The following is excerpted from the November 7 Financial Times Chinese article “An Inventory of the Popular Will ahead of the ‘18 Big’” (“十八大”前的一份民意清单), written by Editor-in-Chief Zhang Lifen.
FT Chinese’s Zhang Lifen asks the Weibo public what they would like to ask the Party Congress representatives.
The Chinese Communist Party 18th Party Congress begins tomorrow. Today (Wednesday) at 4:30 p.m. I will attend an “18 Big” news conference for Chinese and foreign journalists in the Golden Hall at the Great Hall of the People. Yesterday evening, I posted a weibo soliciting questions from Chinese people from all walks of life. I received nearly 600 replies, touching on all kinds of issues regarding political and economic reform during China’s social transformation, national welfare and the livelihood of the people, which may serve as a reference of Chinese popular will before the congress of the ruling party. Below are a selection of the questions posed by the public.
OldmanNotUseless: This old fellow has a question: How much are the annual membership fees paid by the 80-million-plus Party members nationwide? Could the total income and expenditure be made public during the congress?
老夫尚未朽：老夫有一问题：全国八千多万党员每年度共缴纳多少党费？总计收入与支出可否在会期公布？
VastUniverseWorld: Disclose officials’ personal finances, round up criminals and the corrupt and start a democratic system! The whole country wants just these three things!
苍茫天地人间: 官员公开财产，围捕贪腐罪犯，进入民主制度！全国人民就这三条！
ForeignFriendV: When will we have multi-party elections for the Politburo Standing Committee and president? At least catch up with Vietnam.
外国友人V：政治局常委和总书记何时能实现差额选举，最起码赶上越南的水平。
ShenzhenHugang: One question: How do eliminate corruption in a one-party system?
深圳胡纲：问一个，如何在一党制下消除腐败？
LiAn_NaDu: Can we not get domestic news from foreign media?
李安_纳度：能不能不从外媒得知国内新闻？
Llqrjl: I have an academic question: How do you learn to bullshit without blushing?
黄金镖：我问个学术性的，说瞎话不脸红是怎么锻炼出来的？
Chengqingui: When will we change parties? When will we have a referendum?
啸傲昨天：什么时候换党，什么时候全民公投啊。
Lanfenglin: My question is what the peasants should do whose life savings are not enough to buy homes for their sons to settle down in the cities. Is their life of hard work obliterated by inflation? Or who is stealing it?
芝林工作了：问一下那些一辈子为了让儿子在城市里留下攒钱买房子到最后还买不起的农民怎么办？他们一辈子辛勤的劳动被物价的上涨给抹杀了？又是被谁窃取了？
LindaNeil: The threshold for individual income tax should be raised and the price of land should be lowered. This will cause housing prices to fall.
LindaNeil：个税基数应该再调高，土地价低点，房价就降点。
macrocrazier: When will political reform go forward?
macrocrazier：政治改革何时进行？
XuShaolin: So I’ll only ask this once and it’s not a complicated political reform question. I just want to ask why you had to close the morning markets near some residential neighborhoods for a meeting. Can’t you hear how loudly the old folks are cursing over this? If you treat ordinary people like thieves, what’s the point of holding this kind of meeting anyway?
老徐时评: 那我就问一次。也不问什么高深的政改问题了，只问问开个会为啥要把一些小区附近的早市关了？可听到那些大爷大妈骂得多难听。像防贼一样防百姓，开这种会还有什么意义吗？
WitheredCucumber: As a Party member, I hope our Party activities won’t disturb the lives of the people who are outside the Party, and I don’t want the funding for our activities to come from tax payers outside the Party. Can these these two hopes be fulfilled?
霜打的黄瓜：作为党员，希望我党的活动不要干扰党外民众的正常生活，也不希望活动经费来自非党员纳税人，这两点可能实现吗？
Hongyu79: Could we increase education spending, and especially ensure proper compensation of teachers in rural areas? A little tip: fine corrupt officials and invest the money into education in their jurisdictions.
城北书生：能否大力度加大教育投入，尤其是农村地区的师资待遇能否得到有力保障？小建议：把罚没贪腐官员的钱款资产专门用于该地区的教育投入。
Lya402: The question I want to address is that people are demanding reform of the political system, but it cannot be pushed through if we do not have freedom of speech. I want to ask: What specific plans do the new leaders have in terms of allowing freedom of speech?
雷村人：我想问的是，政治体制改革民间呼声很高，问题是没有言论自由的开放是无法推进政治体制改革的。 请问，在言论自由开放方面，新一届班子有什么具体打算？
WangKaiyueA: I want to ask if there will be any substantial actions in reform, and how those naked senior Party members and government officials will be dealt with.
王凯悦A：我想问关于改革这届有何实质举措 关于党内政府高层裸官问题政府怎么处理？
SkirtChaserVSWildKid: How much did you spend on this meeting?
裙下之臣VS野孩子：开个会，花了多少钱？
WangYuanchengr: When will officials disclose their personal finances??
王元成知青农民工：官员财产公示啥时搞？？
FlyGerry: A question for the press spokesperson: How many people in your family live in the U.S.?
gd老男孩：请问新闻发言人，您家里有几口人在美国？
DingYoucai: What “-ism” is in place today? Is it state capitalism, or crony capitalism, or what? How are we going to push political reform?
丁友才：现在是什么主义？是国家资本主义，还是权贵资本主义？还是什么？怎样推进政治改革？
Tiangengg: Pay attention to workers laid off by state-owned enterprises and the pension problem.
天根gg：关注国企下岗工人的生存及养老金问题。
NongZaiTianya: Where is the Party leading the country and the people? Any plans? Any goals?
农在天涯：党将把国家、民族引向何方？如何规划的？我们的目标?
WatersideCampanula: The agenda and timetable for judicial independence, please?
在水一方风铃草：请问司法独立的时间表?
Laofang001: How can you give the people true freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association?
SP老方：如何真正使人民获得言论、游行及结社等自由？
ZhouBuchen: When will the billions of peasants truly have equal health care?
木匠周不沉：亿万农民何时有真正的平等医疗福利！！！
WanderDrunkDream: When will the taxi window cranks be reinstalled? I feel carsick.
漂泊醉梦：出租车窗户的手摇啥时候装回去？我晕车。
FreedomState789: A quick question: what’s the standard for the conference meals? Could you broadcast it on TV?
自由的境界789：问个小问题：大会的宴用标准是啥？能拍个视频播放一下吗？
SettingSunLightsRoad: I’m asking where my ballot is. Who is representing me?
夕阳照路：问下我的选票呢？哪去了？谁代表我了？
Mryehaiyan: Will you continue to use “serve the people” and “public servant” as your slogans? Who does “the people” specifically refer to? Do you feel pressured?
叶海燕先生: 依然会用为人民服务及公仆宣传用语吗?人民具体是指什么人？压力大吗?
Maobaochun: Remove the Internet block.
慕容水火：网络屏蔽解除。
NationalAnthemSlave: When will one-party rule end?
唱国歌的奴隶：一党执政到何时?
Hongliholly: Nothing to ask, ’cause the answer will be fake anyway.
hongliholly：没什么可问的，反正答案也是假的
Daxue0755: You tell the spokesperson: Actually, we know everything. If you don’t believe it, just ask me.
daxue0755：你跟发言人说，其实我们什么都知道，不信，你问我。
Anzai: The questions we want to ask are the ones you don’t dare to ask; the questions you want to ask are the ones we have no interest in!
安仔：我们想问的你都不敢问，你想问的我们都没兴趣！
Translated by Mengyu Dong.
