Vero Publishing - Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

On December 14, 2025, 6:42

Many people may not know that The Communist Manifesto was once an "illegal publication," banned by multiple countries. Marx was consequently wanted and forced into exile. But the bourgeoisie's frenzied suppression did not stop this pamphlet from being translated into many languages and spreading throughout the world, ultimately becoming a powerful ideological weapon for the proletariat's struggle for freedom and liberation.

Collected July 2025

Throughout Chinese and world history, many revolutions have been launched under the banner of seeking welfare and liberation for the poor. Yet when they succeed and seize power, most betray their original intentions, transforming from parties of the poor into "parties of the rich"—the dragon-slayers become evil dragons themselves. This is the cyclical law of history. If this pattern is not fundamentally changed, the legitimacy and righteousness of revolution will suffer serious damage. In his later years, Mao Zedong attempted to break this cycle, but it was quickly reversed after his death.

Many bourgeois politicians like Trump and Putin claim to represent the people, just as feudal emperors always styled themselves as Sons of Heaven. In their eyes, both exploiters and the exploited are "the people," but the prerequisite for the exploited to be considered "people" is that they must accept the unequal social system imposed upon them by the bourgeoisie—becoming obedient citizens and "leeks" [note: slang for people easily harvested/exploited]. Once they challenge and resist the existing political order, they are kicked out of the ranks of the people and even citizens, branded as troublemakers, mobs, and rebels, and subjected to brutal suppression.

Unlike hypocritical bourgeois politicians, proletarian revolutionaries and leaders never claim to represent "all the people," but consistently struggle for the interests of the proletariat and the broad masses of working people. As stated in "The Communist Manifesto," Communists never conceal that their goal is to abolish private property and ultimately establish a "free association of men" without class exploitation and oppression. Only then will proletarian revolutionary leaders say they work for the freedom and liberation of all humanity. Before that point, anyone who packages their special interests as universal interests is either a bourgeois politician or a traitor to the proletariat and revisionist of every stripe.

In literary and artistic works reflecting the New Democratic Revolution and Socialist Revolution during the first thirty years, the protagonists were mostly workers and peasants. After reform and opening-up, the protagonists were replaced by the wealthy—young masters and misses, namely the landlord bourgeoisie who had once been overthrown. Workers and peasants, who had once been the creators of history, were once again reduced to servants and extras on the stage of old theater, even clowns. The revolution of the poor became the revolution of the rich. History was thus quietly rewritten. The same is true in reality. As Foucault said, all history is contemporary history.

Nothing in the world is more absurd than treating restoration and regression as progress and innovation, viewing great social transformation and progress as backward rigidity, and slandering the era of the most extensive and profound people's democracy in history as an era of authoritarian dictatorship. Moreover, similar events have repeatedly occurred throughout human history, such as Zhao Gao's "Conspiracy at Shaqiu" and his calling a deer a horse during China's Qin Dynasty, Louis Bonaparte's "Coup of 18 Brumaire" in France, and Khrushchev's "Secret Report" in the Soviet Union. As Marx wrote in "The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte": "The February Revolution was buried by cunning swindlers, with the result that what was eliminated was not that society itself had acquired new content, but that the state reverted to its most ancient form, to )the shamelessly primitive rule of the sword and cowl."

A netizen asked: What is "the worst kind of capitalism"? Answer: Official autocracy plus monopolistic marketization. Its main characteristics are using the state apparatus to protect capital while depriving the people of basic democratic rights, thereby throwing the proletariat into a jungle society without any welfare guarantees, reducing them to double refugees both politically and economically.

After more than forty years of degeneration, society has completely collapsed—beyond what any individual can change. I lack the courage and responsibility of Mr. Lu Xun, who said "If there is no torch after this, I will be the only light," but I still dare to use my feeble pen to write these scattered words, so that those seeking light in the darkness might see a glimmer of hope.

