Wei Jingsheng\'s the Fifth Modernization

Wei Jingsheng's The Fifth Modernization

Wei Jingsheng is largely known for his involvement in the Democracy Wall movement and for the fact that he had the courage to express his opinions in an environment that was particularly hostile in regard to individuals like him. The political activist wanted to make his voice heard and did not hesitate to come out at a time when it was very improbable for him to experience success in his endeavor. Wei took advantage of the fact that Chinese leaders wanted the country to experience reform in a series of domains and put across his convictions regarding democracy and the fact that it was essential for it to be present in China. The fact that China has functioned as a communist state for a long period of time and the fact that it has recently experienced significant economic success as a result of doing so makes it unlikely for this country to become democratic in the near future.

In spite of the fact that Wei was provided with intensive communist teachings during the first decades of his life, he was unable to stand by and watch as human rights were commonly violated in a society that claimed to be modern. Although he started his campaign by designing a poster meant to raise public awareness regarding the importance of democracy, he gradually came to experience progress in expressing democratic thought. Wei practically did what many people in China wanted to do, but did not because they feared the repercussions of such actions. In spite of the fact that he suffered greatly as a result of his performance, he managed to address the problem directly and he virtually made it possible for a global audience to observe that conditions in China were critical.

Wei employed a sarcastic attitude by making his essay appear to complete Deng Xiaoping's article "Four Modernizations." He indirectly made fun of the Chinese leader by denouncing his failure to address China's problems. When considering present-day conditions in China, it appears that Deng Xiaoping's proposals were especially successful while democracy is far from being a concept that the Chinese state will express interest in. The fact that living conditions in China are critical should influence many individuals in behaving similar to Wei. However, when considering the activist's determination and his experiences, it is only safe to assume that it would be absurd for someone in China to behave similar to him, especially now when the country is rapidly becoming the most powerful economy in the world.