Bo Chi <chi@vlsi> (02/18/91)
* C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t * (News General) February 18, 1990 Table of Contents # of Lines 1. A Letter to CND ................................................... 23 2. The Holiday and the Jailed Activivist Families .................... 95 3. Lunar New Year in China ........................................... 32 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. A Letter to CND ------------------------------------------------------------------- A Student in Canada from aaa@cs.bbb.ca Sat Feb 16 21:45 GMT 1991 Dear Editor: Recently when I read some academic books and papers of Baltic scholars, I found many dedications of them is to their homeland, such as to "reviving Latvia" (please notice that these publica- tions were published within Soviet Union around 1987). I was moved deeply by their spirit. Before outstanding scholars, they are Lithuanians, Latvians, .... On the other hand, the Peking regime often spread such propaganda as some Chinese students studying abroad dedicated their thesis to "the great socialist motherland". Therefore I will add in my thesis the following dedications: " At same time, the author dedicate this thesis to the dear homeland, China, which is suffering from a long nightmare, and to its peo- ple, who are fighting for freedom and human rights." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. The Holiday and the Jailed Activivist Families -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Wu, Fang" <INT3FWU@mvs.oac.ucla.edu> BY: KATHY WILHELM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DATE: February 14, 1991 Bursts of fireworks Thursday night ushered in a gloomy Year of the Sheep for the families of newly sentenced democracy activists, many of whom face financial hard times. ``We don't feel too much like celebrating this year,'' said the wife of one jailed activist, who said she and her daughter would spend the lunar new year, China's biggest holiday, quietly at home. There was no word from authorities of a hoped-for holiday visit with her husband, whom she hasn't seen since his arrest 21 months ago. But few people seem to believe that the cause of democracy in China has been dealt a death blow with the sentencing of the leaders of 1989's massive demonstrations. Conversations with intellectuals, freed protesters and relatives of those still in jail are sprinkled with references to ''when things change.'' No one believes future protests must wait for the release of student leader Wang Dan, serving a four-year term, veteran dissident Ren Wanding, who has a seven-year term, or intellectuals Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao, sentenced to 13 years. ``China has a way of churning out new generations of reformists very quickly,'' said a Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. workers and intellectuals waiting in the wings.'' For those in jail and their families, the immediate future is bleak. Most of the jailed students and scholars were held before trial at Beijing's Qincheng Prison, a high-security facility for political prisoners. An atmosphere of collegiality prevailed, according to released prisoners. Students, sleeping six or eight in a cell, tutored each other in English and other subjects and held spirited dis- cussions on politics and the economy. Now that they have been sentenced, they may be moved to ordinary prisons and labor camps where the routine is less stimulating. At Beijing Prison No. 1, considered a model facility, prisoners work eight hours a day making plastic sandals and nylon socks, followed by two hours of mandatory group political study. Each prisoner must write a monthly essay analyzing his crime and how he should reform. The state allocates about $7 for each prisoner's monthly food bill, making meat and eggs rare luxuries. Prison No. 1 holds only people sentenced to 10 years or longer. Of the 25 protesters given prison terms in the recent sweep of trials, only two Chen and Wang qualify. But prison officials said last May that two dozen other protesters were already there. So far, most of the 1989 protest leaders are said to be in good spirits. Liu Gang, a 30-year-old researcher sentenced Tuesday to six years, told his family that prison was like a ``new school.'' But there are unconfirmed reports one jailed scholar tried to commit suicide. The system has crushed previous dissidents: Wei Jingsheng, serving a 15-year jail term for publishing pro- democracy essays in 1978, reportedly has become mentally ill. Several families have found themselves without their main wage- earner. Zong Jingshan, a Capital Steel worker sentenced last summer to three years in jail, supported his retired parents. Chen's parents, both past retirement age, have become the sole supporters of his wife, sister and brother-in-law, who lost their jobs when his private research institute was closed by the state. Ren's wife was forced to move from their apartment to a small, single room and fears she may be evicted from that, too. She has been unable to find a job. But many families say they have been treated warmly by neighbors and co-workers, unlike the past when relatives of political offenders were ostracized. ``So many people have come to me to say they admire him,'' said the wife of one jailed dissident. ``They say if I need money they will help cover my living expenses.'' Some relatives hope political change will come quickly enough to win early release for the activists. Others say it could take decades before any force emerges powerful enough to supplant the Communist Party. But the belief that the party has lost its popular mandate and eventually must fall is widespread. In Beijing, ordinary people complain openly about corrupt officials and the monotony of lec- tures on socialist ideology. Intellectuals ponder the best way to reform the system, but for now think it wisest to keep quiet. ``It will take a long time to recover,'' a freed protester said, referring to China's democratic forces. ``I'm more than 40 years old. Ten years from now, I can still take part'' in the next demonstrations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Lunar New Year in China -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Wu, Fang" <INT3FWU@mvs.oac.ucla.edu> BY: CHARLENE L. FU THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DATE: February 14, 1991 Chinese all over the country gathered with their families today to eat and drink their way into the lunar new year, the nation's biggest holiday. Senior leader Deng Xiaoping celebrated in the coastal city of Shanghai, extending his wishes for a happy new year in a rare appearance on the state-run television network's evening news broadcast. Also called Spring Festival in mainland China, the holiday com- bines the gift-giving of Christmas, with the family reunions and feasting of Thanksgiving and the merrymaking of the Jan. 1 New Year. The festivities climax with a deafening roar of firecrackers at the stroke of midnight tonight to greet the year of the sheep, which fortune-tellers are predicting will be a year of disarray and confusion, natural disasters and economic disorder. The Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle assigns a different animal to each year. The dire forecasts appeared to have little affect in Beijing. Firecrackers have been going off for days and residents began planning weeks in advance for the celebrations. That contrasts with the gloom that hung over the city last year, when memories of the crackdown on the 1989 democracy movement were still fresh and martial law had just been lifted. The Communist government has criticized some traditional aspects of the lunar new year. This year, the state press targeted the custom of giving children money, criticizing elders for giving out exorbitant amounts of cash. The average gift is about $15, while some doting relatives give upwards of $100 to each child, the People's Daily said. Other traditions, however, have been revived. Temple fairs made a comeback in Beijing in the mid-1980s, bringing together variety shows, amateur Peking opera performances, animal exhibitions and stalls selling snacks, traditional foods and toys. Firecrackers, thought to scare off evil spirits, remain an essen- tial element of the holiday. In Beijing, street-side stalls opened late last month to sell 1.2 billion firecrackers, down 11 percent from last year. Authorities have reduced the firecracker supply for the past three years to cut down on injuries and fires. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | China News Digest Executive Editor: (Bo Chi) chi@vlsi.waterloo.edu | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | To Subscribe to CND General News, send "SUB CHINA-NN <Your Full Name>" | | to LISTSERV@ASUACAD.BITNET. To sign off send "SIGNOFF CHINA-NN" to | | same address. US Readers: to receive CND-US/Visa News, send "SUB | | CHINA-ND <Your Name>" to LISTSERV@KENTVM.BITNET. Canadian Readers: | | send all requests to XLIAO@ccm.Umanitoba.CA. | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For technical assistance, contact: Tan Shi <tan@venus.ycc.yale.edu> | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+