Two Tibetan Student writers arrested by 16 armed policemen at Northwest China University

Reporters Without Borders, 9 April 2010 -

Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of two young Tibetan writers who are studying in Lanzhou, in the northwestern province of Gansu. Identified as Tashi Rabten (pen-name Therang) and Druklo (pen-name Shokjang), they were arrested on 4 April, apparently because of what they have written about the situation in Tibet.

“We fear that these two young Tibetan writers will be mistreated during their first few weeks in detention,” Reporters Without Borders. “We urge the authorities in Gansu province to provide information about what is happening to them. And if their arrests are linked to their writing, we call for their release.”

Tashi Rabten and Druklo were arrested when 16 armed policemen raided their hostel at the Northwest National Minorities University, where they are students. The police searched their rooms, confiscating books in Tibetan, their mobile phones, their laptops and their course material.

Tashi Rabten was the editor of a book in Tibetan called Trakyig (Blood Letter) about the March 2008 unrest in Tibet. Published in January 2009, its sale was stopped by the Chinese authorities because of its “suspicious” political content, and the security forces seized copies already distributed. Thereafter they were kept under surveillance and Tashi Rabten was briefly arrested in July 2009.

“If the government continues to violate our freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of thought and our private lives, we are surely going to protest,” a student representative at the university told a Tibetan journalist based abroad.

- The Reporters Without Borders

China enforces one-child policy through forced abortion, forced sterilization and infanticide

By Reggie Littlejohn, President of the Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, Via The epochtimes-

Most people know that China has a one-child policy. But do they stop to think how this policy is enforced? It is enforced through forced abortion, forced sterilization—and at times—infanticide.

This grisly truth was reported last week: according to Xinhua, China’s official news agency, 21 bodies of fetuses and babies were found discarded in a river in the village of Jiming, Shandong Province, in East China. Xinhua stated, “The bodies may have been dumped by cleaners from local hospitals after abortions and induced labor. Such dead bodies are treated as medical waste by hospitals.”

The Chinese communist authorities, of course, immediately cremated the bodies, destroying evidence. If outside sources could have examined the corpses, we could have learned whether the majority were girls (consistent with gendercide) and whether the skulls of the full term babies had been punctured (consistent with forced abortion or infanticide).

During a congressional hearing on Nov. 10, 2009, before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I presented two documents, recently leaked out of China, setting forth new information on the Chinese communist practice of infanticide. According to these sources, practices include:

•    Puncturing the brain and injecting it with poison during labor or immediately after birth;
•    throwing the infant on the ground; and
•    drowning by placing the infant in a bucket of water and stepping on him or her

In the United States we’ve had 50 million abortions since Roe vs. Wade. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) boasts that it has “prevented” 400 million births through its One-Child Policy, which was instituted in 1979. That’s more than the entire population of the United States!

Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, everyone opposes forced abortion because it’s not a choice. Pro-choice advocate Hillary Clinton has condemned it repeatedly.

China’s one-child policy causes more violence to women and girls than any other official policy on earth.

Forced abortion is traumatic to women. It is a form of torture. To read one woman’s harrowing account, visit http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/

Because of the traditional preference for boys, sex-selective abortion is common and most of the aborted fetuses are girls. In addition, female infanticide is a problem. According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, the overall sex ratio for China is 126 boys for every 100 girls. Nine provinces had ratios of over 160, for second children. The article states, “Sex selective abortion accounts for almost all the excess males.”

Because of this gendercide, there are then 37 million more men than women in China today. This gender imbalance is a major force driving sexual trafficking of women and girls in Asia.

China has the highest female suicide rate of any country in the world. It is the only nation in which more women than men kill themselves. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 500 women a day end their lives. Could this extraordinary suicide rate be related to coercive family planning?

Women who have violated the policy are often forcibly sterilized. Forced sterilization is a serious human rights abuse and can lead to life-long health complications.

Some people argue that because the United States owes China so much money, we can’t challenge them on their miserable human rights record. I disagree. Chinese citizens cannot speak freely about the one-child policy. Blind activist Chen Guangcheng told the world about the fact that there were 130,000 forced abortions in Linyi County, Shandong Province, in one year, 2005. He is now serving a four-year, three-month prison sentence on false charges. He has been tortured, is gravely ill, and is being denied medical treatment.

Those of us in the west who can speak out, must speak out for those who cannot. As Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Reggie Littlejohn is President of the Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and represents Human Rights Without Frontiers and China Aid Association. For more information and what you can do, see:www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org

Sweden Renowned Actress and MP Says Shen Yun ‘making a great contribution to the world’

STOCKHOLM, Sweden— Renowned actress, director, producer and member of the Swedish parliament, Solveig Ternström, came to the second Shen Yun show in Stockholm. She viewed the show both as a politician and as an actor.

“I was here two years ago. I think it’s an amazing show. The things they do is just incredible. It’s really a grand, artistic experience and such a wonderful crew. Such power and discipline, such beauty! Simply amazing.”

Mrs. Ternström is a renowned actress and director from television and movies, who went into politics when she saw problems in society and felt she might be able to do something about it. Being a member of the Swedish parliament has been a great learning experience, which is drawing to a close this fall.

“I wish most people would get into politics for a while, to see what our democracy is all about.”

She says there are a lot of things to discuss when it comes to democracy as well as dictatorship.

“Imagine if we couldn’t freely discuss or describe our ancient history here in Sweden? That would be terrible,” Mrs. Ternström said.

The show deals both with ancient, traditional Chinese culture, but also how the dictatorship in today’s China affects people.

“It showed the dark sides of a dictatorship, how they treat people who don’t share their world view. They’re not allowed to practice their own ancient traditions.”

Mrs. Ternström, being an experienced actress and producer, thinks this performance can be extremely important.

