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matt605
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President Hu's List of Do's and Don'ts for China.

President Hu's list of Do's and Don'ts for China.  Article details principles listed on a poster and made available at the CCP meeting earlier this month.

I like these.  I don't understand why China Daily did not run this story itself.  One thing that's good about this list is that it gives people something to keep in mind as they go about their normal routines.  Even the quote from Mao is okay -- Mao says what a lot of Americans believe too.  And so also is the quote from Deng, about the cat catching mice.

The statement about science is very interesting to me.  It's the one statement that doesn't seem to fit with the others on the list.  Hu doesn't disparage peoples' customs and faiths, but he does side with science, whch is very consistent with what leaders everywhere, including religious leaders, advocate.

If anyone has a photo of the poster, please post it so we can all see.  Thanks.

A list of do's and don't's from Chinese President Hu Jin-tao:

Love, do not harm the motherland.

Serve, don't disserve the people.

Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened.

Work hard; don't be lazy and hate work.

Be united and help each other; don't gain benefits at the expense of others.

Be honest and trustworthy, not profit-mongering at the expense of your values.

Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless.

Know plain living and hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

Chinese President Hu Issues List of Virtues; One Is 'Don't Be Lazy and Hate Work'

March 15, 2006 - 12:42:51

By ALEXA OLESEN

BEIJING (AP) - President Hu Jin-tao has a message for Chinese who are greedy, lazy or unpatriotic: Be ashamed, be very ashamed. Hu's list of eight do's and don't's was unveiled during the meeting of parliament that ended this week.

It aims to douse the excesses of China's 27-year-long economic boom with a bucket of cold virtue.

On Wednesday, the aphorisms were issued on a $1 poster with plain, black Chinese characters above a photo of the Great Wall.

Hu's virtues are blandly apolitical, with none of the radical vigor of founding communist leader Mao Zedong, who declared: "Political power comes out of the barrel of a gun."

"Love, do not harm the motherland," says Hu's list. "Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened."

Hu's virtues add to efforts by communist leaders to assure the public they are fighting corruption and trying to close the gap between an elite who have profited from China's economic reforms and the poor majority.

The list also appears to be a tentative step toward legacy-building for Hu, who is general secretary of the ruling Communist Party and was appointed to the largely ceremonial post of president in 2003.

For centuries, Chinese leaders have tried, usually in vain, to mold public and official behavior with poetic maxims.

"In our socialist society we must not allow the boundaries to be blurred when it comes to right and wrong, evil and kindness, beauty and ugliness," Hu told a March 4 parliamentary seminar, according to the Communist Party newspaper.

"What we support, what we resist, what we oppose and what we promote all must be crystal clear," he said, adding that his "socialist concept of honor and disgrace" should be promoted to the masses, especially young people.

But countering lawlessness and greed with phrases extolling plain living is like trying to put the genie of economic reform back in the bottle, says one China watcher.

"The overwhelming majority of Chinese people don't want to go back to the simple life. They want the good life like the people in the cities have," said Merle Goldman of Harvard University, author of the book "From Comrade to Citizen: The Struggle for Political Rights in China."

The official Xinhua News Agency hailed the list as "a perfect amalgamation of traditional Chinese values and modern virtues."

"It shows that the party has become aware that earlier campaigns were not having much of an impact on the youth," said novelist Zhang Kangkang, a delegate to parliament's main noncommunist advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"They have chosen to use very neutral language, very apolitical language, to get the message across," she said. "It's very populist, very middle-of-the-road."

The 2,280-member consultative conference _ a gathering of businesspeople, religious leaders and others _ closed its annual session Monday with a resolution praising Hu's list of virtues and pledging to "make it part of social norms."

The list is displayed on a poster that lacks the visual impact of revolutionary-era propaganda, which featured stark woodblock prints and vivid paintings of joyous peasants that have become collector's items.

Some welcome Hu's language and its echoes of temperate, pre-revolutionary Chinese philosophers.

"From Deng Xiaoping's saying that 'white cat, black cat' stuff to now, we have totally lost our sense of morality. It's been 20 years since we threw our morality out the window," said Sheri Liao, an environmental activist and former philosophy teacher.

Deng, then the supreme leader, launched China's economic reforms with the pragmatic declaration: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white; it is a good cat as long as it catches mice."

"My personal opinion is that it's a very good thing," Liao said of Hu's value system. "The Chinese Communist Party is starting to take an interest in and adopt a friendly attitude to traditional culture and values."

