A Marriage Carol

Here is a “write-up”, in English, by 薄瓜瓜 (Bó Guāguā), the second son of former Communist Party Secretary of 重庆 (Chóngqìng), 薄熙来 (Bó Xīlái), and only child of 谷开来 (Gǔ Kāilái), who, on last December 5, thus responded to the mainland’s media outcry over his recent marriage to a Taiwanese woman.

I had hoped to keep a low profile and to wed away from the spotlight, but the Chinese media frenzy in recent weeks, including video leaks of my nuptials taken out of context, continue to draw speculation. Over the past 12 years, my family and I have never defended ourselves in public and have instead relented to the vitriol of a misinformed public. But the resurgence of past events now oblige me to respond — briefly for now, for there’s too much to be said. 1. Personal conduct The WSJ once reported on their front page that I drove a Ferrari to pick up a controversial date. Subsequent investigations by NYT and others confirmed that these were baseless fabrications, which caused the WSJ to retract the article (discreetly, of course). True, I was a playboy and I am partial to beautiful women; but to claim that I wheeled around in Ferraris and attended restaurants in a “tux” is reminiscent of trite fantasies of a Korean soap opera. I wonder, what were the contrivances that germinated this article, with its unabashed “actual malice”; and for it to have been published at the most politically sensitive time? There was also a claim that I was expelled from Oxford. It’s true that I barely studied in the first year. I was wont to cram essays the night before tutorials and instead prioritised running for elections at the Oxford Union — an enterprise that involved copious partying (fun times), but eventually led my college, Balliol, to ban me from campus grounds (sad times). I was hyper and immature, I deeply regret having let down my tutors. But I was never “expelled”, and was reformed in time to sit my Finals. I also took a gap year in 2009 to be back in China with my mother, who was critically ill. 2. Corruption allegations My wife jokingly asked me, where is the fortune that my family has allegedly stashed away overseas? I said, “I wish I knew!”. If we had such wealth, we wouldn’t have needed to toil away and burn the midnight oil. Back then, an army of meticulous investigators, hundreds strong, had scrutinised every scintilla of our lives, and they still didn’t turn up the alleged “billions”. So, if someone knows the whereabouts, tell the officials, and tell me too! It has been suggested that 徐明 (Xú Míng) was our family’s “white glove”. Indeed, 徐 (Xú) was close to us. He was not only a trailblazing entrepreneur, but an insightful friend whose gifts to me was his wisdom — and this is worth mountains of gold. Our relationship was always aboveboard. Must every political-business relation be sordid? As was well known, but seems to have been forgotten, my mother founded one of the most successful and prestigious law firms in 北京 (Běijīng) at the time. She represented Fortune 500 companies, was a major taxpayer, and was more than capable of supporting my living expenses. My mother’s background no doubt gave her an advantage — fair or not, she had the talents to back it up. She was the first lawyer to successfully defend the interests of Chinese companies in U.S. courts, which was popularly retold in the book and later TV series “Victory in America”. On my part, for the sake of avoiding any semblance of a conflict of interest, I was forbidden to even intern at any for-profit business. My parents’ fall freed me from such limitations, and I was able to compete on my own merits in the open market. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, I now have the confidence to hold my own in any big league, from law to finance to policy. 3. My father’s three errors First, my father thought that hard work and simply improving the lives of the people were enough to make him a good leader. He neglected the necessity of building rapport and was particularly poor at one-on-one communication. This made him appear aloof and arrogant. In a country as big, complex, and diverse as China, our millennia-old experience has taught us that stability is the prerequisite for prosperity, and harmony is the prerequisite for stability. My father’s ways were disharmonious. Second, my father believed that after people got rich, they need spiritual wealth. He started with advocating the reading of classics, both Eastern and Western, including the works of Rousseau and Madison, and singing rousing revolutionary songs that are part of our cultural heritage. But this snowballed into an out-of-control mass movement that harked back to a dreaded era. My father had mismanaged. There is hardly any family that abhors the Cultural Revolution more than mine. Both my grandfathers, my father and his siblings, were imprisoned — my father was only 16. The ones not locked up were exiled or became orphans — my mother at 8. One grandmother was murdered, and the other would get nauseous from simply seeing a bag I brought home with a Cultural Revolution slogan. Third, 重庆 (Chóngqìng) was plagued by entrenched corruption and criminal syndicates that permeated government and society. Don’t take my word for it — ask anyone from 重庆 (Chóngqìng). My father realised it was impossible to develop the city without first gutting its underbelly. While I firmly believe in the rule of law, I also understand that a procedurally intact and judicious approach is not always possible (cf. Gotham City). My father knew his choice was between doing and not doing. Before he launched the campaign, he told me, “if I didn’t fight criminal gangs, how can I face your grandfather’s memory?”. Those who say that my father’s motive was to consolidate power in 重庆 (Chóngqìng), are ignorant rubes. As the Party Secretary sent down from 北京 (Běijīng), the local forces were all vying for his favour. Had my father played ball and gone with the flow, politically, it would have been smooth sailing. But my father erred in his leadership, he picked the wrong person to be in charge. 王立军 (Wáng Lìjūn) initially appeared before us as a hero cop and daredevil crime fighter. But as he was successively promoted, he became more ruthless and power-hungry. The campaign against the abuse of power hence became a campaign of abuse. 王 (Wáng) anticipated that my typically perspicacious mother would become meddlesome, so under the guise of his self-professed medical expertise and role as our security chief, he managed her medical team and administered drugs to keep her in a weakened state. By the time evidence mounted of 王 (Wáng)’s misdeeds, it was too late. He had sought out alternative patrons and laid the groundworks, which culminated in the showdown at the U.S. Consulate. 4. My mother’s innocence As a son, I do not believe that someone with her grace and intelligence would resort to murder. As an insider, I see no motive. Neil Heywood was a casual friend who posed no threat. Contrary to widely reported claims, he had nothing to do with me going to the UK or enrolling at Harrow. In fact, we only met when I was in my third year at Harrow, and was only introduced because he had the unique distinction as an “Old Harrovian” living in 大连 (Dàlián). He sought our help with his struggling business ventures in China, and while he was disappointed when we declined, it’s far-fetched to say he posed any threat. 王 (Wáng), however, took a peculiar interest in him, went out of the way to emphasise his false “spy” credentials, invited him to 重庆 (Chóngqìng), put him at the hotel that 王 (Wáng) (effectively) owned, and brought my mother to visit him... As a lawyer, I see no convincing evidence of my mother’s culpability — not first degree murder, not even manslaughter. I ask, which lawyer could disagree otherwise? 5. No ambition for political contest Contrary to rumours, the 薄 (Bó) and 习 (Xí) families have no history of conflict. When the elder 习 (Xí) passed away, my grandfather commemorated him with an effusive, heartfelt epitaph. My father had pledged his unreserved support for 习 (Xí) early on and never sought to compete against him. My parents’ imprisonment also had nothing to do with him. Yet, there are still those trying to compose political drama out of it. ——— The above points are my brief response — believe or not, up to you. Omission does not imply acquiescence. I enjoy the vitriol too, for I believe a person without an enemy has no friends. My parents remain my most admired people (along with my wife!). As I said to my private guests about the trio: “Lucky men search for their mother in their wives, and I see my wife, the way that my father sees my mother: she uplifts me when I’m despondent; brings me down when I’m overbearing; and moderates me when I’m overzealous... she also kicks me off the sofa when I play games for too long”. — 瓜瓜 (Guāguā)

薄瓜瓜 (Bó Guāguā) sharing happy times with his parents. Courtesy of RedChinaCn.net.