The number of unauthorized mass protests and gatherings in China in 2005 reached almost 100,000, involving over eight million people, according to Trend magazine, a monthly Chinese periodical. Over 3,000 of them involved incidents of violent conflict between the police and Chinese residents. Almost 10,000 were injured.

On January 25, 2006, China’s State Council released the Summary Report of Mass Protests and Gatherings in Rural and Urban Areas in 2005, originally compiled by the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security. Below are details from the report:

The number of unauthorized mass protests and gatherings across the country totaled 96,408, with 8,208,600 people involved.

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The 17th anniversary of the 1989 Pro-Democracy Demonstration and the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre in China is drawing near and for 17 years, I have been looking forward to the day of truth in China. Today, those of us who lived through the dreams and tears as protesters striving for a free China, and those who survived the massacre, prison, and exile are still fighting to have China acknowledge what really happened during that tragic time.

It was a life-defining moment for myself and for the people of my generation. It was my first realization that Chinese all over the world, whether they are from Beijing or Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Taipei, all share the dream for a free and democratic China and it was the first time for the world to learn of this dream. It was this dream that scared the communist regime to such a depth that it would use extreme violence to maintain power with utter contempt toward human life. The Chinese communist regime attacked its own capital with brute force, senselessly killing an uncounted number of peaceful demonstrators. Tens of thousands were subsequently put into prison for expressing their own opinion in the following persecution and for 17 years, anyone who dared to talk about the June 4th Massacre in public or on the Internet, faces years in prison. Why is such a powerful regime so afraid of what happened 17 years ago? Only because such a regime lives in the shadow of bloody murder and lies.

I was fortunate to be a part of this Demonstration. Throughout the whole event, I was inspired by the peacefulness and discipline of the protesters, in spite of the strong oppression from the communist government. On the morning of April 22, tens of thousands of students waited on Tiananmen Square for the memorial service of Hu Yaobang, the former leader who had a reputation for political openness. In front of the Big Hall, the students proposed seven requests calling for more political and economic freedom. We asked for a direct dialogue on issues such as corruption and press freedom. That was the time when I first realized that all of us on Tiananmen Square want a better China with freedom and democracy, and believed that our collective voice would be heard. Within the Big Hall, all the ranking leaders of the communist regime were present. Yet, besides a failed attempt from the police to charge the crowds, there was no answer to the protesters who had been on Tiananmen Square since the previous evening. The protesters decided to go back to school and continue protesting. So overwhelming was our common belief that tens of thousands of students, without a formal organization, acting as if we were one person, could overcome the threat of oppression. It was such a powerful surprise to the ruling old men—including the mastermind of the Tiananmen Massacre, Deng Xiaoping, who was seen visibly shaken on TV inside the Big Hall while attending Hu’s memorial service. This contrast remained throughout the whole protest until the bloody massacre: new against old, peace against violence, hope against desperation, love for freedom against fear of losing power.
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On May 17, the day of the "Million People Demonstration" in Beijing, the majority of Beijing residents became involved in the student-led protest. I was a member of the Beijing Alliance of Independent Student Unions, the leading body of the protest. We built an efficient broadcasting station covering the whole Tiananmen Square. People from all walks of society came to show their support. Journalists from the official media carried the slogan, "No more lies, we want to tell the truth." Government officials came to our station to urge the ruling old men to talk to the students. Judges chanted, "Rule by law, end corruption." Even monks came to plea for the regime to show their humanity. Later, famous rock star Cui Jian wanted to sing with the students. Protesters poured from all corners of Beijing into Tiananmen Square. At the same time, over 1,000 students were on a hunger strike, and we set up traffic control maintained by volunteers. Almost every minute there was an ambulance going through this huge crowd, carrying the students (including myself at one time) to emergency care. It was a miraculous feat that all of the hunger strikers were taken care of by volunteers during these activities. The state media reported that even the crime rate in Beijing dropped to a record low. This fact was a testimony to the peacefulness and devotion of the protesters. A postal worker delivered hundreds of telegraphs of sympathy from all over the country to us many times during the day. One day he asked me, "You have been here on Tiananmen Square for days. Do you have a word for your family?" So I wrote, "I am on Tiananmen Square, together with a million common Chinese like me, I have no fear of the tyranny."

My family was worried, so were all the families with college kids in Beijing. As early as April 25, without any due process, Deng Xiaoping declared that he would crush the protesters with armed troops. By May 20, 1989, the day Li Peng declared martial law in Beijing, 14 army groups encircled Beijing. The total number of troops deployed to attack the civilians of Beijing was more than that of all the U.S. army in Operation Desert Storm. In the morning of the 4th of June, I was among the last group of students who were driven out of Tiananmen Square by tanks and guns. I saw guns firing and heard gunshots all night long. Beijing was on fire and smothered in smoke. Fuxing Hospital near Muxidi, was filled with civilians who were killed or wounded. I saw another 40 or so bodies left in the garage area. One of them was Zhong Qing, a student at Tsinghua, the same university that I was from. The exact number of deaths could never be confirmed. I was put on the "most wanted" list and arrested on June 13, 1989.

