Media: Who is the "authoritative person" of People’s Daily who has been screened?
Yesterday, People’s Daily published two heavy commentary articles on the front page and the second page, namely, Authoritative People Re-discuss the current economic situation and explain how to deeply understand and correctly implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference-supply-side structural reform leads the new normal, and "Seven questions about supply-side structural reform (authoritative interview)-authoritative people talk about how to do the current economy", in which the unnamed "authoritative people" once again succeeded in attracting attention. This inevitably reminds people of the commentary "Five Questions from Authorities on China’s Economic Situation" published by People’s Daily in the same position at the end of May last year.
So, who is this "authority figure"? Wechat WeChat official account’s "xiake_island" wrote last night that historically, with the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee as the boundary, the "authority figures" previously represented by Chairman Mao took the "revolution" discourse as the axis, and then the "authority figures" who used a more moderate tone took the "construction" discourse as the core; Understanding this change of "authoritative person" is inseparable from grasping this background. Those who can be named as "authoritative person" are mainly due to the authority of status before, and then mainly due to the authority of skills and knowledge.
After comparing two articles about the economic situation written by "authoritative people" before and after People’s Daily, the article points out: to put it bluntly, it is setting the tone, giving confidence and finding the direction. The previous article is to convey the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s analysis and judgment on the general economic situation to the outside world; Today, this article is to tell everyone (mainly the main leaders of various regions) how to deal with the economic situation under the new normal, how to implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, and find a way to grasp the economy.
As for who is the "authority figure"? The article said that the hero does not ask the source, but only asks the use. The article concludes that it is a long-standing tradition in the history of the Communist Party of China that anonymous "authoritative people" respond to major social concerns in important pages of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China organ newspaper. "Authoritative personage" will continue to be used by People’s Daily, under the discourse system of construction rather than revolution, in case of real need.
The following is the original article:
The "authoritative person" brushed the screen again.
Last time, on May 25th, eight months ago, in the front page and the second page of People’s Daily, I interviewed a person named "an authority figure" and asked five questions about "China’s economic situation". Yesterday, People’s Daily once again published an "exclusive interview" with "authoritative people" in the same position and space, and asked seven questions about the recent hot "supply-side reform".
Who is this "authority figure"? In May of this year, Chivalrous Island did an article. In this context, it is necessary for us to analyze this word again.
The answer is traceable.
title
Let’s popularize the history of the People’s Daily a little first.
This is the largest newspaper in China, which began in 1948 in the official records. But in 1946, this newspaper was founded in Handan, and it was inscribed by Mao Zedong himself, although it is not the version we see now.
The story begins in 1946, which was in May. Yan ‘an in early summer should be lush and green, covering up the desolation of the yellow land. It was a Xinhua news agency manuscript from Yan ‘an, and the topic was not important. It said that "American authorities" believed that Britain had refused to cede the sovereignty of three British islands in the Pacific Ocean to the United States.
Inadvertently, this has opened a tradition that has lasted for decades. Since then, up to today, there are 1606 articles in People’s Daily that mention "authoritative person", and the word has appeared 1771 times. These two times, beginning and end, spanned the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the founding of New China, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the reform and opening up until today.
To put it simply, in this supreme party newspaper, authoritative people are endless and endless.
What excited Uncle Island was the second time.
In the manuscript of Xinhua News Agency called "Chinese Communist Party Authorities Comment on the Current Situation", "Chinese Communist Party Authorities" published a passionate and firm comment. Please feel it:
"The Chiang Kai-shek government, which is an enemy of the whole people, has now found itself surrounded by the whole people. Whether on the military front or on the political front, Chiang Kai-shek’s government has lost the battle; Have been surrounded by the forces it declared as the enemy, and can’t think of a way to escape. Chiang Kai-shek’s traitorous clique and its master, the American imperialists, misjudged the situation. They once overestimated their own strength and underestimated the strength of the people. They regard China and the world after the Second World War as the same as in the past, and forbid anyone to go against their will. After the Japanese surrender, they decided to restore China to the old order. After winning time through political consultation and military mediation, Chiang Kai-shek’s traitorous government mobilized 2 million troops and launched an all-out attack. "
Who does this style remind you of? Well, yes, Uncle Island’s answer is the same as yours. And this is not speculation. In Selected Works of Mao Zedong, you can find basically the same expression. Since then, his reports on the current situation as an "authoritative person" can also be found in his collections. I believe that you rarely see such a report today. A large section of complete spit with obvious tone and self-consistent logic, 2000 words in one go, the reporter’s main contribution is to add a [Xinhua News Agency, 30th in northern Shaanxi] and repeat "the authoritative source of the Communist Party of China said".
Since then, this "authority figure" has appeared many times. No matter whether Chiang Kai-shek or the United States is lambasted, the style is always high. Even if it is not necessarily written by Mao Zedong himself, it undoubtedly reflects the intention of the highest decision-making level in China, and even his personality and style.
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Analysis of a phenomenon is inseparable from the times.
