Blogs » Politics » Fareed Zakaria GPS bashes China with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos using Gangnam Style

Blogs » Politics » Fareed Zakaria GPS bashes China with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos using Gangnam Style

Fareed Zakaria GPS bashes China with The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos using Gangnam Style

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:25 PM PDT

With Gangnam Style gone completely viral and having taken the U.S. by storm, I thought it ludicrous The New Yorker's Evan Osnos would use it as an example of China's supposed state censorship stifling Chinese culture. Few weeks ago he got some 'expert' to offer this view:

"In China, culture and the arts develop under the watchful eye of the government, and anything too hip or interesting gets either shut down or bought up. In Korea, by contrast, artists and entertainers thrive in a space that is highly commercialized but also pretty much free of the heavy hand of the state," Delury told me, adding, "I kid government officials that the moment they understand why K-pop is so successful and try to replicate it, they will destroy it."

Culture and arts flourish when society can afford them. How are the 700 million or so Chinese farmers busy tilling their land suppose to be working on Gangnam Style? The last few decades of hundreds of million of Chinese being pulled out of poverty have allowed many to pursue their dreams. Look at the international art market. Chinese painters are currently the most sought after by collectors around the world.

What is even more weird is that he implicitly suggests Gangnam Style is a specimen of great culture. Koreans certainly don't think so, and Oh Young-Jin, managing editor of The Korea Times, wrote that the dance has more to do with Americans than Koreans. The song is even shunned in Japan. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

So, what's the criteria? When it's popular in America? That'd be a pretty narrow (and frankly, stupid) interpretation, wouldn't you say?

And today, on the Fareed Zakaria GPS program on CNN, he appears presumably as the China 'expert,' daringly proclaims, "Why China can't do Gangnam Stle:"

In China today, the problem ultimately, culturally, for people that are involved in the arts – whether it's music or film-making – is that if you do anything that is truly radical that is making people uncomfortable, then there are so many points when the system will intervene.

Look, the running narrative with people like Osnos (and probably Zakaria) is that Chinese government censorship stifles creativity and hence culture. And, it is the same sort of narrative that people like James Fallows peddle when he tried to argue slow access to some U.S. web sites in China is also due to censorship. See my prior post why Fallows is wrong. A simple reason is that those web sites do not have physical servers in China. He would be equally quick to judge hence Chinese creativity is handicapped.

China's innovation and creativity have been handicapped by centuries of foreign invasion where the society has been reduced to subsistence. Now that the Chinese are being incrementally lifted out of that, and as Warren Buffett likes to point out, their potential is finally being unleashed.

China's censorship has everything to do with actions that are destabilizing to Chinese society or anti-China politically. Outside of that realm, Chinese society is basically very free.

One thing I must point out at this point. Notice how Osnos quotes an 'exert' to support his narrative. Next, he then becomes a presumed 'expert' on Fareed Zakaria's show who in turn peddles that narrative. What happened to balance? Couldn't either pieces (Osnos' article and Zakaria's interview) offer some sort of counter-arguments?

So, what I find disappointing is that "free" media are so incestuous in parroting each other. As far as I am concerned, that lack of balance in media is cancerous culture and our world is better off with less of it! China is very much about "中庸," as a CCTV editor not too long ago said to a Columbia School of Journalism student.

Finally, we should ask, are Osnos and Zakaria genuinely interested in more Chinese culture proliferating around the world? Let's look at one example.

By most accounts, the world seemed genuinely impressed with the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. The Chinese were proud of it, because they saw the event as an honor and as an opportunity for China and the Chinese to be better understood. Many people around the world were genuinely impressed with the depth of Chinese history and culture, and how all that materialized at the scale of the ceremonies.

During the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, it seemed American and British media were very insecure. They constantly wrote about the London event in terms of how it would not be like Beijing.

In another article, Osnos wrote:

Four years after China whipped itself into a lather to host the most boffo Olympics imaginable, China seems, these days, a bit startled to discover that anyone is bothering to try hosting the Games again.

So, when China puts on a good show, its "whipped itself into a lather" to do it?

It would be one thing if he genuinely appreciated what Chinese culture had to offer, but it is entirely another when he seemed jaded and nitpicking on Lin Miaoke lip-syncing to another girl's voice or the fireworks animation:

Running through much of the Chinese conversation about the Games has been a recurring question that reflects the broader debate unfolding around the strains in China's economic boom: What kind of values does it all—the money, the pageantry, the gold medals—stand for, anyway? In 2008, the opening ceremonies were, by any measure, an astonishment. But rather than contenting themselves with a fireworks display fit for the ages, for instance, organizers digitally augmented the explosions on television screens to make them yet more resplendent (and, indeed, a fat target for criticism). When it came to the singing, designers enlisted the recorded voice of one child and the smiling face of another, a search for composite cuteness that suggested, to many in China, a kind of unhinged ambition for the appearance of success.

So, when there is genuine Chinese success, it must be "a kind of unhinged ambition for the appearance of success." What a mouthful of crap.

Going back to Gangnam Style, I wonder if Osnos (and Zakaria) have asked if India has produced something like it. Bollywood produces the most number of movies on this planet. Is that "desperately" wanting to project culture and soft power?

I believe in due time, Bollywood will have it's share of block-buster movies that appeal to a global audience. That has much more to do with budget and size of the Indian market and whether Indians are untied from tilling their land to pursue other things.

And, looks like Ai Weiwei is capitalizing on Gangnam Style to criticize the Chinese government too.

Perhaps if Ai Weiwei would instead enact being sodomized like how Moammar Gadhafi was and shed some light on how miserable the Libyans are today (you know, with the current government being propped into power with NATO bombing), he might actually earn some credibility with the ordinary Chinese for once.

A Recessionary Tale

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:25 PM PDT

This article originally appeared in Agenda magazine. Check out the latest issue here. Note: China is not exactly in a recession at the moment. It's more of a slowdown, but let's not quibble over language.

Once upon a time, there was a happy and prosperous kingdom called El Dorado. The climate was mild, the forests gave an abundant supply of unicorn and other game, and in the fields, the genetically-modified corn grew tall and pest free. The people were a contented lot, by and large, and while they may not have loved dour old King PJ, they respected his administrative and management skills.

But then one year, the West Wind blew through El Dorado, dumping cold rain on the kingdom for days on end. Trade ground to a halt, the genetically-modified corn was destroyed and, as everyone knows, unicorns can't swim. The laobaixing cried out to King PJ for a solution.

And so the King called in his Privy Council for advice. "How do we get this kingdom back on its feet?" he challenged his advisors.

"No worries, sire," exclaimed Prime Minister Blatheron. "The pagan tribes along our southern frontier have been quiet for a generation. We can slash our defense budget by discontinuing patrols along The Wall and decommissioning half the army. We plow the savings back into the Kingdom to tide us over until these dark times pass."

Without a second thought, King PJ gave the green light to Blatheron's plan, but not six weeks later, the savage Victs and Flagrantes, screaming their terrifying war cry "There Can Be Only One!" invaded, forcing an unprepared El Dorado to sue for peace and allow the marauding tribes to annex the Sudetenland. The Kingdom's fiscal situation was dire, and King PJ once again called in his advisors.

This time, Grand Vizier Brent, an efficiency expert from Slough, spoke up first. "I've drawn up a redundancy plan, your Highness. Twenty percent cuts in personnel kingdom-wide, subject to your approval of course." Brent handed King PJ a thick vellum scroll filled with names.

Without a second thought, King PJ gave the green light to Brent's plan, but not six weeks later, problems arose. Quality control in the royal kitchens suffered after the head cook was sacked, and seven members of the Chancery succumbed to food poisoning. The Chamber of Commerce complained bitterly to the King after cuts in the royal constabulary led to a sharp increase in property crimes. And perhaps worst of all, the closing of the royal courts had led to creditors taking matters into their own hands; the incidence of broken legs and kneecaps had skyrocketed.

El Dorado was in disarray, and King PJ, in a panic, did what he always did in an emergency: he went to the castle's tailor for a new set of robes, knowing this would cheer him up. The King was a bit of a clothes horse, you see. Arriving at the tailor's workshop, King PJ was dismayed to see his tailor nailing boards on the windows and locking the door. Demanding an explanation, the tailor told the King: "After you fired half of the staff, demand for my wares plunged. I'm busted. Frankly, sire, I'm surprised that you approved such a hasty and ill-conceived economic recovery plan. Everyone knows that you must measure twice and cut once."

_______________________

Recessions can lead management into making very poor, knee-jerk decisions. A common problem for foreign companies in China is to import austerity plans from other business units abroad, assuming a "one size fits all" approach. Take for example a typical layoff plan. During downtimes, when labor markets are usually slack, it may make sense to furlough part of your staff, knowing that it should be relatively easy to recruit when business picks up again. This has certainly been the case in the United States and many parts of Europe in the past few years.

However, although China's economy is slowing down, the labor market has shown surprising resiliency. Companies in China that adopt a cookie-cutter approach to downsizing may realize, a year or two later, that they will have to pay a premium to bring back experienced staff. Obviously targeted cuts may minimize this problem. If instead of firing his head cook, King PJ had sacked Bojangles, his jongleur, or Schtickle, his fool, he could have avoided those costly wrongful death lawsuits from the families of deceased Chancery officials.

Legal budgets are often savaged during hard times, and while I would not presume to argue for blanket protection of in-house counsel, there are some choices that are better than others, particularly in the China market. First, business disputes are often allowed to fester. Surely it does not make sense to disrupt your joint venture in the middle of a recession by taking your partner to court, does it? Actually, it might. Not only is it a bad idea to allow business disputes to worsen over time, but during a slowdown when your staff is not working 25/8 filling orders, the effects of a management fight might be somewhat lessened. Is it preferable to disrupt the company when business is booming?

Second, putting off registration and enforcement of intellectual property rights can be short-sighted. These processes often require several years to complete as it is, and any delay might mean that even after the recession is over, the company will still be without enforceable IP for a long time. Similarly, the decision to temporarily overlook infringement can be a disaster, allowing the bad guys to consolidate their market share and do lasting damage to brands in the meantime.

Third, I would reiterate generally what I said in my previous post: The DIY China Lawyer. There are many things that can be done in the name of cutting costs, but each and every one has potential risks. Cutting corners on contract review and due diligence, for example, may be very attractive in the short term when budget pressures loom large, but eventually conditions will improve, and those poor decisions may impede the rebuilding process.

