"We used to live in bungalows, and now we all live in the upper floors. Life in the town is particularly convenient, better than in Beijing. An ordinary cleaner said to the Prime Minister.
In March 2013, the premier made his first research and inspection trip to the Yangtze River Delta region. He casually asked one of the cleaners in the crowd "what kind of house do you live in?" and received such an answer. The surrounding residents "coaxed" a laugh, and Premier Li also laughed.
In interactions with the highest levels, not only are leaders frequently making witty remarks, but there are also many examples of others making jokes to amuse Chinese leaders. It is easy for family and friends around leaders to make such "high-level" jokes. Between the two leaders, the slightly lower-ranking one can sometimes humor the other high-ranking official.
Moreover, ordinary people can also make jokes about leaders.
For example, in 1990, during a rehearsal for the Spring Festival Gala, Li Ruihuan, then a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, came to the scene to watch the program.
Taiwanese actor Ling Feng quipped: "I am not handsome, and the reason why mainland compatriots like me is because my face is very Chinese, writing about the vicissitudes of five thousand years." The leaders present were amused. The "China Weekly" report described that before the laughter stopped, Ling Feng joked to Li Ruihuan, who was sitting in the front row: "Brother Ruihuan, don't laugh, you are not much prettier than me." ”
The crowd froze for a moment. Ling Feng continued: "He (Li Ruihuan) is really not good-looking, but he is a very high-level leader, and I appreciate his civilianization." ”
How to "raise the bar" with the leader
"The prisons of Britain, the prisons of Japan, the prisons of the Kuomintang, and the prisons of the Communists have all been sat. Amazing! ”
In public reports, Deng Xiaoping was probably the most frequently joked about by those around him.
"Can the height of the floor be lowered and the area be larger?"
"Dad, you can't make the house shorter because you're short."
This is a conversation between Deng Xiaoping and his youngest daughter Mao Mao. In a report by the Workers' Daily, during this visit to Beijing in October 1978, Deng Xiaoping originally wanted to make personal suggestions for the construction of a local construction site. It was almost time for the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, and Deng Xiaoping was preparing for the meeting—the more he researched, the more he lamented that the houses of Beijing citizens at that time were not big enough, and he was a little anxious.
However, Deng Xiaoping's proposal was quickly "rejected" by the younger daughter in the form of a joke – don't underestimate this joke, during the Cultural Revolution, some absurd decisions were introduced by low-level cadres and high-level officials.
This time, Mr. Deng's reaction was to smile and stop mentioning the subject.
Compared with his younger daughter, Liao Chengzhi's jokes about Deng Xiaoping are even less "polite" – even ridiculed by others as "carrying". Liao, a former vice chairman of the National People's Congress, and deng xiaoping were both colleagues and old friends.
The Fujian Party History Monthly revealed the scene when Deng and Liao met at the Great Hall of the People on the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1981.
The meeting of old friends on such a formal occasion is naturally related to state affairs. At that time, Liao Chengzhi introduced his niece Chen Xiangmei, who was widely known as Mrs. Chennault (the commander of the U.S. Air Force's "Flying Tigers" in Aiding China) during the War of Resistance, and this time, her new identity was the special envoy of the President of the United States, responsible for sending Reagan's handwritten letter to Deng Xiaoping. Reagan had just been elected.
It is hard to imagine that The meeting between Chinese leaders and representatives of "US imperialism" was carried out in an atmosphere of "carrying" at a family gathering.
When Deng Xiaoping confronted Chen Xiangmei, he first joked that Liao Chengzhi was strictly managed by his wife, and was disciplined by his wife, and was only allowed to smoke three cigarettes a day —he smoked one cigarette after another, and Liao Chengzhi "could not resist the temptation and reached out to Deng Xiaoping for a cigarette."
Deng also praised Liao Chengzhi as an expert in prison: "The prisons of Britain, the prisons of Japan, the prisons of the Kuomintang, and the prisons of the Communist Party have all been sat." Amazing! ”
Liao Chengzhi "replied" with a "respectful" sentence, "Your experience in prison is not as good as mine, because I can draw cartoons, you will not." ”
The result of your comings and goings is that "Deng Xiaoping was not convinced: 'Your bridge skills are terrible, you have to study hard.'" ’”
Ms. Chen admits that her view of the CCP has changed since then — she used to think that China's leaders were more serious and that Deng Xiaoping was so fond of telling jokes.
Reagan agreed with Chen Xiangmei's description of Deng Xiaoping. But when he met Mr. Deng in Beijing in 1984, he experienced Mr. Deng's richer personal style: a mocking humor when they met—a smile that disappeared when talking about a serious matter, and a shot-at-gun questioning—and when he realized the tense atmosphere, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
The scale of "cross-level" jokes
Li Zhaoxing, who lost his bicycle, asked his secretary: Do you want to call the police? The secretary laughed unsympathetically and replied, "It's too out of touch." My lover and I lost one last year, who will report such a small matter to? ”
Compared with being "laughed at" by people and friends around them, the jokes made by low-level officials and high-ranking officials require more subtlety. The book "The Way of Physical Fitness in Wanli", published by Xinhua Publishing House, records a joke that Zhang Baifa made to Li Tieying. Zhang Baifa served as vice mayor of Beijing in the 1980s, and Li Tieying was promoted to politburo in the late 1980s as minister of electronics industry.
That is to say, it is a joke between local officials and central leaders.
