| Chinese Passports Stir Up Territorial Disputes Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:02 PM PST China delivered a rousing jolt to its various border disputes last week with the introduction of a controversial new passport design. Visa pages in the passports incorporate a map—shown in an annotated photograph at The Washington Post—which includes Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in the Himalayas, the long tongue of South China Sea bounded by the nine-dashed line, and, naturally, Taiwan. From Mark MacDonald at IHT Rendezvous: "I think it's one very poisonous step by Beijing among their thousands of malevolent actions," Nguyen Quang A, a former adviser to the Vietnamese government, told The Financial Times, which first reported on the modified passports. A senior diplomat based in Beijing told the paper that the new map represented "quite a serious escalation because China is issuing millions of these new passports and adult passports are valid for 10 years. If Beijing were to change its position later it would have to recall all those passports." […] John Blaxland, a research fellow at the Strategic and Defense Studies Center at Australian National University, said the map gambit was "pretty clever." "It basically forces everyone who's a claimant of South China Sea elements to acknowledge it by stamping it," he told VOA News, calling it part of the "long game" being played by Beijing. For now, the Philippines is playing along, but Vietnam has started issuing new visas on separate pieces of paper and invalidating existing ones to avoid endorsing the new passports. India has been more assertive, reports Rama Lakshmi at The Washington Post: Now, the Indian Embassy in Beijing is doing a tit-for-tat with its own map. It has started stamping its version of the Indian map on visas issued to Chinese citizens, one that includes the two regions. […] Two years ago, China caused much irritation among Indian officials when it began stapling the visas of residents of Kashmir, a Himalayan province where Indian troops are fighting to put down a Pakistan-backed separatist Islamist insurgency for more than two decades. By stapling the visas, instead of stamping them, Beijing was declaring that they regarded Kashmir was a disputed region as well. Indian officials had to sternly remind Beijing in 2010 to be "sensitive" to its concerns about Kashmir, just as New Delhi is sensitive to Beijing's attitude about Tibet. Earlier this year, Beijing declined to issue a visa to an Indian air force officer who hails from Arunachal Pradesh. The row led New Delhi to cut the size of the military delegation that visited China in January. The controversy arrives barely a month after the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, fought over disputed territory in Arunachal Pradesh. Future conflict between the two countries may be more likely at sea, however. From The Economist: China suspects India of complicity in efforts to undermine its sweeping claim to sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea. It saw evidence of this in India's involvement in oil-and-gas exploration in waters disputed by China and Vietnam. The underlying fear is of an American-led plot to contain China. Even were such a plot hatched, India would be a reluctant conspirator. But it and China are in a "security dilemma", where one country's "essential steps" to safeguard its interests are taken by the other as threats that demand a response. […] The risk, as Chinese and Indian warships venture farther afield, is akin to that in China's maritime disputes with Japan and its South-East Asian neighbours: of an accidental conflict that escalates. This is exacerbated by an absence of codes of conduct and forums to thrash out disputes. The East Asian Summit, which includes America, might one day become such a gathering. But for the time being it aims only at "confidence-building". Marred this year again by squabbles about how to discuss disputes in the South China Sea, the summit finds even that elusive. Meanwhile, The Japanese government and The Washington Post's Max Fisher have both suggested that the hotly disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands are absent from the passport map. (CDT believes it can see a slight thickening of the map's texture in roughly the appropriate location, though well short of anything that might indicate a duplicate set of islands). Even allowing for the islands' tiny size, one would expect them to be more obviously visible given China's recent demands for cartographical fastidiousness. At the height of the islands row in September, Beijing increased penalties for publishers of maps which failed to include all outlying islands claimed by China. From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Current regulations, drafted in 1995, allow for a maximum fine of 10,000 yuan (US$1500) which would increase to 100,000 yuan (US$16,000) if the new law is passed, according to the Xinhua news agency. The draft also proposed greater supervision of Internet map services, requiring providers to place data servers within China's territory and use only approved maps. Charles Custer tweeted that these regulations can greatly complicate magazine design, as not only formal maps but any graphical representation of China's shape must include "ALL distant islands".
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Post tags: Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh, containment, diaoyu islands, diplomacy, India, Japan, Kashmir, maps, New Delhi, Pakistan, philippines, senkaku islands, South China Sea, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, visa
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| Ministry of Truth: Vulgar Video, Explosions, and More Posted: 26 Nov 2012 06:37 PM PST The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions as "Directives from the Ministry of Truth." 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. Central Propaganda Department: With regards to reports on Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's foreign visit, strictly and without exception adhere to Xinhua wire copy. (November 21, 2012) 中宣部：有关温家宝总理出访的报道一律严格按新华社通稿刊播。
Central Propaganda Department: Do not republish, report, or comment on the essay "Border Province Governor Liu Qibao" or related issues. (November 21, 2012) 中宣部：对四川网登载的"封疆大吏刘奇葆"一文及相关问题，不转，不报，不评。
Sichuan Province Party Secretary Liu Qibao has just been appointed head of the CCP Publicity Department. "Governor of a border province" (封疆大吏) is a late imperial term. Its use by the provincial press implies a feudal title, although the intent was probably just to laud Liu. Central Propaganda Department: With regards to reporting on high-level personnel changes at the national, provincial, and local levels, adopt without exception Xinhua copy. Do not changes titles or contents. (November 21, 2012) 中宣部：对国家有关部门和各省区市等高层人事变动的报道，一律采用新华社稿，不改动标题和内文。
Central Propaganda Department: If reporting on the vulgar video from Chongqing is to appear in print, use authoritative sources, do not make it too big, and do not use pictures. (November 22, 2012) 中宣部：重庆不雅视频报道如果见报，要用权威消息源，不要处理太大，不用图片。
Central Propaganda Department: With regards to the explosion at a hot pot restaurant in Shouyang, Shanxi Province; the explosion in a coal mine in Xiangshui, Guizhou Province; and the vulgar photos of a Chongqing official: if you report on these incidents, follow Xinhua wire copy and the information issued by the authorities in the respective locale. Do not report in depth, do not put the news on the front page or lure readers to these stories, and do not send reporters to the scene. (November 24, 2012) 中宣部：对山西寿阳火锅店爆炸事故、贵州响水煤矿爆炸事故、重庆官员不雅照事件，如报道按新华社通稿和当地权威部门发布的信息刋播，不作深度报道，不上头版导读，不派记者到事发地采访。
© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, central propaganda department, Chongqing, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Guizhou, Internet censorship, Liu Qibao, media censorship, mining accidents, Ministry of Truth, official corruption, propaganda, Shanxi, Sichuan, Wen Jiabao, Xinhua
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| Guizhou Journalist Sent on “Forced Vacation” Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:35 PM PST On November 15th, five brothers and cousins aged between nine and thirteen died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Guizhou dumpster, where they had lit a fire to keep warm. Their deaths prompted a frenzy of soul searching in both social and state media which echoed the response to the death of a toddler in a Foshan market in 2011. Last week, in an apparent attempt by local government to cut off the flow of information on the case, the former journalist who brought the deaths to light was sent on "vacation" to an undisclosed location. From Josh Chin at China Real Time Report: Li Yuanlong, who once worked as a reporter for the state-run Bijie Daily in the city of Bijie in Guizhou province, was taken to the airport along with his wife early Wednesday afternoon and "told to take a vacation" his son, Li Muzi, told China Real Time on Friday. […] The Bijie Public Security Bureau could not be reached for comment. A person answering the phone at the Bijie city government propaganda office said Mr. Li was traveling with his wife, citing messages posted to former journalist's account on the web portal KDnet. "They are very happy now! That's his own personal matter – why are you asking us?" the person said before hanging up. […] Li Fangping, a Beijing-based lawyer who has been keeping track of the situation, said that he had talked to Li Yuanlong when he was on his way to the airport. "I can confirm that he is travelling under control," the lawyer, who is not related to Li Yuanlong, said. "This is a way for (the local government) to maintain stability," he added. "The public still wants more details, even though the local government has already dismissed the relevant people. Because Li Yuanlong is the main information provider, and because he was a reporter who has a lot of friends in the media, they authorities are afraid that people will continue to contact him in search of more clues or that Li might even leak out information about other instances of social injustice." Chin had previously explored why this story in particular resonated so deeply with the public. Also from China Real Time Report: Stories of suffering children are always hard to stomach, but they tend to hit with particular impact in China, where the one-child policy and a strong belief in the family as the most basic unit of society have combined to imbue the young with an aura of unsurpassed importance. In this case, the impact of appears to have been amplified by similarities between what happened to the brothers and the Hans Christian Anderson short story "The Little Match Girl." The story, about a poor Danish girl who dies from exposure on New Year's Eve after running away from her abusive father and trying to sell matches on the street, was once included in Chinese primary school text books as an example of the difficulties faced by the poor in capitalist countries. […] Cao Lin, a columnist for the state-run China Youth Daily, [wrote:] "At a time when we're crowing about the rise of the nation and the creation of a moderately well-off society, to have five children die while seeking warmth in a trash bin is truly bizarre […."] Cao Lin was one of many in the state media to ask what had gone wrong, and who was to blame. Eight local officials were swiftly identified and fired. From Lin Xi at Global Times: Eight local officials including two district chiefs in charge of civil affairs and education were dismissed or suspended from their duties by the Bijie municipal party committee on Monday because of the accident. Some people believe that these boys' families and society should bear the primary responsibility for the accident instead of the officials. They think that it was the ignorance and indifference from the boys' relatives and society which caused this tragedy. However, the officials are not innocent because it is their duty to guarantee every citizen's safety. The death of the five boys reflects management problems within government. If the education system was better, these boys would have been taking lessons in warm classrooms instead of leaving school. If the assistance system was more active, they could have been found earlier and may have escaped death. Indeed, governments and officials have done nothing which directly caused this accident. However, it was the officials' inaction which left the boys to die in the cold. Many doubted, however that the sacking these eight officials had adequately addressed the root of the problem. From Rachel Wang at Tea Leaf Nation: […] As @bll2012 opined: "We are used to finding scapegoats when we encounter problems, then they give you a scapegoat! Then you shut up! You are so pathetic! Why not find the real cause: The failure of the social protection system." Independent Chinese media Caixin (@财新网) also sounded a note of caution: "The tragedy in Guizhou did not only reflect management loopholes in Bijie alone, but also the defects of the mechanism protecting Chinese children's rights. China is among the few countries that does not have a professional child welfare department. Administrative systems for child protection and rescue urgently need to be built." Therefore, according to the lawyer Li Fangping, Li Yuanlong was detained to prevent the damage from spreading any further. At The Daily Beast, Duncan Hewitt linked his treatment to the cases of Zhai Xiaobing (@stariver) and Ren Jianyu, and suggested—as did Charles Custer at ChinaGeeks—that while local government may be directly responsible, the political climate in which such actions are tolerated and encouraged is one of Beijing's making: Li's detention echoes what is now a common pattern in China, in which sensitive individuals are removed from circulation at sensitive times, and held either under effective house arrest at home, or in what are known as "black [i.e. unofficial] jails." During the run-up to the recent Communist Party Congress, rights groups say over a hundred people faced such treatment—including the well-known human-rights activist Hu Jia, who was only released from a three-year jail sentence last year. In some cases the hard line taken against dissidents may be the choice of local authorities rather than necessarily being decreed from the center, says Professor Kerry Brown, executive director of the China Studies Center at the University of Sydney, but he adds that it is nevertheless a sign of the prevailing mood in Chinese political circles: "The golden rule seems to be that no one gets bad marks for picking on dissidents and others labeled trouble makers," he says, "while for those who are lenient, on the other hand, the risks if things go wrong are still high. Furthermore, a Central Propaganda Department directive previously published by CDT suggested that Beijing, while allowing some coverage, had chosen to grant local government considerable control: [… Y]ou may report moderately on the incident according to Xinhua wire copy and authoritative information released by the local government. Do not put this news on the front page, do not lure readers to the story, do not link to the story, to do not comment on it, and do not dispatch journalists to the scene. Li, the primary remaining conduit of information on the case, had long been a thorn in the side of local authorities. In 2006, he was sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly inciting subversion in a series of articles posted to overseas Chinese websites. From the Committee to Protect Journalists' report on his trial in May 2006: "Like many committed reporters in China, Li Yuanlong began posting his articles online after facing censorship at his newspaper," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "He is guilty of nothing more than expressing his criticism of official actions and should never have been brought to trial. We call for his immediate and unconditional release." Li reported for Bijie Ribao on rural poverty and unemployment in his native Guizhou province and had frequently been censored in recent years because of complaints by local officials embarrassed by his reports, according to the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights in China and CPJ sources. […] Li pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his lawyer rejected the notion that his criticism threatened state authority. "He only criticized wrongdoings of some Communist Party officials or local governments," the lawyer told Reuters. "The Communist Party and state power is not the same concept." At EastSouthWestNorth, Roland Soong translated one of Li's essays, On Becoming an American Citizen in Spirit, originally posted to exile site Boxun under the pen name Ye Lang (Night Wolf). In it, Li pecked at the raw nerve of China's 'crucifixion' by foreign imperialists, defending former Peking University professor Jiao Guobiao's suggestion that it would have been better for the U.S. to "liberate" China from Communist rule at the end of the Korean War: […] If America really sent its soldiers to drive for Beijing, then this is more than 'interfering internal politics of other countries' and it is really the invasion by the 'world police.' I have been pondering why interfering in the internal politics of other countries and being the world police man have become terms of denigration that are natural and indisputable in "our" vocabulary. If your internal politics is a totalitarian regime covered up by dark curtains, then why should not the police in charge of maintaining world peace come and show you? As a common example, I am beating my wife and kids at home and someone else (such as the police) comes to stop me. I yell: "I'm beating my wife and my kids. What is this to outsiders? Why are you entitled to mind my family business?" Is that acceptable? As another example, a Chinese person falls into the river, or his house catches fire. There is an American on the side, but the patriots won't let the Chinese person accept the help of the American. Instead, the Chinese person must wait for other Chinese to save him. The Chinese person will have to "sacrifice himself for the greater good." Is this not the modernized version under the cover of patriotism of the old saying "It is a minor matter to starve to death; it is a major matter to lose your chastity"?
© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: central propaganda department, china youth daily, Committee to Protect Journalists, Global Times, Guizhou, Hu Jia, illegal detentions, jiao guobiao, journalists, Korean War, Li Fangping, Li Yuanlong, local government, local officials, Ministry of Truth, poverty, poverty alleviation, subversion, vacation-style treatment
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| Photo: Untitled, by Marco Barbieri Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:05 PM PST |
| Tibetan Protesters Beaten as Self-Immolations Continue Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:45 PM PST Four more Tibetans set themselves on fire in protest on Sunday and Monday, bringing the total number of self-immolations since 2009 to 85. The most recent cases have been documented by Phayul: Wangyal: The young Tibetan man has been identified as Wangyal, a student of Sertha People's Middle School. [...]