Today the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre still face persecution by the communist regime. During all these years, Professor Ding Zilin and the Tiananmen Mothers have been calling for an investigation of the Massacre. At the same time, the regime still uses all its force to purge people’s memory of 1989 and instead, the Chinese have been forced to accept only the official statement. Fang Zheng, who lost both legs to the tanks near Tiananmen Square, was not allowed to participate in the Special Olympics.{mospagebreak}

Outside of China, we will carry on this fight for truth and justice. Each year, people around the world gather in memorial. Feng Congde, one of my fellow student leaders, set up the website, 64memo.com to collect photos, tapes, and articles about the Demonstration. In the year 2000, I was one of the plaintiffs who sued Li Peng in the United States for his actions against humanity during 1989. The other plaintiffs are Zhang Liming, whose sister was killed in the Tiananmen Massacre, Liu Gang, Wang Dan, and Xiong Yan, former student leaders on Tiananmen Square. I hope that one day we can do the same in China. It is a long journey, but truth and justice will always overcome lies and violence.

Zhou Fengsuo, the fifth most wanted student after the June 4th Tiananmen Massacre, was imprisoned but never tried or sentenced. At the time, Zhou was physics major at Tsinghua University and a member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Students Autonomous Union. He was finally released after a year in prison. Today, Zhou resides in California.

In rural China, substitute teachers are a neglected class of teachers who struggle below the poverty line. Substitute teachers are those in rural schools who are not included among the regular faculty and teach only on a temporary basis. They used to be called "local teachers." Those who had taught on a temporary basis before 1984 were either moved up to regular teachers or simply dismissed.

Starting in 1985, in an effort to improve the quality of teaching in elementary schools, the Ministry of Education banned the use of temporary "local teachers" across the country. However, regular teachers do not want to teach at schools in poor, rural areas, so these schools have to hire temporary teachers to fill the vacancies. They are now called substitute teachers.

As reported in Southern Weekend in April 2005, Dong Jianping, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Committee in Weiyuan County, forwarded a report addressing the issue of substitute teachers’ income to his deputy Li Yingxin and asked Li to conduct a thorough survey. Li then launched a week-long investigation.

Three months later, Li sent his report entitled A Survey of Substitute Teachers in Weiyuan County to the CCP Committee and to the Department of Education of Gansu Province. However, he never received a reply from either one.

On July 28, 2005, Gansu Daily published Li’s survey. In Gansu Province’s Weiyuan County alone, there were close to 600 substitute teachers. Their monthly salaries ranged from 40 to 80 yuan (US$5 to US$10). Seventy percent of them made only 40 yuan per month. According to Li’s survey, some of them had not had a raise in 20 years.

For the Sake of the Kids

One in every seven to eight teachers in Zhangjiabao Elementary School, in Beizhai Town, is a substitute teacher, and some of them are the key resources for the Beizhai District. The first person Li interviewed at the school was Wang Zhengming.

The 62-year-old Wang is the oldest substitute. With his wrinkled face and hunched back, he looks like an old farmer. He was the first teacher in Zhangjiabao Village when he started teaching in 1958.

Wang proudly tells Li, "The generation of grandchildren in the village are my students; their parents are my students; even their grandparents are my students."{mospagebreak}

Li asks in surprise, "According to state policy, you should have been promoted to regular teacher because you started to work before 1984."

"I missed the opportunity," Wang replies with a humble smile.

When Wang started teaching, there were wolf packs in the vicinity of the school. He would teach during the day, watch the school at night, and do farm work when he had spare time. Regular teachers came and left. Wang was the only one who had taught at the school for more than 20 consecutive years until 1984, when he was let go after the school received several regular teachers.

In 1985, he was called back when there was a shortage of regular teachers. However, his previous years of service did not count. That’s why he was not moved up to a regular teacher later on. Wang has since taught at the school for another 20 years and has made 40 yuan a month during all these years.

The low pay became particularly hard for Wang’s family during the 1980s and 1990s, when his two sons went to college. The family still has to rely on whatever they can make from farming the family land. His wife has to do all the farm work by herself.

"Since I have to teach, my poor wife has to do all the man’s jobs. My daughter had to quit school to help out," Wang says with tears in his eyes.

"What’s your purpose for doing this all these years?" Li asks.

"Nothing. Not for money. Simply for the sake of the kids. I had to quit school when I was young, so my lifelong dream is to make sure that kids can go to school," Wang replies matter-of-factly.

300 Yuan (US$37) a Month Is a Dream

For those middle-aged substitute teachers who have kids in high school or college, their meager incomes have put them in serious hardship. "No matter which village you visit, as long as there is a subsititute teacher, he is for sure the poorest in the village," Li wrote in his survey.

Li Jianxin, who is almost 40, is a substitute teacher at Fuhe Hope Elementary School, in Luojiamo Village, Huichuan Town, Weiyuan County. Nearly half of the teachers in the school are substitutes. Li became a local teacher in September 1984, but for some reason he was not moved up to regular teacher. In Weiyuan County, although the regular teachers who have 20 years of service are making 1,200 yuan (US$150) or above per month, Li had been paid only 40 yuan a month until two years ago when he received an associate degree. Then his salary doubled.{mospagebreak}

Li Jianxin has received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the town and county multiple times. He still has last year’s county certificate for Outstanding Class Teacher hanging on his wall. Every year, he attends the teacher appreciation dinner given by his students who have been accepted by colleges. Although he’s short on money, he always manages to give each of these student five yuan (US$0.6) as a token.