If we look through the words of "authoritative people" from the founding of the People’s Daily until the reform and opening up, we will find that the color of struggle has been relatively strong. In contrast, after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the image of "authority figures" was much more moderate.
Tang Aijun of the Central Party School made an analysis. In the process of Marxism in China, it experienced the transformation of discourse system from "revolution" to "construction". To put it simply, with the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee as the boundary, Marxism, which was a revolutionary discourse before, was combined with China’s revolutionary practice, and revolutionary thinking was dominant; After the shift from focusing on class struggle to focusing on economic construction, the theme of the times and historical tasks have changed.
The difference between these two discourse systems, in Uncle Island’s view, is not only the difference of useful words, but also the change of word connotation. We should not only notice that after the reform and opening up, people no longer talk about "never forget the class struggle", but also realize that many words themselves are already different, such as "authoritative person".
Understanding this change of "authority figures" is inseparable from grasping this background. You will find that those who can be labeled as "authoritative people" with the reform and opening up as the boundary are mainly due to the authority of status before, and then mainly due to the authority of skills and knowledge.
However, an interesting contrast is that not all the authorities in the revolutionary discourse system are positive. For example, the second edition of the People’s Daily on March 10th, 1948 mercilessly flogged an "authority figure" and made some analysis:
It is generally believed that this so-called authority figure, who is so familiar with the inside story of Chiang Kai-shek’s gang, is obviously not others, but can only be the "authority figure" who matches the Nanjing puppet in the background, and is probably Si Tuleideng himself, the number one representative of the US imperialist aggressors in China.
Despite being scolded, Si Tuleideng’s status is as authoritative as before.
What happened later? A casual search of the "authoritative people" who appeared in the People’s Daily this year is mostly such as "People’s Daily will launch nine foreign language reports and invite authoritative people from politics, academia and industry to conduct online interviews". The comparison between the two is clear at a glance.
In the evolution of that time, "authoritative people" gradually talked about diplomacy from war, economy, culture and society, more detailed education, industry and media, more detailed cotton prices, trade volume between the two countries, Weiqi and house prices. Most of the time, readers can find their names in the context. From the altar, I went to a subdivided position. From the hanging picture on the wall to your side.
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Plus talking about the economy twice, from 2015 to now, there have been seven "authoritative people" in the People’s Daily. Counting further, in 2014, 14 times; In 2013, 11 times; In 2012, 14 times; In 2011, 18 times; In 2010, 16 times; In 2009, 10 times; Eight times in 2008 …
The number of times is getting less and less, but the weight of "authority figures" is heavier.
Yes, these two times seem quite mysterious, and the 5W elements of news-when, where, what, why and who-are basically incomplete. When is it recently, where is "Beijing Electric", what is to comment on the current economic trend, why depends on online analysis, and who is the "authoritative person". The gatekeepers of all the processes in the front page and second edition of People’s Daily are clearly aware of the 5W theory, so it is unnecessary to think that this is a mistake.
Although you rarely see such a report, it is because of its mystery that this article is even more moving.
We can’t forget why we used "authority figures" during the revolutionary war years. Using this word can actually be regarded as a strategy of struggle. The basic context in which they appear is that this matter is very important and needs to be expressed by high-level leaders, but it is not convenient to say it clearly.
What about now? These two People’s Daily articles, to put it bluntly, are setting the tone, giving confidence and finding the direction. The interpretation of many websites is generally correct. The previous article was to convey the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s analysis and judgment on the economic trend to the outside world; Today’s article is to tell everyone (mainly the main leaders of various regions) how to deal with the economic situation under the new normal, how to implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, and find a grasp of the economy.
Why do you do this? The two articles have their own backgrounds.
The first article makes it very clear that internationally, the global supply and demand pattern has changed; At home, entering the "three-phase superposition" stage, the downward pressure on the economy is great, the adjustment of industrial structure "can’t wait, can’t endure, can’t wait, can’t afford to endure", and the global economy is running "several happy families and several sad families". Everyone’s views on China’s economy are different, some are optimistic and some are pessimistic.
The second reason is to "do a good job in economic work in the new year around the main line of promoting supply-side structural reform." In other words, do you still not understand the word "supply-side reform"? Or don’t know what to do after understanding?
Whether it is the urgent situation of the economy or the temporary confusion after the new term and new concept are put forward, it is objectively required that someone must stand up and talk about the economy, and it must be a high-level leader.
So, who is this "authority figure"? We can analyze it with discourse style.
style
The language of the vast majority of "authoritative people" appearing in People’s Daily is the usual style of People’s Daily and will not highlight individual characteristics. However, the words of many "Chinese Communist Party authorities" quoted by Uncle Island are not of this style, but have a very strong personal color, and they hit the nail on the head and landed with sound.
For example, today’s article is often domineering:
Opening wider to the outside world is the meaning of the reform. We should create a better investment environment and attract more foreign investment. Now, developed countries such as the United States and Europe are attracting investment from China. What reason do we have to think that China has more foreign investment?