Wangyal's condition and whereabouts are not yet known although eyewitnesses say his entire body was engulfed in flames and he could have suffered major injuries. Wangyal is around 20 years of age and an orphan. He has three brothers and one sister.
Sangay Dolma: Sources tell Phayul that Sangay Dolma, a nun, passed away in her self-immolation protest in front of the Chinese government office in Dokarmo town of Tsekhog, Malho, eastern Tibet. The exact time of her self-immolation protest could not be ascertained immediately. Sangay Dolma's nunnery is located near Sangag Mindrol Dhargeyling Monastery. According to various sources, a large number of local Tibetans gathered to carry out the last rites of Sangay Dolma.
Kunchok Tsering: Kunchok Tsering, 18, passed away in his self-immolation protest today in Amchok region of Labrang, eastern Tibet. He carried out his protest near a mining site in the region, the same place where Tsering Dhondup, 35, father of three, passed away in his fiery protest on November 20. According to reports, monks of the Amchok Monastery and a large number of local Tibetans are currently gathered at the deceased's home to offer prayers. Kunchok Tsering is survived by his wife, Sangay Tso, 19 and parents Phagkyab, 40 and Gonpo Tso, 37, and an elder brother.
Gonpo Tsering: A group of exile Tibetans from Luchu identified the Tibetan self-immolator as Gonpo Tsering, 24 years of age and father of three children, all below the age of six. "Martyr Gonpo Tsering set himself on fire in front of the main prayer hall of the Ala Deu-go Monastery in Ala region of Luchu at around 6 pm (local time) today," the group told Phayul citing sources in the region. "While engulfed in flames, he raised slogans calling for Tibet's freedom, human rights in Tibet, and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile." Gonpo Tsering succumbed to his injuries at the site of his protest.
After today's self-immolation, students were photographed holding a banner in solidarity with the deceased: PHOTO: Tibetan students stand in solidarity after #immolation in Kham, Tibet. "In good and bad times" twitter.com/TsampaRevolt/s… — Tsampa Revolution (@TsampaRevolt) November 26, 2012
Human Rights in China has translated selected Twitter posts by Chinese commenting on the self-immolations.
RangzenAlliance has published a map of all self-immolations up to November 22. As the number of self-immolations escalates, authorities in Tibet have vowed to intensify a crackdown on separatism. From AFP: On Saturday Sichuan Communist Party head Wang Dongming called for a further intensification of the crackdown in a speech in Aba, the provincial government said on its website. "Our struggle with the Dalai (Lama) splittist clique is long-term, arduous and complicated. In fighting separatism and upholding stability we can never relax our work in the slightest," Wang said. "We must strengthen and be innovative in accordance with law in our management of the monasteries and unite the people in the common task to fight separatism and maintain stability." The Tibetan government-in-exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala has expressed "deep concern over the alarming escalation in self-immolations by Tibetans inside Tibet".
Meanwhile, in Gonghe (Chabcha), Qinghai, several students were reportedly severely injured when police cracked down on a protest at a medical school. First-hand reports of the protest and subsequent crackdown are scant but exile groups have pieced together some details. From the Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy: On 26 November, at around 9 am (local time), the protest erupted after ten-point questionnaire was distributed among the students at the medical school in Chabcha town of Serchen County in Tsolho (Ch: Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The questionnaire required students to fill up answers to ten questions such as "What is the nature of self-immolation?" and "What are the consequences of illegal demonstrations and gatherings?" The questionnaire also asked, "Will bilingual education system weaken the language and letters of nationalities?" or whether there was "a conflict between protection of traditional system and modern development?" Students were also required to answer such trap questions as "Under whose leadership the equality of nationalities became a reality?" While explaining the contents of the questionnaire, students were given lectures, which included offensive remarks and baseless allegations against the so-called "Dalai splittist clique." The protest began as students called for "equality of nationalities", "language freedom", "respect for truth", and the "establishment a new government", sources told TCHRD quoting local Tibetans in the area.
And from the Guardian: Free Tibet said more than 20 of the youths were taken to hospital after a demonstration by 1,000 students, mostly from the Chabcha Sorig Lobling school in Gonghe, known to Tibetans as Chabcha, in Qinghai province. It believed four of the patients required emergency treatment. [...] Free Tibet said it was unclear what had happened after security forces arrived at the student protest. It added that the authorities had sealed off the area and barred parents and residents from contacting those inside the school, citing unnamed sources. The reports could not be verified independently.
The following photos, of the document distributed to students which sparked the protests, and of protest banners in Gonghe, are being distributed online:
From @TsampaRevolt:
 VOA has footage of the protest:
Read more about Tibetan self-immolations via CDT.
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| Chinese Youth Enjoy a New Western Import: The Gap Year Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:30 PM PST  A Weibo user with the handle "nobodies are happy" tweeted this image while expressing a longing to take a gap year. (Via Weibo) Eat your heart out, Jack Kerouac; wanderlust has found its way to modern China. On November 14, a 27-year-old woman from the coastal city of Ningbo made headlines in a local newspaper after coming back from a four-month tour around China. The article describes how she spent 14,000 RMB (about US$2,200) on the whole trip; her online travel journal received over 60,000 hits. The young woman, who remained anonymous, says her goal was simple: "Work has made me more temperamental. I started to hate myself. I thought about going travelling for a while, so I did it. Sometimes if you don't do what you really want to do now, you probably won't have a chance to do it later in life." The websites of Chinese News and People's Daily also picked up the story on November 14. It then spread even further on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, with over 5,000 shares and a whopping 3.68 million comments. Some Web users shared similar stories, while others showed support and expressed their desire to take time off to see the world.  The Chinese characters say: No turning back. (Via Weibo) This is not the first time a young Chinese has hit the road only to make nationwide news. In May 2012, a group of 11 "post-'80s" Chinese—that is, Chinese born after 1980—joined one even younger Frenchman on a journey to travel around the world. They quit their jobs, sold their houses and cars, in the process accumulating over 8 million RMB (about US$ 1.2 million) that they used to buy two RVs for their road trip. They plan to visit 60 countries over 647 days. According to their travel journal on Weibo, which they share with their 81,000-plus followers, they have covered 26 countries thus far. These stories are part of a growing trend in China. Unlike their parents, many younger Chinese are no longer satisfied with a secure job and a stable life; they want adventure and variety. In 2009, Sun Dongchun, a travel lover from Guangdong, published a book entitled My Belated Gap Year about his year of travel and volunteerism throughout Asia. The book triggered heated discussion about gap years, with over 12,000 comments on Douban, a Chinese social media platform featuring discussion of books, music, and movies popular among the country's young intelligentsia. In Dec 2011, another book titled Quit Your Job, Hit the Road became an instant hit. Liang Chunxue, a former journalist with Southern Metropolis wrote the book based on her own travel experience in 42 countries. The grandfather of this emerging genre of Chinese travel logs is likely Xiao Peng, one of the first professional travel writers in China, now considered the Chinese Jack Kerouac. He quit his job in 2001 and became a backpacker. He later became a professional travel writer and now has over 371, 000 Weibo followers. His most famous book, Ten Years of Backpacking, published in 2010, records his painful yet fulfilling journey as backpacker over the years. After selling 500,000 copies, he published a new book called Why We Travel two months ago. It's not just about books. A television drama called "Beijing Youth" that first aired in August, 2012 now tops the "hot list" on Youku, a Chinese video-sharing platform. The show depicts a man named He Dong who quits his job as a civil servant and breaks up with his fiancée in an effort to relive his youth. Zhao Baogang, director of Beijing Youth, told Beijing Evening News that his intention was not to convince young people to quit their job, but to encourage them to see more of the world instead of rushing toward conventional success. On Douban, a group called "take a gap year, quit your job, and hit the road" reached 150,000 members since its founding in April, 2008, the maximum number the site allows. The front page of the group reads: "In this age a monster called 'job' was born. Japanese writer Sawaki Kotaro once said: 'Living the same life in the same place makes me feel bored, I need to go abroad to see the world before I turn 26.' This was 20 years ago. Monk Tang started his journey to the west when he was 26, that was perhaps over 1,300 years ago … We may not be able to travel around the world before 26, but at least we should be able to travel around the country." Founder Yi Lang says he started the group after coming back from his own tour around China when he was still a college student. "It was and still is very difficult to take a gap year in China; another problem is parents. Most parents don't support this idea and think it's crazy," Yi Lang explained. "So I did it behind my parents' back. They still don't know about it." Yi Lang sees a larger social issue behind Chinese youth's newfound wanderlust. "Young people can feel lost nowadays living in a society where different values and pressures are bearing down on us. Sometimes we need a few months, or even a year to take a break from all of these. Travelling is a great way to find ourselves, to see the world so that we can have a better idea about what we really want in life. " "The gap year, a Western concept born in the '60s, is now becoming a booming trend in China. It's interesting to see how we Chinese are doing it," he adds.  |
| China’s ‘Beijing Blues’ Wins Taiwanese Best Film Award Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST On Saturday, a Chinese film, Beijing Blues, won the best film award at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival, the "Chinese-language Oscars". From the Associated Press: "Beijing Blues" portrays the lives of the urban dwellers through the work of a squad of plainclothes crime-hunters. In receiving the award, director Gao Qun Shu was visibly shocked, and he thanked the "globe" for giving an inexperienced director like him such honor and recognition. [...] Controversial Chinese director Lou Ye did not receive the widely expected award for directing box-office hit "Mystery." But at the ceremony, Lou received a rare mention for eventually directing a movie that was screened in Chinese theatres. "Mystery" — about a woman's radical revenge after uncovering her husband's infidelity — is seen as marking Lou's entry into the commercial mainstream after years on the social and artistic edge.
