Wang Ruoshui (1926–2002) was a prominent opponent of Maoism in the Cultural Revolution and a Reform era editor of People’s Daily who was eventually purged in the 1980s.
Wang was born in Shanghai and graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University in 1948. In 1949, he began working at the Beijing Municipal Committee's Policy Research Office, and in 1950, he was transferred to the editorial department of People's Daily, marking the beginning of his 38-year media career. During the early years of his career, Wang Ruoshui was a witness and participant in the ideological movements of China's Cultural Revolution. He wrote articles such as "Eliminate the Reactionary Philosophical Legacy of Hu Shi," which gained the approval of Mao Zedong, and he became a leader of a faction within People's Daily.
However, after the "September 13 Incident" in 1971, Mao Zedong's influence over Wang began to fade. With his growing reflection on the Cultural Revolution and the "extreme left" ideologies, Wang Ruoshui gradually turned to criticize the political system and the alienation of socialism. He criticized the oppression of people under the socialist system and introduced Marxist humanism, emphasizing that "human beings are the starting point of Marxism." As Mao's support for him waned, Wang became a key figure opposing the "extreme left" factions and the Lin Biao group. In 1972, he wrote articles criticizing extreme leftist ideologies but faced opposition from Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan. He was eventually removed from his position and sent for labor reeducation at the Hongxing People's Commune in Daxing County.
After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Wang Ruoshui returned to People's Daily and was appointed as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, responsible for the editorial, theoretical, and literary sections. In the context of the reform and opening-up period, he actively promoted the liberation of thought, criticized extreme leftism, and advocated for social and cultural reforms. He was part of the early group that rejected the Cultural Revolution, believing that it was "a revolution conducted using the wrong methods against the wrong targets." However, in 1983, he was dismissed from his position for criticizing the alienation in Marxist theory and was criticized during the "spiritual pollution" movement. In August 1987, due to his support for the 1986 student movement and his criticism of the Communist Party, he was expelled from the Party by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection during the "Oppose Bourgeois Liberalization Movement," and he retired in 1988.
In his 1992 work The Unfinished Quest, Wang Ruoshui reflected on his many years of work, admitting, "Most of the time, it was not about serving the people, but about serving the autocrats." He recalled the daily work in the theory department as "carrying out theoretical education, serving the political agenda, and based on political tasks, one period would promote this, another period would promote that."
Afterward, Wang continued to engage in academic activities and was invited several times to the United States as a visiting scholar. In 1998, Wang visited Lund University in Sweden as a visiting professor to continue his intellectual research. On January 9, 2002, Wang Ruoshui died in Boston, USA, at the age of 75, while accompanying his wife, Feng Yuan, who was a Nieman scholar at Harvard University.
Wang was born in Shanghai and graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University in 1948. In 1949, he began working at the Beijing Municipal Committee's Policy Research Office, and in 1950, he was transferred to the editorial department of People's Daily, marking the beginning of his 38-year media career. During the early years of his career, Wang Ruoshui was a witness and participant in the ideological movements of China's Cultural Revolution. He wrote articles such as "Eliminate the Reactionary Philosophical Legacy of Hu Shi," which gained the approval of Mao Zedong, and he became a leader of a faction within People's Daily.
However, after the "September 13 Incident" in 1971, Mao Zedong's influence over Wang began to fade. With his growing reflection on the Cultural Revolution and the "extreme left" ideologies, Wang Ruoshui gradually turned to criticize the political system and the alienation of socialism. He criticized the oppression of people under the socialist system and introduced Marxist humanism, emphasizing that "human beings are the starting point of Marxism." As Mao's support for him waned, Wang became a key figure opposing the "extreme left" factions and the Lin Biao group. In 1972, he wrote articles criticizing extreme leftist ideologies but faced opposition from Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan. He was eventually removed from his position and sent for labor reeducation at the Hongxing People's Commune in Daxing County.
After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Wang Ruoshui returned to People's Daily and was appointed as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, responsible for the editorial, theoretical, and literary sections. In the context of the reform and opening-up period, he actively promoted the liberation of thought, criticized extreme leftism, and advocated for social and cultural reforms. He was part of the early group that rejected the Cultural Revolution, believing that it was "a revolution conducted using the wrong methods against the wrong targets." However, in 1983, he was dismissed from his position for criticizing the alienation in Marxist theory and was criticized during the "spiritual pollution" movement. In August 1987, due to his support for the 1986 student movement and his criticism of the Communist Party, he was expelled from the Party by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection during the "Oppose Bourgeois Liberalization Movement," and he retired in 1988.
In his 1992 work The Unfinished Quest, Wang Ruoshui reflected on his many years of work, admitting, "Most of the time, it was not about serving the people, but about serving the autocrats." He recalled the daily work in the theory department as "carrying out theoretical education, serving the political agenda, and based on political tasks, one period would promote this, another period would promote that."
Afterward, Wang continued to engage in academic activities and was invited several times to the United States as a visiting scholar. In 1998, Wang visited Lund University in Sweden as a visiting professor to continue his intellectual research. On January 9, 2002, Wang Ruoshui died in Boston, USA, at the age of 75, while accompanying his wife, Feng Yuan, who was a Nieman scholar at Harvard University.
