It was, as we know, not so much eradicated as replaced by a Communist orthodoxy after 1949. And when this orthodoxy began to lose its grip on the Chinese public after the death of Chairman Mao in 1976, Chinese officials struggled to find a new set of beliefs to justify their monopoly on power. The ideological hybrid that followed Maoism was "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics," a mixture of state capitalism with political authoritarianism.

— Ian Buruma

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It was, as we know, not so much eradicated as replaced by a Communist orthodoxy after 1949. And when this orthodoxy began to lose its grip on the Chinese public after the death of Chairman Mao in 1976, Chinese officials struggled to find a new set of beliefs to justify their monopoly on power. The ideological hybrid that followed Maoism was "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics," a mixture of state capitalism with political authoritarianism." in the context of "Battling the Information Barbarians China often views the ideas of foreigners, from missionaries in the 17th century to 21st-century Internet entrepreneurs, as subversive imports. The tumultuous history behind the clash with Google." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Ian Buruma" (Sourced) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Ian Buruma

About Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma (born December 28, 1951) is a Dutch writer and academic. Much of his work focuses on Asian culture, particularly that of 20th-century Japan. In 2003 he became Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Rights & Journalism at Bard College, New York.