"This year, Zhu Yanxia in our village has been accepted by a university. When I toasted her [at the dinner], she made a deep bow to me. I was very moved when I saw tears running down her cheeks. I feel that all my sufferings have paid off."

Yet, Li’s sense of accomplishment offers little relief to his hardship. Both his son and daughter attend middle school, and their tuition adds up to 3,000 yuan (US$370) per year. With his monthly income of 80 yuan, even if he does not spend a penny, he can save only at most 960 yuan (US$120) a year. He has to rely on the income from his farmland to just barely cover the tuition costs. "I have not bought any new clothes for either of my kids for more than 10 years," Li says with teary eyes.

When the reporter from Southern Weekend asked Li how much he would like for a monthly salary, he said he would like 300 to 400 yuan (US$40-$50), which is close to the figures given by most of the substitute teachers Li Yingxin surveyed.

Young Substitute Teachers Are Leaving

Liu Furong told the reporter from Southern Weekend that the only reason he could afford to get married and start a family was because of his parents’ savings. Many young substitute teachers cannot afford to get married.

This has to do with the betrothal customs in rural areas in northwestern China. Some young substitute teachers cannot afford a betrothal, which ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (US$1,250 to $2,500). With their annual salary of 400 to 500 yuan (US$50 to $62), even if they stop eating and drinking for 20 years, they can hardly save 10,000 yuan. They simply have to remain single.

Wang Weihong, 39 years old, is a substitute teacher in Beizhai Town. He’s also a key teacher in the Beizhai school district. He sadly tells Li Yingxin that while others’ lives are getting better and better, his is going from bad to worse. He is thinking of leaving after the semester either to pick cotton in Xinjiang or teach in a private school.{mospagebreak}

Yu Jianbang, the superintendent of the Beizhai school district, is deeply troubled with this situation. There are 101 regular teachers and 54 substitute teachers in Beizhai. Three schools in the remote villages are each assigned a teacher, but no regular teacher is willing to go there. Consequently, the work falls on the shoulders of the substitute teachers. Yu says that substitute teachers are sharing at least half of the teaching load in the district. If they leave, the district will fall apart.

At present, there are 32,000 subsitute teachers in the rural areas of Gansu Province. They represent 28.2 percent of all elementary school teachers. According to Wang Jiayi, Vice President and Professor of Education at Northwest Normal University, there are in total 506,000 substitute teachers in 12 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in western China, which accounts for 20 percent of the total number of teachers in western rural China. He thinks that the condition of the substitute teachers in Weiyuan County is very typical in western China.

Helen Chou is a freelance writer based in New York.

[Editor’s note: Chinese leader Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States in mid-April has drawn widespread attention. Many listeners in China called Voice of America and expressed their views. Here are some of their comments from a translation of the VOA transcript on April 28.]

Chinese Leaders Say One Thing and Do Another

Mr. Ye, Jiangsu Province: "President Bush is open and straightforward, but the Chinese authorities have always been inconsistent and play games with ulterior motives. They give empty promises and have done all evil things possible."

Mr. Xue, Chongqing City: "I think what China cares about the most is its image this time. As a matter of fact, the incident at the welcoming ceremony was not a bad thing. A country with such a large population has always carried one voice and one standard media report. Don’t you think that something is unusual? Hu has proposed the "Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces" with the emphasis on honesty. I hope he will take serious action in political reform. [I hope] he will not simply stage a show for the Americans or the whole world while still imposing strict control and dictating to his own people back home."

Mr. Zhang, Hebei Province: "I think it is good that President Hu Jintao talks to President Bush. I wish that Chinese leaders would not talk back when they are criticized. Take the human rights issue as an example. They should give honest answers, not pick on the minor errors and reject the criticism. Some Chinese officials always say, ‘The United States has many human rights issues. What right do they have to criticize China?’ They think they are being smart, but they act foolish."

The Protest by a Falun Gong Practitioner

Mr. Qiao, Shanxi Province: "I don’t think there will be much accomplished from Hu’s visit. The Chinese people don’t care much about his visit. He seems to be friendly with the United States, but he still jams VOA’s signal. He did not learn much from the advanced political structure of the United States on his visit. There will not be improvement to the political system at all after he returns. As to the protest staged by the Falun Gong practitioner, I felt this was not a bad thing. What’s wrong with having a different voice?"

Mr. Xiao, Fujian Province: "When President Hu Jintao was speaking, there was one Falun Gong [practitioner] protesting. I think the United States was behind this. Otherwise, how could a Falun Gong practitioner get in under such tight security? The United States must be driving it."{mospagebreak}

Hu Jintao Does Not Represent The Chinese People

Mr. Wang, Shanghai: "Frankly speaking, Chinese people are not too excited about Hu’s visit. Hu is not the leader we elected, so why do we care? The Chinese authorities continue to jam VOA’s signal. Is this a friendly gesture?"

Ms. Wei, Yunan Province: "In the welcome ceremony, Hu Jintao claimed that he represents 1.3 billion Chinese people. Mr. Hu, let me ask you, what makes you think that you can represent us? Which one of us voted for you to represent us in the United States?"

Will Hu Give in on Fundamental Issues?

Mr. Yang, Jiangxi Province: "It is necessary for our leader to visit the United States and exchange ideas with the U.S. leader. It is beneficial for maintaining the world’s stability."

Mr. Hu, Shandong Province: "Don’t think that the disagreement between the United States and China will disappear. It is obvious that China positions itself against the United States in all international affairs. I hope the United States does not "warm a snake at one’s bosom."

Mr. Li, Liaoning Province: "When China is seeking economic development and calling for human rights and democracy, [we are waiting to see] whether Hu as the leader from the new generation, can make wise decisions and completely change the dictatorship that has existed for several thousand years and advance China to a democratic society like Taiwan. If Hu has the ambition and courage, he may become a prominent leader in Chinese history."

Mr. Liu, Shanghai: "Hu is no doubt the leader of communist China. We saw him signing purchase orders for airplanes, but we also know he carries with him not only the carrots but also a baseball bat. He will not give in on certain issues."

Translated by CHINASCOPE 

When we hear others talking about Siheyuan, we think of the heart and soul of Beijing. So what is Siheyuan? "Si," in Chinese, means the four-sides: North, South, East, and West. "he," directly translated into English means unity. And "yuan" means courtyard. The Beijing Siheyuans are homes that consist of a four-sided wall with an enclosed courtyard in the center. This courtyard is surrounded by buildings that are generally one story high.

This ancient style of Chinese architecture, which dates back 800 years, has been around for centuries. Beijing Siheyuans are so popular because of their originality and honorable reputation. This unique construction style has been used in building not only various temples and royal palaces but also many ordinary residential homes. Its designs are typically rectangles with the four sides facing the cardinal points. The classical roofs, decorated corridors, and old pomegranate trees exist in an atmosphere of grace, tranquility, and elegance that truly captures the hearts of visitors. From the outside, onlookers are able to see only one side of one building; however, once you walk through the courtyard gates, you enter a completely different world. Because the courtyard is very spacious, trees, flowers, and stone sculptures are placed to add to the serenity of the Siheyuan. Some dwelling compounds are built in the absence of steel and concrete and rely solely on the strength of bricks and wood. An architect in Beijing once said, "The design, layout and material reflect the ancient philosophy of harmony between human and heaven."

Traditionally, the head of the family would reside in the main house which is positioned to the North. Mini bridges and/or halls connect the four buildings. The rooms of the buildings adjoining the main house are referred to as the "side houses" and were the living quarters of the younger generations or less important members of the family. The gate to the courtyard is at the southeastern corner. A screen wall prohibits outsiders from seeing directly into the courtyard and also serves to protect the house from evil spirits. Outside the gate of some large Siheyuans, it is common to find a pair of stone lions. In the past, the lions were symbols of prosperity. In fact, a prince’s palace, in ancient times, was actually a combination of Siheyuan courtyards, with one lying behind another. There were only a few differences between a prince’s palace and an emperor’s palace. The buildings of the emperor’s palace were greater in number, height, and size. Additionally, dragon head patterns were not allowed on a prince’s palace.

Today, most of the Siheyuans have disappeared due to two major waves of demolition. One happened after the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949 and peaked during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). At the time, traditional culture was labeled as "feudal superstition." Mao Zedong, the former communist leader, enforced the "total elimination of influences from traditional values and old ideas." Many complexes composed of Siheyuans, together with other traditional Chinese cultural treasures including paintings, writings, plays, and books, were indiscriminately destroyed.{mospagebreak}

The second wave happened after China was open to the world for economic reform since the 1980s. The old structures have been giving way to modern high-rise buildings. Particularly in recent years, as the real estate market becomes a hot commodity, builders backed by corrupt officials seek profit with little consideration of cultural preservation. Subsequently, many new buildings have been constructed in Beijing at the sacrifice of old historic relics. Despite the outcries of many historians and environmental activists, little has been done to reverse the trend. According to Beijing’s Municipal Government statistics, an original 17 million square meters (20.3 million square yards) of Siheyuan buildings from the early 1950s, has shrunk to a striking 3 million square meters (3.6 million square yards) as of today.

The modern Beijing is looking more and more like an industrial metropolis than a historic center that symbolizes the tradition and wisdom of 5,000 years of civilization. Strict policies and regulations will have to be implemented to preserve the remaining cultural relics of Beijing and enable the Siheyuans to be a heritage of beauty for future generations.

On March 20, 2006, Gao Zhisheng[1], China’s renowned human rights lawyer, left his Beijing home after more than five months of constant surveillance by the Chinese secret police.

Gao told a reporter from The Epoch Times: "I am really driven beyond the limits of tolerance. If I stayed home, they would be there disturbing me endlessly and there would be no life for my family."

Gao stayed at a friend’s house for a few days before driving back to his hometown in Shaanbei, Shaanxi Province. He planned to stay there for 10 days to pay respect to his ancestors, including his mother. Instead of returning home directly, Gao stopped at towns and villages along the way to talk with the local people. In his daily diary published on The Epoch Times website, Gao recorded his encounters with the people he met in the countryside.

