The place I’m travelling to is my father’s hometown, a desperate village locked in the mist covered mountain. I’ve been there five times over the last 28 years: 25 years ago there was no electricity supply, 10 years ago I couldn’t find GSM mobile signal there and last year I saw the younger generation using their mobile phone for chatting on QQ.

Somehow I feel this part of rural China is dying. My uncles devoted the best days of their life in gorgeous cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou, leaving their uneducated children at home in the village. The gap within my family is as obvious as the difference between city and countryside. More than three decades ago my father decided to leave that village, he took the exam to be a student in the school of medicine and then a psychiatrist after education. His decision changed everything in his life, and mine as well.

Last year I was told that my uncles were forced to move out from their house. A new road will be built in that area and the planned demolition required their “cooperation”. It happened just several days later after I posted the story of Tang Fuzhen. China has never been so REAL to me. Although I’m far away from China, I feel China in my own way. It’s about my blood, my nerves and my family, yes I’m going back to my ROOT now.

The picture of the village below was taken in 2000 (almost 10 years ago!), just after I took the National University Entrance Examination.

Quote:

…… 一般来讲如果是在重庆主城区这样的丘陵地区，街区之间的海拔落差可以被当作一种情调来品读，但是在川东乡村，恶劣的地貌锁定了贫穷与落后。上面这幅图是我父亲的籍贯地，我的祖籍地，此生我去过那里大约四次，第一次回那里甚至还没有通电，懂事后有记忆的三次。翻山越岭新奇有趣但是不具备任何成本经济性，单反一抬随手一拍就是仰角四十五度以上的山丘。上面这幅照片拍摄于公元2000年，高考完后算是回家祭祭祖。照片大约扫描于大一。出国前我又回老家去过一次，感觉是公路越来越不好走，因为那里的人们都离开了家乡。如果你仔细看看图，大概会对几千年前太行、王屋脚下愚公的悲哀有一定了解。

我在远离源头的二十多年漫长岁月里偶尔也止不住地追忆揣想源头之上的一切，有时甚至难抑想拥抱亲吻那片并不丰饶的土地的冲动，用下游的血回应上游的血。在某些随机漫步的情况下，今日我或许也会兀自躬耕陇上，但是这一切并没有发生。关于这个，我大约从十六岁上就告诉自己和家人，有的时候一个社会的细胞可以在两代人的时间里实现通常需要四代人实现的阶层流动。而就总体而言我向来热烈地呼唤一个多孔、流动的中国，人们需要在个体与宏观两个向度上创造更宽松自由的条件。每当提到山坳中国我喜欢说“回”，不管外界如何轻慢这贫瘠的一隅，我也不会掩饰对它的心意。事实上如果生活在革命年代我也许会成为某些人眼中死硬的暴民，这是没有办法的事情。在过往的历史里，敢于亡命的精神一般要经过三代才会彻底消亡，某些害怕这种事情的欧洲寄生阶层习惯于把这个过程换一种雅致的说法来表达，并且愚蠢地将人的尊严/气质与精细的生活方式/教育水平的关联绝对化。在中国反驳这等事情要简单得多，因为一百年来的覆巢下基本上没有一颗完卵，大家彼此彼此。

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New domain will be unveiled soon, transfer is in progress. The daily updates will slow down a little bit before the implementation of our new domain.

“千岩万壑不辞劳， 远看方知出处高。 溪涧岂能留得住， 终归大海作波涛。”

Australia reacted cautiously to news that Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu and his three Chinese colleagues have been formally charged.

A foreign affairs spokesman in Canberra urged Beijing to handle the men’s cases “transparently and expeditiously.”

Foreign affairs analysts say the case could further destabilize Australia’s relationship with China, its biggest trading partner.

The four Rio Tinto employees have been in custody since last July. They were detained during sensitive iron ore contract talks and the Chinese prosecutors accuse them of soliciting or accepting large bribes.

Jerome Cohen, a professor of Chinese law at New York University, thinks there is little chance the men will avoid a conviction.

“The Chinese lawyers involved in the case are very able, experienced people but, of course, being Chinese criminal defense lawyers they do not have as much opportunity to defend their clients as they would in other systems,” Cohen said. “The odds are very great now that these fellows are going to get convicted.”

Although the news that the four were formally charged came Wednesday, a date for the trial, which is expected to be held in Shanghai, has not been set.

Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian mining corporation, has said it is not aware of any wrongdoing by its employees.

On Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the legal rights of the Rio Tinto employees would be guaranteed.

The maximum penalty for commercial espionage in China is seven years in prison. Taking large bribes can bring a five-year sentence.

China is the world’s biggest steel producer and consumer of iron ore, much of which is exported from Australian mines.

Australia’s minerals industry has helped to insulate the country from the worst of the global economic slowdown.

Via

China’s High Court Thursday rejected Liu Xiaobo’s appeal to change an 11-year jail sentence, which was handed down on December 25.

The 54-year-old writer was convicted of subversion for helping organize a manifesto called “Charter 08,” which calls for sweeping civil and political reforms. He was detained in December 2008, shortly before the document was released on-line.

The U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman immediately issued a statement expressing Washington’s disappointment in the decision. The statement, read by Embassy spokesman Richard Buangan, called on the government to release Liu immediately and allow Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views.

“Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights,” he said.

The European Union also issued a statement calling for Liu’s release and an end to harassment and detention of many of the thousands of Chinese who signed Charter 08.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday said judicial authorities have already made their decision.

Ma says he cannot comment on the details of Liu’s case. But he says China’s judicial activities are internal affairs that, in his words, “brook no infringement and interference.”

Liu was one of the founders of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, a branch of International PEN, which is a network of organizations that speak out for literary freedom around the world.

On the last day of 2009, the PEN American Center held a rally in New York to call for Liu’s release.

At that rally, American writer E.L. Doctorow strongly condemned the imprisonment.

“China supposes to lead the world into the future as superpower in the 21st century, but when it jails its people for their thought, it is mired in the past, with the ghosts of emperors and dictators and kings, and along with military thugs and theocracies, like Iran’s, that rigs its elections and shoots down its people in the street,” said Doctorow.

Doctorow said he and other supporters feel Liu is not working to subvert or slander the government, but is instead calling on China to realize the promise of its constitution.

Liu is among several Chinese dissidents whose names have been mentioned this year as nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize. Public supporters for his nomination include lawmakers from both the United States and the Czech Republic.

Via

Tan Zuoren was formally accused of defaming the Communist Party of China in email comments about the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He was arrested on March 28, 2009 for subversion of state power.

More details on Wikipedia and Twitter.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi answers questions after a meeting with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner in Paris, 03 Feb 2010

Iran’s key allies, China and Russia, are sending divergent messages on whether to pursue further sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi warned Thursday that talk of additional sanctions is complicating the situation and hindering efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

Meantime, a leading Russian lawmaker, Konstantin Kosachyov, suggested Russia is more in agreement with Western nations calling for additional sanctions.

He told Russian state news that Iran’s recent launch of a satellite has raised concerns that the Islamic Republic could eventually fire a long-range nuclear weapon.

China and Russia, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, traditionally have opposed past efforts to punish Iran for its nuclear activity.

Western countries are pushing for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran to try to force the country to enter into negotiations.

In another development, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his country blocked at least three shipments of cargo to Iran after invoking an Australian law aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Rudd did not reveal the contents of the blocked cargo, but the Australian newspaper reports one shipment included pumps that could be used to cool nuclear power plants.

The Australian says Australia’s defense minister, John Faulkner, issued the order late last year.

Western nations fear Iran is working to produce atomic weapons, but Iran says its nuclear program is meant only for peaceful purposes.

Via

Young demonstrators have lately been uncharacteristically confrontational in their opposition to controversial government plans such as a high-speed rail line to Shenzhen and Guangzhou backed by the Hong Kong legislature. A number of demonstrators have been arrested following clashes with police.

Protesters Want Action

“These are young people, they haven’t been involved before,” explains Douglas Paal, director of the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “This new group are people who are ‘charged up’ with Twitter and Facebook and other kinds of communications that are very brief and ‘punchy.’ They’re looking for quick action, they are not patient,” he said.

A former British territory, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 with the promise that it would maintain a measure of independence and civil liberties. Democracy activists say democratic reform is coming too slowly.

Only half of Hong Kong’s legislature is elected. The rest of the seats are appointed by various interest groups, most of whom are backed by Beijing.

Lawmakers Resign

A group of five lawmakers recently resigned, hoping the election to fill their seats would rally supporters of democracy. But another group of pro-Beijing legislators walked out of the session, forcing the meeting to adjourn before the five could give their farewell speeches.

“The likely outcome will be that these people will get re-elected and they will claim that they have had a referendum on democracy, and the people who think democracy should not move so fast…will say there is no referendum at all, you’ve not tested anything, and they will reject it,” he said.

Paal said what the move will accomplish is raising the level of discussion about democracy in Hong Kong. But, he is not sure that it will move the issue forward. “I think it will probably perpetuate the differences that exist in Hong Kong before this incident erupted,” he said.

Paal does not think the demonstrations or controversy over the legislative bi-elections will paralyze the government or bring a strong reaction from Beijing.

Dave DeForest

Via