— Preface —
There Was Once a Great Land on Earth
There was once this great land on earth, where, according to legends, Goddess Nü Wa melted the five-colored stones to mend the damaged heaven and molded yellow earth to create human figures, which then started human beings, generation after generation Continue reading
China recently launched a web platform, dedicated to clarifying and battling online rumors. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping asked to build a bright and clear cyberspace.
The platform (http://www.piyao.org.cn/) encourages netizens to report online rumors. It is also connected with Weibo and WeChat platforms by setting up corresponding accounts. Weibo is the Chinese counterpart of a Twitter like service, while WeChat is a popular Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app.
The official media said that the campaigns to battle rumors are based upon the official news media, which reports the “truth facts.”
An officially released video trailer said that rumors “violate individual freedom, trigger social fears, affect the stock market, and impact the economy.” “The rumors also blaspheme revolutionary heroes.”
China has stepped up judicial punishment for spreading rumors, with the highest penalty being up to seven years in prison. Earlier, the officials warned that, if 5,000 netizens read a rumor and reposted it more than 500 times, there would also be the danger of a jail term.
The platform is a direct subsidiary of the state cyber regulating authority and is connected with the official Xinhua News Agency. It has consolidated more than 40 online similar websites to investigate and suppress rumors more effectively and to search for the source of rumors or manufacturers of false information more effectively.
Source: Radio France International, August 30, 2018
http://rfi.my/33dc.T
China’s Shaolin Temple, with a history of more than 1,500 years, is located at Song Mountain in Henan Province. On Monday August 27, at 7:00 am, the temple held its very first national flag-raising ceremony. The abbot, Shi Yongxin, led the ceremony. A number of local officials, including a CCP Standing Committee member from Dengfeng City, participated in the flag-raising ceremony.
The official media stated that the raising of the national flag in religious venues matches with the theme of the Shaolin Temple, which is “patriotism and love for the religion.” The Shaolin Temple has taken the lead. It is hoped that religious people and religious believers will continue to enhance their respect for the national flag and adhere to the Sinicization of religion in mainland China.
Radio Free Asia contacted a monk from the Shaolin Temple who said that the authorities demanded that the national flag should be hung. There was no way for the temple not to obey. He did not dare to make too many comments.
Chen Shiqi, a senior lecturer at the Department of Religion and Philosophy of Hong Kong Baptist University said, “The authorities want to look for a role model in Buddhism. Of course, the best candidate is the Shaolin Temple. Because of its fame and its martial arts, the authorities use the Shaolin Temple as a symbol. If the Shaolin Temple follows their lead, all other Buddhist temples will also follow suit and hang the national flag. In the end the Christians and Catholics will also raise the flag.”
On July 31, the sixth assemblage of the joint meeting of national religious groups was held in Beijing. It issued the “Initiative on Raising the National Flag at Religious Venues.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, August 28, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/shaolin-08282018093931.html