The Central Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this month published a document titled: “Suggestions concerning the work of advancing ancient texts for a new era” (關於推進新時代古籍工作的意見) and required that all government departments and local administrations thoroughly implement the “suggestions.”
In addition to requiring that ancient texts be given new impetus through digitization, conservation, dissemination, research, compilation, talent cultivation, legal protection and financial support, most noteworthy was the document’s position that the purpose of elevating China’s ancient texts is to “provide a spiritual force for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people.”
The document said that China’s ancient texts would be incorporated into the “overall national development project” and there would be a “systematic organization of core thinking and ideas from outstanding traditional Chinese culture” that would revolve around a robust “shared consciousness of the Chinese people” and “guide each ethnic group toward a correct historical perspective of the Chinese people.”
Historical materials and artifacts all contain an intrinsic artistic, literary, scientific and historic value — and collectively form a cultural resource that can never be reproduced. The work of those involved in the conservation and study of these cultural artifacts provide a deeper and more complete understanding of history, while also preserving the wisdom of previous generations, crystallized in a tangible form.
However, according to the CCP’s current thinking as outlined in the document, the role of historical materials and artifacts are to be in service to the party.
The CCP intends to unilaterally select historical texts that are useful to it and which can be pressed into action to inflate the Chinese public’s prejudiced nationalistic sensibility — a centripetal force to coalesce the public around the party.
By way of example, during the Cultural Revolution, many historical artifacts and remains were destroyed, Confucianism was roundly condemned, books were burned and whole libraries were eviscerated. These acts of wanton destruction became a lasting symbol of the Cultural Revolution.
However, in the past few years the CCP has begun to selectively incorporate and even esteem Confucian thought, and use the collective writings of ancient Confucian academics as a tool to furnish the party with legitimacy, solidify its grip on power, and fashion a docile and submissive populace.
Moreover, many historical texts are selected to build a “patriotic education base” — becoming the nuts and bolts of the party’s brainwashing curriculum that is spoon-fed to children and used to indoctrinate adults.
The CCP’s “patriotic education” is a form of selective history, which on the one hand magnifies the “brutalization of the Chinese people at the hands of foreign interlopers” — creating the image of a demonic external enemy in the minds of the people — and on the other hand selectively omits the atrocities and serious mistakes committed by successive CCP leaders.
The goal of the party’s “patriotic education” is to inculcate a nationalistic fervor among the Chinese populace and an anti-Western victimhood complex, while simultaneously strengthening the party’s legitimacy.
This is especially vital ahead of this year’s 20th party congress. In the lead up to the congress, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) prestige cannot be allowed to be damaged in any way.
Looking forward, in addition to promoting youth-based social activities and continuing to insert itself in the lives of Chinese youth — in literature, games, smartphone apps, music, art, calligraphy, dance, costume dramas and new media — the party’s domestic “patriotic education” will invariably also be directed at young Taiwanese and specific organizations that are focal points of Beijing’s “united front” strategy.
If the CCP’s propaganda organizations shake off their stereotyped style and stodgy prose to be more attractive to Taiwanese and imperceptibly instill a patriotic Chinese mindset, over the long term this could have a profound effect on sections of Taiwanese society. Taipei must stay alert to this omnipresent threat.
Kung Hsien-tai is director of the ethics department at Taiwan Financial Holdings.
Translated by Edward Jones
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS