Journey to Nowhere

China’ most prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo was sentenced by the court to 11 years in jail on Christmas Day.

This is the fourth time he has been imprisoned because of his political position and his writings. He was researching in the US while the student democratic movement broke out in China in 1989. He rushed back to China and gave support to the students. He was jailed afterwards by the Chinese government.  

But that marked only the first sentencing he, as a dissident, received of a series to follow. Each time he was released, he kept on writing and speaking his mind about how to make China a better and democratic country, and each time he was sentenced to imprisonment or a labour camp.  

How Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, supports him is touching. She married him when he was in the labour camp. She sent him books when he was in prison so that he knew what her thoughts were and it was a way of communication between them, Liu Xia said. They also wrote poems to each other.

After the latest jail sentence was announced, Liu Xia told reporters in a clam voice: “If he (Liu Xiaobo) can persevere in the face of the ordeal, so can I.” Liu will be over 60 years old when he is released, she said.

She has had her head shaved. She is such a strong and steel-willed woman, just like her husband.

Three Hong Kong journalists were pinned down to the ground, kicked and punched by police when they reported on the recent unrest in Urumqi, Xinjiang province. The insult and assault were captured on the camera. They were later tied up and taken away to a police station.

But according to the Xinjiang authority, their police had done nothing wrong. To the contrary, it was the fault of the journalists because they were found “giving orders” to protesters. Also the three had refused to present their journalist’s licences to police. So they were detained.

The authority came to the conclusion after conducting an investigation, according to Xinjiang information office head Hou Hanmin.

The TV stations which employ the three journalists protested against the claim and the fabrication, saying all their journalists had valid reporter licenses and in fact they showed them in order not to be beaten and detained. As for the claim of the three “giving order” to the demonstrators, that is plainly fabrication no intelligent mind would believe and only the foolish and the shameless would make.

If you want to have a good understanding about China’s freedom of press, about the standard of governance of local governments, about the true nature of China rising as a global power, about the lack of sense of security living and working in the country, look no further than this case.

Good luck travelling and living in China.

This video in Cantonese reveals the shameless lie told by the Xinjiang authority.

With the approach of the 20th anniversary of the June 4 student democracy movement in China, there has been a wave of books and TV productions on the major historic event, particularly in Hong Kong. The most notable may be the secret journal of former China leader Zhao Ziyang “Prisoner of the State”.

Here I want to recommend a documentary series that may be overlooked. It is produced by RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong), a quasi public broadcasting organization in Hong Kong. Its long-running and reputed documentary/public affairs programme “Hong Kong Connection” has produced a four-part series on June 4 crackdown.

The first two parts in Chinese have been broadcast, with the rest to be shown in the following two weeks. The good news for non-Chinese speaking population is that, the series is being turned into English content. You can now view the first part in English, on RTHK’s website. The first part is titled “In exile”.

I’ve watched the first two parts, and highly recommend them. If you want to know more about June 4 student movement, 20 years on, this is the programme you’ve got to watch.

I am particularly touched by the story of Zhang Jian, and his mother in the first part. Zhangjian was involved in the student movement when he was 17. Seven years ago, he was forced to be on exile in France, leaving behind his mum and his family in China. Talking to his mum on webcam, he played a song he made in memory of June 4. His mum said, “I liked the song.” “Love your family, love your neighbours, love your friends, love your enemies,” she continued. Her son Zhang Jian responded: ‘Alleluya.” “Alleluya,” she echoed. That is how the first part is ended. A great production.

I often note impossible tasks set by Chinese authorities. Say this one: to raise the average life expectancy to age 78 by 2012 in the Pearl River Delta region, according to a development plan for the region released not long ago.

Currently, the average life expectancy in Guangdong province is 75. That means increasing one life expectancy age every year for the following three years. Can that be achievable? 

Btw, the Pearl River Delta region covers nine prefectures of the province of Guangdong in southern China, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, plus Hong Kong and Macau. It had a population approximately of 60 million people in 2008.

In the Hechi (河池) city of Guangxi province, there is an autonomous county populated by Ba Ma Yao (巴馬瑤) ethnic group. The county now boasts the highest longevity rate in the world – every 100,000 residents, 31.7 are 100 years old or older. Now, 81 people are 100 years old or older, of its current population of about 240,000. 

According to a renowned nutritionist in China, the elderly in the county live a long life because they follow a so-called “five-low, two-high” diet – low in calorie, fat, animal protein, sodium and sugar, while high in vitamin and fiber. 

Guangxi province, in southwestern China, is among the poorest provinces in China. The ethnic group of Ba Ma Yao surely does not live in luxury. Their simple and low calorie diet has helped them live a longer life, coupled with the green and beautiful environment there, the experts say.

Another reason behind the longevity, according to research, is that the Ba Ma Yao people live in red-brick houses, which release a kind of natural energy, helping to improve human’s immune and digestive system. Houses made of cement of modern days do not release such beneficial energy. 

Here’s a glimpse of the beauty of the autonomous county of Ba Ma Yao ethnic group.

I do not usually file favorable reports about China, but this news is worth posting. Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou just held a direct election of the president of the university’s students’ union. It is the first direct election ever held in a Chinese university. 

Four student candidates vied for the post and each was given RMB2000 for their campaign. The polling took place on 11 November and the result announced the following day. Turn out rate is 61%. 

The elected student leader’s platform is based on one key message – the university should have a mechanism to allow student participation in its major decision making process.