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Local Chinese Block Western Journalist from Reporting on Zhengzhou

In flood-stricken Zhengzhou City in central China, not only local Chinese journalists, but foreign reporters, including  those from Taiwan and Hong Kong, have been covering the story. However, a Twitter video shows that some “patriotic people” in the city have been interfering with the reporting of a Western journalist.

These people surrounded the journalist and accused the journalist of “demonizing China” and of “selective reporting.” They even demanded to see the footage.

At the same time, according to online information, the number of missing people in Henan province has reached 130. Their friends and relatives have posted photos of the missing and described their appearance and body features. Most of the missing are residents of Zhengzhou.

The military has now taken over the Jingguang Road Tunnel, where hundreds of cars were trapped in the flood. People are prohibited from approaching the site and also from taking photos. Those who sought to find the whereabouts of their loved ones who were supposedly trapped in the tunnel have also been held back.

Although the official figure is that only four people were killed in the tunnel, netizens have widely questioned the number. Cyber authorities have deleted some of the online posts that questioned the number.

Source: Twitter, July 25, 2021


Radio Free Asia, July 25, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/7-07252021144949.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

People’s Lives: Did Zhengzhou Reservoir Release Flood Water without Informing the Public?

Henan Province suffered much rainfall recently. On July 20, the streets of its capital city, Zhengzhou, were completely under water and cars were washed away.

The videos of people trapped in subway trains, which the city kept running during the flood, were widespread on social media. Around 6 p.m. on July 20, subway trains were stuck underground due to the water. Water started to flow into the cars through the doors and kept accumulating. Some reported water reached 1.6 meters high. Passengers stood on chairs to keep their heads above water and parents held their babies in the air. People started to call their families to leave their wills and account information. Quite a few people lost conscience as there was not enough air. Finally the rescuers arrived and many people were saved. The authorities announced 12 deaths. The people who survived the tragedy questioned this number.

A bigger controversy was that people questioned whether the disaster was caused by the authorities’ releasing flood water from the reservoir near Zhengzhou without first informing the public.

An article listing several suspicious points was widely spread over the Internet. China Digital Times saved a copy in case the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deleted the article. The following is a summary of the highlights:

1. When were people saved?

A number of the Zhengzhou and the Henan Provincial news media declared victory in early evening. Zhengzhou News Radio said at 7:23 p.m. that all passengers were saved. The Huanqiu website quoted Zhengzhou News at 8:02 p.m. stating people were saved. Henan Province Daxiang News reported victory at 9:17 p.m.

However, an online video showed that a passenger said it was past 8 p.m. and rescuers had not arrived yet. A microblog posting at 11:25 p.m. said that his family members were trapped in the subway No. 5 line and had not been rescued yet, but that posting was removed very quickly. Another microblog posted at 3:09 a.m. on July 21 said people at the Guangnan Road Station of subway No. 5 line had been trapped from 6 p.m. till then and still were waiting to be rescued.

Xinhua News Agency also reported at 0:54 a.m. on July 21 that the rescue was still ongoing and the number of casualties was unknown.

2. How substantial was the amount of rain?

The Zhengzhou authorities blamed the weather for the disaster. The Zhengzhou official weather microblog said, “Zhengzhou had rain of 201.9 mm (millimeters) in one hour (4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on July 20), and 552.5 mm in one day (8 p.m. on July 19 to 8 p.m. on July 20).”

However, the National Weather Bureau had a top article discussing the Henan heavy rainfall, “Hehan Province has had heavy rainfall since July 17. Zhengzhou’s average rainfall (from July 17 to 20) was 357 mm. In one day (from 5 p.m. July 19 to 5 p.m. July 20), the average rainfall in Henan Province was 73.1 mm and that in Zhengzhou was 286.5 mm. … The biggest rainfall occurred in Zhengzhou’s Jiangang site, which was 584.0 mm.”

It seems that the Zhengzhou officials exaggerated the rainfall dramatically. It took the biggest rainfall in one location and made it the city average.

3. Did the government release water from the reservoir near Zhengzhou?

Around 10 p.m. on July 20, messages started to spread among social media in China that the water broke the main gate of the Changzhou Reservoir and the authorities bombed the sub-gates to release floodwater.

The Henan Public Security Bureau sent a microblog message at 11:06 p.m. immediately to declare this was a rumor.

