[China Unmasked] Aged Painter Huang YongYu Dances with the Wolves

Micky Wong

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Jun 4, 1997, 3:00:00 AM6/4/97

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Portrait of
progress and
realism as
'snitches' get
the brush-off

ANNETTE GRUETTNER and PETER SEIDLITZ

Q: Given your public stance on the
June 4 crackdown did you have to
wait for government approval to
return to China?

A: I could have come back earlier.
I wasn't one of the demonstrators.
I came back because I wanted to be
where my friends are. Things have
improved in China. Friends can
meet and talk freely. There are
hardly any "snitches" anymore. If
people spy on you, they are
despised by everyone.

Q: Why did the Chinese Government
want you to come back?

A: Who knows? Maybe they can use
my return to show that things are
not so bad here after all. Xinhua
(the New China News Agency) in
Hong Kong asked me what I thought
of the situation in China now. I
told them I could see that things
had really changed for the better.
They asked me to write a positive
article for them. But I said I
could not do that.

Q: Do you believe that now, after
your return, you will be free to
paint, exhibit or publish anything
you want?

A: An interview like this would
have been impossible a few years
ago. Now one is free to criticise.
I hope things won't change too
quickly because there must not be
chaos. In the West some chaos is
taken for granted. In Italy they
change the president every year.
But that doesn't affect people's
lives. In China it's different.
When there is change on top
everything changes below as well.

Q: But after Deng Xiaoping's death
we didn't see any big changes.

A: Not yet, no. But maybe in
future. There are many strong
powers and influences.

Q: How do you see China's future?

A: In the years since June 4 there
has been a lot of progress. It's
still chaotic and there are some
negative developments but
everybody has enough to eat. Of
course, I am disgusted by what
happened on June 4. Foreigners
maybe cannot understand what Deng
achieved. But I know how it was
before.

Q: What do you see now?

A: People are now starting to wear
ties, not to "slurp", to be quiet
when they go into a concert. These
are all external things, but they
show a change in society.
Confucius said, not until people
had enough to eat, could they
start thinking about manners.

Q: What do you think of current
leaders like Jiang Zemin?

A: I met him once or twice. He is
not like [Mao Zedong], who was
only interested in women and old
art. Jiang is quite well educated.
He studied technology in the USSR.
He started as a small cadre. He
isn't corrupt and he is modest. In
China there are a lot of very
powerful groups. The party, the
Army, the Government. If Deng was
still alive he would help Jiang,
but who can help him now? When
Deng died and Jiang gave his
speech, he started crying at two
points. Once at the beginning,
when he was talking generally that
Deng was dead, and the second time
when he was talking about
bureaucratism. Jiang knows very
well what lies ahead of him.

Q: Can this Government reform?

A: The Chinese Government does not
have any sense of humour. They
have no contact with young people.
They are like artists who want
their work praised regardless of
its quality or what people really
think. Government should listen to
its critics.

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<CENTER>Tuesday  June 3  1997</CENTER>

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Portrait of progress and realism as 'snitches' get the brush-off

</CENTER>

ANNETTE GRUETTNER and PETER SEIDLITZ
 

Q: Given your public stance on the June 4 crackdown did you have to wait for government approval to return to China?
A: I could have come back earlier. I wasn't one of the demonstrators. I came back because I wanted to be where my friends are. Things have improved in China. Friends can meet and talk freely. There are hardly any "snitches" anymore. If people spy on you, they are despised by everyone.
Q: Why did the Chinese Government want you to come back?
A: Who knows? Maybe they can use my return to show that things are not so bad here after all. Xinhua (the New China News Agency) in Hong Kong asked me what I thought of the situation in China now. I told them I could see that things had really changed for the better. They asked me to write a positive article for them. But I said I could not do that.
Q: Do you believe that now, after your return, you will be free to paint, exhibit or publish anything you want?
A: An interview like this would have been impossible a few years ago. Now one is free to criticise. I hope things won't change too quickly because there must not be chaos. In the West some chaos is taken for granted. In Italy they change the president every year. But that doesn't affect people's lives. In China it's different. When there is change on top everything changes below as well.
Q: But after Deng Xiaoping's death we didn't see any big changes.
A: Not yet, no. But maybe in future. There are many strong powers and influences. 
Q: How do you see China's future?
A: In the years since June 4 there has been a lot of progress. It's still chaotic and there are some negative developments but everybody has enough to eat. Of course, I am disgusted by what happened on June 4. Foreigners maybe cannot understand what Deng achieved. But I know how it was before. 
Q: What do you see now?
A: People are now starting to wear ties, not to "slurp", to be quiet when they go into a concert. These are all external things, but they show a change in society. Confucius said, not until people had enough to eat, could they start thinking about manners.
Q: What do you think of current leaders like Jiang Zemin?
A: I met him once or twice. He is not like [Mao Zedong], who was only interested in women and old art. Jiang is quite well educated. He studied technology in the USSR. He started as a small cadre. He isn't corrupt and he is modest. In China there are a lot of very powerful groups. The party, the Army, the Government. If Deng was still alive he would help Jiang, but who can help him now? When Deng died and Jiang gave his speech, he started crying at two points. Once at the beginning, when he was talking generally that Deng was dead, and the second time when he was talking about bureaucratism. Jiang knows very well what lies ahead of him.
Q: Can this Government reform?
A: The Chinese Government does not have any sense of humour. They have no contact with young people. They are like artists who want their work praised regardless of its quality or what people really think. Government should listen to its critics.
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Paula J. Morrow

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Jun 9, 1997, 3:00:00 AM6/9/97

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In article <33956A...@ibm.net>, mick...@ibm.net wrote:

> A: People are now starting to wear
> ties, not to "slurp", to be quiet
> when they go into a concert. These
> are all external things, but they
> show a change in society.
>

You're judging a nation on its slurping? Are you retarded? China
makes a multi-missile, and you're publishing talk about slurping?

B. T

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Jun 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM6/10/97

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