Lou Ye described the tortuous process of gaining official approval for Mystery on Sina Weibo earlier this year, and eventually removed his own name from the credits in protest. See more on China's film industry via CDT.
© Mengyu Dong for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: film industry, Lou Ye, movie directors, movies, Taiwan
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| Ministry of Truth: Bankruptcy and More Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:10 PM PST The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions as "Directives from the Ministry of Truth." 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. Guangdong Propaganda Department: All media and websites are not to report or comment for the time being on the bankruptcy of Zhanjiang City's Jia Yue Group (subsidiaries include Sovereign Hotel in Zhanjiang, Jia Yue Real Estate and others) and related issues. (November 22, 2012) 广东省委宣传部：有关湛江市嘉粤集团有限公司（属下有湛江君豪酒店、嘉粤房地产等产业）破产及相关问题，各媒体及网站暂不报道评论。
Guangdong Propaganda Department: All media are for the time being not to report or comment on the announced financial audit of Haizhou Village in Guzhen, Zhongshan and related issues. If it must be reported, at the appointed time follow the authoritative information issued by the relevant departments in Zhongshan. (November 23, 2012) 广东省委宣传部：对中山市古镇海洲村公布财务审计情况一事及相关问题，各媒体暂不作报道评论，如需报道，届时按中山市有关部门发布的权威消息报道。
Guangdong Propaganda Department: All media are not to report or comment on Chinese Academy of Science Guangzhou Institute for New Techniques in Geology research fellow Xing Xinchu petitioning for government information to be made public and related issues. (November 23, 2012) 广东省委宣传部：对中科院广州地质新技术研究所研究员邢新初申请政府信息公开一事及相关问题，各媒体不作报道评论。
Guangdong Department of Propaganda: On the afternoon of November 23, while working jointly with the relevant functional departments on Xiatang West Road to deal with the "five vehicles" operating illegally, police from the Yuexiu District of Guangzhou were attacked by several men from Xinjiang. Many police and auxiliary police were injured. Related reports must strictly follow copy issued by the Yuexie police and downplay the incident. Do not put this news on the front page or lure readers to it. Do not make any other reports or comments. (November 23, 2012) 广东省委宣传部：11月23日下午, 广州越秀警方会同有关职能部门，在下塘西路对"五类车"非法营运进行整治时，遭遇几名新疆籍男子持械袭击，多名民警和辅警受伤。相关报道严格按越秀警方发布的通稿刋播并淡化处理，不上头版导读，不作其他报道评论。
The "five vehicles" (五类车)–electric bicycles, motorcycles, tricycles, motorized wheelchairs, and restored cars–are prohibited from operating in Guangzhou.
© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Guangdong, Guangdong Propaganda Department, Guangzhou, Internet censorship, media censorship, Ministry of Truth, police, propaganda, Xing Xinchu, Xinjiang, Zhongshan
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| “The Horrors of The Coolie Trade” by New York Journal of Commerce, February 22, 1860 Posted: 26 Nov 2012 09:31 AM PST In response to my prior article where I mentioned Napa Valley was destination of the first wave of laborers from China (and later became the driving force behind the Chinese Exclusion Act), reader perspectivehere reminds us there were in fact much more horrifying atrocities against the poor Chinese. perspectivehere digs up a piece of history from February 22, 1860.
We typically think of the Opium Trade as one of the great evils perpetrated by British Empire on China. However, another great evil was the Chinese Coolie Trade, which the British started in 1806 with an "experimental" shipment of 200 Chinese from Macau, Penang, Calcutta and to Trinidad on the vessel Fortitude. (See Walton Look Lai, The Chinese in the West Indies, 1806-1995: A Documentary History.) Over the next century, hundreds of thousands of Chinese were kidnapped, tricked, or enticed to enter into a relationship of indentured servitude, which in many cases ended in death, injury or poverty. Profiting from the trade were coolie traders, agents, shipowners, suppliers and plantation and mineowners who employed the coolies in slavery-like conditions. The sufferings of these laborers is part of the tragic story of Chinese in the nineteenth century, and mistreatment at the hands of British and European traders. This newspaper article (scanned copy below) from 1860 tells the story of a shipment of 850 captured Chinese coolies, picked up from Macau on the way to Havana, who all died in a shipwreck, after being abandoned by the British crew. The treatment of these poor Chinese is heartrending.
