The August issue of Beijing
Spring published in late July
emphasized on the election
problem, which is an important
opportunity for today's political
reformation of China. We published
articles about the construction of
legal system of China, the
nationalization of armed police
force, the political participation
of Falun Gong, and the debate on
the Cultural Revolution......
Table
of Contents
Words from the Editor in Chief
03. / Hu Ping ...... Gain the
freedom of speech through struggle
Words from the President
04. / Wang Dan ......Election of
basic levels will impact the CCP
Cover Topic: An opportunity for
China's political reformation -
election
06. / Liu Ying (reporter of our
magazine) ...... Report on the
Seminar of the Election of
Mainland China
11. / Zhao Xin ......Applaud for
the people from the Pan-Blue
Coalition participating in the
election for the delegates of the
People's Congress
13. / Zhang Zuhua (Beijing) ......
Nine suggestions for the friends
participating in the election
for the delegates of People's
Congress
17. / Chen Xiangyang (Beijing)
...... Recalling the student
election of Beijing University
Chinese Political Situation
23. /Gong Shengli (Guangzhou)
......How to construct the future
legal society of China
28. / Lu Gengsong (Shandong)
......The armed police of China
and the nationalization of the
police force
Divine Land of China
36. / Jianghaijiyusheng ...... The
hardship of the unemployed workers
38. / Fan Baihua (Jiangsu) ......
The arrogant "Theory of
absolution"
International Vision
43. / Fang Lizhi ......The Berlin
topic - when will democracy
collapse again
Study on the Cultural
Revolution
46. / Liu Zili (Beijing) ......The
sufferers and persecutors of the
Cultural Revolution
53. / Cheng Tijie (Macao) ......
Review of the Cultural Revolution
in Inner Mongolia
63. / Liu Guokai ......Defense for
the People's Cultural Revolution
Discussion Group of Culture
66. / Hu Ping ...... Some shallow
opinions about the thought and
characters in Liu Binyan's works
70. / Zhang Yaojie (Beijing)
...... The historical memory that
reverses transmigration
75. / Fu Guoyong (Zhejiang) ......
"Sheep nature", "wolf nature" and
"ghost"
Historical Witness
79. / Huang Heqing (Spain) ......
Mourning for the fifth anniversary
of Huang Wanli's death
Wall of Democracy
83. / Tang Yuanjun ...... The
storm to overthrow Chen Shuibian
and the political struggle of
Taiwan
85. / Zeng Zheng (Australia)
...... Falun Gong and political
participation
87. / Chen Pokong ......
Commonsense about China
Reading
89. / Shu Chong ......Democracy
cannot wait
91. / Kang Zhengguo ......Reading
Hu Ping's "The phenomenon of Falun
Gong"
Garden of Literature & Art
95. / Ma Yunlong (Henan) ...... A
draft poem from prison (continued)
99. / Lie Lei (Guangzhou) ......
Graduation means unemployment
Brief News
100. / Yu Dongyue's family thanks
for the humanistic aid from China
and overseas
101. Brief News
Readers, Writers and Editors
105. / Xue Wei ...... A thank you
letter to the Taipei taxi driver
Jin Weicheng
106. / Acknowledgement
106. / Selected letters from
readers
Members of Beijing
Spring's Advisory Board
Fang
Lizhi, professor of physics at University
of Arizona. As the former vice president of
Chinese University of Science and Technology,
he inspired the 1989's Chinese Democracy movement
and then was forced to seek refuge in the
American Embassy for about a year after the
June 4 crackdown.
Guo
Luoji, a leading liberal theoretician who
was driven out of Beijing by Former Chairman
Deng Xiaoping because of his political opinion.
In 1992, he sued the Chinese government for
human rights abuses in a Federal Court of
law. Now he is a visiting scholar at Harvard
University.
Smarlo Ma Smarlo Ma is pen name of Mr. Yi Ma.
Joining the CommunistParty of China
in 1937, he became Director of the
Library of the Anti-Japanese Military
and Political College in Yan-an in 1938.
He formally left the Party in 1943. as
a well known expert on the history of
the Communist party of china, he has
often been invited to present papers
in international conferences of Asian
specialists. He has published mora than 20 books.
Perry Link,
professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton
University. He specializes in 20th-century
Chinese literature and is very concerned with
human rights condition in Mainland China.
Liu Qing, Chairman
of the Executive Committee of Human Rights
in China. As a democracy promoter and a close
ally of Wei Jingsheng, he had been jailed
by Chinese government for almost ten years.
Andrew Nathan,
professor of Political Science and Director
of East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
His teaching and research interests include
Chinese politics and foreign policy, the comparative
study of political participation and political
culture, and human rights. He has published
numerous books and articles on China's politics.
Situ Hua,president
of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic
and Democratic Movement in China. Mr. Situ
is a member of the Hong Kong legislature and
an important leader of the Democratic Party
of Hong Kong.
Su Shaozhi,
chairman of Princeton China Initiative. Once
served as the director of the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought of the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, he is
a leading liberal political theoretician in
China.
Su Xiaokang,
a Chinese writer well known for his epic The
River's Elegy, a critical television program
about China's political and cultural evolution.
As an active participator in the 1989 democracy
movement, he was forced to leave China. Now
he is a fellow of the Princeton China Initiative
and publisher of the bi-monthly journal "The
Democratic China".
Yang Liyu,professor
of East Asian Studies at Seton Hall University
Yu Ying-shi,
professor of history at Princeton University.
Mr. Yu has been a leading critic on the tyranny
of the Chinese communists after he left China
in 1950. After the Chinese government crackdown
on the Democracy Movement in 1989, he devoted
himself into helping the fled Chinese activists
to settle down in the U.S and setting up the
Princeton China Initiative.
Members of Beijing
Spring's Editorial Board
Yu
Dahai, Publisher of Beijing Spring and
assistant
professor of economics at Tufts University.
Graduated from Beijing University and received
a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University,
he served as Chief Editor of Beijing Spring
from June 1993 to June 1996 and then as President
from June 1996 to September 2002. He is founding
president of the Chinese Economists Society
and former president of the Chinese Alliance
for Democracy and the China Spring magazine.
Wang Dan,President
of Beijing Spring since September 2002. As
a student leader from Beijing University in
the 1989's Democracy Movement, he was on the
most wanted list of the Chinese government
after the June 4 crackdown. After being imprisoned
for political reasons from July 1989 to February
1993 and again from May 1995 to April 1998,
he came to the United States ad is now a doctoral
student in Harvard University.
Hu Ping,Chief
Editor of Beijing Spring since 1996 and a
regular commentator for Radio Free Asia. Received
a Master's degree in philosophy from Beijing
University and studied at Harvard University,
he was once the Chief Writer of Beijing Spring
from June 1993 to June 1996. He is former
president of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy
and the China Spring magazine.
Chen Kuide,
fellow of Princeton China Initiative and program
host for Radio Free Asia. As once the Chief
Editor of Shanghai's Thinker magazine, he
actively took part in the 1989 democracy movement.
He later received a Ph.D. degree in philosophy
from Fudan University.
Zheng Yi,member
of the Princeton China initiative and a famous
political critic. He once wrote articles to
expose the cannibalism in Guangxi during the
Great Cultural Revolution in China. As an
important leader of the 1989 democracy movement,
he was forced to leave China in 1992.
Xue Wei, Manager of Beijing Spring since
1993.
He was imprisoned in Sichuan for ten years
for "counter-revolutionary activities"
in the 1970's. He was among the founding members
of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy and
the China Spring magazine and has always served
as a leader in promoting Chinese Democracy
Movement dating back 1982.
This Month
Brief of No. 160
The August issue of Beijing Spring published in late
July emphasized on the election problem, which is an
important opportunity for today's political
reformation of China. We published articles about the
construction of legal system of China, the
nationalization of armed police force, the political
participation of Falun Gong, and the debate on the
Cultural Revolution.
1. Cover Topic: An
opportunity for China's political reformation -
election
This year and next year are the election years for the
delegates of People's Congress at the region and
county level of China. The delegates of the People's
Congress in more than 2,800 counties and more than
35,400 towns will need to be elected for the next
session, more than 0.9 billion voters involved.
Hundreds of pro-democracy and right-protection
activists in Mainland China participate in this
election and consider it as an important opportunity
for the political reformation of China. For this
reason, our magazine uses this topic as the cover
topic of this issue. In "Words from the President", we
published Wang Dan's article "Election of basic levels
will impact the CCP". In "Cover Topic", we published
the report on the "Seminar of the Election of Mainland
China" held in Princeton University written by the
reporter of our magazine, "Applaud for the people from
the Pan-Blue Coalition participating in the election
for the delegates of the People's Congress" and "Nine
suggestions for the friends participating in the
election for the delegates of People's Congress" by
the Beijing authors Zhao Xin and Zhang Zuhua, and the
article of Chen Xiangyang from Australia recalling the
student election of Beijing University in the 1980s.
Wang Dan pointed out in his article that the social
conflicts in Mainland China are becoming more and more
severe. The sharp increase of quantity, size and the
degree of violence in these emergency incidents
indicate that the confidence and patience of the
people to the ability of the government to solve
problems are diminishing. The independent civilian
professionals are trying to find new legal channels to
express the public opinions, solve the problems that
concern the people, and dissolve the social conflicts
and crisis. This election is going to be an important
opportunity. Given that the CCP has officially listed
the right protection activists as one of the six types
of antagonistic force, the significance of the right
protection activists participating in the election of
basic levels is becoming more obvious. All these
factors have made it possible for this election to
become a new hotspot where the civilian force of
Mainland China challenges the government. No matter
this election of the basic levels can be a
breakthrough or not, it will become a significant
indicator in the process of political democratization
of China.
To evaluate the prospective and significance of this
election, the Chinese Scholars Friendship Association
held the "Seminar of the election of Mainland China"
in the East Asia Research Center of Princeton
University, US on August 5 and 6. Tens of experts and
people of all circles from Mainland China, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, and North America were present in the seminar.
They introduced their experience of election and
debated on many issues. The reporter of our magazine
reported the details of the "Seminar of the election
of Mainland China" in "New start point for the
political reformation of China".
On the seminar, right protection activist Zhao Hui
(penname Mo Zhixu), Hong Kong congressman and vice
chairman of Democratic Party He Junren, former Chief
of the East America Branch of the Democratic
Progressive Party of Taiwan Xu Shengnan, and the
former Chairman of the branch Cai Mingfeng introduced
the election experience of Mainland China, Hong Kong
and Taiwan, respectively. The overseas Chinese
pro-democracy activists Liu Gang, Li Jinjin, Pan Qiang,
Li Hengqing, Yi Gai, Chen Pokong, Xie Xuanjun, Li
Qiang, Wang Chaohua, Liu Junguo and Tong Yi, etc. were
present at the seminar. Medias like "Radio Free Asia",
"New Tang Dynasty" and "Epoch Times" covered the
seminar. The reporter of Shanghai "Wenhuibao" Tang
Yuhua was also present. The professor of Princeton
University and famous US expert of China studies Perry
Link criticized the point of some elites that farmers
lack the ability of election in his speech. He thought
that the civilians of China actually know better about
where their benefit are than the elites and are
totally capable of electing their own leader. The
village people of China can totally make decisions on
the social political problems related to them.
The former elected delegate of Beijing University who
is now the Editor in Chief of Beijing Spring Hu Ping
reviewed the election for delegates of the People's
Congress of the District in Beijing's colleges and
universities in 1980. He pointed out that among the
candidates, many were the active participants of the
Democracy Wall Movement, and some were the
participants of the April 5th Movement. That election
was not only a practice of democracy at the basic
level, but also an enlightenment of the concepts of
freedom and democracy. It was a brave struggle for
consciously pursuing freedom and democracy. Through
that election, the college students had stepped on the
stage of history as a basic force of the pro-democracy
movement of China. Ph.D. in politics of Columbia
University Wang Juntao and director of the China
Jurisdiction Observation Li Jinjin discussed relevant
political and legal problems. Wang Juntao thought that
election is not only the most basic feature of the
democratic system, but also the implementation and
guarantee of the citizen's social and economic rights
and standards in the modern political society. The
progress in election of a country is also the focus of
people's concern on systematic changes. China is no
exception. The start point of the political
reformation should be a real election. Liu Gang
introduced the procedure of the students of Beijing
University nominating and electing Professor Li
Shuxian as delegate of the People's Congress in 1987.
He hoped to pass the experience to the next time or
next generation.
Zhao Hui introduced the independent civilian election
activities since 1990s and stated the significance of
the civilian elections. He thought that what needs to
be paid attention is that a civilian political leader
could be created and enter higher level of politics.
Election can help the active participants of political
activities become popular in the public and expand
their space of free speech. The candidates do not have
the support of the national media when promoting
themselves. The problem they are facing is that it is
hard for them to have access to the voters. But
election has certain supplemental effects. If some
politically sensitive people can participate in the
election as candidates, they have studied to win the
public opinions.
In his article "Applaud for the people from the
Pan-Blue Coalition participating in the election for
the delegates of the People's Congress", Beijing
right-protection activist Zhao Xin introduced the
preparative work for the election for delegates of the
People's Congress of the Pan-Blue Coalition in
Mainland China. In this election, 102 spiritual
members of Kuomintang volunteer to participate. The
election activity studied by the China Pan-Blue
Coalition in which individuals participate in the
election for delegates of the People's Congress at the
basic levels as "spiritual member of Kuomintang"
complies with the law and is a legal activity showing
the rights of citizens endowed by the constitution.
Before this, many members of the Pan-Blue Coalition
have been warned by the police, threatened, fired and
even detained. The author hoped that all the awakened
Chinese citizens will support the participants of the
election practicing the legal rights of citizen in
spite of their political tendency, viewpoint and
belief.
The author Zhang Zuhua participated in the election
for delegates of the People's Congress as independent
candidate in 1980 when he was studying in Beijing
University. He was finally elected in support of the
majority of the voters and was ever delegate of the
city's People's Congress and member of the motion
censor committee of the People's Congress. Since some
friends consulted him about the relevant issues of
running for delegate of the People's Congress, in his
"Nine suggestions for the friends participating in the
election for the delegates of People's Congress", he
provided his own experience to the friends preparing
for the election, including nine suggestions: 1.
understand and study the relevant laws and elective
procedure for the election for delegates of the
People's Congress at basic levels; 2. work out an
election outline; 3. organize a capable election team;
4. analyze descriptively the status of the region and
voters; 5. make a practical election strategy; 6.
collect necessary election fund; 7. learn and grasp
the information of other candidates and implement
corresponding measure; 8. organize and carry out
election activities easily acceptable to the voters;
9. be prepared for the possible difficulties, problems
and even crisis.
2. Construction a legal
society in China and the problem of the
nationalization of China's armed police force
In the column of "Chinese Political Situation", we
published "How to construct the future legal society
of China" by the Guangzhou economist Gong Shengli and
"The armed police of China and the nationalization of
the police force" by Shandong author Lu Gengsong.
Gong Shengli's article pointed out that the "New
China" that has been established for nearly sixty
years is a feudal country controlled by personal
power. China can't become a country running under law
is a certain result of the absolute of the absolute
monopoly of politics and economy in China. According
to the definition of the international law circle to
the "legal country", the most basic characteristic of
"legal country" is the supremacy of the law. The law
system is a stable system with universality, openness
and relative independence. Legislation, judgment and
execution each has its own way. Jurisdiction is
independent and not manipulated or leaded by any
party. There is a mother law to balance and restrict
the legal rule and order in other aspects. However, in
China, the historical gap between the "city and town
residents" and "village residents" divides the Chinese
citizens into unfair classes. The documents of the CCP
central have no certain connection with the law of the
country and do not belong to the category of laws but
they are on top of the law of the country. The second
article of "constitution" that states "all the power
of the People's Republic of China belongs to the
people" is contradicts with "the party leads
everything" forever. The author pointed out that in
order to run the country under the law, the
constitution of China must be able to adjust the
balance all the forces such as politics, society and
economy in China. The constitution of China must
become a real law of China. There also needs to be a
constitution court to maintain and judge the country.
Without a constitution and constitution court to
maintain and judge the laws of the country, a Press
Law to maintain social justice, an Anti-Monopoly Law
to maintain the economic justice, China will never be
really running under the law.
Lu Gengsong's article analyzed what kind of force the
Chinese Armed Police is and what character it is
performing on the political stage of China based on
the facts. He pointed out that the armed police are
actually the "Party Guard". The establishment of the
CCP's armed force can be traced back to the Soviet
period of the CCP in 1930s. According to the evolution
of the Chinese Armed Police, it is the political guard
of the CCP and merges the functionality of public
security, security and armed police into one. In 1950,
the public security forces of different regions were
united into the "People's Public Security Troop of
China". Before the start of the Cultural Revolution,
according to Chairman Mao's directive, the public
security troop was dismissed. In June 1982, the
"People's Armed Police Force of China" was
re-established. From the evolution of the armed police
force, it can be seen that since the government of the
CCP must be maintained by force, it needs the armed
police force of China that is not army but similar to
army, not police but similar to police.
The article also pointed out that after Jiang Zeming
took over power, the armed police force has developed
extensively. Its size equals to half of army and close
to the size of police force. Its equipment is far
better than the police force and has become the tool
for suppressing the right-protection activities of the
people. After Hu Jintao took over power, the armed
police have been used to suppress the civilians more
frequently than before. From the concept of modern
country, a force that is completely loyal to a party
like the armed police should not exist. It should
belong to the nationalized army and police force.
3. Physicists discussing
about non-physics problem: when will democracy
collapse again
In the column of "International Vision", we publish
"The Berlin topic - when will democracy collapse
again"
The international Grossmann Meeting on General
Relativity was held in Berlin, Germany this July. The
topics that the physicists talked about went from
physics problems colleague physicists to non-physics
problem. One of the topics was "when will democracy
collapse again?" The article pointed out that if we do
not explain the major historical events as
coincidence, then the events happened in the Congress
Building and the Brandenburg Gate proved that
totalitarianism can also conquer democracy. The
reverse conversion between democracy and
totalitarianism is also possible. Democracy is not
always stable. It can collapse. At least it was
devastated by the Nazi Fuhrer. Since it ever
collapsed, there is reason to ask: will democracy
collapse again in the future? When will it collapse
again, under what conditions? The article further
analyzed the model for the re-collapse of democracy
and thought that a fact that could lead to the
re-collapse of democracy is the fear and evil mind
such as Yihetuan's, especially when they become the
mainstream of the society. The victory of Nazi over
democracy depended on the Yihetuan of Germany in the
1920s and 1930s - anti-Semitism and racism. The
article pointed out in today's Western Europe where
democracy is already such solid and education such
developed, there are still the fear and evil mind of
mob, one of which is the nuclear fear.
The only dependable replacement to the energy source
that is in shortage in the world is the energy source
of nuclear fission. But as soon as the energy source
of nuclear fission entered the view of the public in
1945, it had imposed an impression of horror. The fear
to nuclear weapon has developed into irrational fear
to the utilization of the whole energy source of
nuclear fission. In addition, it has become more and
more popular that many politicians use this nuclear
fear to gain votes. They even brought out the election
propaganda of abolishing all the utilization of
nuclear energy, thus intensified the irrational
nuclear fear. If it goes on like this, the society
will get into a severe turbulence as the petroleum is
about to be exhausted. Or the governments might become
despotic to develop the energy source of nuclear
fission by force. Or few countries with oil storage
will control everything. No matter what the
prospective is, democracy will inevitably face
collapse. For this reason, the author advocated to
eliminate the irrational collective nuclear fear. This
is urgent. One feasible way is the education of
science.
4. Debates on the Cultural
Revolution
In the column of "Study on the Cultural Revolution",
we published "The sufferers and persecutors of the
Cultural Revolution" by Liu Zili from Beijing, "Review
of the Cultural Revolution in Inner Mongolia" by Cheng
Tijie from Macao, and Liu Guokai's "Defense for the
People's Cultural Revolution".
Liu Zili's article thought that the rethinking to the
Cultural Revolution is retrogressing in China. We can
say that the whole country of China is refusing to
compile and record the information of the victims,
which is the same as refusing to do such work for the
victims of "June 4th". The rethinking to the Cultural
Revolution is retrogressing immeasurably. This
retrogression is mainly reflected on one assertion -
"The Cultural Revolution had no sinner". The
anti-bureaucracy and rebellion theory obtained
reconfirmation. The struggle of the people was said to
be a content of Mao's Cultural Revolution. The idea of
the People's Cultural Revolution was combined with the
idea of Mao's Cultural Revolution and produced the
theory of the People's Cultural Revolution. The main
point of them is: Mao was revolting, balancing and
even promoting democracy, making the out-of-controlled
Cultural Revolution go to the opposite of the original
design of Mao. The article analyzed the internal
struggle of the bureaucracy group to illustrate the
contradiction and unity of the dictator and the
bureaucrats. Mao drove the so-called Cultural
Revolution to achieve his own political goals, just
like using his private slaves to reach his personal
target. The people were forced to revolt by Mao in the
Cultural Revolution. The rebel factions were repeating
the evil game of the peasant's revolution and Mao's
Cultural Revolution when they were responding to Mao's
instigation. The persecutors in the Cultural
Revolution slaughtered in the name of revolution. The
officials of different levels are at the same time
persecutors and victims. Persecutors were some
heartless butchers. They had no conscientiousness,
righteousness and morality. The only political
resource of them was revolution. From the aspect of
cultural extinction, all the Chinese people were
victims. There were millions of victims of the
Cultural Revolution. Farmers, workers and the common
landlords, kulaks, counter-revolutionists, baddies and
rightists are pure victims.
The advocator of the theory of the People's Cultural
Revolution refuted the article of Zhang Heci from
Australia criticizing the theory of the People's
Cultural Revolution published on the last issue of our
magazine in his article. Liu's article pointed out
that the theory of the People's Cultural Revolution is
not "reversing the verdict to the Cultural
Revolution", but always disclosing and criticizing the
conspiracies, suppressions and massacres by Mao and
the bureaucrats and army heads of the CCP during the
Cultural revolution, calling it the "official Cultural
Revolution". The article explained why the revolution
during the Cultural Revolution was not equal to the
People's Cultural Revolution. Only those revolutionary
activities against political discrimination and
persecution and striving for the legal rights can be
put in the category of the People's Cultural
Revolution. The article also restated the two major
characteristics of the People's Cultural Revolution:
one is its strategy; the other is its non-violence.
For the people of today, the People's Cultural
Revolution happened in the 1960s had the value of
reference that should not be neglected.
5. Book review: Su Shaozhi's
"Democracy cannot wait" and Huping's "The phenomenon
of Falun Gong"
Almost every issue of our magazine has a column of
"Reading", in which we publish some reviews to the new
books. In this issue we published Shu Chong's comment
on Su Shaozhi's new book "Democracy cannot wait" and
Kang Zhengguo's "Reading Hu Ping's ¡®The phenomenon of
Falun Gong'".
Kang Zhengguo pointed out that Hu Ping's new book "The
phenomenon of Falun Gong" is a work rebutting the
false accusation in a plain tome. The long and short
comments compiled in the book include many events
after Falun Gong was persecuted. Some are the instant
comments on the events, and some are pertinent
analyses to the fallacies. The author pointed out that
there are many muddled opinions about Falun Gong in
China and overseas. Hu Ping deployed his believable
reasoning in his book. After reading this book of Hu
Ping, it is believed that the reader should be able to
clarify and adjust his/her understanding of Falun
Gong. The author pointed out that Falun Gong is
neither political nor some secret political
organization, nor does it has anything to do with the
condemned fake science. They are merely a group of
civilians trying to keep healthy and virtuous by
practice. It is nonsense to say they cheat and harm
people through practice. Their subsequent fight
against the central government was caused by the cruel
persecution of the government against them. The
article pointed out that the Falun Gong parishioners
are accusing the crimes of the CCP everywhere and
their accusations against the officials of the CCP are
laudable. In Mainland China where value and justice
are absent, the victims have nowhere to plea. The
Falun Gong practitioners set a nice precedent for the
persecuted Chinese people. This is indeed an ingenuous
and rational way of struggle.
This January, the Hong Kong Tianyuan publishing house
published Mr. Su Shaozhi's paper collection "Democracy
cannot wait", which collected the recent 50 articles
of Su Shaozhi. The contents of these articles involve
comments on the four generations of the leader of the
CCP - Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu
Jintao, globalization, democratization, the East Asia
model, the corruption of the communist countries, the
June 4th, man's liberation, and communism. In his book
review, Shu Chong thought the good thing about the
name of the book "Democracy cannot wait" is that it
pointed out the key to the problems of today's China.