After the show, she went to a reception and heard a speaker mention that dictatorship is defeated by a warm heart.

“It’s stronger than anything else,” Mrs. Ternstrom said.

Summing up, she concluded: “It’s a joy to see, the dancing and the music, but there’s a message too. I think they brought it out even better this year. They’re really making a great contribution to the world!” (The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun ‘A voyage of discovery’ , says multimedia production company owner

WINNIPEG, Canada— Wendy Smith and Michael Lloyd said they were taken on a journey of discovery to ancient China after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at Winnipeg’s Centennial Concert Hall on Thursday evening.

Co-owners of the multi-media production company Calico Underfoot Advertising International, both enjoyed Shen Yun’s repertory of China’s rich heritage portrayed in classical Chinese dance and music.

As creative director of Calico, Mr. Lloyd has a history in production and is the recipient of two Gemini nominations for excellence in television for “The Guess Who Reunion Concert” and “It’s A Living,” both while working with CBC.

Ms. Smith, whose previous work on Sesame Street earned her a Gemini award, is the company’s president.

They were both impressed with the opening piece titled The Emperor Ushers in a Glorious Age that tells the story of divinely inspired culture being established on earth.

“It looked great. It was ethereal, the dry ice and fog, the colour and the costumes,” Mr. Lloyd said.

“It was very welcoming and full of praise. It was also gentle and beautiful,” said Ms. Smith.

She also liked Dance of the Dai that celebrates the Dai people’s spiritual connection to water.

“The one with the women with the water, that was so beautiful. I felt relaxed and at peace. I felt in harmony and a part of nature. I loved everything about it, all of the emotions,” she said.

Mr. Lloyd said he could see in the show “the genesis of all western Culture coming out of China.”

“In one dance alone I saw Native American Jingle Dress dancing, mixed in with Russian dancing, American Hip Hop dancing, and Irish Highland Dancing. It all came out of China—I just saw that [tonight]. … Nothing has been around as long as Chinese culture.”

“Everything was all there from ancient gods to modern religions, oppression, death, rejuvenation—it’s all there,” Ms. Smith added.

“This is the first time we have seen a traditional Chinese performance and in it we saw so many symbols—the beginnings of all of the other kinds of dance we have seen from Europe, to North America and South America; there were bits of everything there. And Chinese culture is much older than ours, much, much older.”

“It’s the truth, a fact, and it’s nice to see it done properly,” Mr. Lloyd interjected. “It’s visible, you can see it,” he said, adding that he could see the origin of other dances in classical Chinese dance.

Ms. Smith agreed that classical Chinese dance, arguably the richest in the world, “encompasses every kind of dance”

“It all came from China,” said her husband. “When you talk about traditional in terms of Chinese culture, it is ancient culture. When we in the West say traditional, we mean just recently, within the last 500 years.”

“It was beautiful. What a beautiful opening, all of the costumes, and the backdrop was lovely. All of the singers were very good and we enjoyed them very much,” Ms. Smith summarized.

“This was a voyage of discovery for us, a real discovery.” (The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun “spectacular, brilliant”, says Manitoba Minister of Culture

WINNIPEG, Canada— “They’re well-accomplished artists,” said Flor Marcelino MLA, Manitoba Minister of Culture, Heritage, and Tourism, when she saw the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the Centennial Concert Hall, in Winnipeg on Wednesday, April 7. Ms. Marcelino is also the minister responsible for multiculturalism.

“I find the show so beautiful … overall it’s spectacular, brilliant.

“The colors, their costumes, the dresses, are so ornately made–beautiful.

Ms. Marcelino was amazed with the ability of the dancers, she enthused, “And the dance pieces are … I think they’re so well-choreographed. They are wonderful dancers with the movement they’ve shown, exhibited-just amazing.

“Young and talented, well-accomplished dancers, and even the musicians were very accomplished…The talent of the singers are tremendous. They’re all well-accomplished artists.

“I like the music and truly appreciate the beauty of the dance programs, the dance routines and beautiful costumes, the colors are wonderful.”

Shen Yun uses a state of the art digital backdrop to bring beautiful scenes from China and heavenly realms to the stage, adding an extra dimension to the performance. Ms. Marcelino felt this added to the pleasure of her experience. She said, “the use of the screen, the big screen, was very powerful. Looks like you’re there in the actual scene location.”

Ms. Marcelino wanted to tell the Shen Yun performers “We truly appreciate the culture they are sharing with us. Ancient culture you could fully see how well developed and beautiful the Chinese culture is. I have a very soft spot, in my heart, for the Chinese culture, having come from the Philippines, a country that has had so much influence from Chinese culture and appreciate many of the facets of their culture. Truly the music is universal. It’s China’s music, but it resonates with I think anyone, any citizen of the world. And dance too, dance I think, is a language, so is music that is understood by everyone.”

Trying to elaborate Ms. Marcelino said, “the performance is outstanding-I’m out of words.”….. (more details from The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun’s “music and the dance and the philosophy behind it—beautiful, beautiful”, says Winnipeg professor

WINNIPEG, Canada—For the first time ever, Winnipeg audiences were treated to Shen Yun Performing Arts’ portrayal of the essence of China’s rich traditional heritage at Centennial Concert Hall on Wednesday evening.

“It is very, very good indeed,” said Gustaaf Sevenhuysen, dean and professor in the Faculty of Human Ecology at the University of Manitoba.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a traditional Chinese show, certainly a live show. Occasionally you can catch something on television, but this is very impressive.”

One of the hallmarks of New York-based Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, which draws upon thousands of years of art and civilization. Chinese dance includes jumps, turns, flips, and other difficult aerial techniques.

“The movements and the athletics and the acrobatics are different from what I see in other shows—it doesn’t come from Hollywood, you can put it that way,” said Prof. Sevenhuysen.

