"There is a group of people who make their living from politics, who along the way evolve into rulers. Their interests are not the same as the interests of the people. But to achieve their own goals, and to further their own interests, they will deceive the people and get them to make sacrifices for the nation. The truth is that they're getting people to sacrifice for their own interests. Most wars in our world were started this way." more ›

"On 16 May 1966, the Chinese Communist Party launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and unleashed the Ten Years of Turmoil. I suggest that we set this day aside as a National Day of Reflection. Here's what I've learnt: Blind belief in any one group or leader will not give us true democracy or real rule of law. Without democracy, there can be no freedom or participation in the system, and anyone can turn from unbridled zeal to violence. Without rule of law, there is no way to equitably protect the rights of citizens, and anyone can become a victim." more ›

"There are indeed many problems going on at the National Development and Reform Commission. I live just opposite their building and can see what's going on very clearly. On our road, you'll find many gift shops. All these people coming from out-of-town enter the building with big and small bags, and later leave empty-handed. At the end of the day, NDRC officials leave the building with big and small bags. They can't use all the stuff, so they sell them back to the gift shops, who in turn resell them to others who have come to Beijing on a mission. So that's what's happened to our street." more ›

“The pursuit of happiness is the right of the people. Bringing benefit to the people is the responsibility of the party and of the government. We must break that erroneous mindset that the happiness of the people is a gift from the party and government.” more ›

"We have been attempting to block a whole load of Western things -- Western values, hostile Western forces, Western hegemony, and the Western cultural invasion. Our firewall is the world's most advanced. Strangely though, we've never heard of the West trying to block Oriental values, hostile Oriental forces, and the Oriental cultural invasion. Our CCTV4 has landed in the United States, and even The Founding of a Party is being shown on screens there. This illustrates a truth: Where there's freedom, there's no need for firewalls." more ›

"Fang (Lizhi) has died in the United States at the age of 76. To be honest, I kind of pity him. None of his pursuits and endeavours were in rhythm with the development of China. In reality, he has already been forgotten. I hope that Chinese intellectuals can be more rational in the future. China should not have any more of those elites who are receiving the support and protection of foreign countries to oppose the powers-that-be in this country. That is the old generation, that is going back to the past. The Dalai Lama has received the most support (from foreign nations), but he is just like a passing cloud, he has zero chance to succeed." more ›

"Every time I see our famous professors, famous writers, famous doctors, famous actors, famous entrepreneurs, famous cultural figures, famous artists, famous investors, famous media professionals, famous anchorpersons and all other famous figures meeting with government officials with fear and trepidation, afraid to displease them, I feel a deep sense of grief, one that consumes my entire being. I am sad not just for myself but for the country I live in, because when communication requires such a position, the cost of communication and psychological pressure is immense." more ›

"After the Chongqing saga, I have been pondering whether there are actually real leftists in the academic sense in China. The ideas presented by those apparent leftists are -- from the academic point of view -- anti-constitution and anti-modernization. The so-called "rightists" in 1957 weren't rightists but pro-constitution advocates. Anti-rightism is in fact anti-constitutionalism. The debate between the left and the right is often quite simply a debate between tradition and modernism, or between dictatorship and constitutionalism." more ›

"Why is the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) stubbornly there despite the anger of the people? Now, NDRC officials are defending the increase in oil prices again. In face of public anger, the NDRC just threw the magic words "for the sake of national energy security." However, in China, they're buying at a low price while selling at a high price and market competition is low given the monopoly. Both the nation and consumers have have a lot to lose. Hasn't that been caused by the NDRC? The people aren't saying they don't expect prices to go up, but what they're against is the monopoly. Under today's system, nobody can take the NDRC to task no matter how angry people are!" more ›

"'You are a journalist and a mouthpiece of the Party. Who are you serving, the people or the Party?' questions an official in Bijie, Guizhou Province during an interview. The public is quite familiar with words like these, since a Zhengzhou official uttered the same three years ago. The reappearance of such shocking words in officialdom and almost the exact same words at that -- it's a slap on the face of the people. Criticise as you will, they say; I will continue to say what I want to say. That's a provocation and debasement of public sentiment." more ›

