Tiananmen Square

When Marx met Confucius: Xi Jinping's attempt to influence China's intellectual loyalties has met with a mixed reception at home and abroad

Retrieved on:

Thursday, November 9, 2023

The Chinese Communist Party has published regular communiques pushing Xi’s ideological line and When Marx met Confucius is the latest version of this propaganda drive.

Key Points:

The Chinese Communist Party has published regular communiques pushing Xi’s ideological line and When Marx met Confucius is the latest version of this propaganda drive.
Its aim is to reconcile the regime’s official Marxist underpinnings with an appeal to a more specifically Chinese cultural heritage.
This idea was introduced by Xi in July 2021, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
Some analysts view Xi’s propaganda efforts through the lens of his steady encouragement of a cult of personality in China.

Challenges of legitimacy

As Ci observes, the CCP “can have no other publicly avowable source of legitimacy than the one tied to its communist revolutionary past”.
But this legitimacy was significantly weakened after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
But this performance legitimacy, relying heavily as it does on economic success, contains inherent vulnerabilities that could undermine the regime.

Lukewarm public response

Outside of official endorsements, the film seems to have received few positive comments within China.
Significantly, initial responses from two main ideological camps – the Maoists and the Confucianists – have diverged dramatically.
So this attempt to promote “Xi Jingping thought” to the Chinese public appears to be a hard sell.

Tao Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

1989 (Nat Geo’s Version). 1989 Had Style You Couldn’t Shake Off, So Deep Dive Into Today’s Most Talked About Year With Special Encore Presentation of National Geographic’s Series, 1989: THE YEAR THAT MADE US

Retrieved on:

Friday, October 27, 2023

TV and Radio, General Entertainment, Entertainment, Online, History, WORLD, National Geographic, Executive producer, Berlin, State, History of the World Wide Web, Politics, Berlin Wall, Hearing, IPC, Hulu, Tiananmen Square

Don’t say we didn’t warn you — viewers can watch a full episode, 1989: A WORLD IN REVOLUTION, for free online HERE , and we wish you would stream the entire series on Hulu .

Key Points:

Don’t say we didn’t warn you — viewers can watch a full episode, 1989: A WORLD IN REVOLUTION, for free online HERE , and we wish you would stream the entire series on Hulu .
The episode 1989: A WORLD IN REVOLUTION takes a dramatic look at a year of revolution around the world.
Former Secretary of State James Baker and award-winning journalists provide their stunning eyewitness accounts from this monumental year in history.
1989: THE YEAR THAT MADE US is executive produced by Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Rory Karpf for IPC.

Global Times: Xi Jinping Thought on Culture guides China's cultural development

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 30, 2023

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a summary of the practice and a crystallization of theory concerning cultural preservation and development in the new era.

Key Points:

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a summary of the practice and a crystallization of theory concerning cultural preservation and development in the new era.
"Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a theoretical summary of the practical experience of the CPC's cultural construction leadership in the new era.
"President Xi has set new cultural standards, aimed at enhancing cultural prosperity and positioning China as a global leader in culture.
Tang Fei, chief of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, told the Global Times that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture naturally aligns with the nation's development in the field of culture and its international image.

China's concerning new strategy on human rights: unite the world behind a 'selective' approach

Retrieved on:

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Each time, the Chinese government has had to deal with the diplomatic fallout of its own repression.

Key Points:

Each time, the Chinese government has had to deal with the diplomatic fallout of its own repression.
On the one hand, they have tried to rally developing countries behind the idea that the “right to subsistence” trumps concerns over other human rights.
China is seeking not merely to resist but to dismantle a foundational idea of the post-Cold War international order – the universality of human rights.

A new approach cloaked in ‘democratic’ values

And it’s become a major weapon in the Chinese party-state’s foreign propaganda arsenal.
The initiative was first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March.
It complements two previously announced (and similarly named) diplomatic tools: the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative.

A selective approach to human rights

First, in contrast to the respect for universal human rights in the liberal international order, China’s strategy calls for a cultural relativist approach based on each country’s “national conditions and unique features.” In other words, there shouldn’t be a universal standard of human rights at all.
As China’s former foreign minister, Qin Gang, said earlier this year:
There is no one-size-fits-all model in the protection of human rights.
This approach is problematic because it allows governments to apply international human rights standards selectively.

A network of despots with similar views

The [Chinese Communist Party] will continue to safeguard international fairness and justice and promote world peace and stability.
To promote this new strategy, Chinese officials have also been using benign-sounding language, such as “dialogue”, “cooperation” and “common prosperity”.
Read more:
How China is remaking the world in its vision
Again, this strategy can provide a smokescreen for China.
It creates a global network of like-minded regimes whose diplomats can shield Beijing’s human rights abuses from scrutiny and criticism in international forums.

Hong Kong: crackdown on vigils to commemorate 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre show Beijing's fear of the power of memory

Retrieved on:

Monday, June 5, 2023

And, as use of the internet has become increasingly ubiquitous in China, online surveillance and censorship go into overdrive during this period.

