Eight: Craving For Grandiose
2: Jiang’s Ghost Writers
CCP’s leaders constantly need to be eulogized and praised with articles and books. Jiang Zemin also proceeded to hire three writers, Teng Wensheng, Wang Huning, and Liu Ji, to help achieve his political goals. Most of the Jiang’s literary and oratory flare, if we are to call it such, came from some combination of the three.
Teng Wensheng was born in October of 1940, graduated in 1964 from Dept. of CCP history at People’s University of China.
In 1989, Teng became the deputy director of the CCP’s Institute on Policy Research, and was dubbed “the top writer” in Zhongnanhai. He was the main writer of Jiang Zemin’s political reports speech at the 16th Congress.
While working at the Institute of CCP’s Secretariat in 1980, Teng was responsible for collecting material and information, about China’s liberal intellectuals, such as Fang Lizhi, Wang Ruowang, and Liu Bin-yan. All such figures were eventually thrown out of CCP, with material and information gathered by Teng, serving as the basis. In Sept. 1987, Zhao Ziyang, with the backing of Deng Xiaoping, dismantled the Institute.
Teng’s biggest contribution to Jiang Zemin’s theory, as Jiang would have it to be called, was the creation of one of the three talks, known as “the talk of politics”. Teng was an expert on Mao Ze-dong, advised Jiang to follow Chairman Mao’s style, if he was to gain control the Politburo. That is to say, instead of giving the power to one confident, or close follower, have two or three high-ranking officials compete with one another internally, only have to finally come to Jiang for arbitration.
Wang Huning was born on October 6, 1955.
He had been a professor, and advisor for Ph.D. students in the dept of political science at Fudan University. This was before he went to work at CCP’s Institute on Policy Research. He was the true creator of the “three represents”.
Jiang admired Wang and his work almost to the point of obsession. He could recite paragraphs of Wang’s work, before ever meeting him in person. Wang drafted for Jiang a speech given at the 5th Plenary of the 14th Session of the Party Congress, entitled “On 12 Major Relationships”. Wang’s largest contribution was the theory of “the three represents”, and “the moving with times”, both of which he formulated for Jiang.
Wang created the three represents,for Jiang, and taught him to memorize it: “Communist Party must always represent the requirement of development of China’s advanced productive forces; the orientation of the development of China’s advanced culture, and fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China.” Scour all the official reports in China’s media, if you will, and you will discover, that not a single person, including Jiang Zemin himself, could explain in clear terms, what the three represents are. The theory of three represents amounts to little more than a few empty words.
A person with good judgment, wouldn’t venture to boast about such a thing.
But the theory is just too important to Jiang, for a doctrine, Jiang knows, is necessary for lasting power.
Jiang exhausted his wits, trying a way to introduce the doctrine into the Party Constitution, and that of the nation.
And the aftermath of Jiang’s efforts, could still be felt even after Hu Jintao took over as the General Secretary, Chairman of the State and Head of the Central Military Commission. Hu was obligated to uphold the three represents. Similarly, most any speech that an official would make must be anchored by the doctrine.
The nationwide study and implement of the doctrine, hold three represent up to ridicule instead. The media reported that a woman said:” my daughter-in-law gave birth to such a chubby son, thanks to the three represents!” Some reported that first class public restrooms had been built in the guidance of the three represents. On a wall of a rural slaughterhouse, a slogan was painted in huge characters”Three Represents Guides the Work of Butchering!”
Wang had once been an assistant to the Chairman, and named by Jiang a member of CCP’s Central Committee at the 16th Congress. After Jiang began to lose power, however, Wang’s career suffered too, because he revealed the secret about the true authorship of the three represents. Jiang had grown furious with him.
Liu Ji was born in October of 1935, in Anqing, of Anhui Province, and was assigned to work in Shanghai, after graduated from Dept. of Hydraulic Engineering at Beijing’s Qinghua University. Then, he became vice president of China’s Academy of Social Sciences. Liu’s theoretical strength gave full play to the building up of the so-called “doctrine of the wise master”, which attempted to paint Jiang as the Party leader, with an open mind.
Liu was very close to Jiang, although not a family member, he called Jiang’s wife “sister-in-law”. He would move about freely in front of Jiang, and would visit Jiang’s residence without prior notice. If he wanted a change, he would travel to Jiang’s residence by car. If Wang Ye-ping was in a good mood, she would cooked a few southern dishes for him.
It was absolutely crucial for Jiang to be coached by Liu.
Liu knew exactly how to improve Jiang’s craft of Power-politicking. Jiang had a few long talks with Liu, on how to achieve such things, and later came to respectively call Liu the “Master of the State”. Afterward, Liu openly showed support for several reform-minded intellectuals. Jiang began to keep a distance from him.
