Blogs » Politics » In Defense of China’s Golden Week

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• In Defense of China’s Golden Week
• The Xi Administration Introduces the “Eight Musts”
• In China, Slowdown Is a Bigger Danger Than Growth
• Article 73 Detainee Allowed to See Wife
• Outspoken Critic Attacked at Book Promotion in China
• Landslide Survivors Demand Investigation of Mine’s Role (Updated)
• Photo: Fridge Transport, by Svend Erik Hansen
• Ministry of Truth: Heat and Orphans
• China: Dirty Air, Dirtier Water?
• Li Chengpeng’s Silent Book Signing
• Word of the Week: Primary Stage of Socialism
• A Chinese Official Realizes the Dream of Home Ownership — 31 Times
• China's Transparent Reporting on Air Pollution
• “Avoid Outdoor Activities”: Record-Breaking Air Pollution in Beijing
• When Two Chinese Women Found the Courage to Report Abuse, They Were Ignored

In Defense of China’s Golden Week Posted: 16 Jan 2013 09:54 PM PST There is a lot to dislike about China's ginormous week-long holidays, one of which, Spring Festival/New Year, is coming up in a few weeks. The crowds are larger than you can imagine, requiring some sort of logarithmic scale of imagination to comprehend, the weird system of moving around weekend days is bizarre and uncomfortable, and the run-up to the holiday itself (i.e., all the pre-holiday shopping) is already making a trip to the supermarket something to be avoided. If that wasn't enough, the entire country slowly winds down to a halt in the days before the holiday, making news hard to come by and blogging practically impossible! And yet I find myself disagreeing with a call by McKinsey China to do away with Golden Week entirely. Call me crazy, but I firmly believe that workers are most productive, healthy and happy when they have sufficient time off. Here's the argument put forward by McKinsey's Gordon Orr, with my plea for maintaining the tradition below: Perhaps this is more a hope than an expectation. Fifteen years ago, when the current structure of mandated vacation weeks was put in place, China's economy was very different. There was a real belief that, without mandated vacations, most workers would never get a holiday or have an opportunity to spend the income they were saving. Yes, many hundreds of millions did travel during the Chinese New Year period, but far fewer people had migrated from their home towns to new urban environments than have done so today, and far fewer could afford to travel. In this respect, China was not that different from those European countries that mandated vacation weeks in the 1970s. Today, these compulsory holiday weeks merely serve to saturate and overload the country's infrastructure—if anything, reducing the amount of money that people spend on travel and related services as more and more choose to stay at home. The growing middle classes can schedule their own vacations when they want to much more readily than they could in the past. Formerly, large numbers of state-owned and private-sector enterprises did not meet the legal requirements for vacations. But in the age of social media, even factory workers can now name and shame offending employers. Mandated vacation weeks will either gradually decline into irrelevance—starting in first-tier cities—or, better still, they will be formally abolished as an idea that has outlived its purpose. The description/criticism is spot on, and certainly things have changed since China mandated the current system to boost spending and make sure that folks were able to get the time off. And yes, many more people now live in cities, making the rush back to the ol' ancestral village a transportation nightmare. I'd also agree that workers, particularly folks in the middle class, have more bargaining power than they used to. I'd even go along with abolishing Golden Week in favor of a much shorter Spring Festival holiday, but only if paid vacations were mandated by law and somehow guaranteed. There has been some recent noise about legislative movement in this direction. But here's the thing: the relationship between labor and management is not static. While it's true that a middle class manager these days probably has little trouble scheduling a holiday, I bet it's harder in some places than you might think, particularly if most of the workers you know toil away in the comforts of expatland in Shanghai. Regardless of the present-day situation, what happens somewhere down the line when the labor market, as it inevitably will, tightens up, even for the middle class white collar guys? If that week-long holiday isn't mandatory, eventually employers will, directly or indirectly, make sure that workers take less time off. Moreover, if faced with the choice of taking time off or getting another week's wages, your average factory worker is going to take the money and run. I'm not saying that employers are slave drivers. But look what has happened to the vacation in the U.S. The labor market there has been tight for practically my entire life, and I know that in many professions, including law by the way, the folks who take off all their vacation days end up billing fewer hours and are, in the eyes of some hard-ass partners, seen as less than 100% committed to their jobs. Your average no vacation, three divorces and two heart attacks workaholic is the guy who gets promoted, not the fellow who takes a week in Orlando with the family, diligent though he may be the rest of the year. Moreover, I don't see social media in the U.S. "shaming" these employers into curtailing these internal practices, and of course the U.S. doesn't really have effective labor unions any more. When the economy is slow, people will do anything to keep their jobs; when workers are poor, they will do almost anything to get more hours. If you do away with Golden Week without mandating a substitute, eventually that time off will disappear. Good for the corporate bottom line, but a bad deal for labor. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

The Xi Administration Introduces the “Eight Musts” Posted: 16 Jan 2013 10:17 PM PST On his China Copyright and Media blog, Rogier Creemers translates an article published by the Observer News Weekly, which he believes is, "the first major policy declaration from the Xi administration." The article defines the "Eight Musts," which outline the principles that will guide the current administration. From the translation [emphasis added]: The 18th Party Congress pointed out that, revolving around this main theme, to grasp new victories for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics under new historical conditions, we must closely grasp the basic requirements in eight areas, and let them become the common convictions of the entire Party and the people of all ethnicities in the entire country. These eight basic requirements are: we must persist in the dominant role of the people; we must persist in liberating and developing social productive forces; we must persist in moving reform and opening-up forward; we must persist in safeguarding social fairness