Weighing In:The Chinese Dream

By Zhou Xiaoyan

Mustafa Noyan Rona， a Turkish national who has lived in China for 30 years， realized all his dreams in China， which he says are no different from any other ordinary persons—going to a good university， gaining a masters degree and finding a good job.

Rona started learning the Chinese Mandarin in September 1978 when he enrolled at the Chinese Department of Ankara University in Turkey. In 1982， he graduated with exceptional grades and was selected to receive government-funded further education in China. He began studying history at Wuhan University in 1983 and received his masters degree there. Rona worked for the Turkish Embassy in China for many years after his graduation， and later became chief representative of the Shanghai Office of Turkish Garanti Bank in 1999.

“The Chinese dream is both a dream for the nation and individuals. For the country， the Chinese dream represents a strong desire for development， improvement， prosperity and peace； for individuals， the dream means happiness， health and maturity. Its the driving force for national development and individual pursuit of a better life，” Rona told Beijing Review while discussing his understanding of the Chinese dream during the International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream held in Shanghai on December 7-8.

The seminar focused on the Chinese dream and its relationship to the Chinese road to international prosperity and peaceful development. Nearly 100 government officials， experts and scholars from China and abroad attended the event to discuss the connotations， significance and realization of the Chinese dream.

Cai Mingzhao， Minister of the State Council Information Office， delivered a keynote speech at the seminar， saying the Chinese dream has a strong appeal because it reflects the wishes of hundreds of millions of Chinese for a bright future.

“By putting forward the Chinese dream， President Xi Jinping has opened a new chapter for the Chinese and he has inspired the Chinese people to strive for a beautiful life and the renewal of the nation，” Cai said.

Xi put forward， for the first time， the idea of the Chinese dream in November 2012， soon after the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China（CPC）. It has since become a buzzword both at home and abroad.

“The Chinese dream has appeal because our people are confident that it can come true. People are confident in the Chinese dream because we have found the correct road to realize it. That road is socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is built on our experience accumulated in the three decades of the reform and opening-up， in the more than 60 years of consistent refinement after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， in the more than 170 years since the Opium War in 1840， and in the 5，000-yearlong history of the Chinese nation. This road is based on both historical factors and existing realities，” Cai said.

“Along this road， we have implemented the reform and opening-up policy for 35 years. During this period， Chinas GDP has increased 142-fold and urban residents income 71-fold. Peoples living standards have been drastically improved， and so has our national strength. Now， we are closer to our dream and goals than ever，” he said.

Defining the dream

Xi elaborated on the Chinese dream in his speech at the closing ceremony of the First Session of the 12th National Peoples Congress in March 2013. Since then， he has talked about the concept on a number of occasions.

He stressed that the Chinese dream means the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It embodies achieving prosperity for the country， the renewal of the nation and happiness for its citizens. Only when the country is doing well， can the nation and its people do well.

In essence， the Chinese dream is the dream of the people， Xi said. The Chinese dream is to let people enjoy a better education， more stable employment， higher incomes， better social security， better health care， improved housing conditions， and a better environment. It is to let our children grow up well， have satisfactory jobs and live better lives.

He also emphasized that the Chinese dream is a dream for peace， development， cooperation and mutual benefit for all. The Chinese dream will not only benefit the Chinese people， but also the people of all countries in the world.

Fang Ning， Director of the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences （CASS）， said the Chinese dream and the American dream are of the same nature， both describing the relationship between individuals and society.

“During the process of industrialization， every country encounters many problems， including social mobility， sudden increase of wealth and a change of identity. So its natural for the government to advocate a common value to inspire individuals to fight for their own ideals and pursuits. Hence， the improvement and progress of the nation will be realized. The dream of every country is like this， including the Chinese dream，” Fang told Beijing Review.

“The most important aspect of the Chinese dream is individual pursuit of wealth and excellence. Chinas rapid growth during the past several decades is achieved because of the joint efforts of all individuals holding up to the same ideal—the Chinese dream.”

