January 22， 2024

The Chinese version of “Brainwashing—Mao Zedong and China and the World in the Post-Mao Era” will be published in Taiwan in January 2024.

As the Taiwan election, which triggered the CCP to launch a large-scale cognitive war, has just concluded, a new book on “brainwashing” has been released in Taiwan. At the symposium on the release of the new book, editor-in-chief Xia Ming expressed the hope that this book will become a vaccine against the CCP virus. Another editor-in-chief Song Yongyi told Radio Free Asia that brainwashing is not just a problem in China, but also a worldwide problem.

Scholars inside and outside the country publish a book to counter the CCP’s brainwashing

Zhou Zehao, one of the authors of “Brainwashing—Mao Zedong and China and the World in the Post-Mao Era” mentioned in the article that in the 1950s, American journalist Edward Hunter interviewed refugees and Western expatriates who escaped from China, as well as people from Siberia Japanese prisoners of war who returned from the prison camp sang communist songs, shouted red slogans, and raised their clenched fists in salute. Hunter thus proposed the theory and phenomenon of “brainwashing” by the red regime.

[The new book “Brainwashing” examines the practical significance of the tools of Mao’s era] [ #Brainwashing
in the past and #cognitive warfare today ] A collection of essays written by more than 20 Chinese research experts on the theme of “brainwashing” was published in Taipei. One of the editor-in-chief #XiaMing pointed out that the core meaning of the CCP’s brainwashing methods from the #MaoZedong era to post-Mao is “cognitive warfare”, such as… pic.twitter.com/9lKGpfFmS3

— Radio Free Asia (@RFA_Chinese) January 22, 2024
Song Yongyi: “Brainwashing” fills the academic gap in contemporary research on the Chinese Communist Party

“Brainwashing” collects 22 papers from a seminar convened by Cultural Revolution historian Song Yongyi in the United States, with a preface by American sinologist Perry Lin. The Chinese version was released after the Taiwan election. Song Yongyi, who lives in California, was interviewed by Radio Free Asia on the 22nd and pointed out that the CCP from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping has been carrying out brainwashing work, not only for domestic propaganda but also for international propaganda. He believes that the book “Brainwashing” has refilled an academic gap in the study of current issues in the CCP.

Song Yongyi said: “Taiwanese people have very good experiences. For example, among the tactics used by the CCP to intervene in Taiwan’s elections, it is said that if Taiwan allows the Democratic Progressive Party to come to power, there will be war immediately, and even the pessimism that the CCP has long announced and spread: Taiwan It is impossible to win. If we want to beat you, we can beat you down. Even some leaders in Taiwan have accepted this kind of brainwashing.”

Song Yongyi mentioned that although “brainwashing” was a theory laid down by the American press and academic circles before and after the Korean War 70 years ago, it is still a very useful scientific concept when it is re-elaborated now. “Brainwashing” has been written into American pathological psychology and psychiatry textbooks and is regarded as a scientific study.

Song Yongyi said: “In the current sense, the communist regime has not been completely destroyed. Some totalitarian regimes have continued to develop after Mao Zedong, such as Xi Jinping’s regime, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hamas terrorism, etc. This illustrates the brainwashing under totalitarian regimes, It is still a problem for the world, not just a problem for China or Taiwan.”

Xia Ming: The CCP’s use of brainwashing and cognitive warfare is higher than mass executions

Xia Ming, co-editor of “Brainwashing”, pointed out in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the core meaning of this book is “cognitive warfare” from the Mao Zedong era to the post-Mao era of China. After the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, it carried out many historical brainwashings around the world. Tragedy, such as the Cultural Revolution, ideological reform, etc. This book combines centuries of multidisciplinary theories on politics, society, and international relations to conduct a systematic study of “brainwashing” and introduce how the West understands and deconstructs the CCP’s brainwashing strategy.

The new book “Brainwashing—Mao Zedong and China and the World in the Post-Mao Era” was held at a new book symposium in Taipei on January 20. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Xia Ming, co-editor of “Brainwashing” and professor of political science at City University of New York. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Xia Ming mentioned that the CCP’s so-called ideological transformation campaigns often do not resort to large-scale executions or physical annihilation. As described in the British writer George Orwell’s “1984”, the use of brainwashing tools may be even higher. at execution.

The articles included in the book include Chen Kuide’s “Brainwashing—A Track of Ideological History”, Hu Ping’s “From Thought Reform to “No Wrong Discussion””, Pei Yiran’s “Historical Positioning of the Yan’an Rectification Movement”, and Ding Shu’s “1958 “To the Party” “Heart-to-Heart” Movement”, Pei Minxin “The Current Situation and Historical Evolution of China’s Surveillance System”, Wu Guoguang “From Brainwashing to Cognitive Warfare – An Analysis of the CCP’s Propaganda Strategy”, and Yu Maochun “The CCP’s Brainwashing Propaganda in International Diplomacy”. There are also articles about the CCP’s brainwashing projects on prisoners, textbooks, literature and movies, as well as analysis of Kim Jong-un and fascism.

Deconstructing the Taiwan election and the CCP’s cognitive war against Taiwan

Xia Ming mentioned that Li Youtan and Yang Xiujing’s article “Analysis of the “Susceptive Theory of America” ​​in China’s Cognitive War on Taiwan” studied the so-called “suspicious theory of beauty” spread by the Chinese Communist Party in Taiwan’s nine-in-one election two years ago, “cross-straits are one family” and Cognition wars such as the vaccine issue destroy democracy, belittle the United States, undermine trust, cause chaos, and polarize social opposition. The fact that the Chinese Communist Party regards the DPP as an enemy does not mean that it does not regard the Kuomintang as a threat. It is good at using division and alienation methods to eventually annex Taiwan. It believes that winning the hearts of Taiwanese people is more effective than using force.

At a symposium on the new book “Brainwashing” in Taipei on the 20th, Xia Ming pointed out that due to insufficient funds, there has not yet been an in-depth exploration of the brainwashing projects and brain science research conducted by the CCP in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and other places.

Xia Ming said at the symposium: “When Western countries study brainwashing and actually help each of us resist brainwashing, or protect our souls and the independence of our thoughts, the CCP will do the opposite and use The vest of Marxism-Leninism is worn inside out. The CCP can put all the best and worst things in the world into its sauce vat and use them against its people. In the face of the CCP virus, we need anti-epidemic medicines. Planting a vaccine, the contribution of this book is to allow everyone to plant a vaccine.”

Li Youtan, co-author of “Brainwashing” and professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, said: “Independence is equal to poison. According to the language manipulated by the CCP, this is a kind of brainwashing. Independence is equal to poison. The five independences, including Xinjiang independence, Tibetan independence, these are all Poison, Taiwan independence. So the CCP’s manipulation is to manipulate 1.4 billion people. Independence is poison, and they want to defeat it, even if they use force.”

Li Youtan (right), one of the authors of “Brainwashing” and a professor at National Chengchi University, hosted a discussion on the new book “Brainwashing” on January 20. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Huang Qinglong, chairman of the Believers Association. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Huang Qinglong, chairman of the Believers Association, pointed out that the CCP often uses the term “Chinese nation” to label it. What it clearly opposes is the forced unification under its tyranny, but it is said to be betraying the ancestors. Some people really listen to it, and even Former President Ma Ying-jeou actually said that only by trusting Xi Jinping can there be peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Get rid of the “unification” brainwashing theory

Shen, an overseas Internet celebrity, also shared his reflection process from being brainwashed by the CCP with the concept of “unification” to supporting the self-determination of the Taiwanese people: “Many people have ideas against the Communist Party. On the surface, they say they support freedom and democracy, but when they see it, they say Taiwan People want to have their own choices, so they stand up and say, how can we be independent? I used to have this view, but then my friends convinced me, and I began to realize that since you support freedom and democracy, you must respect People’s rights.”

Mr. Shen mentioned that in China, students have been brainwashed by textbooks since childhood. The whole family watches CCTV News Network every night from 7 to 7:30 during dinner time. The 1.4 billion Chinese people have been collectively brainwashed.

Overseas Internet celebrity Mr. Shen. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Mr. Shen said: “Many people are criticizing those of us who oppose the Communist Party, saying that you have been brainwashed by Western forces and Western media. This statement completely distorts the definition of brainwashing. Brainwashing itself has certain prerequisites. It is one word, and it must prevent you from getting other information. Only this kind of information is the truth. But in the West, the information we see is conflicting and diverse. This is just your personal choice. What do you believe? Leftist rhetoric or rightist rhetoric.

Mr. Shen said that he got rid of the ideology that had been brainwashed by the CCP for a long time after going overseas to get more information. “After I received these different messages, I digested and analyzed them myself, and then made my own independent judgment. In this way, I can avoid being brainwashed.”

Cao Xingcheng, Honorary Chairman of UMC. (Photo by reporter Xia Xiaohua)

Cao Xingcheng: How to deal with short video brainwashing?

Cao Xingcheng, honorary chairman of UMC, also attended the book launch. He mentioned a warning: “I recently did research and found that the short video is very useful. One video of your short video can reach millions (views), which is very effective. So we have to deal with brainwashing and what kind of solutions we have to propose.” Method. You say (read) books, and everyone reads them slowly. But there are so few people reading books now. This is a big problem. In fact, this is also a cognitive problem. Just ask, why don’t Taiwanese people read books? “

Reporter: Xia Xiaohua Editor: Xu Shuting Shenhua Online Editor: Ruizhe