Editor’s Note: The original article on this public account has been deleted.
Source: Dunjiao Network
Authors: Feng Tianyu, Ma Guochuan
Currently, China is facing the challenge of overcoming two traps: the middle-income trap and the Thucydides trap. If domestic economic and political measures are mishandled, it may fall into a trap of slow economic growth or even recession. For some time, our country has underestimated this danger, indulging in the praises of "My country is impressive." This requires reflection and improvement. We must acknowledge the existence of the "Thucydides trap," adopt a hands-off approach internationally, foster friendships, and minimize enmity. Foreign aid should be undertaken within our capacity, and we must not forget the significant losses China has suffered in past foreign aid efforts.
"This pandemic has had a profound emotional impact on me and has enlightened my thoughts, greatly deepening my understanding of ecological issues," said Feng Tianyu, a professor at Wuhan University.
At 78 years old, Feng Tianyu is an influential expert in cultural history, particularly in cultural ecology. During the lockdown in Wuhan, he solemnly inscribed on the title page of his new book "Outline of Chinese Cultural Ecology," dedicating it "to the elders and fellow villagers of Wuhan."
As a highly respected scholar, Feng Tianyu is well-regarded in academic circles. He speaks candidly on many social issues, earning respect from various sectors of society.
In an exclusive interview, Mr. Feng proposed that this pandemic should prompt reforms in public health systems and strengthen the national health insurance system. He also suggested using this public health crisis as an opportunity for social enlightenment.
"Wuhan has a solid foundation, a strong cultural and educational force, and the people of Wuhan are diligent and intelligent, fully capable of rebuilding," Feng Tianyu suggested. "In the recovery and reconstruction process, it is essential to fully respect and leverage the role of private enterprises."
Through this public health crisis, Feng Tianyu is also contemplating China's future. He said, "My expectation for China's future is to find ways to surpass the middle-income trap and avoid falling into the Thucydides trap."
Feng Tianyu
"This pandemic has greatly deepened my understanding of ecological issues."
Ma Guochuan: Has this pandemic had any impact on your personal life and research?
Feng Tianyu: After the lockdown, everyone was confined at home, but our hearts were heavy. I have a student who is a private entrepreneur and has made many donations to combat the pandemic; I helped with some liaison and promotion work. Most of my time was spent reviewing the proofs of my book "Outline of Chinese Cultural Ecology," which I have been working on for the past two years.
I began studying Chinese cultural history in 1980 and have focused on ecological issues for the past forty years. In 1990, I published "A History of Chinese Culture" with Shanghai People's Publishing House, the first part of which is "Chinese Cultural Ecology." Cultural ecology is a fundamental academic issue in cultural history and a basic social issue. This pandemic has revealed a significant ecological crisis, which has greatly impacted and enlightened me, deepening my understanding of the importance and severity of ecological issues. Therefore, during the lockdown, I made substantial revisions and additions to the manuscript and inscribed on the title page, "This book is respectfully dedicated to the elders and fellow villagers of Wuhan, who once experienced a lockdown."
Ma Guochuan: It can be called a book of concern; it is highly significant.
Feng Tianyu: I divide ecology into three levels: the first is the relationship between humans and nature, which must maintain ecological balance; otherwise, nature will retaliate against humanity with its iron fist. The second is the economic activity level, which requires maintaining a moderate mode of production and lifestyle. The third is the social institutional level, which aims to achieve harmony between humans and nature through the coordination of social relationships. Thus, cultural ecology encompasses both the "heaven-human" relationship and the "humanistic" relationship, necessitating a summary of experiences and lessons from both ancient and modern times, both domestically and internationally, and of course, it requires a detailed approach from several specific micro perspectives to reveal the vastness through details.
Ma Guochuan: Approaching such a broad issue from the perspective of cultural ecology is pioneering in Chinese academia; your research can be said to "explore the relationship between heaven and humanity, connect ancient and modern changes, and form a unique perspective."