Hard choices need to be made during economic slowdowns, but these should not be undertaken without considering negative consequences and local market conditions. Think twice and cut once.

© Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Chinese celebrities shine at Elegance Ceremony in Beijing

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 01:09 PM PDT

Chinese celebrities attracted to Elegance Ceremony in Beijing

Oct. 25, the China Elegance Ceremony was held at the Water Cube in Beijing by the fashion magazine L'Officiel. Chinese celebrities, such as Gong Ni, Liu Yan, Huo Siyan, Sun Li, Sun Feifei and others, were invited to walk the red carpet.

This year, the fashion magazine focused on Chinese businesswomen, and unveiled a new "Elegant Women" list. Nine outstanding women in Chinese business were named "Elegance Female Role Model" of the year.

Chinese celebrities were invited to give away the prizes to these remarkable businesswomen at the grand event.


Liu Yan


Gong Li


Huo Siyan


Liu Yifei


Liu Yuxin


Ni Ni


Sun Feifei


Sun Li


Yang Mi


Zhang Xinyi

Family of Wen Jiabao Holds Hidden Fortune

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:44 PM PDT

A investigation into business dealings by the family of prime minister Wen Jiabao has prompted the blocking in China of the newspaper's English and Chinese websites. The article, by David Barboza, uncovers billions of dollars of hidden assets in the hands of Wen's immediate and extended family.

Many relatives of , including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister's relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

[…] While Communist Party regulations call for top officials to disclose their wealth and that of their immediate family members, no law or regulation prohibits relatives of even the most senior officials from becoming deal-makers or major investors — a loophole that effectively allows them to trade on their family name. Some Chinese argue that permitting the families of Communist Party leaders to profit from the country's long economic boom has been important to ensuring elite support for market-oriented reforms.

Even so, the dealings of Mr. Wen's relatives have sometimes been hidden in ways that suggest the relatives are eager to avoid public scrutiny, the records filed with Chinese regulatory authorities show. Their ownership stakes are often veiled by an intricate web of holdings as many as five steps removed from the operating companies, according to the review.

Barboza notes that Wen does not appear to have actively wielded his influence to enrich his family. According to an executive quoted in a WikiLeaked cable from 2007, in fact, "Wen is disgusted with his family's activities, but is either unable or unwilling to curtail them"; he is even said to have considered divorcing his wife for taking advantage of their relationship.

The subsequent blocking of the Times' websites can have come as no surprise: Barboza's article refers specifically to measures taken against Bloomberg.com following a similar exposé of Xi Jinping's family wealth in June. From Keith Bradsher:

, a senior fellow specializing in Internet free expression and privacy issues at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan group headquartered in Washington, said that the Chinese interruption of Internet access was typical of the response to information that offended leaders.

"This is what they do: they get mad, they block you," she said.

[…] By midmorning on Friday in China, access to both the English- and Chinese-language Web sites was blocked from all 31 cities in mainland China tested. The Chinese-language site had been blocked abruptly between 5 and 5:30 a.m. Beijing time, which is 12 hours ahead of New York, while the blockage of the English-language site appeared to have taken effect more gradually between 5 and 7 a.m. Beijing time.

© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Photo: Smoking at Night, by Jonathan Kos-Read

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:00 PM PDT

Photo: Smoking at Night, by Jonathan Kos-Read

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:58 PM PDT

Bo Booted from NPC, But Trial May Wait

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:14 PM PDT

As expected, and despite a public letter issued earlier this week by a group of leftists urging the Chinese Communist Party to reconsider, The Associated Press reported on Friday morning that China has formally expelled disgraced former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai from the National People's Congress. But while many believe that such a step paves the way for his trial to be concluded before next month's 18th Party Congress, Bo's lawyer told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that his day in court may have to wait:

The lawyer, Li Xiaolin, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that he hadn't been able to meet with Mr. Bo, but he believed his new client was being held in Qincheng prison, a facility on the outskirts of Beijing that is reserved for high-profile political figures.

Chinese leaders are thought to have been anxious to conclude the surrounding Mr. Bo ahead of the 18th Party Congress, which begins on Nov. 8 and which will mark the start of a once-a-decade leadership change. His wife, , was convicted in August of murdering a British businessman.

But having reached an agreement last month that Mr. Bo should also face criminal charges, party chieftains are now preoccupied with the leadership change, making it increasingly unlikely that a trial will happen before the congress, according to party insiders, and analysts.

It's unclear, however, how much Li really knows. In a brief telephone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Li said he was unsure if the government would even allow him to take the case after he was only recently hired by Bo's mother-in-law to represent him:

"There are many things that are impossible to know. I know about as much as you do," Li said.

He declined to speculate on when a trial may happen.

"How can I estimate this? It's all guesswork," Li said.

© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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The Myth of China’s “Meritocracy”

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:59 PM PDT

From the time of , through the turbulent Mao years and now into China's modern economic boom years, The Economist traces the thoughts of several "admirers" and challenges the meritocratic label that some have placed on its leadership system:

Among the shirt-wearers is a Canadian legal scholar, Daniel Bell of Tsinghua University in Beijing, co-editor of "A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China's Ancient Past Can Shape Its Political Future". Mr Bell believes that the party's emphasis has shifted to "the task of good governance led by able and virtuous political leaders." The scholar-official, it seems, stands in for the gentleman from Whitehall who thought he knew best. The party recruits the best and the brightest, says Mr Bell, and the vetting process for the promotion of top leaders is impressively objective and rigorous, though he admits scope for improvement, especially through more .

But to believe virtue always floats to the top in a system such as China's is fantasy. Chinese government and society are shot through with . Even official media report about cadres gaining promotion through connections, not merit, and despite the occasional execution of corrupt officials, the government can do little about it. The Confucian ideal of self-cultivation is admirable, but it neglects the crucial detail known as human nature.

The answer to China's challenges is not a return to some exclusive cultural wellspring of virtue. It doesn't exist. The lesson of China's 19th century was that supposedly meritocratic Confucian government, unchallenged and unchecked, had failed. "Western" systems of government have plenty of flaws too. Families and groups with more money or power perpetuate their influence in society. But the door is always open for talented outsiders to gain power and earn wealth and, more importantly, to lose it. Richard Nixon was undone by a free press and by the institutions of his own government, not, as with the Chinese former Politburo member , by a lieutenant who turned against him and fled to a foreign consulate. What will create more meritocratic government in China is continued economic development; more education for more people; open competition; moving towards a free press; an independent judicial system; and, in time, a representative political system.

The term "" has indeed popped up in a number of recent pieces of analysis on China as it approaches the 18th Party Congress and its once-a-decade . In August, author Daniel Bell touted "the advantages of 'actually-existing' meritocracy in the Chinese Communist Party", though he conceded that China's political system "can and should become more meritocratic in the future". Journalist and China commentator also mentioned the concept in an interview with CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, as part of the network's new "ON CHINA" program which premiered last week:

"It's not simply a meritocracy. If your parents are Communist Party members and have a certain amount of connections to the center, chances are you are going to be in the party regardless of your… school studies."

"The party understands now that the people… want to participate, but the party is struggling to give them a voice while at the same time maintaining total control."

And just as The Economist points out, The Financial Times' Jamil Anderlini wrote earlier this month that the Bo Xilai exposed to the world that "rot goes right to the top" of China's political system:

Far from revealing authoritarian China's meritocracy and ability to self-correct, the Bo Xilai saga underscores how its leaders believe they are above the law and how little accountability there actually is.

The fact is that Mr Bo's alleged crimes only came to light after his disgruntled chief of police, Wang Lijun, attempted to defect to a US consulate in February carrying a dossier of damaging revelations and proof that Gu had murdered Heywood.

Chinese, British and US officials say privately that without the involvement of foreign governments Heywood's murder would probably never have been uncovered and Mr Bo would still be a frontrunner for promotion when the party anoints new leaders at a once-a-decade conclave next month.

© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Breaking New Ground: A Live, Interactive Online Discussion on U.S.-China Relations

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:55 PM PDT

Dialogue. Understanding. Connecting people from around the world to talk about meaningful subjects. That's what Tea Leaf Nation is all about, and so we are thrilled to partner with the good folks at ChinaDialogue.net to present "China-U.S.: A live discussion on elections, energy and climate change." This live, online, interactive discussion will be accessible on this site and on ChinaDialogue.net, and will take place from Tuesday morning, October 30 (9 o'clock a.m. Eastern time, 6 o'clock a.m. Pacific time) to Wednesday morning, October 31 (10 o'clock a.m. Eastern time, 7 o'clock a.m. Pacific time).

The timing, we believe, couldn't be better. U.S. President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are neck and neck as they hurtle toward a November 6 election. China is also preparing for a much-anticipated handover of leadership on November 8. It's an appropriate juncture to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and China, as well as their respective stances on climate change, clean tech, and the environment. 

This live dialogue is organized in partnership with ChinaDialogue.net, a site "devoted to the publication of high quality, bilingual information, direct dialogue and the search for solutions to our shared environmental challenges." We encourage our readers to tune in live, and submit questions before or during the discussion. For those who miss it, a record of the talk will be available on this site afterwards.

The live discussion will include two live, hour-long Q&A sessions with two distinct panels of highly regarded experts. You will be able to post your questions and comments directly to them through TeaLeafNation, or via Twitter (hashtag: #uschinadialogue). Here are the details: 

Session 1: Tuesday October 30, 9-10 a.m. Eastern time (that's 6 o'clock a.m. Pacific time, 9 o'clock p.m. Beijing time) on Leadership and climate change 

Themes: Public awareness on climate change and its influence on policy; policy challenges for U.S. and Chinese leaders moving forward; likely policy under Obama/Romney; how the U.S. and China deal with each other in their public rhetoric.

Expert panel: Martin Bunzl, Founding Director, Rutgers Initiative on Climate and Society; Wang Tao, Resident Scholar, Energy and Climate Program, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy; Ed Grumbine, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Ross Perlin, writer and linguist 

Session 2: Wednesday October 31, 9-10 a.m. Eastern time (that's 6 o'clock a.m. Pacific time, 9 o'clock p.m. Beijing time) on Clean tech & U.S.-China cooperation

Themes: Emissions and energy goals and implementation of the 12th five year plan; state of play for clean tech deployment and financing; international trade negotiations; green jobs; market perceptions of clean tech. Opportunities for collaboration on climate policy and technology; international structures and frameworks that can foster collaboration.

