Grapevine - 8. page

On August 7, 2010, China Review News republished a news report from Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily regarding PLA Lt. General Liu Yazhou’s calls for political reform in his article published by Phoenix magazine in Hong Kong.
 
“Within 10 years, a transformation from authoritarian politics to democracy will inevitably take place,” Liu Yazhou said, “A great change will happen in China. Political reform is the mission that the history has entrusted to us. It is impossible for us to retreat.”

Lt General Liu Yazhou is political commissar of the PLA National Defense University and son-in-law of China’s former President Li Xiannian.

Source: China Review News, August 7, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/0/6/9/101406982.html?coluid=5&kindid=23&docid=101406982&mdate=0807154447

On May 26, 2010, Guangming Daily reported about a forum held recently, that discussed how to use Communist dramas to instill Communist values in college students minds. The participants recognized the creativity of the Henan musical opera “Daughter of Dabie Mountain” based on the old movie “The Party’s Daughter,” [1]

The following people spoke at the forum: Yan Zhenfen (the former Party secretary of the Chinese Drama Society), Jiang Zhitao (Chinese Opera Association Fellow), Li Peilun (Teaching and Research Division Director, Minzu University of China),  Du Gao (President of the Chinese Drama Society) and Zhao Weimin (Director of the Graduate Office, China Conservatory).

[1] Editor’s Note: The movie “The Party’s Daughter,” first shown in 1958, told the story of how, in 1934, a CCP member divorced her husband in order to be loyal to the Party and fight fearlessly against the Kuomingtang, led by Chiang Kai-shek. 

Source: Guangming Daily, May 26, 2010
http://www.gmw.cn/content/2010-05/26/content_1128877.htm

According to www.chinareviewnews.com on April 23, 2010, China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese held a Culture and Propaganda Work Conference in Sanya, Hainan on April 22.

Lin Jun, chairman of China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, said that the China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese at all levels must take advantage of recreational and cultural exchange activities to 1) guide overseas Chinese media; 2) increase the amount of hometown news in overseas Chinese publications; 3)  introduce China’s economic and social development situation as well as relevant policies; 4) give information on major incidents and emergencies; 5) propagandize China’s peaceful foreign policy and the idea of building a harmonious world; and “use overseas Chinese as a bridge” to brighten China’s image and voice by cooperating with China’s diplomatic, foreign affairs and propaganda departments.”

Source: www.chinareviewnews.com, April 23, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1012/9/8/7/101298787.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=101298787&mdate=0423101105

Modern Express News, a branch of Xinhua, recently published an article suggesting that today’s Chinese writers “owe this era” a lot because they don’t tell the truth. The article quoted a question by Tie Ning, the Chairman of The Chinese Writers Association, “I search my heart, and ask myself, as a writer, do my writings live up to the expectations of this great and tough era?" She did not explain more. The author of the article believed many writers are suffering from a serious decline of conscience. They write grand works to praise sham. The author concluded that the fact that most writers don’t tell the truth is turning society into one with a “quiet majority,” and critics should be truly respected.

Source: Xinhua, April 2, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/book/2010-04/02/content_13287088.htm

Xinhua reported on January 22, 2010, that after being in office for a year, Obama has lost 20% of his public support. The Democratic Party lost the key “60th Vote” in the Senate. Obama acknowledged that the “angry voters” helped Republican Scott Brown win the Senate seat. “The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office,” he said.

Obama admitted his mistakes in the past year on his first anniversary in power when he was interviewed by ABC on January 20th. He said that after he became the president “we immediately were confronted with just stacks of tough decisions that had to be made. During the course of this year, we’ve had to make some decisions that were unpopular. We’ve made some mistakes. I’ve personally made some mistakes.”

Source: Xinhua, January 22, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-01/22/content_12853747.htm

On January 24, 2010, Guangzhou Daily published an article on the “China Model” and “G2-Chimerica.” The key points are listed below:

“As China’s economy is thriving in the financial crisis, the so-called “China Model” is again heatedly discussed in the international community. China is believed to be able to ‘save the world’ with such a model…. At the same time, Western media are promoting the idea of the ‘G2’ model, viewing the world as the ‘Chimerica’ era. In accordance with the West’s logic, China should take more of the world’s ‘responsibility’ since China has an equal status with the United States.”

“However, Westerners’ deeply hidden motivation behind the hot topic of the ‘China Model’ is to request China to assume responsibilities beyond China’s own capacity. Frankly speaking, this is to ‘kill China with flattery’.”

News Source: Guangzhou Daily, January 24, 2010
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2010-01/24/content_846117.htm

China Youth Daily reported on December 11, 2009 that more than 100 workers asked for the return of their invested shares but had difficulties paying the legal fees.

In 1994, a branch factory of Shangyang Cable Enterprise in Langfang City, Hebei Province requested its employees become its “shareholders.” So 286 workers invested a total of 1.03 million Yuan, with 500 Yuan per share. At that time, each worker only earned 1,000 Yuan per year. However, with the approval of the county government, the worker’s rights as shareholders were voided. In 2004 the former general manager of state-owned Shangyang Cable Enterprise, Sun Jixu, together with 23 others bought the factory and became the new shareholders. The 286 workers lost all their shares as well as their jobs.

Source: China Youth Daily, December 11, 2009
http://www.cyol.net/zqb/content/2009-12/11/content_2977921.htm

China Youth Daily published a news report on November 18, 2009, on Zhang Zaiyuan, a former Wuhan University professor and an internationally renowned architect. Prof. Zhang has been suffering from a rare motor neuron disease since October 2007. On April 30, 2009, Wuhan University sent four people to his bedside to read a "Termination Certificate of the Employment Contract." He lost his position as the Dean and as professor of the Urban Design College at Wuhan University as well as his medical insurance and assigned apartment. His wife, a housewife, recently found that Wuhan University had withdrawn all the salary that he had saved from his account, a total of over 500,000 yuan. She was told that the university used it to pay his medical expenses.

Source: China Youth Daily, November 18, 2009
http://law.cyol.com/content/2009-11/18/content_2942016.htm