“On top of that, … the feeling you get from the show is from another time—it is not from today as modern life.”

He said he particularly enjoyed In a Miao Village. One of China’s oldest ethnic groups, the Miao are known for their elaborate headdresses and ornate silver jewellery.

Prof. Sevenhuysen’s wife was also impressed with the show.

“The music and the dance and the philosophy behind it—beautiful, beautiful. The choreography, and then the music and the dance, wow, it’s beautiful,” she said.

Prof. Sevenhuysen added that the theme in many of the pieces “relates to that fact that there is a better way of looking at the world, a better way of behaving—that is the message that comes through … To understand what is important in life and understand and recognize what is important in life.”

“But the dancing I like and the stories I like, because they are traditional.”…… (more details from The Epochtimes)

Photo Shows Signs of Torture of Reappeared Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng

The wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng cried when she saw a picture of him taken this week in Beijing.

Gao had been abducted on Feb. 4, 2009 by Chinese security agents and held incommunicado until Jan. 20, 2010. On April 7 the Associated Press reported that Gao had been allowed to return to his apartment in Beijing. A photo of Gao accompanied the AP report, the first photo of Gao released since this latest detention of him.

Geng He, Gao’s wife, is living in the United States with their two children. She told a New Tang Dynasty TV reporter that she wept a long time when she first saw the photo. She wept again while on the phone with the reporter describing the photo.

According to Geng He, in the photo Gao looks as if he has aged 20 years. She mentioned the look in his eyes, his emaciated appearance and his newly grey hair as giving the impression he had suddenly aged. She wondered what had been done to him this past year.

According to the AP report, Gao has decided to give up criticizing the Chinese regime and hopes to be reunited with his family. Gao’s wife and two children fled Beijing Jan. 9, 2009 and, after crossing into Thailand, immigrated to the United States.

Gao’s Face ‘Deformed’

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, Beijing lawyer Li Heping visited Gao on April 7. Li said he had not seen Gao for one or two years.

According to Li, Gao’s face showed some deformation. Li said, he felt that Gao must have experienced tremendous suffering and Li assumed he had endured torture. According to Li, when someone has gone through extremely harsh conditions, the facial expressions would appear to be distorted.

Gao’s situation, according to Li, is not what he can choose. Gao told Li that as long as he does not publish articles, he would have a certain degree of freedom.

Li said the situation looked better than when Gao was last in Beijing. Formerly, Gao had been kept under house arrest, and several security agents were constantly visible outside and even inside his apartment. Right now, Gao has no telephone or internet connection.

Li said that during their meeting, Gao kept coughing. Gao told him that the coughing worsens when he tries to go to sleep. Gao said he had seen a doctor about the persistent coughing, but the cough had not improved.

Gao said that upon his return to Beijing he was especially pained by the absence of his family. Gao told Li he has no plans at this time to visit the United States and reunite with his family. It is very doubtful the regime would allow Gao to leave China anytime soon.

Li also learned during his chat with Gao that, before his return to Beijing, Gao had gone to northern Shanxi Province to sweep tombs. Northern Shanxi Province is Gao’s home and sweeping a tomb is a traditional Chinese practice that honors the dead.

- Source (video, in Chinese): NTD TV, via The Epochtimes

Reappearance of Missing Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Raises Doubts

VOA News, 09 April 2010 -

The announcement from Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng that he is to retire from activism have many fearing he is under immense pressure from the authorities to give up his career. Peter Simpson reports from Beijing.

Though most of the mystery surrounding human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng’s disappearance has now been solved with his return to Beijing, doubts about his well-being remain.

Gao says he will give up activism and championing the rights of China’s disadvantaged groups.

Joshua Rosenzweig is from the Dui Hua Foundation rights group – which campaigned for Gao’s release. He says he is concerned Gao has been forced by Chinese security authorities to choose between his career and his family.

And he says it is still unclear if Gao has been freed or if he is still under police surveillance or even detention.

“It would be easier to accept Gao’s choice and his statement if there wasn’t still the strong suspicion that those choices are not being made wholly voluntarily and he’s been subjected to a great deal of pressure and even coercion,” he said.

Gao disappeared in January 2009, when he was taken into police custody. For more than a year, his family and associates had no idea of where he was. This week, he unexpectedly returned to his home in Beijing, where he spoke with journalists.

Looking thinner than before he was charged with subversion and taken away, the often tearful Gao said that he had been through what he described as cruel experiences.

He said he now wants to put the past behind him.

Gao says the main basis for given up activism is for the sake of his family. He adds that being reunited with his loved ones is his instinctive goal.

He says his children need him as they grow up.

Gao says he knows his decision to retire will disappoint many – but he wants what he describes as relative control over his life.

Rosenzweig says international pressure from governments and the foreign media had forced Beijing to let the world know where and how Gao was.

And he says the loss of the lawyer – who spoke up for the poor and oppressed groups such as the Falun Gong spiritual movement – would leave a gaping hole in Chinese activism.

Gao’s wife and two children live in the United States. They escaped from China following his arrest. (VOA News)

China not only censors Internet, but also hires agents peddling government views online

Michael Wines, Sharon LaFraniere and Jonathan Ansfield and written by Mr. Wines, New York Times, Apr. 8, 2010-

BEIJING — Type the Chinese characters for “carrot” into Google’s search engine here in mainland China, and you will be rewarded not with a list of Internet links, but a blank screen.

Don’t blame Google, however. The fault lies with China’s censors — who are increasingly a model for countries around the world that want to control an unrestricted Internet.

Since late March, when Google moved its search operations out of mainland China to Hong Kong, each response to a Chinese citizen’s search request has been met at the border by government computers, programmed to censor any forbidden information Google might turn up.