Expert panel: Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate and Energy Program, World Resources Institute; Yang Fuqiang, Senior Advisor on Climate and Energy, NRDC China Program; Angel Hsu, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies 

Members of the public are encouraged to post comments and questions as the debate continues. So please join us for both sessions either to follow the discussion or to make your own contributions. 

You can also email us questions ahead of the debate with the subject line "live dialogue." If you're a climate and energy expert and would like to join the panel, please also email us. (Our thanks go in particular to Charles Zhu, who has spearheaded organization on the TLN end.)

We look forward to seeing you online!

China: Zero Donations to Government Education Development Fund

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:20 PM PDT

Guizhou is one of the poorest provinces in China and more than 50% of the students in elementary education are living in poverty. The problem of children dropping out of the education system has been very serious. Many private charities have projects that provide scholarships and sponsorship to poor students in Guizhou. Local government authorities also also make regular calls for donation to their governmental funds. Recently, however, the Guizhou Education Bureau's fundraising campaign for its Education Development Fund has received zero response.

According to a local report [zh] on 21 October 2012, the fund was established in June 2011 with aims of teacher training, curriculum development and overseas exchanges. The Education Bureau claims that all the donations will be transparent and won't be used for administrative costs. However, out of the 1000 plus letters sent out to local business leaders and celebrities, none has responded to the donation call. The official blames the Guo Meimei and China Red Cross scandal for their failure. Indeed, the issue at stake concerns people's distrust in the government-led charity work which quite often takes donations as extra taxation. Lao Hai from my1510 explains how the "governmental charity practice" works out in China [zh]:

Zero donation to the Guizhou education development fund. Image from my1510.cn

贵州有多少希望工程？希望工程之外，有没有必要再开辟一条基金会支教的第二路线？教育慈善机构全国已有很多，贵州有没有必要再多此一举?有没有必要在自己的小省之内再创建一个必然跟全国性的教育慈善机构有所冲突的地域性基金会？这些事情没有周全考虑好，问题自然就随之而来。如果都是三思才后行的，就不会遭遇现在这般极其糟糕的"零捐助"。

邀捐到底是怎么回事？说穿了，就是有个性且想作为的领导，利用部门职权和个人魅力号召能够管辖和可以控制的财团和富豪捐助当地财政一时无法挪腾出来的短缺资金，以解决政府急欲解决的某些棘手的社会性问题。一般来讲，邀捐的动机无可厚非，就是手段略存非议。说它合法嘛，它却极具道德杀伤力，有点强人所难的东西在里边。不捐则担心今后到这邀捐部门去办事要吃卡掐拿要，利索不了。捐嘛还真是有点不太乐意，谁不疼惜自己的血汗钱？而且，一般邀捐的款额都不是小数目，动辄几十万起算。说它非法嘛，它却不受目前任何法律限制，天生就有御法之术。

How many Hope Projects are currently run in Guizhou? Do we really need extra funding to support education development there? There are so many education charities all over the country, do we need a local foundation that competes with the national charities? Without addressing the above questions, problems follow. If they had reviewed the existing charity work, they wouldn't face such an awful "zero donation" situation.

What is the nature of of the donation invitation? Some leaders are making use of their power in the government to squeeze money from the business sector and local celebrities, who are under their jurisdiction, to solve their temporary cash flow problem for tackling existing social problems. The intention is usually justified but the means is questionable. Right, it is legal, yet those who refuse to donate will receive moral pressure and they may also worry that their relation with local authorities could be ruined. Usually the donation amount requested is quite high, up to hundreds of thousand RMB (equivalent to tens of thousands of USD), people are unwilling to give their hard earned money. No existing law restricts such kind of governmental behavior, well, of course they know how the laws are written…

The role of the government has obviously stirred up a lot of distrust. Below is a selection of criticisms from micro-bloggers [zh]:

广东西关二少：没方法改变了，政府的慈善机构已经彻底伤了国人的心、寒了国人的心。以后捐助这事只能交给有第三方监控的民间慈善机构跟进，否则，遭遇零捐助的尴尬事将继续下去。

Guangdong Kuanxi Ershao People won't change their mind anymore. The governmental charity groups have broken and cooled down our hearts. In the future, fund raising has to be conducted and monitored by civil charity, or such kind of embarrassment will keep happening.

NNDSN：为什么？首先问自己是不是真的是为了教育发展。把贵州慈善事业做的好的宣传一下，把做过的事列举一下，你们资助了谁？？要资助的也是你们的亲戚！真正需要的人没有得到资助

NNDSN: Why? Ask yourself if this is really for the development of education. Who have you been sponsoring, can you give a summary of your charity work in the past? The fund is channelled to your extended family! Those in need get nothing.

Antonio_龍：对于贵州省教育发展基金会"零捐助"事件，我觉得根本没有必要广泛宣传，"零捐助"不代表群众无爱心，而是对这个社会的不放心，5.12捐款还不是被贪了，面对如此重大的灾难，相关领导都贪的面不改色，这让我们纷纷质疑，我们捐的钱都哪去了?捐钱也无法改变孩子的现状，只会让贪污者的腰包更鼓！

Antonio Lung The zero donation incident of the Guizhou education development fund is of no great significance. Zero donation does not mean that people don't care. They just can't trust this society anymore. The donation for May 12 [The Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008] had been misappropriated by corrupted officials. How could they take the disaster relief money without blushing? We have been questioning where all our money has gone? Donation can't help the children, the money will just fill the corrupted officials' pockets.

Some also extend their distrust to the unjust and arbitrary allocation of government's resources:

蓝博一客：公众的不满还在于：一方面财政性教育投入不足，1993年承诺到上世纪末教育投入占GDP的比例4%，而到了2011年也只有3.83%左右；不及发达国家的5.1%

Blue blog guest: Public discontent comes from the government's education investment lagging behind. In 1993, the government promised that by the end of the 20th century, education investment would be up to 4%, but in 2011, the investment was just 3.83%, far below the 5.1% of the developed country

坐隐玄幽：贵州教育发展基金遭遇"零捐助"。都拿去支援非洲和欧债危机了，哪还管自己人！

Steadily seated in the dark: Guizhou education development fund received zero donation. All our money has been spent to aid African countries and helped the European debt crisis, no one care about our own people.

Legolas points out that charity work should be done in open platforms:

尼玛，我要是想为教育发展尽力，完全可以自己做，我只需要的是一个提供真实信息的平台而已，所谓的基金会完全不会被我信任

We can help the development of education by our own efforts. What we need is a platform where there is trustworthy information. I won't trust any foundation.

Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0)
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Everything you wanted to know about sex in China, but were afraid to ask

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 05:28 PM PDT

When I heard that Richard Burger, of The Peking Duck, had written a book about sex in China, I expected it to be a somewhat scandalous introduction to the topic (he had told me that it wasn't meant for China experts). However, I found Behind the Red Door: Sex in China to be an incredibly thorough exploration of sex and sexuality in China. He covers almost every aspect– dating, marriage, prostitution, concubines, homosexuality, pornography, sex shops – and each in a way that considers the past and present and avoids easy answers.

The only gripe I had with the book was when Burger chastised the missionaries of the past for bringing their close minded western views on homosexuality.

He highlights a passage from a Jesuit writing in 1610:

"That which shows the misery of these people is that no less than the natural lusts they practice unnatural ones that reverse the order of things: and this is neither forbidden by law or thought to be illicit, or even a cause of shame. It is spoken of in public and practiced everywhere, without there being anyone to prevent it…"

Richard uses this to prove his broader point that homosexuality is condemned in the West based on religious views, but in China was practiced freely until missionaries interfered saying, "Chinese passing by on the street would most likely have viewed the male prostitutes as providing entertainment that harmed no one." However Richard writes just a few pages later to say that of the male prostitutes "the most prized were those between 12 and 14 years of age," and that, "unlike concubines who were often treated as family members, catamites (male prostitutes) were often discarded like an old shoe, and many became beggars who took on the most menial jobs and died in poverty."

So perhaps the monk was shocked not only by the homosexuality, but also the society's complicit acceptance of child prostitution. However, his coverage of the modern day struggle within Chinese society over the issue of homosexuality seems to be spot on, and is worth the price of the book on its own.

He also seems to struggle with how to best present the seeming contradiction that Victorian attitudes toward sex ended China's sexual freedom, but that it is now western openness that has contributed to China's sexual re-liberalization. Richard though does bring this point out toward the end of the book.

With that out of the way, I would like to say that I very much enjoyed this book, and found scores of new information about attitudes towards sex in ancient China, as well as several interesting anecdotes about more current events. I was also very pleased to find that Richard's book avoided the ChinaSMACK approach to some of the topics, meaning that he relied more on personal conversations and news accounts than translated comments from Chinese message boards (although not entirely).

I feel that this gives a much more accurate view of what's really going on than simply focusing on the most outrageous events. Furthermore, Richard's style, which has been honed over his years of blogging, reads very well, despite the amount of information crammed into every page.


Filed under: book review, Life in China Tagged: China, Chinese culture, Peking Duck, Prostitution, Richard Burger, sex, West

Why Is It So Hard For Beijing to Un-Clog Its Traffic?

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 04:42 PM PDT

An all-too-typical scene in Beijing. (Basykes/Wikimedia Commons)

Beijing, a city of 20 million, is planning to take harsh measures against its notorious traffic jams. According to The Beijing News (@新京报), a local newspaper, the Beijing transportation bureau is reviving a radical scheme that could keep half of its private cars off the road by 2013 in order to mitigate the capital's notorious traffic jams. 

The last resort 

The "odd-even" license number plan was first implemented when Beijing hosted the Olympics in 2008. From July 20 to September 20, vehicles registered in Beijing were allowed on the roads only every other day during weekdays, depending on whether their license plate numbers ended in even or odd numbers. As a result, the city's normally poor air quality greatly improved during the Beijing Olympics. 

Since the scheme ended in 2008, a less strict "last-digit" license number policy has been in effect, allowing vehicles registered in Beijing to take to the roads on four of the five weekdays. The last digit of a vehicle's license number determines the day on which it is prohibited. 

In addition, the local government has tried to limit the number of vehicles through a lottery system for new license plates. As of August 2012, the demand-to-offer ratio was 52.8 to 1.

