It's been 8 years since I left everything I knew, I left family and friends, and made the life-changing decision of coming to live and study long-term in China. It was a choice I made very resolutely and responsibly. It was a brave thing to do. And I have achieved most of my goals.
It will undoubtedly have great impact on my life.
I have learned a lot, and many things have happened. I have changed a lot.
Recently I'm looking back to this part of my life and think very deeply about what I have found and experienced, what I have seen and felt,
what I am going to leave behind...For several reasons my life in China in the past 3-4 years has not been happy. Actually those of you who know me know well that I was extremely unhappy and sad. There are things that are beyond my power to positively change no matter how hard I try. I feel incredibly broken hearted, saddened, vulnerable, dejected...Each day I wake up and the day feels broken…
I regret very much staying in China the past 3 years. I should have left. Even though I had no "plan". I should have left. I stayed because I felt helpless to make a choice for change. I lacked courage and strength to move on.
I stayed because I was hoping with all of my heart for a positive change, I tried hard, but instead things got worse.
Now with each day closing in on my departure (which for the moment I decided will be somewhere in the end of August) my feeling of helpless sadness and loneliness increases each day and crushes me relentlessly.
Some days the burden of empty and joyless lonely days is unbearable. I feel lost.
It is true that 8 years ago I made a conscious choice to leave everything and come to such a far away country, in a way it is a sort of an "exile".
But being alone in a completely foreign country can be a devastating experience.
I am bearing the toll of my own decisions and choices.
I have no one to blame.
I'm trying to positively look forward to the change that will happen in my life with leaving China, but at this moment it is very hard to imagine that I will find joy and happiness in my life.
Unfortunately for many reasons China has had a damaging impact on most of my dreams, illusions, hopes. I feel much more bitter, much more cynical and negative compared to my usual pessimism, thoughtfulness and oversensitivity...
China was a mysterious place to which I traveled with a wide open heart hoping for enlightenment, knowledge, self-development. For some time I could cope with my loneliness, because there was so many new and different things to discover and experience. But from one point on disillusionments and disappointments just kept on piling up. I lost my sense of purpose.
I feel so utterly disillusioned now that it is hard to imagine that even such an
idealist like me will ever find courage to believe and hope and once again some day find the courage to open my heart to anything or anyone ever again.
These days I feel the burden of all this even more acutely.
It’s so hard to find again courage and strength and hope.
The hardest thing.
Friday, 26 June 2009
"DON'T BE EVIL"
I actually really didn't wanted this BLOG to be a "China Blog", but it seems inevitable, since almost all of my posts are China-related...
This is yet another post about China.
Ahead of the 60th anniversary (on 1st of October later this year) when Communist China was established, OBVIOUSLY China is taking serious measure to make sure everything goes rosy and great for this important for the Party event...
ANYthing that can question, threaten It's authority will be 'harmonized'.
So the censorship machine is rolling relentlessly. As I already pointed out (it turns out others have similar thought and observations the recent Green Dam filtering censorship software might turn out to be an idea that will most probably have the opposite of the sought result...
Some have already noted the short term and long term implications of the enforced censorship...
I'm not sure about that. We must wait and see.
I have NO doubt that the recent Internet crackdowns are not just directed at really preventing porn from harming the young generation...I'm just sure that the purpose(s) is larger and broader...The anti-porn campaign is just giving credibility to the real purposes of the Internet crackdown. More simply put - the aim is control. Control (restriction) of freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of disagreement...
And while this Green Dam fiasco might have already backfired and actually prompted some people to become even more anti-censorship savvy and sensitive to the thuggish control coming from the top (some have already protested and even issued a manifesto, see below...), in the long term I'm thinking if this software and other measures actually manage to hold up it will have unimaginable consequences for the majority of the Internet users. And as we well can imagine controlling the Masses is more crucial than controlling everybody...Maybe the Government thinks that that is a risk worth taking.
Those who are more obstinate will find ways to circumvent the "Great Firewall", the others will just complacently put up with it...In the long run, people just accept "reality" and live with it. That's it. There is an amazing Chinese "quality", that always irritates me the most - putting up, indifference and complacency with the current status-quo of things...it is almost a miracle for someone to even question and demand change...Not a big one, even just a small dayly matter one...It's not that Chinese don't see problems or don't mutter under their nose complaining. But it is extremely rare that they will take actual action in improving or changing things...That's my explanation as to why the hell change is so incredibly slow in China. For an extremely dynamic country (perhaps unparalleledly dynamic) real, essentials change takes place with the slowness of eons...
The Chinese are ULRA practical people. If the intrusion is not too great they will just put up with it. There is a line of "tolerance" that if not crossed will just not lead to substantial disruption of the status quo. Ironically the Chinese proud themselves with their "endurance" 忍. And while endurance can actually be a positive quality in many cases it can easily be a negative one. In my view, if you have principles you should stick to them. In many cases Chinese-style "endurance" is actually meaning that they have nothing to stand up for. Nothing to defend, no values they feel strongly about, no principles that are crucial to honorable existence, no dignity. This kind of "endurance" I just don't respect and refuse to accept.
----
Meanwhile. China has obviously declared war to Google Inc. After blocking YouTube and Blogger some time ago, on Wednesday all Google services were disrupted, including main search engine, Gmail, Google Talk, etc.
It's an all out Cold War of China VS Google Inc.
Under the pretext that Google's search engine is providing links to porn sites, China is extorting (blackmailing) the popular mega-corporation to make even more compliant to "Chinese law" changes. (China's local search engine Baidu is linking to porn sites undisturbed meanwhile)
Google search already has complied with previous China "requests" for censorship. They will most probably do so now too.
The US government issued a formal protest against the Green Dam software, but the emphasis is on the trade, business aspect of the issue (firms are given the costly ultimatum to provide the questionable software with each PC sold in China after 1st of July)...
Hm. How about human rights issues?!
In some relevance, Yahoo!'s CEO on Thursday said a memorable sentence when asked about the requirements of the Chinese government and their implications for the restriction of freedom of information. (Not Yahoo!'s job to 'fix China': CEO )
She said: It is not Yahoo!'s job to fix the Chinese government.” That’s not the mandate that the shareholders gave us."
Hm, that comes from a company infamous for disclosing information before to the Chinese government which led to the imprisonment of Chinese dissidents...
So. When the question is about money big companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google with probably think more about profit rather than on loosing trust with "consumers"...
In Google's case, the most free-source and a corporation that has already won the trust and respect of users, whose motto by the way is "Don't Be Evil", siding up with "Evil" in excange of material interests will be a crucial loss of trust and respect. At least on my side...
----
Green Dam-ned related blog post and news:
Rebecca MacKinnon who specializes in studying Chinese media and Internet in her BLOG RConversation(blocked in China)in her blog post "China's censorship blowback" observed:
Most of China's educated, largely apolitical, internet-connected urbanites have until now been generally willing to accept the political status quo - and with it a certain amount of censorship, thuggishness and injustice, political paranoia and occasional bizarreness - in exchange for overall social stability (compared to any other time in living Chinese memory), economic growth, plus an impressive increase in China's global power and status. But whoever is driving the latest Internet crackdown and the accompanying moralistic propaganda drive may have done substantial damage to the government's credibility.
------------
China Blocks Google to Stifle Online Dissent Ahead of Nation's 60th Anniversary
"The U.S. and China are waging a war over the Internet, a war of information. It's a new Cold War," said Li Xiguang, dean of the journalism school at Beijing's Tsinghua University.
A declaration published Thursday by anonymous Chinese Internet users promised that all new efforts at censorship would be met with online sabotage.
"We are the Anonymous Netizens. We have seen your moves on the Internet. You have deprived your netizens of the freedom of speech. You have come to see technology as your mortal enemy," read a translation of the Declaration of the Anonymous Netizens published on a popular English-language blog, The Shanghaiist.
"For the freedom of the Internet, for the advancement of Internetization, and for our rights, we are going to acquaint your censorship machine with systematic sabotage and show you just how weak the claws of your censorship really are," the declaration continued.
Ai Weiwei, a well-known Chinese artist who recently was put under government surveillance for his attempts to create a complete list of children killed in last year's Sichuan earthquake, has called for a boycott of the Internet on July 1 as a protest against the Green Dam software.
--------
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The 3 slogans of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's "1984"
This is yet another post about China.
Ahead of the 60th anniversary (on 1st of October later this year) when Communist China was established, OBVIOUSLY China is taking serious measure to make sure everything goes rosy and great for this important for the Party event...
ANYthing that can question, threaten It's authority will be 'harmonized'.
So the censorship machine is rolling relentlessly. As I already pointed out (it turns out others have similar thought and observations the recent Green Dam filtering censorship software might turn out to be an idea that will most probably have the opposite of the sought result...
Some have already noted the short term and long term implications of the enforced censorship...
I'm not sure about that. We must wait and see.
I have NO doubt that the recent Internet crackdowns are not just directed at really preventing porn from harming the young generation...I'm just sure that the purpose(s) is larger and broader...The anti-porn campaign is just giving credibility to the real purposes of the Internet crackdown. More simply put - the aim is control. Control (restriction) of freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of disagreement...
And while this Green Dam fiasco might have already backfired and actually prompted some people to become even more anti-censorship savvy and sensitive to the thuggish control coming from the top (some have already protested and even issued a manifesto, see below...), in the long term I'm thinking if this software and other measures actually manage to hold up it will have unimaginable consequences for the majority of the Internet users. And as we well can imagine controlling the Masses is more crucial than controlling everybody...Maybe the Government thinks that that is a risk worth taking.
Those who are more obstinate will find ways to circumvent the "Great Firewall", the others will just complacently put up with it...In the long run, people just accept "reality" and live with it. That's it. There is an amazing Chinese "quality", that always irritates me the most - putting up, indifference and complacency with the current status-quo of things...it is almost a miracle for someone to even question and demand change...Not a big one, even just a small dayly matter one...It's not that Chinese don't see problems or don't mutter under their nose complaining. But it is extremely rare that they will take actual action in improving or changing things...That's my explanation as to why the hell change is so incredibly slow in China. For an extremely dynamic country (perhaps unparalleledly dynamic) real, essentials change takes place with the slowness of eons...
The Chinese are ULRA practical people. If the intrusion is not too great they will just put up with it. There is a line of "tolerance" that if not crossed will just not lead to substantial disruption of the status quo. Ironically the Chinese proud themselves with their "endurance" 忍. And while endurance can actually be a positive quality in many cases it can easily be a negative one. In my view, if you have principles you should stick to them. In many cases Chinese-style "endurance" is actually meaning that they have nothing to stand up for. Nothing to defend, no values they feel strongly about, no principles that are crucial to honorable existence, no dignity. This kind of "endurance" I just don't respect and refuse to accept.
----
Meanwhile. China has obviously declared war to Google Inc. After blocking YouTube and Blogger some time ago, on Wednesday all Google services were disrupted, including main search engine, Gmail, Google Talk, etc.
It's an all out Cold War of China VS Google Inc.
Under the pretext that Google's search engine is providing links to porn sites, China is extorting (blackmailing) the popular mega-corporation to make even more compliant to "Chinese law" changes. (China's local search engine Baidu is linking to porn sites undisturbed meanwhile)
Google search already has complied with previous China "requests" for censorship. They will most probably do so now too.
The US government issued a formal protest against the Green Dam software, but the emphasis is on the trade, business aspect of the issue (firms are given the costly ultimatum to provide the questionable software with each PC sold in China after 1st of July)...
Hm. How about human rights issues?!
In some relevance, Yahoo!'s CEO on Thursday said a memorable sentence when asked about the requirements of the Chinese government and their implications for the restriction of freedom of information. (Not Yahoo!'s job to 'fix China': CEO )
She said: It is not Yahoo!'s job to fix the Chinese government.” That’s not the mandate that the shareholders gave us."
Hm, that comes from a company infamous for disclosing information before to the Chinese government which led to the imprisonment of Chinese dissidents...
So. When the question is about money big companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google with probably think more about profit rather than on loosing trust with "consumers"...
In Google's case, the most free-source and a corporation that has already won the trust and respect of users, whose motto by the way is "Don't Be Evil", siding up with "Evil" in excange of material interests will be a crucial loss of trust and respect. At least on my side...
----
Green Dam-ned related blog post and news:
Rebecca MacKinnon who specializes in studying Chinese media and Internet in her BLOG RConversation(blocked in China)in her blog post "China's censorship blowback" observed:
Most of China's educated, largely apolitical, internet-connected urbanites have until now been generally willing to accept the political status quo - and with it a certain amount of censorship, thuggishness and injustice, political paranoia and occasional bizarreness - in exchange for overall social stability (compared to any other time in living Chinese memory), economic growth, plus an impressive increase in China's global power and status. But whoever is driving the latest Internet crackdown and the accompanying moralistic propaganda drive may have done substantial damage to the government's credibility.
------------
China Blocks Google to Stifle Online Dissent Ahead of Nation's 60th Anniversary
"The U.S. and China are waging a war over the Internet, a war of information. It's a new Cold War," said Li Xiguang, dean of the journalism school at Beijing's Tsinghua University.
A declaration published Thursday by anonymous Chinese Internet users promised that all new efforts at censorship would be met with online sabotage.
"We are the Anonymous Netizens. We have seen your moves on the Internet. You have deprived your netizens of the freedom of speech. You have come to see technology as your mortal enemy," read a translation of the Declaration of the Anonymous Netizens published on a popular English-language blog, The Shanghaiist.
"For the freedom of the Internet, for the advancement of Internetization, and for our rights, we are going to acquaint your censorship machine with systematic sabotage and show you just how weak the claws of your censorship really are," the declaration continued.
Ai Weiwei, a well-known Chinese artist who recently was put under government surveillance for his attempts to create a complete list of children killed in last year's Sichuan earthquake, has called for a boycott of the Internet on July 1 as a protest against the Green Dam software.
--------
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The 3 slogans of the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's "1984"
Monday, 22 June 2009
"God Is Great!" - the call of reform in Iran?!
Undoubtedly the biggest world news (which followed soon after North Korea's recent nuke test) are the protests that followed last week's elections in Iran. Days of protests of young Iranian people with the help of world wide web services like tweeter, youtube, etc. have drawn the attention of the world. It turns out Internet has a great role in the organising and reporting of the protests.
After a supposedly fraud election bloody clashes with police and security services have resulted as defience to accepting the re-election of current Iranian President Ahmadinejad.
Since the Iranian Revolution these are the biggest and most tumult times in Iran. No doubt there will be a change. Let's hope that change will be for the better!
According to reports, in Tehran, cries of protesters, "God Is Great!" echo in the night...
----
In some relation.
In view of the events in Iran and the Internet role in the anti-government (pro-democratic, pro-reform) movement, NYTimes op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a piece urging the support of anti-Internet censorship tools...*
Tear Down This Cyber Wall
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/opinion/18kristof.html?_r=2
Hm, I'm thinking. Chinese authorities and censors no doubt are watching (and learning)from the current situation of Iran...
What happens in Iran will no doubt be crucial not only for Iranians but also for the World.
The irony in the similiraty of Internet control (censorship) between the two countries is that Internet censorship has and is encouraging anti-authoritarian sentiments. Iranians are among the people who as a result of government consorship and control have become very savvy as to circumventing Internet censorship and control. Internet defience is not necessary equal to political defience, at least initialy, but too obvious censorship can have a very unexpected side-effect.
A situation very similar to that in China...
Recent stepping up of Internet control in China may turn out to have the oposite of the wanted effect...
And that can turn dangerous...
*By the way this post is made possible with the help of such tools...
After a supposedly fraud election bloody clashes with police and security services have resulted as defience to accepting the re-election of current Iranian President Ahmadinejad.
Since the Iranian Revolution these are the biggest and most tumult times in Iran. No doubt there will be a change. Let's hope that change will be for the better!
According to reports, in Tehran, cries of protesters, "God Is Great!" echo in the night...
----
In some relation.
In view of the events in Iran and the Internet role in the anti-government (pro-democratic, pro-reform) movement, NYTimes op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a piece urging the support of anti-Internet censorship tools...*
Tear Down This Cyber Wall
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/opinion/18kristof.html?_r=2
Hm, I'm thinking. Chinese authorities and censors no doubt are watching (and learning)from the current situation of Iran...
What happens in Iran will no doubt be crucial not only for Iranians but also for the World.
The irony in the similiraty of Internet control (censorship) between the two countries is that Internet censorship has and is encouraging anti-authoritarian sentiments. Iranians are among the people who as a result of government consorship and control have become very savvy as to circumventing Internet censorship and control. Internet defience is not necessary equal to political defience, at least initialy, but too obvious censorship can have a very unexpected side-effect.
A situation very similar to that in China...
Recent stepping up of Internet control in China may turn out to have the oposite of the wanted effect...
And that can turn dangerous...
*By the way this post is made possible with the help of such tools...
China's New Censorship Softwear Tool Green Dam's Currious Black List of Words
The "hot" topic of the last few days has been the new controvercial requirement made by the Chinese government for the installing of a "filter"-software called "Green Dam Youth Escort" which is to be included (pre-installed or otherwise provided) with each new computer sold after the 1st of July. While under the pretext it is to prevent youth from the harmful pornography and violence contents on the Internet, many people have already expressed serious doubts not only about implementing the order, but also the quality of the product...But most importantly it is very dubious what exactly the purpose of this softwear is. Is it really preventing and protecting youth from porn and violence or is it yet another effort (and at that not a very subtle one) to curb freedom of information?!
Recently on Wikileaks (http://wikileaks.org/wiki/A_technical_analysis_of_the_Chinese_'Green_Dam_Youth-Escort'_censorship_software)
there appeared a technical analysis of the said software.
The other day I spend some time carefully studying the linked list of non-pornographic words' black list.
It is just amazing what kind of words are deemed dangerous!!!
Green Dam black word list
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=czovL2RvY3MuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS9WaWV3P2lkPWFoMjd4ejRwYno2c18yNGM2ZHcyN2c2&b=13
Now reading this list carefully one is struck with the following absurdities. Never mind the obvious forbidden topics, i.e. "the usual suspects" such as FalunGong, Tiananmen "6.4 accident", Dalai Lama, human rights, officials corruption etc., there appear to be words in this list that one wonders why are they considered dangerous, the most absurd is the including of words such as gratitude, moral conduct, goodness, Confucianism...?! Hm, wasn't this software supposed to prevent youth from "harmful content"?!! How exactly does words such as humanity, humanism, goodness, etc. figure in being dangerous and harmful?!
Another inexplicable feature is the inclusion of the names of cities and countries...If you want to search for Australia, Amsterdam or Ukraine for instance you'll be prevented from opening such contents. One wonders why the hell names of countries and cities are deemed sensitive?!
But the most obvious target (apart from FaLunGong which appears to be the main target of the software judging from the black wordlist contents and particular obsession with the forbidden sect)seem to be all terms and ideas connected with Buddhism...
Buddha, Guanyin and Amitabha Buddha are obviously dangerous and harmful to the "healthy" growth of the future Chinese generation?!
It's no joke. Most basic Buddhist terms are in this black list : karma, karmic retribution, reincarnation are in the blacklist. But the wordlist is far from subtle. It is obvious that the "target" is religion and believes of all kind. Not only Buddhism is considered dangerous (monk, nun, temple, praying to Buddha, scriptures are obviously "dangerous" words), all sorts of basic words that have to do with religion are considered dangerous...priest, church...But definitely Buddhism is the main target. Practically some of the basic terms that appear in Buddhism are "dirty words"?!
So now it appears that "Buddha" is a dirty word?!!!
Who is the crazy, insane/ incompetent person who made up the list?!
It's ironic that those same people beat the drum of the so-called 5000 years of Chinese culture and history.
But, damn it, without Buddhism and Buddhist culture, China's culture doesn't come up to much isn't it?!!
Daoism and Daoist priests (and also Confucianism) figure in the blacklist, so one wonders what is not harmful to the Chinese youth if Chinese culture itself is in the blacklist...Perhaps money and stock and shares...?!!
I get the feeling that this softwear as many other Chinese intiatives was so badly conrived that it will instead of doing the "job" it was set to do it will backfire...
Already it has a very ironic side-effect of drawing riducule from people who otherwise will remain politically indifferent.
I have no doubt that this is (mostly) a (it appears badly contrived) political softwear. Not to mention the dubious fact that this is a state-inplemented monopol and there is the question of the huge amount of taxpayers money that will enter in a particular someone's pockets...Ironically, "corruption" is in the blacklist of "dirty/dangerous words"...
Recently on Wikileaks (http://wikileaks.org/wiki/A_technical_analysis_of_the_Chinese_'Green_Dam_Youth-Escort'_censorship_software)
there appeared a technical analysis of the said software.
The other day I spend some time carefully studying the linked list of non-pornographic words' black list.
It is just amazing what kind of words are deemed dangerous!!!
Green Dam black word list
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=czovL2RvY3MuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS9WaWV3P2lkPWFoMjd4ejRwYno2c18yNGM2ZHcyN2c2&b=13
Now reading this list carefully one is struck with the following absurdities. Never mind the obvious forbidden topics, i.e. "the usual suspects" such as FalunGong, Tiananmen "6.4 accident", Dalai Lama, human rights, officials corruption etc., there appear to be words in this list that one wonders why are they considered dangerous, the most absurd is the including of words such as gratitude, moral conduct, goodness, Confucianism...?! Hm, wasn't this software supposed to prevent youth from "harmful content"?!! How exactly does words such as humanity, humanism, goodness, etc. figure in being dangerous and harmful?!
Another inexplicable feature is the inclusion of the names of cities and countries...If you want to search for Australia, Amsterdam or Ukraine for instance you'll be prevented from opening such contents. One wonders why the hell names of countries and cities are deemed sensitive?!
But the most obvious target (apart from FaLunGong which appears to be the main target of the software judging from the black wordlist contents and particular obsession with the forbidden sect)seem to be all terms and ideas connected with Buddhism...
Buddha, Guanyin and Amitabha Buddha are obviously dangerous and harmful to the "healthy" growth of the future Chinese generation?!
It's no joke. Most basic Buddhist terms are in this black list : karma, karmic retribution, reincarnation are in the blacklist. But the wordlist is far from subtle. It is obvious that the "target" is religion and believes of all kind. Not only Buddhism is considered dangerous (monk, nun, temple, praying to Buddha, scriptures are obviously "dangerous" words), all sorts of basic words that have to do with religion are considered dangerous...priest, church...But definitely Buddhism is the main target. Practically some of the basic terms that appear in Buddhism are "dirty words"?!
So now it appears that "Buddha" is a dirty word?!!!
Who is the crazy, insane/ incompetent person who made up the list?!
It's ironic that those same people beat the drum of the so-called 5000 years of Chinese culture and history.
But, damn it, without Buddhism and Buddhist culture, China's culture doesn't come up to much isn't it?!!
Daoism and Daoist priests (and also Confucianism) figure in the blacklist, so one wonders what is not harmful to the Chinese youth if Chinese culture itself is in the blacklist...Perhaps money and stock and shares...?!!
I get the feeling that this softwear as many other Chinese intiatives was so badly conrived that it will instead of doing the "job" it was set to do it will backfire...
Already it has a very ironic side-effect of drawing riducule from people who otherwise will remain politically indifferent.
I have no doubt that this is (mostly) a (it appears badly contrived) political softwear. Not to mention the dubious fact that this is a state-inplemented monopol and there is the question of the huge amount of taxpayers money that will enter in a particular someone's pockets...Ironically, "corruption" is in the blacklist of "dirty/dangerous words"...
Friday, 19 June 2009
Sadness
I haven't posted for a while...My last post is 10 days old.
Meanwhile I was away from Beijing for a week down to Canton (Guangdong Province) for a (well-paid) translation job...
That makes my plan to go on a trip to Tibet (a trip I'm really looking forward to and hope it will happen) in the beginning of July possible, which of course is the reason I took up this job in the first place...
Actually in a way it was an interesting experience. It gave me an insight into part of China’s reality I haven’t experienced before…There is a lot I can say and recount about those 6 days, but I will do this in another post in the coming days...
These days I just don't feel like writing...
Meanwhile.I came back 2 days ago and it feels so strange...
The truth is I feel an immense feeling of emptiness and sadness...
I can't help but feel very depressed. Even more than usual.
The problem is I know the reasons for my depression very well.
Time passes relentlessly. Days, weeks, months pass and I don't seem to be able to fix and mend things I wanted and needed so much to fix and positively change...I have almost no hope left that things will improve even a little bit.
It makes me feel very helpless and incredibly sad.
I don't know what to do anymore...
I really don't know.
I hope with all of my heart things can somehow miraculously turn for the better. Somehow. I don't hope for impossible things. I just hope to have a chance to make things better.
------
Three days ago, on June 16th, was my birthday. I got a stuffed grey plush dolphin as a present from a stranger in a bar in one of the most boring/depressing towns I have visited ever.
I usually don't much celebrate birthdays and holidays anyway, but my feeling of loneliness increased acutely...
Meanwhile I was away from Beijing for a week down to Canton (Guangdong Province) for a (well-paid) translation job...
That makes my plan to go on a trip to Tibet (a trip I'm really looking forward to and hope it will happen) in the beginning of July possible, which of course is the reason I took up this job in the first place...
Actually in a way it was an interesting experience. It gave me an insight into part of China’s reality I haven’t experienced before…There is a lot I can say and recount about those 6 days, but I will do this in another post in the coming days...
These days I just don't feel like writing...
Meanwhile.I came back 2 days ago and it feels so strange...
The truth is I feel an immense feeling of emptiness and sadness...
I can't help but feel very depressed. Even more than usual.
The problem is I know the reasons for my depression very well.
Time passes relentlessly. Days, weeks, months pass and I don't seem to be able to fix and mend things I wanted and needed so much to fix and positively change...I have almost no hope left that things will improve even a little bit.
It makes me feel very helpless and incredibly sad.
I don't know what to do anymore...
I really don't know.
I hope with all of my heart things can somehow miraculously turn for the better. Somehow. I don't hope for impossible things. I just hope to have a chance to make things better.
------
Three days ago, on June 16th, was my birthday. I got a stuffed grey plush dolphin as a present from a stranger in a bar in one of the most boring/depressing towns I have visited ever.
I usually don't much celebrate birthdays and holidays anyway, but my feeling of loneliness increased acutely...
The “Six Why”'s of The Party
A post by David Bandurski on China Media Project (a blog I follow and respect) points out another recent Orwellian-like Party directive dubbed the "Six Why"'s...
Issued just a day after the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen events it is giving out a sign about what will the Party try to maintain lest to keep the Great Wall of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (whatever that means) from toppling down...
go to:
Because forsaking Marxism means toppling the Great Wall
http://cmp.hku.hk/2009/06/19/1668/
解读“六个为什么”(has the original text in Chinese on the CCTV website)
http://news.cctv.com/special/lgwsm/01/
Issued just a day after the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen events it is giving out a sign about what will the Party try to maintain lest to keep the Great Wall of "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (whatever that means) from toppling down...
go to:
Because forsaking Marxism means toppling the Great Wall
http://cmp.hku.hk/2009/06/19/1668/
解读“六个为什么”(has the original text in Chinese on the CCTV website)
http://news.cctv.com/special/lgwsm/01/
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The Tank Man - more reflections and angles on the Tiananmen 20th Anniversary
One of the most strong and iconic images from 20 years ago (and one of the most important news photo of all time) is the photograph of a man standing in front of a row of tanks advancing on the Changan Avenue (the most important boulevard in Beijing with a completely contrasting name which ironically means, The Avenue of Everlasting Tranquility).The anonymous pedestrian dubbed "the Tank Man" ,blocked a row of tanks, producing one of the iconic images of that event.
Few images are more recognizable or more evocative. Known simply as “tank man,” it is one of the most famous photographs in recent history.
Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1989, following weeks of massive protests in Beijing and a crackdown that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, a lone man stepped in front of a column of tanks rumbling past Tiananmen Square. The moment instantly became a symbol of the protests as well as a symbol against oppression worldwide — an anonymous act of defiance seared into our collective consciousnesses.
Few images are more recognizable or more evocative. Known simply as “tank man,” it is one of the most famous photographs in recent history.
Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1989, following weeks of massive protests in Beijing and a crackdown that resulted in the deaths of hundreds, a lone man stepped in front of a column of tanks rumbling past Tiananmen Square. The moment instantly became a symbol of the protests as well as a symbol against oppression worldwide — an anonymous act of defiance seared into our collective consciousnesses.
Recently on the Lens Blog on the New York Times site there is a sort of a research on the origins and different versions of the image. It is VERY interesting!
There was not just one “tank man” photo. At least four photographers captured the encounter that day from the Beijing Hotel, overlooking Changan Avenue (the Avenue of Eternal Peace), their lives forever linked by a single moment in time. They shared their recollections with The Times through e-mail.
Here are two links to related posts:
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/behind-the-scenes-tank-man-of-tiananmen/
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/behind-the-scenes-a-new-angle-on-history/
I found these links following a post at the China Blog at the Time.com site. It's a blog that is blocked in China since at least 2 months. Here is the link to the corresponding post:
A New Perspective on Tank Man
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vY2hpbmEuYmxvZ3MudGltZS5jb20vMjAwOS8wNi8wOC9hLW5ldy1wZXJzcGVjdGl2ZS1vbi10YW5rLW1hbi8%3D&b=5
Also check out this photo essay on the Tank Man on Time.com:
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2009/tiananmen_20_franklin/
Also, Tiananmen anniversary connected an article and a post. The article is by John Pomfret in the Washington Post. The post is on Room For Debate blog on the New York Times.com site.
John Pomfret is one of the accused "anti-China" journalists who has a firsthand experience of the events in Beijing from 20 years ago since at that time he was a correspondent for the Associated Press. His article discusses a topic that also interests me very much, i.e. how has the CCP managed to stay in power and even make its position even more secure after such a breach of public confidence as the events in Beijing 20 years ago showed.
After Tiananmen, China Wedded Force With Freedom
John Pomfret
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060501970.html
China’s New Rebels (on the Room for Debate Blog on the New York Times site)
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/chinas-new-rebels/
"You've Been Harmonized"- China Demands New PCs Have Web Site-blocking Program
Almost the biggest Chinese news from yeasterday and today is the report that China will require that Web filtering software be included with all computers sold in the country after 1st July. According to The Wall Street Journal on Monday, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology sent computer makers a notice on May 19 that PCs to be sold in China as of July 1 must be preloaded with the software.
The program would either be installed on the hard drive or enclosed on a compact disc, the newspaper reported, adding that PC makers would be required to tell authorities how many PCs they have shipped with the software.
OBVIOUSLY it's another step up in Chinese government's efforts to control pornography, but more significantly to control other 'sensitive' content on the Internet. After the recent 'anti-porn' Internet campaign during which under the pretext of cracking down on porn China shut down numerous websites and blogs which of course have nothing to do with pornography, the CCP government takes the "harmonizing" one step further - a softwear. (See bellow the AP report about the possible uses of the softwear.)
