Lack of Democracy in China

As mentioned in Chapter One, the ninth feature of Chinese culture is that it includes no provision for democracy, nor any established legal system. Much has been said in the preceding chapter about the whys and wherefores of the endurance of China's social structure. I imagine my readers will have also acquainted themselves with this. In the following, however, we will explore the explanations for this further.

First, what is democracy? As a spirit, it is not hard to observe democracy in human social life. It derives from a single essential attitude, which can be summed up in the following five points.

• (1) I acknowledge myself and I also acknowledge other people. I have my own emotional requirements, my own ideas and my own opinions, and so on. Other people also have their emotional requirements, their own ideas and their own opinions. All of these must be taken into account, and can never be obliterated, rejected or eradicated. This is the first essential point.

• The practice of “thinking only of oneself, never others” is anti-democratic. (2) Through the acknowledgement of other people, you will develop the spirit of “advancing mutual equality”. Within a group, “everyone is equal”. Thinking that “I should be revered and respected exclusively” is anti-democratic.

• (3) Mutual equality leads to the development of a spirit of “reasoned discussion”. When people have disagreements with each other, these disagreements should be resolved rationally. When an agreement has been reached about something, you give your consent and I give mine. That will suffice. Nothing should be done the hard way and no force should be applied to compel one's own ends to be met. Those who are not reasonable or who do not convince others by reasoning are anti-democratic.

• (4) From equality and reasonable discussion naturally comes the accepted notion of “letting the majority take precedence over the minority”. Whenever something is the concern of the general public, an assembly discusses it and the decision ultimately rests with the majority.