1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"I don't agree. Can you explain it?"

"Okay, you said that only elites can drive national and social progress. Then let me ask you, the improved steam engine, the spinning jenny, the electric light, the movie, and the telegraph are all considered progress, right? Were their inventors elites?"

"I don't know much about them, but from your tone, I can tell they aren't the elite of society. But even if that's the case, they're just isolated cases, right?"

"To be more precise, before they became social elites, they weren't elites at all. They were just ordinary people... As for whether this is an isolated case, let me give you another example: the Fan Family Charity Home. Have you heard of it?"

"You mean...Fan Zhongyan's family? The one in Suzhou?"

"Yes, it is a typical organization built using the ideas I mentioned."

"Isn't that a charity? I heard..."

"You think too simply, Brother Xun. I've done my research. Charity is only one aspect of it. In fact, its most important function, just like your Zhou family's family tradition, is to pass on the family wealth."

"How to say?"

"The primary purpose of the Fan Family Charity is the same as that of family foundations in Europe and the United States—to ensure that all family members have the minimum right to survival, livelihood, and education..."

Fujiwara no Kanezane explained the general operation mode of Fan's charity house to Lu Xun:

"With the most guaranteed living conditions, the Fan family can devote most of their energy to learning and education. The Fan family can continuously produce elites, who in turn protect and strengthen the Fan family..."

Lu Xun suddenly realized!

As the son of an official, whose ancestor was even the great Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was not completely unaware of these things, but he had never looked at them from this perspective!

More and more of Fan's children studied hard and became high-ranking officials, which in turn expanded the scale of Fan's charity house, and thus the Fan family produced more high-ranking officials;

He used to think that the Fan family had good upbringing, but now it seems that this is just a gamble on probability!

Among the hundreds or thousands of tribe members, perhaps the vast majority are ordinary people, but as long as there are a few or even one top talent, all the initial investment will be earned back;

Then, these top members of the clan will give back to the Fan family and strengthen it, and those Fan family members who did not become top talents will not be much worse, at least they will have no problem guarding the family;

That's why the Fan family has survived for thousands of years!

In fact, to put it bluntly, it is very similar to the Zhou family's "school land system" and "clan school system", but it is more complete and comprehensive!

The Fan clan has many people, so the probability of producing elites is greater, and the effect is obvious. The Zhou clan has few people, so the probability of producing elites is small, so it is difficult to see the effect!

But no matter what, those "elites" of both the Fan and Zhou families actually came from "ordinary people" who were originally not valued!

Lu Xun was a little annoyed for a moment.

Although he was not an "anti-traditionalist" as some people thought, he had underestimated some things and made some mistakes in the past.

For example, "The revelry of the mediocre masses is precisely what is stifling the development of individuality in China";

For example, "(Even if) you read fewer Chinese books, the result will be nothing more than being unable to write essays";

For example, "When encountering a strong person, one dares not resist, so one uses words like 'moderation' to cover it up and comfort oneself."

(Put aside the rhetoric of "Lu Xun's views on traditional Chinese culture were extremely wrong and seriously misled Chinese intellectuals.")

Now, from Fujiwara no Kanezane's sensible new interpretation, we can see that while there are certainly many flaws in Chinese traditional culture, there are also many more valuable treasures worth exploring!

I am a Chinese, and I am learning my own country's culture and history, but why can't I learn it as well and thoroughly as a Japanese?

"...You see, this is the mindset of increasing investment in ordinary people to cultivate elites. What I want to do is actually to expand and repeat this approach, replacing clans with nations, and replacing tribesmen with people..."

Seeing that Lu Xun had completely understood, Fujiwara no Kanezane smiled and explained in more depth:

"This applies not only to education but also to other areas. In short, it's about ensuring that all ordinary people have the most basic living security and equal access to education, thereby producing more elites to drive social progress."

Of course, there is also the role of "deconstructing clans, expanding grassroots government power, and improving national organization", but this is something that needs to be done secretly, so there is no need to say it out loud.

"When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace."

"Yes, the meaning is roughly the same. Explain it from the perspective of the material world.

People who are hungry simply don’t have the energy to think about other things because of insufficient blood sugar, so most people naturally become ordinary people.”

"But even so, the elites are still the group that drives social progress. You can't deny that, right? Elites and geniuses are ultimately useful."

"That's right, but the concept of elite has always been relative. Every era and field has its own elites. What is elite in one era or field may not be elite in another era or field."

"For example, during most of the Song Dynasty, scholars were considered elites, while soldiers were not. But what if it was a time of chaos? No matter how well you studied, if I strike you with my sword, what kind of elite are you?"

