OPINION> Zhu Yuan
Book delves deep into complex officialdom
By Zhu Yuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-14 07:06

Fubai and fanfubai (corruption and fight against corruption) have been among the most frequently used Chinese expressions. They come out of the mouth of people from different walks of life. It seems that everybody hates corruption, including those who have the resources to corrupt and are themselves extremely corrupt.

As a result, there have appeared more and more books about how corrupt some officials are. They have laid bare the tricks or tacit rules that are popular in officialdom and employed by some corrupt ones to extract booty whenever possible. However, few books delve deep into the inner world of those who have to elbow their way up in tricky politics.

The Color of Blue and Yellow is an exception.

This title comes from a saying by ancient scholar Mozi (in the Warring States Period running between 475-221 BC): When silk is put into a dye vat of the color of blue, it will turn on the color of blue; when it is put into that of the color of yellow, it will take on that color. This actually compares the officialdom to a dye vat and anyone who falls into it can hardly resist the fate of being dyed.

A painting hung in the home of the hero also points to the state of resignation that some officials are placed in. Titled as Fear, the painting, with the vase in it tilted to one side, always looks askew - you put the frame straight, the vase in it looks askew and you put the vase straight, the frame is tilted to one side. This is an indication that once one gets involved in officialdom, one can hardly behave in a straight and honest manner.

Exposing systematic loopholes and the cruelty of politics in officialdom by baring the series of embarrassing conflicts the hero encounters is much more incisive than the description of how corrupt an official is.

This reminds me of the confessions most corrupt officials have made after their arrest. Many said the same things - neglecting the study of Marxism or failing to constantly raise their own awareness of being a clean and honest official. It seems as if keeping on reading the works of Marx or steeping themselves in the gobbledygook of political study sessions would definitely prevent them from abuse of power. What is both funny and stupid about such confessions is the fact they should not be too unintelligent to consider it not a crime to take bribes.

The hero always wants to act as a good guy not to offend anyone and does everything well but in vain. He just gets involved in the political struggle deeper and deeper until he cannot drag himself out of it. The way to anticipate how one's immediate authorities are thinking about and how to get along with one's colleagues without treading on anyone's toes is so complicated. Sometimes even for the sake of maintaining a certain position or to balance the interest of different persons, one has to bend the rules or get involved in dirty deals.

By reading this book, I understand better the Chinese expression guanchang ru zhanchang meaning officialdom is like a battlefield. It is full of overt and covert tricks for grabbing power.

So the fight against corruption is much more complicated and demanding than telling officials to never abuse the power in their hands. Much needs to be done to make it costly for officials, the top leaders at different levels in particular, not to toe the line.

E-mail: zhuyuan@chinadaily.com.cn