Commentary

China Watch

Forum Digests

Columnists

Letters

Respecting different opinions

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-11 07:57

On October 5, while signing autographs at a Wuxi bookstore, an author was taken by surprise - he was slapped twice on the face by a reader.

The author, Yan Chongnian, is a scholar specializing in Qing history and Manchu culture. He gained popularity through a television educational show. The young man who slapped him is reportedly named Hong Feng, who strongly disagrees with Yan's academic views.

So, what are Yan's views? For those unfamiliar with that era of Chinese history, here is a backgrounder: The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), ruled by the Hans, got inept and corrupt and was eventually toppled by the Manchus, an ethnicity from the north, which established the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911).

Yan is director of Manchu studies at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences. Some of his controversial takes are: Qing's imposition of the Manchu lifestyle, such as its hairdo and dress, was a natural fusion of ethnic cultures; Qing's crackdown on dissent served to ensure social stability despite its obvious negative ramifications; and Wu Sangui, the Han general of the Ming Dynasty, avoided further bloodshed by surrendering to the Manchu invaders.

But Hong, the man who slapped Yan, holds different views.

The fundamental question is not whether it is right to resort to violence in academic disputes - it is inexcusably wrong - but why do people do it. Why didn't Hong and his ilk refute Yan in a public forum?

It comes down to the issue of a platform. There is no way dissenters can upstage Yan because CCTV 10's Lecture Room, where Yan was turned into a celebrity, is so dominant that, as far as ordinary people are concerned, all other viewpoints are marginalized. Since the television show is not in the habit of presenting dissenting views, what Yan and fellow TV lecturers say essentially becomes the "official" version of historical complexities.

Yan has done nothing wrong. He has a right to present his interpretations of the two dynasties. CCTV and its audience should accept it with a caveat, that it is only one man's opinion.

We were brought up in a culture where controversy is a bad thing, and one line of reasoning is elevated to the mainstream while others banished to the peripheral if not banned outright.

But dissension should be the norm, not blind agreement. Like most historical events, the Qing's rule of China had both a positive and a negative side, and one can draw different conclusions by citing a different set of events. It will be good to see on TV how scholars debate one another by presenting and analyzing more nuanced facts.

If physically abusing the authority figure is the way to go, the Cultural Revolution would have been a cultural nirvana instead of the catastrophe it was. Muffling different voices, top down or bottom up, will never lead to healthy discussions. Instead, it will simply create more imbalance. It is high time young people learned to question academic authorities instead of hurling abuse at them.

Phoenix TV has a weekly talk show that features people who oppose each other on current issues. The Taiwan-born host Tiger Hu was initially shocked when participants tended to get on the verge of fisticuffs. He now forces them to shake hands at the conclusion of the show.

Dissent should be something people can live comfortably with, and not a thorn in their eyes.

Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/11/2008 page4)