Chinese people lift a dark curtain
Censors in China have been busy since Saturday after Taiwan held yet another free and democratic election. Despite a government firewall on the internet designed to control what passes for truth, many Chinese citizens offered rare and favorable commentary about the election. For a brief time, the #TaiwanElection hashtag was No. 11 among trending topics on social media 鈥� before being deleted.
One internet user noted that the Chinese Communist Party can hardly criticize the outcome of the election 鈥渨hen you don鈥檛 even allow elections at home.鈥� Another netizen wrote, 鈥淲e would only get such an intense battle when electing our class captain [in high school].鈥�
This brief expression of interest in Taiwan鈥檚 democracy is the latest example of a public hungry for transparent and accurate information in a country where even basic statistics about the economy have lately been censored. Another example is the rise of 鈥渃itizen historians鈥� who have challenged the party鈥檚 account of past atrocities and even its claim to rule without opposition. Economy watchers have learned how to use available data, such as of urban pollution and night-light density, to challenge the party鈥檚 often dubious claims on national development.
鈥淩esistance in China is more persistent and sustained than many people realize,鈥� China expert Ian Johnson told Psychology Today this month. 鈥淭he fact that there are still people ... fighting for a more open, tolerant society shows that the roots of opposition in China run deep and are harder to wipe out than many people anticipate.鈥�
The level of opposition is difficult to detect because independent polling is mostly banned in China. Widespread fear of reprisal prevents people from speaking freely to pollsters. Yet one unusual survey technique, in which people express sensitive opinions indirectly, was used by the University of Southern California to gauge what people really think about their rulers.
The survey, conducted online with two groups of 2,000 each and published this month in The China Quarterly, found that support for the party and China鈥檚 system of government may be as low as 50%. The government鈥檚 surveillance of the internet and repression of dissent discourages some 40% of citizens from participating in anti-regime protests.
鈥淭here are truths that I believe Chinese citizens have the right to know,鈥� one Chinese banker told The New Yorker last year. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all been educated to say, 鈥楤etter to keep our mouths shut.鈥� But this is wrong. When information doesn鈥檛 flow, the whole country will go backward.鈥�
Ordinary Chinese citizens, wrote Mr. Johnson in Foreign Affairs, 鈥渕ay increasingly be ready to question the official narratives,鈥� especially about China鈥檚 history, 鈥渁nd develop new understandings of the forces that are shaping the country鈥檚 present and its future.鈥�
