In the ancient times, when people with good virtue governed a state, they explained the relationship between ordinary people and the royal court with an old idiom, “Water can float a boat and can also overturn a boat.”
They allowed different opinions and did their best to have ordinary people express what they had in their minds freely in order to see if their government was good enough and whether they were favorable with the public. They would do whatever that was supported by the people and rectify whatever was opposed by them.
They looked at the opinions of the populace as a mirror to reflect on the errors of the current government. In China, it was said that the ancients inaugurated many millenniums of peace and harmony, having brought blessings and happiness to the people. Later generations in different times yearned for those great eras.
In the Warring States Period (453 BC—221 BC), there was a chancellor named Zou Ji in the State of Qi. He was a tall man and was considered to be very handsome. He heard that in the northern part of the city, there was a man called Xu Gong, who was a well-known and handsome man.
He then asked his wife, “Compared with Xu Gong, who is more handsome, Xu Gong or me?” His wife replied, “You are so handsome that Xu Gong is no comparison to you.” Zou Ji was quite doubtful of her remark and then asked his concubine and his guests the same question. They all said, “Xu Gong is not as handsome as you.” Not long after that, Zou Ji had a chance to see Xu Gong with his own eyes and found that Xu Gong was far more handsome than he was.
Zou Ji then went to the court to see King Wei in the State of Qi and said to him, “I know very well that I am not as handsome as Xu Gong, but my wife, my concubine and my guests all said that I am more handsome than he is because my wife loves me and is partial to me, my concubine fears me and my guests try to seek favor from me.”
Zou Ji continued, “Now the State of Qi has territory that spans thousands of Li (1 Li equals 500 meters) with a 120 cities. The wives and concubines in your royal court all love you and are therefore partial to you, your ministers are all afraid of you and your subjects all try to seek favor from you. From this observation, Your Majesty, you are in the dark and are totally blind to truth and reality!”
After hearing this, the King said, “You are right.” He then issued an order: “Everyone, whether he is a government official or an ordinary person will be highly rewarded if he can point out my errors to my face. Those who write to me to point out my mistakes will be moderately rewarded and those who talk about my mistakes in public places will be rewarded as well.”
As soon as this order was issued, throngs of officials went to express their opinions and the royal court was full of visitors. Months after that, there were still people visiting the court from time to time, offering their opinions. A year later, even if there was still someone who would like to offer some opinions, they had nothing left to say.
As a result, a great government flourished in the State of Qi. When the nearby states known as Yan, Zhao, Han and Wei heard this, they all went to the State of Qi to pay a tribute. In this way, the State of Qi conquered the enemy states without resorting to any weapons or military force.
In the State of Zheng (806 BC—375 BC), there was a public meeting place to which people often came and talked about current affairs, good or bad, regarding the royal court. Ran Ming, a senior official in the State of Zheng, asked Zi Chan, the Prime Minister of Zheng, if they should eliminate this public meeting place.
Zi Chan replied, “Why? Before and after work, people can come here and talk about good and bad things regarding the court. We will continue to do what they like and rectify what they dislike. We can learn a lot here. Why do we want to do away with it?”
He continued, “I hear being truthful and kind can reduce grudges and hatred. I have never heard that being powerful and forceful to others can prevent grudges and hatred. It isn’t difficult to stop those talks, is it? But if we do that, it is like stopping a river from flowing forward. The result would be the river overflowing and hurting more people. Why not open a little channel and let it flow with some regulation? Let me hear their talks and take them as a good recipe for governing the state.”
Thus, it was said that Zi Chan governed the State of Zheng for twenty-six years with a good government record and was harmonious with the people. When Zi Chan died, the people had deep grief as if they had lost a parent.
There were people who took the opposite approach. An old saying states, “A just cause enjoys abundant support while an unjust cause finds little. An unjust cause can’t even win support from one’s family members and relatives.”
For those who go against the will of the people, not only are they not blessed by Heaven, as they say, they are not even supported by family members and relatives.
In the Western Zhou Period (1046 BC – 771 BC), King Li of Zhou was said to have no virtue and was very cruel. Behind his back, people talked about his tyrannical government. Zhao Gong (son of King Wen of Zhou and younger brother to King Wu) told him, “People can no longer bear with such tyranny.”
King Li was furious when he heard this. He sent for an advisor in the State of Wei and assigned him the job of keeping watch of those people who talked about the court affairs. Based on the advisor's report, King Li would kill those who were accused. Consequently, people dared not to talk any more. When they saw each other on the road, they just used their eye expressions to convey their dissatisfaction.
King Li was very happy with the situation. He then told Zhao Gong, “You see I can stop people from talking. They no longer dare say anything.”
Zhao Gong replied, “This is to make people shut up. Blocking people’s mouths is even more dangerous than blocking a river. When the river overflows due to a blockage, it will cause damage to many people. It is the same case for blocking people’s mouths. Therefore, if you want to regulate water, you need to open water channels to make water flow freely. When you govern people, you also need to allow them the channels to speak what they have in minds freely.”
Zhou Gong continued, “People should be free to express their opinions, about government affairs that can be checked and evaluated. Good things can be carried forward and the bad things can be prevented. As a result, our wealth will increase. If you shut people up, who will care for government affairs?”
King Li would not listen and people no longer dared to talk. In three years’ time, the people punished him by sending him into exile to a place called “Zhi.”
History is a mirror for the rise and fall of dynasties. The wise prevail while the unwise disappear. The ancients said that the virtuous are blessed by Heaven with a good government because it provides harmony among people. Also, officials without virtue make Heaven furious and the people resentful and therefore will be punished by both Heaven and the people.
In present day Mainland China, one will see that it has reached the extreme and people are not allowed to express their own opinions freely. King Li of Zhou only had one advisor to keep watch over those who talked and people could still use eye expressions to covey dissatisfactions on the road.
Now, in Mainland China, the secret police that keeps watch over internet users is around a million. Also, there are large numbers of the plain-clothed policemen everywhere.
Even when people behave themselves and are obedient, or stay at home, they are still sometimes kidnapped and put in prison without reason.
They are not even given a chance to “use eye expressions to express their feelings on the street.” They are often beaten up, made handicapped or killed, and family members are not even allowed to voice grievances for those who were made handicapped or killed.
It took only three years for King Li of Zhou to stop people from airing opinions before he was exiled by the people. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been a tyrannical government for decades.
The CCP's malevolent practice of stopping people from airing their opinions has surpassed that of King Li of Zhou. The CCP has totally lost the trust of the people. If we use the knowledge to ancient times, it makes both Heaven and the people very angry and it will definitely be eliminated.
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