However, The Beijing News published an article at 0:48 a.m. on July 21, stating, “The Changzhuang Reservoir opened the gates to release flood-water around 4 p.m. on July 20.” It quoted the source as being from the CCTV Military channel.

National Business Daily reported at 10:53 p.m. on July 20, “According to CCTV news, … The water at the Changzhuang Reservoir reached 127.87 meters at 10:57 a.m. on July 20, which was 0.38 meters above the  “alerting” water level. Following the Henan Provincial and Zhengzhou Municipal Flood Control Command’s order, the reservoir started releasing flood-water at 3 cubic meters per second.”

Baidu Encyclopedia said that the Changzhuang Reservoir was 2 km (around 1.2 mile) away from Zhengzhou’s Xihuan Road. The Reservoir dam was 36.74 meters above the center of Zhengzhou city and 52.74 meters above the Zhengdong New District, of Zhengzhou.

All these media, including CCTV said that the Changzhuang Reservoir released water. The timeline seemed to be a good match: The reservoir released water around 4 p.m. and subway trains in Zhengzhou were taken over by flood-water around 6 p.m.

The article questioned whether the authorities were trying to cover up their releasing flood water without notifying the public, which caused a huge disaster for the people.

Source: China Digital Times, July 20, 2021

【404文库】七使2020 | 郑州洪灾，水库溃坝：我们要真相，不要糊涂账

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

Beijing under High Security Alert in Preparation for Communist Party’s 100th Anniversary

Beijing has tightened security as the Chinese Communist Party will celebrate its 100th anniversary on July 1. Armed police appear on the streets of Beijing and in the subway. Tiananmen Square is closed. Military soldiers are stationed in the Bird’s Nest Stadium. Petitioners are being arrested. At the same time, Beijing has imposed traffic control and air bans. Multiple videos on the Internet show that dozens of police patrol the streets with dogs and some retired “neighborhood watch guards” are wearing red armbands and are at the doors of some residential buildings watching the residents entering and exiting.

On June 3, the Tiananmen Management Committee announced the closure of Tiananmen Square from midnight on June 23 to July 1 to prepare for the setting up of the celebration.

On June 17, Vice Premier Liu He attended the State Council Security Committee meeting. The committee vowed to contain all forms of incidents or disruptions.

On June 20, the Beijing municipal government announced the blockage of radio signals in certain regions on July 1. Beijing airport announced it has elevated its security screening. All express mail destined for Beijing will go through X-ray security inspections.

Cai Xia, a former communist party school professor tweeted on June 20, “The party is celebrating its 100th anniversary but it looks like it was preparing for a major disaster. The party has guns, money, and high-tech surveillance cameras in its control. It can arrest people and ban anything whenever it wants. What are they afraid of? Is this 100th anniversary celebration a celebration or a funeral?”

Source:
1. Epoch Times, June 23, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/6/23/n13042826.htm
2. Twitter, June 20, 2021

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Apple Daily HK: HK Government Is Cracking Down on Apple Daily

Major Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily recently reported that the Hong Kong government is cracking down on this newspaper in the name of the Hong Kong National Security Law. On August 10 of last year, the government arrested Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and several senior officials of the news group and conducted a large-scale search of the Apple Daily building. On June 17, nearly a year later, it once again arrested five senior members of the company on similar charges. The government mobilized hundreds of policemen in an attempt to create terror again in order to silence Apple Daily before July 1, when the Chinese Communist Party celebrates its anniversary. Currently the newspaper is operating without management. However, the editors decided at midnight to print half-a- million copies for the next day. The newspaper received wide and warm support from Hong Kong local residents and people were lining up at newsstands starting half an hour after midnight to buy Apple Daily. Many businesses are ordering additional copies to give away to customers. Apple Daily online forums are filled with encouragement and promises to buy Apple Daily even if it were just to publish blank pages.

Source: Apple Daily HK, June 17, 2021
https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20210617/ZOAULPGRPFEOVJUUBKPZKNQBRA/

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Social Stability

Police Respond to Student Protests with Violent Crackdown

After the educational authorities told independent colleges in Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces about China’s intention that they merge with vocational institutes to form a “vocational and technical college,” unhappy students from several schools staged demonstrations and lodged protests on campus. Some petitioned at the education department of the provincial governments. The police responded with a violent crackdown; some students were beaten and some were arrested. After the outbreak, the local government called a halt to the merger.

The cause of the student’s demonstrations was the Ministry of Education’s mandate to merge independent colleges and vocational institutes into vocational and technical colleges. Because the vocational institutes or colleges are viewed as less prestigious, students from independent colleges fear their degrees will be devalued after the merger.