In today's China, few people are against democracy in
terms of theory and value, but the problem is the
majority of people will not participate in the real
struggle for democracy. A popular excuse is that the
implementation of democracy needs some social
conditions, such as the market economy as its basis,
and a strong middle class. China does not have these
conditions now. Su Shaozhi seriously refuted this
point of view from varies aspects such as history,
culture and relationship between economy and politics.
He pointed out that economy is not precondition of
democracy. Democratization is never obtained by
waiting but by striving. If we give up the struggle
for democracy and just stay there waiting, then not
only we will never get democracy but we will also bury
the economic reformation.
Mr. Su Shaozhi was ever the director of the Research
Institute of Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought
of the Academy of Social Science of China. He is
always the vanguard in the movement of the liberation
of thought. This collection has concentrated his
thought after all the hardships. From these words, we
not only can see the broad vision, profound knowledge,
the deep concern to the fate of China and the incisive
points to the world affairs, but also can see his open
mind, ceaseless probe to the truth, and unstoppable
self surpassing.
Fang Lizhi, professor of physics at University
of Arizona. As the former vice president of Chinese University of Science and
Technology, he inspired the 1989's Chinese Democracy movement and then was
forced to seek refuge in the American Embassy for about a year after the June 4
crackdown.
To the Editor:
The purpose of this letter is to say something positive about "Beijing Spring", and this is from the
bottom of my heart. Over the past 8 years, I have read every issue of the journal. I would at least
take a glimpse of the title and author of the "Beijing Spring" in the busiest of my times. I would
put every issue of "Beijing Spring" in my living room, making my guests, especially those from the
other side of the Pacific Ocean, become sleepless. One of the members of the Investigation
Committee of my case during the "Cultural Revolution" became a friend of mine and visited me
recently. He spent 3 sleepless nights in reading the "Beijing Spring" journal of the past 5 years,
and he read the journal more carefully than I did. It appears that this journal indeed has its
attractions, or charms, if I can use this word to describe this journal.
"Beijing Spring" is not ideal of course, and not all of the published articles are good ones;
however, the dedication of editors and authors to freedom, democracy, human rights and legal system
is reflected in every printed word of the journal. This is exactly the attraction of the journal,
especially those readers who have been living in an environment of no press freedom. My thanks are
to those editors and authors who have provided such a window so that the darkness is no longer a
dream for quest of freedom, and more, thinking about the quest for freedom.
Fang Lizhi July 29, 2000
**********************
Yu Ying-shi,professor of history at Princeton
University. Mr. Yu has been a leading critic on the tyranny of the Chinese
communists after he left China in 1950. After the Chinese government crackdown
on the Democracy Movement in 1989, he devoted himself into helping the fled
Chinese activists to settle down in the U.S and setting up the Princeton China
Initiative.
To "Beijing Spring" Editorial Office:
Mr. Editor:
I have received the "7-Year Summary of Beijing Spring" and I would like to express my appreciation
of it. "Beijing Spring" covers a wide range of issues, while it can make in-depth coverage on all
of them. It is not an easy thing to do. Articles on current events are often very sharp and to the
point, and readers are able to obtain a clear idea on the most recent situation and trend in
Mainland China. This contribution is especially helpful to overseas readers, and is indicative to
readers in Mainland China. According to my knowledge, readers in Mainland China are anxious to have
access to your journal. One of my friends recently paid a visit to Xi'an, and detained and
interrogated by the public security bureau; and one of the charges for his arrest was that he sent
"Beijing Spring" journal to one of the dissidents in there. Later it was through the interference
of the US government was he released and returned to the US. I knew about this event in detail and
would like to release this information to you. Besides, articles in your journal on spiritual
analysis, theoretical debate have reached a very high academic level, which should win fair
appraisal. When intellectuals want to seek routes for resolving problems about China, "Beijing
Spring" should be one of the most valuable resources for them to resort to. On the other side,
"Beijng Spring" can be regarded as having inherited the traditions of "Xin Min Cong Bao" and "New
Youth".
I have just returned from a long journey and feel very tired, therefore I am stopping here. The
above words are for your reference only.
With my regards
Yu Yingshi July 31,2000
*********************
Yu Haocheng,well-known legal scholar, former head of
Qunzhong Press of China's Ministry of Public Security.
Beijing Spring: The True Voice of Free People
Yu Haocheng August 1, 2001
Mao Zedong once wrote an article titled 'JOn Uniformity of Public Opinion" .He understood well that
he who controls public opinion controls people's thought and consequently the whole country.
Accordingly, the half -century totalitarian rule by the Chinese Communist Party created a "silent
China? After Beijing won the sponsorship of the 2008 Olympic Games, the CCP did not relax political
grip as many had expected. On the contrary, it further tightened control over the news media.
Recently, it even violated an agreement and deleted the comments on human rights in Secretary of
State Powell's speech in Beijing, making it difficult for the Chinese people to know what he had
said.
Beijing Spring is one of the very few journals published by the overseas Chinese living in freedom
to report on the reality of the Chinese society and voice the true feelings of the Chinese people.
Just like Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, Beijing Spring is absolutely needed and not
substitutable for those who no longer want to act deaf and mute, especially for the Chinese
intellectuals. As CCP diplomatic and overseas Chinese affairs personnel as well as their
publications such as Overseas Chinese Daily are spreading all kinds of untruths to deceive the
overseas Chinese, I sincerely hope that Beijing Spring will become better and better. The voice of
free people should never be stifled, and I am hopeful that the time when the "sound of spring" is
heard in Beijing and allover China will come quite soon.
********************
Wang Ruowang, well-known Chinese writer.
Mr. Hu Ping, Chief Editor:
I have reviewed your letter of request for comments. Based on the contents of the "Beijing Spring"
from January to July, I am herein making the following evaluation:
Good articles:
"The Stormy 50 Years of New China" by Li Sheng Zhi, as published on the January issue. This article
utilizes abundant information, its analysis is objective, and the argument is credible.
"The Anti-corruption Show Conducted by the Chinese Communists" by Jin Feng on the April issue. This
article points directly to the target, and revealed the mega corruption scandal concealed by the
Communist Chinese authorities. The information is valuable.
"The Historical Mistake The Communist Chinese Government Made in Eliminating Private Ownership
System" by Zhu Zhezhong on the July issue makes good points and good comparisons. It reveals the
so~rce for the catastrophe in which tens of millions of Chinese people suffered and the false big
words of Zhu Rongji.
Something should be done about the Fa Lun Gong, and since April to June, on each issue, there has
been coverage of the event. There is an 18-page coverage on the April and May issues, while there
are 12 pages on the April issue alone. There is some repetition, and also words from outside of the
topic.
Please always be aware of the orientation: reveal the criminal nature of the Communist Chinese
authorities and the realization of the ideology of the people.
The above is for reference only.
Wang Ruowang July 27, 2000
**********************
Kam Yiu Yu, weii-known political commentator, former editor in
chief of Wen Hui Daily (Hong Kong)
Let Us Give Beijing Spring
All the Possible Support
Kam Yiu Yu
August 10,2001
During the 1989 democracy movement and the June 4 massacre, I was filled with
anger and grief. As editor of Wen Hui daily in Hong Kong, I secretly
collaborated with a few trusted friends and had the four characters "tong
xin ji shou" (heart hurts, head sickens) printed on the front page of our
newspaper in order to condemn the criminal killings of students and the
suppression of democracy by the Chinese Communist Party. In 1991, I withdraw from CCP, a group I
had served for half a: century beginning with the War of Resistance against Japan, and drifted over
the Pacific and came to the U. S. Thereafter, I continued to oppose CCP' s one -party totalitarian
rule and its harmful policies and support China's democracy and freedom movement.
Before coming to the U. S. , I was a bit worried, because I was not sure whether, once settled in
the U. S. , I could still have publications to read that report on China's democracy and freedom
movement. Without this kind of publications, I would be insulated from China and forced to give up
following and supporting the movement. Life would be without meaning, political influence would be
unrealistic, and hope would be lost.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I saw Beijing Spring magazine. Its
contents showed that the forces of democracy and freedom continued to expand
within China抯 social and academic circles, and that the people continued to wage
their tireless, fearless struggle even after the June 4 massacre. The magazine
also exposed, documented and criticized CCP抯 suppression of democracy movement,
both through imprisonment and through propaganda, throughout China, and reported
on and encouraged Chinese pro -democracy activities allover the world, including
U. S., Europe and Asia.
China's internal and external situation can be so summarized: CCP抯 winter has
arrived. If so, how can Beijing's spring be remote? Those of us who have been
promoting democracy and freedom from overseas can see that we indeed have
helped and encouraged the people in China. At the same time, we clearly need to
do more and better. As writer, we must now make more effort. More specifically,
we must give Beijing Spring all the possible support, so that the friends at
Beijing Spring, who have worked very hard for years, can have the magazine
continued until spring finally comes to Beijing and all China. At that point,
amid the melodies of democracy and freedom, we will help send Beijing Spring
back to Beijing, back to China.
As someone who takes part in the democracy movement through writing, I see clearly that the overall
trends in and outside of China show that the confrontation between democracy and freedom and
communist dictatorship is now in its final stage. I pledge to work harder to write articles for
Beijing Spring, to expose the cruelty of the CCP rule and explain that China will inevitably follow
the examples of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. To show my appreciation of the hard work done
by the friends at Beijing Spring, I have decided not to accept any writer's fees for my articles.
It is my hope that the U.S. foundations and overseas Chinese (especially the business people) will
also do their part to support Beijing Spring.
********************
Perry Link, professor of East Asian Studies at
Princeton University. He specializes in 20th-century Chinese literature and is
very concerned with human rights condition in Mainland China.
For eight years Beijing Spring has been, along with Democratic China. Leading journal for people who
ate seriously interested in a more open, democratic, humane and peaceful China. Its incisive and
well -informed writing not only offers the public good analyses of politics, thought, and society,
it further stands as an important symbol that the rulers in Beijing have no monopoly on speaking
for the Chinese people.
Perry Link,
May, 200l
*********************
Guo Luoji, a leading liberal theoretician who
was driven out of Beijing by Former Chairman Deng Xiaoping because of his
political opinion. In 1992, he sued the Chinese government for human rights
abuses in a Federal Court of law. Now he is a visiting scholar at Harvard
University.
My View on the Seven- Year Summary of "Beijing Spring"
Guo Luoji
The Seven-Year Summary of"Beijing Spring" truly reflects the process of "Beijing Spring" over the
past 7 years.
As a political commentary journal of China's democracy movement, "Beijing Spring" has done a very
good job. On one side, it inherits the tradition of China's Xi Dan Democracy Wall, keeps contact
with democracy activists in China; on the other side, it takes the advantage of the situation of
freedom of speech overseas to voice extensive views over China's pressing problems, and debates
such theoretical issues of freedom, democracy, human rights and judiciary system; it is the bridge
to connect China's democracy movement between China and overseas. "Beijing Spring" has become the
default spokesman for China's overseas democracy movement at a time when democracy organizations
overseas have split apart and cannot voice an orchestrated view. People in China can only learn
about overseas democracy movement from "Beijing Spring".
"Beijing Spring" has done tremendous work with a limited staff. From the published journal
itself, "Beijing Spring" has developed into a website and Internet forum, and in this way expanded
its influence. It has made the customs check system of the Chinese government, which aims at
resisting freedom and democracy, lose its effectiveness.
I hope "Beijing Spring" will overcome its difficulties and strive to go forward, and will someday
return to its nascent place, Beijing and become a true "Beijing Spring".
July 24, 2000
******************
Andrew Nathan, professor of Political Science
and Director of East Asian Institute at Columbia University. His teaching and
research interests include Chinese politics and foreign policy, the comparative
study of political participation and political culture, and human rights. He has
published numerous books and articles on China's politics.
Andrew J. Nathan
Suppression of Democratization and Human Rights in China
A Plea for Support for Beijing Spring
Winston L. Yang, Ph. D
Professor of Asian Studies
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ 07052
August 12, 2001
Despite the tremendous advances in economic reforms and development in the PRC in recent years,
China's suppression of democratization has been intensified and its human rights record has
worsened. Numerous advocates and participants of the democracy movement have been jailed, and
organizations advocating democratization have been dismantled in China by the Chinese Communist
authorities. Even Chinese -American scholars visiting their homeland have been arrested simply
because of their convictions in democratic reforms. Human rights abuses have been widespread and
thousands of cases have been reported. Numerous Chinese citizens have sought political asylum in
the U. S.
Therefore, one of the major goals of American policy toward China is to move China toward
democratization and respect for human rights. Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and other
organizations have developed programs to advance such goals. Many private American foundations have
also given grants to support U. S. publications and organizations designed to reach such
goals.
However, many such organizations and publications have been discontinued for lack of sufficient
support.
Beijing Spring, one of the oldest and the most important journals advocating democracy in China, has
thus become the, last such publication which, too, will cease publication if financial support is
not forthcoming.
Since its initial publication in 1993, Beijing Spring has reached thousands of readers in China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America and Western Europe. Secretly brought into China by those
travelling there, Beijing Spring has become the single most influential publication supporting the
democracy drive in China. It cannot and should not be allowed, therefore, to cease publication.
Otherwise, it will be a fatal blow to the growing democratization movement in China. As a result,
accurate information and active support for democracy and human rights protection will disappear.
The U. S. will never be able to achieve its foreign policy goals toward the PRC.
It is my sincere hope, therefore, that the u. S. Government and American foundations will provide
necessary support to Beijing Spring so that it will continue to extend its great influence and
impact on China's democratization drive. I support its request for financial support
whole-heartedly and without any reservation whatsoever.
Over seven years, Beijing Spring has provided broad coverage of developments at home and abroad
affecting the prospects fro democracy in China. The editors exercised good judgment in focusing on
important trends in politics, society, and thought. The journal reminded its readers that there is
more than one voice representing China in the world today, and more than one way to think about
China' national interests. Perhaps most important, the journal offered itself as one of the few
forums where Chinese could carry out free theoretical debate on issues of their nation's past and
future.
Andrew J. Nathan
July 31,2000
**********************
Liu Binyan, famous writer. He was reporter with
People's Daily, the official newspaper in China before 1987. Because of his
resounding articles on Chinese corruption and brutality, he was criticized,
expelled and barred from publishing. He is now a fellow of the Princeton China
Initiative.
Liu Binyan
On "7-Year Summary of Beijing Spring":
Point 3 of the "7- Year Summary of Beijing Spring", i.e., "Systematically promoting the research and
debate on major theoretical issues", is one of the most important characteristics of the journal,
and played its role in guiding people in China as well as overseas to find a way to China's
democratization process. However, one of the aspects is not mentioned. "Beijing Spring" has been
revealing the facts in various ways of major events over the past 50 years. Some of the people in
the 30's I met with in Europe and America said that they knew from "Beijing Spring" the truth about
" Anti-Rightist Campaign", "The Big Leap Forward", the Big Famine and the "Cultural
Revolution".
Liu Binyan AUG 1 2000
***********************
Su Shaozhi, chairman of Princeton China
Initiative. Once served as the director of the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
he is a leading liberal political theoretician in China.
Su Shaozhi
"Beijing Spring" Editorial Office:
"The 7- Year Summary of Beijing Spring" was received. It reflects the facts, contains sharp
viewpoints, and is a very good article.
The future ofChina's politics depends mainly on the economy, and I hope that the journal will
publish more articles of analysis and reports on China's economic situation, preferably supported
by systematic statistics.
It is a very good thing that your journal has been able to publish numerous articles by mainland
authors. This helps overseas people realize the true situation in China. As one of the authors of
the "Open-up" journal was arrested by the Chinese government, I would suggest that you take
measures to protest the safety of mainland authors.
With my regards,
Su Shaozhi July 13,2000
************************
Yang Yinbo: (Chinese Famous Political Critics)
Eight Suggestions About Current China (Liberty Times)
I always received complaints from many correspondents and democrats about untrusting democratic
reports from overseas media for commercial or political reasons. I advised those media people to
read Beijing Spring much often in order to re-cultivate democratic attitude. From my observation,
Beijing Spring can be called as a banner for famous overseas media. Other magazines such as
Observation, Huanhua Kang, and Democracy China follow.
According to the Beijing Spring Summery mailed from Mr. Xue Wei, Beijing
Spring has five advantages worth other media learning. First, Beijing Spring
paid close attention to Mainland China抯 social and political changes as well as
democracy and human rights movement. Second, it reported in detail current new
development of democratic movement. Third, it follows its plan to push the
discussion of important theories for Chinese democracy. Forth, it paid
attention to two-straits relationship and ethical problems. Fifth, it targeted
at Mainland China and focused on the relationship with domestic readers. I hope
various website, forums and web journals can learn from the above five emphasis
of Beijing Spring.
SEP. 20, 2003 (Liberty Times)
************************
Selected Letters from Readers:
Topic: A letter from a Chinese student in Mainland China
Dear editors of Beijing Spring Magazine:
I am a college student in Mainland China and very excited to know your web site from an accidental
opportunity. Since long time ago, we are unable to understand the facts as a result of Chinese
Communist Party's news blockade and even begin to have some misunderstanding towards the history
under the influence of the Communist Party's propaganda, which controls the truth and makes the lie
believable after repeating 1000 times.
I am a Huangpu Military Academy's descendant. Many relatives of my grandfathers gave their lives for
our country in the Sino-Japanese War. There are several Kuomintang and Communist Party generals in
my family. After the liberation, they were persecuted and brutally suppressed many times during
multiple movements, especially in the Great Cultural Revolution and the June forth Democracy
Movements, just because they wanted to speak for the people. The Chinese Communist Party called them
"the persons who should automatically disappear after the liberation".
As theirs posterity, I accepted the patriotic education since childhood and have always hoped to do
something for my motherland. But as a result of my family, it is very difficult for me to contact
the outside. I can not access Internet, not to mention your website. With the help of a foreign
friend, I got your email address. Without any other choices, I had to write to you by email. I hope
that you can help me to know the truth and history with letter or mails. Since my internet
connection is often interfered by the National Security Officers, please think the email contact as
the last option. And also please give me an opportunity to work for the democratic undertaking.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
A patriotic Student in China
************************
Distinguished Democrats Award
Beijing Spring were elected as distinguished democrats reward by Chinese Democracy Educational Fund
in 2002. The ceremony will be held on May 4 at Holiday Inn Hotel in Los Angeles.
************************
7 Years of "Beiiing Spring": A Summary
[1993-2000]
"Beijing
Spring" Editorial Office, June 2000
In the first half of 1993,
in view of certain changes at that time in the
internal relationship within overseas Chinese
democracy organizations, some editors of "China
Spring", a former overseas democracy journal,
began to publish a new magazine. In May of that
year, "Beijing Spring" made its debut
in New York, USA. Because "Beijing Spring"
was a name of a major democracy journal during
the "Democracy Wall" movement in Beijing
in 1979, the new "Beijing Spring" journal
made its appearance in New York under the same
name. The new "Beijing Spring" retained
characteristics of the "China Spring"
journal as a publication on overseas democracy
movement, except that the "Beijing Spring"
did not belong to a certain democracy organization,
therefore did not play the role of a spokesman
of an organization. This journal serves the overall
democracy movement in China, and since then maintained
a good relationship with various democracy organizations
in China as well as overseas. Over the past 7
years, during the publication process of the 86
issues, "Beijing Spring" has stuck to
the ideal of establishing a new China of freedom,
democracy, human rights and law, and has fully
reported new developments on democracy and human
rights movements in China as well as overseas,
timely introduced new changes in the political,
economical and cultural aspects in the Chinese
society, organized readers to engage in debates
and discussions on major theoretical issued, and
enriched the contents of the magazine, as well
as enhanced communications with authors and readers
in China and overseas, therefore has played an
important role in the participation in and promotion
of China's democracy activities. In the last 7
years, there has been significant change in the
authors, contents, editing and publication, expansion
of edition and circulation of "Beijing Spring",
which has won approval from different walks of
life and readers.
1. Pays Close Attention to Social
and Political Changes in Mainland China and Development
of Democracy and Human Rights Movement
The death of Deng Xiaoping, the
return of Hong Kong and Macao to China, the Convening
of the 15th Representative Conference of China
Communist Party, the Replacement of Zhu Rongji
over Li Peng as Prime Minister, Jiang Zemin's
visit to the US, the release of Wei Jingsheng
and Wang Dan and their exile overseas, US President
Clinton's visit to China, the party organization
movement of China Democracy Party, Fa Lun Gon's
demonstrations, the direct election of the Taiwan
President in 1996, and the peaceful handover of
power in Taiwan in 2000, etc., are major events
that were closely associated with the democracy
movement in mainland China over the past 7 years.
Before and after the occurrence of these events,
"Beijing Spring" timely organized and
published articles to reflect the mainstream viewpoints
from democracy organizations of China as well
as abroad. After Deng Xiaoping's death in 1997,
on the April issue of "Beijing Spring",
23 articles were published over the assessment
of Deng Xiaoping (including articles from "China
Democracy and Freedom Alliance" of Human,
a mainland Chinese democracy organization), and
provided an in-depth view over the impact of this
event on the Chinese society. The column of "Hong
Kong and Macao Commentary" is a new one on
the "Beijing Spring" journal only in
recent years. On the June and August issues of
"Beijing Spring" in 1997, more than
20 reports and articles were published focusing
on the return of Hong Kong to China. After the
convention of the China Communist Party's 15th
Representative Conference, on the November 1997
issue of "Beijing Spring", there was
a special edition on the assessment of the conference.
"Beijing Spring" invited Fang Lizhi,
Yu Haocheng, Liu Bingyan, Su Shaozhi, Zhang Weiguo
and other prominent figures to give their in-depth
views on this event. In December 1997, a special
edition of "Beijing Spring", named "Give
Jiang Zemin A Lesson on Democracy", was published
on Jiang Zemin's visit to the US, reporting in
detail on activities of protest by democracy activists
and American friends throughout the United States,
along with the publication of relevant documents.
"Beijing Spring" also published a special
edition in commemoration of the 40th anniversary
of the " Anti- Rightist Campaign".
The major social changes in Mainland
China that the "Beijing Spring" has
been paying close attention to not only include
those in policy and organizations of the senior
level regime, but also those in the economical
interests and social rights of the grass-root
workers and farmers. In the spring of 1998, at
the National People's Congress and the Political
Consultative Conference, Zhu Rongji replaced Li
Peng as the prime minister of the Chinese government.
This was a significant change in China's politics,
and the world media showed great interest in this.
The May issue of "Beijing Spring" in
1998 provided comprehensive coverage and comment
on this event under the topic of "On the
New Deal of Zhu Rongji". Jin Yaoru, Yu Haocheng
and other political commentators were invited
to make detailed estimates and analysis on the
new "triangle" relationship among Jiang,
Zhu and Li within the Communist Chinese leadership,
political and economic problems that Zhu Rongji
was going to face, and the possibility of a new
situation that Zhu Rongji was expected to create
to the Chinese political system. On the March
and April 1998 issues of "Beijing Spring",
the journal organized debates on "reform
versus rights of workers and farmers" and
"overview on Mainland China" respectively.
Numerous trade union leaders, during the 89' democracy
movement, who were then engaging in workers' movement
in Hong Kong, to provide comments and analysis
on the campaign of workers' layoff and the workers'
movement in mainland China, and on the serious
social problems of violation of farmers' rights
during the reform, appealing for ordinary Chinese
people who were suppressed and exploited. The
large-scale flooding in the summer of 1998 brought
tremendous catastrophe to the Chinese society
and economics. On the October issue of "Beijing
Spring", we provided a comprehensive review
over this "natural disaster and artificial
catastrophe" from social, political, economic
and ecological perspectives, revealing the damage
to the natural and social environment of China
that the China Communist Party caused during its
rule in the past several decades.
Organized democracy and human
rights movements in China are the main focus of
" Beijing Spring". In the past 2 years
a number of democracy activists outside of the
system in China have persisted in lawful dissident
activities, evolving later into public organization
of "China Democracy Party". The movement
was severely cracked down by the Communist Chinese
authorities. This is a major event from 1998 to
1999 in China 's political life. During the occurrence
and developing stage of this event, "Beijing
Spring" timely introduced developments in
the application and registration of "China
Democracy Party", released a series of reviews,
and published a special edition in the September
1998 issue of "Beijing Spring" on the
"Event of China Democracy Party". In
1999, "Beijing Spring" provided continuous
follow-up reports and reviews on this event. On
the February issue of that year, "Beijing
Spring" timely reported on the news of follow-up
hunger strike by 200 Chinese democracy activists
in support of the China Democracy Party, summarized
on the detailed process of the suppression of
the members of the China Democracy Party, released
the court decisions and the defending testimonies
of Wang Youcai and Xu Wenli in court, published
articles by the daughters of Xu Wenli and Qin
Yongmin, and related testimony of Yao Zhenxian,
a former China Democracy Party member in Shanghai
who just came to the United States. Later. "Beijing
Spring" published an article on revision
of the Constitution written by Gao Hongming, a
member of the China Democracy Party in Beijing
(April 1999), "Strategy of Governing the
Country in Peaceful Times" by Dong Shidong,
a member of the China Democracy Party in Hunan,
"Retrospect on Party Organization" by
Zhou Jianhe, a member of the China Democracy Party
in Shanghai, report by our journalist on Xie Wanjun,
representative figure of China Democracy Party
who just came to the United States (August issue),
court testimony of Cha J ianguo and Gao Hongming,
members of the China Democracy Party (October
issue). By doing so, the "Beijing Spring"
provided to the reader a panorama on the organization
and development of China Democracy Party.
A new wave of spiritual liberation
initiated by a number of liberal intellectuals
in the cultural and spiritual areas has been the
focus of interest in the media both in China and
overseas, as well as the major coverage of the
"Beijing Spring". On the January issue
of "Beijing Spring" in 1998, an introduction
was made on the "freelance author" that
appeared in China recently, which was written
by an author in Mainland China. On the February
issue, "Beijing Spring" published an
article named "China Needs New Changes",
which was written by Fang Jue, a pioneer of the
democratic faction within the Communist regime.
On the May issue of "Beijing Spring",
articles and pictures on the introduction of a
new wave of liberal ideology as initiated by the
"Beijing Spring", as originally published
on the "Far East Economic Review" of
Britain and "Newsweek" of the US, were
published. In addition, "Beijing Spring"
also published an article on liberalism by Liu
Jun Nin of Beijing (June issue), "China Needs
Deeper Spiritual Liberation" by Jiang Qisheng
and Su Chang (September issue), and an article
by He De Pu on the introduction to the grass-root
election in Beijing. As mainly composed of liberal
intellectuals, the China Development Alliance
(Zhong Fa Lian), which appeared to be shrewd in
its political orientation, is also a political
opposition organization in China in recent years.
In a certain period, "Beijing Spring"
provided extensive coverage on its activities.
On the January 1999 issue, "Beijing Spring"
published a statement by Peng Ming, director of
the China Development Alliance, on press freedom;
on the March issue, "Beijing Spring"
published a press release by Yi Gai, secretary
of the. Executive Bureau of the China Development
Alliance, who just arrived in the United States;
on the May and September issues, "Beijing
Spring" published reviews by Wang Jianlin
of the China Development Alliance on the bombing
of the Chinese Embassy by the NATO and on the
Fa Lun Gong incident. All these have made the
China Development Alliance have ample opportunity
in making clear of its social and political ideals,
as well as let people understand the political
aspirations of this opposition organization.
In addition to detailed introductions
to the organized opposition political movements
in Mainland China, "Beijing Spring"
has been closely following abrupt civilian opposition
movements. Since 1999, the most significant event
in China is the Fa Lun Gong incident, and the
sporadic, although incessant, road-blocking and
hunger-strike movements throughout China in protest
of corruption. At the nascent stage of the Fa
Lun Gong practitioners' besiege of the Zhong Nan
Hai in Beijing, "Beijing Spring" made
a timely introduction to this incident on its
June 1999 issue, and at the same time published
talks by prominent figures in Mainland China on
this incident. On the September 1999 issue, "Beijing
Spring" featured "Fa Lun Gong"
in publishing a series of articles on the crackdown
of this spiritual movement by the Communist Chinese
government, including Hu Ping's "Fa Lun Gong,
Two Countries and Super-boundary War". Later,
"Beijing Spring" published a secret
letter to Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji, written
by Wang Youqun, an official at the Regulations
Office of the Disciplinary Committee of the China
Communist Party. The author of the letter was
a practitioner of Fa Lun Gong. In the letter the
author praised Fa Lun Gong and Li Hongzhi. It
is said that it was this letter that greatly infuriated
Jiang Zemin, who initiated the massive crackdown
of the Fa Lun Gong (October issue). We also published
a review named "Why Should Fa Long Gong Suffer
Such Catastrophe", written by one of our
readers in Beijing (November issue), and news
of Fa Lun Gong practitioners defiance of the crackdown
in holding a press conference (December issue).
Since the beginning of this year, "Beijing
Spring" has closely followed developments
of the Fa Lun Gong incident.
Over the past several years there
have been frequent civil disturbance in mainland
China as a result of massive layoff of employees
of state-run enterprises and government's failure
to pay wages and pension on time, city residents
protesting against government's measure of forcible
relocation, and cheating in illegal fund-raising,
and Christians protesting against restrictions
on religious freedom, farmers protesting exorbitant
taxatiol'1, etc. On the column of the "News
of Democracy Activities in China and Overseas"
of "Beijing Spring", the journal has
provided extensive and detailed coverage over
the non-political and non-organizational protests
by civilians, including the protest by more than
1000 investors in front of the provincial government
building in Wuhan in 1999, the protest by 700
laid-off employees in Sichuan, the clash between
500 Christians with public security agents in
Xian because they wanted to protect their church,
the siege of 2000 Linghe City residents on the
city government building in Inner Mongolia, attacks
on township governments by 5000 farmers in Hunan,
and the big riot in Chongqing by 2000 people triggered
by the government's measure to curb the illegal
fund-raising. This year, we also reported incidents
such as that about 1000 taxi drivers in Sichuan
province blocked roads in protest, and the protest
by 1500 students of Beijing University over the
rape and murder of a female student. These civil
disturbances do not have such obvious political
impact as the organization of the China Democracy
Party, however, they signaled the social situation
of today's China. In addition to the continuous
report on the news by the journal, "Beijing
Spring" also published a special edition
last November on the issue of "corruption
and anti-corruption", in which detailed and
in-depth discussions and research were made over
the "Corruption of the System" as currently
prevalent in China. We published articles written
by scholars in and outside of China on suggestions
and possible solutions to the corruption in today's
China.
Looking on China from a global
view is one of the starting points of the "
Beijing Spring". On the column of "World
View", there have been comments and views
on international issues, and some of the major
events have become headline stories. President
Clinton's visit to China was one of the major
events in the world, and had a significant impact
on China's politics. On the August 1998 issue
of "Beijing Spring", we focused on this
event by discussing the impact of Clinton's visit
to China on the society and politics of China.
Zhu Rongji's visit to the United States and the
"anti-US" wave in Mainland China, triggered
by the bombing of the Chinese Embassy to Yugoslavia
by NATO, have been noticeable changes in 1999,
and the Sino-US relationship has changed as a
result. On the June 1999 issue of "Beijing
Spring", we focused on this event by publishing
a series of articles discussing this issue in
detail, including Hu Ping's lengthy article, "The
Event of the Embassy Bombing and the Crisis in
the Sino-US Relationship". This article provided
in-depth insights into the question of "accidental
bombing or deliberate challenge" of the NATO
missiles, and the issue of "Strategic Partnership
and Contact" after the drastic changes in
the Sino-US relationship within several days of
the embassy bombing, Communist Chinese government's
dilemma and the "competing for display of
patriotism" as shown in the anti-US protests
in mainland China. Later, this article was published
on the "World Journal" in the name of
the editorial office of the "Beijing Spring",
clearly showing how we viewed this event.
2. Report in Detail on New Developments
in China Democracy Movement Overseas
The overseas democracy activities
and development have always been the focus of
report of "Beijing Spring". In the past
several years, "Beijing Spring" has
maintained a certain cooperative relationship
with various democracy and human rights organizations
such as the China Alliance for Democracy, Democracy
Front, Democracy Allied Front, Freedom and Democracy
Party, China Democracy Party, Coordinating Committee
for Overseas Democracy Organizations, Human Rights
in China, China Peace, etc. "Beijing Spring"
timely reported meetings and activities held by
these organizations. In 1995, "Beijing Spring"
reported such activities as the protest against
Communist Chinese government's persecution of
Chen Zhiming, protest against Jiang Zeming's coming
to the United States for the United Nations' conference,
and the protest against the imprisonment of Wei
Jingsheng by the Communist Chinese government
for the second time. In 1996, "Beijing Spring"
published special comments on the rescue of Wei
Jingsheng and Wang Dan, prominent Chinese democracy
activists persecuted by the Communist Chinese
government. In 1997, "Beijing Spring"
directly participated in the coordination and
organization of protest activities throughout
the United States during Jiang Zemin's visit to
the US, and drafted "A Public Letter to Mr.
Jiang Zemin", co-signed with other major
pro-democracy organizations. During the year,
"Beijing Spring" reported on the action
plan of "100 days in custody", initiated
by New York democracy activists Chen Jun and Fu
Shengqi, in protest of the Communist Chinese government's
lengthy imprisonment of China's democracy activists,
and the patriotic democracy activities of overseas
Chinese people in defending the Diaoyu Island.
In 1998, we reported activities organized by various
democracy organizations and overseas Chinese organizations
in protest of the merciless killing and raping
of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, as well as "Round-table
meeting of the Tiananmen generation" as pioneered
by Wang Dan, former student leader in Tiananmen;
20th anniversary of the "democracy wall"
movement; activities in assisting the organization
of China Democracy Party in China and the "overseas
democracy movement conference" chaired by
Wei Jingsheng, and we reported the incidents of
Wang Bingzhang and Wang Ce's return to China in
the spring and fall of 1998 respectively. In 1999
we reported on the research of "constitutional
politics" by the Tiananmen Foundation and
the Constitutional Democracy Forum and the appeal
activities on 50 years of Communist dictatorship
in China.
The commemoration of the June
4 democracy movement each year has been the major
work of the "Beijing Spring". Over the
past 7 years, on the commemoration column of the
"Beijing Spring" each year, more that
70 articles have been published, and we reported
in detail the commemoration activities during
the June 4 period throughout the world. Articles
such as the "letter of appeal" by Wang
Ganchang, a renowned scientist in China, on the
realization of leniency in China, and words and
activities of Ding Zilin and others appealing
for families of "June 4" victims and
the injured have won tremendous influence in China
as well as the world.
"Beijing Spring" has
stuck to the ideal of chronologically recording
China's democracy movement. It has visited and
reported on democracy activists in China and dissident
intellectuals who came to the United States on
its column of "figure", including pioneers
of China's democracy movement such as Wei Jingsheng,
Wang Xizhe, Liu Qing, renowned physicist Fang
Lizhi, writers Liu Bingyan and Wang Ruowang, theorist
Su Shaozhi, legal expert Yu Haocheng, poet of
the "democracy wall" Huang Xiang, old
soldier for democracy movement Xu Shuiliang, student
leaders in Tiananmen in 1989 such as Wang Dan,
Xiong Ni, Xiang Xiaoji, Zhou Fengsuo, and Wang
Juntao, who was called the "black hand"
of the Tiananmen Incident, and Guo Luoji, prominent
Chinese dissident, An Qi, renowned exile journalist,
Liu Guokai, New York sponsor of association for
denouncing atrocities against ethnic Chinese in
Indonesia and Fu Shengqi, Tong Yi, Zhang Lin and
more than 50 other figures.
3. Systematically Promoting
Debate and Discussion on Major Theoretical Issues
The systematic discussion and
debate of theoretical issues associated with China's
democracy movement has been one of traditional
programs of "Beijing Spring". During
these 7 years, "Beijing Spring", in
association with democracy and human rights organizations,
has hold more than 10 forums on specific topics,
and reported in detail on these meetings. Some
of the forums are listed below.
In 1995, after the exposure of
the "black list" of the Chinese government
barring entry into China by democracy activists,
"Beijing Spring" timely organized a
discussion on the issue of "black-listed
figures", and Fang Lizhi, Wang Ruowang and
Liu Bingyan attended the meeting. After the meeting,
"Beijing Spring" covered this event
with headline story on its May 1995 issue named
"nationals are entitled to return to homeland".
During the period of the 6th
anniversary of the June 4 democracy movement in
1995, "Beijing Spring" organized a large-scale
theoretical forum on the '89 democracy movement.
According to some exiled student leaders attending
the meeting, this forum was an event that attracted
the most student leaders and reached the deepest
theoretical problems since 1991. This kind of
forum on specific topics had very good effect,
and the attitude of fairness, carefulness and
practicality of the "Beijing Spring"
won praise from different factions of the overseas
democracy organizations.