“Carrot” — in Mandarin, huluobo — may seem innocuous enough. But it contains the same Chinese character as the surname of President Hu Jintao. And the computers, long programmed to intercept Chinese-language searches on the nation’s leaders, substitute an error message for the search result before it can sneak onto a mainland computer.

This is China’s censorship machine, part George Orwell, part Rube Goldberg: an information sieve of staggering breadth and fineness, yet full of holes; run by banks of advanced computers, but also by thousands of Communist Party drudges; highly sophisticated in some ways, remarkably crude in others.

The one constant is its growing importance. Censorship used to be the sleepy province of the Communist Party’s central propaganda department, whose main task was to tell editors what and what not to print or broadcast. In the new networked China, censorship is a major growth industry, overseen — and fought over — by no fewer than 14 government ministries.

“Press control has really moved to the center of the agenda,” said David Bandurski, an analyst at the China Media Project of the University of Hong Kong. “The Internet is the decisive factor there. It’s the medium that is changing the game in press control, and the party leaders know this.”

Today, China censors everything from the traditional print press to domestic and foreign Internet sites; from cellphone text messages to social networking services; from online chat rooms to blogs, films and e-mail. It even censors online games.

That’s not all. Not content merely to block dissonant views, the government increasingly employs agents to peddle its views online, in the guise of impartial bloggers and chat-room denizens. And increasingly, it is backing state-friendly clones of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, all Western sites that have been blocked here for roughly a year.

The government’s strategy, according to Mr. Bandurski and others, is not just to block unflattering messages, but to overwhelm them with its own positive spin and rebuttals. …… (more details from New York Times)

Jailed China activist Hu Jia may have cancer: wife

Reuters via The Washington Post, Apr. 8, 2010-

BEIJING (Reuters) - Imprisoned Chinese AIDS activist Hu Jia is suffering from a serious disease, possibly liver cancer, his wife said Thursday after making a formal appeal to security forces to release him on medical parole.

Hu’s mother saw a suspected diagnosis of liver cancer on a consent form she was asked to sign when he was taken to a prison hospital for tests on March 30, his wife Zeng Jinyan said.

Hu, 36, who already suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, has been in ill health for months, she told Reuters in an interview, but was unexpectedly kept on in the hospital after the tests.

The results were supposed to be released on April 2, Zeng said, but his family have been told that they are not out yet.

“I suspect there are two possible reasons why we haven’t received results — either it is a difficult and complicated disease that is hard to diagnose, or this is a situation that will be very hard to resolve with an outlook for the patient that is not very optimistic,” she said.

If Hu, due for release in 2011, is suffering from cancer it will come as a blow to China’s dissident community, after a string of high-profile detentions and sentences and a tightening of finance rules for non-profit groups.

A practicing Buddhist, Hu started with advocacy for rural AIDS sufferers and went on to become one of China’s most vocal advocates of democratic rights, religious freedom and of self-determination for Tibet.

He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison by a Chinese court in April 2008, for “inciting subversion of state power.” Since 2004, he had also spent long spells under house arrest and in what rights groups describe as illegal detention……. (more details from The Washington Post)

Protecting our freedom of in Taiwan: EDITORIAL by The Taipei Times

Thursday, The Taipei Times, Taiwan, Apr 08, 2010-

As growing numbers of Falun Gong practitioners flee persecution in China, they are coming to the attention of overseas Chinese. Protest activities where they hold up banners and arrange press conferences accusing China of persecution are spreading all over the world. Falun Gong activities are a common sight on the streets of Taipei, which is why it was surprising that police fined one of the movement’s adherents for distributing flyers in front of Taipei 101.

Interior designer Hsu Po-kun (許柏坤) challenged the fine, and, fortunately, the Taipei District Court decided he did not have to pay up. Had that not been the case, it would have been a dark smudge indeed on freedom of expression in Taiwan.

Hsu often goes to Taipei 101 to display protest signs aimed at Chinese tourists that accuse the Chinese government of violating human rights and suppressing Falun Gong. On Dec. 4, he was fined NT$300 for obstructing traffic. Hsu brought the case to the Taipei District Court, where Judge Lin Meng-huang (林孟皇) ruled that the police officer who charged him had interfered with Hsu’s freedom of speech and dismissed the fine. In the verdict, Lin also criticized China for restricting people’s freedom of speech and called on the Taiwanese government to protect human rights.

To break China’s blockade on news about Falun Gong and protest China’s treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, its adherents in Taiwan often display placards and banners at Taipei 101, a popular attraction for Chinese tour groups. In democratic Taiwan, this falls under the constitutionally protected freedom of speech, and must be respected. Police interference in these demonstrations is unacceptable.

China suppresses freedom of speech and persecutes Falun Gong members, which has sparked strong criticism from international human rights groups. If the impression is created that the authorities are handing out fines to Falun Gong members for engaging in legal and constitutionally protected protests, it would deal a serious blow to Taiwan’s democratic and human rights image. The government’s strongly pro-China policies and its constant and deliberate attempts to avoid upsetting China seem to be having an effect on the lower levels of law enforcement, which could result in attempts to restrict the Falun Gong demonstrations as law enforcers follow the cues of the central government’s attempts to please China. This is a good example of how the administrative system has degenerated.

No other democracy has banned or fined Falun Gong followers. Even when one member made her way into the White House to protest when Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) visited former US president George W. Bush, she was quietly removed from the scene, but no charges were filed.

If Hsu’s fine had been confirmed, Taiwan would have become the laughing stock of the democratic world. Just like Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama or the Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, Falun Gong practitioners are not violent. Their human rights must be protected, and as long as their protests are peaceful, their freedom of speech remains constitutionally protected.

China does not subscribe to the internationally recognized values of human rights and freedom, and it therefore lacks the respect of the international community. The areas of freedom and human rights make up the most glaring differences between Taiwan and China, and this is the most fundamental reason why Taiwanese do not want to accept Chinese rule.

This incident is a very good lesson in human rights, democracy and freedom for Taiwan and clear evidence of the judiciary’s independence from the administrative branch. Even if administrative powers have sometimes been abused, the judiciary can still correct the mistakes of the executive branch and guarantee freedom and human rights in Taiwan.

- The Taipei Times

“Shen Yun demonstrated the authentic characteristics of Chinese people- gracefulness, strength and beauty, and it made me feel proud”, says Taiwan Women’s Association Board Member

TAINAN, Taiwan— Shen Yun Performing Arts has caused quite a stir in Taiwan and many celebrities in artistic circles were drawn to seeing the show because of its good reputation. Accompanied by her husband who is a medical doctor, Ms. Lin Yongqui, Standing Board Member of the Tainan Women’s Association, was one of those who attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company’s show in Tainan on March 3. She was deeply touched by the connotations of the Shen Yun show that her eyes brimmed with tears from time to time. She added in excitement, “I am in the mood that I feel like sharing it with others.”

This was the first time she watched Shen Yun and Ms. Lin mentioned that the show was completely beyond her expectations. “The contents of the show and the way it was presented were actually something regarding human’s longing for the spiritual realm of truthfulness, compassion and gracefulness. So what I saw just now was a performance with profound meanings,” she added. Though she appreciates watching performing arts year round, Ms. Lin said that she has never seen a gorgeous show like this. She continued, “The body language, choreography and the design of the costumes were so exquisite that it was indeed a feast for the eyes.”

Ms. Lin praised Shen Yun for its perfect presentation of Chinese dances. She said, “The performance of the dance Flowing Silk was amazingly good. It was beyond my imagination that Chinese dance could be performed so gracefully.” She mentioned that she was fascinated by the authentic Chinese culture illustrated by Shen Yun, and she was proud of being Chinese. “It [Shen Yun] demonstrated the authentic characteristics of Chinese people, i.e. gracefulness, strength and beauty, and it made me feel proud. I think such beautiful things can be introduced to the outside world.” She explained that though she saw performing arts overseas from time to time, she was surprised to find the broad and profound essence of the traditional Chinese culture showcased by Shen Yun today. She thus regarded Shen Yun as “our treasure,” and it should be promoted worldwide.

As she is familiar with music, Ms. Lin greatly praised all of Shen Yun’s vocalists. She said, “Their voices were very exquisite, and the [lyrics] had profound connotations, so l like them very much,” she exclaimed.

What moved Ms. Lin the most was the program Nothing Can Block the Divine Path, which depicted the current day persecution of practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong by the Chinese communist regime. She said, “A family of three originally led a happy life, but the happy family was broken and the family members became destitute and homeless due to the persecution perpetrated by the evil forces. … So, when I saw the Buddha descended from heaven to save the sentient beings, I was almost in tears. It was really very touching.” She added that she was deeply moved when the evil was eventually overpowered by righteousness. Inspired by the scenes that Falun Gong practitioners were steadfast in their cultivation under persecution, she exclaimed.

After knowing that all the Shen Yun artists are overseas Chinese, she was delighted because these overseas Chinese have carried forward the traditional Chinese culture into the future. She said, “After the Great Cultural Revolution launched by the Chinese Communist Party, many precious things were lost. With the endeavor of these overseas Chinese [performers of Shen Yun], those valuable things have been preserved. I was very delighted and deeply moved today, because I saw those pure elements [in the show].” ( The Epochtimes)

‘I feel so proud tonight’, says Chinese immigrant after Shen Yun show in Edmonton

EDMONTON, Canada— On the last day of the long weekend, Shen Yun Performing Arts wrapped up the night for a full-house audience. Among the enthusiastic crowd at the Northern Jubilee Auditorium were Shiva and his wife, Ms. Zhou.

“I have never seen such a beautiful performance even in China,” said Ms. Zhou, who arrived in Canada from China two years ago.

“I really enjoyed the dance In a Miao Village. I sensed a particular connection to it. My husband is Canadian, he worked in China for five years and is dearly in love with Chinese culture. I told him that today’s performance presented authentic Chinese culture. I feel so proud tonight.”

Ms. Zhou said that the combination of the backdrops, music, and stage was “astounding.”

“While watching the performance, I was astounded by the deities flying down from the backdrops and becoming real deities through live performers. And then the live deities fly back into the backdrops. Wow … it’s just spectacular!”

Ms. Zhou also extended her comment on The Tibetan Dance of Praise.

“It was so dear, so pure, so beautiful. The dance, music, and backdrops are all of Tibetan taste. The performance immediately brought me into this ancient ethnicity’s culture. I was telling my husband that I’m so proud of China’s 5,000 years of history.”…… (more details from The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun “an incredibly colorful show”, Says Stockholm Cultural Representative

STOCKHOLM— “Wonderful music and lots of joy in the dancing,” said Mrs. Berit Svedberg, head of the Cultural Department of the City of Stockholm about Shen Yun. Mrs. Svedberg recommended everyone to go see the show and absorb the ancient culture of China.

Mrs. Svedberg went to see Shen Yun with her daughter Maria on this cold and rather wintery April day. Both were quite moved by the dazzling performance, which was quite a contrast to the grayness of the season in Sweden.

“It’s such an incredibly colorful show—very lively and energetic,” said Mrs. Svedberg, who once vacationed in China “many, many years ago”.

She finds it wonderful that Shen Yun can perform in so many parts of the world and show China’s cultural heritage.

“It’s wonderful to experience such an old, rich cultural heritage! It is really a shame … that they can’t perform in China,” she added.

