Bao Tong: Criticizing the Emperor is a Social Responsibility

There is an article in People’s Daily Online titled, “Deepen Your Knowledge in Sinology with Chairman Xi’s Speeches,” in which the anonymous author talked about the “Fifteen Anecdotes that Chairman Xi Jinping Shared with the World.” I read the first entry and found a few bones to pick.

This entry was from Xi Jinping’s speech delivered at the Parliament of Pakistan, which said “Strong wind reveals the strength of grass, and genuine gold stands the test of fire." The author states that this expression is a variation derived from Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s poem, “To Xiaoyu.” The verses were “Jífēng zhī jìng cǎo, bǎn dàng shì chéng chén.” The author explains that this means “only the toughest grass can withstand gusty winds, and only in troubled times can the most loyal courtiers be revealed.”

These is nothing wrong with Xi’s speech. My beef was with the People’s Daily article.

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