The Dictator and His Successor

Abstract

The term "public lover" (gongzhong qingren) has been a staple term in the Chinese language. Yet another term—"public concern" (gongzhong guanzhu)—has only lately become part of our language. This is largely because China lacks any sense of pluralism and any sense of limitations imposed on rulers by the common people. At present, if we consider both magnitude and timeliness, the "public concern" of both the Chinese people and foreigners is as follows: Will Jiang Zemin, whom Deng Xiaoping appointed, come to the same end as Hua Guofeng, whom Mao Zedong appointed?