Quotes
“You call us Qin Shi Huang — wrong, we have surpassed Qin Shi Huang a hundredfold... You call us Qin Shi Huang, dictators; we have always admitted it.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Speech at the Second Session of the 8th CCP National Congress (cited by People's Daily Online, China News Service and other Party-history sources)“What was Qin Shi Huang? He buried only 460 scholars; we buried 46,000 scholars.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Speech at the Second Session of the 8th CCP National Congress (People's Daily Online historical archives)“There must be control; we cannot speak only of democracy. Combine Marx with Qin Shi Huang.”
Mao Zedong
Source: "Speech at the Enlarged Politburo Meeting in Beidaihe (II)"“I am not afraid of misspeaking. I obey no law and no heaven — like a monk holding an umbrella: no hair (no law), no sky.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Record of conversation with American journalist Edgar Snow“Qin Shi Huang was the first famous emperor of China's feudal society. I too am Qin Shi Huang... I approve of Qin Shi Huang, not of Confucius.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Conversation with Egyptian Vice President Hussein el-Shafei; see "Lin Biao and the Doctrine of Confucius and Mencius (Material One)" and Chen Jin, "Lectures on Mao Zedong's Reading Notes"“Qin Shi Huang was a good emperor.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Talk on Yellow River basin water conservancy; Chen Jin (ed.), "Analysis of Mao Zedong's Reading Notes", vol. 2, p. 1155“We should speak fairly: Qin Shi Huang was far greater than Confucius.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Conversation with the government delegation of Mali; "Chronicle of Mao Zedong's Life"“Anything that obstructs stability must be dealt with — no concessions, no accommodation.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "China Will Not Permit Turmoil", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3“China cannot allow demonstrations at will.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "China Will Not Permit Turmoil", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3“Tighter control here will not deter foreign investment; on the contrary, foreign investors will feel more at ease.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "China Will Not Permit Turmoil", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, pp. 286-287“For China, the overriding need is stability.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "Stability Overrides Everything", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 284“If some people keep us in constant unrest, we cannot rule out using certain means of dictatorship, disciplinary and legal means.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: Talk on opposing bourgeois liberalization, Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3“We cannot do without the means of dictatorship. We must speak of them and, when necessary, use them.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: Talk with central officials on the student movement and bourgeois liberalization“If turmoil occurs again in future, we will impose martial law again.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "The United States Should Take the Initiative in Ending the Strained Sino-US Relations", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 331“Opposing liberalization must be spoken of not just now, but for ten or twenty years.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "Speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 12th CCP Central Committee", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 182“People support human rights, but they should not forget there is also national sovereignty.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: Conversation with Richard Nixon; "The United States Should Take the Initiative in Ending the Strained Sino-US Relations", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 331“The content of reform is first to separate Party and government, and to solve how the Party can lead well. This is the key and must come first.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "On the Reform of the Political Structure", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3“If China copied your multi-party elections and separation of powers, the result would certainly be turmoil.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "Nothing Can Be Achieved Without a Stable Political Environment", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 244“Criticism of Comrade Mao Zedong's late-life errors must not go too far or out of bounds.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "Stability Overrides Everything", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 284“To negate such a great historical figure would mean negating an important period of our nation's history, causing ideological confusion and political instability.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: "Stability Overrides Everything", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3, p. 284“Now that we are in power, it is better to have no press law, lest others exploit loopholes. Without a law we hold the initiative and can control things however we wish.”
Chen Yun
Source: Recollections of participants in press legislation; Sun Xupei, "Thirty Years of Press Legislation" (Yanhuang Chunqiu, no. 2, 2012); recollections of Hu Jiwei“It is more reliable to have our own children succeed us.”
Chen Yun
Source: From "Li Rui's Oral Recollections"“Cultivate and select some "children of cadres" for the succession echelon.”
Chen Yun
Source: Based on recollections by Li Rui and others and related research (a summary of the material, not a verified verbatim quotation)“It is like a bird and a cage: you cannot hold the bird in your hand or it will die; let it fly, but only inside the cage.”
Chen Yun
Source: Selected Works of Chen Yun, vol. 3“For the private economy to follow along, one condition is that the state economy has considerable strength... In future the state plan may well be an important weapon in our hands in the struggle between public and private.”