Some students petitioned at the Department of Education at the Jiangsu Provincial government last Saturday, before the riot police forcibly dragged them into buses. Several thousand students from Xinglin College of Nantong University, Zhijiang College of Zhejiang University of Technology, and Zhongbei College of Nanjing Normal University, have also protested on campus.

The videos circulated online show that a large number of police surrounded the campus. Some students were dragged away, while some were badly beaten. A student from Zhongbei College posted that the school, instead of responding to students’ requests, sent police to block the campus and prevent students and parents from entering and exiting. The student said, “There have been bloody incidents of violent law enforcement in which students on campus were injured.”

One student explained in a post that what they opposed was not the merger, but the downgrading of the college. They worked through the college entrance exam and paid the expensive tuition in order to earn a bachelor’s degree only to see the college downgraded to a vocational school at graduation. This could affect their future if they attend graduate school or it could affect their career in public service.

After the clash between the police and the students, the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province announced a complete suspension of the merger, stressing that they “will seriously listen to the opinions and suggestions from the students and faculty of the independent colleges.”

In mainland China, an independent college is a joint venture between government operated universities and the private sector. Although the tuition fee is three or four times higher than normal universities, they are popular among some students because of the low admission standards and the mention of the university on the graduation certificate. The Ministry of Education issued a notice last year, demanding all independent colleges to make a plan to end the venture. They can either switch to a pure private or public college, or simply terminate operation.

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 8, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/university-06082021082515.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese Generations Y and Z Caught Between “Involution” and “Lying Down”

Involution (内卷Nei Juan) and Lying Down (躺平 Tang Ping) have become buzzwords among Generations Y (born in the 1990’s) and Z (born in 2000) in China. One refers to “excessive competition” while the other one indicates “dropping out of competition.” Both of them reflect the frustration of China’s younger generation towards the fierce competition in society.

On Weibo, there are over 1 billion views on topics related to “Involution.” In 2020, “Involution” became one of the “top ten buzzwords” in China. Involution came from Clifford Geertz who used it to describe the agricultural process in which many centuries of intensifying wet-rice cultivation in Indonesia had produced greater social complexity without significant technological or political change. Generations Y and Z in China use it to describe their feeling of powerlessness when faced with competition. If they don’t work hard and don’t compete, they will fall behind or end up dropping out; they are repressed and unable to make a breakthrough. What they are facing is unlike the1990’s or early 2000 when China’s economy was taking off. That was the time when their parents benefited. Generations Y and Z missed that window. Meanwhile they have also found that their parents or employers do not understand them very well.

In April 2021, six months after the word “Involution” gained popularity, Lying Down (躺平 Tang Ping) appeared. It is a way that those in the younger generation show their resistance to “Involution.” “Lying Down” means that Generations X & Y withdraw from the competition by giving up what they think is meaningless. The state media quickly expressed concern and even condemned the words. Guangming Daily pointed out that “Lying Down” is disadvantageous to economic and social development. The society needs the younger generation to bring “creative contributions” when China’s economic development is facing challenges such as an aging population. Nanfang Daily criticized that it is shameful to “Lie Down” and not making an effort. Other media call it an irresponsible attitude towards their parents and tens and millions of tax payers. The official media reports are merely there to maintain social stability. They had to allow the younger generations to release their frustrations, but many people will undoubtedly regard “Lying Down” as a social problem.

Source: BBC, June 2, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-57304453

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

RFA: China’s New Regulations Caused Further Suppression of the Catholic Religion

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that, starting in May, China implemented its new “Measures for the Administration of Religious Staff.” The new regulations require that the staff members in all religious groups must support the Chinese Communist Party. Those Catholic clergymen who refused to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which was blessed by the Communist Party but not recognized by the Vatican, were the first to face suppression. On May 21 and 22 in Hebei Province, hundreds of policemen surrounded a monastery and detained Bishop Zhang Weizhu, seven priests and more than 10 monks. Since the Hebei Xinxiang Diocese did not want to join the Patriotic Association, it was recognized as illegal under the new regulations; hence the crackdown. All Catholic families in the diocese were searched and fined for possession of Catholic symbols. The police also confiscated those Catholic symbols, their crosses, pictures of the Pope, statues or portraits of saints, and all of the religious symbols that they had.

Source: RFA, May 23, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/7-05232021151415.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability