How is a good atmosphere created? It probably takes some pompous words that are miles away from the truth, or a strategy of beating around the bush and dodging the important issues.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is soon going to mark its centenary. A grand celebration is set to be the most important thing for the whole world. The spacecraft Shenzhou has timely sent astronauts to space. Around the time a natural gas explosion accident occurred, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping called for “creating a good atmosphere for the centenary of the founding of the party”. In Hong Kong, patriots host activities every day. The International Symposium on the Centennial History of the Communist Party of China, for example, was presented as an academic as well as international event. It was also emphasized that the talk was conducted in English. The idea was to declare to international friends China’s great achievements. Carrie Lam delivered a speech at the event, moving one step further on the path where a lie told 10,000 times will become the truth.

In her speech, Lam said Hong Kong managed to weather the Asian financial crisis and the SARS health crisis because the central government offered a helping hand at critical times. Is that so? Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa had said the central government made it clear Hong Kong should tackle the financial crisis itself as it upheld the “one country, two systems” principle. Hongkongers are aware that the SAR government used its own reserves to fight the financial predators. All the numbers were clear and transparent. If Lam knows any secrets concerning this part of history, she should provide proof. One should not make casual remarks in an “international academic conference”.

To create a good atmosphere for the 100th anniversary of the party, the Chinese Embassy in the UK has also done its bit. Responding to the G7 Summit Communiqué, the embassy said in a statement: “For 150-plus years under the colonial rule, Hong Kong residents had been a target of oppression by the British government, with no democracy or human rights to speak of.” The offensive of the wolf-warrior diplomacy is a force not to be outdone. An attempt has been made to hammer the oft-used tactic of turning wrong into right into the head of foreign friends.

If Hong Kong people had been a target of oppression by the British colonial government, why did so many people from mainland China flee to the city after the country was emancipated following the war? Why did millions of them cross mountains and the sea to come to Hong Kong to be subject to the oppression? And why did capitalists in Shanghai hastily move their money and textile business to the city, embracing the oppression of the British colonial rule?

If there had never been human rights in Hong Kong in the colonial era, why did mainland churches scattered across mainland China move to Hong Kong to preach? Why did patriotic Confucians flee to Hong Kong to teach Chinese culture? Why did intellectuals from the mainland flee to Hong Kong to found newspapers here? Are religious freedom, academic freedom and press freedom part of human rights?

If the CCP could not stand the egregious colonial ruler oppressing Hong Kong, why didn’t it take the opportunity to emancipate the city in 1949 and save Hongkongers from the dire straits by sending troops down south when it won a landslide victory that year? Rather, it proposed the principle of “long-term planning and making full use of Hong Kong”. Was that not tantamount to turning a blind eye to things and supporting the gangster to abuse the victim?

By the time China launched the reform and opening up policy, the British colonial government had oppressed Hong Kong so much that the city had become a goose that could lay golden eggs. About 70 to 80 percent of money invested in the mainland hailed from Hong Kong. Besides, many Hong Kong talents and technologies, which were much needed to support the reform and opening up, moved to the mainland and contributed to its development. If all these represent the tears and blood from oppression of over a century, that is actually the biggest piece of “human blood steamed bun” in history.

If Hongkongers have been oppressed for more than a hundred years, then they must be an incorrigible lot with a slave mentality, given that so many of them formed long queues outside the Immigration Department shortly before the handover, fighting for the last chance to be naturalized as British citizens.

From the Hong Kong chief executive to the wolf warrior, no one has managed to create a good atmosphere, but they have cooked up an atmosphere that makes themselves feel good. This is actually a formula for success adopted by the late leaders of the CCP. Whilst the party is going to celebrate its birthday, take a look at the party’s history and you will get it.

One component of the formula involved putting into practice the notion of “class struggle” in the process of party building. During the Warlord Era, the CCP was better than other warlords at seizing strongholds because it was armed with the Marxist-Leninist ideology. It was good at using the concept of class struggle to divide people into classes and then incite them. A big group of people were united while small groups of them were attacked. Secondly, Marxism was “sinicized”. The ideals of internationalism were shunned. The idea of getting all workers in the world to stand up for themselves was replaced by strong nationalistic sentiments. The war against the Japanese in those days brought people together. Today, the notion of promoting the great revival of the country is repeated. The emphasis is on foreign enemies lurking in all sides, so that people’s patriotic feelings can be aroused.

Today, the wolf warrior is working on the international level, trying to blend class struggle with nationalistic sentiments in different parts of the world and reopening the wounds of colonialism, so as to globalize the struggle. In the process, the wolf warrior tries to arouse others’ emotions. Rational arguments are rare, so that the wolf warrior often loses control with his speech, and his astonishing confidence is for the whole world to see.

The call for creating a good atmosphere in the lead-up to the centenary calls to mind the 2008 Beijing Olympics. When a party and a country hosts a happy event, or when you host a big dinner banquet, negative things should not be brought up and no nonsense should be uttered. Therefore, the contaminated infant milk formula scandal was covered up for months and handled after the Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of babies were affected as a result. Now, shortly before the centenary, rumor has it that there was some problem at the nuclear plant in Taishan. The issue was reported by a foreign media outlet. The Chinese authority’s response has been vague. Let’s hope that history will not repeat itself and that it is all a false alarm.

(Allan Au Ka-lun, veteran journalist)

This article is translated from Chinese by Apple Daily.

Click here for Chinese version

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