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An Ode to Prof.Fang, Li-Zhi

It's kind of shocking news for me to learn the passing away of Prof.Fang, Li-zhi, the famous dissident of China a.k.a Sakharov in China, I hereby try to convey my sincere condolence with his family members.

Let's slide the lens back to the scene of 1986 when late president Mr.Chiang, Ching-kuo lifted the ban on press freedom and party establishment in Taiwan Prof.Fang advocated democracy and political freedom in China hence facilitated the student movement at the end of 1986, which was composed of a part of the third wave of democratization I once had the honor to participate in as a graduate student(see my Mar.4, 2012 blog).

Again, it's business as usual as Brezhnev's for China's People's Daily's affiliation- the Globe Times to launch propaganda against Prof.Fang--denouncing him not to ride the tide of history and to be self-righteousness by relying on Westerners. My rebuttal is both accusations are untenable and ridiculous in that the precursor of People's Daily, ie. Xinhua Daily used to advocate the same things during 1940's as Mr.Chiang, Ching-kuo and Prof.Fang did in 1986, who is on the contradictory pathway of history? It seems the twist of Zhou, En-lai can be applied to Chiang, Ching-kuo's action--both marching to the opposite of old self. Besides the King Mother Ci-xi of late Qing dynasty also accused the Revolutionaries of being self-righteousness by relying on Westerners. Who is the backlash of history?

Today a few of offspring of the then-stubborn caucus of KMT join the hardliner of CCP(CPC) to become the same family in China and too many monsters and temples almost lead to church and state chaos(let me borrow the title of Dr.Louis Cha's novel"The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and the theme of "the Deer and the Cauldron"-- The Imbroglio Within the Matrix of the Incumbent and the Civil World at Large) by political monks and quasi-religious leader as was mentioned before, which is pitiful and should be in deep concern for all people penchant for democracy, freedom, human rights, transparency and rule of law.

May Prof.Fang, Li-zhi's spirit remain among us forever.