Lu Xun, the father of modern Chinese literature, is widely regarded as China's greatest 20th-century writer. But he was more than just a writer—he was a relentless social critic, a cultural diagnostician, and a moral philosopher. His mission was not to tell entertaining stories, but to "reveal the sickness and suffering in order to draw attention to the need for a cure."
Lu Xun did not condemn all Chinese people. Instead, he targeted the universal spiritual weaknesses formed under feudal culture and autocratic systems. At the same time, he also recognized the resilience and capacity for resistance within the Chinese character. His critiques were not meant to degrade, but to awaken—to stir people from their complacency and inspire them to change.
The Core Critique: The Spiritual Victory Method (Ah Q Spirit)
In "The True Story of Ah Q," Lu Xun created what remains the most iconic character in modern Chinese literature—a character that embodies what he called the "spiritual victory method."
1. Self-Deception and Escapism
Ah Q's defining trait is his ability to turn failure into "victory" through self-deception. When faced with defeat or humiliation, he doesn't confront reality—he retreats into a fantasy world where he imagines himself the winner.
In one memorable scene, after being beaten, Ah Q declares: "I think I'm the first person who can belittle himself. Except for 'belittling himself,' what's left is 'the first.' Isn't the number one scholar also 'the first'?" By twisting logic and redefining terms, he transforms his humiliation into a perverse form of pride.
This, Lu Xun suggests, is a national disease. When faced with failure, instead of learning from it or trying to improve, many Chinese people would simply deceive themselves into believing they hadn't really failed at all.
2. The Paradox of Arrogance and Self-Abasement
Ah Q embodies a disturbing paradox: he is simultaneously arrogant and self-abasing. When he is weak, he humbles himself before the powerful. But when he has even a little power, he becomes tyrannical and cruel to those weaker than himself.
He bullies the young, he insults the vulnerable, he takes out his frustrations on anyone he can. But when confronted by someone stronger, he immediately cringes and submits. This "bullying the weak and fearing the strong" mentality, Lu Xun argues, is deeply ingrained in the national character.
3. Forgetfulness and Numbness
Another striking trait of Ah Q is his remarkable ability to forget. After being humiliated, he quickly puts it out of his mind. He doesn't reflect on what happened, he doesn't feel anger about injustice, and he certainly doesn't consider resisting.
This forgetfulness is not a sign of resilience—it's a sign of numbness. It's a defense mechanism that allows people to endure terrible conditions without ever rising up to change them. As long as they can forget their suffering, they can continue to endure it.
Slave Mentality and the Master-Slave Dual Personality
One of Lu Xun's most powerful insights is what he called the "beast-like sheep, sheep-like beast" mentality—the idea that the same person can be both a slavish follower and a cruel tyrant, depending on the situation.
1. To the Strong: Cowardly, Obedient, and Servile
When dealing with those in power, many Chinese people display what Lu Xun saw as extreme servility. They are cowardly and obedient, showing "complete submission when they have power, and utter servility when they lose it."
They don't question authority, they don't demand rights, and they don't stand up for themselves. Instead, they bow down, they flatter, and they do whatever they're told. This isn't just obedience—it's a deep-seated slave mentality that has been cultivated over centuries of autocratic rule.
2. To the Weak: Cruel, Tyrannical, and Turning on the Even Weaker
But when the tables are turned, when these same people have even a little power over someone weaker, they often become monsters. They are cruel and tyrannical, "turning their knives on those even weaker than themselves."
They bully, they humiliate, they exploit. They take out all the frustrations and resentments they've accumulated as subordinates on those below them. This cycle of oppression—where the oppressed become the oppressors—is something Lu Xun saw as deeply tragic.
3. Content to Be Slaves
In "The Lantern by the Bed," Lu Xun writes: "Chinese people have never fought for the price of 'human beings'—at most, they have been slaves... and they still are today."
This is perhaps his most devastating critique: the idea that many Chinese people are content to be slaves. They don't aspire to freedom or dignity. They're satisfied with the cycle of "temporarily stable as slaves" or "unable to even be slaves."
They don't fight for better conditions because they don't believe they deserve better. They've internalized their oppression, and they've come to accept their subordinate status as natural and inevitable.
Indifference and the Bystander Mentality
One of the most disturbing aspects of the Chinese character that Lu Xun identified is the culture of indifference—what's often called the "bystander effect."
1. Watching, Numbness, and Indifference to Life
Lu Xun writes: "In China, especially in the cities, if someone falls ill on the street, or has an accident and gets hurt, there are plenty of people who will gather around and watch, or even take pleasure in it—but very few who are willing to reach out a hand to help."
