Chapter 12 The Public Conscience Calling (3)

Xu has sternly condemned the 70-year old tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party that has resulted in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood and is still the largest monopoly landlord depriving peasants of their land. When he called on the CCP to return land rights to the peasants, he also suggested that Zhongnanhai should be returned to a heritage park and no longer be used as a private residence for high-ranking officials and the party; Tiananmen Square should be restored to its civic function and be opened as a farmers’ market on weekends; and the Memorial Hall, which was exclusively occupied by Mao, should be changed to a “Shrine of the Sages of China”.

On July 7, 2020, Xu Zhongrun published “Trampling on civilization will drive evil to the world”, severely condemning the Communist Party of China for the mass demolition in the capital city, driving away the low-end population and not sparing the artists. He has pointed out that the capital city “includes the studio of the famous painter Shang Yang, the creative studio of the famous poet Yu Xinqiao, the recording studio of the famous musician Qin Wanmin, the Yuan Ti Art District, 008 Art District, Songzhuang Art District, Shuipo Art District, Heiqiao Art District, Winery Art District, Rome Lake International Art District and a large area of residences in Cui Village and Liu Village are all demolished and destroyed, which is a catastrophe.” It is a painful statement that several generations of artists have invested their blood and sweat in the project which has greatly enhanced the human ecology and been welcomed by the people. But now the sharp axes are coming down and the shovels are ending them. The HOS does not exist and the culture is gone. The CCP is the world’s largest landlord by depriving people of their natural land rights, natural legal rights and by making them vagrants. After the demolition of the land, the CCP was able to get the land listed at an exorbitant price for sale.

In July 2020, Tsinghua University was ordered to dismiss Xu Zhangrun from his public position leaving him with no means of livelihood. He was moved to write an open letter “to Tsinghua alumni” on July 19, saying, “Today the temple is extravagant, most of our compatriots are barely fed and struggling, the official media is rising, half of China is soaking in water, the storm is shaking. The government’s malignant quality will not change and all the countries in the world will become orphans. As long as I don’t die, I will call out. I will live on, bear the suffering, the dark night fire, to welcome the dawn. I am in need of the same warm people as my compatriots, please transfer the charity donations to the urgent need of the place, love and righteousness sown in the suffering of the compatriots. Zhang Run can still labor to earn food and sell words to buy rice.”

In less than 400 words, Xu’s text message provides a glimpse of the bones of traditional Chinese scholars and the conscience of the nation which touches the hearts of hardworking people.

He is a very brave man,” said Jerome Cohen, a close friend of Xu Zhongrun and a New York University law professor who is over 90 years old, on July 15, 2020: “He faces three choices: to continue to publish occasionally in China and then be punished more severely by the authorities (like Xu Zhiyong and other outspoken reformers), the second is to remain as silent as possible, dive into research and thinking and wait for the right time. The third is to leave China if approved by the authorities.” Professor Kong has expressed the hope that he can sponsor Xu Zhanyun to come to the United States.

In early July 2020, Xu Zhangrun was arrested and the police brought in more than 10 police cars and 20 police officers to search his computers and took away his paper works. They arrested and questioned him and then released him a week later on July 12, under surveillance. On September 9, Geng Xiaonan couple, the bookstore owner and publisher who supported Xu Zhangrun, were arrested by the police which aroused Xu Zhangrun’s anger. He wrote, “For many years, she has been a public-spirit, selfless and unbiased person who speaks out courageously and fearlessly for those who have suffered for the public good and she has run for justice holding her salary and holding her horse at all costs and she has been cynical about evil, combining beauty, talent and justice. She is a martyr who went on the rugged road to freedom without rebellion, a great citizen who pursued democracy with great vigor.”

Xu Zhang Run said sternly at the end of the Letter to Tyranny: “Do not do evil, put down the butcher’s knife, release Xiaonan, return the freedom of Xiaonan couple and give justice to the world. If Xiaonan is guilty, we are equally guilty, do not bully women, jail and kill, please start from Run Zhang.”