Kong Qingdong (born September 22, 1964) is a controversial Chinese academic, author, talk show host, and social commentator.
Kong is a prominent Chinese media figure, known for his vulgar and often brusque critiques on political issues and various individuals and groups.
Kong was born to a worker's family during the Cultural Revolution era,[citation needed] and was devoted to studying Lu Xun early in his academic career.
An avid reader and researcher of Chinese wuxia fiction, Kong briefly lectured on wuxia author Jin Yong on CCTV's Lecture Room series, as well as giving a talk on the Chinese essayist and language reformer Lu Xun on the same series.
Kong claims that the prize, which was awarded to Lien Chan and Vladimir Putin in its first two years (none of whom accepted it),[6] accurately reflects Confucius's vision of peace.
[citation needed] Kong is notorious for numerous forthright and expletive-ridden rants against a number of groups and individuals, and his polarizing views have frequently generated controversy, but have also rallied supporters.
[16][17] Commentators pointed out that Kong's popularity is a symptom of the widespread resentment of the elite liberal media, which often run editorials critical of poor people and make economic arguments to justify the increasing wealth gap.
[11] Kong himself asserted he used the expletives deliberately to "lure out" his enemies in the liberal Chinese media, having predicted that they would respond to him vehemently with what he called "counterrevolutionary encirclement.
[18] Overseas media speculated that Kong's remarks was merely part of a much larger battle between the political left and right in China.
His singling out of Wang Yang by name was cited as evidence of the intensifying struggle for China's future political direction.
"[20] Kong has expressed admiration for the North Korean Juche ideology, in addition to its late leader Kim Jong-il.
[citation needed] In 2007, the liberal writer Zhang Yihe (章诒和, daughter of Zhang Bojun, a notable Chinese intellectual and victim of Mao Zedong's Anti-Rightist Movement) published the now banned[22] Past Histories of Peking Opera Stars, in which she criticized the Anti-Rightist Movement and affirmed that she "will not give up the defense of my basic civil rights, because it affects the dignity and conscience of a person".
[31] He also said that he was confident the "majority of Hong Kongers" were not critical of him and that the internet backlash to be part of a well-executed conspiracy by fringe activists to silence him.
"[32] On 28 January 2012, Kong asserted on a Chinese television program that the 2012 presidential election in Taiwan is "fake democracy" and is "comparable to a soap opera.
"[33] Kong said that Ma's razor-thin margin of victory over his rival Tsai Ing-wen was comparable to the population of Zhongguancun, a neighbourhood of Beijing, and that it still reflected a deeply divided Taiwanese society.
The student supposedly asked Michelle Obama, "is America's strength a result of the U.S. secret services listening to the voices of its citizens?
After Kong had made his allegations, reporters and students present at Michelle Obama's speech denied that the confrontation took place.