"The income gap in China is of course very big now, but the distribution system is not solely to be blamed. The inequality now is caused by the inequality at the starting point. Children of ordinary backgrounds have never enjoyed equal rights by any measure as their wealthier counterparts since the moment they were born." more ›

"State-owned enterprises should not be owned by the state, but by the people. Last year, these enterprises earned a profit of 900 billion yuan. This money should by right go to the people. First, the capital used to run these companies all come from the people. Secondly, their profits come from the benefit of administrative monopolies, which are given by the people. Either give these profits equally to be shared by our 1.3 billion citizens or put them into a sovereign fund with 1.3 billion shares that can either be traded for money, or held onto for growth." more ›

"90% of Hong Kongers take public transport. According to the Guangdong Daily, over 12 million bus trips are taken in Hong Kong every day. Most car owners and even rich people take buses. However, many mainland car owners can't imagine losing their faces and want everyone to know that they have cars. They even drive just to cover a few steps, and don't take the subway even if there's a station right outside their door. Does one really need a damn car to prove one's wealth? I think, we should learn more from Hong Kongers when it comes to civic consciousness!" more ›

"If criticizing the Chinese government means being ‘anti-China,’ then most American media would be 'anti America'. The China in the term anti-China media refers to a country with a 5,000 years of history, a very vast land. It is not someone's dynasty or career, nor some party's reign. If you hear people talking about "anti-China" media again, you may think this way: he may be smoking Zhonghua cigarettes, but even Zhonghua does not represent the country of China. Who does he think he is to represent the country?" more ›

"The fall of Bo Xilai, like the fall of the Gang of Four, was a non-normal process. It only goes to show that the Chinese Communist Party has failed to evolve even by a hair's breadth over the last three decades. In countries under the rule of law, problematic officials are dealt with using legal measures. China, on the other hand, operates within the black box. Bo Xilai may not be evil, but his opponents Hu and Wen are no saints either. It gives me goosebumps to hear people like Wang Kang praising Wen, like someone has just let off a foul odour. more ›

I don't like the website Utopia (Editor's note: an ultra-leftist website), but I hope they can continue to make their voice heard. I don't like what Liu (Xiaobo) stands for, but I wish he did not have to sit in prison, and that he would have his place in Chinese society like other "dissidents" do. Nevertheless, the tolerance level in Chinese politics is never as high as we wish it to be. Do what you must but be mindful of the measure. Once you break past a certain threshold, the constructiveness of the diversity you're trying to create will turn into destructiveness, and the backlash will happen. This is the real China. more ›

Are red songs really just entertainment? You ask Bo (Xilai)! If this was purely entertainment, then Bo's gang would not have enlisted so many troops and used so much resources to promote them. In the last few decades, I have met many Chinese people on both sides of the straits, and the cultural disparity between mainlanders, Hong Kongers and Taiwanese is extreme. Sometimes I wonder: what led to this yawning gap in the cultural values held among what's supposed to be a homogeneous group? So don't underestimate the power of red songs. They can inject the poison of the revolution and the utter disrespect of human rights into your blood! more ›

"Chairman [Mao] was very strict with his descendants, and he himself was also very incorruptible. Look at our family, among all those descendants of Chairman, can you find anyone who is an official or does business? You can find none! Why? Because Chairman had set a good example." more ›

"I have an idea. There should be someone managing the web as well. We can't just let people do whatever they want. [The Internet] should be like the People's Daily. Foreigners are messing up [the Internet]. We can't be like this. We should make the Internet in accordance with our principles. We should not make a good thing turn bad and become a place where people can say whatever they want. Our country is a socialist country under the leadership of the Communist Party." more ›

"I can absolutely understand why the mayor of Nagoya would deny the Nanjing Massacre. All of your history is propaganda. There's no credibility and no historical evidence. 300,000 victims, you say, but the number looks like it was plucked out of thin air anyhow you turn it. And let's not forget how you're so ready to greet your own countrymen with the knife, gun, sword, halberd, ax, hook, fork and other weapons. Up till now, you still haven't owned up to the small massacre in 1989. What right do you have to demand that the Japanese mayor acknowledge the big massacre?" more ›

