In the West, Machiavelli’s book The Prince is probably the best known work on simulation and dissimulation. In Chinese culture however there is a rich and deep seam of literature on strategy and deception. Sun Zi’s Art of War is the most famous, but the more recent book, Thick Black Theory, written by Li Zongwu in 1912, is possibly the most important when it comes to trying to understand the Chinese strategies of today.
Li Zongwu was a social philosopher and critic and his purpose in writing Thick Black Theory was to describe the symptoms of an illness, or, to be more precise, to bring into the light the cultural shadow which is known to all in Chinese society as “Thick face, black heart.” The description “thick face, black heart” is used to describe what many, but by no means all, in Chinese society, whether they say so publicly or not, perceive to be the “must have” quality of Chinese people if they want to be successful, whether that be in society, business or politics. “Thick face” is in essence a shield to protect a person from the criticism and negative opinions of others, thus preserving and thickening their own “face,” both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others, by refusing to accept the limitations or criticism that others have tried to impose or force upon them.
Thick Black Theory
Thick Black Theory is a philosophical treatise written by Li Zongwu (1879–1943), a disgruntled politician and scholar born at the end of Qing dynasty. It was published in China in 1911, the year of the Xinhai revolution, when the Qing dynasty was overthrown.
Name
Houheixue is translated as "Thick Black Theory", "Thick and Dark Theory", or "Study of the Thick and Dark". Hou 厚 is first word of "thick face" in Chinese; it means having a thick hide. Hei 黑 means black or dark in Chinese; it means having a dark mind in the context (cf. xuan 玄, e.g. in Xuanxue).
Quotations
Li was a scientist of political intrigue. He wrote: "When you conceal your will from others, that is Thick. When you impose your will on others, that is Black (Dark)." According to Chin-Ning Chu, the 'Thick Black Theory' describes the ruthless and hypocritical means men use to obtain and hold power: "thick faces" (shamelessness), "black heart" (ruthlessness), according to author's view of history. It went through several printings before being banned in China as subversive.
Li argued that "A great hero is no more than a person who is impudent and wicked." According to Li, the wickedest of all was Cao Cao. "I would rather betray someone than be betrayed." It shows how black Cao Cao's heart was inside. Li picked Liu Bei (king of one rival kingdom competing with Cao's) as the highly skilled person with a "thick face". He never thought it shameful to live inside another's fence. He was also a frequent crier, appealing to others' sympathy. There is even a humorous saying, "Liu Bei's JiangShan (kingdom) was obtained through his crying."
Studies
During the 1980s, news spread that Mao Zedong had studied the Thick Black Theory before the Cultural Revolution, and Li Zongwu was in the spotlight again. In Beijing during the 1990s, many books related to the Thick Black Theory, "thick-black-ology", were published.
Low Sui Pheng, in 1997 a Senior Lecturer at National University of Singapore, discusses the theory and issues in "Thick face, black heart and the marketing of construction services in China" in the "Marketing Intelligence & Planning" journal, volume 15 (1997), number 5, pp. 221–226, MCB University Press. Low proposes that Li Zongwu's principles from the 1911 book are widely practiced today as, more than ever, the Chinese view business as war and the marketplace as a battlefield.
The principles are also discussed by Tony Fang, of the School of Business, Stockholm University, in "Negotiation: the Chinese style", "Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing", volume 21 (2006), number 1, pp. 50–60, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Modern Reinterptations
- "Thick Face Black Heart: Thriving, Winning and Succeeding in Life's Every Endeavor" Amc Pub, (July 1992), ISBN 0-929638-28-X, 380 pages
- Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life Business Plus (October 1, 1994), ISBN 0-446-67020-0, 384 pages
- Thick Face, Black Heart: The Asian Path to Thriving, Winning and Succeeding Nicholas Brealey Publishing (April 30, 1995), ISBN 1-85788-125-7, 380 pages