and justice; we must persist in marching the path of being well-to-do together; we must persist in stimulating social harmony; we must persist in peaceful development; and we must persist in the leadership of the Party. The basic requirements and common convictions of these "Eight Musts" are an enrichment and development of the inner meaning of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and shall become our programme of action. Socialism with Chinese Characteristics is the undertaking of the millions of people themselves, therefore, the mastering spirit of the people must be given full rein, to better guarantee that the people are the master of their own affairs. Persisting in the dominant role of the people, is that we must believe in the people, rely on the people and consider the people as real heroes. This is the tradition and superiority of the Chinese Communist Party. In another post, Creemers provides analysis of this article and the significance of the "Eight Musts." Notably, Creemers believes these principles partially aim to acknowledge the popularity of certain policies put forth by disgraced Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai: Basically, these documents confirm the Party's intention to maintain the current political structure, strengthen and improve it. This should come as no surprise, as this basically has been the line that has been taken since 1979. In other words, anyone expecting breakthroughs in areas that the Party has identified as crucial for its hold on power, including media (as demonstrated by the Southern Weekend kerfuffle), the Internet, relations with the Army, and the Leninist political structure. What is striking, however, is that the legitimation of all Eight Musts is based on quotes from Mao and Deng. Jiang Zemin is completely absent from the articles, while Hu Jintao is only mentioned once in the People's Daily. More generally, these articles clearly aim to reconnect pre-'79 China with the reform period. In my view, this is an effort to take over some of the success garnered by the nostalgic Bo line, and to hark back to a more egalitarian age, when the Party was less beset by the well-known illnesses of corruption, privilege and abuse that plague it today. The People's Daily also clearly mentions that a greater role must be given to the "mastering spirit" of the people, to ensure that they are more in charge of their own affairs. This is an affirmation of democracy, but in the Chinese sense: democratic centralism in politics, but possibly a new emphasis on private entrepreneurialism and a shift away from the attention lavished on large SOEs during the previous decade. © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 18th party congress, CCP, ccp leadership, economic divide, eight musts, political reform, socialism, Xi Jinping Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

In China, Slowdown Is a Bigger Danger Than Growth Posted: 16 Jan 2013 10:07 PM PST While China's rise is often seen as a threat to other nations, Citigroup's Peter Orszag argues that the world has more to fear from a Chinese slowdown than from continued growth. Furthermore, he writes, recent research suggests that China's high inequality and aging population both increase its risk of stalled development. China, after all, is fast approaching income levels associated with the "middle-income trap," the point at which many other countries have moved from rapid to sluggish growth. This trap opens up for several reasons, including that economies expand disproportionately, at early stages of development, by shifting workers from agriculture to manufacturing. At some point, though, the gains from such shifts disappear, and new sources of growth are needed. China appears to be near this point. […] What would be the consequences if China falls into the trap? According to Yasheng Huang, a professor of management at MIT, slower growth could destabilize China's internal political economy. That, in turn, could prove to be the far larger risk for other nations. In a similar vein, China specialist Susan Shirk of the University of California at San Diego warns that it is China's "internal fragility, not its growing strength, that presents the greatest danger." And Aaron Friedberg, a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, writes that a less prosperous China "may be a less effective competitor in certain respects, but it could also prove to be less predictable, more aggressive, and hence even more dangerous and difficult for the United States and its allies to manage." Friedberg says weak leaders in China might be tempted to rally popular support by confronting other countries. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: aging populaion, economic growth, economic slowdown, inequality, Susan Shirk, Yasheng Huang Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Article 73 Detainee Allowed to See Wife Posted: 16 Jan 2013 08:39 PM PST Zhu Chengzhi is likely the first person to be held in semi-secret "residential surveillance" since it was legalized under Article 73 of China's amended Criminal Procedure Law on New Year's Day. He was charged with inciting subversion after questioning the alleged suicide last year of his friend, labor activist Li Wangyang. On Tuesday he was allowed a visit from his wife, whom he had not seen since his detention in June. From Verna Yu at the South China Morning Post: Zhu's wife, Zeng Qiulian, was taken by police to a hotel to meet him for two hours yesterday morning, his lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan said. Zhu is being held at a secret location, he said. "She said he looked okay … his hair and beard have grown very long because they have not been cut," Liu said. Zeng's mobile phone was switched off yesterday. Shaoyang police refused to comment. […] Since Zhu was detained, police have pressured his relatives to get him to sign a retraction of statements he made to the media that cast doubt on the official version of Li's death. Fellow activist Wang Lihong, who spoke to Zhu's wife yesterday, said Zhu remained incarcerated because he refused to sign the retraction. But she and other activists would continue to press the authorities to release him before the Lunar New Year. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Article 73, criminal procedure law, detention, Hunan, li wangyang, Wang Lihong, Zhu Chengzhi Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Outspoken Critic Attacked at Book Promotion in China Posted: 16 Jan 2013 06:43 PM PST On January 13, 2013 at a promotion event in Beijing for his book the Whole World Knows, 45-year-old Li Chengpeng, an outspoken critic and former soccer columnist, was slapped on the face by a man who said he was disgusted by the content of Li's book. The assailant, reportedly a former lawyer from China's eastern Shangdong province, called Li a traitor. Close to the end of the book promotion, Li also dodged a knife wrapped in red paper hurled by a man. The two attackers were later detained by police. Li's book promotion tour has been dodged by controversy. We reported earlier this week that he had been silenced from speaking at another book promotion event. Hailed by many as someone not afraid of speaking his mind, he is also nicknamed "Li big eyes", and is followed by some 6 million fans on Weibo [zh]. He uses his sarcastic wit to expose China's social problems. His scathing articles and outspoken speeches have won him a large fan base, as well as a lot of decriers. A screenshot of Li Chengpeng on a TV show from youku The Global Times editor-in-chief showed his support for Li's new book [zh]: 胡锡进：@李承鹏新书在京签售火爆，这是中国多元化的又一标志性场面。