[ Last edited by chinadaily at 2006-3-17 10:05 AM ]

2006-3-16 09:49 PM

mencius (亞聖孟子)
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A "D" for eloquence

I have to say I find these slogans rather daft. I doubt that many people will take notice, let alone change their lives accordingly. There seems to be a misconception amongst Party leaders that society's ills can be fixed with a good ol' fashioned "patriotic education campaign". This is a regurgitation of the "Lei Feng" ideology that people shouldn't be concerned that they are disenfranchised & poor because it's great to be a "good Communist", but with boring, dreary language. Well it doesn't work - the poor and disheartened won't change their attitudes because of this. I think Merle Goldman has hit the nail right on the head.

I think it would be more productive if the President drew up a "to-do list" for himself rather than put the onus on the people to be "good".

[ Last edited by mencius at 2006-3-16 03:14 PM ]

2006-3-16 11:08 PM

doberman (Andy Dob)
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New octologue

Nice slogans, but I'm afraid, practically useless.

People do not follow it in practice and some cannot be followed literaly.

Marx was right when he told that capitalism cannot exist without exploitation of workers. Therefore point 5 is not to be met.

Many other points can also be interpreted in very different way. Love China - here it is mostly vague. What does it mean and who is the judge of what it is?

2006-3-16 11:28 PM

mencius (亞聖孟子)
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dob

QUOTE:

Originally posted by doberman at 16-3-2006 15:28

Marx was right when he told that capitalism cannot exist without exploitation of workers.

That depends what you mean. Workers don't have to be screwed over (e.g. paid 1 Yuan an hour), even if its inevitable they will be paid a lot less than those at the top. China's boom has actually led to a lot of worker power in some regions, as there is now a shortage of labour.

QUOTE:

Many other points can also be interpreted in very different way. Love China - here it is mostly vague. What does it mean and who is the judge of what it is?

Yep. Who's to say who loves China and who doesn't? To be honest that can be a very dangerous slogan, as it would give those who created it an unprecedented amount of power to label people as "hating China" when a reasonable person might say they were actually expressing their love through concern, or whatever.

2006-3-16 11:58 PM

doberman (Andy Dob)
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That depends what you mean.

This is exactly what I mean.

THAT DEPENDS ON WHAT IT MEANS.

I have no slightest reason not to believe that Hu's words meant all positive. Bringing some morality to the world of greed and money rat race. So what he wrote means one simple thing to him.

But then there are people , who read it and the interpretations can be as many as readers.

2006-3-17 12:22 AM

matt605
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People like propaganda

People in all countries like propaganda.  Hu's list is within the ancient and modern traditions of China, and it is not bad advice for people everywhere in all countries.  Who can dispute the value of the sayings?

Even the last of the sayings is practiced here in America.  Compared to the world, Americans live a life of luxury, but compared to other Americans, there is no shame in frugality.

In the USA it has been commonplace for political leaders to produce written works that detail their political philsophy and their approach to big issues.  In 1992, Clinton and Gore produced a book to go along with their campaign.  In 1994, Republicans in congress produced the Contract with America, which caused them to win majorities in both the House and the Senate.  In 2000, Gore and Lieberman produced another book on their views on issues of importance.  I haven't read any of these works, but a lot of people did, and found them valuable.

Does anyone have a photo of the poster that they're selling?

2006-3-17 12:27 AM

mencius (亞聖孟子)
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by matt605 at 16-3-2006 16:27
People in all countries like propaganda. Hu's list is within the ancient and modern traditions of China, and it is not bad advice for people everywhere in all countries. Who can dispute the value of the sayings?

Quite the reverse. Quite often they get fed up with people lecturing them rather than doing their job proactively. And the rest of the time they usually ignore such things.

2006-3-17 12:41 AM

diogenes (diogenes)
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Nice slogans reflecting concern about the clash between traditional and contemporary cultural values that many on this forum have discussed. However, it is hard for me to see what practical value they can have.

I would like to get one ot the posters.

I also wish that George Bush would follow the one that says, "Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened."

2006-3-17 04:23 AM

matt605
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27 years of economic progress shows someone's working

China has been on a path of growth for 27 years, so someone's been doing their work. China's on a growth path that will keep it on a positive trend for a long time yet.

I'd like to see the poster. I can't find a photo of it at China Daily or Peoples' Daily either.

2006-3-17 06:47 AM

mencius (亞聖孟子)
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by matt605 at 16-3-2006 22:47
China has been on a path of growth for 27 years, so someone's been doing their work.

