On April 1, 2007, co-hosted by Broad Press Inc. and The Epoch Times newspaper, the second "Disintegrate Party Culture Seminar" was held at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in New York. Very exciting speeches were given by distinguished guests Hu Ping, editor-in-chief of Beijing Spring , Li Tianxiao, featured political commentator of NTDTV, political and economics critic Chen Pokong, and psychiatric expert Yang Jingduan.
The following is the speech made by Yang Jingduan.
Personally, I do not know much about politics. However, I felt that I had to come attend this seminar today because I am driven by a sense of urgency. Nowadays when chatting with my friends, oftentimes they will say that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is going downhill, and that nobody believes in communism anymore. Even common folks would scold the CCP as soon as it is mentioned. The Party Culture seems to have become less obvious.
I started to think about this issue and have begun examining it. Recently I have discovered a phenomenon: in China—no matter how the CCP brags about itself, people won't take it seriously. Then what does it do now? It has learned to become sophisticated, and packed its culture into something traditional. It has developed some shows in the traditional form, and plans to run Confucius Institutes around the world.
People would ponder: Why isn't there a single Confucius Institute inside China? Because the Party's goal is to secretly export its Party Culture around the world in the name of Confucius. This is something we must be aware of.
The CCP Removed Traditional Chinese Culture From People's Minds
At the age of 21, I was sent by the CCP to study in Australia for three months. There was a student at the medical institute I was studying at who learned that I was from China. Upon learning this he asked me, "Let's discuss Tao Te Ching ." I was very embarrassed. What is Tao Te Ching ? How would I know anything about Tao Te Ching ?
This tells you that in the education that we have received, what is missing first and foremost, is traditional Chinese culture; we are completely cut off from traditional Chinese culture. Only by using this method, can the CCP instill its own things, the western Marxism-Leninism, and the violent CCP culture into our minds.
However, this tactic doesn't work very well nowadays. So it further strikes the genuine traditional Chinese culture with any means and at any cost. Why? It is because the CCP does not allow anyone to replace its poisonous culture. And this is why it heartlessly strikes all kinds of groups that relate to traditional Chinese culture more violently than at any other time in history.
If you speak with various U.S. officials, including those from the State Department or business people who have businesses in China, they will all tell you that, no matter what you do in China, be it business, politics, or diplomacy, there is one taboo subject: Falun Gong, which is considered to be the number one enemy of China. Why? The fundamental reason is that Falun Gong is rooted in traditional Chinese culture and the CCP is aware of it.
According to the CCP's logic, if traditional Chinese culture is revived, then everyone would practice Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Then who would lie and commit violent acts for the Party? Therefore it views the revival of traditional Chinese culture as the biggest threat. And this is why it strikes any group that promotes traditional Chinese culture and values at any cost, with no means being too extreme.
What Culture is in China Now?
I was watching an interview on TV yesterday with Ms. Zhang Yihe, daughter of Zhang Bojun, and the author of three books that are banned in China. She mentioned three different trends. What did she say about China's culture today? First of all, she said that it is a culture of enjoyment. Nothing is more important than enjoyment. Therefore you can find all kinds of services: hair washing, face cleaning, feet massage and karaoke, etc. Entertainment and sensual indulgence are at the center of China's enjoyment culture.
She said that the expense culture was the second trend. This is all too apparent when examining the shopping centers in China. Just look at all the merchandise for sale; people are racing to spend money. Even a moon cake can cost tens of thousands of yuan. What kind of culture is this? Is it a competition for wealth? No. It is a distortion of culture. People's spirituality has no way to express itself, and as a result, they have developed an "expense culture."
In the end, she wrote down the third trend, leaving part of it blank and did not explain why. I wondered if it was omitted from the subtitles. Then I filled in a character myself—culture of extinguishment. Think about it, such a big country and a strong military force in the hands of a group of spiritless people who do not care about morality and lives, then isn't this country and nation going to implode? Not only will it implode, but it will also drag the entire world into its vacuum.
The Chinese People's Psychological Obstacles in Pushing forward the Disintegration of the CCP
What obstacle are we encountering during the process of disintegrating the CCP? It is very large and multi-faceted. Instead of coming from the surface, it comes from the inside of every Chinese person's mind. When we say disintegrate the CCP, how do we go about disintegrating it? Culture is something abstract, it is a manifestation of people's mental quality, and it exists in people's minds. Therefore, to disintegrate the Party Culture is to fundamentally solve psychological problems. Is violence the only reason why the CCP could survive till today despite the decline in Communism around the world? No. The CCP is the master of marketing straight to the heart, and has psychologically destroyed, transformed and brainwashed people.
I will discuss this topic from my professional angle, and it may give you some insights when you meet some people and encounter some things you cannot understand.
The first phenomenon: We have these kinds of people who have suffered severely traumatic experiences. How severe? To the point where he or she feels as though his life was being threatened. After such an occurrence, this person is always haunted by fear. After being in such a state for a long period of time, anything that reminds this person of these things will make him or her feel very unpleasant.
