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The Daily Illini Online
published Friday, May 2, 2003
Readers of the Daily Illini might have been puzzled by letters to the editor from two Chinese students responding to "Local Lawmakers Question Conviction of Overseas Alumnus" (Friedman and Schencker, April 8).
One letter ("Taking Sides With Falun Gong," by Guoliang Zhang, April 15) accused the Daily Illini of having "served as the spokesperson of Falun Gong," of having in effect printed a "paid advertisement," and of "accumulating hatred" toward China. The other letter ("Unfounded Prejudice" by Yuan Liu) accused the DI of a "very negative prejudice toward China." Both writers, in effect, accused the DI of being "anti-China."
In order to understand these responses to the story about the views of local lawmakers over China's recent conviction of U of I alumnus, U.S. citizen and Falun Gong practitioner Dr. Charles Li, one needs to know a little about the role of propaganda in today's China.
Jiang Zemin became head of the Communist Party immediately after thousands of students were slaughtered on Tianamen Square in June 1989. Government propaganda suddenly took on a new focus, which some China watchers claim is modeled on the "blood and soil" propaganda used by the fascist states of Europe in the 1930s to secure their own legitimacy. Jiang sought to re-establish the legitimacy of the Communist Party on extreme appeals to patriotism and nationalism and attacks on enemies both at home and abroad who were said to be "anti-China."
This new patriotism has no principle beyond what is said to serve the needs of a "great China," and can be used to support or demonize anything the Communist Party desires.
The Communist Party has complete control over the information that reaches the people of China, which gives their propaganda an ability to determine what people think.
Most Americans are unaware of the hatred for the United States China's propaganda has stirred in China's young. After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Chinese language chat rooms frequented by Chinese students living here in the United States were filled with whoops of joy at the destruction of the World Trade Center's towers and at the deaths of 3,000 innocent Americans. This year, when the U.S. space shuttle broke up over Texas, Chinese language chat rooms described the event as "the best fireworks of the New Year."
I point out these excesses as examples of the state of mind the Chinese government has succeeded in inculcating in the young. I feel compassion for the way in which the young people of China have been so deluded and have written this piece to explain, not to accuse.
A few weeks ago Dr. Jiang Yanyong told the truth about the number of SARS cases in Beijing, and so the world learned the truth about this deadly epidemic, concealed by the government for five months. Dr. Jiang Yanyong courageously saved lives. He is a true Chinese patriot.
Dr. Charles Li is accused of trying to tell the Chinese people the truth in an effort to save the lives of millions of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. I hope that, in the future, all will agree that telling the truth is the act of the true friends of China.
Stephen Gregory
Chicago resident