While the manufactorer Jinhui Computer System Engineering claims that the purpose of the software (called Green Dam Youth Escort in Chinese) is to prevent children from surfing prornografic content, one very important and significant ability of the program is to be noted:
Jinhui's Web site says its program also prevents the use of proxy servers or circumvention software to visit banned sites, measures often used by savvy Internet users in China.
Now that is obviously meant to stop/'escort'/ PC users from surfing politically 'sensitive' sites, etc. The move obviously is meant to give the Chinese government even more control over what users are viewing on the Internet.
Acording to reports China has hundreds of millions of web users, a number that grows each day. Without control who knows what can happen.
No doubt vulgar, pornographic, lewd and obsene content is controlled in other countries too (and in my view it should be), BUT controlling political content and free expression is not OK.
In China pornographic content is called "yellow"黄色,in a perverse twist the Party equals dissent views to pornography.
But when the Party says 'harmony', it means it!
China requires PCs to come with anti-porn software (AP)
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090608/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_internet_12
....
Through such mechanisms as network-level filters installed at the nation's Internet service providers, the government routinely blocks political sites, especially ones it considers socially destabilizing such as sites that challenge the ruling Communist Party, promote democratic reform or advocate independence for Tibet.
....
John Palfrey, an Internet censorship expert at Harvard University, described the latest requirements as "a potential game changer in the story of Internet control," by moving China's "Great Firewall" closer to the user, where censorship can be more effective.
Although users can unblock sites or uninstall the software, many won't bother or know how, Palfrey said. There's also the possibility of the software leaving traces, he said, giving users a false sense of security if the software blocks or monitors usage anyhow — or giving users enough uncertainty that they'll practice self-censorship.
"One of the most effective parts of China's controls is self-censorship, the perception that you are being watched or blocked," Palfrey said in an interview from Washington, D.C.
And though the software isn't currently designed for monitoring usage, Palfrey said a future update could give it surveillance capabilities, something easier to implement once the basic software is already on PCs. (AP) !!!!!!!
---
China Demands New PCs Have Web Site-blocking Program (PC World)
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/20090608/tc_pcworld/chinademandsnewpcshavewebsiteblockingprogram_1
The program would either be installed on the hard drive or enclosed on a compact disc, the newspaper reported, adding that PC makers would be required to tell authorities how many PCs they have shipped with the software.
OBVIOUSLY it's another step up in Chinese government's efforts to control pornography, but more significantly to control other 'sensitive' content on the Internet. After the recent 'anti-porn' Internet campaign during which under the pretext of cracking down on porn China shut down numerous websites and blogs which of course have nothing to do with pornography, the CCP government takes the "harmonizing" one step further - a softwear. (See bellow the AP report about the possible uses of the softwear.)
While the manufactorer Jinhui Computer System Engineering claims that the purpose of the software (called Green Dam Youth Escort in Chinese) is to prevent children from surfing prornografic content, one very important and significant ability of the program is to be noted:
Jinhui's Web site says its program also prevents the use of proxy servers or circumvention software to visit banned sites, measures often used by savvy Internet users in China.
Now that is obviously meant to stop/'escort'/ PC users from surfing politically 'sensitive' sites, etc. The move obviously is meant to give the Chinese government even more control over what users are viewing on the Internet.
Acording to reports China has hundreds of millions of web users, a number that grows each day. Without control who knows what can happen.
No doubt vulgar, pornographic, lewd and obsene content is controlled in other countries too (and in my view it should be), BUT controlling political content and free expression is not OK.
In China pornographic content is called "yellow"黄色,in a perverse twist the Party equals dissent views to pornography.
But when the Party says 'harmony', it means it!
China requires PCs to come with anti-porn software (AP)
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090608/ap_on_hi_te/as_china_internet_12
....
Through such mechanisms as network-level filters installed at the nation's Internet service providers, the government routinely blocks political sites, especially ones it considers socially destabilizing such as sites that challenge the ruling Communist Party, promote democratic reform or advocate independence for Tibet.
....
John Palfrey, an Internet censorship expert at Harvard University, described the latest requirements as "a potential game changer in the story of Internet control," by moving China's "Great Firewall" closer to the user, where censorship can be more effective.
Although users can unblock sites or uninstall the software, many won't bother or know how, Palfrey said. There's also the possibility of the software leaving traces, he said, giving users a false sense of security if the software blocks or monitors usage anyhow — or giving users enough uncertainty that they'll practice self-censorship.
"One of the most effective parts of China's controls is self-censorship, the perception that you are being watched or blocked," Palfrey said in an interview from Washington, D.C.
And though the software isn't currently designed for monitoring usage, Palfrey said a future update could give it surveillance capabilities, something easier to implement once the basic software is already on PCs. (AP) !!!!!!!
---
China Demands New PCs Have Web Site-blocking Program (PC World)
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/20090608/tc_pcworld/chinademandsnewpcshavewebsiteblockingprogram_1
China Rising? - news feeds
For the past couple of weeks and more while I was busy with writing my thesis, its defence, etc. several news caught my attention and I made a point to post about them. Meanwhile some time has passed,and maybe some are quite "old news", but since I believe that they say much about the current Chinese society I think it's worthwhile to at least point out to them with links and brief comments.
The FIRST news feed is a report about child traficking and kidnapping, a topic on which I commented in a previous post.
I have no comment to add to what I previously said.
Child kidnappers arrested in China: state media (AFP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090529/wl_asia_afp/chinacrimechildkidnap_20090529083710
The SECOND piece of news is somewhat connected to the first since it is about human traficking. It is a news about released slaves. Yes, I haven't misspelled, slaves. Hm, I think the report speaks for itself. It also makes one remember a scandal a couple of years back when hundreds of kiln slaves were released.
This happens in a country that CLAIMS to be a socialist country, and aspires to become a world power!
Police free 32 mentally-handicapped from forced labor, arrest 10 suspects(Xinhua)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/22/content_11418308.htm
10 arrested in east China over brick kiln slavery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090522/ap_on_re_as/as_china_slavery_1
BEIJING – Police in eastern China have arrested 10 men for allegedly enslaving mentally handicapped people who were forced to work at brick kilns and endure beatings, an officer said Friday.
A total of 32 people were freed in an April 28 raid on the kilns located on the outskirts of the city of Jieshou in Anhui province, the police officer said, confirming a report by the official Xinhua News Agency.
The victims were all mentally handicapped people between the ages of 25 and 45, said the officer, who declined to give her name as is common with Chinese officials.
The boss of the operation told police he bought the laborers from a taxi driver in neighboring Shandong province who had picked them up off the street, the officer said. The victims were forced to work up to 10 hours per day with no pay and beaten if they refused.
Investigations were continuing to uncover more evidence about trafficking links, the officer said.
Hundreds of brick kiln slaves, many of them handicapped, were freed in raids in 2007 in northern China.
THIRDLY.
An interesting article in the New York Times about the demolition of the ancient town of Kashgar.
The report shows a very typical attitude of the Chinese towards old architecture and buildings with cultural significance that should be preserved - raze it and rebuild. Then say it's thousand years old. Thus China is full of ancient buildings that are brand new.
Another issue is that in the name of "progress", "modernisation", "security" Han Chinese manage to successfully destroy not only what remains of their own culture, but also that of other nationalities living in the territory of China. In this case the completely distinct from Han Chinese Muslim culture of the uigurs without much asking them.
To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/world/asia/28kashgar.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
FOURTH and last in this list of news is a topic much talked about in the media (sex themed articles obviously sell well and atract much attention. For a few days only numerous articles on the topic appeared in blogs and official media outlets). I decided to post about it too because for me it shows the chaos in Chinese society as concerns the absence of ethics, morals and values. Prehaps I'm too concervative in a way and a sex themed park is something that in principle in my view is a bad taste cheap vulgar entertainment that has no positive value.
But in the case of a Chinese one more other issues are involved.
In China prostitution, sexual promiscuity, debauchery, adultery are shockingly common. They are as common as smoking and eating. That common.
In their most ugly and vulgar forms.
In my observation Chinese are very far from being conservative, on the contrary. But to me they are extremely underdeveloped and backward in their understanding.
And while some people point out that China is yet to experience "sexual revolution" they are obviously misunderstanding reality. China doesn't need sexual revolution, China needs a little bit of "feminism". Chinese women appear very 'tough', even seem to be 'in charge' (seriously I have seen and heard men being bossed around, even hit and beaten by their girfriends, wifes, etc. which for one thing showes agression), but when it comes to understanding of sex they are living in the middle ages. Debauchery, adultery, prostitution and promiscuity are NOT signs of "sexual liberation". In fact they point to the oposite.
Hm, I guess I sound like a 'feminist' (and in fact I'm actually not), but it is deplorable to see men treating women like things, commodities, driven by lust and women obediently playing a part in this men's world. It is EXTREMELY rare to actually see someone feeling anything. Not just emotion, but a true feeling. Not lust, but love.
Love of course is non-existent.
Hm, I have a "theory" that love has never existed in China, but on that some other time.
I got a bit carried away... Back to the sex theme park.
The incredibly ugly (and offensive) statue which was supposed to stay at the entrance of the park would have stirred the anger of feminists in other more advanced parts of the world.
A Controversial Sex Park in Guandong Province that stired debate:
China builds first sex theme park
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8053596.stm
'Evil' China sex park torn down: state media (AFP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090518/lf_afp/lifestylechinasexoffbeat_20090518161745
Staid in China: Yet-to-open sex park demolished (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090518/ap_on_re_as/as_china_sex_park_demolished_6
The demolition highlights conflicted views on sex in modern China, where a prudish attitude toward discussion of sexuality is paired with an almost clinical approach to its physical aspects.
....
While pornography is banned and sex education largely unheard of, shops selling sex toys and related items stand out prominently in many neighborhoods and sex outside marriage is widely tolerated. Prostitution, while technically illegal, is widespread, and the keeping of mistresses among prominent businessmen and Communist Party officials is considered commonplace.
(AP)
The FIRST news feed is a report about child traficking and kidnapping, a topic on which I commented in a previous post.
I have no comment to add to what I previously said.
Child kidnappers arrested in China: state media (AFP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090529/wl_asia_afp/chinacrimechildkidnap_20090529083710
The SECOND piece of news is somewhat connected to the first since it is about human traficking. It is a news about released slaves. Yes, I haven't misspelled, slaves. Hm, I think the report speaks for itself. It also makes one remember a scandal a couple of years back when hundreds of kiln slaves were released.
