From the Zhang Youxia Incident to Late Communism: Faces on the Throne, Cracks Beneath the Throne

Dark clouds loom over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

[People News] Recently, Zhang Youxia, the military's second-in-command, officially announced his loss of power. This event signifies that the prolonged political purges over the past fourteen years have not only failed to solidify power but have also generated more adversaries. The various allegations against Zhang Youxia reveal that the military is attempting to detach itself from the party's control—or, more accurately, that the military is compelled to intervene to rectify the situation. This is not merely a continuation of the military's anti-corruption campaign but also a clear indication that late Communist China is entering a death spiral.

From a conservative viewpoint, the Zhang Youxia incident serves as a tangible representation of the power fractures within the system. This phenomenon is emblematic of the inevitable landscape of 'late communism': a depletion of vitality, a decline in life, and a political and economic descent into a death spiral.

Accelerating Overthrow

It is predictable that the paranoia and anxiety at the pinnacle of power will lead to larger and more frequent purges. This will further intensify economic decline, diminish social vitality, encourage officials to adopt a laid-back attitude, and exacerbate the system's inability to self-correct. Although military adventures are perceived as a means to divert conflicts, they will only hasten international isolation and provoke internal backlash. The Zhang Youxia incident underscores that late Communist China has no chance of revival: the solutions to the crisis (such as political liberalisation and rebuilding trust) are precisely the elements that have been destroyed. This massive vessel is being navigated towards an accelerating capsizing trajectory by a captain unwilling to alter its course.

Today in China, despite the various facades of 'prosperity', the foundation of power has become increasingly unstable, and the entire structure is shaking violently. The incident involving Zhang Youxia has further intensified this instability. The once highly centralised power structure is becoming brittle and fragile due to its own rigidity. When a regime can no longer sustain itself through the false illusions of ideology, it is forced to revert to the most primitive and brutal forms of violence. This violent spectacle not only fails to create a new order but also accelerates the collapse of the old one. This situation evokes the narrative in the Old Testament about the rift between King Saul and David: when a ruling structure loses divine favour (in terms of virtue and legitimacy), internal distrust and the fragmentation of power spread like a plague.

The Wisdom of the Prophet: The Writing on the Wall

I have always held the wisdom of the Old Testament prophets in high regard. A prophet is not merely a fortune-teller predicting the future; rather, they are watchmen who discern the essence of the current crisis. At King Belshazzar's banquet, a vision appeared on the wall, signalling the end of the empire. They can foresee destruction amidst the splendour. In the Book of Daniel, King Belshazzar indulges in revelry at the feast, yet he fails to heed the judgment inscribed by the hand of God.

Today, 'Late Communism' in China finds itself in a state of 'weighing on a balance, revealing deficiencies.' The incident involving Zhang Youxia serves as a signal that the internal balance of the system has been disrupted. A massive apparatus, which has excessively expanded and sought to control every aspect of society, is accelerating its decline due to its own weight. Conservatives perceive not the joy of reform, but rather a deep concern over the risks of disorder. If a system collapses without a strong civilizational tradition and a foundation of faith to cushion the fall, the aftermath could be a prolonged period of darkness.

Moving from the land of slavery towards Canaan

The Chinese people should be more concerned about the disorder risks stemming from this 'late-stage' condition than about the rise or fall of any individual. Just as the prophet Ezekiel cried out to the dry bones, a society devoid of a foundation of faith and constitutional tradition is extremely vulnerable when power collapses. This reinforces a fundamental truth: any order not grounded in the righteousness of God is destined to collapse under divine judgment and the self-destruction of power.

From a conservative perspective, no regime can exist in a vacuum; it must be anchored in some form of transcendent legitimacy. The future of China does not hinge on a specific military leader or a palace coup, but rather on the ability to reconstruct a well-ordered society based on virtue, contracts, and sacred traditions from the ruins.

The wisdom of the prophet reminds us to focus not only on the faces on the throne but also on the cracks beneath it. Within those cracks, we must begin to contemplate how to rebuild a China founded on reverence, freedom, and justice amidst the ruins!

(Author X account)
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