An Alleged Counterrevolutionary Teacher’s Personal Plea

Yang Shiqun, a professor at the top-tier East China University of Political Science and Law, has been accused by two female students of criticizing his own government during class, an idle charge in an American or European setting, but one which may mean the end of Yang’s career in China. The girls went to their public security bureau and Shanghai’s municipal education committee to report the so-called counterrevolutionary content, and an investigation has already begun.

China Media Project featured an article by journalist Wang Xiaoyu in Southern Metropolis Daily that lends tacit support to the accused: “That a university professor at a college of political science and law would be incriminated by their own words — this is something more absurd than one would expect to find even in the genre of fantasy.” But the same writer thinks Yang’s prospects are dim.

Here, we have translated the teacher’s own statement, which was posted by a Chinese blogger on Tianya’s forums, as well as a few of the most recent reader comments. The introduction in the post is the blogger’s own; the rest is Yang Shiqun’s:

现在进行时：匪夷所思的案件－－有同学告我是’反革命’
Going on Right Now: An Incredible Case — Students Accused Me of Being “Counterrevolutionary”

Incredibly, two female East China University of Political Science and Law students actually reported their professor, Yang, to the police. But, their professor Yang was in the classroom giving comments or expressing his own opinion! I cannot understand why, those two girls should have been born during the pro-democracy movement, they cannot understand, their elders should be experienced, or at least should have been a little enlightened. Nobody get agitated, it is time to move along!

Below is the East China University of Political Science and Law professor’s statement:

Classmates Reported Me as “Counterrevolutionary”
Today, the leaders called me to go have a meeting, saying that during “Ancient Chinese Language” class, students went to the police and city teacher’s association to report me, saying that during class I criticized the government among other things, and the above was already on file for investigation. It was actually ironic: a politics university’s students are actually on the same conceptual road as the cultural revolution, for being able to accuse professors of being counterrevolutionary by any means at all. They are sad, these Chinese university students!

I remember, during “Ancient Chinese Language” class, of course I would criticize some written texts which concern Chinese traditional culture, if some questions about traditional culture have relevance with today, I also would make connections with contemportary times and comment on the government.

I remember, after class there were two female classmates looking for me, indignantly condemning the way I criticized Chinese culture! Criticizing the government! Indeed, their eyes already contained tears. I greatly admire students with this kind of devotion to Chinese culture and the Chinese government, you have this kind of right! But why do I not have the right to comment on Chinese culture and government? So I told them: I also have the right to express my own opinion, if you do not want to attend my class, then in the future do not choose my class, and that’s that. Unawares, they actually went higher up to accuse me, indeed, adding salt to an open wound*, they added “groundless” accusations, actually suprising me**.

It needs to be known, if this kind of thing were discovered during the late Qing dynasty, maybe people would still believe it: and to say that it occured during the republic’s “May 4th” period, nobody would believe it. You know, young people at that time already basically accepted the concepts “democracy,” “freedom,” “human rights,” so normally we wouldn’t find this kind of strange event. Nonetheless, now, in 21st Century China and in Chinese universities, there can often be found such incredible things. Thinking about the most recent strange events found in Chinese schools, I just have a silent prayer for Chinese society and people: when will Chinese society be able to walk away from ignorance? When will Chinese education be able to get on track? When will Chinese students be able to compare well-balanced ideas?

NOTES:
* 添油加醋 literally means “adding fat and vinegar”
** 大跌眼睛 literally means “glasses to crash down”

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现在进行时：匪夷所思的案件－－有同学告我是”反革命”