Sensitive words: “political background check”

Article by Mandy Zuo in today's (11/9/18) South China Morning Post, "Chinese education officials sorry for announcing Mao-style political background check on students":

Education authorities in southwest China have apologised after they hit a raw nerve by announcing students must pass a “political background check” before they can take the national university entrance exam next year.

It was the Chongqing Education Examination Academy’s use of the term "zhèngshěn 政审" ("political review") that ignited the controversy:

In a statement late on Thursday, the academy said the “wrong word” had been used to describe the assessment. It said it was just referring to the routine assessment of a student’s “ideological and political character” required by the central government during college enrolment, according to the statement posted on its website.

That doesn't make it sound much better.

The term zhengshen refers to an investigation – often carried out by grass-roots party members – into not only someone’s own political stance but also that of their friends and relatives.

This political background check was used during the Mao Zedong era to filter out people whose families were categorised as “capitalists” from college admissions in the years before and during the Cultural Revolution.

Reaction to the use of the term "zhèngshěn 政审" ("political review") has been explosive, which shows that even the seemingly almighty CCP cannot act and speak with impunity.  They had best watch their words, lest people come to the conclusion that Chairman Xi is leading them down a path to the bad old days of Chairman Mao:

But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow

"Revolution", the Beatles

[h.t. John Rohsenow]