Key Points:

And, as use of the internet has become increasingly ubiquitous in China, online surveillance and censorship go into overdrive during this period.
On June 4 1989, the People’s Liberation Army opened fire on unarmed civilians staging a pro-democracy protest in the centre of Beijing.
The number of deaths is still not confirmed, as it remains a taboo subject.
But despite the sweeping repression on the mainland, Hong Kong – until recently – stood out as a free “information enclave”.

Free speech in Hong Kong

Read more:
Hong Kong: how China's new national security law subverts the territory's cherished rule of law
Human rights groups have consistently argued that the law was imposed by Beijing to silence dissent following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019.
Read more:
Hong Kong's press freedom is on life support thanks to the new security law
According to the human rights group Hong Kong Democracy Council: “Hong Kong has one of fastest growing populations of political prisoners in the world”.
Human rights scholars and observers warn of “China’s attempts to dissolve civil society in Hong Kong”.

The power of memory

In August 2021, the online June 4th museum was opened to tell the stories of those who died in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
In May 2023, a replica of the Pillar of Shame“ sculpture was erected in Berlin.
And it is a power we should not underestimate.

A Sunrise Date with Youth in China

Retrieved on:

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Modern Express Post, Golden Bauhinia Square, City, Face, Breakfast, National, Friends, Vlog, Multimedia, Lotus Square, Atmosphere, View, Nightclub, Tiananmen Square

NANJING, China, Oct. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When's the last time you watched the sunrise?

Key Points:

NANJING, China, Oct. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When's the last time you watched the sunrise?
Before China's National Day in 2022, three youngsters from Beijing, Hong Kong and Macao jointly recorded a fiery sunrise.
There is a promise behind this: in the cities where they live, they will participate in a flag-raising ceremony at sunrise.
At around 4 a.m. in Beijing, Zhao Wengai, a Beijing girl, got up from her warm bed and went to Tiananmen Square.

Beijing Hotel NUO Unveils the Elite Room Collection, Highlighting a Fusion of Neo-Chinese Style and Royal Aesthetics

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

BEIJING, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beijing Hotel NUO recently unveiled its newly renovated Elite Room Collection a fusion of neo-Chinese style and royal aesthetics.

Key Points:

BEIJING, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beijing Hotel NUO recently unveiled its newly renovated Elite Room Collection a fusion of neo-Chinese style and royal aesthetics.
105 years hence, Beijing Hotel NUO is opening a new chapter, reinventing the neo-Chinese style.
Beijing Hotel NUO is centrally located in Beijing, just a few steps from Tiananmen Square, the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the world-renowned Wangfujing Shopping District.
Once the trendsetter of China during the early 20th century, Beijing Hotel NUO is now bringing back the authentic high-end Chinese lifestyle.

'Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China' lyric reveals how China achieved tremendous achievement: Argentine Ambassador to China

Retrieved on:

Saturday, August 20, 2022

These lyrics succinctly capture the fundamental reason why China has achieved unprecedented progress in human history," Argentine Ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.

Key Points:

These lyrics succinctly capture the fundamental reason why China has achieved unprecedented progress in human history," Argentine Ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
Therefore, after coming to China as ambassador, he decided to take a Chinese name to express his goodwill to China.
First, it was from the name of Chen Wangdao - the first person who translated The Communist Manifesto into Chinese.
The Argentine diplomat recalled that Chen Wangdao played an important role and has historical significance in China and for the CPC.

Veteran Sportscaster Scott Russell Gives an Interview on Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

Retrieved on:

Friday, February 11, 2022

Veteran CBC Network sportscaster, Scott Russell took a few moments to speak about staging of the Games in the middle of a pandemic and how both athletes and organizers are going to deal with the pandemic in Beijing.

Key Points:

Veteran CBC Network sportscaster, Scott Russell took a few moments to speak about staging of the Games in the middle of a pandemic and how both athletes and organizers are going to deal with the pandemic in Beijing.
Scott Russell has been a prime-time host of the Winter Olympics in Sochi and Pyeongchang and the Summer Games in Rio and Beijing.
He has covered 15 Olympic Games, including the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
When asked about the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, Russell described it as the most colossal Games he'd ever seen, and an 'over the top spectacle'.

2019 CFLD Beijing Marathon - A Gift of Celebration

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Beijing, Dongcheng District, Beijing, Tiananmen Square, Mulu Seboka, Tiananmen, Mulu

TIANANMEN SQUARE, China, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The cool autumn morning of November 3rd, at 7:30, in Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, echoed the starting signal of the top marathon event in China.

Key Points:

TIANANMEN SQUARE, China, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The cool autumn morning of November 3rd, at 7:30, in Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, echoed the starting signal of the top marathon event in China.
This year, the organizers received over 160,000 applications for the event, 30,000 runners from around the world eventually took part in the race.
In women's category, Sutume Asefa Kebede from Ethiopia won the first place in 2:23:31; Li Zhi Xuan came in 2nd in 2:29:06, and Mulu Seboka Seyfu finished in 3rd in 2:29:09.
There were medical stations every 2.5km after the initial 5km mark, and first aid volunteers every 100 meters; 20 ambulances and more than 300 medical personnel were on standby.