 The Horrors of The Coolie Trade by New York Journal of Commerce (February 22, 1860) |
| Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (19) Posted: 26 Nov 2012 09:22 AM PST In partnership with the China Copyright and Media blog, CDT is adding the "Beijing Internet Instructions" series to the Censorship Vault. These directives were originally published on Canyu.org (Participate) and date from 2005 to 2007. According to Canyu, the directives were issued by the Beijing Municipal Network Propaganda Management Office and the State Council Internet management departments and provided to to Canyu by insiders. China Copyright and Media has not verified the source. The translations are by Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media. 1 June 2006, 10:27, Chen Hua Please use the Xinhua Net text "Wang Xiaochu: Network Operators Must Always Keep the Relationship Between Civilization and Money in Mind" (link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/31/content_4628229.htm) to replace the text "Minors Network Pulse Project Started" in the special subject section on "initiating the wind of network civilization," please acknowledge receipt! 1 June 2006, Network Management Office, Duty manager 1 http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2006-06/01/content_6107966.htm Please place this People's Daily Net article in the special subject section on running the web in a civilized manner on your website. 2 June 2006, 9:45, Fan Tao, Municipal Network Management Office Please issue the Xinhua Net text "Our Country Begins a Special Campaign on Six Kinds of Mobile Information Service Price Swindles in June" on the main page of websites and the important news sections of news centers, and leave it there for 24 hours, please acknowledge receipt! 3 June 2006, 22:00, Chen Hua Continue to expand search and arrangement strength: concerning the 17th Party Congress, the 4 June topic, etc. (Tomorrow's content), Every channel, every blogging group, every edition must strengthen on-duty supervision and control strength, guarantee that where problems occur, they are rapidly dealt with. 5 June 2006, 9:36, Network Supervision Office, Duty manager 1 In order to convenience the masses to report online unlawful and harmful information, all websites are requested to link to the "Unlawful and Harmful Information Reporting Center" website (http://net.china.com.cn) on their front page. The Reporting Center website logo may be downloaded from the Internet. Please grasp implementation. 5 June 2006, 18:14, Network Management Office, Duty manager 1 In order to guarantee the smooth conduct of the gaokao, before and after the examination period, do not publish negative reports on gaokao migrants, leaking exam questions, mistakes in organization work, etc., during this period, give first place to positive propaganda. Please pay attention, all websites are to speedily delete reporting of the Yanzhao Metropolitan Daily and other media on forums and websites concerning Tianjin gaokao migrants, with main titles: "The Incident of Tianjin Returning College Entrance Exam Migrants and Investigation Behind the Scenes," "More than 100 Students from the Huabei Oilfield Have Hukou Problems, College Entrance Exam Migrants Returned," "Tracking Tianjin Returning College Entrance Exam Migrants," "How Many More People Are Gaining Ill-Gotten Wealth through the College Entrance Exam," "On the College Entrance Exam, Tianjin Clears up Hundreds of College Entrance Exam Migrants," "Focus on the Incident of Tianjin Clearing Up 'College Entrance Exam Migrants.'" Please pay attention, absolutely do not report on the matter of "college entrance exam [gaokao] migrants" in the near future. Please acknowledge receipt! 7 June 2006, 12:36, Fan Tao All websites are required to use these two articles from Qianlong Net: Citywide, 6 Unlawful Internet Cafés' Permits Cancelled, 30 Black Internet Cafés Banned, and Internet Café Management and Coordination Small Group Praises the Good Results of Beijing Internet Café Governance, to replace the old articles in the special subject section on "initiating the wind of network civilization." Please acknowledge receipt! 7 June 2006, 13:20, Network Management Office, Duty manager Everyone, the article "The First Cartoon Worldwide with Olympic Mascots as the Theme is Born in China" published on 6 June does not conform to reality, all websites may not reprint it, where it has been reprinted, please delete it immediately. 8 June 2006, 17:13, Network Management Office, Duty manager Everyone, do not reprint information on "netizens sending posts are summoned by police, and required to write and examination" and corresponding articles, where it has been reprinted, immediately delete it. 2006年6月北京网管办发出的禁令（一） 2006年6月1日10时27分 陈华 请用新华网" 王晓初：网络运营商要时刻牢记文明与金钱关系"一文（链接：http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/31 /content_4628229.htm）替换现"大兴网络文明之风"专题内"未成年人网脉工程启动"一文，收到请回复！ 2006年6月1日14时58分 网管办值班1 http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2006-06/01/content_6107966.htm 请把人民网该稿发入自己网站的文明办网专题中 2006年6月2日09时45分 范涛 市网宣办 请在网站首页、新闻中心要闻区转发新华网《我国6月开始专项治理六类移动信息服务价格欺诈》一文 （http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2006-06/01/content_4634235.htm），并放 置24小时，收到请回复！ 2006年6月3日22时00分 陈华 继续加大搜索清理力度：有关17大、64话题等。(明天内容个频道、各博客群组、各版块)务必加强值班监控力量，确保发现问题迅速得到处理。 2006年6月5日09时36分 网管办值班1 为便于群众举报网上违法与不良信息，请各网站在首页链接"违法与不良信息举报中心"网站（http://net.china.com.cn）。举报中心网站标识可从网上下载。请抓紧落实。 2006年6月5日18时14分 网管办值班1 为保障高考顺利进行，在高考期间及前后，不要刊发如高考移民、试题泄密、组织工作上的失误等负面报道，在此期间以正面报道为主。 请注意，各网迅速删除新闻、论坛中《燕赵都市报》等媒体近期有关天津高考移民的报道，主要标题有《天津遣返高考移民事件及幕后调查》、《华北油田百 余名学生户口被查出问题 高考移民被遣返》、《天津遣返高考移民追踪》、《还有多少人在发高考的不义之财》、《高考前天津清退数百高考移民》、《关注天津清退"高考移民"事件》。 请注意，近期一定不要报道"高考移民"的事情。收到请回复！ 2006年6月7日12时36分 范 涛 请各网用这两条千龙网的稿件：全市吊销6家违法网吧许可证、取缔黑网吧30家（http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/06/05/1060@3214561.htm）、 网吧管理协调小组赞北京网吧治理成绩好（http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/06/07/2560@3217798.htm），替换"大兴网络文明之风"专题中的旧稿。收到请回复！ 2006年6月7日13时20分 网管办值班 各位：6月6日刊发的'全球首部以奥运吉祥物为主题的动画片在华诞生'一文与事实不符,各网站不得转载,已转载的请立即撤除. 2006年6月8日17时13分 网管办值班 各位，不要转载"网民发帖文被警方传唤要求写检查"的消息及相关文章，已经转载的立即撤除。
These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 26, 2012 (here).
© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 17th Party Congress, 1989 protests, Beijing, Beijing Internet Instructions, Canyu, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, China Copyright and Media, civilized Web, college entrance exam, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Fan Tao, gaokao, hukou, Internet cafes, Internet censorship, June 4th, Ministry of Truth, netizens, people's daily, propaganda, Tianjin, Xinhua
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| Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (18) Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:55 AM PST In partnership with the China Copyright and Media blog, CDT is adding the "Beijing Internet Instructions" series to the Censorship Vault. These directives were originally published on Canyu.org (Participate) and date from 2005 to 2007. According to Canyu, the directives were issued by the Beijing Municipal Network Propaganda Management Office and the State Council Internet management departments and provided to to Canyu by insiders. China Copyright and Media has not verified the source. The translations are by Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media. 22 May 2006, 14:00 Everyone, (1) Guangdong Province will deal with the relevant responsible persons of the grave illegal incident of 6 December in the Shanwei Red Bay Open Economic Zone where a small number of people incited villagers to beat, smash and loot a wind power station and violently attack law enforcement cadres and police, and open the court session to try relevant troublemakers. On this matter, the main Guangdong provincial newspapers, Southern News Network, Jinyang net, Dayang net and Shenzhen News Net will respectively on 24 and 25 May issue relevant information. Apart from the above mentioned media, other regional website are not to reprint or report relevant information without exception, it is also not to be discussed on forums, blogs, trackers and other interactive segments. (2) Concerning the matter of inviting tenders for land use rights for land use in public construction and apartment programs in Datun Beiding Village, Chaoyang District, Beijing (the original Morgan Center Program), no reports are made for the time being. 23 May 2006, 17:00 Fan Tao, Municipal Information Office. Fan Tao (Municipal Information Office / Municipal Network Office: 65278473) says: All websites are requested to reprint the following to articles in the special subject section on initiating the wind of network civilization: More than 800 Beijing Internet Cafés Are Ordered to Rectify (replace the existing title, http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/22/content_4582202.htm) and Training of All Legal Representatives of Internet Cafés in the Entire City of Beijing Completed, (address: http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/23/content_4587208.htm), please acknowledge receipt. 24 May 2006, 1:10, Chen Hua Everyone, please put these two articles in the content of running the web in a civilized manner: More than 800 Beijing Internet Cafés Are Ordered to Rectify, and Training of All Legal Representatives of Internet Cafés in the Entire City of Beijing Completed, this is present on the news centers of Sina, Sohu and NetEase. 25 May 2006, 0:10, Chen Hua Everyone, please put this article 200 Netizens Become The First Batch of Special Network Supervisors in Beijing on the main pages of websites, and at the same time, put it in the running the web in a civilized manner section of the important news section of the news center, juxtapose it with the People's Representative Gao Gang's talk about running the web in a civilized manner, and at the same time, put Call for Initiating a New Network Civilization on Exhibition in the footer of the important news section on running the web in a civilized manner, juxtapose it with Beijing's dealing with 800 Internet Cafés, other articles on running the web in a civilized manner are to be put in the special subject section. 25 April 2006, 16:15, Fan Tao, Municipal Information Office Sear Engines are requested to shield the following website addresses: www.lairi.cn, waptx.cn/bbs/, www.1238888.net, www.13434433770.cn. 26 May 2006, 15:49, Fan Tao Today, a number of domestic websites and forums have disseminated posts concerning teachers in the Chongqing Three Gorges Normal School and teachers in many schools in Jintang County, Chongqing, respectively organizing student strike activities. No website may report this sort of information, existing information must be immediately removed. Please acknowledge receipt! 28 May 2006, 8:55, Lu Chao, Network Supervision Office Today, a tax driver has committed suicide over dissatisfaction about rising fuel prices, news departments are notified that the municipal government will not let news and comment be uploaded (pay attention to secrecy). 29 May 2006, 13:54, Network Supervision Office, Duty Manager 1 Everyone, concerning the case of Huiji District, Zhengzhou being "The world's first district government" and "the world's largest district government," please delete corresponding reports, trackers, blogs, posts and other interactive segments. 29 May 2006, 14:32, Network Supervision Office, Duty Manager 1 Everyone, this is demanded again, after the earthquake in Java Province, Indonesia, our country's government has sent a message of condolences and provided emergency relief aid. A small number of netizens has published attacking or abusive discussions that are against the spirit of humanitarianism on forums and news trackers, maliciously irritating Sino-Indonesian relations. All websites, (1) close news trackers; (2) discussion on forums, blogs, etc., on this must reflect the sympathy, condolences and aid of our country's government and people towards Indonesia and other southeast Asian countries suffering from the earthquake, benefit the friendly relationships of China with Indonesia and other southeast Asian countries and benefit our country's good international image; (3) all sorts of harmful information must be timely deleted. 30 May 2006, 16:12, Chen Hua Everyone, those two articles that are now on front pages or important news sections on running the web in a civilized manner may be removed to the special subject section, the title of this section is to be civilized into "initiating the wind of network civilization, run the Web in a civilized manner, use the Web in a civilized manner," it is still to be put in the second position, and directly link to the special subject section on running the web in a civilized manner. 30 May 2006, 18:56 Everyone, concerning the matter of the female news anchor dying in the house of the vice-mayor, do not play this up, do no issue any new article, existing article are to be pushed to the back stage, forums, blogs and trackers are not to discuss this matter, please acknowledge. 31 May 2006, 0:00, Chen Hua There are trackers online calling for Agricultural Bank workers to strike, all are requested to delete or remove this, especially on all relevant forums. 31 May 2006, 20:07 Do not report the "True Love Cup" article soliciting activities and related matters, interactive segments are not to play this up or discuss this. 31 May 2006, 22:46, Chen Hua Concerning the People's Art Theater performance "White Deer," only issue Beijing Daily copy, all online segments are not to discuss this. 2006年5月北京网管办发出的禁令（三）
2006年5月22日14时 分 各位，1、广东省将对去年12月6日汕尾红海湾开发区少数人煽动村民对风力发电厂打砸抢及对执法干警暴力袭击严重违法事件有关责任人进行处理，并开庭审理 有关肇事者。此事广东省内主要报纸和南方新闻网、金羊网、大洋网、深圳新闻网将分别于5月24日和25日发布有关消息。除上述媒体外，其他地区网站一律不 转载、报道有关消息，论坛博客贴吧等互动环节也不讨论。 2、关于北京市朝阳区大屯北顶村公建及公寓项目用地（原摩根中心项目）国有土地使用权出让招标一事暂不做报道。 2006年5月22日14时47分 陈华 各位，1、广东省将对去年12月6日汕尾红海湾开发区少数人煽动村民对风力发电厂打砸抢及对执法干警暴力袭击严重违法事件有关责任人进行处理，并开庭审理 有关肇事者。此事广东省内主要报纸和南方新闻网、金羊网、大洋网、深圳新闻网将分别于5月24日和25日发布有关消息。除上述媒体外，其他地区网站一律不 转载、报道有关消息，论坛博客贴吧等互动环节也不讨论。 2、关于北京市朝阳区大屯北顶村公建及公寓项目用地（原摩根中心项目）国有土地使用权出让招标一事暂不做报道。 2006年5月23日17时 分 范涛 市网宣办 范 涛 （市政府新闻办/市网管办：65278473） 说: 请各网在大兴网络文明之风专题中，转载以下两篇稿件：北京800余家网吧被责令整改 （替换现头条，http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/22/content_4582202.htm）北京市全市 网吧法人代表培训完成（地址http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-05/23 /content_4587208.htm）收到请回复。 2006年5月24日1时10分 陈华 各位 请把这两条在文明办网内容的位置上放 北京800余家网吧被责令整改
北京全市网吧法人代表培训完成 在新浪搜狐网易新闻中心的要闻区都有 2006年5月25日0时10分 陈华 各位，请将此条"200网民成为北京首批特约网络监督员"http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/05/24 /1060@3192405.htm发网站首页，同是，发新闻中心要闻区的文明办网区域中，与人大高钢谈文明办网并列，同时，将"大兴网络文明唱响科博 会"http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/05/24/1060@3192408.htm放入新闻中要闻区文明 办网的小腿中，与北京治理800网吧并列，其他文明办网稿件放入专题中。 2006年5月25日16时15分 范涛 市网宣办 请有搜索引擎的网站屏蔽以下地址：www.lairi.cn waptx.cn/bbs/ www.1238888.net www.13434433770.cn 2006年5月26日15时49分 范 涛 近日，境内一些网站论坛中传播有关重庆三峡师范学校教师和四川金堂县多所学校教师分别举行罢课活动的帖文。各网站不得传播此类消息，已有的要立即清除。 收到请回复！ 2006年5月28日8时55分 卢超 网监处 今天有一出租车司机因不满油价上涨自杀，通知新闻部门市政府不让上新闻及评论（注意保密） 2006年5月29日13时54分 网管办值班1 各位，关于郑州市惠济区是"世界第一区政府"和"世界最大区政府"一事，相关报道、贴文、博客、贴吧等互动环节请均删除。 2006年5月29日14时32分 网管办值班1 各位，再次要求一下，印尼爪哇省地震，我国政府已致电慰问并提供紧急援助。有少数网民在论坛和新闻跟帖中发表攻击、谩骂等有悖人道主义精神的言论，恶意挑 拨中印关系。各网站1、关闭新闻跟贴；2、论坛、博客等关于此事的讨论要体现我国政府、人民对印尼等东南亚国家遭受地震表示同情、慰问和援助，有利于中国 与印尼等东南亚国家的友好关系，有利于我国良好的国际形象。3、要及时删除各类有害信息。 2006年5月30日16时12分 陈华 各位，现在首页或要闻区文明办网那两条稿可以撤入专题了，此处标题变为"大兴网络文明之风 文明办网 文明上网"，还放在二条位置，直接链着文明办网专题。 2006年5月30日18时56分 各位，关于女主播死于副市长家一事，不炒作，不再发任何新稿，已有稿件撤至后台，论坛，博客，帖吧不再讨论此事，请回复 2006年5月31日0时00分 陈华 网上有号召农行（银行）职工大罢工的贴子，请各自清查删除，尤其是各自相关的论坛。 2006年5月31日20时07分 对"真爱杯"征文活动及有关情况不报导，互动环节不炒作、不讨论。 2006年5月31日22时46分 陈华 关于人艺上演《白鹿原》，只发北京日报稿，各互动环节不讨论。
These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 25, 2012 (here).
© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beijing, Beijing Daily, Beijing Internet Instructions, Canyu, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, China Copyright and Media, Chongqing, civilized Web, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Fan Tao, Gao Gang, Guangdong, indonesia, Internet cafes, Internet censorship, Lu Chao, Ministry of Truth, netease, netizens, Shenzhen, sina, sohu, Zhengzhou
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| Fourteen Ways China’s Twitter Can Drive Reasonable People Crazy Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:44 AM PST  "Mr. Ponder's" online avatar. (Via Weibo) An online wit who calls himself "Mr. Ponder" (@琢磨先生) on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, is at it again. After capturing the world's attention this summer by re-imagining Chinese literature for the micro-blogging age, Mr. Ponder, who in actuality appears to be a career coach named Guo Cheng, has just garnered immense attention from Web users by calling them, well, hot-headed and unreasonable. According to Hong Kong University's Weiboscope, an online tool that tracks re-tweeted images among influential Chinese Web users, Guo's humorous but apparently heartfelt tweet was the most viral Weibo post of the last 24 hours. Tea Leaf Nation translates the best parts below: How Weibo can slay [even] reasonable people Original post: The weather in Beijing today is not good. Fan responses: Fan #1: I wrote the weather wasn't good yesterday, you're plagiarizing! Fan #2: On what basis are you saying Beijing's weather isn't good! Get out of Beijing! Fan #3: The OP has run out of things to say. I'm going to un-follow you. Fan #4: What is good, what is bad? What standard are you using? Fan #5: Don't be depressed, blogger, life is good. @BeijingPolice Fan #6: Why the $&$^# are you posting this without a picture? Fan #7: Got your heart broken? This isn't a big deal. Fan #8: Bad weather is not a matter for the authorities, why is the blogger discussing this? Fan #9: Famous people are so bored, is this really worth a tweet? Fan #10: Beijing's always bad. Shanghai welcomes you! Fan #11: So what. No one can control the weather. Fan #12: Sorry to interrupt. If the weather if bad, buy yourself more followers [from us] and make yourself happy! Fan #13: Today, our store on [e-commerce site] Taobao introduces a special on raincoats, please click here. Fan #14: Can you make the weather better? If not, shut your mouth.  |
| Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (17) Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST In partnership with the China Copyright and Media blog, CDT is adding the "Beijing Internet Instructions" series to the Censorship Vault. These directives were originally published on Canyu.org (Participate) and date from 2005 to 2007. According to Canyu, the directives were issued by the Beijing Municipal Network Propaganda Management Office and the State Council Internet management departments and provided to to Canyu by insiders. China Copyright and Media has not verified the source. The translations are by Rogier Creemers of China Copyright and Media. 12 May 2006, 23:40, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Chen Hua Everyone, this has been notified in the afternoon, and is now stressed. When reprinting articles criticizing the "No Worries" theater group's destruction of the environment, do not reprint articles linking this matter with Chen Kaige's participation in the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony, websites may not report or track netizens' name-signing activities concerning this matter. All articles and pages that are inconsistent with the above requirements must be speedily removed. 14 May 2006, 10:40, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao All websites are requested to speedily delete the article "Many Hugely Corrupt High Officials Convicted to Suspended Death Sentence, Evoking Challenges," where special subjects have already been made, please delete them speedily. 15 May 2006, 13:24, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao All websites are requested to use the Qianlong article Beijing Network Media Association Openly Recruits 200 Network Supervision Staff to replace the present header of "Initiating the Wind of Network Civilization," and place a summary on the main page of websites. Please reprint another Qianlong article Silicon Valley Drives the Start of 'IT Websites Run the Web in a Civilized Manner' Activities in the second line of the header at the same time, and put an abstract in the important news section of the news centre. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 15 May 2006 (Monday), 16:01 A communication from Chen Hua on revising the above notice: Everyone, please delete the sentence "with the authorization of the State Council Information Office" from the present article "IT Specialist Websites Establish 'Civilized Network Association,'" other matters are not changed. 14 May 2006, 18:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Huo The case of the "China Caijing News Magazine" journalist Yang Xiaoqing, who is suspected of extortion is in the process of being tried. In view of the fact that this case is relatively sensitive and complex, concerning information related to this case, websites are requested to only transmit Xinhua copy and information from Hunan Red Net, do not reprint articles from other sources, forums are also not to post this sort of articles. 14 May 2006, 18:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Huo Concerning information on civil servants' salary adjustment, websites are only to reprint Xinhua copy, it is strictly prohibited to reprint information from any other source, forums are also not to reprint this sort of article, where the Dagong Daily article "Civil Servant Salary Structures Will Be Changed" and others have been reprinted, they must be immediately deleted. Management must be strengthened, all sorts of information, posts and commentary that does not conform to the above requirements must be timely deleted. 16 May 2006, 12:45, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao "Netizens Issue Information Agreement" (Discussion draft – see attachment for content): I. In the near future, the Municipal Information Office will roll out a model for the agreement, and provide for strict management measures; II. All websites bear the first responsibility to notify netizens to jointly abide by this agreement; III. The text of this agreement will have comprehensive requirements in the regulatory, netizen self-discipline and propaganda areas; IV. This agreement will at the same time protect to the largest extent the rights and interests of netizens to participate regularly in discussions; V. Before and after the text of this agreement is made public, all relevant departments and work personnel of companies are requested to strictly grasp the scale of discussions. 19 May 2006, 8:50, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao All websites, pay attention, all those having opened trackers on the article "Persisting in Uniting as One and Looking Ahead – Reviewing the Historical Discussion on Deng Xiaoping and Other Older Generation Revolutionaries Concerning Correctly Dealing with the 'Cultural Revolution,'" please close trackers. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 19 May 2006, 14:54, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Immediately delete that Beijing taxi prices will rise to 2 yuan per kilometer tomorrow. 19 May 2006, Fan Tao All websites are requested to put the information published by Qianlong Net on the taxi price adjustment (http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/05/19/134@3182655.htm) in the middle of the important news section, do not make it into a header, close trackers. 