Tiananmen Protest ‘Black Hand’ Chen Ziming Dies in Beijing
Posted: October 22, 2014 Filed under: Asia, Global, History | Tags: Arrest and trial of Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao, Beijing, Beijing Spring, Chen, China, Communist Party, Hu Yaobang, Wang Dan Leave a comment
Josh Chin reports: One of the two activists identified as the “black hands” behind China’s 1989 democracy protests died of cancer on Tuesday, in a reminder of how little the Communist Party has budged in its tolerance of political dissent over the past quarter century.
Chen Ziming, 62 years old, died from pancreatic cancer Tuesday afternoon in Beijing, according to close friends.
“He was incredibly influential, in the academic world as well as in government and public circles.”
— Chen Min, a liberal writer and political commentator better known by his penname, Xiao Shu
“Famous Chinese dissident, so-called June 4th black hand and my mentor Chen Ziming finally succumbed to cancer,” Wang Dan, one of the leaders of the 1989 student-led Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, wrote on his Facebook page. “His death is a massive loss for the Chinese opposition movement, and for the country.”
Mr. Chen and fellow activist Wang Juntao were accused by the government of being the masterminds behind the 1989 protests. In 1991, both were sentenced to 13 years in prison, in a trial authorities used to bolster the official line that the protests had been the work of a handful of conspirators rather than a movement with mass appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
China’s Latest Food Scandal? Painted Food
Posted: August 25, 2014 Filed under: China, Food & Drink, Health and Social Issues | Tags: Chen, China, Chinese cuisine, Food, Hangzhou, Shanghai, West Lake, Xinhua, Xinhua News Agency 1 Comment
Customers in a steamed buns restaurant in Shanghai, east China, Aug. 14, 2014. Zuma Press
Te-Ping Chen reports: From toxic milk to pork treated with paraffin wax, China has seen its share of tainted food. Now add to the list painted food.
“Previous lows in the annals of Chinese cuisine include the discovery of pork that glowed in the dark…”
[Glowed? See more – China Struggles with Food Safety]
Even by the standards of China’s many food-safety scandals, one recently reported incident involving a cook in eastern China’s Zhejiang province is eyebrow-raising. According to Xinhua, the 27-year-old cook, surnamed Chen, is currently on trial for painting abalones and goose paws to prettify them for customers.
“…and a boom in spontaneously exploding watermelons…”
[You know you want to read about China’s Exploding Watermelon Scandal]
According to the state-run news agency, since last March, Mr. Chen – who was employed at a hotel in Hangzhou, a popular tourist destination famed for the beauty of its West Lake –painted with “inedible pigment” about 12 abalones and 100 goose feet, which together were worth nearly $800. Both abalones and goose paws are delicacies prized in Chinese cuisine. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Please Release Him’: Chinese Paper Publishes Front-Page Plea for Detained Journalist
Posted: October 23, 2013 Filed under: Asia, Censorship, China | Tags: Chen, China, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Hunan, Shenzhen, Sina Weibo, Yongzhou Leave a comment
A woman reads the New Express newspaper that on October 23, 2013 carried a full-page editorial with headline “Please release our man”, in a library in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. AFP / Getty
Emily Rauhala reports: New Express has a message for China’s censors: We may be small, but we have backbone. On Wednesday the Guangzhou-based newspaper published a front-page call for the release of its reporter Chen Yongzhou. Chen was detained by police in Hunan province while investigating a state-linked firm. The three-character headline, ‘Please Release Him’ was printed in a large, bold font above the fold. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post called it an “unprecedented” demand for press freedom. Read the rest of this entry »
Chen Guangcheng Accepts Fellowship at Witherspoon Institute
Posted: October 2, 2013 Filed under: Asia, China, Think Tank | Tags: Catholic University of America, Chen, Chen Guangcheng, China, Human rights, Linyi, New York University, Witherspoon Institute Leave a comment
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations on May 31, 2012 in New York. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/GettyImages)
Sophie Beach posts: Exiled activist Chen Guangcheng has announced that he will become a fellow at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, NJ, a think tank which focuses on conservative causes, including opposition to gay marriage and abortion. From Reuters:
Chen will become a distinguished fellow in human rights at Witherspoon, which is based in Princeton, New Jersey, for the next three years. He will also be affiliated with The Catholic University of America and the more liberal-leaning Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice, Luis Tellez, Witherspoon’s president, said in a telephone interview.
[…] Witherspoon, which Tellez says is guided by Catholic principles, is best known for its articles and studies opposing abortion, stem-cell research and same-sex marriage.
[…] He said Chen, who is not a Christian, would not be expected to espouse or even share Witherspoon’s views on social issues.
“I do not know Mr. Chen’s views on same-sex marriage,” Tellez said. “I never asked him. I don’t intend to ask him.” [Source]
Before arriving in the U.S., Chen, who is blind, was an advocate for victims of civil rights abuses in China, including forced abortions. Earlier this year, Chen left New York University, which had hosted him after he fled illegal house arrest, under a cloud of controversy and amid allegations that his agenda was being manipulated by influential members of the religious right.
Back in China, Chen’s relatives in his hometown of Linyi, Shandong, have been continually targeted by local authorities. Last week, Chen spoke to reporters about his family’s situation. Read the rest of this entry »
pundit from another planet 