In an internal tennis match, it was Li Ruihuan and Li Tieying who entered the final, because the "level" of the players was too high, and no one dared to be a referee, so Zhang Baifa came to be the referee. "The final was at 12:20 p.m., and it was still a draw. I thought to myself, why should I fight when I should eat? It was a rarity, and Li Tieying was cut, which ended. Zhang Baifa recalled.
Li Tieying
The aforementioned publication recorded, "After a month, after playing tennis and taking a bath, Li Tieying was dissatisfied, so he asked Zhang Baifa: 'Baifa, was the referee unfair last time?'" Zhang Baifa narrowed his eyes and pretended to be surprised: "You still say that it is unfair, it is 12:30, and you still let people eat?" Li Tieying said helplessly: "If you say so, it's okay...""
Li Zhaoxing, who was at the ministerial level, was also "ridiculed" by his subordinates.
From 2003 to 2007, when he was Foreign Minister, he once borrowed a bicycle to ride to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parked it outside the walls of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The next day, the car was gone.
Li Zhaoxing asked the secretary Ding Xiaowen: Do you want to call the police? Ding Xiaowen laughed and replied to the "chief" without sympathy: "Old Li, the leaders of your department have a special car, which is too out of touch with reality. My lover and I lost one last year, who will report such a small matter to? ”
Later, Ding Xiaowen was transferred, Dai Bing took over Ding Xiaowen's work, Li Zhaoxing talked about the "missing bicycle incident", Dai Bing replied: "Minister, my lover and I lost three cars each last year. ”
Later, Li Zhaoxing happened to meet Bai Jingfu, who was in charge of the executive work of the Ministry of Public Security at that time, and asked him to "lose his car." Bai Jingfu smiled and said, "Well, well, you can contact the Municipal Public Security Bureau first and tell them which police station to report the case to at the first time after the loss." ”
"I'm speechless." Li Zhaoxing wrote in his book "Life Disorder".
Another cross-level joke that is remembered takes place between the vice-national level and the main national level. In 1998, Chairman Jiang inspected Shandong Haier Group and stood on the company's unique 6S footprints - it is actually a pattern outlined on the ground, red framed and white ground, printed with two yellow footprints that are two circles larger than ordinary people's feet.
President Jiang did not understand the meaning of the Big Footprint. After he stood up, Wu Bangguo, vice premier of the State Council next to him, joked: "Chairman, you are standing wrong, that is a problem in work to stand", and Chairman Jiang immediately responded: "I am in the three provinces of Japan and japan!" ”。
Since then, Haier's yellow footprints have become green footprints. Employees who performed well that day were also invited to stand on their feet.
However, similar jokes still have their subtle scales. After the joke is over, the leader will still be angry. Long Yongtu, who was a former WTO negotiator for China, made a joke with Zhu Rongji, then premier of the State Council, and it was too much.
Long Yongtu said in a public speech that in 1998, many decisions in the WTO negotiations required the prime minister's advice. Once he wanted to see Premier Zhu, but Zhu was busy meeting a "prime minister of a very small island country." "At that time, I was very impatient, and then Premier Zhu noticed that I was impatient, and after the meeting, I joked with Premier Zhu that the premier has so many things waiting for you to decide, and you can take a picture with him for such a small island prime minister." The Prime Minister was very angry after hearing this. ”
Or ordinary people are more able to joke with leaders
For the public, a few words of humor over the Internet to the officials they follow are a kind of "air joke" — and officials actually see it and repeat it several times in public.
For example, before Guo Jinlong was transferred to the mayor of Beijing, some netizens suggested: Guo Jinlong should be the mayor of Beijing, not the mayor of Beijing. Beijing's north is economically developed, and the south is relatively backward, and it is hoped that when Guo Jinlong presides over the municipal administration, he will have a bowl of water and a flat end.
Guo Jinlong saw it online.
The Beijing News reported that Guo Jinlong initially did not understand the meaning of "the mayor of Jingbei" and did not know it after inquiring. He brought this joke to the scene of the 2008 Beijing Local Two Sessions, in order to express his position that he would not favor one over the other. Two years later, Guo Jinlong still remembers this sentence, "I used to say that I was the mayor of Beijing, not the mayor of Jingbei, but now is it realized?" ”
Most notably, even if they know that the other party is the leader, ordinary people have the opportunity and space to joke with the leader in person.
China News Service reported that on November 8, 2000, Li Ruihuan visited the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He came to a senior trader, who pointed to Li Ruihuan's vest and said, "You are fake, this one on my body is worn by a real securities person." Li Ruihuan laughed.
Although in occasions such as symposiums, ordinary people are more likely to behave rigidly. However, because it is the public, it is even less taboo to joke with the leader.
On February 12, 2009, Wen Jiabao, then Premier of the State Council, held a discussion with 13 grassroots representatives in Zhongnanhai. Southern Weekend reported that Wen Jiabao talked with qin Yinglin, a representative known as "college student 'pig'", about policies such as pig subsidies. Wen Jiabao asked him: "How are the prices of pork recently?" "Last week our meat price was $13.20, and this week it dropped to $11.8." Qin Yinglin said.
Unexpectedly, Wen Jiabao's expression became serious, and Qin Yinglin was startled. "Looking at my words, the prime minister is particularly unpleasant." Qin Yinglin recalled, "For about a second or two, the air solidified. He quickly added: "The mood of the prime minister cannot follow the price of meat." Wen Jiabao repeated this sentence and laughed.