This happens in a country that CLAIMS to be a socialist country, and aspires to become a world power!
Police free 32 mentally-handicapped from forced labor, arrest 10 suspects(Xinhua)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/22/content_11418308.htm
10 arrested in east China over brick kiln slavery
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090522/ap_on_re_as/as_china_slavery_1
BEIJING – Police in eastern China have arrested 10 men for allegedly enslaving mentally handicapped people who were forced to work at brick kilns and endure beatings, an officer said Friday.
A total of 32 people were freed in an April 28 raid on the kilns located on the outskirts of the city of Jieshou in Anhui province, the police officer said, confirming a report by the official Xinhua News Agency.
The victims were all mentally handicapped people between the ages of 25 and 45, said the officer, who declined to give her name as is common with Chinese officials.
The boss of the operation told police he bought the laborers from a taxi driver in neighboring Shandong province who had picked them up off the street, the officer said. The victims were forced to work up to 10 hours per day with no pay and beaten if they refused.
Investigations were continuing to uncover more evidence about trafficking links, the officer said.
Hundreds of brick kiln slaves, many of them handicapped, were freed in raids in 2007 in northern China.
THIRDLY.
An interesting article in the New York Times about the demolition of the ancient town of Kashgar.
The report shows a very typical attitude of the Chinese towards old architecture and buildings with cultural significance that should be preserved - raze it and rebuild. Then say it's thousand years old. Thus China is full of ancient buildings that are brand new.
Another issue is that in the name of "progress", "modernisation", "security" Han Chinese manage to successfully destroy not only what remains of their own culture, but also that of other nationalities living in the territory of China. In this case the completely distinct from Han Chinese Muslim culture of the uigurs without much asking them.
To Protect an Ancient City, China Moves to Raze It
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/world/asia/28kashgar.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
FOURTH and last in this list of news is a topic much talked about in the media (sex themed articles obviously sell well and atract much attention. For a few days only numerous articles on the topic appeared in blogs and official media outlets). I decided to post about it too because for me it shows the chaos in Chinese society as concerns the absence of ethics, morals and values. Prehaps I'm too concervative in a way and a sex themed park is something that in principle in my view is a bad taste cheap vulgar entertainment that has no positive value.
But in the case of a Chinese one more other issues are involved.
In China prostitution, sexual promiscuity, debauchery, adultery are shockingly common. They are as common as smoking and eating. That common.
In their most ugly and vulgar forms.
In my observation Chinese are very far from being conservative, on the contrary. But to me they are extremely underdeveloped and backward in their understanding.
And while some people point out that China is yet to experience "sexual revolution" they are obviously misunderstanding reality. China doesn't need sexual revolution, China needs a little bit of "feminism". Chinese women appear very 'tough', even seem to be 'in charge' (seriously I have seen and heard men being bossed around, even hit and beaten by their girfriends, wifes, etc. which for one thing showes agression), but when it comes to understanding of sex they are living in the middle ages. Debauchery, adultery, prostitution and promiscuity are NOT signs of "sexual liberation". In fact they point to the oposite.
Hm, I guess I sound like a 'feminist' (and in fact I'm actually not), but it is deplorable to see men treating women like things, commodities, driven by lust and women obediently playing a part in this men's world. It is EXTREMELY rare to actually see someone feeling anything. Not just emotion, but a true feeling. Not lust, but love.
Love of course is non-existent.
Hm, I have a "theory" that love has never existed in China, but on that some other time.
I got a bit carried away... Back to the sex theme park.
The incredibly ugly (and offensive) statue which was supposed to stay at the entrance of the park would have stirred the anger of feminists in other more advanced parts of the world.
A Controversial Sex Park in Guandong Province that stired debate:
China builds first sex theme park
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8053596.stm
'Evil' China sex park torn down: state media (AFP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090518/lf_afp/lifestylechinasexoffbeat_20090518161745
Staid in China: Yet-to-open sex park demolished (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090518/ap_on_re_as/as_china_sex_park_demolished_6
The demolition highlights conflicted views on sex in modern China, where a prudish attitude toward discussion of sexuality is paired with an almost clinical approach to its physical aspects.
....
While pornography is banned and sex education largely unheard of, shops selling sex toys and related items stand out prominently in many neighborhoods and sex outside marriage is widely tolerated. Prostitution, while technically illegal, is widespread, and the keeping of mistresses among prominent businessmen and Communist Party officials is considered commonplace.
(AP)
Monday, 8 June 2009
The Umbrella Men - Undercover Policemen prevent media from reporting on Tiananmen Square (updated)
Here is some black humor about the Anniversary.
This is a video from BBC, showing BBC's Beijing correspondent James Reynolds trying to get on the Square on the 4th of June, two plainclothes policemen stand in front of the camera with open umbrellas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8082604.stm
Also below is a VERY funny version of this video with the original sound replaced with a song "The Umbrella Man".
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5237156/13823434
I tried to embed the videos here, but it doesn't seem to be working...
----
Also another amusing piece I wish to recommend here also connected with the anniversary is a black humor story (in Chinese) "An account of an ordinary citizen's adventure",posted on the Douban Blog.Below is the link to the original post. (Sorry, no English version for those of you who don't read Chinese.)
Obviously the story was written about this very Thursday. Inside I can see some of my own experiences on that day which independently proves most of my observations. It is a VERY good satire piece. Some of the parts are just great!
小市民奇遇记
author：十七只猫和鱼
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd29lc2VyLm1pZGRsZS13YXkubmV0LzIwMDkvMDYvYmxvZy1wb3N0XzA3Lmh0bWw%3D&b=13&f=frame
UPDATE. Last time it turns out the link to this black humor story I posted doesn't work (maybe it was "harmonized"?). I'm posting a link which goes to Tibetan writer Woeser's Blog were the story was re-posted.
Judging from posts on the net it turns out that many people have been to the Square (or tried to get there) that day. Strangelly enough we all picked the afternoon and more or less observed the same things. It's good to know somebody actually remembered the date...I wonder what if we all happened to go at the same time?!
See for instance two James Fallows Blog posts:
1. About his attempt to go to Tiananmen on the eve of the 4th when the Square was off-limits
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/06/this_evening_in_beijing.php
2.The account of his wife who went there on the 4th and managed to visit the Square and observed the same orchestrated "crowd" of "visitors".
For instance her experience with her bag being searched, etc. and her estimate that at least 85% of the people on the square were undercover or outright security personnel coincides with my observation...
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/06/june_4_report_1_beijing.php
---
Notes from a Non-anniversary
(a post I saw at the China Beat Blog)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vdGhlY2hpbmFiZWF0LmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8yMDA5LzA2L25vdGVzLWZyb20tbm9uLWFubml2ZXJzYXJ5Lmh0bWw%3D&b=5
This is a video from BBC, showing BBC's Beijing correspondent James Reynolds trying to get on the Square on the 4th of June, two plainclothes policemen stand in front of the camera with open umbrellas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8082604.stm
Also below is a VERY funny version of this video with the original sound replaced with a song "The Umbrella Man".
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5237156/13823434
I tried to embed the videos here, but it doesn't seem to be working...
----
Also another amusing piece I wish to recommend here also connected with the anniversary is a black humor story (in Chinese) "An account of an ordinary citizen's adventure",posted on the Douban Blog.Below is the link to the original post. (Sorry, no English version for those of you who don't read Chinese.)
Obviously the story was written about this very Thursday. Inside I can see some of my own experiences on that day which independently proves most of my observations. It is a VERY good satire piece. Some of the parts are just great!
小市民奇遇记
author：十七只猫和鱼
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd29lc2VyLm1pZGRsZS13YXkubmV0LzIwMDkvMDYvYmxvZy1wb3N0XzA3Lmh0bWw%3D&b=13&f=frame
UPDATE. Last time it turns out the link to this black humor story I posted doesn't work (maybe it was "harmonized"?). I'm posting a link which goes to Tibetan writer Woeser's Blog were the story was re-posted.
Judging from posts on the net it turns out that many people have been to the Square (or tried to get there) that day. Strangelly enough we all picked the afternoon and more or less observed the same things. It's good to know somebody actually remembered the date...I wonder what if we all happened to go at the same time?!
See for instance two James Fallows Blog posts:
1. About his attempt to go to Tiananmen on the eve of the 4th when the Square was off-limits
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/06/this_evening_in_beijing.php
2.The account of his wife who went there on the 4th and managed to visit the Square and observed the same orchestrated "crowd" of "visitors".
For instance her experience with her bag being searched, etc. and her estimate that at least 85% of the people on the square were undercover or outright security personnel coincides with my observation...
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/06/june_4_report_1_beijing.php
---
Notes from a Non-anniversary
(a post I saw at the China Beat Blog)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vdGhlY2hpbmFiZWF0LmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8yMDA5LzA2L25vdGVzLWZyb20tbm9uLWFubml2ZXJzYXJ5Lmh0bWw%3D&b=5
Sunday, 7 June 2009
The Gate Of Heavenly Peace - June 4th 2009
No doubt June 4th is a special day in modern Chinese history. This week's Thursday was the 20th anniversary of the military crackdown on 5 weeks of protests in Beijing that ended in massacre.
The CCP government used force against unarmed civilians. Some people say that it is not entirely correct to call those protests "pro-democracy" since there was no coherent agenda to unite all of the protesters. What is undeniable though is that the young people of Beijing (university students were at the “helm” of events, including and very prominently students from the university in which I study), with a big support from workers, teachers and many others, wanted change, so if not "pro-democracy", I think the events can be called “pro-change”. Reports say that during those few weeks of protests in Beijing and other cities and towns of China there were hudreds of thousands if not millions of people who joined the anti-government protests. It is not clear how many, but at least a few hundred people were killed on the eve of June 4th 1989.
The "anti-revolutionary political hooliganism" (the way the Party still calls the events) was crushed with bloodshed.
20 years later a lot has changed in China and Chinese society. Mostly material change. Actually in many aspects China now is the synonym of change. But in my view and understanding the rapid change around is more or less only on the surface. (Some deeper and conceavably far-reaching changes are also taking place, but I remain very sceptical of their value.)
But most importantly, one thing HAS NOT changed. The same (and only) ruling Party that ordered the army to crush the protests is still in power. The portrait of Chairman Mao is still overlooking one of the ugliest and depressing squares in the World - Tiananmen Squire.