Robert Lawrence Kuhn， Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the United States， said in order to avoid the Chinese dream amounting to just empty words， China should not just talk about the dream in general terms， but it needs to explain the detailed theory of the concept. Kuhn is the author of How Chinas Leaders Think and wrote a biography on former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

Kuhn suggested the Chinese dream should be specified into five categories—the collective national dream of the Chinese nation； personal and individual dreams； the historical Chinese dream （how the Chinese dream has changed over history）； the global Chinese dream （how the Chinese dream will affect other countries）； and the antithetical Chinese dream （the conflicting areas when realizing the dream）.

“As China grows， there will be more importing of goods and more job creation. So Chinese prosperity is bound to lead to global prosperity，” Kuhn said. “However， some worry that the more China has achieved its dream， the more China will impose its dream on other nations.”

Although Chinese leaders have consistently said that China will never seek hegemony no matter how strong China becomes， some people worry， according to Kuhn.

Kuhn said the solution to this issue is to let them know international troubles can only work against the realization of the Chinese dream. “Todays world is so globalized that China cant achieve its dream domestically without the international community appreciating it.”

Martin Jacques， a visiting senior fellow with the London School of Economics and Political Science， said China needs to make big changes in its organizational structure， administrative functions and personnel.

Jacques， however， does not expect China to copy the Western-style system. “The Chinese state and the government have never been the same as Western countries， but I expect reform in information publicity， representation and responsibility for its citizens.”

“The Chinese dream is not confined to China. It is also about Chinas role in the transformation of developing nations and， in the process， the transformation of the world，” he said.

Rejuvenating China， the Chinese dream will benefit the world with experiences for other regions and countries to follow and help establish win-win relationships among world players， he said.

The Chinese dream will change the global landscape， which was shaped by Western countries over the past two centuries during industrialization， said Jacques.

Its realization will come along with the formation of a new global landscape， which will be established through international rules and experiences of both developed and emerging countries， he said.

Zhou Mingwei， President of China International Publishing Group， said studying the Chinese dream provides an opportunity to learn about the country and discussions of it will be a topic in communication between China and other countries.

“Different people have different understandings of the concept of the Chinese dream. Despite those differences， China will never change its dialogue with the world， never change its resolution in realizing its dreams and will never change its policies toward peace， harmony， cooperation and mutually beneficial relationships，” Zhou said when addressing a keynote speech at the closure ceremony of the two-day seminar.

Realizing the dream

Kenneth Lieberthal， a senior researcher at the Brookings Institution， said the decisions made at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November， covers six aspects when it comes to the realization of the Chinese dream—narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas； resolving deteriorating environmental problems； changing Chinas development model to boost consumption and develop an innovative and efficient economy； strengthening the governments abilities in providing necessary social services to meet challenges like the aging population； reducing government intervention in the market； and maintaining domestic social stability.

Zhang Xiaoshan， a professor with the Rural Development Institute at CASS， said in order to comprehensively deepen reform and realize the Chinese dream， China should have a more detailed top-level design and unleash potential innovations by individuals.

“When it comes to top-level design， it should involve a complete system， including reform plans， implementation requirements and punishment for those who refuse to implement reform plans，” Zhang said on the sidelines of the seminar. “The driving forces of deepening reform also come from individuals who have innovative spirit. Their potential must be unleashed.”

For Rona， chief representative of the Shanghai Office of Turkish Garanti Bank， no individual or country can ever stop dreaming while the contents of the dream can change alongside time and environment.

“The Chinese dream is a continuous process. For instance， changes between what China was 30 years ago and what China is now would be part of the dream. The realization of the Chinese dream can be divided into many phases. The Chinese dream shall never stop and it shall serve as momentum for future development.”

“As for individuals， its the same. Even at 80 or 90 years old， you can still have dreams，” Rona told Beijing Review. “My current dreams， for instance， include becoming a member of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. I also hope Chinas financial markets can be further opened up to foreign capital and foreign banks.”