And I can promise you it was not based on slogans, but the government rejecting backward economic policies and unleashing the nation's potential.

2006-3-17 07:48 AM

#10

shanhuang (Shan Huang)
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Thank you, matt605, for your post

I was searching for the English translation of Hu's recent call and then I saw your post. I read on People's Daily a week ago in Chinese. Chinese people's response to his call is OVERWHELMING. Look what they said:

http://comments.people.com.cn/bb ... 0180/l_60180_1.html

and,

http://comments.people.com.cn/bb ... 8835/l_58835_1.html

It reflected a strong desire of Chinese people wanting a society that is not rooted in materialism and corruption which have been so rampant in China now.

More than 20 years of neckbreaking economic growth left many precious Chinese values in ruin. And more and more Chinese leaders and scholars realized that while strong national economic growth is necessary for China, it's equally important for all (not just a small portion) Chinese people to benefit from it. More importantly we must care about the health of our society.

As you know China is now at her cross road, we are seriously searching for the answer -- what kind of society we want. China must find her conscience. Yes, we need it badly. Even if Hu's call sounds slogan, many may just ignore it, but it's really a strong signal for a beginning of change for the nation, for good.

Love, do not harm the motherland.

Serve, don't disserve the people.

Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened.

Work hard; don't be lazy and hate work.

Be united and help each other; don't gain benefits at the expense of others.

Be honest and trustworthy, not profit-mongering at the expense of your values.

Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless.

Know plain living and hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

In Chinese:

以热爱祖国为荣、以危害祖国为耻，

以服务人民为荣、以背离人民为耻，

以崇尚科学为荣、以愚昧无知为耻，

以辛勤劳动为荣、以好逸恶劳为耻，

以团结互助为荣、以损人利己为耻，

以诚实守信为荣、以见利忘义为耻，

以遵纪守法为荣、以违法乱纪为耻，

以艰苦奋斗为荣、以骄奢淫逸为耻

And here is Chairman Mao Ze Dong's calling everyone in the government -- "Serve The People", in calligraphy:

[ Last edited by shanhuang at 2006-3-17 04:52 PM ]

Image Attachment: Serve the People.jpg (2006-3-17 08:09 AM, 16.66 K)

2006-3-17 08:07 AM

#11

voltaire
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QUOTE:

Originally posted by shanhuang at 2006-3-17 08:37
China Daily is trying extremely hard to be the western media masters' mouthpiece, just another piece. Nothing more.

Wow, you guys are in trouble then since its a state run paper. It would then follow that the the government are a bunch of pro-west lackeys.

As for Hu's statements? Seems like pretty standard government pep talking. I somehow doubt that "work hard" is going to become the rallying cry for the new china, but they could do worse.

[ Last edited by voltaire at 2006-3-17 09:49 AM ]

2006-3-17 09:46 AM

#12

matt605
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I posted a report from a Western news service.

I posted a report from a Western news service, the Associated Press. I saw it on Yahoo! Seeing the statements in Chinese shows how well structured the sayings are when they appear in their original language.

Strangely, the AP published the story on President Hu and the Do's and Don'ts. So CD could easily just post the AP story. I'd still like to know if anyone has a photo of the poster. Seems like an interesting bit of China's political life.

[ Last edited by matt605 at 2006-3-17 05:00 PM ]

2006-3-17 10:00 AM

#13

caringhk (O Sweetie&Me go laojia. ..)
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Reply #14 matt605's post

Article appeared in CD under Life

BTW, last paragraph
"the aphorisms were issued on a 8 yuan (US$1) poster with plain, black Chinese characters above a photo of the Great Wall"

Pay for it MATT.

2006-3-17 10:15 AM

#14

markwu
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I think the list makes sense in two aspects;  firstly, the majority of the population are simple folks and the list provides an easy-to-refer signpost going forward in all the permutations of happenings that will surface from growth and change; simple to know, simple to remember, general enough to capture attention, applicable everywhere and to everyone.  When there's constant change, a stable starting point becomes eminently useful, and thus important; it's like what they call the ten commandments (but let's not sidetrack to that).

Secondly, the list also applies for those cleverites who are too smart-alecky to admit that their desire to appear clever has complicated their lives so much they cannot apprecitate the stark simplicity of plain truisms anymore. In their veins runs the blood of sophistry.  Otherwise they may self-destruct, these species which live in kennels, or worse still, portray union-jacks duly bikinised.  And when they salivate to stake their stand, all they could say in the first germs of thought in their little heads is this point of view, "how do i show my superiority over the common folks, those simpletons?"