当局需要接受多元化的现实，全社会应当把握好多元化的节奏和力度，使它真正成为国家前进的正能量。谁都别天然以为这种平衡不可能，这是中国走向未来的唯一之路。否则中国或者走向动荡，或者回到过去。 胡锡进[zh]:The popularity of the new book signing is another symbolic scene of China's diversification. The government needs to accept the diversification as a reality, there should be a proper degree and pace of diversification in the whole society so it could be a positive force driving the country forward. Don't assume the balance couldn't be achieved, this is the only road for China to move ahead, or else China would be heading for turbulence or moving backwards. One netizen expressed his liking of the book: 寰球同此凉热:今天看了李承鹏的《全世界人民都知道》自序，很给力，看来环境是越来越宽松了，这样的环境肯定预示着某种变革。 寰球同此凉热[zh]: I read Li Chengpeng's preface of The whole world knows it, it was awesome, it looks like the environment has become much more free, this kind of environment definitely indicates certain reforms. Many netizens vented their anger over the attack. Actor Wang Xiaoshan tweeted to his 1 million plus fans: @王小山：今@李承鹏 签售连发暴力袭击，令人震惊。谨呼吁，无论观点如何，抗议应该理性。谩骂已然过分，动手更是不该。读书、辩论皆为明理，惟盼国之进步。无论如何，大家将继续共存同一天空下。公民之间，因观念不同而诉诸武力，长此以往，各方都将陷万劫不复之境。慎之，慎之！ 王小山[zh]：Several violent attacks occurred at Li Chengpeng's book signing. It was shocking. I want to appeal that whatever your viewpoints are, protest should be rational. Verbal abuse has already gone too far, initiating physical attacks shouldn't have happened at all. Reading and debate are for a better understanding of truth so that the country can advance. In any event, we all live under the same sky. By resorting to violence because of different opinions, we will all be trapped in an eternal doomed fate if this trend continues. Be cautious, be cautious! 悠悠小天使: @李承鹏 竟然被打了，打人者竟然还是山东人！可气！前两天，还跟悠悠讲来着:有一个眼睛比你还大的叔叔叫大眼，文章写的特别好，妈妈很喜欢看他写的东西。。。替我鄙视打人者！！ 悠悠小天使[zh]: Li Pengcheng was beaten up, the attacker turned out to be from Shangdong! That was annoying！I said the other day: There is an uncle whose eyes are bigger than yours, he writes good articles, mommy loves to read his stuff…Please denounce the attacker for me!! Criticism of Li also could be found online: 简评828：李承鹏本来是个不错的足球记者，野心让他现在走火入魔了 简评828[zh]: Li Chengpeng was a pretty good soccer journalist, his wild ambition has made him take the wrong road. 是思思妹儿不是死死妹儿：李承鹏到底是怎么成足球流氓混成公知的？ 是思思妹儿不是死死妹儿[zh]：How could Li Chengpeng go from a soccer hooligan to public intellectual? Written by owen · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

Landslide Survivors Demand Investigation of Mine’s Role (Updated) Posted: 16 Jan 2013 04:42 PM PST Relief efforts continue in Yunnan, where a remote village was decimated by a landslide last Friday. 46 people died, including 19 children. China Daily reported that 29 of the victims were from a single clan, now reduced to just three members. Many survivors are now living in tents, awaiting pre-fabricated housing and the eventual construction of a new settlement nearby. Crowds of survivors protested outside the local disaster relief headquarters on Sunday night, after it emerged that victims had been cremated without their families' approval. Local authorities apologized, but explained that they were not equipped to deal with so many dead bodies at once. From Xinhua: "Why can't I see my child for the last time?" Luo Yuanju, a migrant worker who hurried home after she got the tragic news that she had lost 29 relatives in the landslide, told the Beijing News. "This cremation was done without our approval. Why couldn't the authorities wait for one or two days?" […] Government authorities had cremated all the bodies by Sunday, triggering anger from the victims' families. According to the tradition of the village, where dwellers are mostly members of the Yi ethnic minority, the bodies of the dead are usually buried instead of cremated. Lei Chuying, deputy head of Zhenxiong county, said cremation orders were given due to consideration of epidemic prevention and people's feelings. "Many parts of the bodies were missing while the buried were dug out," Lei said, "The painful scene might cause trauma among relatives." An official investigation quickly concluded that the landslide was an entirely natural disaster, but local authorities have still faced criticism over their lack of preparedness. From Global Times: Jiang Xingwu, a geological expert in Yunnan, told a press conference on Saturday afternoon that the area's steep incline of 35 to 50 degrees and the composition of the soil made it prone to landslides. Jiang said that the earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.7 and 5.6 which hit neighboring Yiliang county in September 2012 were also a cause, and the continued rainy and snowy weather over the past month led to the saturation of the slope, with gravity eventually causing the landslide. The People's Daily, a flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Sunday questioned why there wasn't any early warning given the prolonged rainy and snowy weather over the past month. […] Also of concern was the fact that a 2010 geological disaster prevention plan by the Zhenxiong government showed that the local government had compiled files for 184 hazardous sites including 29 major ones areas, but Gaopo village was not on the list. In addition, some locals continued to voice suspicions that nearby mining activity was really to blame. From Xinhua: Some villagers believe the landslide may have been triggered by a gas explosion, and they doubt the experts' conclusion that the coal mine boundary was 500 meters away from the landslide. "The mining area is right beneath the landslide," a coal miner in Gaopo said, as quoted by media on Monday. Witnesses told Xinhua they saw "earth and rocks sprayed up into the air" when the landslide occurred. At the same time, some other villagers said they had not been to the scene and only heard about the "explosion" from others. […] Wang Shijun, another person who lost family in the landslide, said a big crack appeared before the landslide. "Big enough to swallow a bull." However, some villagers said the crack was 1 meter wide and some said a half meter wide, while others said there was no crack. Update: Global Times reports that 72 of the villagers have written to the State Council requesting a second investigation into the cause of the landslide. Luo Yuanshou, the brother of a victim, initiated the joint letter and sent to the State Council on Wednesday. The villagers believe the Gaopo coal mine, which is 500 meters from the landslide scene, could have played a role in the landslide. Villagers wondered why the hillside remained stable following a 50-day snowstorm in 2008. Luo told the Global Times that the villagers are demanding the State Council order the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, the Ministry of Land and Resources and the China University of Geosciences to investigate the landslide. The original investigation "hastily concluded the landslide had nothing to do with the mine without even an on-site investigation of the mine. The hill was not that steep and is covered with vegetation," said Luo. Jiang Xingwu, who headed the original investigation, told the Global Times Wednesday that he stands by the results of his investigation, adding he understands that the villagers may want another opinion. The preference for burial over cremation is not limited to the Yi: see 'Henan Officials Commit a Grave Error' on CDT. Neither is Friday's landslide the only apparently natural disaster for which human activity has been blamed: see '2008 Sichuan Earthquake Likely Man-Made'. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: coal mining, death, disaster relief, earthquakes, funerals, landslides, mining, natural disaster, State Council, Yunnan Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Photo: Fridge Transport, by Svend Erik Hansen Posted: 16 Jan 2013 03:31 PM PST Fridge Transport © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Ministry of Truth: Heat and Orphans Posted: 16 Jan 2013 01:26 PM PST The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by central government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Guangdong Propaganda Department: Do not report on the issue of supplying heat to the south. (January 16, 2013) 广东省委宣传部：不报道南方供暖问题。 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. Guangdong Propaganda Department: Use provincial and municipal statements as the standard in reporting on the aftermath of the high-level examination of the Rongcheng Bureau of Civil Affairs in Jieyang for attempting to borrow orphans from a temple. Do not sensationalize this story. (January 16, 2013) 广东省委宣传部：对揭阳民政局官员借孤儿应付检查一事的后续报道以省市权威发布为准，不炒作。 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 on CDT Chinese 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. © Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: censorship, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Guangdong, media censorship, Ministry of Truth, propaganda Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

China: Dirty Air, Dirtier Water? Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:47 AM PST In recent weeks, the Chinese and western media have been all atwitter over the shocking levels of air pollution in Beijing and a number of other Chinese cities. But it really shouldn't be all that shocking. After all, in 2007, the World Bank and China's own State Environmental Protection Administration (now the Ministry of Environmental Protection) found that that as many as 700,000 people die prematurely annually from respiratory disease related to air pollution. And more recently, Greenpeace Beijing reported that in 2011 in four major cities, more than 8,000 people died prematurely as a result of just one pollutant, PM 2.5. Anyone who spends any time in Beijing knows that the city has not yet found a way to tackle the myriad sources of air pollution from construction to cars to coal. As frightening as the country's smog-filled skies might be, the country's water pollution is easily as alarming.  According to one 2011 report, in 2010, "up to 40 percent of China's rivers were seriously polluted" and "20 percent were so polluted their water quality was rated too toxic even to come into contact with." Part of the explanation may rest in the "estimated 10,000 petrochemical plants along the Yangtze and 4000 along the Yellow rivers." (And the Yellow and Yangtze are not even the most polluted of China's seven major rivers.) On top of whatever polluted wastewater might be leaching or simply dumped into China's rivers from these factories, the Ministry of Supervision reports that there are almost 1,700 water pollution accidents annually. The total cost in terms of human life: 60,000 premature deaths annually. While the macro picture is concerning, even more worrying is that individual Chinese don't know whether their water is safe to drink or not. A Chinese newspaper, the Southern Weekly, recently featured an interview with a married couple, both of whom are water experts in Beijing (available in English here). They stated that they hadn't drunk from the tap in twenty years, and have watched the water quality deteriorate significantly over just the past few years, even while state officials claim that more than 80 percent of water leaving treatment facilities met government standards in 2011. It is difficult to get the straight story. According to one report by Century Weekly, there are a number of reasons for differing assessments of the country's water quality: 1) the frequency of testing at treatment plants is too low, and only 40 percent of the treatment plants in China's thirty-five major cities have the capacity to test for all 106 indicators in any case; 2) there are only a few independent water-quality monitoring bureaus, and most water testing is done in-house by the same water-treatment plant being evaluated; 3) there is weak transparency from local governments as to the results of the tests; and 4) no water testing accounts for the contamination that occurs from the aging and degraded pipes through which the water is transmitted to Chinese households. China's environmental challenges are long in the making, not simply a function of the past thirty years of reform. As one reporter has noted, Beijing in the 1950s transformed from a city that "did not produce even pencils" to one that boasted "700 factories and 2000 blast furnaces belching soot in the air." In his 1991 book Environmental Management in China, Qu Geping, China's first director of the country's National Environmental Protection Agency, further commented about that time: "The environmental situation quickly deteriorated. A lot of places were polluted by either smog, sewage waters or rubbish. Biological resources, forests in particular, were seriously damaged, causing several losses to the ecosystem. There was extensive destruction of the natural environment of our country." In the 1950s, China, like other countries, neither understood well nor had the capacity to deal effectively with the environmental and health challenges its rapid development was creating. Today, however, China has both the knowledge and the capability. In the midst of the recent air pollution crisis, Premier-elect Li Keqiang said it would take time to address the air pollution problem: "There has been a long-term buildup to this problem, and the resolution will require a long-term process. But we must act."  In the meantime, the Chinese people can only wear their masks, buy their bottled water, and hope they are not in this year's batch of pollution-related casualties.

