Memoirs of a Loser 176: The Disaster Caused by "God's Retribution"

In 2007, in addition to editing the forum page, I also began to write "Apple Review", that is, the editorial of "Apple Daily". "Ping Lun" is written by two or three people from Monday to Saturday, and I write two or three articles a week. The editorialists do not need to communicate with each other, nor do the boss, the president, or the editor-in-chief. In short, whoever's turn to write, choose the topic and play it by himself. I am very serious and thoughtful about this work. Not only do I publish under my real name, but I also strive to have new ideas for each article.

In 2008, I wrote an "Apple Review" for the Wenchuan Earthquake, which became the target of public criticism for a while, and aroused criticism from the Hong Kong public opinion circle and the readers of "Apple". And in the midst of all the noise, I can't help but feel uneasy. On the one hand, I want to write another article to make some remedies. I did not give in.

The Wenchuan earthquake occurred on May 12. From that day until night, we only knew that the magnitude of the earthquake was extremely high, with rumors reaching a magnitude of 8.2, and the number of victims and deaths had not yet been known. I thought about how to write the next day's "Ping Lun". I think of the great Tangshan earthquake in 1976, when Xu Fuguan, a master of Chinese studies, wrote an article. He said that we must have both scientific and non-scientific perspectives on earthquakes. Needless to say, what is a non-scientific observation angle? That is, in ancient times, people often used natural disasters to express God's "scourge" on emperors as a means of restraint on emperors.

The so-called "sentence" means that under authoritarian politics, the emperor can ignore the suffering of the common people; the emperor can ignore the persuasion of worthy ministers or even punish the ministers who advise them. But God's warning, you can't ignore it! Earthquakes are God's warnings. This kind of non-scientific "God's condemnation" theory often occurs when the emperor is overwhelmed with pride. It can force the emperor to slightly restrain his brutal rule, and even take some measures to benefit the people in the next "guilty decree". In the dark days, this kind of non-scientific discourse must be said to have had some effect on restricting the power of emperors.

I said in the "Ping Lun" that the "God's Wrath" theory has no scientific basis. But it is said that some of the dignitaries in Zhongnanhai now believe in feng shui, fate, and magic. If they can think about it because of this earthquake, are there any bad omens from the snow disaster at the beginning of this year, the collision of trains on the Jiaoji Railway and this earthquake? If you think about it again: the large-scale riots in Tibet in March, the spread of corruption throughout the country, the arrest of dissidents, and China’s transmission of the Olympic torch around the world, every place it has attracted local attention to Chinese human rights activists. Demonstrations and protests , Is tyranny and bad governance the source of disaster for the people? If they can think of "God's Retribution" and "sinful self" due to a big earthquake like the ancient emperors did, and remove or reduce tyranny, it can be regarded as accumulating virtue and eliminating disasters.

The "scourge" mentioned throughout the article indicates that this is an unscientific warning to those in power, rather than a "scourge" of the victims. But at that time, under the agitation of the leftist public opinion in Hong Kong, the citizens did not read the article and did not go to the bottom of the story because of their sympathy for the victims.

At that time, the CCP changed its previous practice of closing off the Tangshan earthquake and rejecting foreign aid, allowing Hong Kong and foreign journalists to interview, and accepting global aid and donations from all walks of life. The tragic situation of the victims was widely reported in Hong Kong. It has aroused the emotions of Hong Kong residents and actively donated money and materials.

According to statistics, in response to the Wenchuan earthquake, the Hong Kong Legislative Council allocated HK$9 billion, the Jockey Club donated HK$1 billion, and the private sector donated HK$13 billion, totaling about HK$22 billion. Far more than the donation figures for all disasters over the years. During the East China flood in 1991, the Hong Kong government donated 50 million yuan and Hong Kong people donated 600 million yuan.

Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the ethnic feelings of the Chinese in Hong Kong are usually the strongest when the Chinese people are suffering. I'm afraid it will be the same this time. Polls show that since 1997, 2008 was the highest point for Hong Kong people to identify with the Chinese. Some people think it's the pride caused by the Beijing Olympics and China's Shenzhou 7, but I think it's mainly the concern caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.

Political figures who have long criticized the CCP have also invested in fundraising amid a surge of sympathy and identity. "Apple Daily" donated all the proceeds from the sales of the newspaper for a few days to the Red Cross Society of China.

In this atmosphere, my warning of "God's condemnation" was interpreted as "God's condemnation" for the victims, and received overwhelming public criticism. Even some public intellectuals who have always been critical of the CCP joined in their criticism of me.

Amid the turmoil of the crowd, three people expressed support for my theory of "God's Retribution". One is Li Zhiying. Although he sold "Apple Daily" for charity and donated money to the Wenchuan earthquake, one day he invited me to dinner with a friend in Hong Kong and said plainly, "What's wrong with the theory of "God's condemnation"? He was the only person in the newspaper office who told me that. The other is my wife, Li Yi, who said: "It's just "God's scourge". Officials borrow money from natural disasters. With so much money donated by Hong Kong, how much will actually fall into the hands of the victims? "I don't give a dollar." There is also a writer Tao Jie, who wrote articles under a pseudonym to support the theory of "God's condemnation", and even further said that even saying "God's condemnation" of the people is not wrong, because tolerating an apathetic government, the people are also "common cause."

His statement coincides with what Japanese writer Ishihara Shintaro said after the 2011 Fukushima earthquake in Japan. Ishihara said: "The Japanese are too self-conscious and give priority to selfishness in everything. The earthquake is a huge warning against the depravity of the Japanese. Through this tsunami, these attachments are purged. I think it may be the so-called divine condemnation."

Ishihara's theory of "God damn the Japanese" did not arouse the anger of Japanese society, but brought public self-examination. He was then elected governor of Tokyo.

This is the second time I have faced a turbulent entanglement since the Jiangnan case. I made it through. Five years later, the Ya'an earthquake turned the situation upside down. Hong Kongers launched the "Don't Donate a Dime" campaign. No one criticized the "God's condemnation" theory. Leung Chun-ying, who is only a member of the underground party, will occasionally bring it up.

(Original post published on July 25, 2022)

"Memoirs of a Loser" serial catalog (continuously updated)

167. In the second half of the political career, I think of Ni Kuang

168. A new record of tombstones in the cultural circle of Hong Kong

169. Misunderstandings of patriotic democrats

170. The establishment of a country depends on a ge

171. Conjunctions that fascinate me

172. Do n't understand, don't understand, don't understand

173. The democrats in the first decade of 1997

174. The beginning of another life stage

175. Looking at China from the glory days of the forum

176. The disaster caused by the "scourge" theory