Editor’s note: This is a translated and edited version of an article from the Chinese site www.gcpnews.com. The article introduces “Ran Xiang”, a well-known user on the Chinese micro blogging website Weibo, who, refers to herself as the Chairperson of the “Wu Mao Party” (五毛党). A “Wu Mao-er” refers to an individual who is employed by the Chinese government to post pro-government comments on Chinese social media sites. It is said that these people earn five Mao (fifty cents) for each comment they post. In this fashion, Ran Xiang, in adopting the identity of leader of this fictional pro-government party, is making the statement that she too unconditionally supports the Chinese government and its actions. Ran Xiang is interviewed by the Global Times, which asks her to expound on her ideals and intentions in mocking the mainstream democratic movement on Weibo.  

The Weibo user “Ran Xiang 染香” first began posting on the website in November of

2009. Her first Weibo posts were typical poetic prose, describing the natural beauty of Yunnan Province, in turn leading her to develop a large following on Weibo. But a month after she first began posting, her topics of discussion changed, and she began criticizing well-known users, whose posts she believed intended to produce an anti-China emotional response in their followers, to further their personal agendas. These “shamed” users, in retaliation, lashed out against her, but she too had developed quite a following on Weibo, and their counter-criticisms only furthered her status and popularity.

This is, after all, was just one guess amongst many. Luckily, Ran Xiang accepted an invitation from Hai Dongfang (海东方) TV to participate in a debate, and recently she allowed reporter Gao Lei of the Global Times English edition to interview her. Below are the highlights from the interview:

1) The significance of the rise of Weibo toward China:

When Weibo appeared, it changed the manner in which information spreads; immediately its efficiency improved, while at the same time a great number of users converged on the Internet platform, thereby merging the public’s intelligence and power. The collection of information on Weibo will inevitably have profound and far reaching effects on China in the future.

2) On Weibo’s lack of a strong traditional ideology presence, why she supports this ideology, and goes by the title “Chairperson of the Wu Mao Party”:

Today on Weibo there are two distinct ideological camps forming. One is the pro-US group and one is the pro-China group. The influence of the pro-US group far exceeds that of the pro-China group. The reason for the emergence of this kind of structure is due to the pro-US group utilizing the contradictions present in Chinese society, and poking at incidents that occur in China. They use these methods to stir up the public’s emotions. Therefore, the pro-China group is frequently attacked.

On Weibo, I always insist on using an independent, objective and rational thought process. This also is the belief of the Netizens who follow “Ran Xiang”. As for me being referred to as “the Chairperson of the Wu Mao Party”, this of course is based on the current zeitgeist, and it also demonstrates “Ran Xiang’s” national status.

3) Her views of those who oppose her, and their banners of “democracy” and “freedom”:

How do I view these people who oppose “Ran Xiang”? To oppose something is to call it into question or challenge its rationale. People should be allowed to do this. On the other hand, we must also realise that not every challenge is rational. There are many who challenge something based on a semblance of emotional feeling. When this type of irrational behaviour is present, it is very difficult to iron out our differences.

Many who oppose me do so under the banners of “democracy” and “freedom”. Perhaps, this is because “Ran Xiang” on Weibo often questions the fate of democracy…I directly state that democracy is a “pseudo-concept”, and therefore, as a false proposition, isn’t worth discussing.

Why is "democracy” a pseudo-concept? What does that mean? A pseudo-concept is something that seems to be of significance, but in reality cannot be accurately defined, and so ceases to have meaning. Abstractly, "democracy" is a package of “checks and balances" and "election voting". Since "democracy" is an aggregate of these things, when nations, with their own intricate goals try to implement it, they do it differently. When the U.S. talks about American "checks and balances" and “election voting” system, they call it "democracy". But when Russia uses these same concepts, in their own way, it is called an “autocracy”. Abstractly, although they are both the same type of political system, one is called democracy while the other is called autocracy. It can thus be said that democracy is a pseudo-concept.

There is also the pseudo-concept of "Freedom". The Chinese understanding of "freedom" is different from that of the West. When Chinese think of "freedom", they mainly think of "rights", that is, the right to do what they want to do. For example, if they are given the freedom to run a red light, they will do exactly that. Yet when westerners talk of “freedom", it means "liberty". That is to say, for the sake of maintaining social order, the individual restricts his behaviour, and what this social order results in is “liberty”.

In China, even though people might not know "what democracy is", with all of the chatter from people, they believe they understand it. The logic of this situation is very absurd. In short, "democracy" and "freedom" are words that we run into daily, but we should make sure that we have a clear understanding of what they mean. 

4) How Ran Xiang views modern-day China and its future:

In modern China, economic indicators show that the standards of living, when compared with the last century, have greatly increased. Freedom of speech has especially seen a big improvement. Regarding China's future, I think that maintaining a stable society is incredibly important, as it will affect China's future development, as well as everyone’s long-term interests. Chinese people need to understand that "revolution will only cause China to suffer unrest and lead to its breaking up". They need to believe in their own strength, and use their wisdom to help the Party improve its methods of managing the country. Moreover we must have a proper attitude towards the Party: give them our confidence, and be patient.   

5) On these Weibo disputes affecting society:

The back-and-forth arguments on Weibo are only coming from a small group of people, and those who partake in them still face limitations. It is disorganised, and more importantly, it is often limited to within the Weibo network; when all is said and done, back in the real world, all people need to abide by the country's laws.

Weibo has already become an important window through which the Party can understand the public’s viewpoints and mentality. It is also constantly reminding the nation’s related ministries to maintain an “early warning system” to promptly deal with the hidden dangers that threaten the safety of society, and ensure the nation’s public security.

Source: gcpnews.com
 

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Keywords: Pro-party Ran Xiang Speaks Out Against the Democracy Movement on Weibo