Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.11, 2020

The Modern Transformation of Chinese Public Opinion and Its Dilemma

(Abstract)

Hu Baijing

If one takes public opinion to be related to political legitimacy, the ordering of power and bringing order to chaos, then a multi-faceted view of public opinion had taken shape as early as the pre-Qin era, in the “people-oriented view of public opinion” that exalted popular sentiment, the “view of public opinion as fearsome” that was alarmed by popular views, and the “making light of public opinion” that saw the population as ignorant. These concepts lasted into the Ming and Qing dynasties, when they emphasized giving priority to order, value rationality, and didactic moral transformation; ultimately, however, it was hard to avoid the “paradox of channeling or blocking” popular views. In the late Qing and early Republic, the views on public opinion changed. An initial conceptual map of public opinion took shape in which the progress of the nation was promoted through the evolution of public opinion, but in historical practice it met with a hidden “dark side”. This problem is often manifested in the dilemma that arises when discourse competition turns to public dialogue and public opinion, the public will and the public interest are misaligned. The most important of these factors is the age-old question of the rationality of public opinion and the possibility of guiding it toward a consensus.