A netizen forwarded a reader's comment: "'Human境' [note: "Human Realm," another work by Liu Jiming] depicted human confusion and wandering, while 'Black and White' portrayed human suffering and struggle. This is enough to make Teacher Liu a great writer who records history and life through novels. But this is not enough—he has not yet recorded human despair and the struggle of living toward death; he must continue writing. Teacher Liu was banned from speaking, and 'Black and White' was banned from distribution—isn't this forcing Teacher Liu to continue writing? History will not forget the recorders of history, and we are fortunate to be readers of historical records. I wish Teacher Liu good health, and in this suffocating world, may he continue recording history and life for countless desperate people." Actually, "Black and White" also wrote about "human despair and the struggle of living toward death." After completing this book, I indeed didn't want to write anything more, but the mainland ban and the blocking of my Weibo account have indeed rekindled my writing impulse—if "Black and White" is testimony to time, then "Random Thoughts" is my suicide note to this world.

"Now the atmosphere seems to have changed completely; nowhere can one hear the sound of singing about flowers and moon, replaced instead by praise of iron and blood. However, if one speaks with a deceptive heart and deceptive mouth, then whether saying A and O, or Y and Z, it is equally false; it can only silence the mouths of so-called critics who previously scorned flowers and moon, and satisfy them that China is about to revive. Pitifully, under the big hat of 'patriotism,' they have closed their eyes again—or perhaps they were always closed." This is a passage from Lu Xun's "On Looking with Open Eyes." Though written a hundred years ago, it clearly describes the present moment. When I think of those distinguished gentlemen throughout literary and academic circles who built their careers studying Lu Xun or brandishing Lu Xun's banner to become professors, doctoral supervisors, and presidents and chairmen, yet whose writings and actions run completely counter to Lu Xun's spirit—they are truly the "false scholars" and "running dogs" like Liang Shiqiu that Lu Xun angrily denounced—I can't help but feel embarrassed for them.

Revolutionaries are never perfect; like ordinary people, they have shortcomings and make mistakes—such as crude and brutal work methods, not knowing how to unite people, and so on. But such errors are not deliberate sabotage and can be continuously improved in practice. Revolutionary ranks are not pure; they contain good and bad people, sacrifice and betrayal, loyalty and treachery. Often, the overt and covert attacks revolutionaries suffer come not from enemies but from their own camp. Some people who usually talk about Marxism constantly and appear most active cannot bear the slightest grievance. Often, because of a little personal loss or wounded pride, they turn their guns on their own comrades,战友 [zhàn yǒu: comrades-in-arms], teachers, and organizations, attacking with a viciousness that surpasses their treatment of real enemies, ultimately destroying the entire revolutionary cause. In 20th-century international communist movement and Chinese revolutionary history, from Kautsky and Khrushchev to Gu Shunzhang and Zhang Guotao, such examples abound. Throughout his life, Lu Xun suffered attacks and slander from his "own camp" far more than from the enemy camp, some even from students he had once greatly appreciated (such as Xu Maoyong). Although the dissolution of the League of Left-Wing Writers was mainly due to changing circumstances and adjustments in the CCP's literary policy, part of the reason was also internal disputes within the League. During Wei Wei's editorship of "Mainstream" magazine, he was falsely accused of "embezzling magazine funds." Similar phenomena have never disappeared from the history of leftist movements; their painful lessons are both lamentable and worthy of deep reflection.

Over these years, whether students in writing workshops or visitors who came "seeking my reputation," I have encountered quite a few young people. For their "inquiries," I always speak frankly. Though not every word is correct, these are crystallizations of my lifelong pursuit of knowledge and shouldn't mislead the younger generation. Despite being isolated and weak, with such a hostile social environment, I still do my utmost to promote talents I discover among young people, striving to provide them more opportunities for development. This is naturally no great virtue, just fulfilling the duty of an elder. Perhaps because of this sentiment, when attacked by individual young people, I feel deeply disappointed and even doubt whether my efforts are worthwhile. But regardless, this world belongs to the young; as they are, so will the future world be. Whether good or bad, everything will be created by them and borne by them. Thinking this way, my heart finds peace.

A netizen commented on Zhihu that some people regard me as Yan'an [note: the Communist base during the war years]. I laughed and said: Yan'an has long since fallen; I am merely a lonely little island in Kuomintang-controlled territory.