Feng Tianyu: I wish to follow in the footsteps of Sima Qian and take a small step. The "heaven-human relationship" from a human perspective includes the relationship with heaven (nature) and the relationship between people, which is the social relationship of humans. If the humanistic relationship is not handled well, the relationship with heaven cannot be properly managed.
Historian Qian Mu's last words discussed the "heaven-human relationship," and he believed that the core of Chinese culture is "the unity of heaven and humanity." Rejecting idealistic interpretations like "heaven-human resonance," the concept of "the unity of heaven and humanity" emphasizes the unity of heaven and humanity, opposing their opposition; if heaven and humanity are in opposition, humanity will inevitably bring about its own destruction. British scientist Stephen Hawking once said that humanity, which blindly destroys the ecological environment, may only be able to stay on Earth for 200 years. This statement may be exaggerated, but its essence should alert humanity.
Ma Guochuan: Since the industrial civilization, humanity's destruction of ecology has been severe, leading to many ecological disasters.
Feng Tianyu: In terms of ecological protection, Chinese culture is deeply rooted. Laozi said, "Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature," placing nature as the highest category.
"This pandemic should promote reforms in public health systems."
Ma Guochuan: Cultural ecology is both a theoretical and practical issue, and this pandemic highlights the urgent reality of this issue. What reflections does this sudden public health crisis expose?
Feng Tianyu: Not long ago, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed a comprehensive ban on the consumption of wild animals, aiming to change the bad habit of excessive consumption of wild animals among Chinese people. This is a necessary measure at the "substantial" level. If we further consider the "metaphysical" level, this pandemic provides significant insights for public health construction.
This pandemic should prompt reforms in public health systems and strengthen the national health insurance system. For many years, the public has had complaints about health insurance, and some issues have gradually been resolved in recent years. However, to reach the basic level of civilized countries, more comprehensive and stronger measures are needed, especially to correct the practice of leaving public healthcare to the market. In terms of marketization, on one hand, the marketization in the economic field is still insufficient, with excessive government control; on the other hand, responsibilities that should be borne by the government, such as healthcare, education, and elderly care, are pushed onto the market, leading to many problems.
Ma Guochuan: This is a major issue in Chinese society, resulting in ordinary people lacking basic medical, educational, and elderly care guarantees.
Feng Tianyu: Leaving healthcare and education to the market leads these public welfare sectors to pursue profit. It is particularly heartbreaking that healthcare and education, which were once the most respected professions in society, have recently fallen into the tide of market profit-seeking, with declining medical ethics and educational ethics, facing public criticism, and resulting in conflicts between doctors and patients, as well as tensions between teachers, students, and parents, leading to tragedies.
We cannot simply attribute the problem to moral issues, believing that it is the moral decline of teachers and doctors; the fundamental problem is that matters that should be guaranteed by the state have been pushed to the market. Once they enter the market, profit becomes the priority, and the relationships between doctors and patients, as well as between teachers and parents, inevitably deteriorate. However, during the pandemic, the relationship between healthcare workers and patients was excellent, with many touching stories. Why is that? Because the medical community transcended profit motives, and the sole purpose of treating patients and saving lives was restored, reviving the spirit of Florence Nightingale's dedication. This situation deserves our deep reflection. This pandemic has pointed out a path for restoring health and dignity to the medical and educational systems—governments should underwrite medical and educational funding, allowing the public to enjoy basic medical guarantees without pushing healthcare workers into the market for profit.
Ma Guochuan: But there is a practical problem; medical guarantees require a large amount of money. Where will the money come from?
Feng Tianyu: The solutions for funding healthcare, education, and elderly care are clear. First, save a significant amount on administrative expenses. Currently, the party and government institutions are large and consume national resources; if we genuinely streamline and simplify, funding will naturally follow. Second, eliminate extravagance; we cannot spend huge sums on meetings and ostentation as before. Third, foreign aid should be moderate; we must avoid spending lavishly without returns. If these funds can be saved, the state can adequately support education, healthcare, and elderly care.