Despite these efforts, the number of vehicles in Beijing has still soared, reaching over 5 million at present, compared to 3.5 million in 2008. According to the Beijing Morning Post (@北京晨报), the "traffic jam index," a measuring tool invented and administered by Beijing's government, was 10.3% higher in September 2012 than it was a year ago. In light of the declining effectiveness of the two policies and worsening traffic conditions, officials are now considering turning to the "odd-even" plan as the last resort. 

Will it work? Is it legal?

On Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, the overwhelming number of commentators have expressed doubt that the "last resort" would work. @小强张世强 pointed out that some drivers, especially parents driving their children to school, would rather pay the fine than comply with the policy. "People would go with it if they cannot drive one day per week. But the 'odd-even' policy will motivate many more people, such as parents driving children to school, to disobey it. The restriction will hardly be effective. The fine is 100 RMB per day, and there are at most twelve 'driving-prohibited' days per month. Many parents would be willing to pay 1200 RMB (about US$192) for their children."

@sleaster argued that the regulation would cause two important side effects. "First, the police officers would spend huge amounts of time and energy picking out cars violating the policy. They would not be able to deal with other business. Second, the number of cars on the roads would not decrease significantly. What if people buy two cars and drive them alternately? When the number of vehicles increases, there will be larger demand for parking slots. The parking problem will worsen before the traffic problem is solved."

Some netizens have gone further, arguing that such restrictions fail to tackle the fundamental problem. @王冉 offered a vivid analogy: "Using crude, stupid ways such as restricting car-buying and driving to regulate traffic is just like treating constipation by limiting food intake." [1]

Car owners are also complaining that the measures equate to an unconstitutional encroachment on their property rights. Like the U.S. constitution, China's constitution requires the government to give citizens compensation when it takes their property. It's a right sometimes ignored in practice, but one that Chinese have not forgotten. @鸡毛蒜皮的大事 wrote, "The Constitution protects private property. We've paid full price for our cars. If you deprive us of half of the right to use our cars [without paying us], your actions are unconstitutional."[2]

Surprisingly to many, even the state-run Xinhua News Agency (@新华社中国网事) agrees. "When the 'odd-even' policy is revived this time, a question is unavoidable: What legal path the local government should follow to restrict citizens' right to use their property. If this question is ignored, the negative impacts it brings will exceed the heavy traffic itself. "[3]

Possible alternative solutions

Of course, when policy questions arise, China's Internet commentators usually do not stop at blaming government. They often actively discuss what the right measures might be. Web users were not shy in this instance. 

In a country where laws are strict but enforcement often lax, commentators particularly focused on the ability of traffic police to put rules into practice. @-尼古拉斯-王- wrote, "The key issue is not that there are too many cars, but so many drivers [are] ignorant of traffic laws. They drive in whatever way they desire, and veer whenever they want! The key is to emphasize [existing] traffic laws and regulations more." @米小猫 agreed. "If law enforcement is not strengthened and the cost of violations does not go up, Beijing will be stuck in the bottleneck."

Some netizens, including @上下都是双眼皮, blamed the unlimited use of government-owned vehicles. "Why not start with the government itself and try restraining use and abuse of government-owned vehicles for private purposes? If that does not work, then we can consider other methods."

In recent years, the government has already taken measures to limit the number of government vehicles and go after cases of abuse. The Xinhua News Agency reported on October 25 that since April 2011, nearly 2 million unregistered state-owned vehicles have been removed from the roadways. Yet web users like @范玄英 felt the problem remains unsolved. "Driving restrictions for all is not a good solution. The key issue is that many state-owned cars on the roads are not for public purposes. Officials and their families drive those cars to go shopping, dine out or to travel." 

Other commentators have pinned their hopes on the development of a more robust public transportation system. @空空的湿乎乎's tweet is representative. "I'm really not sure how the 'odd-even' policy would play out. It's more realistic for me to hope that the opening of Subway Line 6 [would make my travels easier.]" @010危险男孩, wrote, "my personal experience tells me that more runs could be added during the subway rush hours. There is enough demand for that."

Long-term dilemmas

The policy debate sheds light on two significant dilemmas behind a rapid urbanization and development process that has stretched the skills of China's urban managers to the limit. As cities grow in size and population, the chaos and inefficiency generated by mismanagement and flawed planning make life difficult for urban residents. In order to tackle problems that emerge from the growth of cities, the government needs to adopt new urban planning philosophies. 

For example, @费厄泼赖 identified one possible direction for change: To decentralize functions and populations in the "core area" of urban centers. "[The government] could separate the functions of the core area of a city and build up multiple centers. Just like a CPU: The more cores it has, the faster its speed is. There would be no bottleneck then."

Yet, the more fundamental problem lies in huge flows of centripetal migration. Already overcrowded, several metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou still see exponential population growth. As @刁总2011_09_21 complained, "What is the real cause of heavy traffic? Doesn't the government know the truth? Isn't it the growing population in Beijing?"

Indeed, a population explosion in metropolises reflects the long-term inequality inherent in China's development. As the government continues to invest most of its resources in big cities, residents in a few metropolises enjoy higher wages, better working conditions, and superior education and healthcare. The contrast between abundant development opportunities in major cities and a limited outlook for the rest becomes the powerful magnet pulling people to metropolises from all over the country. What the government really needs to do is to alter an unbalanced development strategy that encourages over-centralization of resources in metropolises. Otherwise, the traffic gridlock will only be one of many severe headaches afflicting China's giant cities.

Footnotes    (? returns to text)
  1. 用限购、限号这等愚笨粗暴的手段来治理城市交通，就好比用节食来治便秘。?
  2. 宪法规定保护私人财产，我们是付全款买的车，你不能剥夺我们车的一半使用权，你是违反宪法的?
  3. 单双号限行作为治堵高招再次在北京被提出，一个疑问又到面前——地方政府部门对公民财产使用权的限制到底要经怎样的法律程序。此问题如得不到清晰认识，负面影响将超"最堵９月"。?

Ministry of Truth: News Media Battle Lines

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 03:15 PM PDT

The following example of instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, has been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions as "Directives from the ." CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation.

Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.

is a tough profession the world over, but Chinese journalists face a special set of obstacles. Juggling the needs of the public and the demands of the government, they struggle to report the news without overstepping the censors' ever-shifting boundaries. There are, of course, certain stories they can never tell: about Tiananmen, for example. But reporters were also barred from visiting the site of last year's high-speed rail crash, despite the government's public dismissal of corrupt Railway Ministry officials whose negligence lead to the tragedy. A number of prominent players in independent media were reshuffled or quit this summer after running "sensitive" stories, leading some to wonder if restrictions on the media will continue to tighten.

The instructions below offer a glimpse of what Chinese media professionals are up against. Issued jointly by various municipal and media bureaus in March to the media of "a certain city" (the Shandong capital Jinan is mentioned several times), the document outlines everything from conducting interviews to airtime for commercials, from licenses to microblogs. Some of the guidelines are reasonable enough: verify sources, tell the truth, don't accept bribes. Then there are vague injunctions to "propagate advanced culture." And then, tucked among the common sense and the jargon, are prohibitions like these:

As a principle, reports which include images or video from the scenes of accidents, disasters, court cases and epidemics should not feature prominently on the page or serve as the leading stories of radio and TV news programs.

Incidents with a small range of influence or without serious consequence need not be publicly reported… Incidents which attract international attention but which do not need to be reported domestically may be just reported to foreign audiences.

Ensure that live studio broadcasts and participation through hotlines remains manageable and controllable by utilizing broadcast delaying equipment and reserving safety telephone lines.

No one rule is particularly surprising, but the totality of these instructions show just how much of a gulf lies between a free press and what exists in China today. A Certain City is exhorted to draw the "news battle line" in the fight for public attention, to advance towards the "grassroots" in order to keep the public under its control. The media are to foster a "positive, healthy and progressive mainstream " which loves reality and shuns reality shows. In the war for hearts and minds, sometimes the media is its own worst enemy.

Read the original document at CDT Chinese.

One City's Actionable Recommendations for the Further Standardization of News Coverage

A message to all county- (municipal-) level Party district committee propaganda departments, high tech industrial development zone Party working committee propaganda departments and propaganda and cultural entities under direct municipal jurisdiction:

In order to further standardize the collection and editing of news, improve the quality of public opinion channeling, encourage the formation of healthy news procedure and promote the healthy and robust development of journalism in the city, we, in the spirit of the "Suggestions for the Further Standardization of the Collection and Editing of News" issued by the Central Propaganda Department, the Provincial Propaganda Department and other main departments and in accordance with related requirements and policy rules, and integrating experience from Jinan, submit the following concrete, actionable guidelines:

I. Persist in the Correct Direction, Ensure the Authenticity of the News

1) Adhere to Party principles. Work assiduously to raise the flag high, embrace the interests of the nation, serve the people and pursue the overall goals of reform and innovation. Firmly establish a Marxist view of the news. Maintain politicians as heads of newspapers, periodicals and stations. Consciously ensure that the collection and editing of news demonstrates the correct politics, correct policies, correct values and correct actions. From beginning to end, maintain a high level of consistency with the central Party. Absolutely do not provide a channel for incorrect thoughts or words.

2) Persist in encouraging unity and stability. Prioritize positive propaganda. Tightly adhere to the central work of Party committees and the government. Sing the main chorus. Win the battle of initiative. Scientifically plan and strive to propagate and strengthen reports on the main themes, main successes and main models. Consolidate and strengthen a positive, healthy and progressive mainstream public opinion.

3) Insist on the principle of the authenticity of the news. News coverage must uphold the principles of truth, accuracy, comprehensiveness, objectivity and impartiality. Conduct in-depth research, grasp social currents, fully understand the truth of the matter and consciously avoid false news. Elevate the authoritativeness and credibility of news coverage.

Insist on placing social benefit first. From beginning to end, maintain the solemn mission of the news media: serve the interests of the nation, lead society, educate the people and promote harmony. The media's obligations are to propagate scientific theory, spread advanced culture, shape a positive mentality, advocate a scientific spirit and foster healthy social trends. Work more at unifying ideology and consolidating strength. Work harder to boost morale and to inspire. Purify print, airwaves and screens. Provide effective support for public opinion that furthers social harmony and stability.