Mrs. Anneli Hellström, principal of a school in the nearby city of Västerås, also came to see the show with her husband and some friends.

“I liked it very, very much. I think these dancers are just terrific!” said Mrs. Hellström.

Among her favorites were the lantern dance and the Tibetan Dance of Praise.

“It’s so marvelous to see all the dancers on the floor, at the same time. It’s just perfect. And it’s also interesting to learn about Chinese culture.”…… (the Epochtimes)

China Army Hospital’s Malfeasance caused at least 27 deaths and disabilities: Open letter by Henan Families

At the request of 27 families in Henan Province, Human Rights in China is releasing an open letter by these families alleging that deaths and disabilities of at least 27 patients resulted from the treatment these patients received at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) No. 152 Central Hospital in Pingdingshan City.

The Cry of Many Victims:

Lives are at Stake, We Appeal for Your Concern, Save Us!

April 6, 2010

[Translation by Human Rights in China]

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) No. 152 Central Hospital in Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, is taking advantage of the illustrious image the PLA has in the hearts and minds of the people – of the special and unfailing trust that most common folks place in army hospitals, of the peculiar fact that the media may only report on the army’s bright side and not expose a trace of its dark side, and of China’s policy of special protection of the army – to play the game of masquerading as Buddha while secretly laughing and murdering people for profit.

Guo Haoshuai [郭豪帅], son of Ms. Xue Qiuxiang [薛秋香] from Xinhua District in Pingdingshan City, was 24 years old and had graduated from college when he went to this hospital to see a doctor on account of a mild cold and slight anemia on September 24, 2006. He was admitted to the geriatric ward, where he, oddly, died on October 27, 2006. His family spent more than 100,000 yuan [around $15,000] for this, and even donated his remains. At the end of 2006，the family requested copies of his medical records from the hospital in order to find out the cause of his death. The hospital first stalled and gave excuses and later only provided limited information from which the family discovered that the hospital admission record was completely inconsistent with the facts. This aroused the suspicion of the family members and they later gradually found out not only that the hospital falsified the medical record but that, when cross-referenced with the records of fees collected, 125 entries in the medical record were missing. During the 34 days of hospitalization, Zhao Xiaoyong [赵小永] and others, who had no understanding of medicine, administered fake and inferior drugs and more than 70 types of inappropriate new expensive medications, and frantically conducted hundreds of unnecessary, painful examinations in order to earn large amounts of bonuses and kickbacks. Military doctor Zhao Xiaoyong, Guo Haoshuai’s attending physician, did not even have a license to practice medicine. More than 30 other doctors and nurses who showed up in the medical record have not been able to provide proof of their relevant credentials so far either. What is even more absurd is that none of the doctor’s orders in the No. 152 Hospital’s medical records were signed by any of the hospital’s medical staff – something that probably no medical law in the world would allow. This is just one such case that we know of at the present time. (For other cases, please see below.)…… (more details from Human Rights in China)

Shen Yun “brings back the essence of the glamorous Chinese culture”, Says Taiwan University President

TAINAN, Taiwan— With a friend’s recommendation, president of the Hsing Kuo University of Management, Dr. Lin, Tsai-Yuan, attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company’s show for the first time on the evening of April 2. After seeing the first half of the show, he exclaimed, “The 5,000-year Chinese culture was fully illustrated by Shen Yun, as it brings back the essence of the glamorous Chinese culture from the past. It is really great. Everyone should see the show.

“What was demonstrated by Shen Yun was the coordination, strength and gracefulness. … During the performance, there was seamless coordination. When so many performers danced together, they had perfect tacit agreement, so that the performance could be so perfect and wonderful.”

Talking about the creative backdrops, Dr. Lin said: “By using computer technology, many beautiful scenes can be presented on the screen. They are different from traditional ones that need to be changed manually. I think this is a great inspiration.” He also praised the perfect coordination of the backdrops and the program. For instance, when the Tibetan dance was performed, the scenery of the snow-capped mountains in the Tibetan Plateau was presented on the dynamic backdrop; while a slower program Flowing Silk was performed, the scenery of a quiet lake was selected.

Dr. Li also said that he liked the Miao folk dance [In a Miao Village], as the costumes were very colorful, their dancing skills were exceptionally good, the dancers were slender and light footed, and they changed movements very quickly and beautifully. “I think the biggest characteristic is that performers changed positions very swiftly, from one side to the other side, back and forth, which made me feel very happy,” he continued.

In addition, he especially praised the Shen Yun New York Orchestra for its excellent performance. He said, “This orchestra is exceptionally good, and we could tell the coordination between the dancers and the orchestra was perfect.” (The Epochtimes)

China-linked Cyberspies hacked government offices on several continents, security researchers say

By JOHN MARKOFF and DAVID BARBOZA, New York Times, April 5, 2010-

TORONTO — Turning the tables on a China-based computer espionage gang, Canadian and United States computer security researchers have monitored a spying operation for the past eight months, observing while the intruders pilfered classified and restricted documents from the highest levels of the Indian Defense Ministry.

In a report issued Monday night, the researchers, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, provide a detailed account of how a spy operation it called the Shadow Network systematically hacked into personal computers in government offices on several continents.

The Toronto spy hunters not only learned what kinds of material had been stolen, but were able to see some of the documents, including classified assessments about security in several Indian states, and confidential embassy documents about India’s relationships in West Africa, Russia and the Middle East. The intruders breached the systems of independent analysts, taking reports on several Indian missile systems. They also obtained a year’s worth of the Dalai Lama’s personal e-mail messages.

The intruders even stole documents related to the travel of NATO forces in Afghanistan, illustrating that even though the Indian government was the primary target of the attacks, one chink in computer security can leave many nations exposed.