In the past, it was precisely because the market mechanism did not play enough role and the government intervened too much that the market could not be cleared in time and caused various structural contradictions. For example, some inefficient "zombie enterprises" have to give loans and subsidies in some places. (Criticizing local practices)
This is the perfection and deepening of the socialist market economy under the new situation, and it is by no means going back to the old road of planned economy. (in response to the suspicion of the so-called route dispute)
A considerable amount of China’s production capacity was formed in the golden period of world economic growth, facing external demand and at the stage of rapid domestic growth. In response to the impact of the international financial crisis, some production capacity has been expanded. In the case of slowing growth in the international market, it is difficult to solve the problem of overcapacity only by stimulating domestic demand, which is equivalent to preparing two tables of rice and then coming to a table of guests, who can’t finish eating hard. (impressive metaphor)
In the final analysis, it is necessary to see that under the current global and domestic economic situation, it is impossible for the national economy to achieve a V-shaped rebound through short-term stimulus, and it may experience an L-shaped growth stage. The traditional Keynesian prescription is limited to solve the medium and long-term economic problems, and the fundamental solution lies in structural reform, which is a major measure we have to take. (Judge the future growth trend and correct the practice of using only Keynesian prescriptions)
More often, this article is to guide local understanding of supply-side reform, and to teach what should be done in an authoritative tone:
In work practice, all localities and departments should take "ten more attentions" as the yardstick, and should stop doing things that are not right and work harder on things that are right. (Give orders to various regions and departments)
We can’t do anything more, such as flooding with water to stimulate, blindly expanding new urban areas and strengthening administrative intervention in resource allocation. We can’t do any more projects such as no return on investment, no market for products and no improvement in the environment. On the contrary, things that are conducive to guiding social psychology, resolving overcapacity, upgrading technical level, accelerating population urbanization, promoting the free flow of factors, and improving the accuracy of poverty alleviation should be done vigorously, creatively, with little effort and ingenuity, and strive to turn a major earthquake into a minor one, and accumulate a small victory into a great victory.
In the process of promoting supply-side structural reform, it is impossible for everyone to be happy, industries will change, enterprises will survive the fittest, and employment will change jobs. Especially at present, some worried enterprises may be even more worried, or even close down, resulting in laid-off workers, unemployment and reduced income. But this kind of pain is the pain of childbirth, the birth of a new life and the pain of hope, metabolism and phoenix nirvana, which is worth it! Proper retreat is for better progress. Only by retreating enough can we move forward. As Laozi said: "If Ming Dow is ignorant, he will retreat if he enters the Tao." Take "zombie enterprises" as an example. Should we wait for these enterprises to drag down the high-quality enterprises in the industry and eventually die together, or should we cut the gordian knot and dispose of these enterprises so as to free up the necessary market resources and space? Obviously, "zombie enterprises" must be disposed of as soon as possible to achieve the overall improvement of the quality and efficiency of economic development. (There are old sayings, vivid metaphors and analysis of grounding gas)
When the interruption continues, it will be chaotic. In the process of advancing, we should be brave enough to do things that offend people, otherwise we will pass the first day of the first year but not the fifteenth, which will delay the window period and leave the burden behind, which will offend people all over the world in the future. In 1998, we also faced the dilemma of sluggish external demand, insufficient domestic demand and overcapacity. At that time, we resisted the pressure and implemented large-scale production restriction and ingot pressing in the textile industry, which led to the strong economic growth later and the continuous enhancement of today’s comprehensive national strength. (The term "offending people" is reminiscent of the assertion about anti-corruption: "If you don’t offend corrupt elements, you will offend ordinary people")
Looking back at the article in May last year, there are also many deja vu words:
In the final analysis, economic growth is to make people’s lives better, "having jobs and earning money", and the people can fully understand the current growth trend, which is the greatest confidence for China’s economic development.
"When viewed from the side of the mountain, the heights are different." When you look at something close, you will often feel great. When you look at it from a distance, it will look small.
This should have the momentum of "I don’t have to be successful", and some may take two or three years, or even longer. Don’t say full harvest in a certain period of time, and you may not see early harvest. However, it is better to retreat and form a net than to fish in the forest. "There is no sunset industry, only sunset technology". Innovation is a new engine to ignite economic development, and now the momentum is very good. We should do this big article with great colors and inspire the whole society to embrace "creating the times".
Needless to say, this is a "short, practical and new" style of writing. This style of writing represents the high standards that the central authorities have demanded of leading cadres since the 18th National Congress.
It is a long tradition in the history of the Communist Party of China that anonymous "authoritative people" respond to major social concerns in the important pages of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China organ newspaper.
Don’t ask me who he is. I only know that "authoritative people" will continue to be used by People’s Daily, under the discourse system of construction rather than revolution, in the case of real need.
P.S.: To be honest, today’s People’s Daily article of more than 7,000 words, though long, is super rewarding as long as you read it carefully. Anyone who is interested in China’s economy should read it carefully, especially the managers of "various regions and departments".






































