Read Online Will the Boat Sink the Water?: The Life of China's Peasants by Chen Guidi, Wu Chuntao - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chen Guidi, Wu Chuntao
Tags: Asia, History, Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Economics, Ethnic Studies, china, Poverty, Human Geography, Asian, Politics & Government, Specific Topics, Economic Conditions, Communism & Socialism, Specific Demographics, Business & Money, International & World Politics, Ideologies & Doctrines, Political Economy, Special Groups
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bully of traditional Chinese society. But Zhang differed from this traditional figure in many ways. The village bully of old times was a pariah in the community and did not own a great deal of land or property. He certainly did not enjoy any legal authority. Now, however, the likes of Zhang Guiquan could appropriate public land and property with no restrictions because they were legally invested with power over the village. In other words, a village cadre such as Zhang Guiquan was a worse public affliction on the people than the
village bullies of the old days.
The case of Zhang Guiquan and his sons killing people in broad daylight, though exceptionally horrific, was not so unique. In our investigation, we discovered that local bullies who lorded it over the peasants was a common phenomenon of village life. Zhang Guiquan being just one of the products of China’s peculiar mechanism of power at the rural grassroots level. It is easy to define the problem, but the real question is how to make sure that such a tragedy as that in Zhang Village cannot recur.
the village tyrant
A Long-Drawn-Out Suffering
Twenty minutes after getting a call for help, the antiriot police of Guzhen County surrounded Zhang Village. The murder suspects, Zhang Guiquan and his sons, were immediately arrested, except for son number seven, Zhang Leyi, who had fled. According to the testimony of the victims’ families and witnesses, Zhang Leyi had put all the murder weapons in a bag and walked away, right in front of the village Party head, Zhang Dianfeng, who did not identify him to the fully armed antiriot police, so he was able to sneak out via a small path behind the house of a villager, Huang, and escape.
News of the murders in Zhang Village spread like wildfire. But both the county and the township authorities totally ignored the fact that the whole affair had been sparked by the peasants’ demand for their democratic rights and for a lighten-ing of their burden of taxes. The authorities avoided the subject like poison. The day after the tragic incident, while the whole village was still in shock and mourning, the county cable TV station suddenly announced a news item. According to the TV announcement, an extremely grave case of “manslaughter” arising from “a civic dispute” had occurred in Zhang Village in Tangnan Township. The screen showed pictures of a scythe and kitchen knife as the murder weapons. Of course, the scythe and kitchen knife on display had been taken from the victim Zhang Guiyu’s home, since the police could not find any murder weapons, which had been removed from the scene of the crime. The whole report was a farcical fabrication.
As soon as the story aired on TV, Zhang Village exploded in indignation. Members of the victims’ families—Zhang Liang, the only son of the murdered Zhang Guimao, and Zhang Guiju, who had lost two brothers, Zhang Guiyu and Zhang Guiyue— and many others were all enraged by the TV broadcast. The very next morning, February 20, they gathered, three hun—
will the boat sink the water ?
dred–strong, and went to the broadcasting station to demand an explanation. Why was the incident called “manslaughter?” What was the so-called “civic dispute” that the victims, representatives elected by the villagers, were supposed to be engaged in with Deputy Village Chief Zhang Guiquan? The real problem, the villagers said, was that a criminal still serving his sentence had became the deputy village chief and was lording it over the other villagers. The villagers, groaning under excessive tax burdens, had demanded an audit of the books, which was their democratic right. The audit had been ordered by the county authorities, and was to have been supervised by the township authorities, but down in the village, people engaged in the auditing were victims of a barbarous intentional slaughter, not “manslaughter.”
The local TV producer was struck dumb by the questions. He had never imagined
village bullies of the old days.
The case of Zhang Guiquan and his sons killing people in broad daylight, though exceptionally horrific, was not so unique. In our investigation, we discovered that local bullies who lorded it over the peasants was a common phenomenon of village life. Zhang Guiquan being just one of the products of China’s peculiar mechanism of power at the rural grassroots level. It is easy to define the problem, but the real question is how to make sure that such a tragedy as that in Zhang Village cannot recur.
the village tyrant
A Long-Drawn-Out Suffering
Twenty minutes after getting a call for help, the antiriot police of Guzhen County surrounded Zhang Village. The murder suspects, Zhang Guiquan and his sons, were immediately arrested, except for son number seven, Zhang Leyi, who had fled. According to the testimony of the victims’ families and witnesses, Zhang Leyi had put all the murder weapons in a bag and walked away, right in front of the village Party head, Zhang Dianfeng, who did not identify him to the fully armed antiriot police, so he was able to sneak out via a small path behind the house of a villager, Huang, and escape.
News of the murders in Zhang Village spread like wildfire. But both the county and the township authorities totally ignored the fact that the whole affair had been sparked by the peasants’ demand for their democratic rights and for a lighten-ing of their burden of taxes. The authorities avoided the subject like poison. The day after the tragic incident, while the whole village was still in shock and mourning, the county cable TV station suddenly announced a news item. According to the TV announcement, an extremely grave case of “manslaughter” arising from “a civic dispute” had occurred in Zhang Village in Tangnan Township. The screen showed pictures of a scythe and kitchen knife as the murder weapons. Of course, the scythe and kitchen knife on display had been taken from the victim Zhang Guiyu’s home, since the police could not find any murder weapons, which had been removed from the scene of the crime. The whole report was a farcical fabrication.
As soon as the story aired on TV, Zhang Village exploded in indignation. Members of the victims’ families—Zhang Liang, the only son of the murdered Zhang Guimao, and Zhang Guiju, who had lost two brothers, Zhang Guiyu and Zhang Guiyue— and many others were all enraged by the TV broadcast. The very next morning, February 20, they gathered, three hun—
will the boat sink the water ?
dred–strong, and went to the broadcasting station to demand an explanation. Why was the incident called “manslaughter?” What was the so-called “civic dispute” that the victims, representatives elected by the villagers, were supposed to be engaged in with Deputy Village Chief Zhang Guiquan? The real problem, the villagers said, was that a criminal still serving his sentence had became the deputy village chief and was lording it over the other villagers. The villagers, groaning under excessive tax burdens, had demanded an audit of the books, which was their democratic right. The audit had been ordered by the county authorities, and was to have been supervised by the township authorities, but down in the village, people engaged in the auditing were victims of a barbarous intentional slaughter, not “manslaughter.”
The local TV producer was struck dumb by the questions. He had never imagined
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