A Party-owned magazine published an article recently which discussed the people's democratic dictatorship and class struggle. Excerpts of this article were put online and went viral. Many people condemned the article and questioned why class struggle, an obsolete terminology, had been brought up again.

These voices, like shouting slogans, have prevailed over some reasonable voices which suggest a public debate on this matter.

Class struggle is rarely mentioned nowadays in Chinese public discourse. Chinese society has been dramatically changed by the market economy and social transformation. We also use different words to describe social conflicts. But it doesn't mean class struggle has disappeared in Chinese society and that it is not worth exploring it.

Class struggle, in its most obvious manifestation, is the struggle between capitalist countries and socialist countries in the international community.

This conflict has never ended since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It has become one of the major threads that can expound many contradictions within Chinese society. From time to time, there will be public debates about whether China has chosen the right development path.

Class struggle, as a perspective to observe society, has long been superseded. The world is also changing too fast to be classified into various classes according to one or two norms.

However, class struggle still bears significance in terms of knowledge. Talking about class struggle is not equal to calling for it. There is no way that China will go back to the old days when class struggle was the guiding principle and social conflicts were addressed by mass campaigns. Chinese society is based on the rule of law, and all problems shall be resolved within this framework.

Like it or not, class struggle still exists in Chinese society and the country should keep it under control without igniting it. The real purpose of discussing class struggle is to warn people that it should never be as prevalent as before.

Now, class struggle should stay in the academic field and contribute toward helping society find out where the bottom line is.

Meanwhile, it shouldn't become a catchphrase in public discourse. Given the fact that China is a more complicated society than decades ago, issues triggered by class struggle can only be addressed in a comprehensive package of solutions.

Although class struggle no longer dominates the public mind like it did in the revolutionary era, it is still one of the most typical perspectives to see through the world. Thus, it is indiscreet to label class struggle as outdated.

Class struggle, in the Chinese public mind, represents a special period of time in history. But now, it no longer serves as a political signal.