Li Chengpeng’s Silent Book Signing Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:56 AM PST Li wore a black face mask in silent protest at his Chengdu book signing. On January 11, popular writer and critic Li Chengpeng reported on Weibo that he had received orders not to speak at his book signing in Chengdu the next day. Li was also prohibited from asking questions of the audience. Even special guests, among them prominent writers who have clashed with the authorities before, were forbidden from speaking: @lichengpeng: Someone sent me strict orders from the higher-ups in the middle of the night: At my Chengdu book signing on the 12th, readers are forbidden to ask me questions; I am forbidden from speaking or making opening remarks. I can't even say "Happy New Year" or "thank you." I am forbidden from introducing Liu Shahe, Ran Yunfei, and all other special guests; I cannot ask them questions, and they cannot say a word, not even "Happy New Year." They can only sit in the corner… This deeply violates my understanding of respect. They are insane. Thinking… @李承鹏：深夜有人匆忙传达上峰死命令：12日成都签售，不准读者向我提问、不准我说话，不准我致开场白，连"新年好，谢谢你们"也不准说，不准介绍流沙 河、冉云飞及所有嘉宾名字，不准向他们提问，也不准他们说话，连"新年好"也不准说。他们只能坐在角落…我深觉这这违背了我对尊严的理解。他们疯了。思考中… His new book, The Whole World Knows, is a collection of essays on contemporary Chinese society. It tackles sensitive issues like the "tofu dregs" schools which collapsed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the disastrous corner-cutting laid bare by the Wenzhou high-speed rail crash. Li later reposted a weibo from a reader at the book signing: @lichengpeng: RT: @alexandermoo: At the scene where these notices were given, I've heard the voices of Li Yawei, Ran Yunfei, and many others. I can verify that two Xinhua Bookstore staff are present as well… Right now I'm still on the phone with bookstore comrades. My thoughts: this shows the utmost disrespect to the readers, some of whom rushed all the way from Shanghai just for this event. They don't want to look at a bunch of taciturn prostheses. The latest news: the authorities have notified the speakers that they may not utter a single word. @李承鹏：回复@拉斯文_本德:接到通知的现场，有李亚伟冉云飞等数人听到，两位新华书店也可证明…现在仍与书店同志电话中。我认为：这完全无视读者的尊严，有读者专门从上海赶来。他们不想看到一群觉沉默的假肢。最新消息：上级通知，绝不许说一句话。 Weibo fans rallied to Li's side: @joylovingheart: If they don't let them speak, they might as well tape their mouths shut. @爱乐的心: 不让说话，那就用胶布把嘴贴起来签售 @ziyueqingye: They get sent to the firing squad for saying "Happy New Year"? This expands my understanding of limiting freedom of speech. @owlmoon豆丁兔：说新年好会被枪毙吗？我对限制言论自由的理解又高一层了 @youyi009: What are they [the authorities] afraid of? What exactly is it that they dread? @幽壹：它们怕什么？究竟在惧怕什么？ @xieliang7: If they can't speak, can they tweet? They can communicate via Weibo at the book signing. @谢良7：不说话可以发微博吗 现场用微博交流 @Billsaid: Looks like Li Big Eyes should change his name to Li Don't Speak. That's sure to catch on. @Billsaid：看来李大眼得改名叫李莫言了，这个笔名一定火。 @MountainUncle: I urge the higher-ups to offer free packing tape! @山宅大叔：强烈要求上峰免费提供封口胶~！！ @ligelongClingclang: What the higher-ups mean is that the interests of the individual can't influence the interests of the party-state. We must be united with absolute sincerity. @李哥隆咚锵：上峰的意思是个人的利益不能影响党国的利益，要精诚团结 @nky888nky: Only after repeated prohibition is one unstoppable. They wish to cover you up, but instead you is all the more obvious. This is all free advertising. The voiceless is even more victorious in making his voice heard. @可人如昱：屡禁才能不止，欲盖反而弥彰，这一切都是免费的广告。无声更胜有声。 @Wchengbo: The dynasty has changed, but the way of thought is unchangeable. @W成波：朝代换了，思维换不了 Read more about the book signing kerfuffle from CDT and Global Voices. Via CDT Chinese. © Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: censorship, Chengdu, freedom of speech, Li Chengpeng, Netizen Voices, sina weibo, weibo Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Word of the Week: Primary Stage of Socialism Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST The Word of the Week comes from China Digital Space's Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and frequently encountered in online political discussions. These are the words of China's online "resistance discourse," used to mock and subvert the official language around censorship and political correctness. 初级阶段 (chūjí jiēduàn): primary stage of socialism The winding road of "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The "primary stage of socialism" is a rhetorical device which allows for a redefinition of orthodox Marxist theory, enabling the government to undertake whatever economic policies are needed to develop into an industrialized nation. It permits the reform faction to demonstrate loyalty to Chinese communist ideology while introducing capitalist measures to the centrally-planned economy. A related term is the famous phrase "socialism with Chinese characteristics," which describes capitalism in the P.R.C. Wen Jiabao penned the article Our Historical Tasks at the Primary Stage of Socialism and Several Issues Concerning China's Foreign Policy in 2007. If you are interested in participating in this project by submitting and/or translating terms, please contact the CDT editors at CDT [at] chinadigitaltimes [dot] net. © Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: grass-mud horse lexicon, word of the week Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