Widespread Discontent

Everywhere Gao went, people came to speak with him about their inability to find justice through the legal system. When Gao was in Dingzhou City, a man from Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, came to see him about the injustice he had suffered. Gao said, "When Yu Zhonghua came to see me today, his left hand had been cut off with only a piece of flesh sewn on his arm. Yu spent over 30,000 yuan (US$3,742) in medical expenses out of his own pocket. He is now disabled. However, his offender, who has influence and connection with the police department, did not receive any punishment."

Ms. Zhang, a 28-year-old school teacher, has been appealing for her father over an unpaid debt for seven years. Her father was in the building construction business for more than 20 years. In 1998, Zhang’s father finished a building project for a private art school in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, but never received the payment due—400,000 yuan (US$48,800). The case went to court, and Zhang’s father won. The court ordered the school to pay all the money plus applicable interest and also put a lien against the school by holding a school vehicle. However, the vehicle was soon returned to the school upon a release order signed by the judge.

The school principal told Zhang’s father: "We paid the court officials over 300,000 yuan (US$36,600) in monetary gifts. Why don’t you do the same?" When the construction workers Zhang’s father had hired lined up outside his house to demand their wages, Zhang’s father had no means of paying them. A year later, he was still afraid to return home and suffered a heart attack and brain infarction.

In 2004, Zhang learned from a televised news report that Gao had offered free service to defend a boy who broke his leg in a car accident. That prompted Zhang to begin searching for Gao to help her father. She was happy that they were finally able to meet.{mospagebreak}

Qin Yingquan, of Shanxi Province, learned that Gao would pass by Lishi City around 11 p.m. At 9 p.m., Qin was waiting by the roadside. The next day, they had lunch together. Qin told Gao that the police are afraid to come to his village. If they enter the village, the farmers will beat them up. Villagers do not allow police vehicles to enter the village. They set the vehicles on fire if they enter. A few days ago, villagers used stones to drive away the police from the neighboring village.

Qin told Gao a story about officials from the Village Chinese Communist Party Political and Legal Committee bringing a group of people to the village to carry out their so-called "duty of visiting the poor to obtain an understanding of the situation." More than 100 villagers covered their heads with plastic bags with holes for their eyes and nose. They tied white towels on their left arms and greeted the officials with sticks and stones.

"How could they still pretend to care for the poor? No one believes them," Qin said. Finally the Party Committee had to call over 100 anti-riot police to help them flee from the village at midnight.

Talking With People in the Countryside

On March 31, Gao left Taiyuan City for his hometown in Shaanbei. The trip usually takes four hours by car, but it took 10 hours this time because Gao stopped wherever he saw a large group of people gathering. He stopped in Ling County, the last county in Shanxi Province, and talked to a group of people there.

Gao asked them what they worried about the most, what was on their minds, their views of the village officials and Communist Party. People gathered around him, and Gao distributed his articles, including his open letters to the Chinese leaders about the persecution of Falun Gong. He told them to read the articles after they went back home and to pass them on to their friends and relatives. Gao told the crowd that they would find three things in his articles—the truth about Falun Gong, the communist regime, and the reality of China—the true stories that are different from what they have been told. Dozens of people eagerly asked to have a copy of his articles.

Gao told The Epoch Times reporter that some of the people had heard of him. Petitioners know him, as do those who listen to radio stations such as Sound of Hope or Radio France International. Many had heard about the police harassment and surveillance Gao was experiencing and were surprised to see him. People held his hands and wouldn’t let him leave.{mospagebreak}

People Ready to Resort to Violence

While chatting with the local people, Gao heard about an incident that had happened last year in the Luliang area of Shanxi Province. Farmers had planted tons of explosives under a hotel where local Party leaders were planning to hold a meeting. The plot was discovered and many people were arrested. However, the incident was never reported.

Many people told Gao that the situation in their areas had already reached a critical point several years ago and could ignite into violent revolution.

"This worries us the most because China has large rural areas and large numbers of farmers, nearly 900 million now, with a common wish to overthrow the communist regime, and they are asking how this should be done," Gao said. "We see a danger, and I worry about it all the time. I keep telling them not to resort to violence. In all the places I have visited, the people are mentally prepared to use violence to bury the communist regime.

"I met many people in Lishi City. When I told them this regime must end, immediately their eyes brightened up. All of them told me that they could mobilize many people to fight. One could see that the only thing on their minds is violence. They are waiting for the opportunity. They told me that none of them believe in any words from the communist regime. I tried my best to tell them that violence creates violence. Once you start using violence, it will hurt you because the process of violence is a double-edged sword. Right now, wherever I go, I call for the adoption of non-violence, no bloodshed, and no enemies. Many people wept after hearing my words. They asked who could lead them. When could they be part of this non-violent protest?"

Gao illustrated the fact that the farmers are prepared to abandon the communist regime. He said outbreaks of fire were abnormally high in Shanxi Province this year because people were using fire as a way to release their anger.

Falling Moral Values

Other incidents during Gao’s trip caused him to be concerned over the low level of social and moral values. When Gao took a taxi to Dingzhou, the driver told him all the hotels were far away, yet there was one nearby. In Dingzhou, he paid a heavy fine for a car accident he was in even though he was not at fault. The auto body shop where he took his car for repair cheated him.{mospagebreak}

"Honesty, responsibility, and sympathy for other people are the soul of a society. It should be the fundamental base of human beings. There is no such a thing in China now. Without it, China is like a person without a soul," Gao said.

