Intellectuals Divided: The Growing Political and Ideological Debate in China

The John L. Thornton China Center, within the Brookings Institution, hosted an event on September 14, to discuss the role of intellectualism in China. Cheng Li, Yawei Liu, and Jianying Zha each offered their thoughts on the role of increasing intellectual debate in China and the outlook for China in light of this shift towards scholarly discourse.

Cheng Li began the discussion by dissecting this issue into three components: what is new, why it is extraordinary, and to what it will ultimately lead. He recalled the anti-intellectualism of Mao and the Cultural Revolution, noting the many changes that have occurred in recent years. In particular, he discussed changes in the social sphere, such as an increase in the college graduation rate from 0.4% in 1982 to 8.9% in 2010 and a new sense of individual economic independence. Partially shaping these trends are the influence and prevalence of the media as well as the advent of foreign-educated returnees, think tanks, NGOs, and interest groups. However, he highlighted that what is extraordinary about the intellectual debate is the wide range of views, yet profundity of ideas, as distinctions that used to play a factor, such as generation, educational background, and academic field, no longer hold. For Cheng Li, this era of dispute is both promising and dangerous at the same time, with hope and fear coexisting. He warns that if both sides blindly push for radical change, then the threat of political deadlock will become a reality and possible sociopolitical chaos will ensue.

Next, Yaiwei Liu discussed “The ‘Rise’ of the Chinese Intellectuals and Its Consequences,” drawing upon the analysis of China by Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, in order to reframe the intellectual debate in terms of economics. According to Friedman, to achieve success, China must develop a knowledge-based service/finance economy, completing the shift from “Made in China” to “Designed in China” to, eventually, “Imagined in China.” However, China’s economic future also relies heavily on the elimination of the gap between rich and poor. Yaiwei Liu discussed the prospect of China’s growth in terms of the cake theory, whereas if the bakers of a cake know that the cake will be fairly divided, they will have the incentive to bake a bigger and better cake. In the same way, if Chinese citizens feel confident that they will experience a reasonable and fair return on their efforts, they will be motivated to work towards the economic success of their country. The people of China, therefore, can grow rich together. However, debate has flared about whether the prospect of a combined effort toward financial growth is truly necessary for the continuation of the CCP or if it is merely a pseudo-goal, with the poor eventually abandoned. Scholars remain sharply divided on this issue; however, the debate has convinced top leadership of the overwhelming need for a social safety net. As of now, the resolution of this dispute is uncertain. Yaiwei Liu, though, closed his talk by posing a possible scenario resulting from the rise of such intellectual debate: partisan politics in China.

Finally, Zha Jianying framed the intellectual debate in a different, yet constructive, light, noting the danger of rushing to accord: without disunity, true consensus cannot be built. She continued her talk in a similar tone, exploring the new breed of Chinese public intellectuals and the great influence they wield. As a whole, China has opened up, increasing consciousness about individual rights and the value of democracy. In particular, she noted, intellectual debate focuses on quintessentially middle class issues, as a yearning for peace and prosperity combined with a fear of disorder drive the discussions taking place in China. However, this enlightenment process of modernity began almost a century ago with the May Fourth Movement. Protests have evolved, though—now, more moderate in tone and shaped by new social media. In addition, official responses to protests have been restrained, with concessions offered or damage control quickly employed. Zha Jianying recognized this change in attitudes as a sign of the growing maturity of intellectualism, as individuals realize that politics is not a zero-sum game. Into the future, intellectual debate will continue to flourish, and, as all three speakers echoed, the struggle between fear and hope will persist. However, the potential that this scholarly discussion holds creates an air of excitement and promise as China launches into a new era.


Colleen Quinn