I oppose (The Political Journey of a National People's Congress Delegate)

Author: Zhu Ling
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Yao Lifu, male, born in 1958, staff member of Qianjiang Experimental Primary School. Since 1987, he broke the unwritten rule of internal appointment within local representatives in Qianjiang City and began campaigning for the position of Qianjiang City People's Congress representative as an ordinary citizen. Over 13 years and three election cycles, he faced numerous challenges, persistently campaigned despite repeated defeats, and finally succeeded in being elected as the fourth representative of Qianjiang City in 1999—few have succeeded in running for office as a non-formal candidate. During his tenure as a representative, he submitted 187 suggestions, opinions, and critiques to the government and courts, conducted countless inspections and researches on behalf of the people, and his footsteps every town and village in Qianjiang City. He was affectionately called "Representative Yao" by the public. Yao Lifu is a democratic warrior who challenges the old order.
—Commentary by The Washington Post
He is striving to fully exercise all powers granted to people's representatives by the constitution and laws.
—Commentary by Nanfangfang
Yao Lifu, a figure whose story is endlessly debated by the public, has become a symbol and emblem of grassroots democratic elections in China, representing societal progress.
—Commentary by Southern Daily
Yao Lifu is a nitpicking legalist, rigidly clinging to legal provisions, driven by personal ambition, and seeking fame!
—A Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Qianjiang City
Yao Lifu's motives are impure!
—A Secretary-General of the Qianjiang City Government
Representative Yao is not the kind of representative who sits on the toilet without doing his job. We are at ease!
—A voter in the Qianjiang City Education Election District
With a broken nose but an unbroken spirit, Yao Lifu has devoted himself wholeheartedly to Chinese democracy.
—Netizen "Yao Lifu Phenomenon" on
Essentially, the "Yao Lifu Phenomenon" is a conflict between the awakening of grassroots democratic awareness and the ruling level.
—A staff member of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress
A representative of grassroots democracy in China—Yao Lifu—his actions tell people that everyone is born with inherent rights, and only action can change their fate.
In 2003, he was awarded the title of "Star of the New Era in China—25 Most Reform-Oriented Rural Reform Figures in China"; in 2004, he became the recipient of the annual public welfare figure award of the Nanfangfang magazine and a news figure widely reported by hundreds of domestic and international media. Over 12 years of arduous self-nomination campaigns, he repeatedly spoke out in the People's Congress meetings with "I oppose," actively reported to voters, opposed the retirement of the head of the People's Congress, and strongly demanded to become a full-time representative to represent the people and supervise the government without compromise. A common primary school teacher became the "Yao Lifu Phenomenon," a sensation in China and even the world. This book tells the story of a "non-traditional representative" with a legendary political journey: he self-nominated for 12 consecutive years, never giving up despite repeated failures; he dared to loudly shout "I oppose" in the People's Congress meetings time and again, representing the people and supervising the government without hesitation; he made friends with the poor, actively reported to voters, and demanded to become a full-time representative, opposing the retirement of the head of the People's Congress. A primary school teacher, he has created a clear narrative of the development of grassroots democracy in contemporary China.