II. Rectify Journalistic Concepts, Elevate Quality of Media

5) Maintain the principle that newspapers and broadcasting entities are founded upon the news. Current affairs publications, radio stations and television channels must focus on news coverage and ensure there is sufficient content to fill the pages and time slots. Properly control the total amount of repetitive, excessive and overabundant programs, including those about love, marriage and friendship; talent competitions; emotional stories; game shows; variety shows; talk shows and reality shows.

6) Unceasingly elevate the quality of programming. Make use of Jinan's cultural advantages. Adapt to the multi-leveled, multi-faceted nature of the audience's spiritual and cultural demands. Improve the layout of print media and the structure and types of programming. Each news media must develop at least one program that promotes traditional Chinese values and embodies the essential value system of socialism and ideological morality; current affairs print media, radio news stations and television news channels must offer programming based on Party building, people's livelihood and social welfare. As a principle, reports which include images or video from the scenes of accidents, disasters, court cases and epidemics should not feature prominently on the page or serve as the leading stories of radio and TV news programs.

7) Build a service platform and strengthen public service. Earnestly practice the mass line of "everything for the masses, everything relies on the masses, everything in service of the masses." Connect closely to reality on the ground. Take great interest in the productive lives of the masses. Heighten the focus and efficacy of news coverage. All news media must integrate their unique features into programming that serves the people. Open an information service hotline. Strengthen interaction with the masses. Print, radio and television media that focus on urban life are to develop their advantages and enhance reporting on life services, popular science and social good.

8) Enhance in-depth reporting. Consider the unique position of media in strengthening such in-depth reports as policy analysis, special investigation, discussion and commentary. Fulfill the important work of educating, enlightening and leading social ideology.

III. Standardize Research and Editorial Practices, Improve Style of Coverage

9) Members of the news media must strictly comply with Party discipline, national laws and professional ethics. Consciously comply with the Journalistic Code of Ethics of China. Consciously protect the interests of the Party and the nation. Protect the fundamental interests of the people. Protect the overall reform, development and stability of the country.

10) Insist on staying close to reality, the masses and everyday life. Change work style and improve writing style. News coverage and interviews are to be conducted on the spot. Information must be verified by multiple sources. Seek verification of the facts repeatedly and from multiple sides. Listen to and report on the perspectives of all persons involved and objectively reflect every fact and account of the story. Avoid adopting only one side of a story or one piece of evidence. Avoid the use of unsubstantiated information and subjective speculation when composing news reports. Avoid purposefully bending the facts and fabricating news to sensationalize, boost sales or attract listeners and viewers. Avoid inaccurate reporting in the single-minded rush to get a scoop. Listen to the suggestions of relevant authorities and departments when preparing policy-heavy and sensitive news.

11) News personnel must conduct news coverage through legal channels and legitimate methods. Reporter's permits issued by the State Administration of Press and Publication are the only legal permits. This permit must be presented to a subject before an interview begins. Persons without a reporter's permit are forbidden from conducting interviews on their own. Interviewees are to be respected and their privacy to be protected. Respect the way of life, customs and religious beliefs of interviewees. Potential interviewees cannot be forced to accept interviews. In negative reporting that involves minors, comply with the national laws and regulations that protect minors and uphold the rights and interests of minors. In general, it is unlawful to reveal a minor's name, place of residence, appearance or other information or audiovisual materials that would allow others to discern his or her identity without the approval of his or her legal guardian.

12) For coverage of important meetings, major activities and big events, news personnel must obey on-site management. Coverage must be conducted in accordance with the arrangements of the event organizers. Make sure that news coverage does not interfere with the mediation of civil or economic disputes. Do not interfere with normal legal proceedings.

13) Refuse to practice any type of paid news. News personnel are forbidden from using their work to seek illegitimate profit. It is forbidden to accept banquet invitations or gifts that might affect the objectivity of their reporting. It is forbidden to attempt to extract money, property or other profit from persons involved with a report or other interested parties. It is forbidden to engage in activities related to the profession which introduce compensation, engage in dealings or be gainfully employed by unaffiliated news entities or economic organizations.

14) Implement the news coverage recusal policy. News personnel should abstain from reporting on any situation in which friends, relatives or other interested parties may affect the objectivity of the reporting. In such cases, it is forbidden to interfere with or exert influence on information gathering, editing, publication or broadcast.

IV. Respond to Social Concerns, Strengthen Public Opinion Guidance

15) Scientifically execute the guidance of hot-button issues. Focus on unifying thought, rallying public support, resolving uncertainty, encouraging healthy trends and serving society as a whole. Excel at grasping hot topics. Do not fall silent at critical moments. Fully exercise your right to take initiative in guiding public opinion. Resolutely guard against fabricated and sensationalized issues. Avoid catering to lowbrow tastes. Sensitive issues which affect the mental stability of the people, such as ethnicity, religion, mass incidents, food safety, etc., are to be handled with caution and securely controlled. Under most circumstances, issues related to high-level work units and institutions or alternative opinions on important political or economic issues are not to be publicized if doing so would have a negative impact. You may report this information through internal reference. When in doubt, promptly consult relevant authorities for instruction.

16) Strengthen and improve supervision of public opinion. Maintain scientific, accurate, legal, constructive and authoritative supervision. Pay close attention to the social results of this supervision. Center work on the important endeavors of Party committees and the government. Select issues for supervision that are important to the Party committees and the government, on which the masses hold strong opinions and which can be resolved at the present stage. Establish positive interaction between media supervision of public opinion and the work of the Party committees and government.

Party newspapers, radio and television stations are to fully realize their function as the main front in the effort to supervise public opinion, actively carrying out constructive supervision. In developing public opinion supervision, metropolitan media and news websites must standardize the process of presenting topics to higher authorities for approval, covering stories and reviewing reports, avoiding subjective, inaccurate and sensationalized reporting. As a principle, local and metropolitan media should not go beyond their region of coverage to report on public opinion. Maintain a firm grip on the volume and strength of critical reporting. In a given time period, it is inappropriate to report extensively on one location, industry or work unit; do not report issues that cannot currently be resolved or on isolated or exceptional incidents that have already been legally managed and properly resolved.

In general, public criticism and reporting is not to be carried out concerning issues such as rural land requisition, the demolition of urban homes, persons displaced by the construction of reservoirs, restructuring of personnel at state-owned enterprises, military cadres losing their cadre status and benefits after transfer to civilian work, the college entrance examinations and any major mass incidents and sensitive cases; openly critical reporting is generally not to be conducted when concerning the military, armed police, ethnicity and religion and the Tibet and Xinjiang issues. Critical reporting for the purposes of personal gain, extortion or retaliation, attacking the Party and government in the name of public opinion and seeking to discredit the current political system must be resolutely stopped and severely investigated and prosecuted.

17) Reliably master coverage of sudden incidents. In reporting on sudden incidents, Party Committee Propaganda Departments of all levels must strictly implement the fundamental principle of "timely and accurate, open and transparent, orderly and unrestricted, effectively managed and correct in guidance." Cooperate with related departments to guide public opinion on sudden incidents.

Adhere to the principle of dealing openly and transparently with incidents. Coordinate with the departments managing the incident and issue timely, authoritative information to the media. Limit the the space for the spread of rumors and hearsay as much as possible. Adhere to the "first moment" principle and seize the opportunity to be the first to lead public opinion.

Improve the means by which information is issued. Speak early of the facts, emphatically of attitude and carefully of causation. Firmly establish a philosophy of treating well, using well and managing well the media. Positively support the work of the media and cooperate with the media in their research and reporting. Those media organizations which cover sudden incidents must consciously comply with the unified leadership of the Party committees and government, obey the specific directions of the departments managing the incident and serve those managing the incident at the scene.

Maintain focus on positive propaganda. Issue authoritative information, guide public opinion, channel emotions and stabilize society in a timely and accurate manner. Provide a good environment for the incident to be properly resolved. The amount and scope of coverage of sudden incidents should be appropriately controlled. Avoid losing focus when reporting on disasters, accidents and criminal cases. Incidents with a small range of influence or without serious consequence need not be publicly reported. It is also permissible to only report such incidents locally. Incidents which attract international attention but which do not need to be reported domestically may be just reported to foreign audiences. Avoid revealing and exaggerating the details of a case, the methods by which a crime was committed, gruesome scenes, injury, death, tragedy, etc. Avoid causing negative effects.

V. Perfect the System of Review, Strictly Control Content

18) Establish a system for the supervision and implementation of work. Each news organization must establish a system in which personnel are assigned responsibility for sending and receiving messages and taking note of the files, notices and requests sent from controlling bodies while also ensuring that said messages are relayed to all related news personnel in a timely manner. All requests are to be collected into a handbook and integrated into daily work practices, including editing, proofreading, typesetting, printing and broadcasting.

19) Establish a system for recording the examinations and verification of important programming and features. Before starting a new feature on important news, all current affairs publications, news radio stations and news TV channels must submit the name, genre, orientation, content, format, placement (time slot), length, objective and other aspects of the proposed program to the municipal propaganda department for their records.

20) Perfect the editorial system. Reinforce the responsibility of editors. Carry out exhaustive verification and confirmation of the contents of all contributions. Information provided by informants, hotlines, special reporters, non-governmental organizations and business organs may only be used as leads and must be investigated and verified by journalists before it may be reported.

The editorial process must not damage the authenticity of the report. Do not use exaggerations in the title which distort the message of the report and mislead the audience. Reports that touch upon the activities of Party and national leaders, important meetings, major policies, sensitive issues and other important news must be strictly controlled. It is forbidden to publish articles submitted independently by the public at large.

Press releases and internal materials provided by Party, government and military organs, the judiciary or employees of state-owned enterprises and institutions must be verified and approved by relevant institutions before use. Sources must be clearly cited regardless of whether the contents in questions is produced in-house or reprinted from elsewhere. Except when necessary to protect national security, protect state secrets and under other special circumstances, new reports must clearly state the names, titles and employers of the reporter and interviewees. Do not cite vague sources such as "an authoritative figure" or "a person involved in the incident."

Writers and editors of opinion pieces must respect the facts and must not carry out irrational rants, sow social discord or exacerbate social discontent. Do not present information as source material that has yet to be verified. Do not employ biased opinions or unusual perspectives to create a sensation. Editorials and commentary in any medium must not use ghostwritten material or make direct use of submissions from society at large. Media organizations of all types are forbidden from publishing unauthorized news information products from foreign news media (including foreign websites) without prior approval.