“This is why the elites in this field are often the most opposed to social progress, because once society progresses to the point where they can no longer adapt, they are no longer elites;”

"Therefore, in order to protect their own interests, many elites will spontaneously hinder social progress. This is why reform is often extremely difficult unless they are pushed to the point of no survival."

"But the world is bound to move from an old era to a new one. Countries and societies must always develop. But if the power of the old era remains in the hands of the old elites, do you think they will suppress or bribe the new elites?"

“Once a new elite fails to emerge and the old elite gradually becomes corrupt and degenerate, the country and society will gradually lose not only the present era but also the future.”

"Let's not talk about the distant past, just think about the recent Qing Dynasty. Isn't that what actually happened?"

a"

Isn’t it!?

Those old Qing nobles were considered the elites of the old era, but even when they were forced into a desperate situation, didn't they cling to their old ways?

Isn't this what happened with Yuan Shikai, the abolition of the imperial examination system, the Qing imperial cabinet, and the previous "Manchukuo" leader Puyi who sold out his country for personal gain?

The old elites can often only entertain themselves within the old system. Once they enter the new world, they don’t know how to deal with it. The simplest way is to use the power in their hands to prevent the emergence of new elites.

Lu Xun felt that his horizons had broadened again.

"So, this history is a process of constant struggle between the old elite and the new elite... the new elite that emerges from the masses?"

"Yeah!"

Fujiwara Kanemi clapped his hands and laughed:

"What we need to do is to allow as many elites as possible to emerge from among the masses, rely on these new elites to fight against the old elites, and in this process continuously promote the progress of society, the country, and the world!"

The principle that "the elites and the masses both oppose and struggle against each other and integrate and cooperate with each other" seems simple, but it was not until many years later that countries around the world gradually figured it out.

Britain has tried an extreme "elitist historical view", believing that the masses are useless, and therefore exploiting them to death, not caring at all that their lives are even worse than those of stray dogs on the roadside;

As a result, Britain's decline was as unimaginably fast as its rise, and to some extent, this also forced the Soviet Union to emerge as a great country whose leaders mostly came from the grassroots and were gradually falsifying the "elite view of history";

China has tried an extreme "people's view of history," believing that it is shameful to claim to be an elite. Therefore, it has implemented policies such as the "big pot" system, where people are paid the same whether they work more or less, or whether they work or not.

As a result, because political struggles still exist, political elites still exist, and organizational and mobilization capabilities are still good, economic and social vitality has been greatly reduced, and the joke of "a bustling market is a national shame" has emerged.

(This video is available on Bilibili. If I remember correctly, it seems to be blaming the Gang of Four or Zhao Ziqi's economic policies. Considering the current "street stall economy", it is really a bit ironic.)

It is undoubtedly wrong to say that the elite can be superior to the people, but it is true that the elites of this era are better than ordinary people, and this must be acknowledged;

It is undoubtedly true that the elite must serve the people, but it is harmful to treat them as ordinary people and wantonly consume them, or even deliberately suppress them.

Ultimately, both pure "elitism" and pure "people'sism" are problematic. Neither the extreme right nor the extreme left is desirable. Excessive power on either side will bring serious consequences.

Only by properly grasping the balance between the two, and seizing the optimal balance of power between the elites and the masses of this era, can we ensure the stability of the foundation while promoting the emergence of more new elites and promoting national and social progress.

The United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and later China did a good job in this regard.

As for the United States later, they actually went back to playing the limited-edition nostalgic version with Ying - so it's no surprise that the country as a whole collapsed.

Lu Xun took a deep breath.

At this moment, he finally understood what the so-called "everyone is like a dragon" in the letter written to him by Fujiwara Kanezane meant.

Pinyin, simplified Chinese characters, compulsory education, free education, building a strong teaching team, strict and even harsh protection of the right to education, and so on...

All of this is done to ensure absolute equality in the right to education, and to produce, to the greatest extent possible, elites of this era, the next era, and even beyond among the masses! Produce elites of different levels!

There is no doubt that the more such elites there are, the stronger the society and the country will be. When such elites reach a certain level, all the people will become elites, and new elites will emerge from these "elites"...

This cycle repeats itself over and over again, and eventually everyone becomes a dragon!

Of course, such a future is still very, very far away, but even if it is far away, can't we take the first step?

That’s not far away!

I can’t see it, but my son might be able to see it;

My son may not be able to see it, but my grandchildren and my descendants will be able to see it one day!

"Okay, I've answered this question, right? Any other questions?"

"No more." Lu Xun shook his head:

"I already understand how I should carry out my educational work in the future."

Anyone or anything that hinders the equal right to education and prevents class mobility is my enemy!

434 Two or Three People and Two or Three Things Before the Establishment of the New Country

"...For general questions, please go to Minister He Baozhen... I'm leaving now. Please be careful when using charcoal fires. Be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning..."

After chatting with Lu Xun about education for almost two hours, Fujiwara Kanezane left the school where Lu Xun worked and got into his own black limousine:

"Shh... It's freezing, this damn place in Northeast China is truly unsuitable for human habitation... 40, where's the next stop? The Ministry of Labor, right?"

"Yes, Commander."

UMP40, who had been waiting in the car, watched through the rearview mirror as Mark naturally put his hand into the agent's chest to warm it. The agent was speechless, his face twitching, and a hint of tax evasion slipped through the corner of his mouth:

"Then there's the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport... and finally the Office of the Chairman of the Central Government."

"Ah, why is it so packed?" "I can't help it, after all, you're the King of Northeast China?" "Tsk..."

Although the CCP members have been hard-working, dedicated and competent enough, there are still many areas that Fujiwara Kanezane needs to inspect in person.

It's not about solving a lot of problems, it's mainly about stabilizing people's hearts, uniting all parties, and suppressing dissent.

However, someone who looked at the issue based on the experience of later generations completely underestimated the enthusiasm of people who had suffered from war and humiliation at that time when they faced a prosperous new country.

"Minister Wang, good morning!"

"Ah! Your Highness! Why are you here?"

Minister Wang Genying, who was in a meeting, was startled and quickly got up from her chair. More than a dozen staff members around her also stood up to greet the boss of everyone in the Northeast.

"Alright, alright, sit down and continue with your business."

Fujiwara Kanezane looked around and found several familiar faces. He smiled and waved his hand:

"I just came to see what your Ministry of Labor has been busy with since the beginning of the new year. You can continue with your own business and ignore me."

Based on my experience working in a state-owned enterprise in my previous life, the first half of the month and the second half of the month after the Chinese New Year are "not suitable for work";

Unexpectedly, this group of people not only arrived at work early, but the atmosphere was also very lively. Judging from their posture, they have already done a lot of work.

Mark sighed like this, but completely forgot that he himself was the one who traveled thousands of miles during the New Year and played an absolute leading role.

"Well...."

Seeing that Fujiwara Kanezane had already sat in the corner by himself, with no intention of talking or interfering, Wang Genying and the others had no choice but to get back to their work and soon stopped caring about others.

The first question is how to deal with the troubles caused by the large number of "rental worker resource service companies" that have appeared in Northeast China in the past six months.

That’s right, it is the famous “labor dispatch”.

Many people in later generations have said that "this is a unique exploitation system in China" or that it was invented by the Japanese. In fact, this thing actually came from "advanced" capitalist countries such as Britain and the United States.

It was originally intended to solve the problem of uneven human resources between "slack time and busy time". Later, capitalists discovered that this thing was really great in reducing production costs, so they rolled it out on a large scale.

If I have to say, the "hanger-on system" in ancient China is somewhat similar to it, but it is far different in terms of restricting personal freedom and exploitation.

To be honest, the fact that this thing appeared in Northeast China decades in advance was the fault of this guy Fujiwara no Kanezane.

Because at that time, China's modern architectural design and construction capabilities were almost non-existent, while Japan's resources were very limited. In the United States, a large number of people could not find jobs and a large number of companies were waiting for orders.

So, naturally, Fujiwara no Kanezane, who had a little relationship with the American President Mrs. Springfield, brought many American companies to Northeast China, and brought the "rented workers" with him.

Soon, the Chinese and Japanese, who are both quite smart in a sense, quickly iterated this system to a later version - more and more companies began to use "temporary workers" to complete work in order to avoid many legal problems.

For example, the law stipulates that "workers who have signed labor contracts must pay compensation if they suffer work-related injuries." However, this employee did not sign the contract with me, and the service company that signed the contract has gone bankrupt, so it has nothing to do with me.jpg.

Under the threat of military police and the human heads hanging on flagpoles across Northeast China, capitalists do not have the courage to openly break the law, but they do have the courage to exploit legal loopholes in the name of "improving production efficiency," and they do so to a great extent.

Now, Wang Genying and others are discussing the question that future generations will face: should labor dispatch be banned?

The scene was divided into two groups:

One group believes that doing so is exploiting loopholes in relevant laws such as the Labor Law, the Labor Contract Law, and the Work Injury Determination and Compensation Law, undermining the fundamental principle of "equal pay for equal work" and should be immediately banned and severely punished.

One group believes that many factories do have the problem of "seasonal employment", especially in the Northeast. If it is completely banned, it will be detrimental to the development of the economy, society and enterprises, and it cannot be simply rejected.

Both sides have their own opinions and reasons.

Fortunately, during this period, when the Communist Party held an absolute advantage in the departments, no one was stupid enough to jump out and support the expansion of "labor dispatch". The most conservative one was to demand "restriction".