China Times: Full Text of Ao Li's Speech in Peking University
Dioneae muscipula
text of his speech at Peking University on September 21, 2005,
including the questions and answers with PKU students, in
http://news.chinatimes.com/Chinatimes/Moment/newfocus-index/0,3687,9409210531+0+0+224218+0,00.html
An outline of his speech:
* Lien Chan had his interpretation of liberalism
completely wrong. He claimed Shi Hu brought it to
Taiwan and therefore now it prevailed there in schools.
I can tell you there is no such thing.
* Let me praise CCP here. You ask me why I dare to speak
in CCP's favor? Why not? Why don't we clarify things
when CCP does not do bad things?
* Let me show you something. This was the headline news
on New York Times (around 1932) where the government
fired shots against the protesting crowd. Germany did
it in 1953...... So all the governments and all the
rulers in the world have machine guns and tanks, and
therefore I say here "people need to be smart, and
they need to win freedom with wisdom". The people need
to ask themselves why they want to be so stupid to force
(the authority) to open shots without sacrificing
themselves.
* I have authored more than 100 books, and 96 of them were
banned (in Taiwan)...... I put some "sexy" covers on
these books. My readers originally want to buy adult
books but instead they got my banned books and became my
readers.
* I turned back, and other than my boss Liu, (PKU) officials
and presidents don't have smiles on their faces.
* Today I talk about freedom of speech. They fear it.
Why? There was no need. In Nordic Europe, when they
lifted the bans against adult movies, the sex crime rates
dropped by 16%...... When you no longer ban adult movies,
people watch them every day, so it is no longer a deal.
Freedom of speech is similar...... They are like
volcanos, once they erupted, the pressure is gone.
* Peking University today is too timid, too awkward!
President Ma was under house arrest during KMT rulings.
Originally he was a good friend of Mao, but they headed
in opposite directions on China population policy. Ma
said we needed some control or Chinese finance were
exhausted (by the Chinese birth), and Mao said "the more
the better". Everybody criticized Ma to such an extent
that propaganda posters were put on the wall in front of
Ma's bed. So? Ma lived to 100 years old when all others
were gone.
* Let me read a comment by Premier Zhou (Enlai). The people
have full freedom of thoughts, as long as other thoughts
can coexist. Today let me praise CCP. People say CCP
control people's freedom of speech, and that's wrong. It
was a small group of CCP officials twisted Chairman Mao
and Premier Zhou's spirits.
* (Citing Mao's Red Book) "Chinese Communist Party appeared
in the history, and everything born in history will be
eliminated in history, so one day CCP will be eliminated
(please do not applaud)." ...... We need to take care of
CCP, hope CCP will live for 1000 years. We should comfort,
pamper it, take care of it, and let it serve us. What's
bad about this?
* CCP does not like laughters, and it is too serious. CCP
interpreted Mao's thought too narrowly, and we should
widen it, and this is the main goal of my speech today.
Many people worry about me, including myself. They ask
me whether I want to visit the Great Wall. I replied I
might go to Qin City (a Chinese jail) before visiting
the Great Wall.
* In the past when I visit a store, the boss will give me
a cup of tea even though he knows I cannot afford it.
The polite Beijing was gone. Now people guard against
each other.
An abstract of the question and answer section:
Question: You are an intellectual with independent and
critic spirit. Do you think your cooperation
with media affect that?
Answer: ...... We need to consider the partner's position.
I have to say Liu (Phoenix TV boss, the sponsor
of Li's Beijing visit) is special. He has a
good skill. Many times he allowed some comments
to slip through without getting in trouble......
I can tell you that you need to use this approach
to win freedom of speech......
Question: Some time ago (CCP) Secretary Ming had a view
that some counter-revolution teachers should
leave the campus. What do you think?
Answer: I believe a university should be able to handle
all kinds of speech. It is the characteristic
of a university...... No theory is bad, taboo
in a university. This is wrong.
Question: When do you plan to visit PKU the next time?
Answer: When Hu Jingtao invite me for PKU president and
I will come here.
Question: ...... Now Yingjeou Ma has win KMT chairman
seat. Are you confident in the stabilization
and peace across Taiwan Strait?
Answer: I am afraid of talking about Taiwan in Beijing
and this kind of question does catch me here.
...... Ma looks handsome, and he is a nice guy,
but he does not do much. He does not do good
things and he does not do bad things...... I
believe Ma got a wrong job. He should be a
movie actor or a singer, or even a sex offender
is better.
Dioneae muscipula
News Agency that famous Taiwan writer and cultural figure Li Ao said
thanks to the Communist Party of China for the prosperity.
Li was quoted as saying, "China had experienced such poor conditions in
the past. But the situation now is truly much better. I thank the
Communist Party of China" for his interview with Hong Kong's Phoenix
cable network.
The only thing mentioned in Li's speech at PKU is in two lines:
He had made a speech in Beijing University and visited some
places in Beijing, including the Imperial Palace.
and nothing was mentioned about his books being banned in Taiwan by
KMT.
Read the news in
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/22/content_3528796.htm
Read the Xinhua coverage on Li Ao's visit in
http://www.xinhuanet.com/tai_gang_ao/zt050902/
No full text of Li Ao's speech can be found on Xinhua.
The article "Li thanks CPC for prosperity" in
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/22/content_3528796.htm
covers essentially the same, though this article does not even mention
Li's speech at PKU.
Dioneae muscipula
correspondence by Mr. Wang Dan, one of the student leaders on Tiananmen
Square in June, 1989. He commented on Mr. Li's recent Mainland China
visit and his speeches.
Read the full text in
http://news.chinatimes.com/Chinatimes/newslist/newslist-content/0,3546,110514+112005093000328,00.html
An outline:
* Li's Mainland visit demonstrated two facts: one is the speech
control in Mainland China, and the other one is Li's own
image is confusing.
* People said Li's speech at PKU challenged CCP and promoted
liberalism, and he deserved our applause. Actually I could
hear similar comments almost every week when I was studying
at PKU in the 80's.
* For the China today, outside visitors (like Li) can
criticize, but Chinese own citizens received 7 years of
jail time when they criticize. Is this kind of speech
environment "open"?
* There were some inconsistencies among the three speeches
of Li's, because he would like to protect his (critical)
image and at the same time please CCP. Li made it and
it can be considered a successful business promotion.
* Another reason of Li's popularity in Mainland China is his
"liberal and crazy" image. This should be a patent held
by young people, and there are two possibilities of Li's
image: (1) he showed it off to promote himself for fear that
others forgot him, and (2) he no longer had much and he had
to cover it up with the "liberal and crazy" attitude.
ltlee1
personality characteristics.
ROC scholars had done research in this area. (See THE CHARECTER OF THE
CHINESE: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Edited by Yih Yuan Li and
Kuo-Shu Yang)
don_t...@hotmail.com
Lee Aw is a pasttime.
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