README.adoc

Li Hongzhi (LHZ, 李洪志) is the creator of FLG: link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi[].

Falun Gong people call him "master" (师傅), which is a common traditional term used to respectfully address experienced teachers in a disciple (弟子)/teacher relation, e.g. Kung Fu or other crafts.

The term "master" is also used for example in the fictional film The Master (2012), which is likely inspired in <<flg-religion,Scientology>>.

<<ciro-santilli>> prefers to call him <<flg-religion,prophet>>, since he feels LHZ is indistinguishable from <<flg-religion,any other religion>>.

Ciro agrees that there is danger in every religion, and especially new religions.

However the same point can be made about political parties and in particular the CCP and its chairman.

Couldn't a charismatic leader chairman gain more and more power (like Xi seems to be doing), and eventually start a war and kill millions? Or just kill some minority who is not happy about the situation.

Similarly, any charismatic leader of a pro-democracy movement could become the leader of a terrorist organization.

If you ever want democracy, you will have to learn to accept the beliefs of others, and only punish them when they actually break a law.

Finally, LHZ was born in 1951, so he will die in 20 years, unless FLG is true and a miracle happens, and then this argument will become invalid.

From what Ciro hears, LHZ has always maintained that he is the only source of truth on FLG (see also "The Guru is always right"), and therefore, so his death will very likely remove any danger once and for all.

Furthermore, it also seems to Ciro that FLG is clearly anti-violence and self-harm, so Ciro wonder how many would follow a contradictory order such as killing or suicide? We have had no hint of any incitation to violence so far.

It is also interesting to look into the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown case. When the suicide order came, most people wanted out! Without physically controlling the followers, I don't think you can make them do much.

It's funny that even though those events happened only 30 years ago, we know about Li just about as much as we know about Jesus! The only things which we can really picture in detail how they are are the well known locations themselves.

Li Honzhi footage:

* 1999-06-12 AP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_onSZlvWSQ USA: "CHINA: FALUN DAFA CULT POSES NO THREAT CLAIMS FOUNDER" Li Hongzhi talks to media in New York

.Li Hongzhi is Falun Gong's prophet/cult leader/living God. He's a cute north-Western 东北人 like <<wife,Ciro's wife>>. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Hongzhi[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Li_Hongzhi_1.jpg[height=400]

.Li Hongzhi practicing one of his exercises with one of his cute prophet outfits in an extremely nice Chinese <<does-ciro-santilli-hate-china,stone garden>>. TODO exact location and date. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Li_Hongzhi_Falun_Gong.jpg[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Li_Hongzhi_Falun_Gong.jpg[height=600]

[[li-hongzhi-lotus]]
.Li going https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Saiyan[Super Saiyan] while casually sitting on a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_lotus_in_religious_art[giant Lotus flower] with a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(religious_iconography)[halo] on his head. https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/8022105562347289/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200226083545/https://i.pinimg.com/564x/32/fc/95/32fc954e99d658751da18a0b20ae2894.jpg[height=600]

.Dubstep Li can liangong at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep[dubstep] speed. https://giphy.com/gifs/dubstep-gifs-dubstepgifs-xUOwFY1prqgUdPuFvW[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200229161316if_/https://i.giphy.com/media/xUOwFY1prqgUdPuFvW/giphy.webp[height=400]

====== Let's make a mini series about Li Hongzhi's life

Ciro can't help but to imagine how Falun Gong came about in detail.

Someone should write a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Christ_(novel)["The Last Temptation of Christ"].

This deserves an American miniseries like Chernobyl.

It would manage to piss off both FLG and the CCP, which would be amazing. It is a shame that it is so difficult to find good historical information between the infinite barrages of CCP and FLG propaganda.

It could show how:

* Li was an ordinary dude who could liked to play the trumpet, which partially explains his focus on <<falun-gong-media,Shen Yun>> and Falun Gong musical street parades
* Li first heard about Qi Gong, and went to practice it under some dude. Then how he saw other people were so into it, and decided to take this opportunity to make a career out of it during the 80's
* how he met his wife and had a daughter
* how he started to notice how people were feeling things during the exercise classes, and started suggesting more and more metaphysics to these first disciples
* Li could also have some metaphysical moment, like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW20LbwAmng but at the same time, he must tell his followers some lies which he does not believe
* how followers started telling others things and "experience sharing" where the cycle of belief stats to take off
* a clear demonstration of how "A group of early adopters in Changchun became disenchanted after Li forbade his followers from charging fees for the practice at the end of 1994" showing dissent within the cult
* and finally, the immigration and crackdown, and how he put his fingers on those things, and the creation of media, this could be the last episode

Episodes could be split along:

* Episode 1: pre Qi Gong, shows Childhood, workplaces, early motivations. Ends with first contact with a Qi Gong lesson
* Episode 2: early Falun Gong. Opens an academy. Starts without metaphysics, but grows into it. Show him knowingly lying, but also seething magic things. The first followers, and top lieutenants. Makes some management mistake, but escapes. Could end in a metaphysical scene, or 13 May 1992 initial public lesson. Maybe a scene of Li's visit to Thailand in 1983 (photo from CCP media found on Google).
* Episode 3: later Falun Gong in China. It grows, show in Chinese news. Power struggles, problems with early lieutenants, and new lieutenants come up. Many people practice on streets. Battle against <<zhong-gong>>. Near 1996, something tips Li off to the fact that the CCP is going to crack down on them, and so he announces that he will be spreading abroad full time. Check out if this was before or after the first Anti FLG newspaper article in 1996-06-17.
* Episode 4: preaching outside of China and emigration. American permanent residence in 1998. Watches crackdown on television. International Falun Gong media. Show him at Falun Gong New York "Dragon Springs" complex started in the 2000's:
** http://www.dragonsprings.org/
** https://www.businessinsider.com/dragon-springs-falun-gong-upstate-new-york-compound-photos-2019-9
** 1999 https://apnews.com/420a741ec19c4db3993d408747874b2d

Parts of the series could be filmed in <<taiwan>> maybe?

Source material: <<neutral-books-about-falun-gongs-history>>.

====== Li Hongzhi's family

At least Jesus appeared to value chastity. He was even born from a virgin right? No sex around him at all.

But Li doesn't need that. He's a God right, he can both be Enlightened part time and still have a family part time.

Wife's name: Li Rui (李瑞 according to CCP). Report saying that a follower bought a house and registered it on Li Rui's name as a gift, but Li later returned the gift back: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB94140245836194819 TODO house address.

<<benjamin-penny-the-religion-of-falun-gong-2012>> gives further family members (some of them are based only on CCP sources however):

* daughter: Li Meige (李美歌) claims born 1982-06
* brothers and sisters, all younger:
** Li Jun (李君) older younger sister
** Li Ping (李平, female) younger younger sister
*** Notably, Li Ping's alleged husband Sun Senjun (孙森伦) is Chinese-Thai, and allegedly wrote an account of Li Hongzhi's family in the 1980's "我与李洪志一家在泰国的日子——法轮功教主妹夫的自述" This is reproduced on many CCP sources, e.g.: http://lihongzhidaqidi.blogspot.com/2013_09_27_archive.html but it is good reading if you take everything with a grain of salt, does sound believable. TODO find original publishing location. This appears to be an interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js0OyNwYw5A (watermarked Kaiwind on top)
** Li Hui (AKA Li Donghui) younger brother
* father: Li Dan
* mother: Lu Shuzhen


There are also claims that Li's birth name was Li Lai (李來).

This claims to contain the biography of Li Hongzhi's family (likely all according to CCP sources), including several good pictures: https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/news/bbmz49.html The photo given there for Li Jun appears on this apparently FLG source without mention of the name: https://www.epochweekly.com/b5/103/5805.htm

.Li Hongzhi with his wife and daughter presumably in the late 80's with fixing ships in a shipyard in the background. TODO location. Likely from CCP sources, in many places with <<chinese-government-media,kaiwnd>> watermarks. https://renjianzhengdao2019.blogspot.com/2019/05/blog-post_187.html[Pro-CCP source].
image::http://web.archive.org/web/20200515122059im_/https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/4TGKtu8U3klyY_ld6bTpc9PnPOfSZppkEAl7gO6d9PghQbaJii4mykTlbMBtY7GYt_hCbw7Z1h3zohncGGn19vxr3ANWAUZUO6npqJsLlJCND_Nj8BqslNUaQBH1fzyY=s0-d[height=400]

[[flg-telemarketing]]
===== Some Falun Gong people make phone telemarketing

Ciro Santilli has seen Falun Gong people making phone calls to people in China with to explain why FLG is with his own eyes, and therefore is sure it has happened on some scale.

Particularly during <<corona>>, Falun Gong ramped up the telemarketing calls and some voluntary believers were making calls all day nonstop.

