On November 19 this year marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Epoch Times series editorial “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party”. The “Nine Commentaries” deeply analyzed the history of the Chinese Communist Party’s killings and wealth accumulation, its destruction of national culture, its cult nature, and its rogue nature.
Since its release, the “Nine Commentaries” has been translated into 33 languages and widely circulated around the world. It has sparked a massive global movement: as of November 25, the number of people declaring their withdrawal from the CCP, youth league, and affiliated organizations (referred to as “quitting the three”) has exceeded 439 million, and the global petition to “End CCP” has surpassed 4.6 million signatures.
On November 23, the Los Angeles branch of the Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television hosted a seminar to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the “Nine Commentaries”. Former high-ranking CCP official Zhou Guogang exposed the various dark aspects of the CCP based on his personal experiences in the CCP system.
Zhou stated that the “Nine Commentaries” is a precise summation of the essence of the Communist Party. Despite being a banned book in China where ordinary people cannot read it, many officials still secretly read various banned books, leading to a countless number of officials being disciplined. Below are selected excerpts from Zhou’s speech at the “Nine Commentaries” seminar.
Hello everyone, I am honored to participate in today’s “Nine Commentaries” seminar. My topic is “When the water runs dry, we shall watch the clouds rise”.
Those who have read the “Twenty-Four Histories” and “Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance” know that working in the government office never ends well. When I was in office, I wanted to escape but didn’t know how to take the first step.
I have been retired for seven years now and left China over five years ago. When I was in office, it felt like riding a roller coaster, sometimes “happy,” sometimes fearful. The so-called “happiness” was having power in China, where authority surpassed freedom, and you could do as you pleased. As long as you had a good relationship with your superiors, whether the party secretaries or disciplinary secretaries, you didn’t have any problems.
Working was easy in China, but managing relationships was a headache. Why was working easy? As a “leader,” during meetings, you only needed to read the script, the office would write it for you, secretaries would review it, and as long as you didn’t mispronounce a word, listening to the deputy secretary’s report was enough. You could make mistakes in decision-making, and if you did, you did, but no one would correct you for the sake of face and dignity.
The fear was about being “used up and discarded,” of course, not completely but enough for the regime to continue. Especially in China, retired and near-retirement officials are the ones who get into trouble because once you become valueless, they’ll kill you, consume your flesh, and save resources. Like me, even though I retired, I still enjoyed the country’s high welfare benefits; if I got in trouble, they could save a lot of money by getting rid of me.
In that environment and under that system, acting was tiresome. In present-day China, keeping quiet ensures safety. You have to lie to your superiors and make them happy to advance; you have to speak empty words to those below, telling them what they want to hear; internally, you must speak clichéd words repeatedly, merely a formality at work. Some meetings would last hours, with people below just playing on their phones, practicing calligraphy, not paying attention. This is the situation in the Communist Party system.
The Communist Party has taught officials, both inside and outside the party, to lie, speak empty words, and deceive people. This is evident in how statistics bureaus at all levels fabricate data as per the party’s needs. GDP figures are manipulated instead of reflecting reality. Every official in China is aware of this.
Why is the statistics bureau considered “high-ranking”? Because it requires cooperation: a county-level bureau chief should be at department level, the party gives you a deputy division, adding brackets; a city-level bureau chief should be at division level, they give you a deputy head of department—there are similar patterns in other offices, that’s the system.
The commission for discipline inspection and supervisory department investigations and prosecutions have targets to meet every year and every quarter; it sounds absurd, like children playing games. Some people don’t believe it, but it’s true. In a country where power trumps law, there’s no actual justice.
Their “cases” have a goal: those handling them and the prosecution benefit from fines and confiscations. Of course, they can’t pocket the money. Because unit budgets are insufficient, 50% of confiscated funds go to the government, the remaining back to the budget, which is used for expenses like travel and year-end bonuses. This piques their interest in handling cases.
For commissions for discipline inspection, supervisory departments, if there are no cases to handle, what do they do? They write anonymous tip-offs, get a leader to approve, investigate: there are many methods in China to investigate someone; you can’t escape. There are numerous charges in China: corruption, inciting subversion, undermining the government, provocation, and so on. If you’re a self-employed person, you’re accused of tax evasion; as a regular citizen, you’re accused of soliciting prostitution, among many charges. Recently, there’s even a charge of political corruption.
In China, officials are always accused of corruption, and private entrepreneurs of tax evasion; there are many accusations. The case of Ren Zhiqiang is an example. Ren Zhiqiang should have been punished for his words, a common scenario in China. After nine years of retirement, Ren Zhiqiang was arrested and sentenced to 18 years, quite harsh, all because of a single statement.
Some might wonder why Ren Zhiqiang confessed. Could you resist the CCP’s tactics? When they use methods against your children, it’s unbearable as a parent. If they bring in your children and put them through such tactics, as a father, seeing your child cry, how could you endure it? You’d write whatever they want, admit to anything. If they want you to confess on TV, you’d read the script, or else there would be consequences. These tactics are extremely harsh.
Two years ago, I came to the United States, gave up the CCP’s high welfare and privileges, and publicly withdrew from the party in July 2023. In June and July this year, I revealed my identity and granted media interviews. Initially, I was incognito, but this year some people learned my true identity.
After the interviews, I saw comments saying, “Another CCP official fled to the United States, must have transferred their wife, children, mistress, and money in advance.” I can honestly say that I have no children in the US, no mistress, and no public funds or property in the US; this information can be verified.
In the first half of this year, the CCP warned me twice: “Do not contact the media, do not speak out. Otherwise, you’ll face consequences.” Indeed in July, I discovered my bank account was frozen, a lesson for me. By revealing my identity today, my future might worsen.
The “Nine Commentaries” is a precise summation and conclusion of the Communist Party. This book is unseen and feared in China. Many have been disciplined for reading banned books domestically.
In today’s world, countries and regions ruled by the Communist Party are all moving towards poverty and backwardness; they manipulate and deceive their people. This brings to mind a saying by senior CCP member Chen Yun: “The Chinese are easy to manage.” As long as people are hungry, they’ll only care about finding a meal each day and won’t cause trouble. This explains why poverty prevails under communist rule, right? The CCP has polluted many countries and regions globally, so we must stay vigilant, cleanse our minds, and stay away from darkness.
“All the stately pavilions and singing stages, in the wind and rain, have been washed away.” The past is like smoke, and the gains and losses have become insignificant in the river of history.
After leaving the officialdom, although I no longer have the privileges of materialistic extravagance, in the US, I can truly face my inner self. Though materially tighter, I live a spiritually rich and fulfilled life, as living “day by day drinking dewdrops from the Magnolia, evening dining on the fallen petals of chrysanthemums.”
For me, the right and wrong of officialdom is long past, and I wish the Chinese in the US to breathe freely, gaze at the blue sky, chase their dreams for personal freedom, equality, and democracy, to stand tall, look far, and appreciate the journey of life. Thank you.