Covering China by Ralph Izard

Author:Ralph Izard [Izard, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781351313124
Google: o8l_swEACAAJ
Goodreads: 38136645
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-01-15T07:52:29+00:00

9

Guiding Public Opinion

Controls and restrictions are embedded in soft-laced words.

Dai Qing

In “modern” china, the phrase “guiding public opinion” is still heard and promulgated on the evening news and read in the papers. Despite the fact that the complex philological structure of the Chinese language often makes for a variety of interpretations to many a word and phrase, the message conveyed by this particular saying—”guiding public opinion” —is unequivocally clear and precise: “Say it this way and not that, for no other position shall be tolerated,” or, better yet, “Saying it this way is to your advantage for if you insist on the opposite, well then just let’s wait and see.”

One could argue, of course, that “guiding public opinion” represents great progress in China, a dramatic improvement from the days of revolution and war when the common folk and intellectuals alike were ordered to abide by the Party line without question or doubt. Under the banner of “leading public opinion” “lingdao yulan”—one of our less valuable imports from the Leninist regime in the Soviet Union—nary a deviant word was spoken, and if so it was quickly crushed, wiped out in one fell swoop. That was more than 50 years ago, and since that time the slogan about how “the people have become the masters of the house” has been on our lips. And yet, believe it or not, it is still necessary to restrict ideas and opinions, though now with greater subtlety and nuance. Why?

Granted during battle and soon after a major conflict we all expect that restrictions on opinion may arise in the interest of forging national unity and dealing with remnants of the ancien régime. This, after all, is to be expected. With 4,000 years of civilization, China has consistently produced leaders and advisors who seem especially artful in using language to their advantage, understanding all too well that cruel and brutal rule must be glossed over with a soft veneer. And so it is in the late 1990s, when the world is witnessing the explosion information through the electronic media and the Internet, here in China controls over public opinion and publications are secured with such a seemingly innocuous phrase as “guiding public opinion.” Yes, it’s an improvement, but the reality of control and restriction is still embedded in its soft-laced words.

All this naturally raises the question of just how writers and journalists in China are wedded to the political pursuits of Party leaders.

Allow me to cite a few examples from past events as an illustration of how under the banner of “guiding public opinion” this control is accomplished. Whenever any potentially “newsworthy” incident (domestic or foreign) occurs, the first decision to be made by the higher-ups is whether to cover it up or have the Party issue a public announcement. Recall the great earthquake in the eastern city of Tangshan in 1976: despite the huge loss of life and devastation of local industry, the Chinese Communist Party decided to keep the scale of the disaster a secret, especially in its reports to the outside world.

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