State Media Deploys Blogger to Counter Criticisms From Lawyers, College Dean, and Big V Businessman About Ideology Campaign

On February 9, 2015, several state sponsored media outlets, including the People's Daily and Xinhua, published an article quoting Nankai University Dean Gong Ke as saying:

Recently I have seen online that some people are talking about cleaning out, purifying, and rectifying the teaching ranks, and this is something that I cannot agree with, this is the mentality of 1957 or 1966.

On February 10, 2015, copies of a Freedom of Information Application began appearing online under the title "By Its Nature Learning Should Be Open, To Seal Up Schools and Shut Up the Country is to Endanger the Nation" (学术天然应开放 封校锁国必误国). The Application, dated February 6, requested the following information from the Ministry of Education:

1. Provide the legal support and the basis of authority for Yuan Guiren's "Four Absolute No's" order to the nation's institutes of higher learning.
2. Publish a standard for delineating "Western value systems."
3. Publish the criteria for differentiating between "attacking, defaming, and smearing" and the rights of criticism, suggestion, and free speech enjoyed by citizens under the Constitution.

On February 14, 2015, Ren Zhiqiang (任志强) published a post on his Caijing blog entitled "What Are Western Value Systems" (什么是西方价值观). Some excerpts:

If our own value systems are superior to Western value systems, if China wishes to see the world accept China's value system, then why can't the two value systems be allowed to openly compete on the same platform? Why is it necessary to fear Western value systems?

On February 15, 2015, the websites of several mainland China news outlets published an article entitled "Ren Zhiqiang: Our Government Basically Does Not Care About Protecting Private Property" (任志强：我们的政府根本就不想保护私有财产). Some excerpts:

[T]he government puts excessive emphasis on the gun and the knife and opposes Western value systems. The winds of the Cultural Revolution are picking up again. Furthermore, when it comes protecting private property, they talk about rule of law, when in fact the rule of law they emphasize is the power of government.  

On February 12, 2015, the website of the Communist Youth League published an editorial by Wang Dehua (王德华) entitled "It is Groundless to Talk of a 'Return to the Cultural Revolution'" (说“回到文革”是杞人忧天). Some excerpts: 

Some people are neurotic when it comes to rectifying the teaching ranks. "Comprehensively rectify the teaching ranks? This is the mentality of 1957 or 1966." Some others go online and say that they feel as if the Cultural Revolution has returned. There has even appeared online "Nine Lawyers Express Doubts About the Ministry of Eduction" questioning the legality of rectifying institutes of higher learning.
. . . .
Do not use the Cultural Revolution as a shield. As soon as someone mentions rectifying the teaching ranks it must "leftist." When people bite the hand that feeds them, the hand of the Communist Party, and violate laws and the Constitution, should we just let it slide? The only members of the teaching ranks who will get rectified are the rotten apples that would spoil the bunch. If we can admit that "there are certainly those within the teaching ranks who have issues when it comes to political viewpoints, lifestyle, finances, and academic discipline," then why can we not agree to "clean out, purify, and rectify the ranks of teachers"?
. . . .
The "Nine Lawyers Express Doubts About the Ministry of Eduction" may shout about "by its nature learning should be open, and to seal up Sschools and shut up the country is to endanger the nation," but this what they are in fact doing is opening the door to make it easy for Western incorrecting value systems to spread throughout our institutions of higher learning. Many people believe that China cannot be "brought down with curses," but they are naive. There is still a vibrant market for those who peddle the idea that "China's political reforms are lagging behind its economic reforms." Certain people continue to blindly worship the West's electoral system, and their goal is to tear down the "Emperial Palace" and replace it with a "White House."
. . . .
Under no circumstances can students, whose minds are like blank slates, be exposed to the Western world view.

整顿高校教师队伍，有人神经过敏。“全面整顿教师队伍？这是1957年和1966年思维。”还有人上纲上线，说感觉文革要回来了。网上还出现“九律师质疑教育部”，质疑整顿高校的合法性。
. . . .
别拿文革做挡箭牌。一说整顿一下教师队伍，就是“左”了。难道对吃饭砸锅、违法违宪者还要放任自流不成？整顿的，只是教师队伍中的害群之马。既然承认“我们这支队伍中有些人政治观点有问题，有些人的生活作风有问题，有些人可能经济上有问题，学风上有问题，这些确实都有”，为什么不同意“清理、纯洁、整顿教师队伍”？　
. . . .
《九律师质疑教育部》，大叫“学术天然应开放，封校锁国必误国”，其实质是为西方错误价值观在高校传播大开方便之门。有许多人认为中国不会被“骂垮”，这是幼稚。认为中国“政治改革滞后于经济改革”的论调，还很有市场，一些人对西方的选举制度还很迷信，其目的是拆“故宫”建“白宫”。
. . . .
决不能把西方世界观灌输给白纸一样的学生。

On February 16, 2015, the Global Times published an editorial by Wang Dehua (王德华) entitled "Ren Zhiqiang's Spouting About the Return of the Cultural Revolution Exposes Him For Who He Truly Is" (任志强扯出文革来说事是欲盖弥彰). Some excerpts:

What Ren Zhiqiang said has the appearance of truth, but is actually false. His logic is all over the place, and he ignores the facts and makes vague accusations. He advocates Western value systems, but cannot cover up the "the filth that lies underneath," like the West's political system, one person one vote, the multi-party system, separation of powers, etc. Just as he said: "In a democratic country, who holds power is determined by vote." China's current political system is not based on one person one vote, therefore the legality of the Communist Party's hold on power would be called into question, and this is the crux of the issue.
. . . .
Not accepting Western political systems, opposing having Western value systems forced upon us, attacking corruption - how can this be equated with the Cultural Revolution?
. . . .
If you are not doing anything illegal, then why are you afraid of the gun and the knife? By trotting out the Cultural Revolution you are saying more about yourself than anything else.
任志强说道理似是而非，讲原则指西打东，摆事实指桑骂槐。他提倡西方价值观，却掩盖不了“皮袍下的脏东西”，即西方的政治制度，一人一票、多党制、三权分立等等。正如他说的，“民主制度的国家，谁当权是选举的结果”。中国的现行政体不是一人一票，如此一来共产党执政的合法性就成问题了，这是问题的关键。
. . . .
不接受西方的政治体制，反对西方强行推销的价值观，打击贪污腐败，怎么就成了文革之风了？
. . . .
不违法又怕什么枪杆子和刀把子？扯出文革来说事儿是欲盖弥彰。

Neither the Communist Youth League nor the Global Times disclosed Wang's affiliation, but there is a Wang Dehua who maintains a blog and claims to be a "Special Commentator" for the Global Times.

The Global Times subsequently removed Wang's editorial from its website (original URL - http://opinion.huanqiu.com/1152/2015-02/5702866.html), but it can still be found on Wang's blog here - http://wangdehua.blogchina.com/2385479.html.