Ciro does not know how the called numbers were obtained and if callees voluntarily signed up for it, but that feels extremely unlikely.

Interestingly however, many of the callees seemed interesting in what they had to say, and they often had long chats, Ciro was surprised by that. Maybe they were just bored senseless due to the Corona lockdown. Or maybe <<most-chinese-people-like-their-dictatorship,many Chinese People actually don't like their Government>> and the CCP is fucked.

Also, of course, the callers received call scripts and guidelines to makes those calls, because obviously <<flg-organized>>.

It also seems that this telemarketing had <<li-hongzhi>>'s direct approval, although Ciro does not have proof of that.

Ciro strongly disapproves of this, Just like for any product, visual ads on the street are impossible to prevent, but any kind of advertising that generates notifications on feeds, or takes people's time, is unacceptable.

Ciro has not however seen them talking about making automated phone calls.

https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1940394/how-rampant-phone-scams-highlight-chinas-need-tighter also mentions that Falun Gong makes telemarketing in passing without any reference.

[[zhong-gong]]
==== Zhong Gong 中华养生益智功 (中功)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhong_Gong
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中华养生益智功

A very similar religion to <<falun-gong>>, that also emerged during the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong_fever[Qigong fever] (气功热) of the '80s and '90s. 

The similarity of their imagery as seen from propaganda videos is striking. To <<ciro-santilli>>, this makes Zhong Gong a perfect example of why <<does-ciro-santilli-believe-in-or-practice-falun-gong,FLG metaphysics is bullshit>>: it is obvious that both Zhong Gong and Falun Gong and many others were just random dudes who took advantage of the Qigong fever to create their religions.

Their prophet is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Hongbao[Zhang Hongbao] (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/张宏堡[张宏堡]).

Interestingly, like <<li-hongzhi>>, Hongbao is also from the Northeast of China (Heilongjiang), there must be a reason why those Qi Gong movements come from that region.

Unlike Falun Gong however, Zhong Gong failed to branch the franchise out of China, and basically died out. He also died in a car crash in 2006 which didn't help. Li Hongzhi however played smarter, and started branching abroad full force in 1996, he might have predicted that the crackdown was inevitale.

Wikipedia says it reached 34 million followers in China.

Hongbao also has a more spicy history it seems, with sexual allegations and open political goals <<flg-political,unlike Li Honzhi, who hid his goals better>>. Well played, Li, well played.

<<li-hongzhi>> maintains in <<flg-canon,canon>> that Falun Gong is of course extremely different from all of those other extremely similar Qi Gong religions (not sure if Zhong Gong is mentioned, but is it definitely one of the main targets).

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX72zfEP_zs googd Zhong Gong playlist
* https://youtu.be/uYH8Y_1UmrY?list=PLQM6pSUVxrEhL1Zf2Hg9J87HAlgOS1RXy&t=1445 Zhong Gong people "experience sharing". It truly is exactly like Falun Gong.
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2GxSJK9c-A this appears to be positive mainstream media coverage of Zhong Gong
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ziluy_AlEI video of Hongbao giving a lecture dated 1994 and commented "Qiling kylin Tianhua culture"
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQKCtPSfdR4 video dated January 21st, 2007 of Monks praying after his death
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvJSzeY7Chw contains a bunch of what appear to be extremely low quality Zhong Gong propaganda videos. It is very similar to Falun Gong's of course.

The embassy spokesman says Chinese officials have ample evidence of sect leader Zhang Hongbao's involvement in crimes such as rape and murder.

.Zhang Honbao on a giant flying lotus reaching Enlightenment with a halo. It looks <<li-hongzhi-lotus,exactly like Falun Gong imagery>>. But of course, Zhong Gong is just a "completely unrelated and inferior sect" according to <<li-hongzhi,Li Hongzhi>>. https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201102/tianhuaren/1_1.shtml[Source].
image::http://web.archive.org/web/20200513103353if_/https://blog.boxun.com/hero/201102/tianhuaren/tianhuaren2011021802234.jpg[height=400]

[[zhong-gong-blue]]
.The blue background, the halos, the praying hands, the master Zhang Hongbao flying above. It is just exactly like <<flg-blue,Falun Gong imagery>>. https://www.chinacourt.org/article/detail/2018/08/id/3475129.shtml[Source] (<<chinese-government-media,biased>>)
image::http://web.archive.org/web/20200513103231im_/http://file.chinacourt.org/f.php?class=imageid&id=1814106[height=400]

[[flg-blue]]
.Hungarian Falun Gong propaganda image with woman meditating in with blue sky background for comparison with <<zhong-gong-blue,similar Zhong Gong imagery>>. https://hu.faluninfo.eu/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20181009052816if_/http://hu.faluninfo.eu//images/201709/slide01-hu.jpg[height=400]

[[qigong-fever]]
===== Qigong fever Boom 气功热 (1980's)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong_fever

AKA Qigong Boom.

* https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/26268612 特异功能、法功灭火、铝锅传功……80年代的气功热究竟有多疯狂？ How crazy was the Qi Gong boom after all?

==== Falun Gong bibliography

* https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-Chinese-government-against-Falun-Gong
* https://www.zhihu.com/question/23988890 at <<zhihu>>
* https://www.orange-papers further developed at: <<flg-cult>>

===== Neutral books about Falun Gong's history

A few non-religious non-CCP resources can be found at:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Falun_Gong

Some key events:

* 1989: initial private beta courses. TODO key interesting moment.
* 1992-05-13: initial public lecture at the 1992 International Health Exposition in Beijing, and opening main academy on No. 5 MIddle School in Changchun, Jilin Province (capital.
+
TODO what did he talk about on that Beijing day. This day still celebrated in 2020 as https://en.minghui.org/cc/36/["Falun Dafa Day"], in which the major international "<<orange-papers,Experience Sharing>> Conference" happens in New York.
+
He apparently also taught at Chaoyang Park in Changchun: https://goo.gl/maps/BFwKs2xr48AMUAbx8

[[benjamin-penny-the-religion-of-falun-gong-2012]]
====== The Religion of Falun Gong By Benjamin Penny (2012)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0226655016

A freely downloadable paper with a subset of the book: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20059033.pdf

The author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Penny is an Australian researcher, https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/penny-bdc

[[politicians]]
== Chinese politicians 中国政治家

[[xi-jinping]]
=== Xi Jinping 习近平 (2012-∞)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/习近平

[[xi-abolishes-term-limits-2018-03]]
==== Xi abolishes term limits 2018-03 习近平取消席连任不得超过两届的限制规则

* 包子露宪 https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2018/03/phrase-week-steamed-bun-betrays-constitution
* https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-term-limit-explainer.html

.<<rebel-pepper>> cartoon showing Xi Jinping preparing to sleep in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Mao_Zedong[Mao Zedong's tomb], meaning that Xi also wants to reach Mao's "eternal ruler" status when he abolished term limits in 2018. https://www.rfa.org/english/cartoons/XiJinping-Eternity-cartoon-02282018104813.html[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191013080140if_/https://www.rfa.org/english/cartoons/XiJinping-Eternity-cartoon-02282018104813.html/180227RFA-XiJinping-Eternity.jpg[height=400]

.1977 photo showing Mao's actual glass tomb during his funeral, with famous politicians in the background. It is interesting to see that Mao https://mummipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Mao_Zedong[features on the "Fandom Mummipedia Wiki"]. https://apnews.com/a94a0d7a824b474fb11545e8c4481c21[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200121105502if_/https://storage.googleapis.com/afs-prod/media/media:c65bb5f4e2664bb88aae7881f8adbba0/800.jpeg[height=400]

.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist[The Economist] "Let’s party like it’s 1793" cover from May 4th – 10th 2013 depicting a painting of Xi Jinping dressed as emperor of China. The famous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlong_Empero[Qianlong Emperor] was in power at that time. The title is likely a joke based on the more well known https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/party-like-its-1969-woodstock-forty-years-on-1722695.html["Let's party like it's 1969"] due to the legendary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock[Woodstock festival]. Party is also a play on words between the Communist Party and a night party. TODO why 1793 specifically. https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/329929668155293696[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200225220314/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJQlSP_CQAA52BG?format=jpg[height=600]

[[panama-papers]]
==== Panama papers 巴拿马文件 (2016)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Papers | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/巴拿馬文件

Leak of financial data implicating many corruption scandals.

Mentions <<xi-jinping>>'s brother-in-law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Jiagui[Deng Jiagui] (https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/邓家贵[邓家贵]).

See also <<ciro-santilli>>'s answer to https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-net-worth-of-Xi-Jinping/answer/Ciro-Santilli[What is the net worth of Xi Jinping?] answer on <<quora>>.

