La Chine familière by Sven and Cecilia Lindqvist

Written by two young Swedes who studied for two years at Peking University in 1960 and 1961, this book is composed of numerous rather short chapters of very unequal interest, and the whole of which hardly justifies the title; indeed, the reader does not see, in the subjects treated, a "familiar China." But he can find developments on very diverse subjects, some of secondary importance, others particularly attractive. Among these, we will particularly note those dealt with in the chapters entitled "The River State," "Brainwashing," and "Student Life in China." They alone seem to us to be worth reading. The "river state" is one that, in countries where irrigation is a vital need, entails the necessity of an authoritarian government and powerfully and even harshly directed collective action. This form of social state, which the Chinese call "feudal," is very different from that of Western feudalism and is very close to communist dictatorship. The latter, which the authors deem necessary for today's China, therefore has inspiration drawn from the country's natural conditions, much more than from the West. Brainwashing is well known. However, Sven and Cecilia Lindqvist provide a striking description of it, which we believe explains the results very well. The process of depersonalization and the return to a new, rule-compliant personality are explained in a simple and convincing manner. As for the life of foreign students in China, it differs considerably from life in Western universities, in terms of material organization, teaching, and the orientation of minds. The Chinese students the authors speak of refuse to have the usual exchanges of ideas with their foreign comrades, to make comparisons with them. China and the Party possess the truth; the West is a priori in error. It follows from reading this book, according to what the authors say, that China, as they have seen and understood it, is still in a very unstable equilibrium, capable of experiencing catastrophes as well as considerably accelerating the pace of its development. Its path is not definitively drawn. Such an opinion has its value; its prudence and objectivity contrast pleasantly with the opinions generally reported by travelers, who are full of praise or sarcasm about the Chinese communist experience.