The Great Way returns low

Author: Zhou Ruijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features:
1,599 years ago, a famous Chinese poet who refused to "bend his waist for five bushels of rice" left official life and retreated to the countryside. He lived by farming, often engaging with neighbors and scholars in discussions about literature and current affairs, coining the timeless phrase, "Let us admire the fine writing together and analyze the doubts." Unbeknownst, nearly half a century later, this phrase was used by a great leader as a "club" and a "hat" to label a large number of intellectuals who criticized societal problems and commented on politics as "right-wing reactionaries against the party and socialism." From then on, "fine writing" was equated with poison, and "doubts" were linked to heresy. The timeless phrase was twisted into "let us jointly criticize the poison and strike down the heretics." This led to a decade-long "leftist" crackdown, plunging the nation into a state of "unanimity in thought and silence in speech." It wasn’t until the debate on the standard of truth, like a spring thunder, that China ushered in the spring of reform and opening up, and this situation began to change. The times have now vindicated the phrase "Let us admire the fine writing together and analyze the doubts," restoring it to its original meaning.
The so-called "fine writing" refers to novel articles with new ideas, perspectives, materials, and language. Such writing inspires people, provides social lessons, benefits the nation, and represents the essence of thought in an era—a precious spiritual treasure worth collectively admiring, evaluating, and discussing. As for "let us analyze the doubts," it advocates independent thinking, free thought, and the freedom of ideas, encouraging mutual learning and debate. Clearly, the famous phrase from over 1,500 years ago still holds universal value today: the pursuit of truth requires walking with one’s head, refining thought, speaking one’s mind, and daring to innovate.
Looking at human history, any nation that has advanced toward prosperity, civilization, and democracy has always cherished its national treasure of thought. Whether it’s discussions on enriching the nation and strengthening the military or critiques of societal problems, as long as they benefit the country and its people, the more the better. Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, among other great philosophers, contributed to the flourishing of Greek civilization. The European Renaissance in the 15th century also ushered in modern civilization, while Rousseau, Diderot, and Voltaire of the Encyclopedists laid the intellectual foundation for modern democratic politics.
In Chinese history, the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods did not also lead to the unification of Qin and the splendid reigns of the Han and Tang dynasties?