21) Implement a gatekeeping system for the examination and review articles. All levels of the news media must perfect the workflow by which news is collected, edited, published and broadcast. Standardize the work of the three levels of script review: initial editing, review by the department head and final review by the editor-in-chief. Strictly control the channels through which articles are published and content is reviewed. Strengthen the sense of responsibility in final judgment. Clearly define the responsibilities of the person who is in this position.

22) Tighten the technical control systems used in the production and broadcast of talk shows and live programming for radio and television. Formulate extensive scripts, outlines, background materials, broadcasting plans and emergency contingency plans in advance. Conduct sufficient research into the social background, political views and related information concerning special guests. Guide the civilized participation and rational discourse of special guests. Ensure that live studio broadcasts and participation through hotlines remains manageable and controllable by utilizing broadcast delaying equipment and reserving safety telephone lines.

23) Establish a system of correction and accountability for false and inaccurate reporting. If after investigation and verification one firmly believes that false or inaccurate information exists in a report, timely corrections must be made to the appropriate edition, time slot or website in order to avoid impact. In cases where a reporter fails to cover a story in depth or an editor's carelessness allows inaccurate information to be reported, the news organization must openly apologize and investigate the person(s) responsible for the mistake.

VI. Strictly Audit Information, Promote Positive Interaction on Newspaper (Station) Websites

24) Standardize the use of information from the Internet. All news media must strictly comply with relevant regulations. Do not directly copy and reuse information from the Internet. Avoid propagating and amplifying irrational emotions and false information from the Internet. Put an end to any "going with the Web" or "following the crowd" phenomena. When using information from the Internet as a news source (including text, images, audio and video), its source must be checked and verified, its accuracy confirmed and the author's rights under law and regulation respected. The use of unverified information from microblog posts or the use of such posts as leads is strictly prohibited. The use of lowbrow, vulgar information from the Internet is strictly prohibited. Information from the Internet that relates to major policies of the Party and the nation and material regarding ethnicity, religion, the military and diplomacy must be reviewed by authoritative channels and receive approval from the controlling body before it may be reported.

25) Standardize the management of media microblogs. Encourage mainstream media to open microblog accounts. Occupy a position in public opinion on microblogs. Increase the influence of mainstream media on microblogs. Media microblogs must establish strict auditing and posting protocol in accordance with their professional standards. Media of all levels and varieties must formulate and perfect their own internal managerial rules and increase management of employee microblog use. A member of the news media who wishes to open microblog accounts under his or her professional title must do so with the approval of his or her work unit. Microblog posts published on such an account must not break the law, breach news propaganda discipline or violate the managerial rules of the media organization employing the account holder. Media professionals who open personal microblog accounts, blogs, podcasts, etc. are forbidden from issuing news not yet published or broadcast by his/her media organization without prior approval, and are also forbidden from disseminating of any kind of information gained through professional activities.

26) Standardize traditional media contents online. Encourage traditional media to strengthen positive propaganda on the Internet. Strengthen the interactivity of newspaper, radio and television websites. Expand the reach and influence of mainstream public opinion. Articles uploaded to the Internet must maintain complete accuracy. Do not take things out of context or edit titles. Do not amplify one-sided facts. Critical reports uploaded online must be securely controlled. Reports that involve sensitive information or situations, including articles that could easily incite disputes or produce negative effects, must be strictly controlled. As a principle, these articles should not be put online.

27) Standardize cooperation among media organizations. No level or type of media must violate the rules of the organization by participating in any type of "contribution website," "media coalition" or "article swapping platform" without prior approval. Resolutely put a stop to news article sharing activity.

VII. Strengthen Management of Advertising, End Dissemination of Negative Information

28) Hold fast to the proper orientation of advertisement and propaganda. The contents of advertisements published by news media must be truthful and lawful. Advertising must not deceive or mislead consumers. Resolutely put an end to the publication of advertisements which agitate the public, harm the physical and mental health of minors, go against social values and social norms and otherwise violate laws and regulations, as well as other types of advertisement banned by law. Consciously work to protect the reputation and image of news agencies.

29) Maintain the separation between reporting and business activities. News media must strictly implement the "two apart" rule. News and advertising departments must be kept separate. The roles of editors, reporters, anchors and advertising personnel must not overlap. It is forbidden to task journalists and editors with bringing in advertising revenue. News department personnel, including journalists, editors, reviewers, producers, anchors, announcers, etc., are forbidden from using their positions to seek advertising revenue. Do not broadcast advertisements under the guise of news coverage. Likewise, advertising department personnel are forbidden from participating in or influencing the work of news personnel through disguised advertisements or paid news reports.

30) Exercise strict editorial control over advertising. Strictly enact the three-tiered advertisement review system: initial review by auditors, secondary review by the responsible parties of the advertising department and final review by the responsible parties of the news work unit. Ensure your right to exercise the final decision on advertisements. Avoid the covert or mercenary sale of print space and airtime. Avoid the publication and broadcast of false and harmful advertising.

31) Increase public interest advertisement and propaganda. Conduct serious research into the accepted behaviors and psychological characteristics of the audience. Use formats the masses like to see and hear. Create new vehicles for propagandizing. Design, produce and put forth innovative, unique advertising products for the public good that have clear themes and profound moral messages. Propagate advanced culture. Lead the audience toward a healthy lifestyle. All news media organizations must follow relevant rules and requirements. Public interest advertising must comprise at least 3% of paid advertising in terms of ad space or time every year.

VIII. Strengthen Team Structure, Enhance Organizational Quality

32) Actively promote the formation of talented news teams. Vigorously implement key talent programs in the propaganda and culture apparatus. Make an effort to cultivate star reporters, editors and anchors. Create well-known media organizations, columns and programs. Improve and perfect incentives. Continue to organize awards programs such as "Top Ten Newspaper Columns," "Top Ten Television Segments," "Top Ten Books" and "Top Ten Journalists." Promote the healthy and prosperous development of journalism.

33) Strengthen the political training of journalism professionals.  It is essential to work in tandem with the "Three Everythings" mass line educational program currently being carried out by the provincial propaganda and culture apparatus. Unceasingly extend the reach of the "Three Studies Education" news battle line and the "Go Grassroots, Evolve Working Style, Change Writing Style" activities. News work units must organize at least one centralized educational training meeting per season to comprehensively and systemically carry out Party education; education on the state of the nation, province and city; the Marxist perspective on news; and professional consciousness and ethics, in order to strengthen the ability of reporters and editors to adapt to the requirements of their posts. Journalists and editors must participate in qualification training organized by provincial- and municipal-level news publication departments. Only media personnel who have successfully obtain a training certificate through participation in journalism employment qualification training programs sponsored by provincial and municipal news publishing departments may apply for a reporter's permit.

34) Complete and perfect a scientific, comprehensive evaluation system. News organizations must straighten out the relationship between use [of employees] and cultivation [of their talents]. Firmly promote the long-term development of a people-oriented philosophy. Do not simply use ratings or production output to evaluate the work of an organization. Encourage journalists to delve into society's base, the masses and their lives. Produce and broadcast works of outstanding quality that meet the demands of the "Three Closes." Integrate requirements into all stages of news collection and reporting. Develop feasible long-term employee training programs. Enhance the sense of pride, responsibility and mission of news personnel. Enhance the sense of belonging and solidarity in all news work units.

35) Improve the mechanism by which news personnel are hired and discharged. News organizations must strive to hire, utilize and assess good personnel. Journalists and editors must retain proper press and publication qualifications. Establish and improve personnel information filing systems. Gradually establish a citywide, open database that records the instances in which news personnel show harmful professional behavior. When it is necessary to dismiss an employee because of a violation of news media discipline, the specific circumstances of the individual case will be used to determine how long that person is suspended or whether he or she is permanently banned from the profession.

IX. Improve the Management Apparatus, Protect Journalistic Procedure

36) Put into practice the regulatory duties of work unit supervisors. The municipal propaganda department and supervisors must strengthen their leadership of the news organizations under their charge. They control and are responsible for the organization's direction. Media organizations under group management must strengthen their supervision over print publications, stations and websites. Strictly implement supervisory regulations. Improve day-to-day reviewing practices. Fully utilize the ability of the reviewing process to promote and ensure the correct direction of news reporting. Developing or trending problems found during the review process should be corrected in a timely manner.

37) Strengthen the construction of news work unit leadership teams. Leadership teams must be formed by current personnel who are politically resolute, have moral integrity, possess higher levels of Marxist self-cultivation and political standards and are familiar with the news publishing industry. A publication's legal representative or leader must participate in job training organized by relevant departments. Leaders must possess the proper certification for their posts. Management must submit notice of new appointments or changes to news work unit leadership to the municipal propaganda department before such changes proceed.

38) Improve the apparatus of social supervision. Encourage every different part of society to strengthen their supervision of the media's conduct in gathering and producing the news. Party propaganda departments and journalism associations at all levels must open reporting channels which will receive, investigate and verify reported information in a timely manner. Give feedback and publicize the results of investigations, including any punishment. Media work units must operate open-door newspapers and stations by hiring industry style advisory boards and content review personnel. Listen carefully to the opinions and suggestions of the masses. Work hard to improve individual work.

39) Strengthen professional ethics. Establish a journalistic ethics committee within the municipal journalists association. Organize the relevant municipal departments, news media, institutions of higher learning and representatives from all areas of society to discuss and produce analysis of news reporting, team building and model cases on a regular basis and notify those within the profession. Root out problems by summarizing collective experience. Promote self-regulation in the industry. Form a mechanism for the long-term supervision of journalistic ethics.

40) Perfect the media employee accountability and discharge system. Strictly enforce the discipline and warning system. In all instances where a media organization is issued a warning notice or violation and disciplinary action notice by management, that organization will be disqualified from participating in the selection of any level or type of propaganda work advanced group that year; responsible editors and reporters will be disqualified from participation in the selection of advanced individuals and outstanding works at any level or role in news and propaganda, as well promotion to the higher journalistic title he or she would otherwise be eligible in that year. In the case of serious violations or when the attitudes of disciplined parties have not changed after undergoing reorganization and reform, such parties will be withdrawn from the market through annual review and comprehensive quality assessments.

Chinese Communist Party XX City Propaganda Department, Chinese Communist Party XX City Foreign Propaganda Office

XX City Press and Publication Bureau of Culture, Radio and TV, XX City Journalists' Association

March 16, 2012

Translation by Little Bluegill.