When Gao arrived in his hometown, he did not get any relief from the constant harassment by secret police stationed outside his house. A week later, he was forced to go back to Beijing because all his family members, including a 30-day-old grandniece, were constantly beng harassed. Their everyday life was being seriously disturbed.

Gao is currently home and remains connected with the outside world through cell phone. He still posts his diary and articles on The Epoch Times website every day.

On April 26, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution that urged China to lift the suspension of Gao’s law license and allow him to reopen his law firm:

"Be it resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That- (1) Congress-urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China, at all levels, to cease its harassment of Mr. Gao Zhisheng, overturn the suspension of his license to practice law, and restore his legal right to represent the clients of his choosing as protected by China’s own Constitution, its Criminal Procedure Law, and its Lawyers Law."

Gao urged the United States to do more. He said that the injustices that he and others like him are suffering are not only a tragedy for the Chinese people but also a shame for humankind. He asked that Western countries not repeat the mistake of being bystanders as they did at the outset of World War II. He called on democratic countries to pay attention to the fundamental cause that is driving the tragedy that he and other Chinese citizens are suffering today.

Lukun Yu is a writer based in New York.

References:

[1] Since October 2005, Gao Zhisheng, the eminent lawyer and human rights defender in China, has been under the surveillance of the Chinese secret police 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Beijing Judicial Bureau shut down his law firm and suspended his license. In 2001, China’s Ministry of Justice named Gao one of the top 10 lawyers. However, his fate took a sharp turn following his three open letters to China’s top leaders in which he deplored the wrongful persecution of Falun Gong. One April 26, 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution urging China to lift the suspension of Gao’s law practice. Chinascope provided full coverage of Gao Zhisheng in the February issue. This Article is a follow-up on Gao’s trip back to his hometown in Shaanxi Province at the end of March.

No reader of America’s Declaration of Independence would be able to escape the power of the Jeffersonian self-evident truth that "all men are created equal," a proposition that gives America its identity and its enemies the most potent reason for rivalry. It is, however, saddening that it was 80 years later, and only after an internecine civil war costing hundreds and thousands of lives, that Americans’ embrace of such values was extended to their black siblings; and it took another 100 years before these values became the reality, nourished by bravery, hope, and the blood of people like Dr. Martin Luther King.

Without any doubt, the wicked nature and the apparent contradictions of slavery with their libertarian ideals were equally self-evident to the founding fathers when Jefferson penned the most often-quoted document America has ever produced. In the original draft of the Declaration, Jefferson labeled the morally bankrupt practice of trafficking and trading Africans in America as "an evil plot" imposed by the British King to corrupt the fabric of American society. However, that statement, a perfect fit in the text, never appeared in the final version of the Declaration. Indeed, as well as a torch-bearer for freedom, America has also been a believer in and practitioner of pragmatism; economic benefits of slavery were deemed so crucial to the survival of that infant republic that the emancipation was deferred to the future generations. By doing this, America carried for 200 years a crushing moral burden that used to be on the backs of their British masters, with legacies still palpable and ubiquitous to this day.

Now China is morphing into a force that can divide America, as did slavery many years ago. However deft the left-leaning scholars and business-obsessed media are in painting China in a different shade, no one can change the fact that the communist behemoth is and will continue to be the most viable threat to the principles upheld by Americans on a global scale, despite the economic buzz it has created. At a time when America’s Declaration of Independence, the most eloquent expression of universal values, is increasingly expanding its acceptance and governance throughout the world—into Russia, Africa, and Eastern Europe—it also draws a line to encircle, isolate, and accentuate an ever-shrinking coterie of non-believers in Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, and China.

Just as their founding fathers, Americans are enduring a clear affront to their collective conscience on the issue of slavery, by pumping money into China. While the moral validity of economically propping up an anachronistic regime in China is tenuous, flimsy, if existent at all, the commercial interest is overriding and the economic benefits tangible and enormous. The fact that China is being portrayed within certain circles of media, academia, and politics as a progressive society inching toward democracy, yet without any hard evidence and concrete timetables, only highlights the moral insecurity of those China apologists.{mospagebreak}

Minxin Pei, a prominent China scholar, argued in a recent article in Foreign Affairs, that China’s reform, while lining the pockets of foreign capitalists by the advantage of cheap Chinese labor and an extremely few elitists having connections within the Chinese Communist Party, is not pushing China toward "democracy," but instead toward moral and ecological "decay." On this, a recent AFP news wire probably offers a most poignant example reporting a Nazi-style concentration camp located in Sujiatun, Shenyang City, specializing in a highly secretive but lucrative business of removing and selling human organs, sometimes while the victims are still alive. Since 2001, over 6,000 Falun Gong adherents who refused to reveal their identities to authorities are said to have been unknowingly shipped into such a macabre facility, with a smoke-spewing crematorium. One employee stated that three quarters of detainees had been murdered and "processed"—and no one was ever expected to come out alive. Over the past decade, China has been the biggest supplier, and economic beneficiary, of human organ trading. While international human rights organizations have long identified China as an exploiter of human organs of executed prisoners, the collusion of government and medical professionals at the Sujiatun camp using Falun Gong practitioners to achieve their respective political and materialist goals adds a blood-stained footnote to Mr. Pei’s non-mainstream interpretation of today’s China.

