In the past 10 years, some of you here are not happy, saying that I ask people to worship me, and that I haven’t learned lessons from the past. Yes, our party indeed had some very bitter lessons to learn in the past. However, we have such a large country, and so many people, and we had to set things right. So without establishing personal prestige, it is difficult to convince the public.

It is indeed very dangerous to worship any one individual. However, the key issue is, whether the person being worshiped can make good control of everything. Chinese civilization has a history of 5000 years, and the worshiping of one person has always been there in each and every dynasty. There were both bad and good experiences. ……Although Chairman Mao made some mistakes in his later years, we can’t deny his entire life. Our party had been worshiping Mao since the Yan’an period, we had worshiped him for so many years. But didn’t we end up establishing a new China? Isn’t this good?

Worshiping God, Buddha, or any certain individuals is only a tool, a tactic for the ruling class to convince the lower-class working people. ……In the past ten years, have I let anybody down? No, I have not. Everybody here is still enjoying life, which thing is missing? During the years of the pandemic, no matter how difficult things are in China, have you and your family businesses been affected whatsoever? No, you haven’t. So why do you complain? I am worthy of the big red collective family established by our fathers.

……

Who can you really trust? We walked the wrong way in the past 40 years. It looks like we have more money, and our economy is better, but our foundation has been shaken, and our control over society has been weakened. ……The economy is important, but the color of our state power is much more important. If it is not in red color, we’d rather not have it.

……

There are always people who are worried about the economic downturn. Those people reminded me that I couldn’t affect the economy when I tried to fight corruption. ……When I was in the countryside, we were so poor then, but every family had at least 4–5 children, and nobody ever complained about poverty. ……Now life is better, but people curse us after they get fed well. How can that do? This is forgetting where their good life came from. The Chinese are not afraid of suffering and poverty. We should be afraid of forgetting our roots. We should be afraid of corruption.

……

The past forty years have been a process of decay. People are too greedy and have forgotten their roots. The economy is good now, but everybody has become petty bourgeoisie. The country of the Communist Party has become the country of the petty bourgeoisie. How can that be allowed? ……Therefore I never worry about the economy. However poor we are, we can’t be worse off than the Three Years of Natural Disasters (Jennifer’s note: the CCP always refers to the Chinese Great Famine which saw over 40 million Chinese die of hunger the “Three Years of Natural Disasters”) …If we can’t see through this, we are forgetting our roots and our initial hearts. The Communist Party is not a party that creates wealth, it is a revolutionary party, a red party, and a party that holds power. Therefore, it is not that I want to stay in the office. I just don’t feel ensured. If we appoint another leader, he may soon become corrupt, and we will become completely bourgeoisified. This has become a common understanding in our Politburo.

There are also people who complain about me breaking the rules. The rules are supposed to be broken in the first place. Chairman Mao once said: You can’t build up new things without breaking old ones. Didn’t Deng Xiaoping break Chairman Mao’s rules? The key is not the rules, but who made the rules, and for what purpose the rules are made. There will be new rules in the future.

……

We need to look at the big picture and look at the situation. This situation we have today didn’t come easily. If it had not been for Comrade Chen Yun, China would not be the red China it is now anymore. We won’t have our red heritage anymore. At the end of the day, if we lose our state power, we will be nothing. I happen to be born in this era and become the leader and head of our red regime. We should keep it that way. It is normal for people in society to say this or that. But we are in the same red family, we should be clear about who are our comrades. The biggest lesson of the Cultural Revolution was that we had forgotten our comradeship, and red families fought against one another. The 20th Congress is not far away. Since we gather here, I do want to share what’s on my mind. To put everything in one sentence, unity is strength. Do not forget our original heart.

(Jennifer’s note: The above-mentioned Chen Yun was one of the most important figures among the CCP’s first and second-generation leadership. He was one of the major architects and important policymakers for the Reform and opening up, alongside Deng Xiaoping.

He was said to have left 4 comments and rules for the CCP before he died. The 4 comments and rules are: 1. It is very easy to rule Chinese people. They won’t rebel even if they starve to death. 2. If we must fight among party members, don’t take lives. Otherwise, things would be too hard for our children and future generations. 3. Our power must be transferred to our own children. Otherwise, people would dig our graves in the future. 4. We cannot give freedom to the press. The party must take control of the press. The following is the entire, original Chinese language transcript of Xi Jinping’s internal speech. )