Ma Guochuan: Since we are already the second-largest economy in the world, we should learn from civilized countries. The first manifestation of civilized countries is to ensure social security and fulfill responsibilities to the public.
Feng Tianyu: Not to mention developed countries, even countries with lower economic levels than ours, like India, can provide free healthcare and education. China now has the financial resources to address the basic issues of the people; this is the path to long-term stability.
"Use this public health crisis to promote social enlightenment."
Ma Guochuan: This crisis should become an opportunity to promote social enlightenment. What aspects do you think urgently need enlightenment?
Feng Tianyu: It is indeed necessary to use this opportunity to overcome the public health crisis to carry out a social enlightenment. Social enlightenment involves a broad range of topics; I will only discuss three aspects related to the pandemic.
First, enhance the national and public awareness of protecting the ecological environment. There has been discussion and practice regarding ecological protection for many years, but it still needs to be advanced further. My revised book "Outline of Chinese Cultural Ecology" provides some commentary from a cultural history perspective, which I will omit here.
Second, improve information transparency and earnestly implement Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Article 35 grants citizens basic rights such as freedom of speech and publication. This public health crisis illustrates that citizens' freedom of speech is not only a personal right but also a guarantee for social security. If citizens' freedom of speech is suppressed and information is obscured, both the state and the public will suffer. This pandemic has proven this point.
Ma Guochuan: The consequences of the suppression of speech during this pandemic have been too painful.
Feng Tianyu: This pandemic has spread across the country and to hundreds of countries and regions. Apart from the new virus, which requires a process of understanding and response, another important reason is the suppression of speech, which led to the concealment of pandemic information for over a month, causing us to miss the golden period for prevention. Doctors like Li Wenliang discovered the pandemic in medical practice, reported it to society in a timely manner, and alerted friends; this was a reasonable and legal action that should have been protected under Article 35 of the Constitution, yet they were labeled as spreading rumors by the police and received severe reprimands. CCTV even broadcast news about them "spreading rumors," putting immense pressure on those who spoke the truth, resulting in doctors being silenced and the public being kept in the dark.
It is puzzling that no organization has come forward to declare that the reprimand was wrong. Although Li Wenliang is now recognized as an advanced worker, this action is merely scratching the surface and is a perfunctory response to public opinion. The crux of the Li Wenliang incident is the prohibition of truth-telling, which led to the public's ignorance of the pandemic and the subsequent spread of the virus. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China informed the United States on January 3. However, the reprimand of Li Wenliang and other doctors occurred precisely at that time. If the information was communicated to the United States, why was it not shared with the Chinese public? What is going on?!
Ma Guochuan: There is a saying that the fear of information spreading could lead to social instability.
Feng Tianyu: What kind of logic is that! Let’s examine what has caused social instability. It is precisely the suppression of speech and the concealment of information that led to 40,000 people attending the "Ten Thousand Family Feast" in Baibuting, and one million Wuhan residents traveling to other provinces or abroad before the Spring Festival, resulting in widespread transmission of the virus, leading to the lockdown of Wuhan, with hundreds of thousands infected and thousands dead, causing economic losses amounting to trillions. This is what social instability looks like, and its root cause is the suppression of speech, which underscores the importance and necessity of upholding Article 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
Ma Guochuan: This pandemic demonstrates that if freedom of speech cannot be maintained, it not only harms citizens' basic rights but may also endanger society as a whole.
