Delegates at the 18th CPC National Congress raise their hands to show consent at the closing ceremony of the congress on November 14, 2012. Photo: IC

All the cameras were on Zang Shengye, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee.

Taking center stage during prime time on CCTV on September 25, he startled the audience by frowning directly toward the lens, and then accused Zhang Qingwei, governor of Hebei, of being impatient, which he said demonstrated disrespect for other people's work.

Zang is the secretary of CPC Hebei Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

It's been a long time since Chinese audiences saw this kind of spectacle. Although it fell out of favor in past decades, criticism and self criticism, which was launched by Chairman Mao Zedong in the 1940s as part of the "Rectification Movement," has seen resurgence in recent times under the guidance of China's top leadership.

In June, the Party began its "mass line" campaign, which aims to bring the Party closer to the people. Criticism and self-criticism by officials represent two key planks - even "weapons" - of that system.

At a recent meeting held in Hebei, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, described it as "weapons" to resolve contradictions in the Party, as top leaders use these approaches to combat "undesirable work styles" such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.

But the criticism and self criticism campaign courts more than one kind of criticism. Officials often seek to use safe, well-worn templates rather than practicing genuine introspection, and experts have expressed doubts as to the relevance of this practice for the modern age.

Campaign resurrected

China's top leaders are personally overseeing this campaign, with each member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee assigned a province to supervise.

Xi is handling Hebei Province, while Li Keqiang is supervising the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region. Jiangsu falls under the responsibility of Zhang Dejiang, while Gansu is handled by Yu Zhengsheng. Zhejiang is supervised by Liu Yunshan, with Heilongjiang assigned to Wang Qishan, and Sichuan assigned to Zhang Gaoli, according to Xinhua.

On September 26, a few days after the Hebei meetings ended, Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, said that Xinjiang should learn from Hebei and would try its best to serve the Party, the Xinjiang Daily reported.

Criticism and self-criticism is one of the major ways to boost intra-Party democracy, when coupled with intra-Party elections, according to Zhu Lijia, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

"It's like in an enterprise or company whose team members offer suggestions to each other and thus help each other make progress," Zhu told the Global Times.

 Practicing criticism and self-criticism is just the first step, and the "door" should be kept open so that not only Party members, but also non-Party members and ordinary people can participate and have their voices heard, in line with the methods adopted decades ago when the Rectification Movement was launched in Yan'an, said Zhu.

"Only by this can the Party regain trust from non-Party members and ordinary people," said Zhu, adding that it's inevitable that some officials will "shield" each other and that the situation is now different from the one that first greeted the Rectification Movement.

Zhu said that at that time officials were more trusted by the public, but now even a low-level village official can take a large amount in bribes.

Criticizing criticism

 Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that the evolution of China's socio-cultural makeup means that self-criticism doesn't necessarily work as well today as it did in the past. He said that it needs to be properly explored, and that the "mass line is just the beginning of this process."

Criticism is a necessary component of governance, and if practiced in line with Xi's call for "real criticism" which avoids "fancy words," can be an important step in improving the performance of the Party, he added.

"It's difficult to carry out these democratic meetings as problems like abuse of power and the pursuit of vested interests have occurred, and they are not uncommon. These stand in the way of uncovering real problems," Zhang told the Global Times.

Though he says they are an effective "weapon," criticism and self-criticism could easily become mere formality, said Shen Shicheng, an official with Nanjiang county of Sichuan Province, according to Web portal people.com.cn.

Unfortunately, some officials are using the occasions as a different kind of "weapon" and in contradiction of the meeting guidelines, just list each other's faults rather than reflecting upon their own.

Shen pointed out that the guidelines of the process highlight four steps: The public voices opinions, officials themselves find out their own faults, their leaders point out the problems, and colleagues help each other. However, Shen said that some officials are too afraid they will be set up for a fall by their colleagues or that their relationships with their counterparts will suffer. He said they also worry about losing support from subordinates or exposing their own problems.

The most valuable, but also the most difficult, criticisms are specific, Wang Xuming, a well known current affairs commentator, told the Global Times. "Principles and methods should be specific for each government department, organization and each official," he said.

Meanwhile, Net users have added their own criticisms. Common themes include suggestions that self-criticism is a way of avoiding more difficult but more important reforms such as asset disclosure, as well as claims that the self-criticisms are more style than substance.

Possible solutions?

Though the campaign is meant to exchange thoughts and ideas among Party members, themes should be set, like problems Party members have found or mistakes they have made in carrying out the Party's basic line within a specified period, suggested Zhang.

Shen suggested that a timeline should be set for any problems, especially when issues involve extravagant officials or the public interest, and that these measures should be disclosed for public supervision.

If officials are found to have violated Party rules or laws, they must be punished, said Zhu. "It's like taking a shower. The dirt must be rubbed off, otherwise, it's still there."

Only by accepting supervision from the public can the Party solve its problems, Qiao Xinsheng, a professor with the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, told the Global Times.

Qiao said he hopes for public participation in voting for officials, to ensure they are qualified for the position, pointing out that the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee is to be held in November, and is expected to discuss major political reforms in the future.