French thinker Montaigne had a famous saying: "I live each day as if it were my last; when I leave home in the morning, I prepare myself not to return." He was referring to the possibility that death could come at any moment. Over these years, I too have developed a habit of taking daily inventory of urgent tasks, never postponing today's work to tomorrow or the day after, because perhaps after today, there will never be another chance to do it. For me, the threat of losing freedom far outweighs the fear of death.

In daily life, I am a slow and clumsy person, which forms a sharp contrast with my sensitivity and acuity in thought and emotion.

The history of 20th-century international communist movement from glory to decline, from victory to defeat, demonstrates that once socialist countries turn revisionist, the dictatorship of the proletariat inevitably becomes the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, and their cruelty in oppressing and exploiting the people will far exceed that of capitalist countries.

[Reflection Question] Today marks the 104th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. I saw an article titled "No Matter How Great the Grievance, Never Betray the Party; This Life Forever Follows the Communist Party," which suddenly made me think of a question: A party member certainly cannot betray the party because of personal grievances. But if a party betrays its original mission and embarks on the wrong path, should party members continue to follow forever, or should they struggle against it and even break with it?

Liu Jiming: Random Thoughts (30)， posted May 23, 2025

1 Let me reiterate: Even though free healthcare in a society where private ownership is dominant cannot fundamentally change the plight of the working people, and objectively helps alleviate social contradictions and prolong the bourgeoisie's rule over the proletariat, I still advocate for a universal free healthcare system. This is because it benefits the working people by alleviating their suffering and improving their quality of life and living conditions. If anyone accuses me of being a reformist because of this, I suggest they study Lenin's discourse on reform and reformism.

2 I read an article titled "Foucault: After China Purged the Gang of Four, the World Lost Its Direction" on https://www.google.com/search?q=Renjing.com, which stated: "Foucault borrowed Goethe's famous quote 'Mark this date and this place' after witnessing the Battle of Valmy, and the epochal change it brought about, which had a huge impact on our relationship with historical conditions. From now on, 'there is no longer a place on this earth where hope can blossom.'" It seems that this post-structuralist master, who has many fans in Chinese academia, is also "ultra-left" and a "Cultural Revolution remnant."

3 Some people are overcome with gratitude for JD.com providing "five insurances and one fund" for its delivery riders, almost shouting "Long live!" three times. Little do they know that for capitalists, extracting surplus value is the only way to get rich. Any welfare he introduces is not out of kindness and cannot come at the cost of reducing or even harming his own interests. He gives workers one yuan only to take two yuan from their labor and ensure sustainable exploitation. Just as a farmer generously fattens his turkeys to sell them in the market for more money.

4 The Eastern University (Dongda) has turned the internet, with its hundreds of millions of netizens, into the world's largest intranet. Is this how the relevant departments practice "whole-process democracy"?

5 Answering a netizen's questions: 1. The authorities give a pass to "Soft Burial," a novel that subverts the New China's foundation of land reform, but ruthlessly suppresses "Black and White," a novel that criticizes capitalism and defends socialism. Are they on the wrong medication? Answer: They're not on the wrong medication. Because they follow a certain person's dictum: be vigilant against the right, but primarily prevent the "left." In their view, "criticizing capitalism and defending socialism" is "left," even "ultra-left," and must be eradicated. 2. Why can "Black and White" be published in capitalist Hong Kong and even in the United States, the world's capitalist stronghold, but not in China, which practices "socialism with Chinese characteristics," and even reader comments are blocked? Answer: The reason lies in the words "with characteristics." 3. I heard that the mainland version of "Black and White" had its ISBN revoked by the relevant departments shortly after its publication. Why did they do that? Answer: To govern the country according to law, of course. How else could they ban it as an "illegal publication"?

6 I saw a passage in Wang Binbin's article about the KMT's book censorship in the 1930s: "Reactionary literary publications, the more they are banned, the more numerous they become, and our committee's bans, on the contrary, become the most powerful advertisement for reactionary literary publications. It is truly heartbreaking to speak of!" I couldn't help but smile. Compared to today's publishing and speech censorship, the KMT was a mere trifle, but wasn't the effect the same?