Feng Tianyu: The third point that needs enlightenment is to correct the relationship between those in power and the public. For a long time, although there has been a saying of "serving the people," the relationship between those in power and the public has not been clarified. Therefore, during the severe pandemic, some officials were eager to educate the people of Wuhan on gratitude, demanding that the public be grateful to the leaders, which sparked public outrage. Under pressure from public opinion, they later changed their stance to express gratitude to the people. If this is merely a strategic modification of wording, it is far from sufficient; the relationship between those in power and the public must be genuinely rectified. Ancient Chinese wisdom states, "The people are precious, the state is secondary, and the ruler is light," and modern political civilization emphasizes that the people are the masters of the country, with the right to supervise and hold the government accountable. Only then can there be a sound government that ensures the healthy operation of society.
In 2012, at the Guangdong Party Congress, then-Secretary Wang Yang stated that the misconception that the people's happy life is a gift from the party and government must be corrected. Why correct it? Because some people have reversed the relationship and are eager for the people to express gratitude to the leaders. In recent years, there have been phrases like "power is bestowed by the people" and "power is used for the people," which are correct and should be translated into practical actions.
Ma Guochuan: If the relationship between those in power and the public is reversed, it makes the "People's Republic" a mere name without substance. Article 2 of the Constitution states, "All power in the People's Republic belongs to the people."
Feng Tianyu: A philosopher lamented that some historical disasters did not receive the compensation they deserved. We hope that through this ecological crisis, our country and our people can gain insights, and that the understanding and practice in the above three aspects can be enhanced, so as not to let the enormous costs borne by the state and the heavy sacrifices of the people go to waste.
Respect and leverage the role of private enterprises in Wuhan's recovery and reconstruction.
Ma Guochuan: This pandemic has caused significant harm to Wuhan. As a scholar who has lived in Wuhan for a long time, what suggestions do you have for the city's recovery and reconstruction after the pandemic?
Feng Tianyu: I have not yet systematically thought about this, so I can only speak roughly. Wuhan is a severely affected area, a megacity with a population of ten million that was locked down for fifty days, which is unprecedented in history and can be described as a profound pain. Modern Wuhan was once a first-tier city. In the early stages of reform and opening up, the southeastern coastal areas developed rapidly, while Wuhan lagged behind and became a second-tier city. In the past decade, Wuhan has made a strong comeback, with a vigorous development momentum. Some friends say that Wuhan hopes to rejoin the ranks of first-tier cities in the coming years. However, this pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to Wuhan, and it will take considerable effort to recover.
Nevertheless, I am confident about Wuhan's recovery and reconstruction. It has rare geographical advantages, a deep historical foundation, and was historically one of the "Four Great Towns." It later became one of the important birthplaces of modern Chinese industry and commerce. Wuhan has a solid industrial and commercial foundation, strong cultural and educational forces, and the people of Wuhan are diligent and intelligent, fully capable of creating brilliance again. In the recovery and reconstruction process, it is essential to fully respect and leverage the role of private enterprises. Wuhan's private enterprises have already reached a considerable scale, with many companies at the forefront of their industries. Private entrepreneurs in Wuhan are vibrant, with a strong sense of social responsibility and action, making significant contributions during the disaster relief and pandemic response. They are the contemporary Xian Gao and Lu Zuofu.
Ma Guochuan: In recent years, there have been many negative discussions about private enterprises, and there was even a time when there was a theory of "the retreat of the private economy." What do you think about this?
Feng Tianyu: The state-owned economy and the private economy are the two pillars of China's economy, and neither can be absent. Some people seize on the phrase "abolish private ownership" from the "Communist Manifesto" and apply it out of context, targeting the private economy. In fact, we must not overlook the significant role that commodity economy has played in the historical development of humanity, as Marx and Engels noted that the wealth created in the modern decades under the impetus of the law of value exceeds the total wealth of humanity prior to that. Marx and Engels have always given high praise to the historical function of commodity economy. China began its reform and opening up from a point where the commodity economy was underdeveloped, and one important reason for the economic take-off during the reform was the vitality gained by the commodity economy, with the rise of private enterprises being a key factor.