With a "carrot and stick" policy 20 years on since it ordered massacre towards its own unarmed civilians The Party has managed not only to stay in power (something unimaginable in a democracy), but also manages to convince the masses that ONLY under the guidance of The Party China can "progress and prosper". So 20 years from the pro-change protests, many important things have not changed. China IS still an authoritarian contry where security and stability overwrite almost every basic human right. No dissent or varying view is allowed.
20 years ago the government/Party ordered the Peoples Army's (!)tanks to roll over unarmed civilans, but Beijingers today look as if suffering from a severe case of amnesia.
As if nothing has happened. Life goes on.
On Thursday, the 20th anniversary of the "Tiananmen events" I was curious to see what kind of measures will the CCP take for Tiananmen on this sensitive anniversary day, so I decided to go and see the square on that day. I suggested it to a Chinese classmate and we decided to go in the afternoon, and a classmate of his came along with us. So the 3 of us took the subway heading for the center of Beijing. We got of one stop before Qian Men (which is the nearest subway stop on line 2, but we assumed will be closed). So we got off at He Ping Men and walked for a while towards the square. That day was exceptionally hot, before and at noon the sun was scorching, but when we started off from the university the sky was cloudy and it looked like rain.
Walking on we saw policemen watching and patrolling the streets, although it was one stop away from the square itself. As we approached we saw security increasing and by the time we got in sight of Tiananmen we saw heavy security presence, plainclothes policemen, guards and policemen in uniform all over the place.
I have read that the previous two days the Square was cordoned off and no visitors were allowed, but I also read Thursday morning in Western media that on June 4th the Square is open and that there is an impressive number of plain-clothes policemen, guards, uniformed policemen all over the squire.
We and all visitors to the sprawling plaza in central Beijing were stopped at checkpoints (underground passways leading to the square which otherwise is cordoned off by short steel fences) and were searched. Obviously, foreigners (such as me), were singled out and bags were also hand searched (apart from X-Rayed). The policeman who was standing after the X-Ray machine was busy with a bunch of other foreigners so he didn’t notice me, when I slipped and followed after my Chinese friends. I overheard him asking (both in Chinese and English) the foreigners if they were journalists. Later I saw foreigners turned away at checkpoints and media reports confirm that foreign television crews and photographers were firmly turned away, which I can confirm to be true, since apart from me there were only a few other foreigners on the square at that time.
When we went up on the square what struck us immediately were the tourist busses parked behind Mao’s mausoleum, something otherwise uncommon. Also a large part of the tourists were wearing badges with the national emblem of China, a fact that looked suspicious to me. Many others (I presume, plainclothes policemen, wearing badges with the national flag, were walking around looking almost intently on us.
Uniformed and plainclothes officers, easily identifiable by their similar shirts, seemingly outnumbered tourists.
Actually we stood out in a way. Me wearing a black blouse, black skirt and black sandals (deliberately, see Wear White Day post), my friend and classmate-of-sorts L.X. wearing a white T-shirt with the name of our university, and his classmate also wearing a white T-shirt and slippers. Obviously we stood-out, hm, especially me in my black "attire".
Later on there was a strange drizzle from which we hid in one of the north underpasses, and then we came back again on the square. Obviously, because we stood at one place for a while we caught the attention of security, and when we decided we should start moving an uniform policeman waived at us to approach him, showed us his police badge (I guess that was for my sake, because his attitude was "textbook") and wanted to see the identification of my two Chinese friends. After they gave him their students cards, he asked them (not addressing me): “And this person is…?”, meaning me...I immediately said (in Chinese) that I’m a classmate and I also presented my student card ID. The policeman then asked my friend to open his backpack and see its contents. There was a laptop and a copy of my graduation thesis which a gave him a couple of hours before. Then the policemen asked us what we were doing on Tiananmen. My friend’s classmate said we were having a meal at a nearby restaurant (a lie) and just came for a walk. Convinced or not, he murmured that our university is a “good university” and let us go. We decided we have stayed long enough on the square (meanwhile I have (deliberately) taken my picture in front of Mao’s mausoleum and in-between two uniform guards in front of the Heroes Monument, in both occasions making the victory sign with my hand. A symbolic gesture, my very humble way of protest) so we headed for the northern underpass exit. Thus our visit to Tiananmen Square, "The Gate of Heavenly Peace",ended.
Heading for a subway entrance we continued on foot for a while on Changan Avenue, "The Avenue of Long Tranquility", hm, another name that is contradictory to historical and actual events. On this same avenue (the main street in the center of Beijing) 20 years ago the army tanks approached to crush the protests...
Even if someone wanted to protest there were enough measures to make this protest either impossible or in the best, short-lived.
In fact most of the people we saw on the squire that day were either undercover or outright security, or were provincial middle age tourists. One of the stark difference with 20 years ago was that, apart from the 3 of us maybe there were no other students on the square.
And this fact says much, I think.
Even these 2 Chinese guys came to Tiananmen because I came up with the idea. I do not believe that they would have done so without my suggestion…
So all of this makes me think very deeply about things.
Is it decades of brainwashing, is it fear, is it innate utilitarianism, or is it being generally apolitical that makes young and/or educated people of today so selfishly apathetic to the obvious flaws in Chinese society? The stark differences between poor and rich, the absence of law and order, the corruption, the moral and ethical decay, the violation of basic rights, the authoritarian system that suffocates ANY different view, etc, etc.…How come NONE of those very obvious problems doesn’t raise any protests?! Why?!
What is the price for staying silent?!
news feeds:
Police Swarm Tiananmen Square to Bar Protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/world/asia/05beijing.html
China security tight in Tiananmen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090604/ts_nm/us_china_tiananmen_17
----
With this post I really wanted to embed the picture of the "tank man", one of the most famous reportage photos in the world, but I couln't...Blogspot is still blocked and posting (especially embedding images) is really not easy...
The CCP government used force against unarmed civilians. Some people say that it is not entirely correct to call those protests "pro-democracy" since there was no coherent agenda to unite all of the protesters. What is undeniable though is that the young people of Beijing (university students were at the “helm” of events, including and very prominently students from the university in which I study), with a big support from workers, teachers and many others, wanted change, so if not "pro-democracy", I think the events can be called “pro-change”. Reports say that during those few weeks of protests in Beijing and other cities and towns of China there were hudreds of thousands if not millions of people who joined the anti-government protests. It is not clear how many, but at least a few hundred people were killed on the eve of June 4th 1989.
The "anti-revolutionary political hooliganism" (the way the Party still calls the events) was crushed with bloodshed.
20 years later a lot has changed in China and Chinese society. Mostly material change. Actually in many aspects China now is the synonym of change. But in my view and understanding the rapid change around is more or less only on the surface. (Some deeper and conceavably far-reaching changes are also taking place, but I remain very sceptical of their value.)
But most importantly, one thing HAS NOT changed. The same (and only) ruling Party that ordered the army to crush the protests is still in power. The portrait of Chairman Mao is still overlooking one of the ugliest and depressing squares in the World - Tiananmen Squire.
With a "carrot and stick" policy 20 years on since it ordered massacre towards its own unarmed civilians The Party has managed not only to stay in power (something unimaginable in a democracy), but also manages to convince the masses that ONLY under the guidance of The Party China can "progress and prosper". So 20 years from the pro-change protests, many important things have not changed. China IS still an authoritarian contry where security and stability overwrite almost every basic human right. No dissent or varying view is allowed.
20 years ago the government/Party ordered the Peoples Army's (!)tanks to roll over unarmed civilans, but Beijingers today look as if suffering from a severe case of amnesia.
As if nothing has happened. Life goes on.
On Thursday, the 20th anniversary of the "Tiananmen events" I was curious to see what kind of measures will the CCP take for Tiananmen on this sensitive anniversary day, so I decided to go and see the square on that day. I suggested it to a Chinese classmate and we decided to go in the afternoon, and a classmate of his came along with us. So the 3 of us took the subway heading for the center of Beijing. We got of one stop before Qian Men (which is the nearest subway stop on line 2, but we assumed will be closed). So we got off at He Ping Men and walked for a while towards the square. That day was exceptionally hot, before and at noon the sun was scorching, but when we started off from the university the sky was cloudy and it looked like rain.
Walking on we saw policemen watching and patrolling the streets, although it was one stop away from the square itself. As we approached we saw security increasing and by the time we got in sight of Tiananmen we saw heavy security presence, plainclothes policemen, guards and policemen in uniform all over the place.
I have read that the previous two days the Square was cordoned off and no visitors were allowed, but I also read Thursday morning in Western media that on June 4th the Square is open and that there is an impressive number of plain-clothes policemen, guards, uniformed policemen all over the squire.
We and all visitors to the sprawling plaza in central Beijing were stopped at checkpoints (underground passways leading to the square which otherwise is cordoned off by short steel fences) and were searched. Obviously, foreigners (such as me), were singled out and bags were also hand searched (apart from X-Rayed). The policeman who was standing after the X-Ray machine was busy with a bunch of other foreigners so he didn’t notice me, when I slipped and followed after my Chinese friends. I overheard him asking (both in Chinese and English) the foreigners if they were journalists. Later I saw foreigners turned away at checkpoints and media reports confirm that foreign television crews and photographers were firmly turned away, which I can confirm to be true, since apart from me there were only a few other foreigners on the square at that time.
When we went up on the square what struck us immediately were the tourist busses parked behind Mao’s mausoleum, something otherwise uncommon. Also a large part of the tourists were wearing badges with the national emblem of China, a fact that looked suspicious to me. Many others (I presume, plainclothes policemen, wearing badges with the national flag, were walking around looking almost intently on us.
Uniformed and plainclothes officers, easily identifiable by their similar shirts, seemingly outnumbered tourists.
Actually we stood out in a way. Me wearing a black blouse, black skirt and black sandals (deliberately, see Wear White Day post), my friend and classmate-of-sorts L.X. wearing a white T-shirt with the name of our university, and his classmate also wearing a white T-shirt and slippers. Obviously we stood-out, hm, especially me in my black "attire".