A Chinese Official Realizes the Dream of Home Ownership — 31 Times Posted: 16 Jan 2013 08:35 AM PST An apartment complex in Shenzhen. (dcmaster/Flickr) In modern China, a home is a symbol of financial independence, social status, and success. Many people toil away to realize this "Chinese Dream" of owning a home, even if it means working tirelessly to pay off the mortgage, becoming what the Chinese call a fangnu — a "slave to the house." Introducing a new Internet persona: "house sister"  So when the Chinese public heard that a girl in her early twenties named Zhai Jiazeng owned eleven government-subsidized "affordable apartments" in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, they were shocked. "How many people do you think there are that can't afford to buy houses! We must kill these termites!" wrote @刘斌笑对人生, a user on Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform. Web users took to calling Zhai Jiazeng fangmei, or "house sister." The word fangmei, no doubt stemming from the word fangnu, accentuates the gap between the lifestyles of ordinary Chinese citizens and corrupt government officials. The scandal first erupted last year on October 31, 2012, when one Web user wrote on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, that Zhai Zhenfeng, the girl's father, "flipped" — i.e. bought and quickly resold at a profit — over 300 subsidized apartments. Through this transaction alone, Zhai allegedly made 60 million RMB (about US$10 million). Some who have purchased the apartments from Zhai stated that he had charged 50,000 RMB (about US$ 8,000) extra as agency fee. Within 16 hours of its posting, this information had been shared over 3,000 times. About two months later, on December 26, Hong Kong's Sing Pao newspaper wrote via Weibo about Zhai's daughter's own substantial holdings. On January 13, 2013, after eighteen days of investigation, the Zhengzhou police announced their decision to arrest Mr. Zhai. Along with members of his family, Mr. Zhai, former director of the housing administration bureau in Henan, owns a total of 31 different apartments, according to recent reports. Fourteen of the 31 apartments belong to Zhai's son, Zhai Zhenghong; eleven belong to daughter Zhai Jiazeng; and four belong to wife Li Shuping. Results of recent investigations seem to refute Zhai's claim of innocence, portraying him instead as a shockingly prolific criminal. According to Zhengzhou police reports, Zhai not only embezzled 30 million RMB (about US$4.8 million) in public funds, he also violated the one-child policy, and while he was at it, household registration regulations, which stipulate that a Chinese citizen can only possess one hukou, or permanent residency permit (every one in Zhai's family possessed two).  How did he do it? Observers appear to assume that Mr. Zhai's scheme involved availing himself of a well-meaning government policy, although the precise details remain unclear. Mindful of the potentially crushing costs of housing as prices spiralled, starting in 2007 the Chinese government sponsored an "affordable housing project" that promised to provide inexpensive housing for low-income households. In the first eight months of 2012, the government invested 820 billion RMB (about US$132 billion) in the project. Jiang Weixin, the current Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction, announced the ministry's plan to construct 4.6 million affordable housing units in 2013. Despite such efforts, however, demand for affordable housing exceeds its availability. To cope with the situation, some regions such as Chongqing use a lottery system to allocate government-subsidized apartments to eligible low-income residents. Zhai Zhenfeng, who operates a real estate company whose registered capital reached 8 million RMB (about US$1.3 million) in 2002, does not come close to qualifying for the housing subsidy. When asked how he obtained his apartments in an interview with Beijing News, Zhai answered that it was the result of his wife "doing eleven years of business" in the real estate world, as well as family savings. Mistrust of officialdom rears its head, again Faced with yet another case of local government corruption, Chinese Web users responded with disgust and disappointment. "Why do such officials exist? They're completely useless…shouldn't we just get rid of the ministry altogether and get the people to oversee everything?" wrote @招财猫_y. "Our nation has already rotted to the extreme…the officials' words have lost all integrity whatsoever," wrote @超级大老虎. Another Web user, @爱与巴巴拉, wrote simply, "Kill them." Perhaps tellingly, this post has not been deleted by censors. Other Web users viewed this scandal as further proof of the inequality that exists in today's Chinese society. @妈妈爱宝贝99, whose handle literally means "mommy loves her darling," lamented, "Ordinary citizens can't afford a house, and even just giving birth to a child requires us to go through countless procedures. Look at this official: He has multiple houses and more than one child. This is what we call 'distinctly Chinese.'" Another user, @黑黑黑黑黑黑皮, commented, "One third of those who live in 'affordable housing' drive around in BMWs. One half of them either have favorable relationships or power and status." Perhaps what angered the public the most is Zhai Zhenfeng's disregard for the many Chinese citizens who work tirelessly to pay their housing bills, giving the hyperbolic name "mortgage slave" the ring of truth. In a market of limited subsidized housing stock, observers seem to feel that Zhai used his status to steal what rightly belongs to them. Weibo user @涟涟雨迤逦行 asked: "The girls who have no choice but to work, the girls who cry tears of blood…what of them? Who can answer them?"

