Reflection

I have learned a lot about China, from its censorship policies to human rights issues. I have asked myself, how do all of the issues connect. I have found that it isn't the issues that connect, but the way people deal with them. It appears that people who are featured on the news tend to stand up for what they believe in. Some do it violently, like the protesters at the plastic plant, and some do it non-violently, like Ai Weiwei or Tank Man. There is injustice everywhere in the world, but it seems that it is more concentrated in China than most places. I am sure there are good things about China, but we never hear about them.

The book The Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang was interesting, however, it ended fairly abruptly. despite the poor conclusion, the book was very educational about the Cultural Revolution. I learned all of the individual pieces, but the book connected all of the pieces. After I read the book, I understood how the Red Guards tied into Mao's Cultural Revolution.

The three essential questions, What is power and how do people use it, How does identity affect how we interact with humans, and What is our responsibility as human beings, play huge roles in history, but I think they are more relevant now than before. There are more people in this world, therefore, the questions have a larger relevance to society. I think the answers to these questions have changed over time in some places like the U.S., but for most of the world I think these answers have stayed the same for hundreds of years.

70% of Taiwan People want cross-strait pact

A public survey in Taipei shows that 70.4% of Taiwan people want to review the controversial cross-Strait service trade pact clause by clause. In this survey published by Taiwan's mainland affairs department, about 42.5 percent supported the pact, and about 40.1 percent were against it. The service trade pact (signed in June 2013) liberalizes and normalizes service trade between China and Taiwan and even opens up mutual markets. The agreement was that the main land will open 80 service sectors to Taiwan and Taiwan will open 64 sectors to the mainland. In mid march, hundreds of students protested against the pact because they saw it as “undemocratic”, and the protest was over by April 10. The island administrator has agreed to review the pact once more and submit a draft involving the people's concerns on the cross-strait agreement. It will take some time for everyone to sign an agreed version. About 58.8 percent of people considered the cross-strait consultation as a benefit for the region's stability.

Reaction to the book

I thought the book Red Scarf Girl was an ok book. I personally thought that it was a little boring and left the reader very confused many times. I learned a lot from this book. This was a life story of an actual person so I could really understand how it was for the people in China. While I was reading this I thought about what I would have done if I was in the situation Ji-Li. Many of the things that were done seemed a little bit crazy. I honestly did not enjoy this book. Even though I learned a decent amount I felt like it was a burden to read. It was very slow and described many things that were not something that needed a lot of descriptions. There were many other things that needed a lot more description and that is why it was confusing in many places. Some parts of the book also did not seem realistic. At some points in the book I felt like I was reading a fiction book. I would not recommend this book unless you are just reading it for the historical information or the understanding of how people lived back then. From this project I learned that in order to really learn something you need to do continuos  research and not only on the history but also on current events. The broader the research is the more information you will find and the more you will learn.

Muslim extremists even in China?

Muslim extremists are even going crazy in china today as they killed over 30 people and injured dozens with various bombs, and running them over in a marketplace. there was even a citizen interviewed that reported the cars had to stop a couple times, because of the piled up bodies stopping them from moving forward. These extremists were using huge fear tactics against the other people in china located in Urumqi where these Muslim extremists were terrorizing people. The official Xinhua News Agency said several people were rushed to hospital and flames and heavy smoke were seen at the scene, which was cordoned off.No other details were given and it wasn't clear if anyone had been killed in the early morning blast in the city of Urumqi. A spokeswoman for the Xinjiang regional police department would only say that more information would be forthcoming."I heard four or five explosions. I was very scared. I saw three or four people lying on the ground," said Fang Shaoying, the owner of a small supermarket located near the scene of the blast. China is refusing to let people near it who are going to take pictures and are even refusing to let people do their jobs by having them delete images and various other recordings of the information. The Muslim extremists may have gone too far even if they wish to overthrow an oppressive horrible and disgusting government this isn't the way to do it.