In June 1996, during the 30th
anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in mainland
China, the Chinese Student Association at the
Princeton University and "Beijing Spring"
jointly held a forum called "30th Anniversary
of the Cultural Revolution". More than 10
renowned scholars, specialists and witnesses to
major events of the Cultural Revolution attended
the meeting. They conducted systematic summary
and debate over the theoretical and practical
issues of the Cultural Revolution, and presented
their views on the historical lesson of this movement,
wars between different factions and massive violence,
issues of the Red Guard, Rebels and Stay-aways
"two Cultural Revolutions" and "Three-year
Cultural Revolution", individual worship
of Mao Zedong and the role of the army, and the
bureaucratic system among Mao Zedong and Zhou
Enlai.
In October
1996, together with
the Holland and German branches of the Alliance
for Democracy, "Beijing Spring" held
"International Forum on Nationalism and China's
Future". More than 50 people from 11 countries
attended this meeting, and international media
such BBC, French International Broadcasting Station,
Europe Daily, Debate of Hong Kong, Frontier all
provided coverage of this event. Many attendees
pointed out that this was one of the few high-quality
theoretical debates on democracy movement in recent
years.
In. January 1997, "Beijing
Spring" held "Forum on the Future of
China's Democracy Movement" in New York.
For the purpose of summarizing the experience
and achievement of the democracy movement in recent
years, discussing the situation the democracy
movement was facing, and tasks in the future and
strategy, this forum was held and was attended
by more than 100 overseas democracy activists
from Australia, Japan, France, Britain, Germany,
Canada, Taiwan and various parts of America. The
forum focused on "Analysis on the Economic
and Political Tendency in the Post-Deng Era",
"Historical Problems and Current Status of
China's Democracy Movement", "Options
of Strategy and Future for China's Democracy Movement",
"Role of Taiwan in China's Democracy Movement".
This forum also passed a motion to promote Wei
Jingsheng and Wang Dan as candidates for the 1997
Nobel Peace Prize, "Letter of Console to
Imprisoned Chinese Democracy Activists During
the Spring Festival", etc.
In May 1997 "Beijing Spring"
held a meeting named "Forum on the Future
of Hong Kong After Its Handover to China"
in London, England. The meeting focused on the
future of Hong Kong, a British colony for 150
years after it was returned to China. More than
30 people from Japan, Hong Kong, America, Australia,
Germany, France, Denmark, England, Holland attended
this meeting, including Mr. Philip Baker, renowned
lawyer in Britain as well as an executive of "Human
Rights in China", and the "Guardian"
columnist John Gittings. Journalists from the
"Media TV" of Hong Kong, "Guangming
Daily" London Station, and the New China
News Agency covered this event. This meeting focused
on such topics as "China Becomes More Like
Hong Kong, or the Reverse", "Human Rights
and Legal System in Hong Kong's Future",
"Where Is The Future for Press Freedom in
Hong Kong", "How the International Community
Remains Concerned About Hong Kong", and "The
Impact of Return of Hong Kong on China's Democracy
Movement".
In August 1997, together with
the European Chinese Democracy Workers' Association,
Today's China Research Center, "Beijing Spring"
held "International Forum on the 3rd Anniversary
of the European Chinese Democracy Workers' Association
and post-Deng China". More than 30 scholars
from 11 American, European and Asian countries
attended this meeting. Half a year after Deng's
death, research was made on the pressing issues
on China's politics, economics, social and cultural
issues and international relations after Deng's
pass-away, and provided constructive strategy
and suggestions to the promotion of political
and economic reform in mainland China and the
peaceful transition of the society. The Central
News Agency of Taiwan, "Debate" and
"Frontier" journals, United News of
Hong Kong, "Europe Daily", "Frankfurt
News" and the National Broadcasting Station
of Holland, French Broadcasting Station, BBC of
Britain, "Voice of Germany" Broadcasting
Station, and "Beijing Spring" all dispatched
reporters to cover this event. At the meeting,
there was a press conference featuring "Chinese
Scholars in China and Overseas Talk About the
Issue of Zhao Zhiyang", and the media was
very interested in speeches given by various individuals.
In September 1997, "Beijing
Spring' held "Forum on Nationalism: Talks
Among Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian Nationalities"
at its editorial office. Representatives of the
exiled Tibetan government, Mongolian friends and
Han nationals were invited to attend this meeting.
Xue Wei, manager of "Beijing Spring"
was invited to attend a conference held by the
Association of East Turkistan in Sweden in December
of the same year. At the meeting, he talked with
Mr. Faluk, chairman of the association on the
current status and future of nationalism in Xinjiang
area.
In the
beginning of 1998. "Beijing
Spring" and the Princeton Chinese Scholar's
Association jointly held "International Forum
on One Country, Two Systems and China's Future".
More than 100 scholars, specialists and democracy
activists, Chinese and foreign friends concerned
with China's future from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe,
Australia and America debated heatedly over major
issues as "One Country, Two Systems and political
development in China in future. Topics included
"Background of One Country. Two Systems and
Its political and Economical Functions... "Outlook
on One Country .Two Systems from Half-year Development
of Hong Kong", "Taiwan Situation and
Design of One Country, Two Systems", and
"One Country, Two Systems and Political,
Economic Development in Mainland China",
"One Country, Two Systems and China's Democracy",
"One Country, Two Systems and China Economic
Rim".
In October 1999, "Beijing
Spring" presided over and held a forum named
"Communist Dictatorship: A Discussion on
Crimes, Terrors and Crackdowns". It was attended
by overseas democracy activists and ordinary people.
At this meeting, a summary was made on the crimes
from the historical and factual perspectives,
which was enhanced to theoretical perspective,
including summary on Communist Chinese government's
land reform, strike on counterrevolutionaries,
people's commune, great leap forward, three years
of "natural" disaster, cultural revolution
and the crackdown on the "June 4" movement.
Shortly after the presidential
election in Taiwan, which attracted world attention,
"Beijing Spring" and Princeton Chinese
Scholar's Association held a forum in May of this
year in New York and presided over the "Taiwan
Election and The Future for China's Democracy"
Forum. A number of people gave excellent speeches
on issues such as "Taiwan Election and the
Island's Political and Ecological Evolvement",
"Impact of Taiwan Election on Relationship
Between the Taiwan Straits and the Triangle Relationship
of US, China, and Taiwan", "Taiwan Election
and the Process of Democratization in Mainland
China", etc. Speakers included Professor
Yang Liyu, director of the Asia Department of
the Seton Hall University of the United States
who was a member of the Overseas Committee of
the State Department and met with Deng Xiaoping
in the '80s, and Andrew Nathan, renowned China
specialist and professor of the Columbia University,
Zhang Ronggong, director of the Working Committee
on Mainland China of the China Nationalist Party
who just came from Taiwan, Zhao Hongzhang, former
director of the Taiwan Youth Unity Association
and currently teaching staff at the Taiwan University,
Liu Zhitong, secretary general of the World Democracy
and Freedom Alliance, central branch of the Republic
of China, Liu Qing, chairman of Human Rights in
China, Liu Bingyan, prominent Chinese writer,
Hong Zhesheng, overseas adviser of the Democratic
Progressive Party, Lin Feng, political commentator,
Sima Lu, historian, etc. More than 100 people
attended this meeting passionately, and voiced
their views freely. During the election, Professor
Nathan was monitoring in Taipei, and his detailed
analysis on the possibility of development of
US-China-Taiwan triangle relationship attracted
extensive attention from the media.
In addition to holding meetings,
"Beijing Spring" also organized numerous
theoretical debates on specific topics, including
research on "30th Anniversary of the Cultural
Revolution", theoretical discussion on "40th
Anniversary of the Anti-Rightist Movement",
debates over nationalism and "One Country,
Two Systems", and "Human Rights and
Sovereignty". These theoretical issues have
significant impact on China's democracy movement.
For example, during the debate over the issue
of human rights versus sovereignty, "Beijing
Spring" translated and published an article
by Mr. Harvel, Czech's president entitled "Human-Rights
Is Above Sovereignty", "Two Kinds of
Sovereignty" by Secretary General Anan of
the United Nations, and Deriviki's "Experience
of Establishment of Human Rights in Central and
Eastern Europe", as well as "On Human
Rights and Sovereignty" by Lin Mu, a Chinese
scholar; "Human Rights versus Sovereignty"
by Xu Jilin, and "Can Internal Affairs of
A Country of Sovereignty Be Interfered" by
Zheng Qi. On the December 1999 issue, "Beijing
Spring" published a special edition on "Human
Rights versus Sovereignty". In addition,
"Beijing Spring" often selects articles
of theoretical value on Chinese issues by foreign
specialists for translation and publication, which
has been applauded by our readers.
"Beijing Spring" has
always adopted an attitude of encouraging theoretical
debates on different views. On columns of "Theoretical
Research", "Democracy Wall", "Debate",
and "Readers, Writers and Editors",
"Beijing Spring" has continuously published
articles of debate on "Liberalism versus
Constitutional Democracy", "National
Autonomy and Nationalism", "Independence,
Unity and Relationship Between the Taiwan Straits",
"Retrospect on June 4 Democracy Movement",
"Christianity and Democracy", etc. We
have provided the best chance for people to freely
voice their views, including people from Tibet,
Xinjiang, Mongolia and Taiwan. At the same time,
on debates resulted from the theoretical and practical
activities of the organization of the China Democracy
Party in mainland China (for example, whether
the timing was proper, whether members of the
Democracy Party had fancy about the regime of
the Communists, whether the lawful struggle of
the China Democracy Party was a necessary strategy
during the process of China's democracy movement
or just "opportunism", etc,) "Beijing
Spring" provided ample space for debate and
discussion, including "Gains and Losses of
Party Organization Activities" written by
Hu Ping, chief editor of "Beijing Spring",
"On the Setup of Opposition Parties"
by Li Jinjin, "Independent Trade Union and
Party Organization Activities" by Li Zanxin,
"Retrospect on the Strategy of Public Party
Organization" by Yang Jianli, "On Public
Organization of Opposition Parties" by Wang
Fucheng of France, "On the Party Organization
Movement in Mainland China" by Ni Yuxian,
and Wang Fucheng's response to this article, "On-spot
Anti-Communism Theory" by Lin Qiaoqing, etc.
after NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia,
"Beijing Spring" provided continuous
coverage and debate over this event by publishing
more than 10 articles, including "Three No's
On the Kosovo Incident" by Jiang Qisheng,
prominent Chinese democracy activist in Beijing;
"Be Aware of Extreme Nationalism" and
"Human Rights and Sovereignty" by Shanghai
scholars Xiao Gongqin and Xu Jilin. On different
views of the Fa Lun Gong, "Beijing Spring"
also provided space for comment. On the latest
two issues of this year, "Beijing Spring"
published different views and comments by democracy
activists in and outside of China on China's participation
in WTO and the grant of PNTR to China by the US.
4. Pay Close Attention to Relations
Between Taiwan Straits and Nationalist Issues
The relationship between mainland
China and Taiwan, as well as nationalist issues,
including Han-Tibetan, Han-Yogur, Han-Mongolian
relations, are unavoidable and complex theoretical
and practical questions that the China democracy
movement must address. On these issues "Beijing
Spring" has been adopting a very careful
attitude.
In 1995, in view of Communist
Chinese government's intimidation and war threat
to Taiwan, "Beijing Spring" organized
articles many times to reveal the Chinese Communists'
attention of maintaining their dictatorship under
the name of "patriotism". When the Communist
Chinese government's war threat was more eminent
prior to the Taiwan election, "Beijing Spring"
edited and published a book named "Individuals
From China Talk On Situation in the Taiwan Straits",
included were more than 20 articles by Fang Lizhi,
Yan Jiaqi, Wang Ruowang, Jin Yaoru, Hu Ping and
Yu Dahai, showing clearly that people from China
held different views with the Communist Chinese
government over the relationship between the Taiwan
Straits, as well as providing an in-depth analysis
on the real motive of the Communist Chinese government.
In March of that year, Yu Dahai, Xue Wei and leaders
of other democracy organizations were invited
to visit Taiwan during its presidential election.