This isn't just a lack of compassion—it's a form of entertainment. People gather to watch suffering, not because they want to help, but because they're bored and looking for something to occupy their attention. The suffering of others becomes a spectacle, a source of amusement.
2. Taking Pleasure in Others' Pain
In "Medicine," Lu Xun describes a crowd gathering to watch the execution of a revolutionary named Xia Yu. In "The Public Exhibition," he writes about people pushing and shoving to get a better view of a prisoner. In both cases, the crowd isn't horrified or sympathetic—they're curious, even excited.
This, Lu Xun suggests, is a form of moral degradation. When people can take pleasure in the suffering of others, when they have no sympathy and no righteous anger, something fundamental has been lost. They've become numb, not just to the pain of others, but to their own humanity.
Face Culture, Deception, and Hypocrisy
Lu Xun was deeply critical of what's often called "face culture"—the obsession with maintaining appearances and social status at the expense of truth and morality.
1. Face as the "Spiritual Program"
Lu Xun writes: "It's good that Chinese people want 'face,' but unfortunately this 'face' is a 'flexible method,' good at changing, and so it gets mixed up with 'shamelessness.'"
The problem with face culture, he suggests, is that it prioritizes surface-level respectability over substantive right and wrong. People don't care about doing the right thing—they care about appearing to do the right thing. They're more concerned with how they look than with who they are.
2. Deception and Self-Deception
Lu Xun also critiques what he calls the "deception and concealment" culture—the tendency to avoid facing reality, history, and one's own shortcomings. People deceive themselves, they deceive others, and they allow themselves to be deceived, creating a collective hypocrisy.
They don't want to hear the truth, they don't want to face the facts, and they certainly don't want to acknowledge their own flaws. Instead, they maintain a facade of harmony and prosperity, even when everything is falling apart.
"China will probably perish because of this 'ha ha laugh'—nothing is taken seriously, everything is covered up with deception," Lu Xun writes. This refusal to confront reality, he suggests, is ultimately self-destructive.
Conservatism, Traditionalism, Xenophobia, and Laziness
Lu Xun was also critical of the conservative, traditionalist, and xenophobic tendencies he saw in Chinese culture.
1. The "Nine Jin Old Lady" Mentality
Lu Xun coined the term "Nine Jin Old Lady" to describe people who are always complaining that "each generation is worse than the last." They resist new things, they cling to old rules, and they believe that the past was always better than the present.
This "Nine Jin Old Lady" mentality, Lu Xun suggests, is a major obstacle to progress. When people are always looking backward, when they're afraid of change, when they believe that anything new is automatically bad, it becomes impossible to move forward.
2. Content with the Status Quo, Unwilling to Change
Lu Xun writes: "Chinese society, although there are many evils that 'have existed since ancient times'... just because they 'have existed since ancient times,' everyone is content to let them be."
People don't want to change things, even when things are clearly wrong. They accept injustices because "that's how it's always been." They tolerate corruption because "that's just how things are." They endure suffering because "there's nothing we can do about it."
This resignation, this acceptance of the unacceptable, is something Lu Xun found deeply frustrating. He believed that people should not be content with the status quo—that they should demand better, that they should fight for change.
3. Cleverness, Opportunism, and Lack of Seriousness
Lu Xun also critiques what he calls the "cleverness, opportunism, and lack of seriousness" that he saw in many Chinese people. They're smooth and cunning, they pursue profit and avoid harm, and they have no principles and no integrity.
They don't stand for anything, they don't believe in anything, and they don't fight for anything. They just go along to get along, they do whatever is easiest, and they never take a stand for what's right.
A Loose Sand, Conformity, and Lack of Independent Character
Finally, Lu Xun critiques what he saw as a lack of independent character—a tendency to conform, to follow the crowd, and to be afraid of standing out.
1. No Independent Personality, Blind Conformity
Lu Xun writes: "Everyone does what everyone else does; no one dares to be unique, no one fears being excluded." People don't think for themselves, they don't make their own decisions, and they don't follow their own path. They just do what everyone else is doing, because that's the safe thing to do.
This conformity, Lu Xun suggests, is a form of cowardice. People are afraid to be different, they're afraid to stand out, and they're afraid to be themselves. They'd rather be part of the crowd than risk being rejected by it.
2. Selfishness, Utilitarianism, and Snobbery
Lu Xun also critiques the "selfishness, utilitarianism, and snobbery" that he saw in many Chinese people. They only care about immediate interests, about power and status. They "curry favor with the powerful, and kick people when they're down."
