Beijing Buying an Arts School in Jersey?
Why is someone affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army buying Westminster Choir College in Princeton?
New York Times – For Sale: Small Music College, Beloved by Some, Future Uncertain
Why is someone affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army buying Westminster Choir College in Princeton?
New York Times – For Sale: Small Music College, Beloved by Some, Future Uncertain
According to a report in the London Guardian, the Royal Court Theatre canceled its production of Pah-La, a production about the stories of Tibetans in Dharmsala. Although the theater claimed the cancellation was due to financial reasons, it turns out the British Council had told the theater to stop the production because it jeopardized British-Chinese projects. Following the exposure, the theater issued a formal apology and announced its plans to put the play back on in 2019.
A report in Freedom House’s China Media Bulletin (official website) makes the obvious connection:
“Such efforts by Beijing to stifle theatrical productions it deems objectionable are not uncommon, as indicated by dozens of instances of pressure surrounding Shen Yun, a New York–based classical Chinese dance show that tours internationally and includes pieces related to the persecution of Falun Gong and historical events like the Cultural Revolution.”
The Guardian: Royal Court dropped Tibet play after advice from British Council
China Media Bulletin: UK theater hid reasons for pulling Tibet play
An article in Canada’s National Post about a confidential report submitted to the federal government details how Beijing harasses Chinese activists of all colors in Canada.
“They said if this (critical) story comes out in the Canadian press, then you are responsible for the life of your relatives,†one activist is quoted as saying.
According to the article, “Targets include Canadian representatives of what the Chinese sometimes call the five ‘poisons’: the Uyghur Muslim minority, independence-minded Tibetans, Taiwanese, democracy advocates and, especially, the Falun Gong.’
“Over the last decade or so, city councilors, mayors and other politicians have certainly tried to quash Falun Gong commemorative events or protests, often under pressure from local Chinese consulates.â€
The forms of harassment mentioned in this article – be it pressuring elected officials, threatening the families of overseas activists, or sending nutso emails – or the exact same ones the Chinese Communist Party has been targeting Shen Yun the last 13 years.
Full article: https://nationalpost.com/news/world/confidential-report-reveals-how-chinese-officials-harass-activists-in-canada-there-is-a-consistent-pattern
According to a report in Danish media, the Chinese Embassy in Copenhagen asked the Royal Danish Theater to again not allow Shen Yun to perform there. The theater has refused to rent to Shen Yun for ten years.
In 2007, local presenters almost succeeded in booking the Royal Theater for Shen Yun before a last-minute cancellation. While the original explanation was logistical reasons, it was later reported in Danish media that the Chinese Embassy had complained about Shen Yun’s scheduled performance at a meeting with the Danish Foreign Ministry. The performances were canceled shortly after.
A mail correspondence between two theater employees obtained by Danish radio revealed what had happened in 2017. This is what the theater employee wrote:
“In August 2017 I met with the Chinese Embassy Cultural Department, as they are considering renting the theater to hold Chinese New Year in February 2018. They ended the meeting by asking if we were in dialogue with Shen Yun, and requested that we not allow them to rent our facilities.â€
In a new form of propaganda, China Daily, the official English mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, inserts paid ads that look like normal articles in newspapers around the world. The article title calls Shen Yun “A Blasphemy That Masquerades as Art†and, most disturbingly, appears to the undiscerning eye as a regular article written by the newspaper. Therefore, while it gives the normal party line attacking Shen Yun and Falun Gong, it appears to be written by the esteemed Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, or London Telegraph, to name just a few of the papers who carried this paid insert.
The scale of this blitz is still being uncovered, with media as far as Melbourne Australia and Nashville Tennessee reportedly carrying the identical ad.
The insert is published under the heading China Watch; it appears like a special topic section of the newspaper, with only fine print identifying it as paid content. This media business practice has been called into question for being ethically problematic by publications from The Atlantic on the left to Life Site on the right.
Russia (with the insert titled “Russia Nowâ€) and China are the main sources of such content in an uptick in the production of propaganda for foreign consumption.
According to Cliff Kincaid, director of Accuracy In Media‘s Center for Investigative Journalism, Washington Post owners and editors “are lending their logo to this foreign propaganda,†adding that “If you didn’t know where this comes from, it looks like a regular newspaper.†(quote source)
More:
The Atlantic: Official Chinese Propaganda: Now Online from the WaPo!
The Washington Free Beacon: The China Shills
The Epoch Times: Paid Insert in Wall Street Journal Carries Chinese Propaganda
New Tang Dynasty TV news report (Chinese): ä¸å…±å–‰èˆŒæ”»æ“Šç¥žéŸ»
The PRC’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations sent a letter addressed to “all Permanent and Observer Missions to the Union Nations.” This two-page letter (copy available upon request), bearing China’s UN Mission official stamp claimed that Shen Yun and Falun Gong “harms society and violates human rights.” This letter, sent about five weeks ahead of Shen Yun’s performances at Lincoln Center, told other countries’ UN missions to “remind their diplomats and staff not to support or attend the [Shen Yun] show.”
Shen Yun was scheduled to perform in Thailand for the first time. Just days before the first performance at Bangkok’s Aksra Theatre, however, the theater canceled the show run. A letter from the Chinese embassy in Bangkok to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture threatened diplomatic fallout between China and Thailand should the performances be allowed to take place.
Prior to the Shen Yun performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, the tires of a car rented by staff members of Shen Yun’s hosting organization were slashed. The incident occurred between the evening of Jan. 5 and the morning of the 6. Several slashes were visible on two of the tires.