China's Transparent Reporting on Air Pollution Posted: 16 Jan 2013 05:20 AM PST Beijing's record-breaking pollution has been reported by both Chinese and international media for the past few days. What's surprising is the official media's transparency in reporting about pollution, a topic often down played by Chinese media. CHINA DIGITAL TIMES extracts examples of reporting in Chinese media from international media. TeaLeafNation analyzed why. Written by Abby · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

“Avoid Outdoor Activities”: Record-Breaking Air Pollution in Beijing Posted: 16 Jan 2013 05:03 AM PST Beijing is no stranger to air pollution, but this time it was different. A lingering 4-day heavy smog with jaw-dropping pollution readings hit the Chinese capital in mid-January, making news headlines and galvanizing an online community that has become increasingly vocal about environmental issues. The pollution engulfed the city with heavy haze and reduced visibility. (Picture by Owen) State media called on citizens to take pre-cautions and avoid outdoor physical activities. One key pollution indicator–PM2.5, otherwise known as particulates less than 2.5 micrometers in the air, reached a stunning high level on January 12. The highest reading on PM2.5 that day was beyond 700 micrograms per cubic meter, in what many Chinese are calling "exploding the index" (readings went off the charts.) Of all the small particulates, experts believe PM2.5 poses the greatest risk to human health as they can penetrate into human lungs. Air pollution index over 500 is believed to be hazardous.In a rare move, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued an orange warning on January 13, the highest haze warning the city has ever received. The heavy pollution in Beijing has led to a surge in mask sales[zh] online. The masks were even sold out in some stores. Beijing installed 35 PM2.5 monitoring stations at the end of last year in a bid to better inform citizens on pollution levels. A lack of wind and explosive growth of automobiles over the years in the city have always been cited by state media as reasons for pollution. International press blames the problem on the government's endless pursuit of economic growth and its ignorance over environmental degradation. Netizens voiced their concerns over health on Sina Weibo: 田源-Jason:明知这几天空气质量严重污染，但大街小巷人还是不少。地铁里也充斥着各种外地人的口音，基本讨论也是北京污染严重，不应该来，北京越来越不好，容易得病什么的。各位不如你们都回去建设自己家乡吧，把首都还给我们做北京！ 田源-Jason[zh]: Even though they know the air is heavily polluted, the streets and lanes, big and small have been packed with many people. Different dialects can be heard in the subway, the talks have basically been –the severity of air pollution, they shouldn't have come, Beijing becoming worse, and (people) are becoming prone to diseases, etc. Hi, guys, perhaps you should go back to contribute to your hometown, leave the capital Beijing to us! 黄金神棍: 女儿打开ipad，看到了天气通上面的污染指数。她说，北京污染得好厉害啊～我说，是啊。你要不要回去嘛？她说不要。她问我那些人为啥要待在那里呢？我 说，那里能赚很多钱，还有高楼大厦。她说赚钱后治病吗？我不知如何回复。她说they are real ill……有时候想想，成人有时候真不如个孩子！ 黄金神棍[zh]: My daughter turned on the iPad and saw the pollution index in the weather report. She said, Beijing is heavily polluted~ I said yes, are you gonna go back? She said no and asked me why people want to stay there? I said people make a lot of money there, there are also high rises. She said can sickness be healed after they make money? I didn't know how to respond. She said they are really ill…. Sometimes, children are wiser than adults! One Chinese pop singer[zh] gave a guttural yell: 现在时刻，北京毒气时间整带着…口罩都挡不住怪味！头晕！眼睛疼！呼吸困难！…空气你是要怎样啊？？想变固体吗？？ Now is the Beijing toxic air time…. Wearing masks couldn't prevent that odd smell! My head is dizzy! My eyes hurt! I have a hard time breathing.The air in Beijing what do you want????Do you want to turn yourself into solid???? One played mockery[zh] on the pollution: 据说，此刻北京PM值达到728，已经完全进入寂静岭模式。 It is said the PM index now in Beijing has reached 728, it has officially entered the Silent Hill model. Another netizen took on a historic parallel[zh]: 颜强：雾都北京。英国人看到2013年1月12日的北京，觉得充满历史沧桑感，如同回到1945年的伦敦。 Smoggy city Beijing. The British will feel a sense of history if they saw Beijing on Jan 12, 2013, it would be like travelling back to London 1945 Some were helpless[zh]: 干鱼刺：不用看pm2.5公布值，用鼻子就能闻出来污染的恶劣程度，赚点钱容易吗，明知山上虎偏向虎山行，我并非英勇只是无奈！ We don't need to see PM2.5 index, our noses could smell the severity of the pollution, making money is not easy, I continue undeterred even though there are dangers ahead, it's not that I am brave, I don't have a choice! Written by owen · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

When Two Chinese Women Found the Courage to Report Abuse, They Were Ignored Posted: 15 Jan 2013 10:27 PM PST (Wikimedia Commons) In June, I found myself placing a call to the Shanghai police. My twenty-year old friend, Lily , slumped on a nearby couch with her face in her hands. She would not call herself, she said, because "The police will not do anything." Given her ex-boyfriend's abusive past, and his incessant calling, texting, and stalking, I insisted that the authorities would have no choice. I had met this young woman and her Shanghai boyfriend, Adam, a few months earlier.  Though more than ten years her senior, he seemed decent enough: the three of us played cards together and even went out on a few occasions. But, as Lily and I got closer, she confided her misgivings about the relationship. As Adam's parents aged, she said, there was mounting pressure for her to marry him and start a family. She wasn't ready for the commitment. "And besides," she added, "sometimes we fight." "Every couple fights," I told her. "Well…" she continued, sensing I had not understood, "sometimes he hits me." And then added, hastily, "But he is a good man." As time wore on, her assessment of Adam's character rang increasingly false. On a visit to the apartment she and Adam shared, she pointed out a shattered pane in the glass divide between the living room and the balcony. "I broke that," she said with self-reproach, "when he locked me out there for a day." On another occasion, when we went to the park, a heavy layer of foundation, a silk scarf, and sleeves could not hide the cuts and contusions on her lips, neck, and arms. When she finally fled his apartment one summer evening, she arrived at my place bearing a tiny, immobilized terrier, its hind leg broken when the boyfriend flung it against a wall. The more I learned about their relationship, the more it seemed like a nightmare, rather than a marriage waiting to happen. Someone at the police station answered. I asked for an English speaker, and was heartened to hear a woman's voice on the line. I endeavored to explain the extent of the abuse, and how Lily's ex-boyfriend was, as we spoke, putting the screws to every one of their mutual friends in an effort to discover her new address. The policewoman listened for a minute or two, then asked if she could speak to my friend. I passed the phone. I must have turned my own face to the floor, because I was startled moments later by Lily's shriek and the sound of her cell phone shattering against the wall. Lily took a few minutes to calm down. Apparently, the officer had explained that the calls, texts, and stalking were all ways of showing love. "He obviously cares about you and wants to be with you," the policewoman reasoned. "You should go back to him." ***** My friend Lindsey also acquired an admirer at the age of twenty. As he was a complete stranger, she did not accept his letters or little gifts of flowers and chocolate. Undeterred, he started throwing them through her open apartment window. The gesture lost some of its romance over the months that followed — especially after Lindsey learned the man had been watching her shower from the building opposite. Throughout this one-way romance, she told me, her message was clear: "I am not interested in you. Please leave me alone." But, rather than leaving her alone, the young man became more and more obsessed. He started showing up at her apartment and pounding on the door. Lindsey ignored him. One muggy afternoon, when she propped the door to get some air, her suitor crept inside. When Lindsey caught him rummaging through her things, he started; wild-eyed, he snatched up a knife and started slashing her chairs, pillows, and bedclothes. Lindsey said she ran down the hall, banging on her neighbors' doors until one finally opened. She hid inside. Moments later, her suitor arrived and threatened to stab the bewildered neighbor if he protected her again. At this point, Lindsey, like my other friend, called a Hail Mary: she went to the police. "Flowers and chocolates?" came the response. "This guy must really like you! Don't you think you should give him a chance?" When Lindsey insisted she had no interest in the man — and, at this point, had good reason to fear him — the police dug themselves deeper: "Well, if this has continued over time, you must have given him some encouragement." In the end, Lindsey had to threaten a lawsuit to get the police's cooperation. Her stalker was instructed to stay off the floor where she lived. She continued to see him around her housing complex. ***** Two accounts can only carry so much weight. Yet the striking similarities between them suggest something disturbing about gender dynamics in China. First, these accounts reveal a reluctance to label any behavior, however heinous, "harassment" or "abuse." Lindsey endured months of unwanted attention, involving the police only when her stalker ransacked her apartment. Lily was battered, physically and emotionally, all the while insisting her boyfriend was "a good man." As with many victims of abuse, naïveté played a role. But she did not arrive at this character assessment alone. Many people around her — people she considered friends — knew of Adam's violent episodes and yet urged her to marry him. After all, didn't he keep a roof over her head? In China, the normalness of violence toward women caused Lindsey and Lily to set their respective thresholds for "harassment" and "abuse" far too high. Then, when they found the strength to call "abuse" by its proper name, authorities took no heed. In both cases, they dismissed, de-legitimized, and otherwise explained away my friends' trepidation and terror. Shouldn't the cops have shown a little more concern — if not out of human decency, then out of professional obligation? But the cognitive process behind their indifference may be most alarming of all. Though fundamentally about abuse, Lily and Lindsey's accounts also contained details which, if taken out of context, reflected well on their respective tormentors (e.g. chocolates and love letters). When one officer after another urged these women to give their abusive partners "a chance," it was as if they had only registered these endearing sidenotes. They weren't willfully ignoring everything else — the savage beatings, the stalking. These things simply made no impression, like a footprint in the sea. In the past month, gruesome violence against women in India has exploded into international news. In the streets of New Delhi, that society has been forced to grapple with its age-old gender favoritism. Meanwhile, China—where at least one quarter of women suffer domestic abuse — serves as an uncomfortable reminder that unseen, smoldering violence, coupled with institutional indifference, is more than enough to keep millions of women living in fear. Note: All names in this article have been changed.

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