Witnesses describe terror attack in Urumqi

In the China news, this happened today in Urumqi. Explosions at am open-air market in Urumqi, in capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Thursday morning, have left 31 people dead and more than 90 others injured. China's Ministry of Public Security called the blasts "a serious violent terrorist incident", and a witness who was buying groceries at the market and he saw vehicles plough into the people and also explosions thrown out of the vehicles. "I heard a series of large explosions and the vehicles were soon on fire, with flames rising so high they could reach the second floor of a building," the witness said. Another witness, a man surnamed Wang, cried as he described the scene. "I started to run as soon as I heard the explosions and one blast was quite close to me," Wang said, adding he has never felt so scared in all his life. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to severely punish terrorists and spare no efforts in maintaining stability in response to Thursday morning's fatal explosions in Urumqi. Two vehicles without license plates drove through roadside fences and plowed into people at an open air market at Gongyuanbei Street near Renmin Park at 7:50 a.m. and set off explosive devices, killing at least 31 people. More than 90 others were injured. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, meanwhile, called on authorities to step up safety measures and eliminate weak points in public security, to protect people's lives and properties. So far all injured people have been sent to hospitals and police are pushing through the investigation, authorities said. In the book, "Red Scarf Girl," by Ji-Li Jiang, she is willing to live through the Culture Revolution. This reminds me of the book because the terrorist attack is more of how Ji-Li Jiang lives in China and how Chairman Mao is taking over all of China's powers and strength. For example, Ji-Li Jiang needs to take care of her family in order to survive the Culture Revolution. More on how the terrorist attack describes more on how China had a lot of difficulties, including, bombs, attacks, shooting, weapons, exe. I thought the book was a good book to me because it talks about how China itself was a country that had a bunch of problems in life. I like how I learned that Ji-Li Jiang was a brave girl who reacted of standing up to Chairman Mao and her classmates in the book, "Red Scarf Girl." I would recommend this book to who ever is interested in learning about China's history and background.    

Human Rights in China

Human Rights in China  

1) Freedom of Expression:

    The Government restricts on journalist,bloggers, and an estimated of 538 million internet users continued to violate domestic and international  legal guarantees and the freedom press and expression and these are some social media that are blocked in china  Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are blocked because they don’t want people to know what's happening in china and they only allow up to 300 million subscribers space to express their opinions and discontent to an extent previously unavailable.

2)Freedom of Religion

    The Chinese government restricts religious practices to be performed at mosques, churches, temples, and monasteries. Also spiritual groups such as protestant “house churches “ are consider unlawful and the government subjects their members to fines and prosecution. The government continue to restrict religious activities at are named security in ethnic minority areas.            

4)Women’s Rights

    Women rights and access to health remain severely curtailed under china's family planning regulations. Chinese government continues to administrative sanctions,fines, and coercive measures, including forced abortions. The government has had crackdowns on sex work is often lead up to serious abuses and including physical, and sexual violence. There is an estimate that there are up to 4 to 10 million sex workers in every single country and there trying to bring justice to all the sex works in countries.                

5)Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

    
  In June, more than 80 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists gathered in Beijing China for their first conference. The activist have been harassed by police raids on popular gay venues. Also china's laws based on sexual orientation do not recognize the same sex relationships or adoption rights to couples that are the same sex.

North Korea Nuclear Test

North Korea has been testing nuclear weapons and wants to conduct another test. They have already done three tests but want to do another. China has used diplomatic channels to warn them not to do it. North Koreas testing of the nuclear weapons has put the rest of the world into a bit of a panic. The U.S. had renewed its threat of counter-measures after the third nuclear test. North Korea regularly Threatens the south and the United States with destruction. The U.N. has tried to pressure North korea into abandoning its missile and nuclear programs in 2006, but they did not listen. North Korea's only ally, China has told them that there is no justification for another nuclear test and that they should not do it. Even though North Korea has put a ton of stress on their relationship with China, China has not threatened the North with explicit consequences. This is like a parent not being strict enough with their child, if they aren't strict and punish the wrongdoings then those doings will continue and they will not know how wrong it is to do what they are doing. The U.S. is hoping that China will get the North to abandon the banned nuclear weapon program. The U.N. is also trying to get China to get the North to stop with their nuclear activity, also unsuccessful. The relationships with China are starting to fall apart because China is not taking control of its ally which is threatening the world and the safety for  mankind. Japan is also trying to talk North Korea out of the test. In the future they will hold high level governmental talks with North Korea to try and get them to stop. The stubbornness of North Korea is awful, it could lead to another big war because it is not cooperating and putting the rest of the world in danger.