“It’s not only that you’re only secure as the weakest link in your network,” said Rafal Rohozinski, a member of the Toronto team. “But in an interconnected world, you’re only as secure as the weakest link in the global chain of information.”

As recently as early March, the Indian communications minister, Sachin Pilot, told reporters that government networks had been attacked by China, but that “not one attempt has been successful.” But on March 24, the Toronto researchers said, they contacted intelligence officials in India and told them of the spy ring they had been tracking. They requested and were given instructions on how to dispose of the classified and restricted documents.

Location of Sichuan, China

On Monday, Sitanshu Kar, a spokesman for the Indian Defense Ministry, said officials were “looking into” the report, but had no official statement.

The attacks look like the work of a criminal gang based in Sichuan Province, but as with all cyberattacks, it is easy to mask the true origin, the researchers said. Given the sophistication of the intruders and the targets of the operation, the researchers said, it is possible that the Chinese government approved of the spying. …… (more details from New York Times)

Another company withdraws, validating Go Daddy’s move out of China

By Cecilia Kang,Via The Washington Post, April 5, 2010 -

An Australian domain name registrar said last week it would stop taking new accounts in China. And the Web site of Foreign Correspondents Club of China recently experienced two days over continued cyber attacks.

Those events were among the scattered episodes in recent weeks that reaffirms Go Daddy’s decision to stop business in China, said executive vice president Christine Jones. Go Daddy and Network Solutions are domain name registrars that have stopped new business in China following that government’s push for tighter controls over online content. Last week, Net Registry, an Australian domain name hosting company said it would also stop taking new accounts but would continue hosting existing .CN Web sites.

“Each time see story like that, it’s confirmation that we did the right thing,” Jones said in a telephone interview over the weekend.

She said the episodic attacks or firewalls such as that Google experienced last week on its Hong Kong site, indicates Go Daddy, Network Solutions and Google could be in for a long standoff with the Chinese government over Internet censorship.

“Meanwhile we will hurry up and wait. Whether it takes months or years, no final resolution will be reached until there is action via Congress or the U.S. Trade Representative and big business together,” Jones said. She said the issue of online censorship in China and other nations needs to be part of a bigger dialogue on trade relations between the U.S. and other nations.

Those companies have been the few to alter course in China. And while business in China represents about 1 percent of revenue for Go Daddy and Google, the country of 400 million Web users is seen as an important market to growth their businesses.

Separately, last week, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China shut down its Web site last Friday after continued denial of service attacks. In an email to its members that it was unclear if the denial-of-service attacks on their Web site last week were from the Chinese government. But the attacks stemmed from within the U.S. and China. The event came days after foreign journalists said they discovered their Yahoo email addressed had been breached. They said it was unclear who had hacked into their accounts and that Yahoo hadn’t explained the circumstances around the episode.

“We do not know who is behind these attacks or what their motivation is,” the organization said in the letter about the recent Web site attack.

- Washington Post

China Oil Spill Threatens Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

VOA News, Apr. 5, 2010-

Australian officials warn that the Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger of being further contaminated by oil after a Chinese ship ran aground off Queensland.  The vessel is stuck on a sandbar and has already leaked at least two tons of dark sludge into the water.

A frantic clean-up operation is under way where the Chinese-registered coal ship, Shen Neng 1, is aground in an area where commercial shipping is restricted to protect the world’s largest coral reef.

About two tons of oil has seeped into the water so far from the damaged vessel, creating a slick up to three kilometers long.

Aircraft have sprayed chemicals in an attempt to disperse the contamination.

There are concerns that the ship, which ran aground Saturday, may break up and spill 950 tons of oil into the sea.

Salvage experts are on board to try to prevent that from happening.

The Queensland state premier, Anna Bligh, says the emergency team will help to minimize the environmental damage……. (more details from VOA News)

“Shen Yun is the world’s best”, says Taiwan jewellery company owner

TAINAN, Taiwan— The operator of a jewellery company based in Taiwan’s southern city of Tainan said Shen Yun put on the best performance she has ever seen. Ms. Huang Hsiu-Mei owns Shibaofang Jewelry Company and is a long-time supporter of the Rotary Club. After attending the New York-based dance company’s second performance in the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center, Ms. Huang said: “I’ve traveled around the world, and seen performances wherever I’ve been, but Shen Yun is the world’s best. It was too good! Just incredible!

Ms. Huang added that she has seen a lot of dance performances abroad, but feels that Chinese dance has the most character, and the deepest inner meaning. The Shen Yun performers’ beautiful outfits melded perfectly with the characters they were playing. The dancers had a soft and graceful demeanor, like floating heavenly maidens. She liked every performance, but the ethnic Miao dance gave her the deepest impression.

“The dancers were all so young, and they played their parts so well,” she said. “As they danced they were so light-footed. Every performance had its own special character, especially the Miao ethnic dance that was just outstanding.”

Huang Hsiu-Mei admired the dancers’ smiles during the various ethnic dances. She said their radiant smiles lifted the atmosphere of the whole theatre, and lifted the spirits of the audience. “They smiled the whole way through each movement. Their faces were nothing but smiles. It was great.”

She said the live orchestra accompaniment, especially the seamless combining of Eastern and Western instruments, was just perfect. It melded flawlessly with the dancers and the inner meanings they were expressing.

She said that Shen Yun wasn’t just the best Chinese dance performance, but it was the best performance in the world. “Out of all the Chinese dances, I think Shen Yun is the best,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of foreign dances, and no matter whether it’s the world’s best performances in Paris or Russia, and Shen Yun is different. It’s just outstanding.”…… (more details from The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun ‘Absolutely phenomenal’, “10 out of 10 without a doubt”, Says Canadian MLA in Regina

REGINA, Canada— Saskatchewan MLA, Trent Wotherspoon, on seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts for the very first time, said the show was “just a breathtaking performance, beautiful.”

