Ideological Hegemony in China
14 Jan, 2000 · 305
Rahul Arun analyses the Chinese Communist Party's clampdown on the Falun Gong in context of religious repression in China
"The policy on religious freedom does not apply to the communists. Communists are atheists, and they should uphold materialism and atheism”, proclaims a 1985 publication of the National People’s Congress panel. Such an ideological underpinning makes the Chinese state even more draconian than the Hobbes’s Leviathan, which could not intrude into the intellect, conscience and the private faith and belief of its members. “Leviathan”, wrote Hobbes, “cannot oblige men to believe ... thought is free”. But the Chinese state arrogates to itself the monopoly of delineating the faith, ideology, beliefs and practices of its citizens.
New York claims to be a higher being sent on earth to help his followers “achieve divine status before the imminent extinction of the science addicted human race”. Li claims a following of 100 million built up during a period of seven years. Falun Gong has a well-organised propaganda network. The sect’s philosophy, if it can be so called that, is based on Buddhism, Taoism and the martial arts of
China ,
Korea and
Japan . Falun Gong means “wheel of life" which could be found in Buddhist lexicon. Falun Gong followers are promised miraculous powers and immunity against all illness.
Forbidden City in April 1999 came as a rude shock to the Chinese rulers. The threat to the state authorities stared the ruling hierarchy in the face. The Chinese official mouthpiece, ‘The Peoples Daily’ characterised it as a challenge to the future of the communist party and the state.
Beijing . “ Religion has almost been decapitated”.
Chinese
University of
Hong Kong , “In a sense, the party and Falun Gong are competing for the soul of the nation. The rise of religious groups like Falun Gong reflects the moral searching of the Chinese and the collapse of the communist ideology.”
China remains a police state, a dragon in the literal sense, that ultimately relies on the People's Liberation Army to secure the loyalty of its citizens. Using repression for this purpose will only help the Gods in the long run.
In pursuance of the same desire to maintain ideological hegemony the Chinese government banned the Falun Gong cult on July 22,1999 through what Althusser calls its “repressive state apparatus”(RSA). Its leader Li- hongzhi, based in
The Chinese authorities are understandably wary of sects practising martial arts because of its past history. Falun Gong's tall claim of a hundred million followers far exceeds the membership of Chinese communist party. Worse still, among its followers are large numbers from the party and the armed forces. With all this mounting evidence, the sudden assembly of over ten thousand followers of Falun Gong in the
No one could seriously believe that the elderly men and women gathered to demand legitimacy for the Falun Gong posed a meaningful threat to the communist party except, the party itself which took the threat very seriously. The protest symbolised a major loophole in the party’s ability to control its citizens. Communism, as an ideology is fast losing its role as an ideological leaven to knead the Chinese together. The party can control the citizen’s behaviour, but it can no longer command the loyalty of their hearts and minds. The fact that it is so determined in the face of tremendous odds underscores the real danger that one or the other of the many different beliefs, cults and philosophies that compete for space in the ideological spectrum will come into conflict with the authorities.
The party is jealous and brooks no rivalry, however harmless it may seem. Not for nothing are Roman Catholics among the most persecuted ¾ they owe allegiance to an authority other than the communist party. Similarly, unofficial Protestant churches continue to be persecuted. “ For fifty years the government has fought against religion here,” says Patrice Fava, a French anthropologist working in
According to Joseph Bosco, an anthropologist at the
In a nutshell for all its appearances of modernity,
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