CCCH9009 Reflective Essay
CCCH9009 Protests, Rebellions and Revolutions in Modern China
Reflective Essay
Name:
CHAN Chun Ho, Goofy
UID:
3035071486
Tutorial:
Friday 10.30 – 11.20
CCCH 9009 Protests, Rebellions and Revolutions in Modern China
Reflective Essay
Introduction
Ian Johnson’s Wild Grass presents three stories that vividly reflect the social and political problems in the contemporary Chinese regime. Featuring three groups of protagonists, namely the ‘peasant champion’ who filed class-action lawsuit against the government for over-taxing, the Beijing citizens whose residence were destroyed for property development, and the daughter whose mother was killed in the suppression of Falun Gong, the book not only has envisioned me on some of the most controversial issues in China, but also has directed me on how to re-examine the nation in alternative perspectives.
The ‘peasant champion’: shedding lights on rule of law in China
As a law student, I hold a strong belief that law primarily functions to achieve justice. The notion of ‘everyone is equal before the law’ means that everyone is to be treated equally regardless of your background, wealth and power. Unfortunately, in an authoritarian state like
China, rule of law does not seem to play out its ideal role. The story of Ma Welin, the
‘peasant champion’, has precisely portrayed such fallacy in the Mainland nowadays.
Firstly, there is a lack of effective checks and balances on government power and authority.
The Chinese government essentially enjoys immunity from a majority of lawsuits. For instance, one cannot sue government censors for violating one’s right to free speech.
(Johnson, 2004) Interestingly, the freedom of speech is guaranteed in PRC’s constitution.
This leads to an awkward result in that people are unable to vindicate their legal rights through litigation, despite they, in theory, are supposed to enjoy such rights. It is therefore hard to expect that the Chinese legal regime, as a figurehead of the authority, can
Reflective Essay
Name:
CHAN Chun Ho, Goofy
UID:
3035071486
Tutorial:
Friday 10.30 – 11.20
CCCH 9009 Protests, Rebellions and Revolutions in Modern China
Reflective Essay
Introduction
Ian Johnson’s Wild Grass presents three stories that vividly reflect the social and political problems in the contemporary Chinese regime. Featuring three groups of protagonists, namely the ‘peasant champion’ who filed class-action lawsuit against the government for over-taxing, the Beijing citizens whose residence were destroyed for property development, and the daughter whose mother was killed in the suppression of Falun Gong, the book not only has envisioned me on some of the most controversial issues in China, but also has directed me on how to re-examine the nation in alternative perspectives.
The ‘peasant champion’: shedding lights on rule of law in China
As a law student, I hold a strong belief that law primarily functions to achieve justice. The notion of ‘everyone is equal before the law’ means that everyone is to be treated equally regardless of your background, wealth and power. Unfortunately, in an authoritarian state like
China, rule of law does not seem to play out its ideal role. The story of Ma Welin, the
‘peasant champion’, has precisely portrayed such fallacy in the Mainland nowadays.
Firstly, there is a lack of effective checks and balances on government power and authority.
The Chinese government essentially enjoys immunity from a majority of lawsuits. For instance, one cannot sue government censors for violating one’s right to free speech.
(Johnson, 2004) Interestingly, the freedom of speech is guaranteed in PRC’s constitution.
This leads to an awkward result in that people are unable to vindicate their legal rights through litigation, despite they, in theory, are supposed to enjoy such rights. It is therefore hard to expect that the Chinese legal regime, as a figurehead of the authority, can