都是老朋友了，我随便说两句，没有讲稿的啊，我实话实说，不做灶王爷上天尽说吉利话。过去这十年，你们在座的有人不满意，说我搞个人崇拜。啊，说没有吸取过去的教训。我们党在这个方面，是有过非常沉痛的教训。但这么大的一个国家，人这么多，而且要拨乱反正，不树立个人威信，就难以服众。个人崇拜有危险，关键还在于受崇拜的人，能不能控制好，这个才是关键。中华文明五千年历史，历朝历代，都是个人崇拜过来的。有好的，也有坏的。我们许多老朋友，因为亲历过毛主席的，所以有天然的反感。但小平同志，不都说过，不能因为毛主席晚年的错误，否定他的一生？我们党从延安时期就对毛主席个人崇拜了，崇拜那么多年，打下一个新中国。这是好还是不好呢？
西方也树立神嘛，耶稣，对不对？我们中国土生土长的有观音如来，这些都是工具，统治阶级的工具。下层劳动人民就相信这个。对不对呢？大道理，在座的大家都懂，不需要我讲。宣传也很多。但治理一个国家，需要技巧，需要工具。我知道大家怕的是毛主席晚期，对党内高层的斗争。这个是教训。我们党，是大家的党。是我们所有人的父辈流血牺牲打下的江山。过去十年，我做过对不起大家的事吗？没有嘛。大家该吃该喝，哪一样缺了少了？就是疫情这几年，中国再困难，在座各位的家庭事业，受到过什么影响吗？还有什么好说的呢？我对得起我们父辈建立的这个红色集体。
这次跟大家见面，当然都关心连任。有些人牢骚很多，我知道。可以放开来讲嘛，毛主席说的，天塌不下来。你们说这个摊子交给谁，放心呢？说说看嘛。过去四十年的道路，我们就走弯了，走曲折了。看起来钱多了，经济好了，但根基被动摇了，控制力减弱了。动不动批评毛主席的领导。毛主席领导不好，能打下江山？能在朝鲜打赢美国？经济建设很重要，但江山的颜色更重要。不是红色的，我们不能要。
这个关键就是领路人。不管什么猫，抓到老鼠就是好猫。完全不符合辩证唯物主义嘛。我在梁家河插队那时候，为了消灭粮仓里的老鼠，养了好多猫，各种各样的。有的猫，个子这么大，有二十斤重呢。消灭了老鼠了？没有嘛。前几年我还问了那里的干部，他们还说，老鼠更多了，还是我在的那几年搞得好，老鼠少（众人大笑）。所以关键还是要看，是什么猫。抓老鼠的猫，到处有。但红色的猫，很少见。这才是我们党，我们政权最核心的问题。
总有人担心经济下行。从10年前我开始反腐，就有人一再提醒我，不要泼水把孩子也扔了。孩子扔了，再生嘛。人的一生可以生多少个孩子？我插队那个地方，当时那么穷，家家户户最少都四五个孩子。现在倒是经济好了，一家就一个两个，不愿意生。所以，经济好了，孩子也没有多啊。这不是经济的问题，是思想的问题。那个时候农民苦不苦？但是那个时候，谁叫苦？谁抱怨？倒是现在生活好了，端起碗吃饭，放下筷子骂娘。这怎么行呢？这是忘本！中国人不怕吃苦，不怕穷，怕的是忘本，怕的是腐朽。怕的是贪心不足蛇吞象啊。过去四十年，就是一个腐朽的过程，贪心不足，就是忘本。凡是我们小时候批判的，资产阶级的那一套，全跑到台面上了。非常猖獗。经济上行，最终就是都变成了小资产阶级。共产党的天下，变成了小资产阶级的天下。不吃点苦，怎么行？我看，还是要吃点苦头的好，体验一下贫穷。我们小时候那么苦，为什么却天天感觉很幸福？忆苦思甜，都吃过那个窝窝头。所以，经济我从来不担心。再苦，还能比三年自然灾害时候苦？不是一样熬过来了？看不清这个问题，就是忘本，忘记了初心。共产党不是创造财富的党，是革命党，是红色的党，是掌握政权的党。所以，我不是想连任，而是我不放心。换个人上来，可能很快就腐朽了，就完全资产阶级化了。这个在我们政治局里，已经成为大家共同的认识。。
还有人发牢骚，说打破规矩了。规矩本来就是要破的么。毛主席不是说：不破不立。毛主席的规矩，不是一样被小平破了吗？关键不是规矩，而是谁制定的规矩，是为了什么目的制定的规矩。未来还会有新的规矩，这才是辩证法。我最近看恩格斯的”反社林论”，里面就说得非常好啊。嗯。嗯。反正，要反社林论。那都是资产阶级的腐朽的。
要看清大局，要看清形势。今天这个局面，真的很不容易啊。要珍惜。如果不是陈云同志的那句话，中国现在就不是红色的中国了，就没有红色血统了。说壹千道一万，没有政权，就什么都不是。我也不过是正好赶上了这个时代，做了红色江山掌门人。让江山不变色。社会上有议论很正常，但是咱们红色集体，应该很清楚，谁是同一个战壕的战友。文革最大的教训，就是忘记了这份战友情谊，搞红色内斗，最终小平同志侨枉过正。离二十大也不远了，今天正好聚集在一起，就跟大家交交心，还是一句话，团结就是力量。不忘初心。这个讲话，就不要外传了，传出去，我也不会承认啊。

Originally published at https://www.jenniferzengblog.com on September 22, 2022.