A Mainland High School Student's Perspective on the Xi Jinping Era

On March 10, 2023, Xi Jinping was unanimously re-elected as President of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. (Video screenshot)

[People News] What does the Xi Jinping era look like from the viewpoint of a mainland high school student?

Today's mainland high school students are primarily born after 2008, with parents who are likely part of the post-80s generation—a demographic often viewed unfavourably and known for a higher incidence of early mortality. These students have enjoyed the benefits of the reform and opening-up policies, experiencing a childhood free from bullying and indulged by three generations.

As they mature, they find themselves caught in the Xi Jinping era, where political constraints are tightening, the economy is in continuous decline, and cultural ties with the civilised world are being severed. Education in schools is increasingly focused on red patriotic ideology, inundating them with daily propaganda. Concurrently, they face various social issues, including mutual harm among the lower classes, class solidification, and the oppression of privileges. The intense competition for academic advancement, the pressure of college entrance examinations, conflicts between teachers and students, and uncertainty about the future constantly shape their experiences, affecting their mental well-being and undermining their thoughts.

With the rise of social media and AI, they are also the most digitally immersed generation, having grown up surrounded by short video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou. They spend their days scrolling through beautifully filtered images, vibrant dances, and meticulously edited stories promoting positive narratives from the Communist Party. This environment entangles them in a web of confusion, making it difficult to discern right from wrong and escape the pervasive haze of the times.

In this environment, many children have developed cognitive shortcomings: on one hand, they are indoctrinated by carefully crafted narratives, convinced that everything is arranged for the best; on the other hand, they are spoiled by fragmented entertainment, lacking the necessary preparation to confront the complex and harsh realities of life, and unsure of how to think deeply or respond calmly. They are used to quickly liking, quickly forgetting, and quickly acquiring information, yet they seldom have the chance to pause, genuinely read history, contemplate society, and reflect on the present.

Nevertheless, there are always exceptions. On May 25, mainland lawyer Cai Yaqi read a submission from a high school freshman during his video program. The piece was written in straightforward language, filled with genuine emotion; it was unadorned, not pretentious or artificial, resembling a breath of fresh air, infused with the unique sensitivity and confusion of youth. It began with private family memories and gently touched upon the most sensitive issues of the era.

In the submission, the student mentioned that after his grandfather's passing, he secretly preserved the old man's memoirs. His grandfather was from the coastal region and was in his prime during the 1960s, a time when the family was large and often struggled to put food on the table. The memoirs described how the sea breeze from across the strait would often carry balloons floating in the air, with biscuits, canned goods, and some pamphlets tied to them.

During that time, the village officials repeatedly stressed that items like biscuits and canned goods were toxic and should not be consumed, and that the brochures must not be read and had to be surrendered. However, Grandpa was young then, and there was nothing to eat at home. Overcome by hunger, he often secretly ate the biscuits and canned goods that floated by on balloons. For a long time, he did not suffer any poisoning; instead, he managed to survive thanks to these so-called toxic substances promoted by the government.

On one occasion, Grandpa was reported for secretly consuming banned items. He was taken away in the middle of the night and detained for three days. The village officials and some strong young men interrogated him overnight, asking if he had seen those brochures. Fortunately, Grandpa maintained that he was illiterate, and ultimately, he managed to avoid serious consequences and was released. From that point on, whenever he found a balloon, he no longer dared to hide it but instead obediently handed it over to the village officials, who secretly enjoyed these 'toxic substances' behind closed doors.

The young author, reflecting on this, couldn't help but ask, 'Why, in a time when everyone is struggling to eat, do they still mock those at the bottom of society?'

This gentle yet perplexing question touches on human nature, kindness, and can be seen as a profound inquiry into the soul, the times, and the century.

He then wrote in his letter about how this reminded him of his own experiences in 2021. That year, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, schools mandated that every student receive a vaccination. However, his father was opposed to his getting vaccinated. He went to great lengths to persuade the teacher, arguing that the child could be vaccinated at home. To convince the school, his father even went to the village to obtain a certificate confirming the vaccination was completed, which he then submitted to the school.

The father fulfilled his wish, but the young author was far from calm. During that period, the boy lived in constant fear, worried that he might get infected and die because he had not been vaccinated. The father reassured him with a simple remark: 'This is for your own good.' However, this only provided temporary comfort. As information about vaccine fraud began to emerge, the boy's confusion deepened.

At this point, it is clear to every reader that the boy's confusion arises from the conflict between the gradual awakening of human nature and the absurdity of reality, as well as the clash between rational enlightenment and the lies propagated by the Red regime. Essentially, this confusion reflects the difficult choice between good and evil, where lies and malevolence are systematically and industrially manufactured, while goodness is individualised, isolated, and often marginalised and suppressed.

Nevertheless, once the seed of goodness is planted, it will sprout and grow, eventually breaking free from its cocoon to become a butterfly. The young author noted that these two events—one occurring during the Mao Zedong era in the 1950s and 1960s and the other in the present day—strangely revealed to him a certain timeless similarity.

The boy and his father had a brief yet meaningful conversation. Upon learning of his son's confusion, the father's final response was simply: 'Some things cannot be clearly explained. When you reach my age, you will naturally understand, or you may never understand it at all.'

This seemingly casual remark left the young man deeply troubled for a long time. His father appeared not to have clearly communicated anything, yet it felt as if he had conveyed everything, and he did so quite explicitly. Only those who have lived in mainland China can articulate such sentiments and grasp the true context and meaning behind these words. Within a family, such closed-door discussions are not merely indicative of a psychological gap between generations, but rather a long-term infiltration of systemic pressure.

