TED演讲稿中英.docx

TED演讲稿中英.docx

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TED演讲稿中英

Shanghai,attheheightoftheculturalrevolution.Mygrandmotherteelmethatsheheardthesoundofthegunfirealongwithmyfirstcries.WhenIgrewup,IwastoldastorythatexplainedallIneededtoknowabouthumanity.Itwentlikethis.Allhumansocietiesdevelopinlinearprogression,beginningwithprimitivesociety,thenslavesociety,feudalism,capitalism,socialism,andfinallyguesswhereweendup.Communism!

Soonerorlater,allofhumanity,regardlessofculture,language,nationality,willarriveatthisfinalstageofpoliticalandsocialdevelopment.Theentireworld’speopleswillbeunifiedinthisparadiseonearthandlivehappilyeverafter.Beforewegetthere,weneedtoengageinastrugglebetweengoodandevil,thegoodofsocialismagainsttheevilofcapitalismandthegoodshalltriumph.That,ofcourse,wasthemeta-narrativedistilledfromthetheoriesofKarlMarx.AndtheChineseboughtit.Weweretaughtthatgrandstorydayinanddayout.Itbecamepartofus,andwebelievedinit.Thestorywasabestseller.Aboutonethirdoftheentireworld’spopulationlivedunderthatmetanarrative.Then,theworldchangedovernight.Asforme,disillusionedbythefailedreligionofmyyouth,IwenttoAmericaandbecameaBerkeleyhippie.Now,asIwascomingofage,somethingelsehappened.Asifonebigstorywasn't’tenough,Iwastoldanotherone.Thisonewasjustasgrand.Italsoclaimsthatallhumansocietiesdevelopinlinearprogressiontowardsasingularend.Thisonewentasfollows:

Allsociety,regardlessofculture,beitChristian,Muslim,Confucian,mustprogressfromtraditionalsocietiesinwhichgroupsarethebasicunitstomodernsocietiesinwhichatomizedindividualsarethesovereignunitsandalltheseindividualsare,bydefinition,rational,andtheyallwantonething:

thevote.Becausetheyarerational,oncegiventhevote,theyproducegoodgovernmentandlivehappilyeverafter.Paradiseonearthagain.Soonerorlater,electoraldemocracywillbetheonlypoliticalsystemforallcountriesandallpeoples,withafreemarkettomakethemallrich.Butbeforewegetthere,we’reengagedinastrugglebetweengoodandevil.Thegoodbelongstothosewhoaredemocraciesandarechargedwithamissionofspreadingitaroundtheglobe,sometimesbyforceagainsttheevilofthosewhodonotholdelections.Thisstoryalsobecameabestseller.AccordingtotheFreedomHouse,thenumberofdemocracieswentfrom45in1970to115in2010.Inthelast20years,Westernelitestirelesslytrottedaroundtheglobesellingthisprospectus:

multiplepartiesfightforpoliticalpowerandeveryonevotingonthemistheonlypathtosalvationtothelong-sufferingdevelopingworld.Thosewhobuytheprospectusaredestinedforsuccess.Thosewhodonotaredoomedtofail.Butthistime,theChinesedidn't’tbuyit.Foolmeonce.Therestishistory.Injust30years,Chinawentformoneofthepoorestagriculturalcountriesintheworldtoitssecond-largesteconomy.Sixhundredfiftymillionpeoplewereliftedoutofpoverty.Eightypercentoftheentireworld’spovertyalleviationduringthatperiodhappenedinChina.Inotherwords,alltheoldandnewdemocraciesputtogetheramountedtoamerefractionofwhatasingle,one-partystatedidwithoutvoting.See,Igrewuponthisstuff:

foodstamps.Meatwasrationedtoafewhundredgramsperpersonpermonthatonepoint.Needlesstosay,Iateallmymother’sportions.SoIaskedmyself,what’swrongwiththispicture?

HereIaminmyhometown,mybusinessgrowingleapsandbounds.Entrepreneursarestartingcompanieseveryday.Middleclassisexpandinginspeedandscaleunprecedentedinhistory.Yet,accordingtothegrandstory,noneofthisshouldbehappening.SoIwentanddidtheonlythingIcould.Istudiedit.Yes,Chinaisaone-partystate,runbytheChineseCommunistParty,theParty,andtheydon’tholdelections.Threeassumptionsaremadebythedominantpoliticaltheoriesofourtime.Suchasystemisoperationallyrigid,politicalclosed,andmorallyillegitimate.Well,theassumptionsarewrong.Theoppositesaretrue.Adaptability,meritocracies,legitimacyarethethreedefiningcharacteristicsofChin’sone-partysystem.Now,mostpoliticalscientistswilltellusthataone-partysystemisinherentlyincapableofself-correction.Itwon’tlastlongbecauseitcannotadapt.Nowherearethefacts.In64yearsofrunningthelargestcountryintheworld,therangeoftheparty’spolicieshasbeenwiderthananyothercountryinrecentmemory,fromradicallandcollectivizationtoGreatLeapForward,thenprivatizationoffarmland,thentheCulturalRevolution,thenDengXiaoping’smarketreform,thensuccessorJiangZemintookthegiantpoliticalstepofopeninguppartymembertoprivatebusinesspeople,somethingunimaginableduringMao’srule.Sothepartyself-c