Later on there was a strange drizzle from which we hid in one of the north underpasses, and then we came back again on the square. Obviously, because we stood at one place for a while we caught the attention of security, and when we decided we should start moving an uniform policeman waived at us to approach him, showed us his police badge (I guess that was for my sake, because his attitude was "textbook") and wanted to see the identification of my two Chinese friends. After they gave him their students cards, he asked them (not addressing me): “And this person is…?”, meaning me...I immediately said (in Chinese) that I’m a classmate and I also presented my student card ID. The policeman then asked my friend to open his backpack and see its contents. There was a laptop and a copy of my graduation thesis which a gave him a couple of hours before. Then the policemen asked us what we were doing on Tiananmen. My friend’s classmate said we were having a meal at a nearby restaurant (a lie) and just came for a walk. Convinced or not, he murmured that our university is a “good university” and let us go. We decided we have stayed long enough on the square (meanwhile I have (deliberately) taken my picture in front of Mao’s mausoleum and in-between two uniform guards in front of the Heroes Monument, in both occasions making the victory sign with my hand. A symbolic gesture, my very humble way of protest) so we headed for the northern underpass exit. Thus our visit to Tiananmen Square, "The Gate of Heavenly Peace",ended.
Heading for a subway entrance we continued on foot for a while on Changan Avenue, "The Avenue of Long Tranquility", hm, another name that is contradictory to historical and actual events. On this same avenue (the main street in the center of Beijing) 20 years ago the army tanks approached to crush the protests...
Even if someone wanted to protest there were enough measures to make this protest either impossible or in the best, short-lived.
In fact most of the people we saw on the squire that day were either undercover or outright security, or were provincial middle age tourists. One of the stark difference with 20 years ago was that, apart from the 3 of us maybe there were no other students on the square.
And this fact says much, I think.
Even these 2 Chinese guys came to Tiananmen because I came up with the idea. I do not believe that they would have done so without my suggestion…
So all of this makes me think very deeply about things.
Is it decades of brainwashing, is it fear, is it innate utilitarianism, or is it being generally apolitical that makes young and/or educated people of today so selfishly apathetic to the obvious flaws in Chinese society? The stark differences between poor and rich, the absence of law and order, the corruption, the moral and ethical decay, the violation of basic rights, the authoritarian system that suffocates ANY different view, etc, etc.…How come NONE of those very obvious problems doesn’t raise any protests?! Why?!
What is the price for staying silent?!
news feeds:
Police Swarm Tiananmen Square to Bar Protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/world/asia/05beijing.html
China security tight in Tiananmen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090604/ts_nm/us_china_tiananmen_17
----
With this post I really wanted to embed the picture of the "tank man", one of the most famous reportage photos in the world, but I couln't...Blogspot is still blocked and posting (especially embedding images) is really not easy...
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Message on the Twentieth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square by Hillary Rodnam Clinton
Below is the full text of the message as seen on the webpage of the US Department of State. Since it IS an important message I'm posting it here, instead of merely giving a link.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message on the Twentieth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 3, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this the 20th anniversary of the violent suppression of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square by Chinese authorities, we should remember the tragic loss of hundreds of innocent lives and reflect upon the meaning of the events that preceded that day.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets for weeks, in Beijing and around the country, first to honor the late reformist leader Hu Yaobang and then to demand basic rights denied to them.
A China that has made enormous progress economically, and that is emerging to take its rightful place in global leadership, should examine openly the darker events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal.
This anniversary provides an opportunity for Chinese authorities to release from prison all those still serving sentences in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989. We urge China to cease the harassment of participants in the demonstrations and begin dialogue with the family members of victims, including the Tiananmen Mothers. China can honor the memory of that day by moving to give the rule of law, protection of internationally-recognized human rights, and democratic development the same priority as it has given to economic reform.
----------------------------
Also in this line:
US Congress urges China to free Tiananmen inmates
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090603/wl_asia_afp/chinapoliticsrightsuscongress_20090603031336
Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square of HH the 14th Dalai Lama
(since the site is blocked in China I'm directly posting links that make it accesible)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd3d3LmRhbGFpbGFtYXdvcmxkLmNvbS90b3BpYy5waHA%2FcD00NjA%3D&b=13&f=frame (in Chinese)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd3d3LmRhbGFpbGFtYS5jb20vbmV3cy4zODMuaHRt&b=13&f=frame (in English)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message on the Twentieth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 3, 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this the 20th anniversary of the violent suppression of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square by Chinese authorities, we should remember the tragic loss of hundreds of innocent lives and reflect upon the meaning of the events that preceded that day.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets for weeks, in Beijing and around the country, first to honor the late reformist leader Hu Yaobang and then to demand basic rights denied to them.
A China that has made enormous progress economically, and that is emerging to take its rightful place in global leadership, should examine openly the darker events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal.
This anniversary provides an opportunity for Chinese authorities to release from prison all those still serving sentences in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989. We urge China to cease the harassment of participants in the demonstrations and begin dialogue with the family members of victims, including the Tiananmen Mothers. China can honor the memory of that day by moving to give the rule of law, protection of internationally-recognized human rights, and democratic development the same priority as it has given to economic reform.
----------------------------
Also in this line:
US Congress urges China to free Tiananmen inmates
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090603/wl_asia_afp/chinapoliticsrightsuscongress_20090603031336
Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square of HH the 14th Dalai Lama
(since the site is blocked in China I'm directly posting links that make it accesible)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd3d3LmRhbGFpbGFtYXdvcmxkLmNvbS90b3BpYy5waHA%2FcD00NjA%3D&b=13&f=frame (in Chinese)
http://www.fast-box.net/browse.php?u=Oi8vd3d3LmRhbGFpbGFtYS5jb20vbmV3cy4zODMuaHRt&b=13&f=frame (in English)
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
China blocks more sites ahead of anniversary
Apart from Google owned YouTube (since March) and Blogger (since middle of May) which were already blocked earlier, as of Tuesday China censors have blocked access also to Twitter, Bing, Flickr, Opera, Live, Wordpress and Hotmail...
That is this is added to the sites which are blocked always anyway, like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders...the list goes on and on...
20 years later China still thinks it can hide its skeletons in the wardrobe.
Or judging from the apathy and silence of the Chinese citizens, maybe it can?!
China blocks websites ahead of Tiananmen anniversary (Reuters)
That is this is added to the sites which are blocked always anyway, like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders...the list goes on and on...
20 years later China still thinks it can hide its skeletons in the wardrobe.
Or judging from the apathy and silence of the Chinese citizens, maybe it can?!
China blocks websites ahead of Tiananmen anniversary (Reuters)
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
A very interesting Chinese report on Tibet
A couple of weeks ago I came upon a report on Tibet in Chinese that although filled with Marxist terms etc is very interesting to read...Since I haven't posted here for a long time I didn't comment on it meanwhile.
I read the report as soon as I accidentally stumbled upon it on Internet (the link was at the Tibetan poet Woeser's blog).
The report is mainly remarkable for the fact that it is a Chinese report, written by Chinese. Recently TIME had an article about it. The International Campaign for Tibet (the site is of course blocked in China) has an English translation of the report.
Below I post some of the contents of the ICT article, and at the end of this post are the links to both the original Chinese text and the English translation of the report.
It is very worth to read this report.
The article at TIME:
Failed Government Policies Sparked Tibet Riots: Reporthttp://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090526/wl_time/08599190089900
............
A bold and remarkable new report by a group of Chinese scholars in Beijing challenges the official position that the Dalai Lama “incited” the protests that broke out in Tibet in March 2008, and outlines key failings in the policy of the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on Tibet. The report, which is translated into English by International Campaign for Tibet (http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/bold-report-beijing-scholars-reveals-breakdown-china%E2%80%99s-tibet-policy), is the first such analysis from inside China and comes at a time of crackdown in Tibet when the PRC government is taking an increasingly hardline position against the Dalai Lama.
Until now, the report which was posted online on May 12, 2009, has appeared only online in Chinese and it is unlikely to be disseminated publicly in China. It is the result of a month-long investigation by a Beijing-based lawyers’ organization and thinktank called Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative). The report’s authors, several of whom attended the prestigious Beijing University Law School, conclude that China’s strategies to ensure ‘stability’ in Tibet have failed, and that China’s propaganda offensive has created divisions and further exacerbated tensions.
The authors of the report state: “Even though research was carried out in the field for only a month, we deeply sensed the popular discontent and anger behind the incidents [of the spring 2008 protests], and the complexity of their social roots… An important perspective for interpreting the 3.14 incident [March 14, 2008, when protesting turned to violence in Lhasa] is that it was reaction made under stress by a society and people to the various changes that have been taking place in their lives over the past few decades. The notion that appears impossible to understand is the implication that reasonable demands were being vented, and this is precisely what we need to understand and reflect upon.”
The authors cite as a contributing factor to the protests that began in March 2008 the high levels of marginalization among Tibetans as a result of Chinese economic policies, saying: “From the level of actual benefits, the current rapid process of modernization has not given the ordinary Tibetan people any greater developmental benefits; indeed, they are becoming increasingly marginalized.” The report also refers to deepening rural-urban inequality in Tibetan areas, and notes the government policy of not interfering with the numbers of Chinese migrants flooding into Tibetan cities, and the undermining of the Tibetan language leading to disempowerment of Tibetans.
The report notes that in Lhasa, taxi drivers are mainly non-Tibetan, travel agencies are nearly all owned by outsiders, tourist stalls are not owned by Tibetans, and large numbers of Chinese work in businesses and the tourism industry. The scholars relate the impressions of a taxi-driver from the Chinese interior in Lhasa, who said: “When the land you’re accustomed to living in, and the land of the culture you identify with, when the lifestyle and religiosity is suddenly changed into a ‘modern city’ that you no longer recognize; when you can no longer find work in your own land, and feel the unfairness of lack of opportunity, and when you realize that your core value systems are under attack, then the Tibetan people’s panic and sense of crisis is not difficult to understand.”
The Open Constitution Initiative report is carefully worded, presenting its arguments in Marxist language typical of that seen in much of China’s social sciences, and it frequently quotes phrases and vocabulary used by the Chinese Communist Party leadership. Perhaps exercising the same caution, and possibly based on an intention not to alienate policy-makers, the report portrays the issue of Tibet only as one of governance and policy, without exploring the more politically sensitive issue of the relationship between Tibet and China, nor do they go so far as to use the concept of colonialism to describe the situation in Tibet.
One of the most important points in the report, which has led to intense debate among Chinese and Tibetan bloggers since it was posted, is the way in which a virulent propaganda campaign has stoked divisions among Chinese and Tibetans. The scholars say: “The ensuing over-propagandizing of “violence” was used to make the 3.14 incident ever larger, which created certain oppositional ethnic sentiments… Such propaganda actions are in the long run detrimental to ethnic unity. The fascination that Han citizens have expressed toward Tibetan culture changed to fear and hatred of the Tibetan masses.”
