Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The mass incidents kindled by the irresponsibility, dereliction of duty and corruption of the local governments in some Chinese villages have triggered enormous public debates. Mafia-like gangs and electoral bribery have sparked outrage among the villagers.

Self-governance is not new to Chinese. Some folk sayings such as "the emperor's words have little power in places smaller than a county," show that China has the tradition of autonomy in rural areas.

Confucianism, China's dominant philosophy for thousands of years, also calls for well-organized autonomy instead of heavy government regulation. In the past, well-respected and competent squires were the pillars of local communities.

After the Opium War (1839-42) forced China to open its gates and start modernization, this self-governance system in rural areas was forsaken. Anti-traditional cultural campaigns swept across the country and uprooted the squire-based autonomous framework.

What's more, a blind faith in Western democracy and ignorance of how democracy is practiced in Western societies also worsen the situation.

Many simple-minded people think a copy-exactly strategy can produce real autonomy in Chinese society, and think that all that autonomy needs is the "one man one vote." The outcome is that the traditional merit-based countryside order has been greatly jeopardized without a legally established order replacing it.

Some scholars offer compliments to the autonomous regimes employed by many Western countries, making unwarranted charges against China for not having a tradition of autonomy, which is not true.

Traditional Chinese elements have failed to be integrated with the exercise of autonomy. Clans, families and religions shouldn't be regarded as negative factors ruining autonomous administration.

Imitating Western democracy and putting too much focus on political control and economic development instead of the establishment of morals make Chinese autonomous regimes much less effective.

The Chinese authorities must realize that China can build on its inherent Confucianism-driven and squire-based autonomy.

The current deadlock can only be broken by shifting more attention to the traditional culture.

First, the Chinese authorities must play a dominant role in policy guidance, enlightening the masses that autonomy is not Western democracy.

The new framework must make use of the positive legacy of the traditional regimes, incorporating clans and families into governance. A consultative mechanism must be established among villages and families.

A blind pursuit of vote turnout should be abandoned, because it is not necessarily a producer of truly autonomous systems. 

Second, the outdated mindset of laying more stress on the present than on the past should be rectified.

It is high time for China to restore traditions such as renovating the ancestral halls, which are able to play important roles in terms such as religion, education and philanthropy.

Last, it is also necessary to break away from the obsolete philosophy that only economic development matters.

Tight control in administration and forcing the masses to get rich must be cast away.

The urgent task of rebuilding rural autonomy is to restore the traditional class of squires, who are intelligent, morally dependent, and can adapt to the development of the society.

The purpose of rural development should be the establishment of a peaceful and harmonious community.

The author is a research fellow specializing in Confucianism at Capital Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
Newspaper headline: Countryside autonomy can't work if not built on traditional values