Cyber-hacking war reaches new high

Since 2006, there have been many accusations between China and the U.S. about hacking into secure networks. Recently, the U.S. has confirmed that China has hacked into secure networks. Five Chinese officials have been identified in the hacking of several large companies in the U.S. These companies include a steel company and a solar company. The F.B.I. electronically tracked the hackers to a heavily guarded 12-floor military tower near the Shanghai airport that is the headquarters  for China's military hacking unit. The F.B.I. was even able to figure out who the hackers were. The names have been posted. Their names are Wang Dong, Huang Zhenyu, Sun Kailiang, Gu Chunhui, and Wen Xinyu. All of these men are members of The People’s Liberation Army.

It has been determined that their purpose for hacking into the companies is to give an edge to Chinese based companies and to get trade secrets from the companies in the U.S. The U.S. says that hacking into secure government networks for national security is one thing, but hacking into networks to give an economic edge to their companies is completely unacceptable. 

Chinese Poems

Poem by Qu Yuan:

A prince am I of ancestry renowned,

Illustrious name my royal sire hath found.

When Sirius did in spring its light display,

A child was born, and Tiger marked the day.

When first upon my face my lord's eye glanced,

For me auspicious names he straight advanced,

Denoting that in me Heaven's marks divine

Should with the virtues of the earth combine.

With lavished innate qualities indued,

By art and skill my talents I renewed;

Angelic herbs and sweet selineas too,

And orchids late that by the water grew,

I wove for ornament; till creeping Time,

Like water flowing, stole away my prime.

Magnolias of the glade I plucked at dawn,

At eve beside the stream took winter-thorn.

Without delay the sun and moon sped fast,

In swift succession spring and autumn passed;

The fallen flowers lay scattered on the ground,

The dusk might fall before my dream was found.

Drinking alone with the moon: 

From a pot of wine among the flowers 

I drank alone. There was no one with me -- 

Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon 

To bring me my shadow and make us three. 

Alas, the moon was unable to drink 

And my shadow tagged me vacantly; 

But still for a while I had these friends 

To cheer me through the end of spring.... 

I sang. The moon encouraged me. 

I danced. My shadow tumbled after. 

As long as I knew, we were boon companions. 

And then I was drunk, and we lost one another. 

...Shall goodwill ever be secure? 

To my retired friend Wei: 

It is almost as hard for friends to meet 

As for the morning and evening stars. 

Tonight then is a rare event, 

Joining, in the candlelight, 

Two men who were young not long ago 

But now are turning grey at the temples. 

...To find that half our friends are dead 

Shocks us, burns our hearts with grief. 

We little guessed it would be twenty years 

Before I could visit you again. 

When I went away, you were still unmarried; 

But now these boys and girls in a row 

Are very kind to their father's old friend. 

They ask me where I have been on my journey; 

And then, when we have talked awhile, 

They bring and show me wines and dishes, 

Spring chives cut in the night-rain 

And brown rice cooked freshly a special way. 

...My host proclaims it a festival, 

He urges me to drink ten cups -- 

But what ten cups could make me as drunk 

As I always am with your love in my heart? 

...Tomorrow the mountains will separate us; 

Spring Rain:

I am lying in a white-lined coat while the spring approaches, 

But am thinking only of the White Gate City where I cannot be. 

...There are two red chambers fronting the cold, hidden by the rain, 

And a lantern on a pearl screen swaying my lone heart homeward. 

...The long road ahead will be full of new hardship, 

With, late in the nights, brief intervals of dream. 

Oh, to send you this message, this pair of jade earrings! --  

The Palace of the Sui Emperor: 

His Palace of Purple Spring has been taken by mist and cloud, 

As he would have taken all Yangzhou to be his private domain 

But for the seal of imperial jade being seized by the first Tang Emperor, 

He would have bounded with his silken sails the limits of the world. 

Fire-flies are gone now, have left the weathered grasses, 

But still among the weeping-willows crows perch at twilight. 

...If he meets, there underground, the Later Chen Emperor, 

Do you think that they will mention a Song of Courtyard Flowers? 

      I think these poems are very interesting because it tells how China is a beautiful country and by how it talks about the relationships about China and who is writing the poems. These poems are telling how in the Red Scarf Girl, Ji-Li Jiang tries to become a Red Guard. This reminds me of it because in the last poem, its about a palace and how that relates to China itself. By having all of the fancy palaces and buildings there. 

China jails man for leaking military data

A man in Guangdong, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking information about China's military. News reporters have not named the country that received the information, or even given the man's full name. The only name that was given is his surname, Li. Li had given the information of 23 classified documents and 13 of them were considered highly classified to the foreign spy, state media said. Reporters said that the man started working at a coastal city in Guangdong in 2000, and in 2011 an unknown woman contacted Li on a Chinese instant messaging program. According to state media, the woman acted very interested in Li’s work and life. Now, the state military believes the woman had something to do in the leak of information. Chinese president Xi Jinping has made security concerns a top issue and arranged the first meeting of the country's new national security commission three weeks ago.

Quotes on Mao Tse-tung

" A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another."

" To read too many books is harmful."

" Woman hold up half the sky."

" An army of the people is invincible!"

" Don't give a child a fish but show him how to fish."

" Politics is war without blood, while war is politics with blood."

" It's always darkest before it becomes totally black."

" In waking a tiger, use a long stick."

" The communist party must control the guns."

" I am a lone monk walking the world with a leaky umbrella."

" Everything under heaven is in utter choas; the situation is excellent."

" When you point a finger at the moon to indicate the moon, instead of looking at the moon, the stupid ones look at your finger."

Da Zi Baos, the cause of division between a nation

Da Zi Baos, were very common in China during the cultural revolution. They were a form of propaganda that Mao's followers used to humiliate "anti-revolutionaries" or to promote Mao. Da Zi Baos were often used in school environments. Ji-Li Jiang, the author of The Red Scarf Girl had to write them when she was in school in China. For a while, all classes were canceled and the students had to write Da Zi Baos all day. Many of them were about their teachers and how they had been wronged by them. Da Zi Baos were just another way to create a division between the revolutionaries, and the citizens with a bad class status.

Steps taken to stop child trafficking from Vietnam to China

Human trafficking, especially child trafficking, is very common in Vietnam. These children are then sold into slavery in China. Not much is known about the children who are kidnapped or the people who enslave them. For these reasons, there isn't a simple way to stop it.

However, the Vietnamese and Chinese governments have taken measures to try to stop the trafficking. In 2000, Chinese and Vietnamese officials met in Hanoi to discuss different strategies to stop the trafficking. The meeting was followed up by a field assessment and a joint survey later that year. Border guards and and women's union representatives in the affected provinces have been trained to help the trafficked children. Shelters have also been set up to help prevent children prostitution. UNICEF has helped set up these shelters. It is a step, but it is a long way from solving child trafficking from Vietnam to China.

