，明目张胆地歌颂历史上最著名的暴君。于是议论纷纷，当代暴君的话题又开始热闹起来。但是另一面就是电视剧成为了热播，这好像很奇怪。为什么暴君还有那么多人喜欢呢？

以我的观察有至少两个原因。首先是在共产党几十年的暴政之下，人们已经习惯了，麻木了，不知道害怕了。而且在共产党多年的洗脑宣传下，人们认为暴政不可避免，至少也是不能推翻的。那就接受现实吧，既然反抗也没用，那就躺着享受吧。很多所谓中国的中产阶级，可能就是这种躺着享受派，他们的物质生活条件也有资格躺着享受。甚至有些还发展到斯德哥尔摩综合症，热泪盈眶地为暴君辩护。精英阶层包括海外精英里边都不缺少这种人。

另一个原因，是这个叫做《大秦赋》的电视剧编导们，刻画了一个蛮有人情味儿的秦始皇。这让那些低素质的人们看得眼热，正好借此教训已经蔫头耷脑的男人们好好学习：在家要有人情味，在外要像男子汉。至于历史是什么样子的，那不就是金庸小说那样，就是戏说电视剧那样吗？男子汉们在家里是不敢谈论暴君的。

据说电视剧删掉了秦始皇扑杀二弟的段子。这一被两千多年来文人学者们用来形容他暴虐性格的段子被删除，恰恰突显了审查者的核心目的，就是歌颂暴君。秦始皇也是个人，当然也有人的一面，但他作为统治者，带给人民的更多是暴君的一面。

这就牵涉到什么是暴君和暴政的定义。两千多年来人们痛斥暴君和暴政的论述，汗牛充栋。这些暴君和暴政都有一个共同点，就是无视人民的基本权利和尊严。为了他们的伟大目标，奴役人民，不惜民力；为了不惜民力，就实行严刑峻法；为了实行严刑峻法威慑人民，就要无视人的尊严。这包括豢养小人酷吏，败坏社会道德，制造社会动荡。

文革时期为什么全国从上到下，大多数人都反对毛泽东的暴政。就因为大多数人都感受到失去人的尊严，失去应有的安全，失去了社会道德和互相信任，也失去了谋取更好物质生活的权利。除了少数毛派既得利益者，大多数人都不能忍受失去了人权的，奴隶一样的生活。因为有这样的群众基础，华国锋为首的共产党高层，才能够一举颠覆了毛派政权，而且没有引起社会动荡。

当时不仅人民群众，共产党内的多数也认为，毛泽东和苏联那一套封建农奴制的体制不能延续下去了。从华国锋到邓小平都认为必须改革社会体制，也就是后来所说的”改革开放”。但他们也都认为不能放弃一党专政的既得利益。于是就有了改经济不改政治的半吊子改革，他们吹嘘那叫做中国模式。其实也对，那是中国两千多年来实行的，用专制政治管理市场经济的模式。那并不是”总设计师”的天才发明。

在现代民主制度形成以前，这个模式可以说是那个年代最先进的模式。但在用民主政治管理市场经济的体制面前，它显然是一个落后的制度。其不但不能适应经济发展和科技的进步，而且不能适应现代人们追求自由和尊严的要求。

现在西方人民也已经认识到，继续给专制国家输血，不仅危害到他们自己的利益，而且危害到他们自己的生存条件和价值观念。停止输血外交已经是新的政治正确。中国模式已经维持不下去了。于是中共选择了习近平。同时还选择了回到残酷镇压，加强专制的暴君模式，企图挽救摇摇欲坠的专制既得利益。宣传专制暴君，就成为中共的不二选择。

(本评论的英文版本由黄慈萍翻译。魏京生和魏京生基金会感谢她数十年来有关的无偿贡献，特别是使用和发布此译文的许可。)

本篇评论在自由亚洲电台的原始链接：

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/pinglun/weijingsheng/wjs-02232021130311.html