They don't care about justice, they don't care about morality, and they don't care about other people. They just care about themselves—about what's in it for them, about what they can get out of it.
Lu Xun's Balanced View: Resilience and Resistance
It's important to remember that Lu Xun's critique was not one-sided. While he was unsparing in his criticism of the negative aspects of the Chinese character, he also recognized and celebrated the positive aspects.
1. Resilience and Perseverance
Lu Xun admired the resilience and perseverance of the Chinese people—their ability to endure hardship, to keep going even when things are terrible, to survive under conditions that would break others.
This resilience, he believed, was a great strength. It was what had allowed Chinese civilization to survive for thousands of years, through wars and famines and invasions. It was what would allow it to survive and thrive in the future.
2. Capacity for Resistance
Lu Xun also believed in the Chinese people's capacity for resistance—their ability to rise up against oppression, to fight for justice, to demand change.
He didn't think people were naturally servile—he thought they had been made servile by centuries of oppression. And he believed that if they could be awakened, if they could see the truth, if they could shake off their numbness, they would be capable of great things.
The Purpose of Lu Xun's Critique: Awakening and Healing
Lu Xun's goal was never to condemn the Chinese people. His goal was to awaken them—to help them see themselves clearly, to recognize their flaws, and to inspire them to change.
1. Revealing Sickness to Encourage Healing
Lu Xun compared himself to a doctor. Just as a doctor doesn't shame a patient for being sick, but diagnoses the illness in order to treat it, Lu Xun didn't shame the Chinese people for their flaws—he diagnosed them in order to help them heal.
He wanted people to see their flaws, to acknowledge them, and to work to overcome them. He believed that the first step to change was awareness—that you can't fix a problem until you recognize that it exists.
2. The Power of Literature to Transform
Lu Xun believed that literature had the power to transform people and society. He believed that stories could make people see things they hadn't seen before, that they could make people feel things they hadn't felt before, and that they could inspire people to do things they hadn't done before.
He turned to literature because he believed that it was the most powerful tool he had for awakening the Chinese people. He wanted to write stories that would shock them, that would disturb them, that would make them think—and ultimately, that would make them change.
Lu Xun's Relevance Today
Nearly a century after Lu Xun's death, his critiques remain remarkably relevant. Many of the issues he identified—the spiritual victory method, the slave mentality, the bystander effect, the obsession with face—are still visible in Chinese society today.
1. The Continuation of Old Problems
While China has changed dramatically since Lu Xun's time, many of the underlying issues he identified remain. The spiritual victory method can still be seen in the way some people respond to criticism. The slave mentality can still be seen in the way some people defer to authority. The bystander effect can still be seen in the way some people ignore the suffering of others.
These problems aren't unique to China, of course—they're universal human problems. But Lu Xun's insights into how these problems manifest in Chinese culture remain valuable.
2. The Need for Continuous Self-Reflection
Lu Xun's greatest legacy may be his commitment to self-reflection. He didn't just criticize others—he criticized himself. He didn't just demand change from others—he demanded change from himself.
This is a lesson we can all learn from. No society is perfect, no culture is without flaws, and no people are without weaknesses. The key is to be willing to see those flaws, to acknowledge them, and to work to overcome them.
Conclusion: The Continuing Relevance of Lu Xun
Lu Xun was a harsh critic, but he was a critic who loved. He criticized the Chinese people not because he hated them, but because he loved them—and because he believed they were capable of so much more.
He saw the flaws in the Chinese character, but he also saw the potential. He saw the numbness, but he also believed in the possibility of awakening. He saw the servility, but he also believed in the capacity for resistance.
His mission was to "reveal the sickness and suffering in order to draw attention to the need for a cure." He wanted people to see themselves clearly, to recognize their flaws, and to be inspired to change.
Nearly a century after his death, Lu Xun's work remains essential reading. His insights into the Chinese character are as relevant today as they were in his time. His critique is as sharp, his diagnosis is as accurate, and his call to awakening is as urgent.
Lu Xun didn't just write about the China of his time—he wrote about the China of all times. He didn't just diagnose the problems of his generation—he diagnosed the problems of every generation. And he didn't just call for change in his era—he calls for change in ours.
As we read Lu Xun today, we shouldn't just see a critique of the Chinese character—we should see a challenge. A challenge to see ourselves clearly, to acknowledge our flaws, and to work to become better. A challenge to move beyond numbness to awareness, beyond servility to freedom, and beyond indifference to compassion.
This is Lu Xun's legacy: not just a critique of the Chinese character, but a call to awakening—a call that is as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago.