”
Beijing, the City You Will Find it Hard to Leave,
”
reads the large billboard on the route to the Beijing airport.
Yea, verily. It is difficult to imagine a sign with more levels of
meaning. It turned out to be literally true. Long, slow-moving
lines, multiple forms to be filled out, grim-faced travelers,
delayed flights, dark surroundings. The other meaning that made me
even more uneasy was the thought of being tapped on the shoulder
while in a line and being asked by burly guards to
”
come with us.
”
It is extraordinary, and not a little bit chilling, the way the
reality of a communist dictatorship in a country like China preys
on a Western mind.
“Beijing, the City You Will Find it Hard to Leave,” reads the large billboard on the route to the Beijing airport. Yea, verily. It is difficult to imagine a sign with more levels of meaning. It turned out to be literally true. Long, slow-moving lines, multiple forms to be filled out, grim-faced travelers, delayed flights, dark surroundings. The other meaning that made me even more uneasy was the thought of being tapped on the shoulder while in a line and being asked by burly guards to “come with us.” It is extraordinary, and not a little bit chilling, the way the reality of a communist dictatorship in a country like China preys on a Western mind.
Last week’s column was submitted from a hotel room that was situated not 500 yards from Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing. This week’s column will include comments that I might have made last week save for the dampening effect of those surroundings.
Yes, the economic progress of China is nothing short of spectacular. The dark side of the PRC is also an integral part of the reality of present-day China. From the South China Morning Post – Hong Kong’s English-language newspaper – I read that a journalist has been fired for criticizing a decision to demolish a half-built church in Hangzhou. The journalist, a Christian, had written an open letter asking the provisional government to investigate the arrest of more than 50 Protestants and the demolition of the church in question. His boss had caved in to pressure from something called the “Beijing Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication.” Hello? Municipal Bureau of Press and Publication? There seem to be two freedoms that are under persistent attack in the PRC. These are freedom of religion and freedom of the press.
In a report titled “Speak No Evil” from Freedom House, instances of media control in China are discussed. For example when President Bush visited Japan in November 2005 he lectured China concerning the need to improve religious and political freedom. The speech was unreported in the Chinese press. When President Bush met with Chinese President Jintao in Bejing, news reported to the Chinese people was strictly censored or reprinted with official language only. Another method of control is through the mechanism of the appointment of managers of the national media. The Central Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Propaganda Department directly appoint media managers. For example the managers of CCTV and Peoples Daily are appointed by the official bodies mentioned above. Per the Freedom House Report by Ashley Esarey “The CCP exerts near complete control over the country’s 358 television stations and 2,119 newspapers – the primary media available to more than one billion Chinese citizens.”
The Catholic church has a long history of conflict with the government of the PRC. The Chinese Catholic church in communion with Rome is basically an underground church. The Communist Chinese government created something called the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Upon formation of the unit, all of the properties of the Roman Catholic Church in China were transferred to the new Association. The repression of the Catholic church and other Christian churches has been the rule since the time of the original revolution. Popes of the church have condemned the Catholic Association and have never ceased to bolster and to support the underground church.
In May of this year, Pope Benedict XV, the current Pontiff, issued a potent condemnation of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association because officials had consecrated two new bishops for the Chinese church without the knowledge or approval of the Vatican. The statement of strong disapproval noted that the action is punishable by excommunication of both the appointed bishops and the appointing bishops.
As a practical matter, the official Chinese Catholic church is under the rigid control of the government of China. In the first consistory of his reign, Pope Benedict elevated to Cardinal rank Joseph Zen-Ze-kiun, Bishop of Hong Kong. This is viewed as reaction to the continuing interference with the Catholic church in China, and as a sign of encouragement to the underground church that remains in Communion with Rome.
It is good to be on the solid footing of the ground of California and to be once again breathing the free (and unpolluted) air of the United States. It is no mystery as to why United States Bill of Rights is revered around the world as the model of liberty to freedom.
Al Kelsch is a Hollister resident, his column appears on Saturdays.