The young author candidly expressed his confusion in writing and sent it to Lawyer Cai.

The youth's writing captures both his bewilderment about the past and a subtle anxiety about the present, along with reflections and inquiries regarding these two events that transcend time and space. In a nation where education is heavily politicised, information is tightly controlled, truths are intentionally obscured, and history is repeatedly altered, it is quite rare for a high school student to retain such independent thought.

It is evident that when power goes unchecked, its operational logic often bears a striking similarity. The Great Famine during the Mao Zedong era led to the deaths of 30 to 40 million people, which was later downplayed by the official narrative as 'three years of natural disasters,' with far too many ordinary individuals, like grandpa, succumbing to hunger, disease, and political turmoil.

During that time, events, individuals, and circumstances were starkly and brutally divided into two categories: those who aligned with me thrived, while those who opposed me perished. By believing in the Party and adhering to its directives, one could elevate oneself above others, gain authority, and enjoy a comfortable life. This allowed for reckless behaviour without any constraints or consequences. Conversely, anyone who dared to question, disobey, or challenge the Party and Mao Zedong faced total annihilation. The Cultural Revolution that followed the three-year Great Famine did not only target the lower classes; high-ranking officials within the Party were also subjected to bloody purges. The death toll from the Cultural Revolution remains a closely guarded secret of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to this day.

This situation was not simply the result of governance failures or personal dictatorship; it represented a refined and repeatedly tested method of social control employed by the CCP. Through political movements, the Party fostered class conflicts and struggles, instilling fear among the populace, creating a dependency akin to Stockholm syndrome, and rendering individuals who had completely abandoned independent thought as easily controllable, tradable, and slaughtered like sheep.

In the current era of Xi Jinping, we are not only witnessing echoes of the past; people are experiencing, and may continue to face, an even more extreme iteration of the Cultural Revolution. The dynamic zero-COVID policy, enforced measures, selective information disclosure, and the swift suppression of dissenting voices during the three-year pandemic all serve as reminders of those earlier times.

The father's curve of rescuing his son essentially reflects the survival wisdom and instincts of ordinary people under high pressure, often resulting in superficial compliance to create opportunities for covert actions. However, many fathers and families either lack this awareness or the courage to act. Due to various internal and external factors, many families can only endure in silence, while those who are confused willingly fall victim to deception. As for those who pretend to be asleep, they can never be awakened.

Xi Jinping is following in the footsteps of Mao Zedong, and in some ways, he surpasses him. The Mao era was characterised by information isolation, technological backwardness, and an underdeveloped economy. In contrast, Xi Jinping operates in a world of economic globalisation and advanced technology, where the internet connects the globe into a village. This should have been a century of shared material civilisation and mutual benefit, with spiritual civilisation and institutional etiquette reflecting one another. However, the Communist Party and Xi Jinping have taken a contrary path. To ensure the party's survival, Xi has deified personal authority, excessively centralised power, intensified social control, suppressed freedom of speech, and established a technological totalitarian regime. Internally, under the banners of 'common prosperity' and 'national rejuvenation,' he has initiated a new wave of land redistribution and crackdowns on foreign investments. Externally, he advocates for a community of shared future for mankind, exports communist ideology, engages in wolf warrior diplomacy, competes for dominance with the United States, and reinforces narratives of an evil axis and war.

In Mao's later years, he initiated the Cultural Revolution to solidify his authority, while Xi is shaping a new order through anti-corruption efforts, ideological education, and technological surveillance. On the surface, it appears that the times have changed, technology has advanced, and material wealth has increased. However, the underlying logic of unifying thought, deifying power, trampling on life, and enslaving the lower classes remains consistent and has even been amplified.

This high school student may not yet fully articulate the connection he senses, but he has astutely picked up on a hidden clue. His grandfather consumed 'poisonous biscuits' to survive, his father avoided the 'poisonous vaccine' to protect his child, and the young man writes these things to ensure that memories are not entirely erased. The narratives of two generations, reflected in the same mirror, expose the absurdity, brutality, and evil of the CCP's tyranny, as ordinary people endure a hellish existence in such times.

The CCP is evidently apprehensive about awakenings like that of this young man. In recent years, we have witnessed an increasing number of young people becoming the primary force in 'storming the tower' against the CCP's oppression. The white paper revolution at the end of 2022 involved many participants who had just transitioned from high school to university, holding up blank sheets of paper to voice their exhaustion and dissatisfaction with the zero-COVID policy.

On social media platforms, young people often question the official narrative in subtle or direct ways, share censored information, and post videos with indirect implications. This awakening has made the authorities extremely anxious. During the Mao era, the youth were mobilised to launch movements, but after seizing power, the CCP feared losing control over them, and the June Fourth Movement further cemented the CCP's historical shame.

In the Xi Jinping era, while the CCP intensifies patriotic education in schools, it also closely monitors the internet and campuses to prevent any colour revolution from emerging. With the economy declining and over ten million university graduates unable to find jobs each year, this situation has become a psychological burden that keeps Xi Jinping restless.

Despite the self-pity of dictatorial powers and the solid walls they build, the march of history does not bend to the will of tyrants. The truth, like a flickering light in the darkness, will inevitably pierce through illusions and iron curtains, illuminating an unyielding era and the resilient individuals within it. Young people represent the future and are the seeds of hope. The perspective of this high school student not only provides us with a microcosm of the labelling characteristic of the Xi Jinping era but also reveals the beautiful vision of awakened youth in the world.

(First published by the People News)△