If Americans stopped their money flowing into a Chinese regime straying from their values, they will be relieved of a heavy moral burden, just as were their founding fathers on the issue of slavery, but will face exorbitant economic costs. Especially at a time when the world is no longer round but "flat," in the words of some luminaries trumpeting globalization and economic developments—a supposed panacea for all kinds of social ills. Even today, we can easily imagine how embarrassing it was 200 years ago for those who had just freed Americans from the yokes of British tyranny only to perpetuate slavery in the face of their cherished Declaration of Independence. Fierce debates immediately ensued and became heated in the 1790s, up until the start of the Civil War, in the same manner as we now witness during the Senate and Congressional hearings on China. In those days the states of Georgia and South Carolina, two heavy keepers of African slaves, vehemently opposed emancipation on economic grounds. Their voices and logic are now echoed by Google and Yahoo! when it comes to assisting China in cracking down on its own people.

Kangxi was one of the longest-reigning emperors during China’s Qing dynasty. He came to the throne at the age of 8, was in charge of all affairs by the age of 14 and passed away at the age of 69. He reigned for 61 years.

Kangxi became emperor under peculiar circumstances. One year while China was still under his father’s rule (Emperor Shunzhi), a smallpox epidemic ravaged the palace and the emperor’s beloved concubine died. It caused him immense pain and he decided to become a monk. Amid the ensuing chaos, the grandmother decided to put the recovering eight-year-old Kangxi on the throne. China became a prosperous, strong nation under his reign.

Emperor Kangxi in the Eyes of Westerners

Jesuit Joachim Bouvet was born in France in 1656 and was sent to China by Louis XIV. Bouvet became Kangxi’s tutor for a period of time, teaching him Western subjects like the Julian calendar and calculations, chemistry, anatomy, and medicine.

On July 4, 1693, Kangxi contracted malaria. He recovered after taking the medicine prescribed by two Catholic priests, Bouvet and Jean-Francois Gerbillon. To reward them for their efforts, Kangxi granted them land in the west of the imperial city to build missionary dormitories. Bouvet was appointed Imperial Envoy to France the same day. Bouvet accepted with pleasure and soon set sail. When he returned to France, he presented his writing, Biography of Emperor Kangxi, to Louis XIV.

The following was part of his introduction of Kangxi to Louis XIV:

"Your Majesty had sent me to this emperor as a missionary a few years ago. I had the great fortune of meeting such a great figure we had never thought existed outside of France. Like you, my Majesty, he possesses the same noble character, remarkable wisdom and magnanimous mind that befit a king. He treats himself and the country in the same conscientious and careful manner. He is well respected by his people and neighboring countries. With what he has achieved, he is not only someone with an awe-inspiring reputation, but a real sage with solid strength. It is amazing to be able to see such a brilliant king as a neighbor.

He is a genius with unbelievable memory, knowledge, wisdom and observation. He manages the daily chaotic routine with stamina. He establishes, directs and carries out his plans with a will of steel. His habits and hobbies are elegant and in good taste, as a king’s should be. He has the qualities of submitting to the truth and exercising absolute restraint of his own emotions and desire. His good qualities are endless.{mospagebreak}

Kangxi is a fair person who proceeds impartially according to the law and appoints whosoever is able. These are the moral maxims of his rule. In addition, wherever a serious disaster arises, his exceptional apprehension tells of his strong sense of responsibility as the father and ruler of the country.

Kangxi takes time to travel around different provinces and inspect people’s living conditions and the administrative skills of his officials. While on these tours, he allows humble artisans and farmers to be around him and he treats them with friendship and kindliness. He asks people all sorts of questions, particularly about their satisfaction with the local government. When people complain about a certain official, that official will lose his job. But on the other hand, when a certain official is being praised, he does not necessarily get a raise.

Kangxi leads a simple life. His clothing is far from luxurious. This is not because he is stingy or mean. His personal frugality is subordinate to a generosity for the well-being of the people and his subordinates. He makes immense investments for the development of trade, canal and river conservation work and in businesses like bridge and ship building. It is not difficult to see that his simple life is a reflection of his true understanding of the meaning of thrift, as well as his will to be a well-loved ruler and father of the nation."

Bouvet looks back on his close contact with Kangxi in his book. He says:

"The Emperor personally asked us questions on Western science, stories and customs and many other things. He was so earnest that he asked us to sit on the floor next to his Emperor’s chair. Such extraordinary treatment is usually only granted to the prince!"

When Kangxi Consulted a Doctor

Kangxi contracted some strange disease. The imperial doctors used all the expensive, rare medicines at their disposal, but to no avail. He was so angry that he stopped taking them.

One night he dressed up as a commoner and went out of the palace for a walk alone. He came to a street and saw a small herb shop. It was late in the night but the shop was still lit and sounds of chanting were in the air. He thought, "None of the imperial doctors’ abilities were prudent. Well, as the ancient saying goes, ‘Ginseng is found in small herb shops.’ Why don’t I take a look?" Then he knocked on the door.