[[xi-jinping-memes]]
==== Xi Jinping memes 习近平模因

* 習包子: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=29230 says:
+
____
Xi Jinping got his nickname as "Xí bāozi 習包子" ("steamed stuffed bun Xi") due to the much publicized visit he made to the famous Qìngfēng bāozi pù 庆丰包子铺 ("Qingfeng baozi shop") in Beijing.  During and after his visit to the shop, media swarmed over the place and were eager to portray an image of Xi as being down to earth and close to the people.  Those who dislike Xi use this nickname sarcastically against him for being a hick and for hypocritically "putting on a show" (zuòxiù 作秀).
____
+
See also: <<buns>>.
* 大撒币: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=29230 says:
+
____
It can be translated as "big spender," a play on the literal translation of the words sā bì 撒币 "throw money" and "stupid cunt" (shǎ bī 傻逼). The nickname takes aim at the economic aid Xi has promised to foreign countries; the moniker is so widely used on Chinese social media that the censors' repressive measures only draw more attention to it, and to the criticism embedded within it.
____
+
See also: <<shitpost>>.

[[xi-jinping-lookalikes]]
===== Xi Jinping Lookalikes 习近平撞脸

.2019-05-21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadomasochism[Sadomasochist] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BDSM[BDSM] (SM) Xi Jinping lookalike or photoshop in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondage_suit[bondage suit] (gimp suit, fetish gear) at a cosplay fair. TODO: is this a Photoshop and if yes what's the original pic, publish dates, location/event. Earliest post found so far: 2019-05-21 08:49:20 GMT+1 (Imgur timestamp) going wild on <<ptt>>: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Gossiping/M.1558424992.A.33B.html[] entitled "這位coser是誰啊？好眼熟。" (Who is this Cosplayer? He looks familiar.) by user "a15568". Watermark reads "I am Dasen 郭"
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191009054907if_/https://i.imgur.com/TnR8Voo.jpg[height=500]

.2020-01-01 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shengjian_mantou[Pan-fried dumpling] Xi Jinping lookalike 生煎包习近平撞脸. Furthermore, this reminded people of <<xi-jinping-memes,習包子>>. A Taiwanese report from 2020-01-01: https://news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1257030 TODO name, location. One of the many videos of him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTt8Sjer6cc[]
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200513100828/http://pub.creaders.net/upload_files/image/202001/20200102_15779947641028.jpg[height=400]

.2020-05-12 Liu Keqing (刘克清) is an opera singer who had his personal videos taken down from time to time because he looks too much like <<xi-jinping,The One>>. https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/2020/05/【立此存照】只因太像习近平？歌唱家刘克清形/[China Digital Times report]. One of his personal vlogs reuploaded to YouTube where he shared singing techniques and thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPFKUhJdqzk[]. A video of him performing professionally in a chamber concert: 2018-11-02 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z98-Mqci4ag[].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200513101848im_/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/files/2020/05/EXz-fgoU8AA2EHx-e1589305621493.jpeg[height=400]

Less good ones:

* 2014-06-23 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-27926747/meet-the-chinese-presidential-pancake-seller "Shao Jianhua" TODO Chinese name, name of dish he sells. Too young and not fat enough.

[[winnie-the-pooh]]
===== Comparisons between Xi Jinping and Winnie-the-Pooh 小熊維尼 (2017)

Got censored due to comparisons between Xi Jinping and Winnie in 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie-the-Pooh#Censorship_in_China

Some good photoshops:

.Comparison image between Xi Jinping waking with then USA president https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama[Barack Obama] with a Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon still of Winnie walking with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigger[Tigger, the tiger]. The original photo is from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-09/obama2c-xi-forge-rapport-in-debut-summit/4742616[Xi's 2013 visit to the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, California]. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/17/oh-bother-chinese-censors-block-winnie-pooh-meme-comparing-xi/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20170801011641if_/http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02590/TIGGER_2590531b.jpg[height=400]

.Comparison image between Xi Jinping shaking hands with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzo_Abe[the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe] and a Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon still of Winnie shaking hands with the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeyore[Eeyore, the donkey]. The original photo is from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/world/asia/leaders-of-china-and-japan-hold-long-awaited-meeting.html[Abe's lacklustre 2014 visit to Beijing]. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/07/china-bans-winnie-the-pooh-film-to-stop-comparisons-to-president-xi[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191012100528im_/https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/84b60992d857bccf54c384e4ebeb0ea7f207246b/37_0_752_451/master/752.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e33410b2fb10c3d6de6a6ed65b6a7d8e[height=400]

.Comparison image between Xi Jinping on a car in a 2015 military parade and a toy Winnie-the-Pooh on a car. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-40627855[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191012100855oe_/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/DD1F/production/_96970665_4587b36b-011f-4007-b16f-34389d385aec.jpg[height=400]

.Real photo of Xi Jinping edited to look like Winnie the Pooh. https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/dcabzh/this_image_of_xi_jiping_as_winnie_the_pooh_is/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191009075747if_/https://external-preview.redd.it/lqDFDXXvfqMs7kyQ9y1FrGcQzdCE23uMPlcxFqo_oYE.png?auto=webp&s=02b97678eaaa104d58af8e3a5b59563113d7a5b9[height=400]

[[chrysanthemium-xi-jinping]]
===== Chrysanthemium Xi Jinping 菊花习近平 (2015)

Got creator Dai Jianyong (戴建勇) arrested in 2015:

* https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-artist-who-posted-funny-image-of-president-xi-jinping-facing-five-years-in-prison-as-10282630.html
* https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2015/05/artist-detained-after-posting-humorous-photo-of-xi-jinping/

.Chrysanthemum Xi Jinping with <<tiananmen,六四>> spice added by Ciro Santilli
image::{cirosantilli-media-base}/Chrysanthemum_Xi_Jinping_with_black_red_liusi_added_by_Ciro_Santilli.jpg[height=400]

.Original Chrysanthemum Xi Jinping by Dai Jianyong published in 2015. https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2015/05/artist-detained-after-posting-humorous-photo-of-xi-jinping/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200113200256im_/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/daijianyong.jpeg[height=400]

.Possible original Xi Jinping photo used for Chrysanthemum Xi, possibly from 2012. The light blue gradient background was used for the official photos of many Communist officials of the era. https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2111975_2111976_2112111,00.html[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190417164247im_/http://img.timeinc.net/time/2012/t100/t100_xi_alt.jpg[height=400]

[[jiang-zemin]]
=== Jiang Zemin 江泽民 (1989-2002)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Zemin | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/江泽民

<<dictatorship,Dictator>> from 1989 to 2002.

Jiang is often compared to a toad in a meme what is referred to as toad worship (膜蛤), further keywords: 蛤蟆

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toad_worship
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/膜蛤文化

The Chinese also love Jiang's quote in English during an interview with Hong Kong press:

____
Too young, too simple, sometimes naive.
____

.https://youtube.com/watch?v=y-JPLzj2poY Jiang Zemin saying "Too simple, sometimes naive."
video::y-JPLzj2poY[youtube,height=400,width=600,start=57]

Jiang also has an amazing array of meme-ready funny expressions.

.Comparison between Jiang Zemin and a 72-feet-tall inflatable toad in a Beijing park seen in 2014 made the rounds on Weibo and led to some <<censorship,censorship>>. https://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/01/world/asia/toad-jiang-zemin/index.html[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190928083410if_/https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/140801124717-toad-jiang-zemin-split-horizontal-large-gallery.png[height=400]

.Jiang picking his nose. https://pieceofmindful.com/2013/12/12/chinese-exceptionalism/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200311093005if_/https://pieceofmind.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/jiang-zemin-former-president-china.jpg[height=400]

.Jiang reading through comically large magnifying glass during the opening ceremony of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_National_Congress_of_the_Communist_Party_of_China[19th Party Congress] in 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/18/back-from-the-dead-chinas-internet-goes-wild-over-youthful-jiang-zemin[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190111105703im_/https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0adcb9d8e3bd4593ce5075b4eee109f6cf3a3315/0_0_2048_1229/master/2048.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8e9f9a4929b37518887108431fa80981[height=400]

.More Jiang funny expressions and Photoshops from a Research Gate page! https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Jiang-as-emoticons-often-used-in-chats_fig4_325864518[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200311092251if_/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kecheng_Fang/publication/325864518/figure/fig4/AS:650525523574786@1532108779265/Jiang-as-emoticons-often-used-in-chats.png[height=400]

[[deng-xiaoping]]
=== Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 (1982-1987)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Xiaoping | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/邓小平

[[mao-zedong]]
=== Mao Zedong 毛泽东 (1954–1976)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/毛泽东

What could be a better reminder that <<xi-jinping,dictatorships are dangerous>> than the catastrophes that Mao created such as the <<great-leap-forward>> and <<cultural-revolution>>?