Chen Yun
Source: Economic writings in the Selected Works of Chen Yun; cited in People's Daily Online Party-history archives“While we are still here, let us also build up the third echelon.”
Chen Yun
Source: Recollections on building the cadre "third echelon" in the 1980s“If you have ten parts of achievement, speak of only five.”
Chen Yun
Source: "Speak the Truth, Not for Face" (speech at the 7th CCP National Congress), Selected Works of Chen Yun, vol. 1“Media run by the Party and the government are the Party's and government's propaganda fronts and must bear the Party's surname.”
Xi Jinping
Source: Speech at the Symposium on the Party's News and Public Opinion Work (published by Xinhua and People's Daily Online)“All work of the Party's news and public opinion media must embody the Party's will, reflect the Party's views, safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and the Party's unity — loving, protecting and serving the Party.”
Xi Jinping
Source: Speech at the Symposium on the Party's News and Public Opinion Work“The Party is the highest force of political leadership; the Party's leadership is our greatest institutional strength.”
Xi Jinping
Source: Speech at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Third Plenum of the 19th CCP Central Committee; "Unswervingly Uphold and Strengthen the Party's Overall Leadership"“Ensure the Party's long-term governance.”
Xi Jinping
Source: "Explanation of the Draft Decision and Plan on Deepening Reform of Party and State Institutions" (Third Plenum of the 19th CCP Central Committee)“Opposing this counter-revolutionary riot is a struggle bearing on the life and death of our Party and state.”
Li Peng
Source: Speech at a State Council meeting; reported the next day by People's Daily“With this, the tumor that illegally occupied Tiananmen Square has been entirely removed.”
Li Peng
Source: "The Li Peng June Fourth Diary", account of the clearing of the square“The Tiananmen incident should be avoided and not discussed.”
Hua Guofeng
Source: Remarks while hearing a report from propaganda officials (referring to the 1976 "April Fifth" Tiananmen Incident); People's Daily Online Party-history archives“Smash the public security organs, procuratorates and courts.”
Cultural Revolution slogan
Source: A widely used political slogan of the Cultural Revolution; cannot simply be attributed as an individual's verbatim words“Dictatorship must still be exercised over all anti-socialist elements.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Consistent with Mao's writings on the people's democratic dictatorship and class struggle under socialism (specific text to be verified)“You are right — that is exactly what we are.”
Mao Zedong
Source: Response to the charge of "dictatorship" in "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship"“If bourgeois liberalization is pursued, our society becomes chaotic rather than stable, and no construction can be accomplished.”
Deng Xiaoping
Source: Conversation with members of the presidium of the "Mainland and Taiwan" academic symposium, Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, vol. 3“Carry out what you understand; carry out also what you do not understand.”
Lin Biao
Source: Cultural Revolution-era formulation on carrying out Mao's directives; attributed to Lin Biao in 1970 public materials and later denunciation materials“As for infighting among Chinese, it is a world-famous and important characteristic of the Chinese.”
Bo Yang
Source: "The Ugly Chinaman" (1984 lecture at the University of Iowa)“What Chinese do best is infight. Wherever there are Chinese there is infighting; Chinese never unite...”
Bo Yang
Source: "The Ugly Chinaman" (1984 lecture at the University of Iowa)“On one side absolute inferiority, on the other absolute arrogance. In inferiority one becomes a slave; in arrogance a master — only self-respect is missing.”
Bo Yang
Source: "The Ugly Chinaman"“Forget it, let it go.”
Bo Yang
Source: "The Ugly Chinaman"; a social mentality of retreat summarized by Bo Yang“This neurotic fear is the best breeding ground for tyrants and tyrannical officials.”
Bo Yang
Source: "The Ugly Chinaman" (1984 lecture at the University of Iowa)“I wash myself inside the bodies of my women.”
Mao Zedong
Source: From Li Zhisui, The Private Life of Chairman Mao (English edition, 1994)“If it's not hurting me, then it doesn't matter. Why are you getting so excited about it?”
Mao Zedong
Source: From Li Zhisui, The Private Life of Chairman Mao (English edition)“The kind of woman he liked was young, inexperienced and poorly educated.”
Li Zhisui
Source: Quoted in a 1993 South China Morning Post report on the BBC documentary Chairman Mao: The Last Emperor“Women were toys to Mao.”
Li Zhisui
Source: Interview for the 1993 BBC documentary; quoted in South China Morning Post