In April of 1996, after the direct presidential
election in Taiwan was finished, "Beijing
Spring" published a special edition, as well
as a visit to Dr. Yun Zhongjun, director of the
New York Cultural and Educational Center who originally
came from Taiwan. On the January 1999 issue, the
headline story of the "Beijing Spring"
was "Cross-century Election in Taiwan",
and provided an analysis on the impact of Taiwan's
election over mainland China through a series
of articles, especially provided a very clear
explanation on the term "Neo-Taiwanese".
On the "special state-to-state relationship"
put forward by President Li Tenghwei (abbreviated
to "Two-State Theory"), there have been
differing responses from the society. On the September
1999 issue, "Beijing Spring" used "On
Two-State Theory" as its headline. The May
issue of this year was a special edition dedicated
to "Taiwan Election and China's Future for
Democracy". On the "Between the Straits"
column, we have so far published dozens of articles
and put forward a new idea of using new way of
thinking in solving issues between Mainland China
and Taiwan.
On the complex issue of ethnic
problems, "Beijing Spring" supports
the rebel movement by ethnic minorities who are
suppressed by the Communist Chinese government,
sticking to the principle of democracy and human
rights, while at the same time conducted debates
on different views. In February 1996, Xue Wei,
manager of "Beijing Spring", visited
the exiled Tibetan government in India, met with
the Dalai Lama, and signed an agreement with the
Foreign Affairs and Media Ministry of the exile
government. Both sides made the decision that
they would provide mutual support on democracy
activities in China and overseas, as well as exchange
of information. The exiled Tibetan government
transported dozens of the "Beijing Spring"
journal to Mainland China each month, including
Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai. "Beijing
Spring" consequently published articles on
the Dalai Lama and the exiled Tibetan government,
and articles written by democracy activists visiting
Dalai Lala of India, including articles written
by Yu Dahai, chairman of "Beijing Spring";
Zhong Weiguang, exiled scholar in Germany; Huan
Xuewei's couple; Mo Lihua, freelance writer exiling
in Sweden and reporter of "Beijing Spring"
European Station. The Dalai Lama's preamble to
"Lama's Murder" by Taiwan writer was
also published in "Beijing Spring",
and we also published talks between "Beijing
Spring" reporter and Tibetan friends Apei
Jinmei and Dawa Cairen, and the talk between Xue
Wei, "Beijing Spring" manager and the
Dalai Lama. Xue Wei has been maintaining direct
contact with ethnic Tibetan, Vogur and Mongolian
organizations overseas, and participated in the
setup of the American Han- Tibetan Association.
In 1996, "Beijing Spring" published
Xue Wei's talk with the Dalai Lama, and in 1998,
the declaration of the foundation of the "Han-Tibetan
Association", as well as Xue Wei's conversation
with Abuli Kemu, chairman of the Central Executive
Committee of the East Turkistan, and released
news on the invitation of Xue Wei to the East
Turkistan Conference held in Germany.
5. Strengthen Relationship with
Readers in Mainland China
Since its foundation, "Beijing
Spring" has always prioritized articles written
by authors in Mainland China, and in this way
has been maintaining a strong relationship with
Chinese readers and authors. A total of 113 articles
from China were published from 1993 to 1994. In
1995,n95 were published. In 1996, 46 were published.
In 1997, 22 were published. In 1998, 48 were published.
In 1999, 67 were published. 30 articles from China
have been published in "Beijing Spring"
so far this year. This makes a total of 461 articles.
These articles made discussions on major theoretical
issues, including renowned philosopher Wang Ruoshui's
new evaluation on Marxism, the retrospect on the
Communist system by Hu Jiwei, the 80-year-old
Chinese Communist party member and former editor-in-chief
of the "People's Daily", memoir and
afterthoughts by Xu Liangying, renowned historian,
on the "Anti-Rightist" movement, and
the differing views of Lin Mu, former secretary
to Hu Yaobang, on Li Zehou's theory of "Goodbye
to Revolution", and articles on nationalism,
liberalism and extremism, as well as the "Declaration
on the Double l0th" by Wang Xizhe and Liu
Xiaobo to both the Communist and Nationalist Parties;
review on the political conservatism in today's
China by Liu Xiaobo; review on "Gu Zhun's
Works" by Li Rui; review on the "Bankruptcy
Law" by Cao Siyuan; comments by Li Shenzhi,
former vice president of the China Academy of
Social Sciences, on 50 years of Communist rule
in China, the "Five One" plan of China
democracy movement put forward by Qin Yongmin,
goals of China democracy movement and its strategy
during transition period as proposed by Xu Wenli,
the organization of national opposition parties
put forward by Wang Youcai, article on reforms
of enterprises and independent trade union movement
written by Tang Yuanxiao, discussion on peaceful
resistance to Communist Chinese government's violent
regime and stage theory of China's democracy movement
process as proposed by Fu Guoyong, democracy activist
in Zhejiang, etc. In addition to major theoretical
issues, "Beijing Spring" also published
numerous articles by dissidents in various parts
of China on current political issues, among which
were "Declaration on Citizen's Freedom of
Speech" by Wang Ming of Sichuan, "An
Appeal of A Political Prisoner" by Tang Yuanxiao
of Liaoning, suggestions by Jin Cheng of Beijing
on fair trial of Chen Xitong, the public letter
to state leaders by Yang Qinheng of Shanghai,
the analysis by Li Xiaoping of Beijing on "One
Country, Two Systems" and the issue of China's
unification, the public letter to the human rights
commission of the UN by Jiang Qisheng of Beijing,
and "Declaration of Freedom and Citizen's
Rights", "Declaration on Social Justice
and Citizen's Rights" as sponsored and signed
by Ding Zilin and Lin Mu, and articles of appeal
by Meng Ruiyun, mother of the imprisoned democracy
activist Tong Yi; Gong Liwen, mother of Li Hai;
Xu Hong, wife of Lin Hai; Chu Hailan, wife of
Liu Nianchun. These articles timely featured major
events of the time. For example, the article "On
Jiang Zemin's Speech at Harvard", written
by Qin Yongmin on November 5, and published on
the December 1999 issue of "Beijing Spring"
on the topic of "Give Jiang Zemin A lesson
on Democracy" was only 10 days after the
article was written. The record of the persecution
by the government of Xu Wenli, democracy activist
in Beijing, during the June 4 anniversary of this
year was also published on the "Beijing Spring"
10 days after the event. In addition, "Beijing
Spring" also published some poems and other
literary works by authors in China, including
poems composed by the couple of Liu Xiaobo, and
"If you Have To Sacrifice Enough", a
poem composed by Tan Li, a Hunan poet; "The
Free Man" composed by Yu Tian, a Sichuan
poet; "To Wan Kai" composed by Yu Fu,
a Zhejiang poet; "Desperation of '89"
composed by Wen Dan, a Liaoning poet, etc. It
should be pointed out that some of the authors
were democracy activists that had been fighting
as frontiers of democracy movements in China.
On the column of "To the Editor" of
each issue, "Beijing Spring" has provided
space for voices from China while making special
precautions to ensure the safety of those writing
letters to the journal.
Wei Jingsheng, Wang Dan and Huang
Xiang and other had been providing articles to
the "Beijing Spring" through different
channels while they were still in China. In addition
to those mentioned above, contributors to the
"Beijing Spring" also include Chen Ziming,
Bao Zunxin, Chen Xiaoya, Zhou Duo, Jiang Qisheng,
Sha Yuguang, and Liu Junning of Beijing; Xiao
Xuehui, He Bing, Wang Yizong, Wang Jianhui, Deng
Huanwu and Liu Xianbin of Sichuan; Li Wei and
Leng Wanbao of Jilin; Ge Hu and Li Qingxi of Shanxi;
Sheng Liangqing of Anhui; Yang Hai, Ma Xiaoming
and Li Guiren of Shannxi; Jian Hu of Shanghai;
Ma Shaofang of Jiangsu; Gong Yancheng of Hebei;
Yuan Hongbin of Guizhou, Xiao Liqun of Heilongjiang,
etc. Some of them are well known, while others
are common people. Most of the authors asked others
to carry their manuscripts out of China for safety
reasons (Xu Liangying's article in memoir of the
"Anti-Rightist" movement was via Mr.
Fang Lizhi, and Wang Ruoshui's article was transmitted
by fax). Some of the authors sent their manuscripts
directly to the editorial office by mail or fax,
and recently there have been more and more manuscripts
received through email.
In view of the lessening interest
in China's democracy activities by the Chinese
language media overseas, "Beijing Spring"
deliberately strengthened its reporting on democracy
activities in China on its column "News on
Democracy Activities in China and Overseas",
so that people in China as well as overseas are
able to realize the current status of democracy
activities in and outside of China. At the same
time, via fax and email, news is sent to China
to let people in China know that their activities
have been reported and paid attention to. "Beijing
Spring" staff has maintained a direct contact
through a hotline with some of the prominent figures
of democracy and human rights activities; "Beijing
Spring" regularly communicated with numerous
readers, authors in China through telephone, fax
and internet. "Beijing Spring" regularly
sends every issue of the journal to them and other
people by mail. In 1999, "Beijing Spring"
prepared a CD including all the articles published
on "Beijing Spring" and other information
on democracy activities. This CD was mailed to
Chinese readers free of charge; and sent 100 CDs
to people in China through others, which were
transferred to those who were eager to read it.
"Beijing Spring" influence
in China has been increasing day by day. Wang
Xizhe, Wei Jingsheng, Wang Dan and other democracy
activists all said that they were often able to
read "Beijing Spring" when they were
in China, and it was easier to read it on the
internet. The timely report on situation of democracy
activists in China by "Beijing Spring"
has received positive response from foreign friends.
The chief editor of the "International Forum
on Democracy" of Vietnam wrote to Fang Lizhi,
saying that they were very interested in publishing
articles of the "Beijing Spring" journal,
and an American couple were eager to contact "Beijing
Spring" to offer help Gao Yu after they read
reports on the persecution of the journalist by
the Communist Chinese government. It should be
mentioned that in the book "A Guide to Asian
Media in US" as published by the Tongji University
Press in May 1996 and for which Wang Shenghong,
vice chairman of the Shanghai Political Consultative
Conference wrote an preamble, "Beijing Spring"
was listed separately, stating that "Beijing
Spring" was very political, and timely reflected
various political issues in Mainland China, and
that editors of "Beijing Spring" were
supporters of Chinese-style human rights, and
often sympathized and supported China's human
rights movement. Therefore it is obvious that
"Beijing Spring" has a significant influence
in every walk of political and social life in
Mainland China.
In addition to the regular publication
of the journal, "Beijing Spring" also
publishes "Beijing Spring Briefing"
designed for readers in China. This publication
is sent to relevant schools, organizations, and
social groups in Mainland China. For the purpose
of strengthening influence and communication in
the international community, a bi-monthly English
version of the "Beijing Spring" called
"Beijing Spring Digest" was published
since 1995, and it was designed for the US Congress
and other functions of the US government, organizations
of the UN and member countries of the UN, governments,
congresses, media and human rights groups and
some prominent politicians, so that the international
community will realize the situation of China's
political society and democracy movement. Due
to insufficient funds, the "Beijing Spring
Briefing" and "Beijing Spring Digest"
have terminated publication.
"Beijing Spring" maintains
good cooperative relationship with the New York
based "Human Rights in China" and the
"China Democracy Movement and Human Rights
Information Center" of Hong Kong. Since November
1996, "Beijing Spring" also launched
cooperative programs of exchanging articles with
"Radio Free Asia".
6. Provide Readers with Internet
Service
For the purpose of spreading
information of democracy via the new technology
of "information super highway", "Beijing
Spring" entered into "World Wide Web"
in October 1995. Since then, all users who have
access to the Internet, including users in Mainland
China, are able to read "Beijing Spring"
on the Internet. So far as we know, "Beijing
Spring" was one of the earliest magazines
that provided electronic versions on the Internet.
For the convenience of readers, "Beijing
Spring" prepares a version in international
code for each issue and place it on the Internet,
and usually within one week of the publication
of the journal readers can read the magazine on
the Internet. As one of the earliest Chinese language
journals on the Internet, "Beijing Spring"
is now working on three areas: First, maintenance
of the website; second, email to mainland China;
third, BBS.
A. Website
On the website of the "Beijing
Spring", there are whole 86 issues of the
"Beijing Spring" journal published so
far and other information on democracy activities.
In addition, there are also important documents
concerning relationships between the Taiwan Straits.
The setup of the website was welcomed by users
all over the world, including users of China.