Private enterprises create wealth according to the law of value, which is fundamentally different from "crony capitalism," which relies on the possession of public power to seize wealth. In the conclusion of my book "The History of Chinese Cultural Generation," I mentioned that "crony capitalism" is neither "capital" nor "socialism," but rather "feudal despotism." The crony capitalism based on feudal despotism seizes wealth through power, which is qualitatively different from private capital. Leveraging the vitality of the private economy is one aspect of Wuhan's revival.
Expectations for the future: Overcoming two traps.
Ma Guochuan: As a historian, what are your expectations for the future?
Feng Tianyu: I do not wish to make lofty predictions but rather to start from the problems currently facing China, which can be summarized as the need for China to overcome two traps: the middle-income trap and the Thucydides trap.
From a global perspective on modernization, only a few countries and regions have successfully crossed the middle-income trap, while most late-developing countries pursuing modernization have not been so fortunate. Brazil and Argentina in Latin America once developed well, and countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Egypt in Asia and Africa had relatively high levels of industrialization, but later fell into the middle-income trap due to political corruption or economic imbalance, unable to extricate themselves for decades. These countries reached a mid-level stage of development, lost their original late-developing advantages, and failed to gain new momentum. This is a common phenomenon, and China is currently facing such a dilemma: the advantages of low labor and land prices that fueled its initial economic take-off are gradually disappearing. After entering the new century, products from China are no longer cheaper than those from less developed countries, and advanced technologies still lag behind those of developed countries, leading to a decline in product competitiveness. If domestic economic and political measures are mishandled, it may fall into a trap of slow economic growth or even recession. For some time, our country has underestimated this danger, indulging in the praises of "My country is impressive." This requires reflection and improvement.
Ma Guochuan: The "Thucydides trap" has been a hot topic in recent years, referring to the idea that a rising power will inevitably challenge an existing power, which will respond to this threat, making war unavoidable.
Feng Tianyu: The "Thucydides trap" addresses the issue of great power relations and involves how China positions itself in the world.
This trap requires analysis from two sides: first, the United States, as the world's strongest power for over a century, is known for suppressing the second power and is the creator of the trap. After World War II, it successfully contained the Soviet Union and Japan, and now it is focused on limiting China's development. Second, from China's perspective, there is a choice between jumping into the trap or avoiding it, which tests our wisdom as Chinese people to know ourselves and our adversaries and to act rationally. From the perspective of understanding the adversary, we must face the reality of American national strength and not rashly assume that the U.S. has already declined; from the perspective of self-understanding, China must establish its status as a developing country, address numerous domestic issues, and remain cautious and vigilant, avoiding self-inflation and reckless actions. The strategy of Deng Xiaoping, who did not take the lead and acted with restraint, is still relevant today. We must acknowledge the existence of the "Thucydides trap," adopt a hands-off approach internationally, foster friendships, and minimize enmity. Foreign aid should be undertaken within our capacity, and we must not forget the significant losses China has suffered in past foreign aid efforts. Since 1949, during difficult times, China has provided tens of billions or even hundreds of billions in aid to countries like North Korea, Vietnam, and Albania, only to have them turn against us, with these three countries being among the most vocal critics of China for many years. The lessons from this should not be forgotten. Are there similar situations occurring now? It is worth being vigilant.
Ma Guochuan: This requires establishing a genuine concept of a modern nation-state.
Feng Tianyu: Yes. Historically, China has emphasized "thick past, thin future" in foreign relations, with foreign countries eager to send envoys to gain benefits from China. This diplomatic behavior of gaining friends through generosity should change. China needs to establish a modern international relationship based on equality and mutual benefit, rather than lavishly spending as if it were the Celestial Empire. Such actions lead to significant losses for ourselves and do not yield true friends. We should adopt a soft approach to strong opponents.
In summary, my expectation for China's future is to find ways to surpass the middle-income trap and avoid falling into the Thucydides trap. This is tied to the welfare of our land and our people. I will not indulge in more grandiose dreams.
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