.Mao Zedong in Yan'an in the 1930's thinking deeply. This funny looking picture is meme ready and https://uncyclopedia.ca/wiki/Chairman_Mao[much loved by Uncyclopedia]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mao_Zedong_in_Yan%27an.jpg[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Mao_Zedong_in_Yan%27an.jpg[height=400]

[[great-leap-forward]]
==== Great Leap Forward 大跃进 (1958-1960)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/大跃进

.A high tower of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_gourd[winter gourds] "冬瓜上高楼" propaganda poster for the Great Leap Forward by https://chineseposters.net/artists/jinmeisheng.php[Jin Meisheng] published in 1959. <<western-democracies-are-not-perfect,Even in democracies>>, politicians promise the fat gourds. But when there is <<censorship,no free media to control their>> lies, things can get really out of hand. http://www.iisg.nl/exhibitions/chairman/chn11.php[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200131210244/https://live.staticflickr.com/4135/4754681204_1784cd9f89_w.jpg[height=600]

[[cultural-revolution]]
==== Cultural Revolution 文化大革命 (1966-1976)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/文化大革命

.https://youtube.com/watch?v=kXByOrRrO7c Vox 6 minute explanation with some good footage for impatient Millennials, published on Feb 14, 2020.
video::kXByOrRrO7c[youtube,height=400,width=600]

[[mao-swim]]
===== Mao swim across the Yangtze river 毛主席畅游长江 (1966-07-16)

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/毛主席畅游长江

Good SMCP article: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/1999098/chairman-maos-historic-swim-glorified-china

Mao claimed to have set a swimming record by swimming 15km in 65 minutes at the age of 72 at the Yangtze in Wuhan, or an average of 13.8 km/h.

As a comparison, the Olympic swimmers of 2016 covered the lesser distance of 10 km in 113 minutes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_–_Men%27s_marathon_10_kilometre for an average of 5.3 km/h.

According to https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311977913_Analysis_of_the_characteristics_of_offshore_currents_in_the_Changjiang_Yangtze_River_estuarine_waters_based_on_buoy_observations[this article], the maximum current speed of the Yantze is 128.5 cm/s or 4.62 km/h so even if he were swimming with the current, Mao was faster.

Dictatorships would never lie about obviously verifiable facts, would they?

And idiots today still celebrate this event that preceded the <<cultural-revolution>> which put China's economy in shambles.

<<superputin>> learnt from this and also showed off his swimming skills in 2009.

.https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1966-10_1966年毛泽东游长江2.jpg[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/1966-10_1966年毛泽东游长江2.jpg[height=400]

[[news]]
== News 新闻

Trying to keep only "neutral" sources here, let me know if you spot something too biased: <<biased-media>>.

How I find them: <<anti-ccp-info-sources>>.

=== News 2019

* 2020-01 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045657/china-human-rights-activist-ding-jiaxi-under-investigation one more human rights person Ding Jiaxi. The list is endless, should we care?

=== News 2019

* 2019-12-18 Fudan University in China removes "freedom of thought" from university charters, students protes
* 2019-10-16 https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/10/16/gitlab_employees_gagged/ GitLab prevents employees from discussing politics at work, and will not veto clients. This is not confirmed, but I guess it is very likely in reply to the <<2019-hong-kong-anti-extradition-bill-protests>> given the timing. The https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/30656[merge request] (https://web.archive.org/web/20191017080216/https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/30656[archive]).
* Twitter to block operations by oppressive foreign state media
** https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/information_operations_directed_at_Hong_Kong.html Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/csodbt/twitter_suspends_nearly_1000_accounts_connected/
** https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/advertising_policies_on_state_media.html Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/csnsyn/twitter_policy_change_we_will_not_accept/
* 2019-07-12 https://www.apnews.com/a2584de07c014e4786a21bcf9f446a40 "37 countries rally around China at top UN human rights body"
** <<biased-media,(biased)>> http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/15/c_138229200.htm
** the full scanned letter: https://twitter.com/KevinPinner/status/1151868854781526016
* 2019-07-02 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/02/chinese-border-guards-surveillance-app-tourists-phones "Chinese border guards put secret surveillance app on tourists' phones"
* 2019-05-09 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2hBtXdaYsQ Cynthia Liu, daughter of Liu Changming (刘昌明) pleas freedom on YouTube, commented upload by CBS, TODO can't find original video on YouTube, maybe they sent straight to CBS?
+
video::t2hBtXdaYsQ[youtube,height=400,width=600]
** 2018-11 https://www.businessinsider.com/liu-changming-china-holds-officials-family-hostage-to-force-return-2018-11 China is holding a renegade official's family hostage to pressure him to come back. Western media, for the love of God, include names in Chinese news titles: Liu Changming (刘昌明), wife Sandra Han, children Victor and Cynthia Liu.
* 2019-04-28 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48084019 Hong Kong: Thousands protest against China extradition law
** https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/auqkdl/biotech_giant_thermo_fisher_stops_selling_dna/
* 2019-01 https://www.apnews.com/40f7cf4c0c6e43f18121af93f1e418f7 Microsoft Bing https://www.bing.com/ search engine blocked in China
* 2019-01 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/business/china-internet-censor.html interview with Beyondsoft, a company that offers censorship services

[[nine-nine-six-icu]]
==== 996.ICU

https://github.com/996icu/996.ICU

Repository published in 2019-04 protesting against excessive work hours by Chinese programmers.

The name refers to:

* "996": work from 9AM to 9PM 6 days a week
* "ICU": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensive_care_unit[Intensive Care Unit]

Reached 180k stars in a week, and was the second most starred repository as of 2019-10 https://github.com/search?q=stars%3A%3E100&s=stars&type=Repositories[] (https://web.archive.org/web/20191023084929/https://github.com/search?q=stars%3A%3E100&s=stars&type=Repositories[archive])!!!

This is therefore the best example for Chinese tech workers that freedom of speech is a good thing.

Coverage:

* https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/b927sk/tencent_xiaomi_and_others_block_github_page/
* https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/b8t8cc/overworked_chinese_developers_gather_on_github_to/

Other interesting GitHub repositories: <<github-repositories-with-censored-information>>.

.996.ICU logo. https://github.com/996icu[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191023085035/https://avatars3.githubusercontent.com/u/48942249[height=400]

=== News 2018

* 2018-08 https://theintercept.com/2018/08/08/google-censorship-china-blacklist/
* 2018-06 https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/06/china-bans-online-mention-of-john-oliver-after-he-mocks-chinas-president/ https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6m5b3o
* 2018-05 https://www.whatsonweibo.com/public-shaming-of-drug-users-in-guangdong-drug-related-crimes-in-family-painted-on-houses/
* 2018-04 https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-lawmaking/china-makes-defaming-revolutionary-heroes-punishable-by-law-idUKKBN1HY16C
* 2018-04 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/congressional-leaders-urge-us-to-press-china-over-reports-of-mass-uighur-detentions/2018/04/05/9bd17c90-38b3-11e8-b57c-9445cc4dfa5e_story.html
* 2018-03 https://supchina.com/2018/03/29/no-tattoos-at-the-2018-strawberry-music-festival-in-hangzhou/ Funny pics at: https://app.myzaker.com/news/article.php?f=xiongzhang&pk=5ac0eb1877ac6465da676481
* 2018-02 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/world/asia/china-xi-jinping.html
* 2018-02 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-120000-muslim-uighurs-held-in-chinese-re-education-camps-report
* 2018-01 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/19/outspoken-chinese-human-rights-lawyer-yu-wensheng-arrested
* 2018-01 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-politics/hong-kong-activist-banned-from-by-election-in-what-pro-democracy-party-calls-payback-idUSKBN1FG06P
* 2018-01 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/world/asia/china-church-dynamite.html
* 2018-01 https://uk.businessinsider.com/china-marriott-tweets-censorship-2018-1?r=US&IR=T Marriott lists <<taiwan,Taiwan>> as country on the website
* 2018-01 http://chuangcn.org/2018/01/the-mastermind/
* 2018-01 https://time.com/5112061/china-hip-hop-ban-tattoos-television/

