China’s former premier Wen Jiabao published an article to memorialize his deceased mother on April 15. However, the essay was censored, possibly because Wen called obscurely for fairness, justice, humanity, and liberty for the country.
Wen, now 78, was China’s second-highest official from 2003 to 2013. He said in the article that his life in the position was “like walking on thin ice.”
Chinese people have been shocked knowing that even Wen can’t escape the regime’s increasingly stringent censorship.
Gao said that Wen would understand the communist ideologies very well and strictly self-censor, leaving many Chinese surprised to see his article banned.
Wen’s Essay
Wen’s mother passed away in late 2020 at the age of 99.In the article, Wen recalled the life of his mother, and described how his father was tortured during the decade-long Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, because he was a teacher.
“Father was detained inside the school, and was frequently interrogated, scolded, and beaten. One day, the rebels hit his face and caused swelling. The swelling is so severe that he couldn’t see anything,” Wen wrote.
Chinese communist regime sent almost all scholars, literati, and teachers to rural areas to work as farmers, as well as humiliate them in public during the cultural revolution.
Wen talked several times about how his mother taught him to be a righteous man and righteous official that cherishes and follows the moral standard, as well as takes care of vulnerable groups.
When Wen was appointed premier, he said his mother wrote him letters to encourage him. He then wrote: “I have worked at Zhongnanhai (China’s central government) for 28 years … I followed the orders very carefully, like walking on the thin ice or beside a dark abyss. I always prepared to be fired from day one.”
At the end of the article, Wen expressed his wish: “In my heart, China should be a country full of fairness and justice. In this country, people’s will, humanity, and human’s nature should always be respected, and the spirit should always be youthful, free, and diligent.”
Be Censored
Wen’s essay didn’t attract much attention initially because the Macao Herald targets mostly readers in Macao.On April 17, the article was shared hundreds of thousands of times on Chinese social media after it was reposted by commentators and Hong Kong-based pro-Beijing news outlet the Phoenix as a complete article.
Against Xi?
Tang Jingyuan, a U.S. based China affairs commentator told The Epoch Times in a phone interview on April 19, “Wen said he received a great education from his mother. He was implying that Xi Jinping wasn’t taught well by his parents.”“Xi’s father is a liberal within the Communist party. He [Xi’s father] was against the cultural revolution [which was launched by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong], he supported free business and a market economy,” Tang explained. “Xi holds a different political opinion from his father. He tries to adapt Mao Zedong’s policies to current China.”
“Who dares to talk about freedom, justice, or humanity publicly in China?” Tang asked. “Wen’s writing is blaming Xi’s regime for pursuing the injustice, inhumanity, unfairness, and persecution in China.”
“Like the child in the story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ who blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all, Wen’s cultural revolution story has revealed the truth of life in China which Xi’s regime doesn’t allow people to talk about,” Tang added.