Human Trafficking from Vietnam to China

Because of the economic boom there has been an increase in sinister and exploitative industry, cross-border trafficking of women and children.  According to the Vietnamese authorities, in the last ten years, around 22,000 women and children have been trafficked to China. Single, poor, women with low self confidence and minimal education are mainly targeted because they want to get out of the poverty and get away from all of the suffering. They are promised well paying jobs and/or marriages to chinese men, which makes them much more likely to accept the terms of the trafficking. Due to the terrible conditions in china and the lack of women because female children are not liked many men have turned to finding vietnamese wives. For these chinese men the vietnamese women that they most likely bought as wives are mainly treated as “child bearing machines”. These women are raped and abused by their husbands and in laws. When the husband decides that he's had enough of the woman he will resell her to some other men. Sometimes when the women has a child and the husband decides to leave the woman has to care for the baby. Sometimes the in laws go as far as to keeping the woman locked up until she does what they want. This usually goes to them wanting her to have a child. Once she has the child she is let go and needs to care for herself. This trafficking is awful and ruins many peoples lives.

Mao Zedong's Speech

Mao gave the following speech June 30, 1949, in commemoration of the Chinese Communist Party's twenty eighth anniversary. Communists the world over are wiser than the bourgeoisie, they understand the laws governing the existence and development of things, they understand dialectics and they can see farther. The bourgeoisie does not welcome this truth because it does not want to be overthrown. This speech tells that the Communist Party are celebrating the years of commemoration. I believe that Mao has a chance to tell his country that he has the right to do these things. People may agree on this, people may not agree on this, depending on if they believe Mao.

One-Child Policy is dangerous in China

China’s One-Child Policy is the worst policy in China. For women, it is very dangerous and frightening. Women are only allowed to have one child. If they have more than one child or are pregnant, they have to get an abortion. Approximately, 35.9% of China’s population are only children because of the One-Child policy. This policy was introduced in 1979 for the social, economic, and environmental problems in China. During the period of Chairman Mao’s leadership of China, the crude birth rate fell from 37 to 20 per thousand, infant mortality declined from 227/1000 births in 1949 to 53/1000 in 1981. The one-child policy has been challenged in principle and in practice for violating the human right to determine the size of one’s own family. Chairman Mao claims that he has China's best interests in mind, but from what we are looking at now, it is clear that he didn't. The One-Child policy is proof of this. The fertility rate in China fell from 2.63 births per woman in 1980 to 1.61 in 2009. Ji-Li Jiang and her family had to follow Mao’s restrictions for China. In China, parents are willing to have boys instead of girls because they believe that men have a better chance of getting jobs, money, food, and working for their family. The One-Child policy is a complete restriction of basic human rights. A family is only allowed to have one child otherwise, they will be punished or killed.    

              

Tiananmen Square, A continuous fight back

The Tienanmen Square protests of 1989 are some of the most well known protests worldwide. It is the most sensitive day in Chinese history. The government has gone as far as arresting people who invoke its memory. Many of the families who were affected by the 1989 massacre have been placed under house arrest or are kept under surveillance. As the 25th anniversary approaches, the government has ramped up these efforts.
The Chinese government is trying to erase the event from history. The Chinese government is taking great steps towards keeping the event under wraps. The government has detained many journalists and confiscated their equipment. The authorities use vague reasons for arresting these journalists, saying that they are “endangering national security”, and that they are “enemies of the state”. It is a crime for the rest of the world to stand by and watch these basic human rights violated so obviously by the Chinese government. It is time to do something.

China destroys statues as 'anti-Christian' campaign widens

The Chinese government has destroyed, removed, or hidden scenes including Jesus’ crucifixion. this has started fears of new offensive acts by the government that are being offensive against Christians. Many workers sealed off Wenzhou’s Longgang Hill, a site of Catholic pilgrimage, and used bricks to hide statues portraying moments from the Passion of Christ. Statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, each weighing up to five tons, were attempted to be hidden from view by having brick walls built around them, while cranes were used to remove other holy statues and tablets from the park. All of this goes back to censorship and total power for the Chinese government. Many Christians came to watch these hidings and destroying of their sacred statues and started crying, some even tried to sneak into the temples to pray and hope that their sacred monuments would be left and not destroyed. Wenzhou’s Sanjiang church became a symbol of resistance to the Communist Party’s draconian religious policies. Thousands of Christians formed a human shield around the place of worship after plans to demolish it were announced. The government did everything they could and got through the shield. They demolished the building and left tons of Christians in heartache. All of these actions are putting a bad reputation onto china. As an American I do not feel like China is a good place and I would not ever want to visit it. If I were to be Christian I would be hurt by this, I would want to do everything I could to try and stop these terrible actions. These acts could change a lot in China, Many other countries and places could look at this as taking away human rights and with that may end alliances or truces. This could lead to world wars and other fights. Many countries feel very strongly about their religion and if China decides to go against all of that then China will be hated by the rest of the world.