The new report by the Open Constitution Initiative is the first investigative report on the protests last year and the Tibet situation, based on fieldwork and analysis. The full text of the report is available in Chinese here, and the English translation by the International Campaign for Tibet here.
I read the report as soon as I accidentally stumbled upon it on Internet (the link was at the Tibetan poet Woeser's blog).
The report is mainly remarkable for the fact that it is a Chinese report, written by Chinese. Recently TIME had an article about it. The International Campaign for Tibet (the site is of course blocked in China) has an English translation of the report.
Below I post some of the contents of the ICT article, and at the end of this post are the links to both the original Chinese text and the English translation of the report.
It is very worth to read this report.
The article at TIME:
Failed Government Policies Sparked Tibet Riots: Reporthttp://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090526/wl_time/08599190089900
............
A bold and remarkable new report by a group of Chinese scholars in Beijing challenges the official position that the Dalai Lama “incited” the protests that broke out in Tibet in March 2008, and outlines key failings in the policy of the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on Tibet. The report, which is translated into English by International Campaign for Tibet (http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/ict-news-reports/bold-report-beijing-scholars-reveals-breakdown-china%E2%80%99s-tibet-policy), is the first such analysis from inside China and comes at a time of crackdown in Tibet when the PRC government is taking an increasingly hardline position against the Dalai Lama.
Until now, the report which was posted online on May 12, 2009, has appeared only online in Chinese and it is unlikely to be disseminated publicly in China. It is the result of a month-long investigation by a Beijing-based lawyers’ organization and thinktank called Gongmeng (Open Constitution Initiative). The report’s authors, several of whom attended the prestigious Beijing University Law School, conclude that China’s strategies to ensure ‘stability’ in Tibet have failed, and that China’s propaganda offensive has created divisions and further exacerbated tensions.
The authors of the report state: “Even though research was carried out in the field for only a month, we deeply sensed the popular discontent and anger behind the incidents [of the spring 2008 protests], and the complexity of their social roots… An important perspective for interpreting the 3.14 incident [March 14, 2008, when protesting turned to violence in Lhasa] is that it was reaction made under stress by a society and people to the various changes that have been taking place in their lives over the past few decades. The notion that appears impossible to understand is the implication that reasonable demands were being vented, and this is precisely what we need to understand and reflect upon.”
The authors cite as a contributing factor to the protests that began in March 2008 the high levels of marginalization among Tibetans as a result of Chinese economic policies, saying: “From the level of actual benefits, the current rapid process of modernization has not given the ordinary Tibetan people any greater developmental benefits; indeed, they are becoming increasingly marginalized.” The report also refers to deepening rural-urban inequality in Tibetan areas, and notes the government policy of not interfering with the numbers of Chinese migrants flooding into Tibetan cities, and the undermining of the Tibetan language leading to disempowerment of Tibetans.
The report notes that in Lhasa, taxi drivers are mainly non-Tibetan, travel agencies are nearly all owned by outsiders, tourist stalls are not owned by Tibetans, and large numbers of Chinese work in businesses and the tourism industry. The scholars relate the impressions of a taxi-driver from the Chinese interior in Lhasa, who said: “When the land you’re accustomed to living in, and the land of the culture you identify with, when the lifestyle and religiosity is suddenly changed into a ‘modern city’ that you no longer recognize; when you can no longer find work in your own land, and feel the unfairness of lack of opportunity, and when you realize that your core value systems are under attack, then the Tibetan people’s panic and sense of crisis is not difficult to understand.”
The Open Constitution Initiative report is carefully worded, presenting its arguments in Marxist language typical of that seen in much of China’s social sciences, and it frequently quotes phrases and vocabulary used by the Chinese Communist Party leadership. Perhaps exercising the same caution, and possibly based on an intention not to alienate policy-makers, the report portrays the issue of Tibet only as one of governance and policy, without exploring the more politically sensitive issue of the relationship between Tibet and China, nor do they go so far as to use the concept of colonialism to describe the situation in Tibet.
One of the most important points in the report, which has led to intense debate among Chinese and Tibetan bloggers since it was posted, is the way in which a virulent propaganda campaign has stoked divisions among Chinese and Tibetans. The scholars say: “The ensuing over-propagandizing of “violence” was used to make the 3.14 incident ever larger, which created certain oppositional ethnic sentiments… Such propaganda actions are in the long run detrimental to ethnic unity. The fascination that Han citizens have expressed toward Tibetan culture changed to fear and hatred of the Tibetan masses.”
The new report by the Open Constitution Initiative is the first investigative report on the protests last year and the Tibet situation, based on fieldwork and analysis. The full text of the report is available in Chinese here, and the English translation by the International Campaign for Tibet here.
Monday, 1 June 2009
thesis defence
My defense (of my master graduation thesis) was yesterday afternoon.
These past days have been completely overwhelming and utterly exhausting for me. I had very little time to write my thesis. I actually wrote it in more or less than a week, which for a 80, 000 character 115 page paper is not enough...
It was completely physically and emotionally exhausting.
But it passed.
The defense yesterday was not that bad as the Cultural Revolution poster would suggest (the characters mean “Big Criticism” or “Big Judging“)
I meant it as a joke…
Actually it was rather relaxed and friendly. All the teachers I have known for some time and their attitude was more or less favorable.
Actually most of the views they expressed were rather positive and encouraging.
It was the first time I have actually heard so much constructive and useful critique and advice in all my years here in this university.
I really regret they didn't tell me those things all the time...
I had the honour of a teacher and a couple of friends coming especially to hear my defense.
And just now a few minutes ago my advisor gave me a call to tell me to take more rest and relax which was unexpectedly very kind of him.
I am very happy for all this attention now at the end of my 7 years here.
It means a lot to me to be able to leave with more hope and strength.
So, yesterday was an important day of my life.
I turned the page of almost a decade.
It's a big deal.
But where to from now on?
I really don't know what will happen...
The Road Goes Ever On And On...
Wear White Day : "six-four"
Only a couple of days from today, on Thursday June the 4th falls the 20th anniversary of one of the most important events in modern Chinese history - the military suppression of the Chinese young people's call for change in 1989. The government ordered the army to open fire, and crush unarmed civilians with tanks. It doesn't matter exactly how many where killed, hundreds or thousands. What matters is that they were killed by their government. The same government that rules today and uses much more subtle ways to suppress the dissent views, variety of ideas, discussion, critique, doubt or wish for political and social change.
The events that ended in the massacre on the eve of the 4th of June 20 years ago were called "counter-revolutionary rebellion" and for most Chinese today are successfully pushed into obscurity. Obscurity caused by fear or by apathy.On the other hand, the Government "understands" the (Han)Chinese people very well. The Chinese are possibly the most utilitarian, materialistic people of the world. There was a very smart way to rule the masses that the Roman empire invented two thousand of years ago and the Party uses well - "bread and spectacle".The Party has also added one more ingredient - nationalism.So the tactic for the masses is improve the economy and put as much incredibly debilitating and low-quality programs and adds as possible on TV, etc.Make people become consumers and not citizens.The (fake) Marxist materialist communist ideology helps too."But the tradeoff has been that young Chinese have no real role in shaping their country’s future — and may not be very interested in having one."
Actually as a matter of fact, Chinese people en masse do NOT want freedom of vote, expression and religion. For one reason or another, as a matter of fact for the HUGE majority these are non-existing problems, since most believe that "religion is superstition", they have actually no opinion and as a matter of fact really have nothing to say...So all the above are redundant then right?
The expectations of the West that Chinese actually want freedom do not correspond to the overall situation.The majority of Chinese have no idea what "freedom" of this or that is, and they really don't care.I don't know if this is a successful result of the evil genius Party plan and policies, or it is the "natural" state of events. I see and understand that very well.
But still it is terribly disappointing to see what most of the young Chinese are today. Is this China's future? Materialist, empty, utilitarian, apathetic, mediocre...and/or nationalistic.When I see those pictures from 1989 I'm thinking, is it possible that this is the same country?!
WEAR WHITE
For commemorating this 20th anniversary some have come up with the idea to wear white that day.I think it is a very smart idea.
I find it hard to believe that someone can get arrested for simply wearing white, right?!
Maybe wearing black clothes might also do. Both are concidered colours of mourning.
20 years ago the Berlin Wall fell and this fact changed the world. It is time that the Great Wall of China also falls sometime soon.
China needs to change. For it's own sake.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kJKuy54em1rlkozS7OI4nOURsWhqVwZL0z8JI9C6FlDCU_HbhJp37JzcCgusFgFtz_Nc1l21vsH1f0wIoshpI6wMo2KhWrRxDZboU1CK-d81Fl73Fz2JBwDqttEE0Jd5QXLqRzT7Rlw/s800/capt_photo_1241753377246-1-0.jpg
Tiananmen dissident calls for 'white China' day (AFP)
BEIJING (AFP) – Wang Dan, a key figure in the 1989 pro-democracy protests in
China, said Thursday he hoped the nation would be "covered in white" to mark the
anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown."We are promoting a campaign
called 'White Clothes Day,'" Wang, who was jailed for years in China before
being exiled, told AFP from Taiwan, where he was staying temporarily to continue
his fight for democracy."That means we appeal to Chinese people to wear white
clothes (the colour of mourning in China) on June 4 to remember June 4, and we
hope that on that day, we can witness a China covered in white," he
explained.Studying at Peking University in 1989, Wang was first on a list of 21
most wanted students in China after the army cracked down on the Tiananmen
demonstrations, killing hundreds, and possibly thousands.After being arrested,
Wang was sentenced to four years in prison in 1991 and freed in 1993. He was
re-arrested in 1995 after continuing to campaign for human rights and democracy
and sentenced the following year to a further 11 years in jail.
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Western media have published some interesting articles recently days before the anniversary.I find those comparing the generation of young people 20 years ago and those of today the most interesting, here are some articles, that if you have time you may read:
Apathy of China's Young GenerationTiananmen anniversary unimportant to China's youth
(LA Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-youth22-2009may22,0,1381,full.story
Tiananmen protests hold little interest for China's youth (Reuters)http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090528/wl_nm/us_china_tiananmen_youth_2
China faces dark memory of Tiananmen (AFP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090531/ts_afp/chinapoliticsrightstiananmen_20090531052350Activist groups have called on citizens simply to wear white -- the traditional colour of mourning -- to honour those killed in the mayhem that erupted when tanks and troops rolled in to crush the protests.
Web-savvy & cynical: China's youth since Tiananmen (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090530/ap_on_re_as/china_born_on_the_fourth
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
("1989" George Orwell )
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