He was at the New York-based Shen Yun opening presentation at Regina’s Conexus Art Centre on April 3 with his wife, Stephanie.

“My wife and I were both privileged to come here this evening and see classical dance that represents the great history, thousands of years, just a beautiful, beautiful display,” Mr. Wotherspoon said.

He said not only did the show portray China’s 5,000 years of traditional history, but also the dances told stories taken from ancient legends, folk tales and modern stories of courage.

“It’s something that’s incredibly unique. The colours added to it; it is just an absolutely breathtaking performance.”

Mr. Wotherspoon particularly enjoyed Wu Song Battles the Tiger.

“The one where the individual had a few too many at the tavern and made his way up into the mountains on a tiger hunt, and coming back with the tiger. There was some humour involved in that one as well, but just a beautiful, beautiful display of dance.”

The Canadian politician said the community was privileged to have Shen Yun come to Regina.

“To have a show like this come to our centre and to have a show that’s travelling the world come to Saskatchewan is just of great pride for myself. I wish all of the organizers incredibly well with their world travels and their display, and it’s just a real opportunity … I’m so pleased that it’s stopped in Regina,” Mr. Wotherspoon enthused.

And how would he rate the production? “Absolutely phenomenal, breathtaking. If we’re talking a numerical scale, a 10 out of 10 without a doubt. Just the organization and the dance is done impeccably well. And anybody who is able to see the show will realize what a privilege that is. So thank you so much.”…… (more details from The Epochtimes)

The Evening With Shen Yun “Was Like a Dream”, Says Denmark Architect and Fashion Designer

AARHUS, Denmark— Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted the Danish audience in Aarhus, on their premiere 2010 show in Scandinavia, on Friday evening, April 2, at The Concert Hall Aarhus (Musikhuset Aarhus). ”This evening was like a dream”, said Mr. Sukhdev Singh Kailya, an architect who attended the show for the first time with his wife, Ms. Gunnor Næsvold, a fashion designer.

Originally from India, Mr. Kailya has been living in Aarhus, Denmark, for the past 40 years. He and his Norwegian-born wife, Ms. Gunnor Næsvold, came to the show after he saw a poster for Shen Yun.

“I saw the poster in Aarhus for the first time. I think it was really amazing; it was standing out. So I got immediately interested and went home and told my wife that we should go and see it,” said Mr. Kailya, “It was beautiful and the movement—it was just like the feeling of flying—that is why we came here.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts is based in New York, and is the only performance company today that brings authentic classical Chinese dance to the stage in its pure form. The aerial techniques and noble deportment of the dancers have amazed audiences the world over. Shen Yun includes in its repertoire story-based dances depicting legends from ancient China all the way through modern times, as well as folk dances from many regions throughout China.

With the eye of a fashion designer, Ms. Næsvold was delighted by the classical Chinese dancing in Shen Yun, remarking on the “beautiful music, beautiful people, and beautiful dresses!” She said, “The dancing was amazing. I am going home to start training the way they are walking. It was fanstastic to see.” The elegant lady had a beaming smile on her face as she spoke.

Mr. Kailya commented on the faithful regional flair of the various dances as well as the realistic settings for the story-based dances. “This was very surprising, to experience all these different parts of China. Very nice how they introduce the culture of the East. It is the old knowledge, which they are trying to tell the world.” He felt that the many dances in Shen Yun worked to share a feeling as a whole. Additionally, he indicated that Shen Yun was quite a visual treat. “We were fascinated by the backdrop pictures,” he said, and he enjoyed “all the mountains from the northern parts.” Mr. Kailya recalled the Himalayas in the backdrop for the Tibetan Dance of Praise. He felt the content in Shen Yun was not only striking to watch, but deep in its meaning. “I think the message is very nice,” he said……. (more detals from The Epochtimes)

Shen Yun Show Schedule in April 2010 (Asia, Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand)

From Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Website -

Tainan, Taiwan	Apr 1 – 4
Aarhus, Denmark	Apr 2 – 3
Regina, SK, Canada	Apr 3
Edmonton, AB, Canada	Apr 5
Stockholm, Sweden	Apr 5 – 6
Changhua County, Taiwan	Apr 6 – 8
Winnipeg, MB, Canada	Apr 7 – 8
Linköping, Sweden	Apr 8
Kaohsiung County, Taiwan	Apr 10 – 13
Oslo, Norway	Apr 10 – 11
Chicago, IL, United States	Apr 10 – 11
Minneapolis, MN, United States	Apr 14
Dresden, Germany	Apr 14 – 15
Taichung, Taiwan	Apr 16 – 18
Vienna/Wien, Austria	Apr 17
Denver, CO, United States	Apr 17 – 18
Brno, Czech Republic	Apr 19 – 21
Omaha, NE, United States	Apr 20
Yunlin County, Taiwan	Apr 21 – 23
Milwaukee, WI, United States	Apr 23 – 24
Paris, France	Apr 24 – 25
Taipei County, Taiwan	Apr 25 – 27
Cardiff, United Kingdom	Apr 27 – 28
Auckland, New Zealand	Apr 30 – May 2
Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium	Apr 30 – May 11

Above: video of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ show in Europe in 2009. Video length: 11’21″

Related:
- (video) Shen Yun in North America 2009 (1)-  USA: Reviews, Comments and Feedback from Audience
- (video) Shen Yun in North America 2009 (2) – Canada: Reviews, Comments and Feedback from Audience
- (video)  Shen Yun in Asia 2009 (1)- Korea, Japan: Reviews, Comments and Feedback from Audience
- (video)  Shen Yun in Asia 2009 (2)- Taiwan: Reviews, Comments and Feedback from Audience