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.

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

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)