China prepares for North Korea collapse

China and North Korea have been close allies for a very long time. China is the only country who will trade with North Korea. China supported North Korea in the Korean war and have kept close ties since. However, in the past few years, China has become more and more worried about North Korea and their government. China is preparing for the collapse of the North Korean government. The Chinese have drawn up extensive contingency plans that include the detainment of important North Korean leaders and the creation of refugee camps along the border. It appears that North Korea may have lost its one and only ally.

Chinese history, From bad to worse

1925 - The death of Sun Yat-sen brings Chiang Kai-shek as leader. He breaks with the Communists and confirms the governing Kuomintang as a nationalist party. 

1931-45 - Japan invades, and gradually occupies more and more of China.

  

1934-35 - Mao Zedong emerges as communist leader during the "Long March"

  

1958 - Mao launches the "Great Leap Forward" (a five year economic plan)

 

1966-76 -  "Cultural Revolution" Mao's 10-year political and ideological campaign.    

  

1976 - Mao Dies

  

1986-90 - China's "Open Door" policy encourages encourages development of a market economy and private sector.

 

1989 - Hard line party leaders sent in troops to crush pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.

1993 - Jiang Zemin officially replaces Yang Shangkun as president.

   

1995 - China tests missiles and holds military exercises in Taiwan (to intimidate Taiwan during its presidential elections).  

    

1999 - Nato bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and Yugoslavia. Falun Gong, a quasi-religious sect, outlawed as a threat to stability.

 

2000 - Crackdown on official corruption intensifies, with the execution for bribe taking of a former deputy chairman of the National People's Congress.   

    

2001 - April, Diplomatic standoff over the detention of an American spy plane and crew after a mid-air collision with a Chinese fighter jet.
   

June,   Leaders of China, Russia and four Central Asian states launch the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and sign an agreement to fight ethnic and religious militancy while promoting trade and investment

. June, China carries out military exercises simulating an invasion of Taiwan, at the same

November, China joins the world trade organization.

2002 - February - US President George W Bush visits, on the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's visit to China - the first by a US president.

July, The US says China is modernising its military to make possible a forcible reunification with Taiwan. Beijing says its policy remains defensive.

November, Vice-President Hu Jintao is named head of the ruling Communist Party, replacing Jiang Zemin, the outgoing president. Jiang is re-elected head of the influential Central Military Commission, which oversees the armed forces.

2003 - June - Sluice gates on Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower scheme, are closed to allow the reservoir to fill up.

June - Hong Kong is declared free of Sars. Days later the World Health Organization lifts its Sars-related travel warning for Beijing.

June - China, India reach de facto agreement over status of Tibet and Sikkim in landmark cross-border trade agreement.

July-August - Some 500,000 people march in Hong Kong against Article 23, a controversial anti-subversion bill. Two key Hong Kong government officials resign. The government shelves the bill.

October - Launch of China's first manned spacecraft: Astronaut Yang Liwei is sent into space by a Long March 2F rocket.

2004 -  November, China signs a landmark trade agreement with 10 south-east Asian countries; the accord could eventually unite 25% of the world's population in a free-trade zone.

2006 -  August, Official news agency says 18 million people are affected by what it describes as the country's worst drought in 50 years.

2014 -  January, China allows foreign companies majority ownership of some telecom and internet services in the Shanghai free trade zone. They will be able to supply services nationwide except for home internet access, which will be restricted to the zone.