To these species, go get a dose of rigor mortis.

President Hu - you have my support on that list.  A good start.  I don't see any whole lot of heads of state doing something like that for their folks.  That's probably because they don't have this number of citizens.

2006-3-17 03:24 PM

#15

caringhk (O Sweetie&Me go laojia. ..)
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Reply #17 markwu's post

Well said Mark.

Superiority is not always the key.

Simplicity gets the better!!!

2006-3-17 03:43 PM

#16

asmanthink
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There's always somebody ready to patronize on simple Chinese folks by their apparent reluctance to call them simpletons, and their enthusiastic endorsement for the erection of signposts so that these poor fellows could find their ways in the labyrinth of life. Such kindness is always met with my suspicion.

These persons of complication have somehow ingeniously packed their hideous skulls with convolutions of brain matter of seemingly different wiring capable only of erecting signposts of directions and establishing ready and passive receptacles for their patronizing and impotent messages.

The world would be damned if there is a whole lot of heads of states erecting signposts like that.

[ Last edited by asmanthink at 2006-3-18 03:22 PM ]

2006-3-17 05:42 PM

#17

amyamy
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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-03/16/content_541412.htm
President Hu preaches morality to the Chinese
by chinadaily.com.cn
Updated: 2006-03-16 15:55

Detailing the 'advanced socialist culture' President Hu gave a list of do's and don'ts:

Love, do not harm the motherland.
Serve, don't disserve the people.
Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened.
Work hard; don't be lazy and hate work.
Be united and help each other; don't gain benefits at the expense of others.
Be honest and trustworthy, not profit-mongering at the expense of your values.
Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless.
Know plain living and hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

Hu's virtues add to efforts by communist leaders to assure the public they are fighting corruption and trying to close the gap between an elite who have profited from China's economic reforms and the poor majority.

The concept, which underscores the value of patriotism, hard work and plain living, belief in science, consciousness of serving the people, solidarity, honesty and credibility, and observation of the law, aims to refresh China's values by amalgamating traditional Chinese values with modern virtues.

"In our socialist society we must not allow the boundaries to be blurred when it comes to right and wrong, evil and kindness, beauty and ugliness," Hu told a March 4 parliamentary seminar, according to newspaper.

"What we support, what we resist, what we oppose and what we promote all must be crystal clear," Hu said, adding that his "socialist concept of honor and disgrace" should be promoted to the masses, especially young people.

The 2,280-member consultative conference _ a gathering of businesspeople, religious leaders and others _ closed its annual session Monday with a resolution praising Hu's list of virtues and pledging to "make it part of social norms."

"It shows that the party has become aware that earlier campaigns were not having much of an impact on the youth," said novelist Zhang Kangkang, a delegate to parliament's main noncommunist advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"They have chosen to use very neutral language, very apolitical language, to get the message across," she said. "It's very populist, very middle-of-the-road."

Sheri Liao, an environmental activist and former philosophy teacher said, "From Deng Xiaoping's saying that 'white cat, black cat' stuff to now, we have, to some extent, lost our sense of morality. It's been 20 years since we threw our morality out the window."

"My personal opinion is that it's a very good thing," Liao said of Hu's value system. "The nation is starting to take an interest in and adopt a friendly attitude to traditional culture and values."

On Tuesday, the aphorisms were issued on a 8 yuan (US$1) poster with plain, black Chinese characters above a photo of the Great Wall.

----------------------------------------
This article has no author's name. Comparing to the AP article posted by matt, you can find something.

2006-3-17 08:16 PM

#18

jimmy67 (jimmy67)
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It is a commitment<

It is a commitment from the Chinese leadership an exemplary leadership!

My applause, because to say it, is a commitment of promise, a commitment for China's future.

Even if only 10% in china were to start living by some measure of this spoken out by Mr Hu, eventually the entire nation will benefit.

I fully admire it, both for content and the sense of commitment of purpose it is intended to convey.

2006-3-18 07:26 AM

#19

amyamy
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No. 7 of President Wu's Do's and Don'ts:

"Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless."
Aren't there laws to prohibit infringement of intellectual properity rights?

I don't think one "quoted" the other in this case. It's partially copied. It should involve intellectual properity rights since none of them quoted where they got the content.

Don't you think there is so many exactly the same in the two articles?

No. 6 of President Wu's Do's and Don'ts: be honest.
Don't fool your readers!!

[ Last edited by amyamy at 2006-3-19 07:34 AM ]

2006-3-19 07:32 AM

#20

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