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• 79th Tibetan Self-Immolation Reported
• Chinese Maoists in North Korea: Paradise Lost
• Taiwan Blocks Dalai Lama Visit
• Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (15)
• Photo: “… Beijing Spirit, Promote the Capital’s Scientific Development”, by Marko Kudjerski
• Wen Jiabao: Please Forget Me
• Can Volunteer Program Clean Up Donor System?
• The Crooked Cost of a Chinese Education

79th Tibetan Self-Immolation Reported Posted: 22 Nov 2012 10:56 PM PST Exile news site Phayul reports the tenth self-immolation in Tongren (Rebkong) this month, bringing the overall total since 2009 to 79. The Dharamshala-based site also claims that Chinese officials have been ordered to deter further protests by punishing family members. In confirmed reports received by Phayul, Lubum Gyal, 18, set himself ablaze in Dowa town of Rebkong, eastern Tibet at around 4:20 pm (local time) in an apparent protest against China's continued occupation of Tibet. China's state-run Xinhua news agency also reported on the incident, confirming that the self-immolator (Libong Tsering) succumbed to his injuries. "Lubum Gyal set himself on fire in protest against the Chinese government in Dowa town," Sonam, an exile Tibetan with close contacts in the region told Phayul. "Soon, a large number of Tibetans gathered and rescued his body from falling into the hands of Chinese authorities." […] The Chinese officials were reportedly implementing the five-point notification issued by the Malho Prefectural office and Malho People's government on November 14 giving stern orders to local officials "to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives." CNN reported more broadly on the self-immolations on Thursday. The network's Paul Armstrong suggested that the difficulty of verifying news of the protests with journalists and independent monitors barred from the region has suppressed the level of media coverage abroad: When a downtrodden Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire in protest after his vegetable cart was confiscated by officials, this desperate act of self-sacrifice was seen as a catalyst for a revolution that became known as the Arab Spring. Contrast this with China, where almost 80 people — men and women — have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against Beijing's poor treatment of Tibet, according to rights groups. Yet details of these cases are often sketchy and difficult to verify, such is the stranglehold China has over the region. As a result the issue has yet to gain real traction internationally. At Global Voices Online, Oiwan Lam translated messages left behind by 19 of the self-immolators, originally compiled in Chinese by Woeser. Two of the 19 were from Tongren: Nyankar Tashi (娘尕扎西), 24 years old, self-immolated on November [12], 2012 in Tongren County, Qinghai Province. He left a letter to Dalai and Panchen Lama as well as to six million Tibetans: Tibet needs freedom and independence. Release Panchen and let Dalai return home. I self-immolate to protest against the Chinese government! Father, please don't be disheartened because of me. I follow the Buddha and Goodness. My wish is that six million Tibetans will learn their mother tongue, wear Tibetan clothes and be united. Tingzin (丹珍措), 23-year-old herdswoman living with her parents and her six-year-old son, self-immolated on November 7, 2012 before the 18th National Chinese Communist Party Congress in Tongren […]. She left her last words to her father: Father, being a Tibetan is so difficult. We can't even say our prayer to Dalai Lama's portrait. We have no freedom at all… Nyankar Tashi's message, like that of 18-year-old Nya Drul, stresses the importance of language and dress as defiant expressions of Tibetan identity. The widespread fear, both within Tibet and in exile, that such identity will be extinguished has given rise to the 'Lhakar' movement. From Lhakar Diaries: Lhakar, meaning 'White Wednesday,' (the Dalai Lama's 'soul day') is about resisting China's occupation and the pressure to become sinicized by making the effort each Wednesday to speak the Tibetan language, wear Tibetan clothes, eat Tibetan food and shop at Tibetan merchants. Lhakar is about being Tibetan. See more on Tibet and the self-immolations there via CDT. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 18th party congress, Arab Spring, cnn, crackdown, Dharamsala, Rebkong, self-immolations, Tibet, Tibetan culture, Tibetan language, tongren Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Chinese Maoists in North Korea: Paradise Lost Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:22 PM PST Despite an apparently strong showing at this autumn's anti-Japanese protests, times are hard for China's New Left. Bo Xilai awaits trial, Mao's legacy faces erosion and pollution, leftist websites are under attack by "the forces of darkness", and the country continues to hurtle down the capitalist road. The Economist accompanied a small group of beleaguered leftists seeking brief respite in North Korea. After a long drive up a narrow dirt track through hills east of Pyongyang, a North Korean tour bus dropped the Chinese tourists near a wooded graveyard. In front of it, on a concrete pedestal, stood a bronze bust of Mao Anying, the eldest son of Mao Zedong. This was their holy grail. One by one they laid wreaths and bowed in reverence (see picture). One man kowtowed. Several wept as they delivered speeches in honour of the younger Mao, who died during the Korean war. "We must clean China up and turn it a brilliant red," said one. Another led the group in chants of "Socialism will be victorious!" […] Many of China's new middle class regard the Maoists as members of a nutty fringe. But to the poor and marginalised, as well as a few idealistic intellectuals, their views are appealing. During their four days in North Korea in October, the Maoists found a country that appeared to be following the right path: one that, in their view, Mao had started down but which his diminutive successor, Deng Xiaoping, had abandoned. "Dwarf Deng destroyed the lives of peasants," says one member of the group, staring from the bus at new two-storey houses in the countryside on the way to Mao Anying's memorial in Hoechang county. The suspicions of Potemkinism that constantly prey on the minds of foreign tourists in North Korea appeared not to trouble them. […] A retired official from a state-owned oil firm praised the "purity" of North Koreans compared with the Chinese, whose hearts were "filled with black-and-white cats"; a reference to Deng Xiaoping's famously pragmatic dismissal of ideology, that it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. For a near mirror image of The Economist's report, see 'The Grand Tour' at The New Yorker, Evan Osnos' account of an excursion around Europe with 37 ardent Chinese consumerists. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Deng Xiaoping, leftists, Mao Zedong, maoism, new left, North Korea Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Taiwan Blocks Dalai Lama Visit Posted: 22 Nov 2012 04:03 PM PST Taiwanese authorities have refused to provide a visa for the Dalai Lama, who was due to address a women's organisation there next month. From the AFP: The Taiwan chapter of the Federation of Business and Professional Women, headed by former vice president Annette Lu, said the move reflected fear of angering China, which sees the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as a separatist. "We are angry as the government is obviously worried about China's reaction. It's ridiculous that Taiwan has to listen to China and seek its approval before doing anything," said a spokeswoman for Lu. […] Taiwan's foreign ministry confirmed that they would not allow the visit, but denied China had anything to do with the decision. "It's just not a good time," foreign ministry spokesman Steve Hsia told AFP, declining to elaborate. A planned visit in 2008 was blocked on similarly vague grounds, though another the following year was allowed to proceed after much deliberation. From Shih Hsiu-chuan at Taipei Times: "When will it be a proper time for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan? The timing was not right in 2009 [sic] and the timing is not right now. Do we have to wait until the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is out of power? Is Taiwan still a country that values democracy, human rights and freedom?" Tsai [Huang-liang, a DPP legislator] asked. The Dalai Lama was able to visit Taiwan, at the invitation of seven DPP mayors and commissioners, one month after Typhoon Morakot devastated southern parts of the country in August 2009, killing about 700 people and causing widespread damage. Ma called an emergency meeting at the National Security Council to deliberate the case. The meeting lasted five hours before he approved the visit. Beijing responded by cancelling a number of