Notes:

At the 2010 Asia Media Summit, Communication University of China Vice President Hu Zhengrong declared, "we are facing a battle against fake news, paid news, and soft advertising in news." The reported in April on Chinese media organizations accepting payment from businesses for positive coverage. Back.

A letter intended for the National People's Congress and available online [zh] claims that 70,000 former military cadres in Jiangsu Province were illegally stripped of their cadre status and the government support to which it entitles them. Back.

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Tokdo/Takeshima Island Dispute: A Call for Educators to Act towards Mutual Understanding

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:47 PM PDT

Memo #184 (Japanese and Korean translations available)

By Hee-Ryong Kang (left, kang.heeryong [at] gmail.com) and Keita Takayama (right, ktakayam [at] une.edu.au)

The tiny island that lies between Japan and Korea – Takeshima (竹島) in Japan and Tokdo (독도) in Korea – is at the centre of a territorial dispute and serious bilateral tension. This is nothing new. The island, along with other remnants of Japan's colonial aggression in Korea, has sparked diplomatic issues throughout postwar history. Despite unprecedented levels of cultural, academic, and economic exchange between the two nations, the dispute continues to be defined by a persistent legacy of colonialism and growing nationalism. Japanese and Korean political leaders demand that educators legitimate territorial claims by including these in their national curricula. But if educators comply uncritically, we will undermine future generations' development of mutual understanding and respect.

This diplomatic skirmish is an important pedagogic moment for those who teach subjects like history, citizenship, geography, and political economy in the two countries. Educators should encourage students to critically assess a world divided along national borders and consider what this view obscures. History teachers might focus on the rich economic and cultural interactions among those who reside on the rim of the enclosed ocean known as East Sea (동해) in Korea and the Sea of Japan (日本海) in Japan. Understanding these interactions allows us to see this ocean not as a division but a long-standing medium for transnational interaction. When students learn to see this disputed island as a critical node in a larger, transnational network, they might be less inclined to support the jingoistic nationalism of current political leaders.

Just as students can learn to question nationalism, they can gain a better understanding of Japan's colonial legacy and Korea's responses to the remnants of Japanese colonial violence. But this history must be taught. Japanese history textbooks, which spend no more than one page on the topic, must increase their coverage.

Fortunately, a sign of positive change is emerging. Since the 1990s, some Japanese and Korean history scholars and teachers have worked together to develop a shared historical narrative and history lessons. We cannot suspend such laudable efforts towards mutual understanding. We need to extend it to ensure that future generations develop a healthy national consciousness with a transnational imagination.

Keita Takayama – teaches sociology of education in School of Education, University of New England, Australia. Memo #47 Memo #132

Hee-Ryong Kang – teaches curriculum theory and evaluation in School of Education, Chonbuk University, South Korea.

If you enjoyed this memo, subscribe to our e-newsletter for free and receive new memos 2+ times per week via email.

Japanese nationalists protest against a visit by South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to a group of islets known as Dokdo In Korea, and Takeshima in Japan. (Source: AFP)

Young Koreans protest against Japan's claim on Dokdo in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Sept 9. (Source: The Korea Times).

Links:

  • A Problem in the History Education Practice for Japan-Korea Mutual Understanding, Bulletin of Josetu University of Education, 2009.
  • The Study of the Direction of Dokdo Education: From Nationalism to Civic Patriotism, Journal of KAGEE, 2009.
  • The Development of South Korea's Nationalist Discourses and the Exploration of Alternative of Nationalism in a Global Ero, 2007.

Related Memos:

竹島・獨島（ドクト）領土問題で教育の果たす役割とは：日韓相互理解へ向けて

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:46 PM PDT

Memo #184 (English and Korean translations available)

By 高山敬太（ニューイングランド大学、オーストラリア)、姜熙龍(全北大學校, 大韓民国)

日本と韓国の間に浮かぶ小島　―日本側呼称は竹島、韓国側呼称は獨島（トクト）―　を巡る領有権争いが、二国間に緊張関係をもたらしている。もちろん、この手の問題は何も目新しいことではなく、今件のような日本の過去の植民地政策の残滓は両国間の外交問題として戦後たびたび浮上してきた。今回の緊張関係に目新しい点があるとすれば、近年日韓の距離がとりわけ文化面において急速に縮まった中で、これが生じている点であろう。交流増加の一方で、依然として二国関係が過去の暴力の記憶と内向きなナショナリズムによって規定されていることを、今回の出来事は物語っている。領土問題が外交問題化するや否や、両国の政治家たちは挙って自己の領有権を正当化することを教育現場に指示した。だが教師たちがこの方針に無批判に従うならば、二国間の相互理解と尊重を将来の世代に育むという理想は更に遠のいてしまう。

今回の領土問題は、ナショナリズムを超えた市民意識の育成という点では、現場の教師たちに絶好の機会を提示している。例えば、歴史家、故網野善彦が描いた日本海（日本側呼称）・東海（韓国側呼称）沿岸に暮らす人々の豊かな交流史に目を向けることができよう。国境に沿って過去と世界を分割することに慣れ親しんだ子どもたちは、この視点が不可視化するもう一つの現実、つまり、日本海・東海が日韓の交流を隔てるものではなく、むしろそれを促す役割を脈々と果たしてきた現実に気がつく。こうした国境を越えた交流史のなかに論争の渦中にある小島を位置づけるとき、子どもたちは両国の一部の政治家が鼓舞する内向きなナショナリズムから距離をおくことができるのかもしれない。

また、日本の朝鮮植民地化に関する教科書記述の内容と量に関して、二国間で著しい差があることにも教師たちは注意しなければならない。とりわけ、韓国国民が抱くこの過去の出来事への感情を真摯に理解するには、より詳細で充実した記述が日本の教科書に求められよう。

日韓の歴史教育問題に関しては、90年代以降、共有の歴史認識を構築しそれを学校教育において生かすため、両国の歴史家と教師の間で多くの対話が交わされてきた。外交のみならず草の根の日韓交流までもが冷え込む今日、こうした地道な試みを閉ざしてはならない。将来の世代に国境を越える想像力と健全な国民意識を養うには、教育を通じた日韓の対話と相互理解を更に推し進めていくことが求められている。

Keita Takayama – teaches sociology of education in School of Education, University of New England, Australia. Memo #47 Memo #132

Hee-Ryong Kang - teaches curriculum theory and evaluation in School of Education, Chonbuk University, South Korea.

If you enjoyed this memo, subscribe to our e-newsletter for free and receive new memos 2+ times per week via email.

Japanese nationalists protest against a visit by South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to a group of islets known as Dokdo In Korea, and Takeshima in Japan. (Source: AFP)

Young Koreans protest against Japan's claim on Dokdo in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Sept. 9 (The Korea Times).

Links:

  • A Problem in the History Education Practice for Japan-Korea Mutual Understanding, Bulletin of Josetu University of Education, 2009.
  • The Study of the Direction of Dokdo Education: From Nationalism to Civic Patriotism, Journal of KAGEE, 2009.
  • The Development of South Korea's Nationalist Discourses and the Exploration of Alternative of Nationalism in a Global Ero, 2007.

Related Memos:

독도/다케시마 영토 분쟁을 교육적 계기로 활용하자

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:46 PM PDT

Memo #184 (English and Japanese translations available)

 By 다카야마 케이타(호주, 뉴잉글랜드대학교) & 강희룡(한국, 전북대학교)

최근 한일 양국 사이에 위치한 작은 섬 – 한국명 독도, 일본명 다케시마-을 둘러싸고 외교적 긴장 관계가 조성되고 있다. 물론 이와 같은 긴장관계가 조성된 것이 이번이 처음은 아니다. 일제의 한반도 강점은 독도 문제를 포함한 많은 식민주의의 상흔들을 한국에 남겼는데, 이런 상흔들은 전후 동아시아에서 발생한 여러 차례의 외교적 갈등의 도화선으로 작용하곤 했다. 최근 양국 사이에는 일찍이 두 나라가 경험해 보지 못한 수준의 경제적, 문화적 교류가 활발하게 진행되고 있었다. 하지만, 독도를 둘러싸고 벌어진 양국의 배타적인 민족주의의 발흥은 그 동안 이룩한 협력의 성과를 무색하게 하고 있다. 이런 상황 속에서 양국의 위정자들은 교육자들에게 독도에 대한 각국의 영유권 주장을 정당화하는 민족주의적 국가교육과정을 학생들에게 가르치도록 요구하고 있다. 만약 교육자들이 맹목적으로 이 요구를 수용한다면, 우리는 양국에 대한 상호 이해와 존중이라는 교육적으로 유의미한 가치를 다음 세대들에게 교육할 매우 귀중한 기회를 잃게 될 것이다.

예를 들어, 사회 교과를 담당하는 양국의 교육자들은 독도를 둘러싸고 벌어지는 양국간의 갈등을 교육의 기회로 활용할 수 있다. 독도 분쟁에 대한 교육은 학생들에게 국경을 기준으로 세계를 이해하는 것이 가지는 한계점을 비판적으로 점검해 볼 수 있는 기회를 제공할 수 있다. 역사 교사는, 아미노 요시히코 교수가 제안한 것처럼, 근대적 의미의 국경이 형성되기 이전에 동해를 둘러싸고 벌어졌던 다양하고 풍부한 경제적, 문화적 교류에 대해서 관심을 기울일 수도 있다. 동해에 대한 이러한 이해는 학생들로 하여금 동해를 양국을 분리하는 단절의 바다가 아니라, 양국을 이어주는 연결의 바다로 새롭게 인식하게 할 것이다. 만약 한일 양국의 학생들이 독도를 국경을 초월하는 휴먼 네트워크의 중요한 한 연결점으로 이해하게 된다면, 그들은 현재 양국 위정자들에 의해서 조장되고 있는 국수주의로부터 보다 자유로워질 수 있을 것이다. 바다의 역할에 대한 재인식과 더불어 교육자들이 반드시 재고해 보아야 할 것이 있는데, 그것은 양국의 교과서가 일제의 강점을 다루는 양과 방식의 차이다. 한국측의 교과서와는 다르게, 일본 측의 교과서는 일제의 한반도 강점과 그 유산에 대해서 한 페이지 이상을 다루고 있지 않다. 일본 학생들에게 그들의 가장 가까운 이웃이 일제의 한반도 강점에 대해서 어떻게 생각하는지를 이해하게 하는 것은 매우 중요한 일이다. 이를 위해서는 일본의 역사 교과서가 일제가 행한 식민지배의 폭력성과 그 유산에 대해 보다 많은 정보를 제공해야 한다.

