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SUN WUKONG
Some may be more equal than others
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
HONG KONG - Mao Zedong once said some of his Red Army generals were farmers who had been inspired to join the communist revolution by All Men are Brothers. Shi Nai'an's novel is one of the four greatest Chinese classics to have had a lasting influence on Chinese literature, culture and, perhaps, history (the other three being A Dream of Red Mansions, The Legend of Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West).
Even today, many characters depicted in All Men are Brothers are at home with the Chinese people, and many words and phrases from the novel have become part of the fabric of the Chinese language. Yanei is one such word, literally meaning an official's son. While the book's original meaning is neutral, it is now normally used to describe the offspring of an official who bullies others on the strength of his parent's power.
The novel depicts such a hateful bully, Gao Yanei, the son Grand Marshal Gao Qiu. One day, the beautiful wife of Lin Chong, a martial arts teacher of the imperial guards, caught the eye of Gao Yanei, who tried to molest the lady but Lin appeared on time and stopped him. Obsessed with Lin's wife and determined to get her, Gao Yanei asked his father's help.
The father set a trap to frame Lin on charges of attempting to assassinate a grand marshal sentenced to face tattooing and exile in faraway Cangzhou, so that his son could satisfy his lust. In fear that Lin would try to exact revenge, Gao Qiu then wanted Lin to be killed. While several murder attempts failed, they forced Lin to rebel to become an outlaw in the marshes of Liangshan.
The phenomenon of yanei seems to be re-emerging in China today. A recent incident has sparked public anger across the country over the arrogant and lawless behavior of some officials' children.
The incident happened on October 16 in Baoding city in northern province of Hebei. In the evening of that day, Li Qiming, a student at the Hebei Institute of Communication, drove a luxury car into the campus of Hebei University to pick up his girlfriend. Near the dormitory section, he hit two pedestrian female students. Instead of stopping, Li drove on as if nothing had happened, even though his windshield was cracked. The girls were rushed to hospital, where one of them died. The other is still being treated for a broken hand.
After picking up his girlfriend, Li drove back along the same road toward the school gate, but he was stopped by students and security guards and forced to get out of the car. He was unapologetic, and shouted, "Look how my car is scratched! Do you know who my father is? If you dare, go and sue me. My father is Li Gang!" Police were called to take Li Qiming away.
Someone quickly exposed the incident on the Internet. Outraged netizens started a "human flesh search" (a relay search for certain information) on the Internet to find out who and what Li Gang was.
What they found astonished them and further raised their ire. It turned out Li Gang is a deputy chief of a police station controlled by the Baoding Bureau of Public Security, the lowest-ranking official just above staffers. Baoding is a prefecture-level city on the border of the southern suburb of Beijing - about 140 kilometers from the center of the capital, rather than a remote backward place where "the mountains are high and the emperor far away". So how could a son of such a minor official in a place right under the nose of the "Emperor" dare to act so arrogantly and lawlessly?
Mainstream media became interested and coverage sparked widespread debate.
On October 21, in a China Central Television interview, Li Gang made a tearful apology. Because he is a police officer, public opinion unanimously demanded justice in fear that Li Qiming would get away easily, given the rampant malpractice of collusion among officials.
Higher authorities were alerted. Hebei governor Chen Quan'guo ordered the case be dealt with seriously. On October 25, Li Qiming was formally arrested (formal arrest in China is meant for prosecution). To quell public concern, the public prosecutor announced that the trial would be handled by a court outside Baoding. It looks certain Li Qiming will be given a heavy penalty.
However, netizens and the media are not satisfied with their initial victory. They continue to dig up anything related to the Li family. The latest "discovery" is the claim that they own five properties in Baoding, including a luxury apartment, a shop and three flats - of which three are owned by the son and two by the father. They must be worth a fortune given Baoding's proximity to Beijing where housing prices ranging from 20,000 yuan (US$2,900) to 80,000 yuan per square meter. If this is true, the father may have a lot to explain. How can his son, a 22-year-old student, own so many properties? Where did he find so much money?
The inaction and silence of Hebei University authorities over the incident is also raising eyebrows. In an adopted practice, the authority in charge of a work unit must take a position on any incident in which an outsider injures a student. It is now said that the president of the university has been exposed for plagiarizing in his PhD dissertation and he had asked Baoding police to help find out who made the exposure. The public is demanding an explanation.
With reports snowballing, the media are referring to the scandal
"Li Gang Gate".
In a sense, "Li Gang Gate" represents the general explosion of public outrage over the misbehavior of some officials' offspring. They feel it unfair that some of these children are able to get important positions in government or state-owned enterprises or make quick money by running their own businesses. And they are very angry over reports of officials' children bullying ordinary people.
It is good to see that, in "Li Gang Gate", the media and public can exercise their right to supervise the government and speak out freely. However, after some deeper reflection, one may ask: if such an incident happened involving a son or daughter of some much higher-ranking official, would the public and media dare or be allowed to do what they are doing in "Li Gang Gate"?
As Mao said, All Men are Brothers inspired farmers to join his revolution and help the Communist Party to eventually seize "all under Heaven". However, if children and grandchildren of communist officials fail to behave themselves and act like yanei, then they may eventually lose what their revolutionary predecessors fought hard to gain.
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ZHAN ZHAN ZHAN ZHAN ZHAN!!!
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