joint events, despite Taipei's efforts to explain itself. Heightened tensions amid a long series of self-immolation protests—for which Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama himself—can only have increased the risk of hurt feelings this time. China routinely and vigorously protests international visits by the Dalai Lama: embassy officials in London threatened to boycott a pre-Olympic training camp this summer, for example, over a scheduled appearance at a private business conference nearby. Taiwan is not alone in yielding to the pressure. South Africa refused the Dalai Lama a visa to attend Desmond Tutu's birthday celebration last year, while in June the Italian city of Milan cancelled plans to award him honorary citizenship. On the other hand, Beijing's protests can add fuel to domestic political demands that leaders do not "placate Chinese tyrants". Closer ties to China have been a hallmark of Kuomintang president Ma Ying-jeou's administration, but the Economist reported last week that they have somewhat backfired, driving property prices up as Ma's approval ratings have tumbled: Ordinary people do not find their livelihoods improving. Salaries have stagnated for a decade. The most visible impact of more open ties with China, which include a free-trade agreement, has been property speculation in anticipation of a flood of mainland money. Housing in former working-class areas on the edge of Taipei, the capital, now costs up to 40 times the average annual wage of $15,400. The number of families below the poverty line has leapt. Labour activists have taken to pelting the presidential office with eggs. The newspaper referred to Ma as "an ineffectual bumbler". In response, a KMT legislator told the South China Morning Post that "I feel bad and also sad some foreign media would launch such a criticism against our national leader, but there are some facts in the magazine's report that President Ma must reflect upon." © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Dalai Lama, DPP, KMT, London, London Olympics, Ma Ying-jeou, Milan, property market, South Africa, Taiwan, The Economist, typhoons Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (15) Posted: 22 Nov 2012 04:15 PM 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. 21 April 2006, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Everyone, concerning the matter of Beijing taxi price adjustment, only use copy from the Beijing Daily and Evening News, other content is to be deleted without exception, forums may not have too much extreme discussions (such as a taxi ride strike, etc.). 21 April 2006, (Friday), 18:27 All websites are requested to rapidly delete all articles sourced from the Jinghua Daily, the Beijing News and the Huaxia Times concerning the Beijing taxi price adjustment, please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 19 April 2006, (Wednesday), 11:41 It is stressed again that the following must be implemented: the matter of the Beijing taxi price increase, is not to be published in the important news sections, do not open news tracker, do not send short messages, do not make it into a special subject! 18 April 2006, (Tuesday), 10:55 Please lead the special subject about the trend of civilization today with "Youth Who Lost Their Way Accuse Network Poison – 300 Website Editors Are Deeply Shocked," the speech of Liu Qi may be lowered. 22 April 2006, 23:30, Chen Hua Everyone, please immediately issue this article in the second or third position on the main page of websites and at the back of the second line on news centres: http://news.qianlong.com/28874/2006/04/22/1160@3134631.htm 23 April 2006, 12:20, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao (1) Please note: for articles on the important process of Hu Jintao visiting Saudi Arabia, the original titles of Xinhua copy must be used, please immediately restore the original titles of those that have not been done according to requirements. (2) Please immediately delete the article on there now being 72,000 black cars in Beijing, exceeding legitimate taxis (CCTV "Economic Information Broadcast"). (3) All websites are requested to speedily reprint the Xinhua Net Article "More than 100 Website Jointly Sweep Away 'Network Garbage'" and put it in the header position of the special subject section on greatly initiating the trend of network civilization (http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-04/22/content_4460131.htm). 