독도를 둘러싸고 벌어지고 있는 이 분쟁은 양국 간의 문화적, 학술적, 그리고 경제적 교류에 있어서 적지 않은 손실을 초래하고 있다. 이에 대해서 교육자들은 필요한 조치를 취해야 한다. 물론, 교육이 동아시아에서 벌어지고 있는 영토 분쟁과 그로 인해 촉발된 위험천만한 민족주의의 부상, 그리고 외교적인 마찰에 대한 유일한 해결책이 될 수는 없다. 하지만, 교사 교육을 담당하고 있는 우리를 포함하는 모든 교육자들은 이 긴장 상태를 완화하기 위해서 일정한 역할을 담당 할 수 있다. 그것은 학생들에게 민족주의 위험성을 소개하고 글로벌 시민의식을 배양하게 하는 것이다. 이런 활동을 통하여 교육자들은 양국 사이에 대화를 촉진하게 할 수 있을 것이다.

Keita Takayama – teaches sociology of education in School of Education, University of New England, Australia. Memo #47 Memo #132

Hee-Ryong Kang - teaches curriculum theory and evaluation in School of Education, Chonbuk University, South Korea.

If you enjoyed this memo, subscribe to our e-newsletter for free and receive new memos 2+ times per week via email.

Young Koreans protest against Japan's claim on Dokdo in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Sept. 9 (The Korea Times).

Links:

  • A Problem in the History Education Practice for Japan-Korea Mutual Understanding, Bulletin of Josetu University of Education, 2009.
  • The Study of the Direction of Dokdo Education: From Nationalism to Civic Patriotism, Journal of KAGEE, 2009.
  • The Development of South Korea's Nationalist Discourses and the Exploration of Alternative of Nationalism in a Global Ero, 2007.

Related Memos:

Will the Real Chinese Leaders Please Stand Up?

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT

China's Guangdong Province Party Secretary Wang Yang (R) smiles next to Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang at the second plenary meeting of the National People's Congress in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8, 2012.

For more than two decades beginning in 1956, CBS and then NBC aired a television show "To Tell the Truth," in which a panel of celebrities attempted to identify which one of three contestants was telling the truth about who he/she was. I always found the show rather painfully gripping as I waited for the final reveal, when the host would ask, "Would the real [so and so] please stand up?" 

That pretty much sums up how I feel about the Chinese leadership succession process. I am more than ready for the host of the Chinese Communist Party to ask, "Will the real Chinese leadership please stand up?"

It has been an exhausting process, trying the patience of even the most dedicated Pekinologists. As China watcher Francesco Sisci has noted, there are still "so many elements up in the air," including: how many people will be in the standing committee? Will there be a woman? Will Hu Jintao stay as chairman of the Central Military Commission?

I will confess that for me, the greatest source of frustration—dare I say upset—stems from the most recent set of names being bandied about for the next Politburo Standing Committee. The list includes the expected Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, and Wang Qishan, along with Zhang Gaoli and Yu Zhengsheng. However, instead of Li Yuanchao and Wang Yang, there is Liu Yunshan and Zhang Dejiang. If you have not been following the succession process closely, who sits where may not sound that significant, but actually, the future of the country could well hinge on the differences between the two sets of men.

Zhang Dejiang and Liu Yunshan have made their careers by serving as the protectorates of Party orthodoxy. Zhang, who was trained in economics in North Korea, is most well-known for suppressing the flow of information during the SARS outbreak while serving as Guangdong Party Secretary and holding oversight responsibility for the corruption-plagued, money-losing high speed rail program. Central Committee Propaganda chief Liu, in turn, has been partly responsible for the Party's multi-billion dollar outreach effort to spread the Chinese media's version of truth to the rest of the world. In the face of democratic uprisings throughout the Middle East, Liu claimed, "The hostile forces in the world have intensified their infiltration into our ideology by constantly changing their tactics."

In contrast, Wang Yang and Li Yuanchao line up as the Energizer bunnies of reform. As Guangdong Party Secretary, Wang has made it easier for non-governmental organizations to be legally registered, pushed reforms that have made the bureaucracy more transparent, and advocated strengthening intellectual property rights. He also won widespread kudos for managing social unrest in his province with a light hand, arguing in the process that officials need to "balance maintaining stability and basic rights while helping people to express their needs."

Li Yuanchao, now head of the Party's Organization Department, used his previous position as Jiangsu Party secretary to push through a different set of important social and political reforms. He sought the public's opinion when hiring and firing government leaders, ensured that Jiangsu provided education for the children of migrant workers, and closed thousands of polluting factories in a bid to improve the local environment.

China's next leaders face a set of stark challenges: what to do about vested interests and the future of economic reform; what to do about a foreign policy that is repelling rather than attracting other countries; what to do about 500 million Weibo users who want a say in the future of their country; and perhaps most important, what to do to shore up the legitimacy of the Communist Party in the face of ongoing scandals and corruption? There can be little doubt that the solutions proposed by Zhang and Liu will differ fundamentally from those advocated by Li and Wang.

Of course, as many of China's neighbors have proved over the years, significant reform can arise from the most unlikely sources. I'll hold on to that thought on November 8, if Zhang and Liu rather than Li and Wang are the ones marching into the Great Hall of the People behind Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, and the others.

Beijing and Shanghai Natives Unite to Defend Their Children’s Privilege

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:03 AM PDT

A student from Henan protested outside Peking University on stilts--symbols of the "leg up" he didn't get

Beijingers and Shanghai'ers usually have zero love for each other, but lately some natives of China's two top metropolises have presented a united front — against migrants from other parts of China. Beijingers usually refer to them as "provincials" (外地人), while Shanghai'ers prefer "country folk" (乡下人).

Migrants from other provinces in China, who may have worked in these cities for decades without the elusive resident registration, or hukou, are petitioning local governments to allow their children to take the college entrance exam in Beijing and Shanghai, because the test score cutoff for test-takers from Beijing and Shanghai is usually lower at China's elite universities.

Many provincial capitals, including Guangzhou, are drawing up plans to allow children of migrant workers to take the exams, but Beijing and Shanghai, the two cities with the best educational resources and some of the lowest test-score cutoffs in China, have held out.

Natives are incensed by what they perceive as an encroachment upon their children's birthright. A minor scuffle broke out when two groups of parents confronted each other in a mini-protest outside Beijing's Education Commission on October 18. The debate continues to gather steam on China's microblogs as both sides marshal arguments to defend their corner.

Xu Yilong (@徐一龙), the vice editor in chief of China Weekly, tweeted, "You have no objections when outsiders work as nannies in Shanghai. You have no objections when they build skyscrapers in Shanghai. You have no objections when they clean the trash off the streets in Shanghai. Of course you have no objections when they become Shanghai's mayor and party boss either. These outsiders have children too. They also love their children and cannot leave them. Now, their children want to take the college entrance exam in the city where their parents work, you are raising objections! Weren't your parents and grandparents outsiders in Shanghai in the past? [1]

Is it Beijing University or University of Beijingers?

While Mr. Xu's sentiment is echoed by many who favor free movement of labor and equal rights, some natives of Beijing and Shanghai still voice strong xenophobia against their own countrymen. @北京高爷, a lawyer in Beijing, responds in kind, "You have nothing to say when natives go to overcrowded hospitals. You have nothing to say when native children face higher school fees. You have nothing to say when natives are restricted from buying cars [due to overcrowding]. You have nothing to say when cultural monuments in Beijing and Shanghai are destroyed. You have nothing to say when Beijing and Shanghai have too many people and too little resources. You have nothing to say when outsiders treat the one-child policy as a farce! You liberals, can you get your wives out of the nightclubs first before shaming yourself?" [2]

Li Long (@制片人李龙), a film producer in Beijing, also channeled Le Pen: "I've heard much of the arguments from protesting outsiders these days, and they are truly [expletive]. Are you [expletives] here to help develop Beijing? You take our jobs, pollute our environment, and commit crimes, and now you are taking the educational resources of our children? If you have any heart at all, don't forget your ancestors and go back to where you came from. Your hometowns need you more." [3]

What underlines the bitter argument is the concentration of educational resources in Beijing and Shanghai and unequal treatment based on one's hukou. @吳小帥叔叔 relates his personal experience: "When I took the exam a few years ago, I saw that students from Beijing can go to a good school with my score but I had to settle for a bad one. It's not a huge deal for me, but I worry about students from poor regions — they put in the same amount of work, but will have different futures." [4]

Footnotes    (? returns to text)
  1. 外地人去上海当保姆，你们不抵制；外地人去上海盖大楼，你们不抵制；外地人去上海扫垃圾，你们不抵制；外地人去上海当领导，你们更不抵制。这些外地人也是会生孩子的，也是会爱孩子的，也是离不开孩子的。现在，他们的孩子希望在父母工作的城市高考，你们抵制了。你们的父母爷爷，没当过上海的外地人吗?
  2. 京沪土著看不上病，你们不说话。京沪孩子上学交赞助费，你们不说话。京沪土著自己家买不了车，你们不说话。京沪文化建筑被毁，你们不说话，京沪人满为患生存资源紧张，你们不说话。除京沪土著外其他地区的人把计划生育国策当放屁，你们还是不说话！各位公知，能先把你们媳妇从歌厅接回家再出来丢人吗？?
  3. 这几天听说了好多异闹的言论，真的很蛋疼。你们这帮WDB是来建设北京的吗？抢夺着我们的就业岗位，污染着我们的城市卫生，扰乱着我们的治安环境，现在还来张嘴要用你们的下一代挤兑我们下一代的教育资源，你们要是有点心，就别忘了认祖归宗，哪儿来的回哪儿去，你们的家乡更需要你们的建设?
  4. 我那时候高考。也就几年前。看着北京学生就我这个分数都能读名校了我还是读烂校。我倒是没什么。但还是替更贫困地区的学子担忧。一样的奋斗。不一样的未来。?

Spotted On Weibo: Evil Kindergarten Teacher Detained

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT

An appalling photo of a kindergarten teacher pulling a screaming boy off the ground by his ears recently emerged on China's social media. Outraged Internet users soon found personal details of the unlicensed teacher, Yan Yanhong, through the "human flesh search engine." She has been detained by the police.

Test Page With CD

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:10 AM PDT

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