Justice Bao, doesn’t exist anymore.
In the viral video of crying and seeking redress, Justice Bao doesn’t actually exist. In reality, the authorities do not allow there to be a Qing Tian Da Lao Ye (a just official) who listens to and accepts the grievances of the masses. Even in history, there was no Justice Bao who was selfless and just, and who could solve cases like a god.
From beginning to end, Justice Bao is an image close to a god, woven by the people of ancient times who were oppressed by imperial power. It embodies the Chinese people’s beautiful expectations for justice and equality. Unfortunately, this wish has not come true even nearly a thousand years after Bao Zheng’s death.
In the short video, Justice Bao doesn’t exist.
Recently, many people have watched this video:
A female tourist knelt in front of the main hall of the Kaifeng Prefecture scenic area, crying bitterly, as if she had endless grievances and grievances to report to Justice Bao.
After the incident was exposed and caused a sensation, it also triggered many people to follow suit. They brought their respective grievances and appeal materials to the main hall of Kaifeng Prefecture to kneel and cry, hoping to attract online attention and thus be resolved.
Later, there were rumors that the authorities, in order to avoid the gathering of petitioning masses, moved away the statue of Bao Gong and closed the Bao Gong Temple. This is actually another imagination of the public about the way the authorities handle problems, and it is also a misunderstanding.
On March 18, I came to the Kaifeng Prefecture scenic area in Henan, which was involved in the video, and saw the actual situation in the main hall of the Song Dynasty government office:
The main hall of the government office does have three execution knives: the dragon head, the tiger head, and the dog head, as well as a desk for the prefect to work on, but there has never been a statue or portrait of Bao Gong. It never existed, so there was no action to move it away.
Of course, whether there is a statue here is not important. The first sister who knelt and cried was seeking emotional release and comfort from Justice Bao, the god of justice in her concept, after she had no way to appeal. The petitioners who followed suit and cried hoped to attract attention, and then have the officials in reality solve their appeals.
And this is exactly what the real bureaucratic system cannot tolerate.
In reality, Justice Bao is not allowed to exist.
As a self-media blogger with some influence, I receive requests for help with rights protection in the background almost every day, but because I do not have the right to interview, I am not able to verify the content of these requests for help in most cases, so I usually can’t help.
There is another important reason that I can’t say to those who seek help with rights protection:
Most of the victims of grievances are very miserable, but the more cruel reality is that they are not miserable enough to be distinctive and innovative.
It’s very cruel, but it’s really the reality. This is why the first person who cried in the main hall of Kaifeng Prefecture received full attention from the entire network, while all the people who followed and cried were collectively called imitators.
The cruel law of online redress lies in this: you have to be miserable in a fancy way, in a high standard, and in a new height, before you can get attention and be resolved.
Not only that, online redressers also have to bear the risk of exposing themselves in the center of public opinion, bear the risk of possible online violence at any time, and must have the awareness of ‘willing to give up everything’ in order to succeed in rights protection.
From this level, modern people’s online redress is surprisingly similar to the risks that ancient people had to bear when they went to the court to beat the drum and complain. Unlike what is shown in film and television dramas, if the ancients did not have a great grievance, they would never dare to easily beat the drum and complain about litigation. Not to mention that the bribery fees of officials at all levels would make people bankrupt, and the ‘fifty boards each’ in the court would also cost half their lives. Although the scene of online redress is different, the danger is no less.
Even if you are prepared to bear all the costs and are determined to defend your rights to the end, you cannot find an official like Justice Bao to make decisions for you, nor can you find a ‘holy place for redress’ in the real world where you can attract attention just by crying. The latter will be quickly extinguished if there is any sign of it.
I saw with my own eyes at the scene that the security guard kept a close eye on every tourist with a slight suspicion, and would stop anyone who tried to kneel in front of the hall, whether you were simply praying for blessings or preparing to take a video to complain, all were not allowed to kneel.
Justice Bao can only live in the opera to uphold justice and uphold justice for Qin Xianglian. If he wants to travel to today to shine and radiate, he will become a petitioner in minutes.
In history, Justice Bao did not exist either.
In fact, Justice Bao can not only live in the opera, but he himself was also born in the opera.
There was indeed an official named Bao Zheng in the history of the Song Dynasty, and he did serve as the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, but he never did anything selfless and just to execute the emperor’s son-in-law, nor was he the invincible detective Justice Bao. He may not have presided over any cases during his tenure as the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture.
Can you imagine a municipal party secretary of the capital personally presiding over a court case? The county magistrate, and the officials below the county magistrate, are the main force in ancient times to preside over court cases.
Regarding this point, the article by Cicero on the beach introduces it in detail, so I won’t say more.
In short, Bao Zheng did exist, but he did not have the ability to investigate cases, nor did he have a selfless personality, nor did he have a black face and a crescent moon birthmark.
Everything is people’s beautiful imagination. From a thousand years ago to now, people have been looking forward to a Qing Tian Da Lao Ye to preside over justice, but they can only be satisfied in the opera.
It’s time to give up the fantasy of Qing Tian Da Lao Ye.
Discover more from 自由档案馆
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.