Hou Hei Xue by Li Zongwu
Do not be deceived by the title. Do not judge it literally and think this is a success book, where after reading it you can learn to be thick-faced and black-hearted and become a hero. It is not. This book is mainly a satire of history and social reality. Hou Hei Xue was written in the early Republic of China, precisely when society was undergoing drastic transformation. Traditional Chinese doctrines were being reflected on and overthrown, while modern Western doctrines had not yet been fully accepted. It was in this context that the patriarch of Hou Hei wrote this satirical theory. It truly tears old China’s benevolence, righteousness, and morality into pieces, revealing the dark reality of society.
Although more than a hundred years have passed and Chinese society has initially modernized and made considerable progress, much of the book’s satire can still criticize today’s problems. Excellent works really do endure because they talk about human nature. Even if society changes and technology advances, human evolution is very slow. Different environments merely trigger different expressions. Therefore, as long as one grasps deep human nature, surface things do not change much. For example, Lu Xun’s essays still make people waver and cry out today. Another example is Yes, Minister or Yes, Prime Minister. Although they write about British politics from 50 years ago, many lines still apply today, and even apply to other countries.
The book’s “six-character formula for officialdom” is exactly like this: “empty, deferential, stiff, fierce, deaf, manipulate.” “Empty means hollow. First, in writing, all replies to petitions and official notices are empty and hollow. I cannot explain the subtleties in detail. Go to military and political offices and read the words on the walls, and you will suddenly understand. Second, in handling affairs, whatever matter is handled is loose and flexible: it can fall east or west. Sometimes things are done with thunderous speed, but secretly there is a retreat path. If the situation turns bad, one withdraws along that path and will never implicate oneself…” The others are also extremely accurate: deferential upward, stiff downward. It satirizes the bureaucracy thoroughly. These words from more than a hundred years ago are still true today, even more so because of social development. The kind of hundred-schools contention, reflection, and criticism of the Republic of China era has instead disappeared.
There is also the “Hou Hei Jing,” which imitates the discourse style of The Analects and writes many passages beginning with “Zongwu said.” It pushes the satire to the maximum. It is like today’s joke writers on internet forums, both satirical and funny. It also sets its own “Hou Hei Xue” against Wang Yangming’s “extension of innate knowledge,” analyzing everything from pre-Qin thought, to Song Confucianism, to the School of Mind.
Mencius said: “When the ruler regards his ministers as grass and weeds, the ministers regard the ruler as an enemy.” Hou Hei Xue is actually only a few of Li Zongwu’s many essays, and the most famous ones. The remaining articles are also worth reading. Many oppose and criticize traditional Confucianism, especially Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism from the Song dynasty onward. It is precisely because, since modern times, writers continuously used Western rational and scientific methods to reflect on Confucianism that Chinese culture could gradually shed its dross and approach modern civilization.