7 "Waiting for dawn in the middle of the night, waiting for the spring breeze in the dead of winter. If you want to wait for the Red Army to come, the azaleas will bloom all over the ridge." Listening to Dao Lang's version of "Azaleas," I once again felt like shedding tears. In the movie, the Red Army quickly returned, but in reality, the Red Army has not returned, and may never return. Therefore, for Marxist-Leninist-Maoist leftists, hope is not waiting, but struggle.

8 A few years ago, a liberal scholar in her late seventies applied to go abroad to visit relatives and was obstructed and rejected by the relevant departments. She then published an article claiming she had become a "prisoner of statism"—this was the first time I had heard such a statement, and at the time I felt the scholar might be exaggerating. But now, when I, whose political orientation is at the opposite extreme to hers, find myself in the same situation, I also understand her feelings. Someone might accuse me of empathizing with the right wing by saying this, but if politics lacks basic human emotions, and even goes against heavenly principles and human ethics, depriving people of even the right to reunite with their flesh and blood, turning into cold, hard shackles, how much appeal and vitality can it still have? And how can a "community with a shared future for mankind" be built?

9 The most hateful thing about Khrushchev and his disciples is that they made socialism take the blame for their evil deeds, destroying the future of socialism and tarnishing the reputation of capitalism. They not only exploited and oppressed the vast majority of laborers to the greatest extent materially but also wantonly deprived them of all their democratic rights, turning them into livestock without any consciousness of resistance.

10 [Thought Question] Why was the great democracy of the proletariat overthrown in just ten years, while bourgeois democracy has been able to continue to this day?

11 I really don't understand why Putin, a nationalist full of Tsarist dreams and a traitor to communism, has so many supporters among Chinese leftists.

12 Brezhnev and his ilk clearly betrayed socialism long ago, yet after their deaths, they had to be adorned with titles like "great Marxist, proletarian revolutionary," and "resolute communist fighter." Isn't this disgusting?

13 The Chinese revolution was essentially a peasant revolution, from the slogan "All power to the peasant associations" during the First Revolutionary Civil War period's peasant movement to land reform, and after the establishment of New China, millions of emancipated peasants organized under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, forming mutual aid teams, agricultural cooperatives, and people's communes, embarking on the socialist road. When I was a child, the rural production brigades all had poor and lower-middle peasant associations (referred to as "Poor Peasants' Associations"), and the small teams had Poor Peasants' Association groups, playing an undeniable leading role in agricultural production and political life. After the reform and opening up, with the dissolution of the people's communes and the division of land for individual farming, the "Poor Peasants' Associations" also disappeared. Since then, a peculiar phenomenon has appeared in China: all walks of life have their own organizations, such as chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs' associations, alumni associations, intellectuals' associations, and top wealthy clubs like the Taishan Club and Yabuli Forum. Only the peasants, who constitute the majority of the population, have no organizations of their own, becoming "bottom-tier people" scattered like loose sand. This is indeed a great irony for a "socialist country led by the working class, based on the alliance of workers and peasants" written in its constitution.

14 A netizen asked, since Soviet revisionism was clearly practicing capitalism, why did it shamelessly call itself socialism? Answer: If Soviet revisionism openly declared it was taking the capitalist road, the public would demand the political democracy common in capitalist countries, such as elections, separation of powers, and freedom of speech. In that case, their system of privilege, unsupervised by anyone, would not be able to continue, and they would not only lose power but also face liquidation from both the left and the right. However, if they took the capitalist road under the banner of socialism, they could legitimately privatize public assets in the name of the people, keeping them hereditary and perpetuating their power forever. Why not?

15 The collapse of the Soviet Union tells us that fake socialism and fake capitalism, which sell dog meat under the guise of sheep's heads, are difficult to sustain once the people see through them.

16 My Sina Weibo and several WeChat official accounts have been permanently blocked, even my name has become a sensitive word on some platforms, and I've even been deprived of the right to go abroad to visit relatives. My newly registered Zhihu account has an article blocking rate as high as 60%, and I don't know how long it will survive. I don't believe all of this is due to the arbitrary actions of so-called capital, but rather the result of power manipulation. Because the Party leads everything.

Posted: May 28, 2025