Like what Mr. Hu Ping just said, most people will run away from it. Why? Because they know it's dangerous. Why does the CCP always start some sort of political movement? The sole purpose is to repeatedly make the masses of people experience this trauma and fear. This way, you will be conditioned to always avoid and hide from these topics
While turning away from these issues, another problem arises: Human beings have a conscience, and this kind of denial is very stressful. So what's there to do? They make their minds go numb. A person in such a situation will put a shield up around himself, and deny whatever he sees or hears. He will reject what you tell him.
Say, someone like that comes to the U.S. for a visit, and he is handed a flyer saying how bad the CCP is, how the CCP is persecuting Falun Gong, how the Party is oppressing Christians, and how the Party cracks down on democratic activists. It's something he doesn't want to hear; it makes him feel unpleasant, and so it meets with resistance in his mind.
What's he supposed to do if he accepts it? What's he supposed to do after he returns to China? Under this situation, he will say that what you have told him is false, so he can sleep peacefully at night. If he believes you, what's he going to do after he returns home? Every human being has a conscience. This is what we call "recognition schizoid syndrome" in psychology. So this is another phenomenon.
The third phenomenon is the complete loss of hope in a whole group of people. Researchers of psychology have done an experiment which best explains this syndrome: A lab mouse is thrown into a cage, and then constantly administered electrical shocks.
At first the mouse will run around the cage, trying to find a way out. This goes on for a little while; then the mouse learns that there is no escaping from the cage, and it just stops running altogether.
After a while, even if you open the cage, it will continue to just sit there when you apply electrical shocks, because it has been convinced that there is no point in moving. This is very similar to the situation in mainland China right now.
Today, the CCP no longer has the power and ability to deceive that it once had. The door of the cage in China is already open, and it's entirely possible for the people to win back its rights through struggling. But most people are still that motionless mouse, convinced that it is no use.
But as you can see through the case of Dr. Gao Yaoji, even an 80-year old woman can take such action. Would this have been possible in the past? Definitely not. Dr. Gao Yaoji is a mouse that isn't convinced that she can't jump out, and was thus able to jump out. In the present day China, if we can all truly believe it, then we can all jump out.
Stockholm Syndrome of the Chinese People
Yet there is one more phenomenon: Like Mr. Hu Ping just mentioned, you can take a survey from a good number of people—these are smart people who are well educated and well versed in culture. As soon as you start asking them questions, all that intelligence fizzles into thins air, and you are left with a high percentage of people who are satisfied with the CCP. You think they are lying? They are not. They are sincerely grateful to the Chinese Communist regime.
I read an article yesterday about a high-ranking Chinese military officer named Huang kecheng. He suffered through some excruciating persecution, but in the end he still said that Mao is a great man, and that his mistakes are those of a great man. There is also the case of a writer named Ding Lin. She suffered through much grief and pain during the anti-right wing period, but she became a left-wing extremist and fanatically supportive of the Communist regime after she was released from prison. Wouldn't you think that she's crazy? Not so. It's called "Stockholm Syndrome."
What is this Stockholm syndrome? It's actually a fairly common phenomenon. When your life is being violently threatened, or when you are being deceived, or when you have become isolated from the rest of the world, you develop this strange emotional tie to the one who is causing you harm.
As a matter of fact, I myself had this strange emotional tie to the CCP when I first came to the U.S. The moment I heard someone criticizing the CCP, I would feel very displeased and start arguing against the criticism. If it weren't for the first-hand experiences I have had over the years, and the opportunity to take a subjective look at these issues in a safe environment where my life is not in danger, I might very well have still been that way to this day. This is something we come across fairly often.
It Is Critical to Disintegrate the Party Culture In Your Mind, Heart and Spirit
So what's the solution to all of this? Once you have a clear understanding of the problem, the solution should be very clear. First of all, we have to clearly recognize the true nature of the Party Culture—it abuses human lives; it has no respect for human lives; it is very evil. If you don't have a clear understanding of the Party Culture, then all your remedies will be merely superficial.
Why is it that the U.S. policies toward China never work?
Why is there no progress in resolving Taiwan's problem with China?
It is because many people are oblivious to what they are really dealing with. In their mind, once a tiger puts on a suit, wears a hat and tie, and starts talking about human rights, all of the sudden it's a vegetarian instead of a carnivore. That is just not possible. We must make that clear in our minds.
Secondly, we must relentlessly tell the truth to our people and lend them our support, because it is very difficult for them. This is why I especially admire the cleverness of the Withdrawal Campaign. Think about it: In China, quitting the party may mean losing your job, and perhaps even your life.
Then along came the Withdrawal Campaign, which gives your mind a chance to detach from The Party through anonymous declarations. This is of key importance, because the moment your thinking changes, your mindset shifts, and thus your perception of everything else changes along with it.
So from today on, don't be scared by how big and powerful the CCP appears right now. It is critical for you to disintegrate the Party Culture in your mind, in your heart, and in your spirit. So everyone here today can be a purveyor of the disintegration of the Party Culture.