"The total number of people that died of political causes before the reform and opening-up is approximately 50 million. This includes those who died because of war, famine, anti-landlord movements, crack-downs on anti-revolutionists and other political movements, those who died during the fights between two factions to defend Mao's revolution, and those who died as sheer political prisoners. 50 million deaths is pretty much the equivalent of one world war. During this period, there were no foreign troops invading our territory. All the deaths were caused by internal strife. We cannot be unclear who is to blame for such a huge number of deaths." more ›

The great motherland has never been in lack of so-called "civilization!" What we are lacking in now are the systems and the laws to protect this civilization. An unprotected civilization is just like virtue, which we are all calling for - everyone talks about it, but no one believes in it! Virtue can only make those with virtue become good people, but a good system can make everyone become a good person! So, that's why we're a country with an ancient civilization, but not a civilized China. more ›

In a place where most people have never even seen ballot papers, there's always someone who'll always say that the one-person one-vote is dangerous. The 'good citizen certificates' of yesteryears were the same as now. The (Japanese) devils said, "We can't issue 'good citizen certificates' for everyone, or else the Eighth Route Army would penetrate." I'm not talking about representative systems to you. I'm just telling you that the one-person one-vote is a right right. We're not talking about one-person one-gun here. What are you so afraid of?" more ›

"Xi's move to allow 30 Hollywood films into China is good for the following reasons: 1. The more Hollywood films are here, the greater the creative space for Chinese filmmakers. Because there can only be one standard for all. Whatever content they can create, we can do the same. 2. The government will have to fight piracy more proactively, or else Hollywood would be breathing down their necks. We share the benefits. Now we have the backing of Hollywood too. Let's see if you pirates still have the guts! 3. Ultimately, it's great news for the viewers. It's the survival of the fittest. There's nothing to worry about. " more ›

"The Chinese government has never really learnt how to 'speak.' You see a lot of politically correct language, and too little self-criticism. Subjects like Wang Lijun are deemed too sensitive to even be touched upon. China is generally a country that does not too bad on the whole, and the hard results are out there. If something has happened, we should talk about. The more you refuse to talk about it, the more you shroud the matter in mystery. But when you choose to talk about it, people think, oh, it's just that. Society needs criticism all the time. The more the government criticizes itself, the less the public will criticize it. The more good news there is on official media, the more bad news and rumors there will be on Weibo. That's just how things balance up." more ›

"If only Hong Kongers knew this: that if the mainland does not have democracy, Hong Kong will not have democracy, and there will be no changes in its circumstances. If Hong Kong does not have democracy, then there will be no security for Hong Kong's liberty and rule of law, and there will be no change in its circumstances. If Hong Kongers took their dissatisfaction and anger, and used it to push for democracy in Hong Kong and the mainland, then Hong Kong would stand to gain from it, and so would the mainland." more ›

Some people complain that books are too expensive. Well, you have to see what you're comparing it to. Chinese books cost about 30RMB on the average -- that's a pack of average quality cigarettes, a cup of coffee, a set meal, a cab ride, half of a cinema ticket, or a third of a pizza. Some people can afford to smoke, drink coffee, go to the cinema, but say they're too poor to read. It only goes to show they don't like reading enough. more ›

Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where demonstrations are a normal thing. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where marches don’t end in disaster. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) roots out the dirt. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the government isn’t in bed with business. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where refuge is provided for exiles [from the Tiananmen Protests]. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where June 4 is not forgotten. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where magazines are free. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where you don’t have to scale the [Internet] wall. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the sense of human rights is strong. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where there are prospects for democracy. Thank goodness there is Taiwan and Hong Kong, when the mainland’s back bristles with thorns and no one dares step too far out of bounds! more ›

"The title is deliberately provocative, I understand. It's meant to push people outside their comfort zone. We're inert. How do we snap people out of it? We helped create an export monster. We helped them because we developed an appetite for their goods. So we've kind of gotten in this dynamic of exports for finance-we will buy your cheap goods so we can stock our Wal-Mart shelves. They're moving up the value chain. And in exchange for that, we'll look for you to be our number one lender, and that, in pop psychology, you call a co-dependency-exports for finance. They're stuck with us, we're stuck with them. Stalemates, or co-dependencies like this, don't last forever." more ›

“Hon Hai has a workforce of over one million worldwide and as human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache.” more ›