From Useless Tree Blog:
A recent news story reminds us of the essential Legalism – of the Han Fei Tzu lineage – that lies at the heart of the PRC government. But it also shows us how China is no longer a Legalist society. (For those of you familiar with the book banning issue, scroll down to see what I mean by “no longer a Legalist society.”)
The Communist Party has recently decided to ban eight new books. These books “…mainly have to do with reflections on 20th century history by Chinese intellectuals.” Thus, in prohibiting their sale the political elite demonstrate once again its fear of Chinese history. It cannot allow for the free exploration of the past because it refuses to face up politically to the horror of the Great Leap and the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. Destroying books was, of course, a favorite political past time of that avatar of Legalism, the first Qin Emperor.[Full Text]
– Also see Support for Zhang Yihe; A Warning to Wu Shulin and the likes by Sha Yexin