24 April 2006 (Monday), 14:38 Everyone, keep in mid to link with the People Net interview of 3:00, in a high position in the news section on the front page of websites and the second position in the news centre, http://www.people.com.cn/GB/32306/33093/62957/index.html. 24 April 2006, 19:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Please delete "Jinan Baoquan Water Project's Imported Anti-Permeation Film Triggers Intense Dispute." Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 26 April 2006, 10:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao To report the Beijing taxi price adjustment hearing, please use the wire copy from Qianlong Net of this afternoon; at the same time, the content of trackers and forum discussions must be managed well – netizens are permitted to fully express all kinds of views, but are not permitted to have tracker or forum posts attacking and abusing the government. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 26 April 2006, 14:16 Qianlong Net will publish the text "Beijing Organizes Hearing on Taxi Price Adjustment" in a little while, Qianlong Net will put it in the header position, but all other websites are requested to put it in the middle of the important news section when reprinting it, and the title may not be changed without exception. Trackers must be managed well, netizens are permitted to express all sorts of opinions and viewpoints, posts attacking or abusing the government must be firmly deleted. 27 April 2006, 7:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao All websites are requested to immediately close trackers on the articles concerning the Beijing taxi price adjustments, forums are no longer to discuss this, please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 27 April 2006, 8:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao For articles on the Beijing taxi price adjustment, only copy from the Beijing Daily and Qianlong Net can be used, articles from Beijing News, Jinghua Times and other sources may not be used without exception, remember this well. 27 April 2006 (Thursday), 10:53, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Please close trackers on the Fengtai forestry bureau vice-director and his wife being killed. 27 April 2006 (Thursday), 18:02, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao The article on the Chinese ambassador in Japan being enthusiastically welcomed on his first visit to Okinawa, contains mistakes. Please speedily delete it. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 28 April 2006, 9:00, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Many netizens responded to the article to unite nationally and not buy houses (Southern News Net), please immediately delete it. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 28 April 2006 (Friday), 13:50, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Notice from Fan Tao: please link to the Xinhua Net online symposium on "Using the Web in a Civilized Manner: Start a New Wind of Network Civilization" on the main page of websites and the header of the special subject section for starting the new wind of network civilization. The URL is as follows: http://forum.xinhuanet.com/detail.jsp?id=29885982. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 28 April 2006, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao All websites are requested to pay attention to: please delete information on forums, blogs and military frequencies concerning images of new-generation (or next-generation) military uniforms as soon as possible. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you. 28 April 2006, 23:21:27, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao (1) Please issue this article in the news section on the main page of websites and on the second or third line in the important news section: http://news.qianlong.com/28874/2006/04/28/1160@3148109.htm (2) Please notify search engines to screen the names of the six websites that were closed today according to the law: Happy Sex Forum, Moon Goddess Net, Shenzhen Discussion Area, Free Film Forum, Adult Story Net and Entertainment Information Port. 29 April 2006, 10:57, Beijing Municipal Information Office, Fan Tao Please add "Blog Net" to the scope of comparing and assessing the text "The Beijing Municipality Launches Comparing and Assessment Activities on Model Civilization Websites," and at the same time change the original "42 websites" into "43 websites" in the announcement (Paragraph 1).   2006年4月北京网管办发出的禁令（三） 2006年4月21日 时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 各位，关于北京出租车调价一事，只用北京日报、晚报稿，其他一律删除，论坛不要有太多过激言论I（如罢乘等） 2006-4-21 (星期五) 18:27 请各网迅速删除稿源为《京华时报》、《新京报》、《华夏时报》有关北京出租车调价的所有稿件，收到请回复，谢谢。 2006-4-19 (星期三) 11:41 再次强调务必执行：北京出租车涨价的事，不发要闻区，不开跟帖，不发短信，不做专题！ 2006-4-18 (星期二) 10:55 今天的文明之风专题请以《失足少年控诉网络毒害 三百网站编辑深受震撼》做头条，刘淇讲话可以往下放了。 2006年4月22日23时30 分 陈华 各位，请即在网站首页新闻区二，三条位置和新闻中心首页二条小腿的位置发此稿http://news.qianlong.com/28874/2006/04/22/1160@3134631.htm 2006年4月23日12时20 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 1、请注意：胡锦涛访沙特重要程序的稿件，必须用新华社稿原标题，现在未按要求做的，请立即改回原题； 2、北京黑车共达7.2万辆超过正规出租车（央视《经济信息联播》）一稿请立即删除； 3、请各网在大兴网络文明之风专题的头条位置，迅速转载新华网文章《100余家网站联合清扫"网络垃圾"》（http://news.xinhuanet.com/it/2006-04/22/content_4460131.htm） 2006-4-24 (星期一) 14:38 各位，想着做好3：00人民网访谈的链接 网站首页新闻区高处 新闻中心二条 http://www.people.com.cn/GB/32306/33093/62957/index.html 2006年4月24日19时分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 济南保泉水工程引进防渗膜引发激烈争议(组图)——请予删除。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006年4月26日10 时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 关于北京出租车调价听证会的报道，请务必使用下午千龙网的通稿；同时要管好跟贴、论坛讨论的内容——允许网民充分表达各种观点，但不允许有攻击、谩骂政府的跟贴和论坛贴文。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006-4-26 (星期三) 14:16 千龙网过一会儿将刊登《北京市就出租车租价调整举行听证会》一文，千龙网是放在头条位置，但其它各网在转载时，请放在要闻区中部，一律不要改动标题。要管好跟贴，允许网民充分表达各种意见和观点，要坚决删除攻击、谩骂政府的贴文。 2006年4月27日7 时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请各网站立即关闭北京出租车调价一稿的跟贴,论坛不再讨论,收到请回复，谢谢。 2006年4月27日8 时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 有关北京出租车调价的稿件,只能用北京日报和千龙网的稿件,新京报、京华时报等其它来源的稿件一律不要用，切记。 2006-4-27 (星期四) 10:53 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请关闭丰台林业局副局长夫妇被杀害的跟贴。 2006-4-27 (星期四) 18:02 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 中国驻日大使首次正式访问冲绳获热情欢迎一稿，有误。请迅速删除。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006年4月28日9 时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 众多网民响应全国结盟不买房呼吁(南方新闻网)一稿,请予删除.收到请回复，谢谢。 2006-4-28 (星期五) 13:50 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 范涛通知：请在网站首页、大兴网络文明之风专题头条位置全文链接新华网"文明上网：大兴网络文明新风"网上座谈会。网址如下：http://forum.xinhuanet.com/detail.jsp?id=29885982 收到请回复，谢谢。 2006年4月28日时 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请各网站注意：请尽快删除在论坛、博客、军事频道中关于新一代（或称下一代）军服图片的信息。收到请回复，谢谢。 2006-04-28 23:21:27 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 1． 请在网站首页新闻区和新闻中心首页要闻区第二条或第三第发此稿http://news.qianlong.com/28874/2006/04/28/1160@3148109.htm 2． 请通知搜索将今天依法关闭的6家网站名字屏蔽：性福论坛、月神网、深圳讨论区、免费电影论坛、成人小说网、娱乐信息港 2006年4月29日10时 57 分 北京市新闻办公室 范涛 请在《北京市开展文明示范网站评比活动》一文的评比范围中加入"博客网"，同时在启事（第一段）中把原来的"42家"改为"43家"。 These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on China Copyright and Media on November 22, 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, Beijing News, Beijing taxi price increase, Canyu, CCTV, censorship, Censorship Vault, Chen Hua, China Copyright and Media, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Fan Tao, Hu Jintao, Internet censorship, Jinan, Liu Qi, Ministry of Truth, saudi arabia, Shenzhen, Xinhua Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Photo: “… Beijing Spirit, Promote the Capital’s Scientific Development”, by Marko Kudjerski Posted: 22 Nov 2012 03:06 PM PST "… Beijing Spirit, Promote the Capital's Scientific Development" © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Wen Jiabao: Please Forget Me Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:45 PM PST "China's best actor" Wen Jiabao gave a surprising performance this week. From Josh Chin at China Real Time Report: In a recent speech to members of the Chinese community in Thailand, footage of which was posted to the website thaicn.com on Wednesday, Mr. Wen gave what sounded like farewell speech, despite having another four months at the helm of the world's second-largest economy. What was remarkable about the speech was not so much its content as the way it ended. "In the pursuit of truth, I would die nine times without regret. If I'm going to die, I want to die with honesty and integrity," he said as he was wrapping up, a paraphrase of his favorite poet, Qu Yuan. To that he added: "I hope everyone will forget me – that includes Chinese people and overseas Chinese. Forget me." Huh? Wen's remarks have been read as an "assertion of integrity" following a New York Times investigation into the multi-billion dollar fortune amassed by his family during his time in power. Wen himself is said to have ordered an official inquiry into the exposé's claims. From Shi Jiangtao at South China Morning Post: The Beijing-based historian Zhang Lifan said Wen's remarks could be seen as his parting message before going into full retirement next year. "As a premier who famously cares about his reputation and his own place in history, I think Wen is trying to say loud and clear that he is innocent and all those allegations against him or his family are biased and misleading," Zhang said Zhang said Wen was confident that he had been wrongly accused and wanted to voice his frustration about becoming the main target of criticism from Communist Party conservatives and leftists opposed to his high-profile appeals for bolder political and economic reform. See more on Wen via CDT. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: new york times, poetry, thailand, Wen Jiabao, Zhang Lifan Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Can Volunteer Program Clean Up Donor System? Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:22 AM PST A senior health official claimed that China will curb the use executed prisoners as a source of organ transplants while bolstering a volunteer donor program that it hopes will help to limit the much-criticized practice: Nearly 1.5 million people in China need organ transplants each year, but only 10,000 can get one, according to China's Health Ministry. Many of those organs are harvested from executed criminals. Rights groups have accused China of harvesting organs from executed prisoners without their consent – something that Beijing denies. A trial program has led to more than 1,200 voluntary organ donations since March 2010, China's official Xinhua news agency cited vice minister of health Huang Jiefu as saying. When expanded, the ministry's program, established with the Red Cross Society of China, will mean "less reliance on the use of organ donations from prisoners that have been sentenced to death", Xinhua said. Xinhua News has more on the new program and the government's efforts to reduce its reliance on donations from condemned prisoners: According to a report by chinanews.com, the project, jointly established by the ministry and the Red Cross Society of China, resulted in more than 100 cases being performed in Guangdong. The province had the most number of donations. In 2007, China's State Council, or the Cabinet, issued its first regulations on transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs. The 2011 amendments to China's Criminal Law also introduced three clauses dedicated to organ-related crimes, under which convicted organizers of organ trafficking activities may face fines or prison terms of more than five years. Under the law, criminals convicted of "forced organ removal, forced organ donation or organ removal from juveniles" could face punishment for homicide. See also CDT coverage on the issue, one of China's most infamous human rights violations, and an article from World Affairs from earlier this year which calls out China's "Organ Donation Nightmare." © Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: death penalty, death sentence, execution, Ministry of Health, organ harvesting, organ trafficking, organ transplants Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

The Crooked Cost of a Chinese Education Posted: 22 Nov 2012 05:56 AM PST Dan Levin of The New York Times details the culture of corruption that has grown rife in China's education system, where parents oftentimes must bribe school officials to secure enrollment in and success for their children at the best schools in the country: Nearly everything has a price, parents and educators say, from school admissions and placement in top classes to leadership positions in Communist youth groups. Even front-row seats near the blackboard or a post as class monitor are up for sale. Zhao Hua, a migrant from Hebei Province who owns a small electronics business here, said she was forced to deposit $4,800 into a bank account to enroll her daughter in a Beijing elementary school. At the bank, she said, she was stunned to encounter officials from the district education committee armed with a list of students and how much each family had to pay. Later, school officials made her sign a document saying the fee was a voluntary "donation." "Of course I knew it was illegal," she said. "But if you don't pay, your child will go nowhere." © Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: bribery, corruption, education Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

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