19 May 2006, 17:02, Fan Tao No online reports are to be made of the film Summer Palace that participated in the Cannes Film Festival without permission, do not reprint this sort of information or comments, websites are also not to interview or report on the main creators of Summer Palace. If the content of articles on the Cannes Film Festival involves the film Summer Palace, websites are also requested to reprint or report this, this sort of article is not to be posted on forums, blogs or trackers. 20 May 2006, 18:37, Fan Tao, Municipal Information Office Please immediately close news trackers on reports concerning the repatriation of Lai Changxing. Please delete information that the original version of the Mao Zedong portrait will be sold at auction. 2006年5月北京网管办发出的禁令（二） 2006年5月12日23 时40分北京市新闻办公室 陈华 各位，下午通知这，再强调一下。转发批评"无极"剧组破坏环境稿件时，不转发把这一事件与陈凯歌参与2008年奥运会开幕式挂钩的稿件，网站不报道、贴发网民有关此事的签名活动。凡与上述要求不一致的稿件、页面要迅速撤除。 2006年5月14日10时40分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请各网迅速删除"多名巨贪高官被判死缓引发质疑"一稿,已经做专题请迅速删除. 2006年5月15日13 时24分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请各网用千龙网的稿件《北京网络媒体协会公开征集200名网络监督员》（http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825 /2006/05/15/178@3171683.htm）替换目前"大兴网络文明之风"的头条，并在网站首页做提要。请同时在专题二条位置放千龙网另一 稿件《硅谷动力发起"IT网站文明办网"活动 》（http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/05/15/178@3171702.htm）并在新闻中心要闻区做 提要。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006-5-15 (星期一) 16:01 转达陈华对上一个通知的修改： 各位，请将目前"IT专业网站成立"文明办网联盟"一稿中，"经国家新闻办公室授权"这句话去掉，其他不变 2006年5月14日18时 北京市新闻办公室 霍 《中国产经新闻报》记者阳小青涉嫌敲诈勒索一案，目前正在审理中。鉴于此案比较敏感、复杂，有关此案的消息，请网站只转发新华社通稿和湖南红网的消息，不转发其他来源的稿件，论坛也不贴发此类文章。 2006年5月14日18时 分 北京市新闻办公室 霍 有关公务员工资调整的消息，网站只转发新华社通稿，严禁转发其他任何来源消息，论坛也不转发此类文章，已转的大公报"公务员工资结构将有改变"等文要立即撤除。要加强管理，凡与上述要求不符的各类消息、帖文、评论要及时删除。 2006年5月16日12时45分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 《网民发布信息协议》（讨论稿—–内容见附件） 一，近期市新闻办将出台协议范本，规定严厉管理措施； 二，各网站承担通知网民共同遵守该协议的第一责任人； 三，该协议文本具有法规、网民自律与宣传方面的综合要求； 四，该协议同时包含最大限度保护网民正常参与讨论的权益； 五，该协议文本出台前后请公司各相关部门及工作人员严格掌握言论尺度； 2006年5月19日8时50分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 各网注意：凡对《坚持团结一致向前看——重温邓小平等老一辈革命家关于正确对待"文化大革命"历史的论述》一文开有跟帖的，请关闭跟帖。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006年5月19日14时54分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 北京出租车租价明起上调为2元/公里，马上删除。 2006年5月19日16 时 分 范涛 千龙网已经发布出租车调价消息（http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/05/19/134@3182655.htm）请各网放要闻中部，不做大头条，关闭跟帖。 2006年5月19日17时02分 范涛 对未经批准到戛纳电影节参评的电影《颐和园》网上不作报道，不转载此类消息、评论，网站也不采访报道《颐和园》主创人员。如戛纳电影节稿件涉及电影《颐和园》的内容，也请网站不要转载、报道，论坛、博客、跟帖不贴发此类稿件。 2006年5月20日18时 37 分 范涛 市网宣办 关于遣返赖昌星的报道，请立即关闭新闻跟贴。 请删除毛泽东画像母本将被拍卖的消息。
These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 24, 2012 (here).
© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beijing, Beijing Internet Instructions, Beijing taxi price increase, Caijing, Cannes, Canyu, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, Chen Kaige, China Copyright and Media, civilized Web, Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Fan Tao, Hunan, Internet censorship, lai changxing, Ministry of Truth, netizens, State Council Information Office, Xinhua, Yang Xiaoqing
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| Spotted on Weibo: Chinese Leaders Share a Human Moment Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:29 AM PST An active Beijing-based micro-blogger named Dongdong Wang (@東東旺) recently tweeted this image on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter: 
At first glance, it doesn't look like much: Outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao (left) and outgoing President Hu Jintao (right) appear to share a laugh following a day's work at the recent 18th Party Congress. It's an eminently human moment–and therein lies the rub. Wang wrote, "I really like this picture. Why doesn't our media give us more images of leaders like this one, instead of always making them look so old-fashioned? (In fact, our country has not become rigid at all; could it be that [our] media has scared itself half to death, and become rigid on its own?)" Since its posting on November 23, this simple image has been retweeted over 103,000 times. But perhaps chary of the discussion that would result, censors suspended the threaded comment function on the post. That means that Weibo users do not have an easy way to comment directly on the image or Wang's assertion, which means no ad hoc discussion forum can form around this very resonant image. The decision to suspend comments on an individual post is not particularly rare. But it's still no small matter. Tea Leaf Nation has long viewed Weibo's threaded comment function as the platform's "best, most democratizing feature." In fact, China's government took aim at precisely this feature in April, suspending comments across Weibo in early April in an effort to to put its foot down following online rumors of a high-level coup. It's ironic that censors would revert to such tactics when faced with an image that could only burnish Chinese leadership in the public's eyes. Perhaps Wang's critique of the mainstream media singed the wrong sets of ears, or perhaps censors worried commenters would take the chance to share opinions less charitable toward authorities than Wang's. In all fairness, the image itself was possibly leaked by a photojournalist with the credentials to access the 18th Congress who became frustrated with the bar on publishing anything beyond the most stoic fare. At least the image was seen far and wide in the Chinese blogosphere, although for Wen's and (especially Hu's) would-be image-makers, it's too little, too late.  |
| Lobbying, a Windfall and a Leader’s Family Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:37 AM PST In a continuation of the investigation into the business dealings of Premier Wen Jiabao and his family, The New York Times' David Barboza details the emergence of Ping An Insurance as a leading Chinese financial institution and the role Wen may have taken in facilitating its success: The survival of Ping An Insurance was at stake, officials were told in the fall of 1999. Direct appeals were made to the vice premier at the time, Wen Jiabao, as well as the then-head of China's central bank — two powerful officials with oversight of the industry. "I humbly request that the vice premier lead and coordinate the matter from a higher level," Ma Mingzhe, chairman of Ping An, implored in a letter to Mr. Wen that was reviewed by The New York Times. Ping An was not broken up. The successful outcome of the lobbying effort would prove monumental. Ping An went on to become one of China's largest financial services companies, a $50 billion powerhouse now worth more than A.I.G., MetLife or Prudential. And behind the scenes, shares in Ping An that would be worth billions of dollars once the company rebounded were acquired by relatives of Mr. Wen.
Ping An disputed the New York Times report, according to The Associated Press: Ping An Insurance Group said that recent media coverage related to the company had "serious inaccuracies, facts being distorted and taken out of context, as well as flawed logic." The insurer did not name a specific news outlet and nor did it say what the errors were. But the public relations company that issued Ping An's statement said it was related to a lengthy New York Times investigation published on Sunday of how Wen's relatives, using obscure partnerships to conceal their identities, profited by investing in the insurer after it avoided a breakup. … Ping An said it was a "law-abiding" company that complied with rules and regulations and made "factual, comprehensive disclosures and reports on its shareholders and operations." The company vowed to take "appropriate legal action."
See also CDT's coverage of the fallout from the New York Times investigation, which prompted Wen's lawyers to threaten legal action against the newspaper.
© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: business, investments, Ping An Insurance, transparency, Wen Jiabao
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| Korean Pop Singer PSY to Perform in China Posted: 25 Nov 2012 10:50 PM PST |
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