=== News 2017

* 2017-12 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/25/world/asia/china-wu-gan-sentence.html
* 2017-11 低端人口 Low-end population
** https://qz.com/1138395/low-end-population-what-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-crackdown-on-migrant-workers/
* 2017-11 https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/7a7hf9/the_worlds_largest_academic_publisher_blocks/ Springer nature pulls sensitive articles. TODO article list.
* 2017-09 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/business/china-whatsapp-blocked.html
* 2017-08 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-muslim-minority-school-language-ban-han-xinjiang-uyghur-hotan-hetian-government-communist-a7873446.html
* 2017-07 https://qz.com/1056938/cambridge-university-press-china-quarterly-complies-with-censorship-removes-300-articles-on-topics-like-tiananmen-and-tibet-in-china/ Book list: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-file-manager/file/59970028145fd05f66868bf5?utm_content=bufferb652b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20170905214500/https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-file-manager/file/59970028145fd05f66868bf5?utm_content=bufferb652b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
* 2017-07 https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/29/apple-removes-vpn-apps-from-the-app-store-in-china/
* 2017-07 https://shanghaiist.com/2017/07/26/liu-xia-home-visit.php
* 2017-06 https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ordered-05092017155554.html Uyghurs studying abroad ordered to return to China
* 2017-06 httsp://mashable.com/2017/06/23/china-bans-livestreaming/#FJ4h.sLYQqq9
* 2017-05 https://qz.com/989454/a-chinese-students-commencement-speech-at-the-university-of-maryland-praising-fresh-air-and-democracy-is-riling-chinas-internet/
* 2017-05 https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1000233/at-wedding-market%2C-mothers-of-gays-and-lesbians-face-resistance
* 2017-05 https://ktar.com/story/1564381/ap-exclusive-china-lawyers-family-says-us-helped-them-flee
* 2017-04 https://chinachange.org/2017/05/03/breaking-lawyer-chen-jiangang-with-family-and-two-friends-seized-by-armed-police-in-yunnan/
* 2017-03 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-39137293 "China congress: BBC team forced to sign confession"

=== News 2016

* 2016-11 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/38005603 Election china style, BBC interview with Chinese candidate, while thugs block him physically from nocking the door: Funny / scary stuff. https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/5dfigb/this_is_democracy_chinesestyle/
* 2016-11 https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/5ai1s6/chinese_citizen_arrested_after_wearing_xitler/ https://wqw2010.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/101.html Possible Twitter: https://twitter.com/kwonpyong
* 2016-09: https://qz.com/783026/china-censorship-chinese-citizens-are-being-arrested-for-sharing-news-about-the-wukan-village-rebellion-online/ https://qz.com/781989/foreign-journalists-are-wanted-for-3000-by-chinese-authorities-for-inciting-unrest-in-a-village/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wukan_protests
* 2016-06 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/28/china-lady-gaga-ban-list-hostile-foreign-forces-meeting-dalai-lama
* 2016-06 https://github.com/github/gov-takedowns/blob/78775b09e64d85f08547287cab204b48b2491192/China/2016/2016-06-08-programthink-zhao.md first GitHub takedown, see also: <<programthink>>
* 2016 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/world/asia/china-britain-queen-xi-jinping.html?_r=0 "Queen Elizabeth II Says Chinese Officials Were ‘Very Rude’ on State Visit"
* 2016 https://shanghaiist.com/2016/05/06/dont_eat_that_banana.php Sexy banana eating forbidden
* 2016-04 https://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2016/01/26/china-threatens-sanctions-against-u-s-companies-is-this-the-future/ China economic sanctions companies that sell weapons to <<taiwan,Taiwan>> (some of those companies also sell civilian products to China)
* 2016-04 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-demands-shutdown-disneylife-service-887599 Disney Life blocked
* 2016-04 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-demands-shutdown-apples-film-886831 Apple iTunes and iBooks blocked
* 2016 https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-35968855 China's '<<gfw,Great Firewall>>' blocks its creator
* 2016 https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/04/china-bans-gay-people-television-clampdown-xi-jinping-censorship gay depiction banned on television
* 2016 https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35496562 Armani Communist - https://www.ibtimes.com/xi-jinping-wants-overhaul-image-chinas-rich-kids-1961207 - first section of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKQ5ijFZ_j8
* 2016 https://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-defector-reveals-beijings-secrets/ Ling Wancheng defects
* 2016 https://chinachange.org/2016/01/21/activist-in-xinjiang-sentenced-to-19-years-for-online-writings-and-rights-activities/ Zhang Haitao (张海涛) faces 19 years in jail for his blog posts
* 2016 https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/20/technology/facebook-android-tor/ Facebook Android app implements Tor option
* 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/41y6ig/hong_kong_movie_predicts_dark_future_for_city/ Honk Kong (2016) movie

=== News 2015

* 2015-11 https://technode.com/2015/11/24/surge-advanced-proxy-tool-ios-pulled-app-store/
* 2015-09 https://www.hongkongfp.com/2015/09/03/in-pictures-censored-memes-search-terms-and-images-from-chinas-wwii-parade/
* 2015 https://news.vice.com/article/the-missing-hong-kong-booksellers-family-isnt-buying-his-televised-confession Gui Minhai, 51, from publisher Mighty Current who was going to publish a book about <<xi-jinping>>'s love life.
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gui_Minhai
** 2020: stenced to 10 years https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/02/25/bookseller-gui-minhai-jailed-10-years-china-illegally-providing-intelligence-overseas-parties
** Lam Wing-kee (林榮基) is another one of the detained booksellers of the Causeway Bay Books group
*** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lam_Wing-kee
*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHq0f_eGLhE 2016 interview in freedom
*** https://china-journal.org/2019/04/27/abducted-hong-kong-bookseller-has-fled-to-taiwan-to-avoid-extradition-to-china/
* <<taiwan-number-one>>
* 2015 Taiwanese beauty queen kicked out of Miss Earth pageant for refusing to change `Taiwan ROC' sash to `Chinese Taipei' https://shanghaiist.com/2015/11/23/miss-earth-ting-wen-yin.php
* 2015 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/08/speech-enables-speech-china-takes-aim-its-coders https://github.com/shadowsocks/shadowsocks shadowsocks creator threatened
* 2015 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34630829 Lego refuses to sell to Ai Weiwei
* 2015 https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/world/asia/china-bao-zhuoxuan-son-wang-yu-rights-lawyer-house-arrest.html Bao Zhuoxuan 16-year old son of human rights layer in house arrest

[[the-709-crackdown]]
==== 709 crackdown 中國709維權律師大抓捕事件 (2015)

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/709_crackdown
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中國709維權律師大抓捕事件

Hundreds of human rights activists put into jail in quick succession. Short forms:

* 709大抓捕
* 710律师劫

News coverage:

* 2015
** https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/world/asia/china-crackdown-human-rights-lawyers.html
** https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/13/china/china-activists-arrests/
** https://time.com/3954935/china-arrests-lawyers-human-rights/
** https://program-think.blogspot.com/2015/07/weekly-share-90.html from <<programthink>>
* 2017
** 2017-04 https://citizenlab.ca/2017/04/we-cant-chat-709-crackdown-discussions-blocked-on-weibo-and-wechat/

Se also: <<intolerance>>

=== News pre-2015

* 2014 https://www.reddit.com/r/China/comments/4hmhzt/xinjiang_massacre_2014_resulted_in_30005000_deaths/ something very serious happened in Xinjiang.
* 2014 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/28/china-media-watchdog-bans-wordplay-puns "China bans wordplay in attempt at pun control"
* 2013 https://www.ft.com/content/db8b9e36-1119-11e8-940e-08320fc2a277 Peter Humphrey
* 2012 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuctech. One of the most blocked on Wikipedia according to: link:complete-gfw-rulebook-for-wikipedia-v3.0.pdf[] Nutech Namibia Hu Haifeng corruption scandal 纳米比亚威视胡海峰腐败丑闻
* 2011 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Chinese_pro-democracy_protests | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中国茉莉花活动
* 2010 https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8682145.stm 10 month Xinjiang Internet blackout
* 2009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Zuoren#2009_court_case Ai Weiwei documentary about it: https://aiweiwei.com/documentaries/disturbing-the-peace/index.html
* 2008 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu-dreg_project | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/豆腐渣工程 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%27s_Unnatural_Disaster:_The_Tears_of_Sichuan_Province
* 2008 Wenzhou train collision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenzhou_train_collision#Government_response https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011年甬台温铁路列车追尾事故
* 2008 Tibetan unrest
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Tibetan_unrest | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008年西藏骚乱
** Videos:
+
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=B-tEi4uLM_E "Hundreds of Tibetan protesters clash with police after anti-China protest" published by AP Archive.
video::B-tEi4uLM_E[youtube,height=400,width=600]
** https://file.wikileaks.org/file/tibet-protest-photos/ (https://web.archive.org/web/20200410200709/https://file.wikileaks.org/file/tibet-protest-photos/[archive]) Good gory photos from the event.
* 2005 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongzhou_protests | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/东洲事件 Dongzhou protests
* 1999 https://www.lionsroar.com/apple-thinks-different-about-the-dalai-lama-in-china-2/ Apple censors Dalai Lama for China
* 1986 Chinese student demonstrations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_Chinese_student_demonstrations | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/八六学潮
* 1987-1989 Tibetan unrest
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987–1989_Tibetan_unrest | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989年拉萨骚乱
** Videos:
+
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=qMZgoRuPJBg "Troops stormed the Tibetan holy site the Jokhang Temple and beat monks"
video::qMZgoRuPJBg[youtube,height=400,width=600]
+
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=3uQcGcGGepw "Latest Spate Of Violent Unrest In Lhasa And The Imposition Of Martial Law" by AP Archive
video::3uQcGcGGepw[youtube,height=400,width=600]
* 1978-1979 Beijing Spring
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Spring | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/北京之春
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xidan[Xidan (西单)] Democracy Wall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Wall | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/西单民主墙
+
.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Xidan_Wall,_May_1979.jpg[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Xidan_Wall%2C_May_1979.jpg[height=400]

[[tiananmen]]
==== Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 六四事件

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989 | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/六四事件

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_of_Democracy https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中国国际广播电台
* AP footage is pretty good, just do a search on the archive:
** https://www.aparchive.com/metadata/China-Student-Demonstrations/5d1cd01250c9e5e9397f20ef9f1327df
** https://www.aparchive.com/metadata/China-Student-Demonstrations/cfc6890746010c73f9414e20906268aa
* Zhang Shijun is the most notable soldier who spoke up it seems:
** https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/03/china-detains-writer-of-critical-web-letter-to-hu/
** https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/flashbacks-06042018133558.html
** https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/20/tiananmen-square-china-zhang-shijun
* Good photo selections:
** 2014 https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/06/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos/100751/ "Photos: The 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests" 
** 2014 http://www.ursulagauthier.fr/tiananmen-15-minutes-dapocalypse/  (https://web.archive.org/web/20190607142501/http://www.ursulagauthier.fr/tiananmen-15-minutes-dapocalypse/[archive]) a few gory photos
** 2015 https://allthatsinteresting.com/tiananmen-square-massacre "The Hidden History Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre"
** 2019 https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/pictures-tiananmen-square-anniversary "These Horrifying Pictures Show The Tiananmen Square Protests Like You've Never Seen Them"

.Sea of protesters in Tiananmen Square. No, not even that many people can influence dictatorships if they don't have weapons. https://abcnews.go.com/International/tiananmen-square-29th-anniversary-crackdown/story?id=55564966[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190714002904im_/https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/tiananmen-massacre-gty-04-jpo-180531_hpEmbed_3x2_992.jpg[height=600]

[[pu-zhiqiang-shirt]]
.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_Zhiqiang[Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强)], a student demonstrator during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. His shirt reads: "Freedom of the press, freedom of association, support the 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Herald[World Economic Herald (世界经济导报)]', and support just journalists." (辦報自由 結社自由 聲援link:https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/世界经济导报[世经导报] 支持正义记者, full quoted https://cinacn.blogspot.com/2001/07/28.html[here]) May 10, 1989. Pu remained in China as a human rights layer, and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-35157525[was arrested in 2014] for attending a private meeting commemorating the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen. https://allthatsinteresting.com/tiananmen-square-massacre[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191123101626im_/https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/pu-zhiqiang-protest.jpg[height=500]

.Students from Beijing University stage a huge demonstration in Tiananmen Square as they start an unlimited hunger strike as the part of mass pro-democracy protest against the Chinese government, on May 18, 1989. Catherine Henriette/AFP/Getty Images. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/06/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos/100751/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190816074546im_/https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2014/06/tiananmen-square-25-years-ago/t04_52017200/main_1200.jpg?1420497899[height=400]

.Happy protesters surround army convoy of 4,000 not so happy soldiers on May 20, 1989. Ciro can't help but to think the politically incorrect idea that the military <<uneducated-masses,look considerably younger and poorer/less uneducated than the Beijing masses>>. https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-06-04/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191104220423im_/https://media.pri.org/s3fs-public/styles/w2304/public/images/2019/06/20190601tiananmen9.jpg?itok=UciBSEHP[]

.A young woman is caught between civilians and Chinese soldiers, who were trying to remove her from an assembly near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on June 3, 1989. AP Photo/Jeff Widener. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/06/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos/100751/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190816074546im_/https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2014/06/tiananmen-square-25-years-ago/t21_06030443/main_1200.jpg?1420497909[height=400]

.Godzilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Peng[Li Peng (李鹏)] crushing the Tiananmen Square protests with his green eye laser beams. https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/File:Li_at_Tiananmen_Eyebeams.jpg[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200313094607if_/https://images.uncyclomedia.co/uncyclopedia/en/d/dd/Li_at_Tiananmen_Eyebeams.jpg[height=400]

.Protester covered in blood holding an army helmet. https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-06-04/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191104220423im_/https://media.pri.org/s3fs-public/styles/w2304/public/images/2019/06/20190601tiananmen5.jpg?itok=ex5BwXbv[height=500]

.Bodies by the road in after the Tiananmen Square Protests were crushed. http://www.ursulagauthier.fr/tiananmen-15-minutes-dapocalypse/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190607142501im_/http://www.ursulagauthier.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tiananmen-7-715x1024.jpg[height=600]

.Bodies with gun wounds at the mortuary at Shuili hospital. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/world/asia/tiananmen-square-protest-photos.html[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191208063503if_/https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/05/30/world/00tiananmen-images-15/00tiananmen-images-15-superJumbo.jpg[height=500]

.A Chinese couple on a bicycle take cover beneath an underpass as tanks deploy overhead in eastern Beijing, on June 5, 1989. AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing. This one is almost poetic. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/06/1989-tiananmen-square-protests-photos/100751/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190816074546im_/https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2014/06/tiananmen-square-25-years-ago/t42_06050128/main_1200.jpg?1420497920[height=800]

.Family members try to comfort a mother who has just learned of her son's death after he was killed by soldiers at Tiananmen Square, June 4. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/pictures-tiananmen-square-anniversary[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190610212031/https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2019-06/4/12/asset/buzzfeed-prod-web-02/sub-buzz-30462-1559664775-8.jpg?downsize=1600:*&output-format=auto&output-quality=auto[height=500]

.The morning after the military crackdown of the pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, workers clean their posters from bulletin boards. Resume <<censorship>> as usual. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/pictures-tiananmen-square-anniversary[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190610212031/https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2019-06/4/12/asset/buzzfeed-prod-web-01/sub-buzz-11644-1559664808-1.jpg?downsize=1600:*&output-format=auto&output-quality=auto[height=500]

[[tiananmen-songs]]
===== Tiananmen Square Protests songs 六四事件歌曲

English:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JTWXqUPQ7I "China" by Joan Baez  from the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_of_Dreams[Speaking of Dreams (1989) album]. Folk.
+
video::-JTWXqUPQ7I[youtube,height=400,width=600]
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OOlXJs4I8k "The blood is on the square" by Phillip Morgan from https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Square-Philip-Morgan/dp/B001H5S7OS[1990]. Folk.
+
video::6OOlXJs4I8k[youtube,height=400,width=600]
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZK4apK8Bg Same Cry (Feat. L.T.; Explicit) by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Jin[MC Jin] from the 2004 album "The Rest Is History'. Hip hop American born Hakka Chinese.

Chinese:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7uk0-vlpP0 "Nothing to My Name (一無所有)" by Cui Jian (崔健) from 1986
** Lyrics and translation https://eastasiastudent.net/china/mandarin/cui-jian-nothing-to-my-name/
** Chorus: "你合适跟我走" which translates to "When will you walk with me?" Could be talking directly to the Government.
** The singer is/was very popular, the song was composed in 1986, but was very popular at the time of the protests, and became kind of a hymn.
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_Jian#Tiananmen_and_aftermath
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_My_Name | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/一无所有_(歌曲)
+
video::m7uk0-vlpP0[youtube,height=400,width=600]
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8lWiWaSTtg History's wound (历史的伤口) 1989-5-28 song by several <<taiwan,Taiwanese>> singers
** https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/历史的伤口
** Lyrics: https://mojim.com/cny100375x11x1.htm
+
video::F8lWiWaSTtg[youtube,height=400,width=600]
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdE4Ehte4uU "The square (廣場)" by Li Zhi (李志) from 2019. Slow/sad mood pop/rock.
** https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/2/li-zhi-singer-missing-china-cracks-down-tiananmen-/ the singer disappeared from public view in June 2019 and his songs were purged from public listings
** https://medium.com/@sunlitmount/forbidden-songs-of-li-zhi-square-for-tiananmen-massacre-at-june-4th-1989-f22e7e2dc21a lyrics and translation
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Zhi_(singer)

Cantonese

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L_qz7LuqVU The flower of freedom (自由花) from 1989
** https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/自由花
** Lyrics: https://mojim.com/cny100293x15x4.htm
+
video::9L_qz7LuqVU[youtube,height=400,width=600]

Other good lists:

* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/六四歌曲 Wikipedia page with an infinite list of songs
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8vMVrLBiW4&list=PLNRZ41lXl9e5iAXH_94DHiLPx_a9Yn711 六四学运 歌 playlist by 杰克 .龙光复民国天下为公
* https://coconuts.co/hongkong/lifestyle/from-80s-rock-to-patriotic-anthems-6-songs-associated-with-tiananmen-square/
* https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/06/04/the-last-gunshot-the-musical-legacy-of-the-1989-tiananmen-massacre/

For non-Tiananmen songs see: <<anti-dictatorship-songs>>.

[[tank-man]]
===== Tank Man 坦克人

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/坦克人

Good list of all known photos: https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/05/30/the-other-tank-man-photographs/

A list of Tank Man parodies can be found at: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tank-man

CNN video of Tank Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeFzeNAHEhU[] but not showing removal, ridiculous, is there a full raw footage somewhere?

Several quick cuts by CBS news that give a good overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbx352cn8A

Full lyrics: https://gist.github.com/cirosantilli/698afcd05c5ad94297000f8c60b43473

The <<tank-man-song,Tank Man song>> is really good:

____
我是坦克人 +
站在天安门

I am tank man +
I stand at Tiananmen
____

[[tank-man-song]]
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8A623aImt8 Tank Man song (坦克人歌曲) by Xu Lin (徐琳).
video::z8A623aImt8[youtube,height=400,width=600]

.Arthur Tsang's photo of Tank Man. https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/05/30/the-other-tank-man-photographs/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20190808091019im_/http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-CZ715_tam2_G_20140529081612.jpg[height=400]

.Stuart Franklin's wider view photo of Tank Man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tankman_new_longshot_StuartFranklin.jpg[Source].
image::https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Tankman_new_longshot_StuartFranklin.jpg[height=600]

.Terril Jones photo taken at ground level with Tank Man on background and men running away on the foreground. The photo was only published in 2009. https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/05/30/the-other-tank-man-photographs/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191030232817im_/http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-CZ712_TAM_G_20140529081150.jpg[height=600]

.Photoshop of Arthur Tsang's photo of Tank Man with huge rubber ducks replacing the tanks. Inspired by a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSo5MqQVwCY[huge inflatable rubber duck sculpture floating in Hong Kong in 2013]. https://petapixel.com/2013/06/05/yellow-duck-version-of-tank-man-photo-goes-viral-amidst-chinese-censorship[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20140722052337im_/http://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2013/06/duckytankman.jpg[height=600]

[[lego-tank-man]]
.Rough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego[Lego] model of the Tank Man scene. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1499216-tank-man[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200315112433if_/https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/499/216/29f.png[height=400]

.it8Bit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VI[Final Fantasy 6] battle screen style depiction of tank man by Cody Walton. https://www.it8bit.com/post/25860395424/unknown-rebel[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200301203622if_/https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m66n5i3smc1qbw2q1o1_1280.png[height=600]

===== Tiananmen Square Protests keywords

* https://qz.com/698990/261-ways-to-refer-to-the-tiananmen-square-massacre-in-china/ 261 ways to refer to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in China

[[dissidents]]
== Dissidents 持不同政见者

Other sections:

* <<people-arrested-for-reporting-on-the-2019-corona-virus>>
* <<terminus2049>> contributors: Chen Mei (陈玫), Cai Wei (蔡伟), Xiao Tang (小唐)

Other lists:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_dissidents
** https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中华人民共和国被捕政治犯列表
* https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/location/china Front Line Defenders
* https://www.nchrd.org/ Chinese Human Rights Defenders
* https://cppc1989.blogspot.com/ 中國政治犯關注 China Political Prisoner Concern. Chinese blog with an infinite list of Chinese political prisoners.

[[xu-xiaodong]]
=== Xu Xiaodong "Mad Dog" 徐晓冬

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Xiaodong | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/徐晓冬

MMA fighter who beat up some kung-fu masters to prove that MMA is more effective than their traditional styles.

As of 2019, he had 14 Weibo accounts blocked (created one, got blocked, created another, got blocked, etc.). Source: https://www.inkstonenews.com/society/chinas-mma-fighter-xu-xiaodong-fight-survival/article/3047417

Profiles and news:

* 2020-01-28 https://www.inkstonenews.com/society/chinas-mma-fighter-xu-xiaodong-fight-survival/article/3047417

.Uphold science, eradicate superstition "崇尚科学 破除迷信" 1999 poster by the CCP created as an <<falun-gong,anti-Falun Gong>> propaganda likely based on a http://www.people.com.cn/GB/channel1/10/20000710/137317.html[more widely widespread slogan] (https://web.archive.org/web/20090428155413/http://www.people.com.cn/GB/channel1/10/20000710/137317.html[archive]). So why is Xiaodong not being supported by the CCP now that he is beating superstition back into its place? Once again, <<censorship-makes-countries-poorer>>. The poster features images related to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_space_program[Chinese space program 中华人民共和国航天], which is a major undertaking of the CCP and widely used propaganda point. https://chineseposters.net/themes/falun-gong.php[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191206090021im_/http://chineseposters.net/images/e13-891.jpg[height=600]

.1962 propaganda poster for the Chinese Space program. "Uphold science, eradicate superstition"? Nah, the moon is obviously populated by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang'e[Chang'e (嫦娥)], the Chinese Goddess of the moon, which is one of the names for the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (中国探月工程,嫦娥工程)]. Other good https://chineseposters.net/themes/space-program.php[Chinese space program posters]. Also note the emphasis on making babies, the <<one-child-policy>> comes to mind. https://chineseposters.net/posters/e15-824.php[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200131012103im_/https://chineseposters.net/images/e15-824.jpg[height=500]

.2017 Xu Xiaodong (MMA) Vs. Wei Lei (Tai Chi) summary GIF. https://www.inkstonenews.com/society/chinas-mma-fighter-xu-xiaodong-fight-survival/article/3047417[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20200201020038if_/https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/2020/01/24/01.gif[height=400]

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XwXaCbfIGw 2017 Xu Xiaodong (MMA) Vs. Wei Lei (Tai Chi) full fight.
video::0XwXaCbfIGw[youtube,height=400,width=600]

[[programthink]]
=== Programthink 编程随想

Very popular Chinese language anonymous blogger that publishes software programming tutorials and political content since 2009, often negative about the CCP, in particular <<censorship,anti-censorship>> and <<brainwashed-by-usa,anti-CCP-brainwashing>>.

* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/编程随想的博客 (there is no English page as of January 2020)
* https://program-think.blogspot.com/ The blog. Blocked in China with the rest of 
** 2020 categorized summary of the best posts of all time: https://program-think.blogspot.com/2020/01/11-years-blogging.html
* https://github.com/programthink
** https://github.com/programthink/zhao manually curated database of maps relationships between Chinese politicians, this was the first <<github-gov-takedowns,GitHub gov-takedown from china>>: https://github.com/github/gov-takedowns/blob/36e76c34682d2b52eef405ca6f57e1b9ddde3086/China/2016/2016-06-08-programthink-zhao.md
+
The full project name is: 太子党关系网络 (network of relations of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princelings[CCP princelings]).
+
The project is also known as "zhao" which is another slang reference to "太子党": "赵家人" (zhaojiaren == zhao family): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_family | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/趙家人zh, which is in turn a reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_(state) or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Zhao[].
* https://twitter.com/programthink
* DW coverage (Chinese): https://www.dw.com/zh/2013德国之声国际博客大赛中文提名博客揭晓/a-16716065 (https://web.archive.org/web/20191202233838/https://www.dw.com/zh/2013%E5%BE%B7%E5%9B%BD%E4%B9%8B%E5%A3%B0%E5%9B%BD%E9%99%85%E5%8D%9A%E5%AE%A2%E5%A4%A7%E8%B5%9B%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E6%8F%90%E5%90%8D%E5%8D%9A%E5%AE%A2%E6%8F%AD%E6%99%93/a-16716065[archive])

.Programthink uses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thinker[Rodin's The Thinker sculpture] as its avatar, to encourage people to think for themselves rather than <<censorship,blindly believe the Party>>. https://github.com/programthink/[Source].
image::https://web.archive.org/web/20191218082236if_/https://avatars0.githubusercontent.com/u/4027957?s=400&v=4[height=400]

[[zhou-fengsuo]]
=== Zhou Fengsuo 周锋锁

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Fengsuo | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/周锋锁

After <<ciro-santilli>> started his campaign for freedom of speech in china in 2015, Zhou Fengsuo published on Twitter in 2015-05-30 when he had 36K followers at the time: https://twitter.com/ZhouFengSuo/status/604461488716144640 (https://archive.is/8d2lt[archive]) linking to Ciro Santilli's Stack Overflow account:

____
The commies have messed with the wrong guy's <<ciro-santilli-mother-in-law-jail,mother-in-law.>>"

一个程序员在专业网站上发布六四和法轮功的消息，目的是触怒中共，封杀网站，从而激起程序员的反抗。因为岳母被抓半个月。
____

[[serpentza-laowhy86]]
=== Winston Sterzel (SerpentZA) and Matthew Tye (laowhy86)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Sterzel

The biggest China expat YouTube channels, and the also collaborated together a lot.

As of 2019, they seem to have moved to the USA because they can't stand harassment by the Chinese government.

Due to their balanced opinions, fluent Chinese, not being <<falun-gong>>, and having lived in China for such a long time, the offer what is arguably the one of best CCP criticisms.

SerpentZA YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7mAGnY4jh4Ps8rhhh8XZg

laowhy86 YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvithwOECK5g_19TjldMKw

ADVChina joint YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNPa8fSXzzAZuT9859GVhg

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDV4s9c9sfQ "#65 China Is Getting Worse | Laowhy86 and SerpentZA" published on 2020-04-05. SerpentZA and laowhy86 interview on "China Unscripted", a sister channel of <<china-uncensored-youtube-channel>>. This marks them clearly on the side of "openly criticizing the Chinese government".
video::kDV4s9c9sfQ[youtube,height=400,width=600]

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6PI91n2f9o "China Expels Foreign Press to Protect Its Lies" published on 2020-03-23 during/just after <<corona>>.
video::b6PI91n2f9o[youtube,height=400,width=600]

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpPpFzLcZg "China's Winnie The Pooh BAN Explained" published on 2019-10-28 discusses <<winnie-the-pooh>>.
video::NXpPpFzLcZg[youtube,height=400,width=600]

== Media 媒体

Sources of information pertinent to this repository.

=== Commentary media

The following offer interesting commentary, but not to be used as primary sources:

* https://china-journal.org
* https://www.chinafile.com Some good articles. "ChinaFile is an online magazine published by the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society", based in New York.

[[biased-media]]
=== Biased media 偏见媒体

I consider the media in this section biased, and never cite it for fact-checking.

[[chinese-government-media]]
==== Chinese government media 中国政府媒体

* Xinhua News Agency
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinhua_News_Agency | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/新华社
** http://www.xinhuanet.com/
* People's Daily
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Daily | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/人民日报
** http://people.cn/
** https://twitter.com/PDChina
* China Radio International
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Radio_International | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/中国国际广播电台
** http://www.cri.cn | http://english.cri.cn/
* China Daily
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Daily | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/孔子学院
** https://www.economist.com/node/17969895
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Central_Television[China Central Television (CCTV)]
** https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrNz-aDmcr2uuto8_DL2jg CGTN, CCTV's international branch in English
* http://facts.org.cn/ anti <<falun-gong>> website
** http://wap.kaiwind.com/
** I have no proof that this is linked to the government, but it is very likely, even the Chinese embassy website links to it:
*** http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/lj/t36322.htm
*** https://web.archive.org/web/20180414233331/http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/lj/t36322.htm
* Phoneix TV
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Television | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/凤凰卫视
** https://freebeacon.com/national-security/cruz-seeks-to-shut-down-chinese-propaganda-station-phoenix-tv/

[[confucius-institute]]
===== Confucius institute 孔子学院

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius_Institute | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/孔子学院

News and reports:

* 2019-09 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49511231 (https://web.archive.org/web/20191013185933/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-49511231[archive]) "Confucius Institutes: The growth of China's controversial cultural branch"
* 2019-01 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/01/11/u-s-universities-have-shut-down-confucius-institutes-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ (https://web.archive.org/web/20190616134959/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/01/11/u-s-universities-have-shut-down-confucius-institutes-heres-what-you-need-to-know/[archive]) "Why U.S. universities are shutting down China-funded Confucius Institutes"

[[cssa]]
===== Chinese Students and Scholars Association 中国学生学者联合会

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Students_and_Scholars_Association

Abbreviation: CSSA.

News and reports:

* 2019-10-13 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-13/cssa-influence-australian-universities-documents-revealed/11587454 (https://web.archive.org/web/20191014032348/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-13/cssa-influence-australian-universities-documents-revealed/11587454[archive]) "Chinese Students and Scholars Association's deep links to the embassy revealed" in Australia.
* 2018-03-07 https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/07/chinas-long-arm-reaches-into-american-campuses-chinese-students-scholars-association-university-communist-party/ (https://web.archive.org/web/20191012103953/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/07/chinas-long-arm-reaches-into-american-campuses-chinese-students-scholars-association-university-communist-party/[archive])

[[falun-gong-media]]
==== Falun Gong media 法轮功媒体

A great example of: <<flg-organized>>.

Highly controlled by <<li-hongzhi>>, and extremely lacking clear full disclosure of their affiliation, see also: "Front groups" at <<orange-papers>>.

From <<falun-gong>>:

* The Epoch Times
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Epoch_Times
** https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/大纪元时报
* New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD)
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tang_Dynasty_Television
** https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/新德里电视台
* https://en.minghui.org/
** https://falundafa.org/ links to it
** https://www.clearwisdom.net/
* https://www.secretchina.com/
* https://fofg.org/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_of_Hope
** https://www.soundofhope.org/
** https://www.bayvoice.net/gb/
* http://lotus-sacre.com/
* https://en.tuidang.org/
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuidang_movement
* http://dongtaiwang.com
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freegate
* https://hongzhi.li/ nice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_hack[domain hack]
* https://www.qi-gong.me/
* http://www.zhengjian.org/

[[shen-yun]]
===== Shen Yun Performing Arts 神韵艺术团

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Yun_Performing_Arts
* https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/神韵艺术团

.https://youtube.com/watch?v=IAQ14AnAsmU Youtubber under pseudonym "Aarvoll" (TODO full real name, face shown in channel all the time) tells about his experience playing trumpet for Shen Yun in 2013 as a non-believer and Falun Gong in general. Reading the sacred books and doing Falun Gong exercises were mandatory. He also talks about <<flg-organized>>. Ciro agrees/finds what he says convincing. In one interesting anecdote, he tells how although Li Hongzhi claims to be a God, he looked like an average slightly overweight dude, and had a trumpet since he used to play it, but couldn't really play it because he hadn't practiced in so long. He also comments on the obvious fact that Li does not speak English very well, e.g. on the Shen Yun tour bus he was there one day answering questions, and a translator was needed.
video::IAQ14AnAsmU[youtube,height=400,width=600]

[[jennifer-zeng]]
===== Jennifer Zeng 曾錚

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Zeng

https://twitter.com/jenniferatntd

2005 book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witnessing-History-Womans-Fight-Freedom/dp/1741144000

[[bannedbook-org]]
===== bannedbook.org 禁闻网

The main Chinese name is 禁闻网 which stands for "banned news network", and is more accurate than the domain name "bannedbook" since the majority of material published appears to be recent banned articles.

Classifying this as Falun Gong media because most or possibly all of the sidebar recommended websites 推荐网站 are also Falun Gong media e.g. as of 2020-04: https://web.archive.org/web/20200427221744/https://www.bannedbook.org/[] includes Epoch times and https://hongzhi.li/[], so yeah, not much doubt.

From this we deduce that the "banned book" in the domain name originally likely referred more specifically to the banned Falun Gong sacred books: <<flg-canon>>.

Once again, <<flg-transparent>> is in need.

TODO who is behind this website? They store full text copies of banned articles, e.g. https://www.bannedbook.org/bnews/baitai/20190816/1175647.html is a full text copy of http://yashalong.blog.caixin.com/archives/188877 which is mentioned at: <<nazi>>.

[[new-tang-dinasty-television]]
===== New Tang Dinasty Television 新唐人電視台

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tang_Dynasty_Television | https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/新唐人電視台

Related shows:

* https://www.youtube.com/user/Laowaikanzhongguo Laowai kan Zhongguo 老外看中國
* https://www.youtube.com/user/NTDOffTheGreatWall Off the Great Wall

====== China Uncensored YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFP46yVT-GG4o1TgXn-04Q

Older shows had ndt.tv water mark on top right, e.g. a 2013 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmMvS3lgJBs

The video description also links to http://e.ntd.tv/NTDChinaUncensored which is now down, but has archives such as https://web.archive.org/web/20130321071835/http://e.ntd.tv/NTDChinaUncensored which suggest a redirect back to the YouTube channel:

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Redirecting to...