When he entered the structure he saw a middle-aged man reading by candle light. He guessed the man must be the herb doctor.{mospagebreak}

The doctor asked, "What can I do for such a late night visitor?" Kangxi replied, "Sorry to bother you so late. But I have a strange disease, which makes me itch all over and my body is covered in red spots. I have consulted many doctors, but to no avail. Can you check me out?" The doctor said, "Please take off your top to let me have a look." He did as he was told. The doctor took just one look and said, "You don’t have to worry. It’s nothing. It’s just that you have been eating too many delicacies and the chronic consumption of ginseng is like ‘oil to the fire,’ which causes the red spots and the itchiness." Kangxi asked, "Can it be cured?" The doctor replied with certainty, "Yes, the right medicine will do it." He then got a jar from a wooden shelf, put a piece of cloth on the table and emptied the contents of the jar onto the cloth. It was a heavy bundle weighing eight catties. (One catty equals approximately 16 ounces.)

Kangxi was surprised, "Doctor, how much should I use for one dose?" The doctor laughed, "This is not an oral medicine. After you get home, put this eight catties of herbs into 100 catties of water and bring it to the boil. Pour all of it into a tub, then bathe in it when the temperature is right. You will be cured after taking 3 to 5 baths."

Kangxi then thought, "None of the imperial doctors can cure me with their various prescriptions but your worthless looking herb can?" The doctor saw his doubts and smiled, "Don’t you worry. I am not after your money. You can take it home and give it a try. I won’t charge you if you can’t be cured."

Kangxi said, "All right. I will reward you greatly if I am really cured." He did as he was instructed after returning to the palace. Just as expected, once he was in the tub, he immediately felt relieved and refreshed beyond words. After three baths he no longer itched and the red spots disappeared.

He was thrilled and returned to the herb shop in layman’s clothes again on the fourth day.

When the doctor saw the smiling Kangxi, he knew he had recovered. He said on purpose, "Are you here to pay me for the medicine?" Kangxi replied, "Yes, sir. How much is it?" The doctor broke into laughter, "Please forgive me. Your doubtful look the other night prompted me to deliberately say that I would not charge you if you were not cured. Well, now that you are cured I am still charging you nothing; I am impressed by your airs and graces! And may I ask if we can be friends? Can you tell me your name please?"

Kangxi smiled, "My name is Huang Tianxing. I am a scholar." The doctor was happy hearing his reply and said, "I am Zhao Gueitang. I am also a penniless scholar. My father wished my name to be on the royal list of successful candidates of the civil service examination. He hoped I could honor our ancestors but I failed with my few attempts. Now I can only run this small herb shop here in the capital, seeing patients and studying at the same time and wishing that I could make the list one day."{mospagebreak}

Kangxi replied, "My friend, as people say, ‘There’s a way for everyone.’ With your expertise, I can recommend you to be an imperial doctor. Isn’t it as good as being on the royal list?" Zhao smiled and said, "You are wrong. A doctor should think on behalf of the common people and serve their needs. Although I may enjoy the fame and fortune as an imperial doctor, it’s my wish to serve the people. If I cannot do that, what good am I as a doctor?"

Kangxi was moved to reply, "I really admire your virtue and goals. But please excuse me for saying this, my dear friend. Since you have failed to become a select scholar, why don’t you settle on the medical path where you can excel?" Zhao said, "That’s what I thought too. But this path isn’t easy, either. Although I have the will, I don’t have the money to support myself. My friend, if you get wealthy one day, maybe you can help me build a big medicinal hall. See it as a repayment for your cure!"

Without hesitation Kangxi asked, "What should we name it if we are to build the hall? Ah, let us call it ‘Ton Ren Tan.’ What do you think?" Zhao smiled and said when he realized that Kangxi had taken his joke seriously, "I am just kidding. I don’t mean it. Anyway, to build a medicinal hall takes a lot of money. God knows when you will get it?" Kangxi said, "Let’s give it a try." He then walked over to the desk, picked up the pen, wrote a note and put his chop on it. He instructed Zhao, "My friend, take it to the internal affairs bureau tomorrow. I have a friend there who may be able to help you." With these words he left.

Looking at the hurried departure of his new acquaintance, Zhao Gueitang thought how strange this man was. The next day he took the note to the internal affairs bureau. He handed it over and after a while a eunuch arrived and led him inside. They went through a yard and came to a big house. The eunuch opened the door, pointed inside and asked, "Is this enough for your medicine, Mr. Zhao?" Zhao looked inside and was shocked. The house was full of money. He was stunned. The eunuch then said, "Mr. Zhao, his majesty has instructed us to give you a medicinal hall since you cured his illness and didn’t charge him anything. Isn’t it what you wished for?"

Zhao awakened: The man he did not mind befriending was actually the emperor. He regretted his ridiculous request.

A few days later, a big medicinal hall, Ton Ren Tan, was built. Zhao moved in and on the day of the opening ceremony he was surprised by Kangxi’s unexpected appearance. Kangxi smiled, "Don’t get all flustered! I have paid your fee. You will charge me nothing for the next consultation!"

From then on, Ton Ren Tan became a famous medicinal hall in Beijing to this day.