The Hong Kong Alliance for Support of Democracy
in China, the US National Foundation for Democracy,
China News Digest and many other organizations
provide links to "Beijing Spring" on
their respective websites. According to statistics
of network service providers, "Beijing Spring"
attracted more than 3000 readers per day, including
readers in Mainland China. Later, Li Peng issued
an order, banning the reading of the journal on
the Internet, and as a result, there had been
a substantial decrease in the number of readers
from China, which maintained a level of 100 per
week; however, not long after this, there was
a fast increase in the number of readers. Statistics
show that recently there have been more and more
Chinese readers accessing our website. There is
a total of 7000 people accessing our website each
day, among them there are about 2000 people from
mainland China each week. According to a recent
report for the week as provided by the network
service providers, there is an average of 7297
people accessing our website each day, who read
3038 of our electronic files, and the information
quantity they receive is 87MB each day, amounting
to 400 copies of "Beijing Spring". Among
them, 2565 people are from Mainland China, and
the amount of information they receive is 5 percent
of the total, which is about 20 copies of the
"Beijing Spring" journal, which is to
say that they receive information that is equivalent
to 140 copies of "Beijing Spring" each
week. It is obvious that "Beijing Spring"
is welcomed by readers. However, because the Communist
Chinese government regards "Beijing Spring"
as one of its enemies, and has done everything
to block the journal from reaching our readers,
what "Beijing Spring" needs to do is
to break the blockade of the Communist Chinese
government, so that every reader in Mainland China
can access the website of "Beijing Spring".
B. Email
The transmission of email to
Mainland China by the "Beijing Spring"
also began in 1995. Since August 1999, "Beijing
Spring" has widened its scope of transmission.
Currently we are sending articles of the "Beijing
Spring" to thousands of email addresses in
China. So far we have sent tens of thousands of
emails. Some individuals in Mainland China have
expressed the desire that they need no more of
emailed "Beijing Spring", while there
are also many others who expressed their dissatisfaction
over the government and their hope for democracy
movement in their email responses. It is clear
that most of the people in China have received
emailed "Beijing Spring", and some of
them have been maintaining contact with us and
sending us manuscripts through email. Many authors
of "Beijing Spring" are now using email
to send their articles to "Beijing Spring"
for publication.
C.BBS
For the purpose of communication
among people concerned with democracy and human
rights in Mainland China, 'Beijing Spring"
presented "BBS of Beijing Spring" on
the Internet in November 1999. This is a public
forum in which all views can be freely expressed.
The website is http://beijingspring.com/bbs. Right
now there are many people participating in the
discussions on the forum, although quality of
the discussion needs to be improved. Currently
"Beijing Spring" makes no restrictions
on the contents of discussion, except for those
of personal insults and slander. However, this
work also needs to be improved.
Cover pages
Cover: An opportunity for China's
political reformation - election
Inside cover: Seminar of the Election
of Mainland China
Upper left: The Seminar of the Election of Mainland China was
held from August 5 to 6 in Princeton University, US
Upper right: (from left): Perry Link, Liu Junguo, Liu Nianchun,
Chen Pokong and He Junren
Middle left: (from left): Tong Yi, Liu Gang and Perry Link
Middle right: (from left): Zhao Hui and He Junren
Lower left: (from left): Li Jinjin and Wang Juntao
Lower right: Some participants taking a picture together
Inside back cover: Picture news
Upper left: On August 9, the right-protection activist Guo
Feixiong was beaten by the police on the train to Beijing
Upper right: The pilot of the China Eastern Airlines and Falun
Gong practitioner Yuan Sheng left the crew and seeks refuge in
US
Middle left: Zan Aizong was detained by the Hangzhou police on
August 11 for investigating the persecution to Christians
Middle right: Taiwan Association for Human Rights held the
Seminar of Tibetan Poetry (from left: Moli, Liao Zhifeng, Wen
Jinke, Huang Juan, etc.)
Lower: Fu Zhengming, Moli, Xue Wei and Wang Lixiong were present
at the forum of the worlds concerning about Tibet and Taiwan in
Taipei
Back cover: The flowing clouds of the
plateau - Ding Langfu (Beijing)
Support
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Please mail to:
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About us
About Beijing Spring
Everyone
has the right to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media
and regardless of frontiers. ---- United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
Beijing
Spring, a monthly Chinese-language magazine
dedicated to the promotion of human rights,
democracy and social justice in China, has
been in continuous publication since June
1993.
Over
the years, Beijing Spring has made a substantial
contribution to spreading the message of
democracy and accelerating the economic
and political reforms. Indeed, as the published
Tiananmen Papers reveals, Li Peng and other
Chinese leaders believe that the 1989 Democracy
Movement was in part instigated by China
Spring, a predecessor of Beijing Spring.
As the widespread 1989 democracy demonstrations
have shown, although China is a country
ruled by a totalitarian regime, the Chinese
people have a keen interest in adopting
a democratic form of government. Their inspirations,
however, have been stifled by the repressive
regime. At this time, advocating democracy
in China can result in imprisonment or worse.
As a result, pro-democracy publications
such as Beijing Spring can only be printed
outside of China. Anyway, these publications
are often taken into China by the Chinese
national living abroad.
Beijing
Spring's articles cover the reporting of current
political development, analysis of social
issues, documentation of human rights violations
in China, and discussion on how democratization
can be achieved. About a third of its articles
are contributed by authors in China. The magazine
has been officially branded "illegal"
by the Chinese government, but is available
in some restricted Chinese libraries. It is
widely circulated within the dissident circle
in China and is known as a standard bearer
of the democracy movement. Beijing Spring
sends compact discs with a complete collection
of magazine articles to readers in China for
free. Its website (www.bjzc.org) received
thousands of hits every day. Beijing Spring
magazine is published on the fifteenth of
each month. The electronic version is normally
uploaded to this site before the end of the
month. With its editorial office based in
New York, Beijing Spring has readers from
all over the world.
The
editorial office of Beijing Spring is also
the center of a wide range of pro-democracy
activities. In this regard it takes over certain
roles formerly played by the Chinese Alliance
for Democracy. It sponsors all kinds of gatherings,
including formal conferences. Beijing Spring
also regularly supports visits to China by
overseas dissidents to organize and coordinate
pro-democracy activities. It maintains close
relation with various pro-democracy groups
and with the exiled Tibetan and other minority
groups. It helps organize the worldwide annual
remembrance of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen
massacre. It provides assistance to newly
arrived refugees and dissidents.
Beijing
Spring is registered in the U.S. as a nonprofit
corporation. It is assisted by a worldwide
network, with liaison offices in Hong Kong,
Japan, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Beijing
Spring has an advisory board consisting of
thirteen distinguished members and a five-member
editorial board.
This
website stores thousands of articles published
in Beijing Spring and elsewhere totaling over
10 million Chinese characters. Most recent
Internet browsers support simplified Chinese
characters. If the browser does not automatically
display correct Chinese characters, you need
to change the encoding under the view menu
to "simplified Chinese" in order
to read Chinese texts online. You may need
to install multi-language Support pack from
Microsoft website to enable the browser to
recognize foreign characters or even download
a Chinese viewer such as Njstar Communicator
if you fail to see the Chinese encoding option.
This viewer can be downloaded from
http://www.njstar.com.
For
a one-year subscription, send a check of $30
($60 for institutions) to: Beijing Spring,
P. O. Box 520709, Flushing, NY 11352, USA.
Tel: (718) 661-9977; Fax: (718)661-9922; E-mail:
editor@bjs.org. Subscribers outside of U.S.
pay pay $60 a year.
Members of Beijing
Spring's Advisory Board
Fang
Lizhi, professor of physics at University
of Arizona. As the former vice president of
Chinese University of Science and Technology,
he inspired the 1989's Chinese Democracy movement
and then was forced to seek refuge in the
American Embassy for about a year after the
June 4 crackdown.
Guo
Luoji, a leading liberal theoretician who
was driven out of Beijing by Former Chairman
Deng Xiaoping because of his political opinion.
In 1992, he sued the Chinese government for
human rights abuses in a Federal Court of
law. Now he is a visiting scholar at Harvard
University.
Lin Baohua (a.k.a.
Ling Feng), a critical columnist. Born in
Indonesia, he graduated from the People's
University in Beijing and had lived in Hong
Kong for many years until 1997.
Perry Link,
professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton
University. He specializes in 20th-century
Chinese literature and is very concerned with
human rights condition in Mainland China.
Liu Binyan,
famous writer. He was reporter with People's
Daily, the official newspaper in China before
1987. Because of his resounding articles on
Chinese corruption and brutality, he was criticized,
expelled and barred from publishing. He is
now a fellow of the Princeton China Initiative.
Liu Qing, Chairman
of the Executive Committee of Human Rights
in China. As a democracy promoter and a close
ally of Wei Jingsheng, he had been jailed
by Chinese government for almost ten years.
Andrew Nathan,
professor of Political Science and Director
of East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
His teaching and research interests include
Chinese politics and foreign policy, the comparative
study of political participation and political
culture, and human rights. He has published
numerous books and articles on China's politics.
Situ Hua, president
of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic
and Democratic Movement in China. Mr. Situ
is a member of the Hong Kong legislature and
an important leader of the Democratic Party
of Hong Kong.
Su Shaozhi,
chairman of Princeton China Initiative. Once
served as the director of the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought of the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, he is
a leading liberal political theoretician in
China.
Su Xiaokang,
a Chinese writer well known for his epic The
River's Elegy, a critical television program
about China's political and cultural evolution.
As an active participator in the 1989 democracy
movement, he was forced to leave China. Now
he is a fellow of the Princeton China Initiative
and publisher of the bi-monthly journal "The
Democratic China".
Yang Liyu, professor
of East Asian Studies at Seton Hall University
Yu Ying-shi,
professor of history at Princeton University.
Mr. Yu has been a leading critic on the tyranny
of the Chinese communists after he left China
in 1950. After the Chinese government crackdown
on the Democracy Movement in 1989, he devoted
himself into helping the fled Chinese activists
to settle down in the U.S and setting up the
Princeton China Initiative.
Smarlo Ma,
Smarlo Ma is pen name of Mr. Yi Ma.
Joining the CommunistParty of China
in 1937, he became Director of the
Library of the Anti-Japanese Military
and Political College in Yan-an in 1938.
He formally left the Party in 1943. as
a well known expert on the history of
the Communist party of china, he has
often been invited to present papers
in international conferences of Asian
specialists. He has published mora than 20 books.
Members of Beijing
Spring's Editorial Board
Yu
Dahai, Publisher of Beijing Spring and assistant
professor of economics at Tufts University.
Graduated from Beijing University and received
a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University,
he served as Chief Editor of Beijing Spring
from June 1993 to June 1996 and then as President
from June 1996 to September 2002. He is founding
president of the Chinese Economists Society
and former president of the Chinese Alliance
for Democracy and the China Spring magazine.
Wang Dan, President
of Beijing Spring since September 2002. As
a student leader from Beijing University in
the 1989's Democracy Movement, he was on the
most wanted list of the Chinese government
after the June 4 crackdown. After being imprisoned
for political reasons from July 1989 to February
1993 and again from May 1995 to April 1998,
he came to the United States ad is now a doctoral
student in Harvard University.
Hu Ping, Chief
Editor of Beijing Spring since 1996 and a
regular commentator for Radio Free Asia. Received
a Master's degree in philosophy from Beijing
University and studied at Harvard University,
he was once the Chief Writer of Beijing Spring
from June 1993 to June 1996. He is former
president of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy
and the China Spring magazine.
Chen Kuide,
fellow of Princeton China Initiative and program
host for Radio Free Asia. As once the Chief
Editor of Shanghai's Thinker magazine, he
actively took part in the 1989 democracy movement.
He later received a Ph.D. degree in philosophy
from Fudan University.
Zheng Yi, member
of the Princeton China initiative and a famous
political critic. He once wrote articles to
expose the cannibalism in Guangxi during the
Great Cultural Revolution in China. As an
important leader of the 1989 democracy movement,
he was forced to leave China in 1992.
Xue
Wei, Manager of Beijing Spring since 1993.
He was imprisoned in Sichuan for ten years
for "counter-revolutionary activities"
in the 1970's. He was among the founding members
of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy and
the China Spring magazine and has always served
as a leader in promoting Chinese Democracy
Movement dating back 1982.
Sep. 2006
This Month
Achivements
Cover pages
Support
about us
Beijing
spring Sep. 2006, Issue 160
