The important thing here is the ruthlessness in which the elites of the May Fourth Movement criticized our own traditional culture. Were there any Western countries in which something comparable happened? After the May Fourth Movement, we lost our confidence and formed a sense of inferiority that we’ve yet to shake off. We have been over-critical of ourselves.
At the beginning of this period of history, we were fighting Western colonialism. Later, we were fighting to breakthrough the blockade imposed by the West. And today, we are fighting against Western countries’ systematic robbery through their economic and financial systems.
NewsChina: One commentator recently described you as having “raised a butcher’s knife to the Mo Luo of the past.” Do you agree with that?
Mo Luo: No, absolutely not. I only expanded my scope. In the past, I was talking in a room about the problems of the room. Now I’m talking in a building about the problems of the building.
NewsChina: You mentioned before that you have undertaken field research to support your opinions. Could you provide us with an example?
Mo Luo: During the May Fourth Movement period, the Chinese elites were vehemently criticizing ordinary culture. I grew up reading books by these elites and took for granted that ordinary, regular people were uneducated and uncivilized. But after I actually began to learn about the culture, customs and religions found in China’s rural areas, I found that folk culture in China’s rural areas has every reason to live on.
Then I framed my conclusion in the perspective of world history. Non-Western cultures such as Chinese, African and Native American cultures all have their own reason and right to live. The West as the ruler of the world has been trying hard to build theories of ruled nations and races as uncivilized, in order to verify the legitimacy of their rule. And China’s elites, as the ruler of Chinese society, are also trying their best to perform the same trick within Chinese society itself. Therefore, I stand alongside ordinary Chinese people to oppose the arrogance of these elites. I also stand alongside China as a weakened player in the international community to oppose the arrogance and cultural hegemony of Western elites.
NewsChina: You mention the word “elite” many times throughout China Rises. How exactly do you define it?
Mo Luo: “Elite” refers to people who master political, economic and cultural resources. In other words, they are people with power. Political elites control the society with their political power. Economic elites control resources with their wealth. And cultural elites control the major channels of expression.
NewsChina: Do you think you are a member of this “elite”?
Mo Luo: It depends on how you divide the social classes. If you do divide society into classes, I’m of course a member of the elite class.
NewsChina: But in your books, when you use the word “elite,” you appear to view it as a singular entity, instead of a collection of individuals with different viewpoints.
Mo Luo: If you divide the society in a simple way, a society only has two classes, the rulers and the ruled. Taken as a starting point, we can only discuss issues within this framework. What we can now do is to try our best to change it.
NewsChina: In your book you name those criticized by you as “foreigners’ flunkeys.” What do you mean by that?
Mo Luo: It refers to people who negate our own culture and worship everything foreign.
