Introduction

If it seems to be an essay, I would rather call them mere paragraphs.

Touched was I at that moment, leaving behind a fragment in my memory.

Was I too naive, or was I optimistic?

14^th April, 2006.

(Translated from the Chinese introduction)

18^th February, 2004.

My Communist cadre friends in Zhejiang University

Today, I have finished reading Long Yingtai’s book “The time to face the ocean”. I have a really complex feeling. Tonight I met up with two friends which I have known for several months in this university. It is today that I discover that they are members of the Communist Party. I use the word “discover”, because through our friendship, I have found that they are quite liberal in political thoughts as compared to the previous generations, and they themselves would criticise their party as authoritarian. I often tell my friends here, be they communist party members or not, that it is to the benefits of both the Party and the State, that the Communists themselves initiate political reforms from within, just like what the Nationalists did in Taiwan. Although the political scenario of mainland China is still far from our ideals of democracy, liberty and the rule of law, I am still optimistic of mainland China’s political development. On one hand, I believe that economic development would facilitate the arousal of political awareness of democracy among the middle-class. On the other hand, I found that perhaps under the influence of Hong Kong, Taiwan and the West, the students whom I meet here in Zhejiang University are open to liberal democratic ideals to a greater or lesser extent. Though quite a proportion of my friends here are Communist Party members, I cast my hope of China’s future on them. If the communist party members of my generations can see the pitfalls of authoritarian rule over China and appreciate the virtues of democracy, liberty, human rights and the rule of law, I am looking forward to a qualitative change in the ruling Establishment of China in 20 or 30 years’ time. I am not a revolutionary nor am I a radical. What I hope is that the dream of democracy in China will materialise before I die. I am optimistic, though rather conservative in my prediction, that what the Chinese people in Taiwan can achieve today, those in the mainland will achieve too in the future.

It is only through personal contact among my friends in the university that I really believe what I have heard before—the liberalisation of thoughts among the new generation of mainland China. The Party still leaves a bad impression on Hong Kong people as the debate on political reform of the city going on. Nonetheless, here in Hangzhou it is for the first time in my life, I meet Communist members who support direct election, and who genuinely hope that full democracy can be established in Hong Kong and so it can become a model for political reform in the mainland. Perhaps it is my previous ignorance of the vibrant changes which took place in mainland China. Perhaps the people whom I meet are a minority within the Party, as they are all university students without any power. But who knows what will happen 10 or 20 or 30 years later? What I really hope is that they will still maintain their ideals when they are in power one day. I don’t know. But there is always hope. I pray that what I hope will one day come true.

Minor grammatical corrections were made on 14^th April, 2006.

Background picture: The national flag of the People’s Republic of China. (Taken from http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/chinese%20flag.jpg)

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前言

與其說是文章，不如說是片段。

一時的感觸，一段的回憶。

是太天真？還是樂觀？

二零零六年四月十四日

二零零四年二月十四日

大學裡的黨員朋友

今天看完了龍應台的書──《面向大海的時候》，內心感覺非常複雜。今晚我與兩個在大學裡認識了幾個月的朋友見面，是到今天我才發現他們是共產黨員。我用「發現」這個詞，是因為通過我們的友誼，我發現他們的政治思想與上一兩代相比自由開放多了，而他們自己也批評他們的政黨專制。我常常對我這裡的朋友說，不管他們是共產黨員與否，共產黨自己啟動政治改革（如國民黨在台灣一樣），對黨和國家來說都是有益的。雖然中國大陸的政治情況距離我們民主、自由和法治的理想還是差很遠，我還是對中國大陸的政治發展保持樂觀的態度。一方面，我相信經濟發展會有助提高中產階級對民主的政治意識。另一方面，我發覺可能是受香港、台灣和西方的影響吧，我在浙大碰到的同學都或多或少對自由民主的理想持開放態度。雖然我的朋友中有好一部份是共產黨員，我將我對中國前途的希望寄託在他們身上。如果我們這一代中的共產黨員可以看見在中國行專政之弊端，並欣賞民主、自由、人權和法治的美德，我期盼在二三十年內中國的統治階層內會有質的轉變。我不是革命家，也不是激進份子。我只是希望在我死之前可以看到民主的夢想會在中國實現。我是樂觀的（雖然我的預測相當保守）：今天台灣的中國人可以成就的，有一天在大陸也可以成就。

只有通過與大學裡認識的朋友的個人接觸，我才真的相信以前我所聽聞的──中國大陸的新一代的思想自由化。在香港的政改爭議中，共產黨雖然仍在香港人的心目中留下壞印象。然而，是在杭州，我人生中第一次碰到有共產黨員支持直選，真心希望香港可以實現全面的民主，以成為大陸政治改革的模範。也許是我以前對在中國大陸發生的滿有朝氣的轉變無知吧。也許我所碰到的人只在共產黨裡佔少數吧，畢竟他們全是無權無勢的大學生。但誰知道十年、二十年、三十年後會發生怎樣的事情呢？我真的希望有一天當他們掌權時，他們仍然會堅持他們的理想吧。我不知道，但總會有希望的。我祈願我所希望的有一天會成真。

原著為英文，中譯本完成於二零零六年四月十四日。

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