After Becoming an Official: What Comes Next in “Black-Bellied Thinking”
China’s concept of “Hara-guro Gaku” does not stop at acquiring office—it prescribes conduct after attaining power, revealing a deeply systematized worldview.
2016-04-14
What, then, should one do after successfully becoming an official.
The following is taken from the latest work by Hikari Tanizaki, introduced in the previous chapter.
“Chinese People Who Remain Unfazed Even If the Nation Collapses / Japanese Who Turn Pale When Only Their Company Is in Trouble,” published February 10, 2016, by PHP Institute.
“The ‘Hara-guro Gaku’ That Symbolizes the Essence of the Chinese Character.”
In China, being black-bellied has become an academic discipline—Hara-guro Gaku.
In China, there exists a field of study known as Hara-guro Gaku.
Its content is this: in life, how to live with a thick skin and a blackened heart, and that only those who can do so will succeed.
In the late Qing dynasty, a man from Sichuan named Li Zongwu wrote a book, which has since been adapted in various forms and is now piled high in bookstores even today.
Among its contents, what is particularly interesting are the “Six-Character True Mantras for Seeking Office” and the “Six-Character True Mantras for Practicing Office.”
That is, they expound the secrets for becoming an official.
Emptiness—Remain idle.
Do no work, till no fields, pursue no learning, engage in no commerce, and devote yourself solely to wishing to become an official, and act accordingly.
Tribute—If there is even an ant’s hole on the path to office, crawl into it.
If there is none, then dig an ant’s hole yourself.
Boasting—Tell lies.
Spread grandiose claims, both verbally and in writing.
Flattery—Praise.
Fawn.
Threat—Intimidate.
Threaten.
There is no official without a weakness, so seize upon it.
Use it in combination with flattery, embedding threats within praise and praise within threats.
Gifts—Hold personnel authority or power, and send bribes to those who are useful to you.
Does this not strike at the truth.
Then, after one has successfully become an official, what should one do.
This essay continues.