Events

Zhang Naiqi, the Minister of Food and democratic party leader, was denounced as one of the three leading "rightists" during the Anti-Rightist Campaign (1957-58) in China. Accusations against Zhang by other intellectuals were actively publicized through the news media. Intriguingly, rather than simply censoring "rightist voices," the CCP allowed the news media to publicize Zhang's contestation against the accusation, even when the CCP had the capacity to completely censor Zhang's rebuttal. The CCP by the early 1950s monopolized the ability to construct publicity and public opinion on party policies and political affairs by gaining tight media control through nationalizing the media and establishing a relatively effective censorship system. Thus, the CCP's effective media control itself does not fully explain Zhang's vulnerability to the accusation. Ultimately, Zhang was unsuccessful in contesting the public accusation, and was ultimately purged from most of his public positions.

Speakers: Professor Syaru Shirley Lin, Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Harry Harding, University of Virginia Critical Issues Confronting China Seminar Series; co-sponsored by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies […]