HK Animation about Tiananmen Becomes Internet Hit

An animation depicting the Tiananmen Square Massacre has become an online hit in Hong Kong. It comes before the 22nd anniversary of the event, which is known as the June 4th incident in Chinese.

Hong Kong cartoonist Ronnie Chau says he made the clip to remind people of what the students at the time were fighting for, rather than just the massacre itself.

[Ronnie Chau, Animator]:
"Our generation - the post-80s and 90s - is beginning to forget June 4th. We are no longer clear what it is about. I want to use this clip to show to others what I want to discover myself."

Although Chau works from a tiny flat, at least he is able to artistically express himself freely.

[Ronnie Chau, Animator]:
“Under such severe suppression of freedom of speech in China, being an artist has become very dangerous. But you cannot act against your conscience. If you don't like the Chinese government, you should not be forced to celebrate it.”

Hong Kong and the Internet have become a refuge for the suppressed Chinese art community.

HK Protestors Mark Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary

Thousands of Hong Kong activists rallied with a "Goddess of Democracy" replica statue on Sunday. It's to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre—called the "June 4th Incident" in Chinese—where hundreds of pro-democracy students were killed.

Hong Kong Legislator Lee Cheuk-Yuen speaks about what the statue stands for.

[Lee Cheuk-Yuen, Hong Kong Legislator]:
"This is a symbol of defiance on the part of the Hong Kong people to demand the vindication of June 4 and democracy in China. It also has another meaning being that this year is the darkest age for Chinese human rights, and there are waves and waves of arrests and suppression of Chinese human rights defenders."

This year, the persecution of dissident artist Ai Weiwei and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo furthers concerns that the Chinese regime is going backwards on human rights.

Students, politicians, and unionists joined the rally to mourn the lives lost in 1989, and speak out against the Chinese regime.

One protestor says he's fortunate to be able to protest here—because his friends in mainland China cannot.

[James Hon, Protester]:
"Hong Kong up till now is the only Chinese territory that people can come out to the street and voice our protest and we are lucky to have this freedom."

But, even in Hong Kong, protests have not always gone smoothly. Last year, 13 protestors were arrested for putting up two similar statues, which were then confiscated by police.

Taiwan: One-Girl Band a YouTube Sensation

While Asian girl bands such as the Wonder Girls and AKB 48 are achieving success around the globe, a "one-girl band" is attracting worldwide attention on the Internet with a video that has generated more than four million YouTube hits within three weeks.

The video shows 25-year-old Shara Lin performing Jolin Tsai's "Dancing Diva" on the piano, violin, and zither all at the same time.

Lin put the trio performance together within five days for a music training session mixing the classical music into Taiwanese pop music.

To incorporate the different instruments, she held the violin by her neck, adjusted the positions of the zither pick, and arranged the positions of the instruments.

[Shara Lin, Musical Artist]:
"I think the toughest part is to play the piano and the zither simultaneously. We tried many times to finally figure out this position for my left hand to play the piano, and right hand to play the zither. When I have to look at both the piano and the zither, I really wish my eyes could grow wider apart, so if I have to play together, I must play by feel. I have to either feel the keys on the piano and look at the zither, or feel the strings on the zither and look at the piano."

Lin is a music major at National Taiwan Normal University and has been playing the piano since she was three.

Her love of music quickly expanded into other instruments including the violin, zither, guitar, jazz drums, and harmonica.

[Shara Lin, Musical Artist]:
"After people saw this video, they suggested that I play the drum on my foot and also add a harmonica. I said ok, I will consider that. Of course, I can only play a little bit on the harmonica. If I have to perform, then I must design another set of performance. I will definitely try, if I have a chance in the future."

Lin said she is willing to try other creative music performances, and whether or not she becomes famous, she looks forward to bringing her music to a wider audience.

World's Biggest Floating Island Unveiled in South Korea

Thousands of onlookers turned out in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday for the unveiling of the world's largest artificial 'floating island'.



Situated on Seoul's Han River, the island houses a cultural center and is the latest addition to the city's multi-billion dollar makeover.



[Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul]:

"We're progressing [with] works to make an icon symbolising the city by adding cultural and arty functions to representative natural landscapes such as Han River or Namsan. This 'floating island' is precisely [such a] representative and symbolic place."



Only part of the nearly 220 thousand square-foot development was opened on Saturday. The rest is scheduled for completion in September. The project is privately funded at a cost of about 88 million US dollars.



A Seoul Metropolitan Government official in charge of the Han River project said about 59 million people visited the river last year. He expects the island will make it an even more attractive place for visitors.



[Liu Kyoung-gee, Assistant Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government]:

"People will visit this 'floating island' for sure when they come to Han River. They can enjoy Han River's beautiful scenery here and this island will provide a place to hold various meetings and great performances."



Liu said the three-part island can accommodate 6,200 people.



The biggest of the three islets is three stories high and includes a 700-seat convention hall.



The other two islets will be used for cultural and aquatic events, including yachting.



Many Seoul citizens welcome the new floating island.



[Ahn Hyo-jin, Seoul Resident]:

"I hadn't come to Han River often because there was nothing much to do. I'm glad that now it has a place where I can have some tea and talks with my friends near the river after school."



Twenty-eight mooring chains secure the island, kept afloat by a giant buoy. This ensures it stays in position and afloat in case of a flood or bad weather.



Over the past decade, Seoul has morphed from a drab, concrete jungle into a modern Asian super-city.

Germany: Falun Gong Welcomed at the City of Dortmund International Arts & Culture Week (Photos)

By a practitioner in Germany
 
(Clearwisdom.net) Three weeks ago, 400,000 German football fans celebrated Dortmund winning the 2011 Bundesliga title. Beginning on May 28, 2011, this West German city again celebrated, this time in honor of its "International Arts & Culture Week." Falun Gong practitioners participated in the opening ceremonies and in the exhibitions.

A constant stream of visitors visited the Falun Gong information desk.

Three Turkish girls were delighted with the pretty paper lotus flowers.

A Constant Stream of People Visit the Falun Gong Information Desk


The city of Dortmund is located in the western part of Germany near the River Rhine. On May 28, the 13th Münster Street Multicultural Festival in North Dortmund marked the start of this cultural week. During the day, Münster Street was full of people from India, South Korea, Turkey, China, Africa, and almost every other country in Europe and America displaying their folk cultures. Cuisines, music, and dance were highlighted. Practitioners at the Falun Gong booth gave people interesting information and paper lotus flowers.

The Falun Gong booth was only 20 meters away from the central stage. Practitioners originally from China, Germany, and Russia introduced Falun Gong to the visitors. Falun Gong has spread to more than 100 countries.

A great variety of informative Falun Gong materials were displayed on the desk at one side of the booth. Behind the desk was a huge banner with the words “Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance.” With this principle in mind, plus the exercises, Falun Gong practitioners benefit from better health and improved standards of behavior. Everyone interested in Falun Gong received a handmade paper lotus flower and was happy to have it.

On the other side of the booth was a large display board with a collection of pictures showing Falun Gong both in China and worldwide. Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises to passersby. Many people inquired, took photographs, or gathered to watch; some even tried to mimic the hand gestures of the exercises.

Two teenagers stayed near the booth the entire time. They sometimes followed the exercises, sometimes read the displays, and sometimes asked for balloons and paper lotuses. They also asked Falun Gong practitioners many questions.

A lady working in a German school came to visit as soon as the booth was set up. She was seeking a way that could help her feel peaceful. On seeing Falun Gong, she felt that Falun Gong was exactly what she was looking for and wanted to give it a try. She asked in detail the time and place of the practice sites, and repeatedly said that she would join. Learning that other Falun Gong practitioners were going to demonstrate the exercises on the central stage, she waited to see it. During the demonstration, she listened carefully.

Passing by the Falun Gong booth, a security officer on duty said that his mother was also practicing a kind of meditation. He asked for a Falun Gong introduction leaflet for her.

Many people not only understood Falun Gong, but also asked for details of the practice site. They encouraged Falun Gong practitioners to continue their efforts.

Exercises Demonstration on the Stage


Around 1 p.m., eight practitioners in yellow costumes demonstrated the exercises on the 13-meter-long central stage. Among them were Chinese and German men and women, ranging in age from their 30s to their 70s.

Exercise demonstration on the stage

The five Falun Gong exercises are easy to learn, and each movement is gradual, slow, and round. With the serene music in the background, people listened to a practitioner’s explanation of each movement carefully. These people of various nations applauded warmly afterward.

A German lady came to the information desk after seeing the demonstration. She left and came back again. When the exhibition was to finish, she came once again. She was very interested in Chinese culture.

A couple from Hong Kong passed by the information booth. They said they saw a lot of people practicing Falun Gong in Hong Kong, and some in Dusseldorf, Germany. They were very happy to see Falun Gong again that day.

Falun Gong in the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper

Large picture in the Ruhr Nachrichten: Chinese introduce Falun Dafa, an ancient Chinese wisdom, at the Munster Festival

On May 30, the Ruhr Nachrichten, the second largest daily newspaper in the city of Dortmuond with a daily circulation of 150,000, carried a large photo on its front page of Falun Gong practitioners holding a red banner with yellow words saying, “Falun Dafa is good.” Against the background of a blue sky, a yellow umbrella held by a young Falun Gong practitioner in traditional clothing was very striking. The well-known Der St. Joseph Kirche was behind the practitioners in the photo.

Explanation under the picture: Chinese introduce Falun Dafa, an ancient Chinese wisdom, on Munster Festival.

Posting date: 6/7/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/6/2/德国多特蒙德市国际文化周-法轮功受欢迎（图）-241840.html

Organ Harvesting Exposed, Part 3

Zooming In - Organ Harvesting, Part 3

Kean Wong: It was his first official visit to the US, and the most important event since the last two superpowers had engaged. On April 20, 2006 probably close to 100 hundred cameras were pointed towards visiting head of the Chinese Communist Regime Hu Jintao... But none of the people present at the White House lawn expected that the media's attention would suddenly change focus to a Chinese woman's impassioned appeals.

Narrator: Wenyi Wang is 47 years old, She earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago where she trained as a pathologist. Her shouts demanded of the Chinese Communist party to stop persecuting Falun Gong. She also attempted to display a banner. Two minutes later security guards removed her from the scene. But her momentary shouting at President Bush and Hu Jintao became top news in the world media. Later, when a CNN reporter interviewed her, she explained her reasons for coming forward: it was because of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Wenyi Wang: During the past two months, I contacted the two witness from China who exposed the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in the Sujiatun District, Shenyang City. By exposing these facts they have risked their lives. Black market live organs available for transplant carry specific price tags: live organs are sold for $60,000 to $200,000 US$. Converted to Chinese currency, a heart sells for two million yuan. No language can describe such atrocity. I had no other choice but shout at him (Hu Jintao) to let him hear our voice, to stop the killing and stop the atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

Narrator: That same day in McPherson Park, only a few blocks away from the White House, there was another special outdoor assembly. It seemed the two events echoed each other from a distance. The two key witnesses who exposed the incidents of live organ harvesting at the Sujiatun Concentration Camp harvesting showed themselves openly.

Witness Peter: We have no regard for life and death. What I knew should serve as evidence.

Witness Annie: Many people's organs were harvested before they died.

Witness Peter: I have repeatedly said that the crimes committed in Sujiatun are merely the tip of an iceberg.

Narrator: Two days later, C-Span TV in the U.S. featured a live interview with Falun Gong spokesman Erping Zhang.

Kean Wong: With headlines like "Sujiatun Death Camp"; "Harvesting Falun Gong practitioners organs for profit..." the western world is beginning to wonder what's really going on in China, and how can this be happening in this day and age. And more specifically how could a world super power who's just entered the WTO be faced with allegations of selling organs harveste

Organ Harvesting Exposed, Part 2

Zooming In - Organ Harvesting, Part 2

Kean Wong: It has been four weeks since the Sujiatun Extermination Camp was exposed to the world. A series of rather disturbing developments have surfaced during this time. First, two informants have stepped forward and revealed that the Sujiatun Extermination Camp has been harvesting internal organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and then disposing of their bodies in a crematorium. After the camp was revealed to the world, Beijing remained silent for three whole weeks. Afterwards, a spokesman from China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry denied the report in an unprecedented press conference. The denial sparked a series of responses. Two days later, The Epoch Times received a letter from a veteran military doctor from Shengyang City where the camp was located. He confirmed the existence of the underground Sujiatun Extermination Camp. Moreover, he revealed there are in fact dozens of such camps all over China. Meanwhile, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) published its second investigative report, which includes the tran scri pts of all the telephone dialogues between its investigators and medical doctors in China. The tran scri pts confirmed that Sujiatun is not the only place that harvests living Falun Gong practitioners’ internal organs.

Narrator: After the second informant stepped forward with more details about Sujiatun, people spent three weeks in shock, anxiety and all kinds of surmises. During those three weeks, Beijing remained unusually silent until March 28 when a spokesman at its Foreign Affairs Ministry denied all the reports of concentration camps in a first time ever press conference.

Wang Zhiyuan, M.D., Spokesman for WOIPFG:

It is impossible for Beijing to make any response immediately after Sujiatun camp was exposed because they needed some time to clean it up and cover it up. In three weeks time, I believe Beijing has done a series of damage control before it responded publicly to the reports.

Narrator: Two days after the press conference in Beijing, a veteran military doctor in Shengyang City, which is the same city where the Sujiatun camp was located, wrote a letter to The Epoch Times. Perhaps this was in response to the ministry’s denial. He confirmed the existence of the Sujiatun Concentration Camp. He added that there are dozens of such camps all over China.

An excerpt from the veteran military doctor’s testimony:

The so-called hospitals in Sujiatun are b

Organ Harvesting Exposed, Part 1

KEAN WONG: Hi and welcome to a special edition of Zooming In. I'm Kean Wong. This week we delve into one of the darkest places in China, the Sujiatun Concentration Camp. The first of an estimated 36 concentration camps in existence, these places are where organs are allegedly harvested and sold for profit. But the allegations go further - the organs are taken out by force, often while the victims are still alive and conscious.

NARRATOR: This is Sujiatun in Shengyang City, Liaoning Province. This remote, ordinary city has a gruesome secret that has been exposed to the world outside of China. An insider from the Chinese Communist regime has revealed a concentration camp here, where at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners are detained. Their organs are forcefully harvested on demand for huge profits, and some the surgery happens while the Falun Gong practitioners are still alive. Then their bodies are thrown into a cremation furnace located at the camp. Both the living and the dead have been thrown in there. Soon after this shocking discovery was made public, another witness leaked more information about this death camp. More witnesses will step forward, and more evidence will be discovered in the near future. Now, let's review the facts about the Sujiatun concentration camp.

NARRATOR: On March 9, 2006, an insider from China identified as Mr. R, leaked the existence of the camp to a
reporter from The Epoch Times.

REPORTER: What's your estimate of how many Falun Gong practitioners are imprisoned in this death camp?

MR. R: I don't have the specific number because the number changes constantly. The actual statistics are kept in internal records, but the statistics I obtained at the time was about 6,000.

REPORTER: When did you obtain the information?

MR. R: About two years ago.

REPORTER: So this was in 2004?

MR. R: Yes. Around that time.

NARRATOR: Mr. R used to be part of a Japanese television news team, responsible for news about China. He also worked for a news company established by the Chinese Embassy in Japan. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) arrested him for reporting the suicide of a Japanese diplomat from the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai, and the CCP's massacre in Shanwei. He later fled from China to the United States. To protect his identify and personal safety, he asked us not to disclose his real name.

REPORTER: In order words, these Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned in the concentration camp might have been subjected to brainwashing, beating, torture and imprisonment until they were on the brink of death. Then they will be killed after their organs are harvested for profit. Is this the operation of the death camp?

MR. R: I think so, but I don't know under what condition they were sent to the operating table for organ harvesting. They might not even have known before they were sent to the table where their organs were removed. But I think that's the typical operation of the concentration camp.

REPORTER: Is it possible that the practitioners will get out of the death camp alive?

MR. R: I can only pray that they will get out of there alive and reunite with their families, safe and alive.

REPORTER: How did you find out about the Sujiatun Concentration Camp?

MR. R: I didn't find out about it by luck. You have to understand one thing: I am a journalist. As a journalist, I am very proficient in searching for information. As a journalist, you must know that today's journalists in China do not look for news in any formal investigation or research. Instead, we discover news at dinners in restaurants, at Mahjong tables, in sauna bathrooms, etc. It's during chitchat that we

Chinese Regime Invests Heavily in Cyber Army

Chinese leaders are pouring millions of dollars into training a new and highly specialized branch of its military—an Internet attack and defense force.

This news has Western governments and companies that do business in China questioning the regime’s motives.

[Li Baohua, China Political Commentator]:
"I think the Chinese military's Internet development and that of local governments are coordinated, and support one another. The development serves both political and military purposes, and it's very important for safeguarding the regime."

Chinese hackers have repeatedly targeted governments and businesses around the world. News that the Chinese Communist Party seems to be massing these hackers into an organized branch of its military is disquieting to some.

U.S. diplomatic cables published on WikiLeaks suggest the United States government suspects Chinese hackers of attacks on targets ranging from Google to the Dalai Lama.

According to Chinese state media, the “cyber force” includes an elite 30-member core team based in Guangdong Province. They routinely engage in what the regime’s People’s Liberation Army calls “cyber warfare drills.”

Chinese Woman Appeals Mother's Freedom

On Tuesday, this 22-year old woman protested in front of the Chinese Consulate in New York. She's urging Chinese officials to release information about her mother's whereabouts.

[Han Yi, Daughter of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner]:
"Today I came here for my mom. The police arrested her last December illegally. She was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in jail."

For more than a decade, Han Yi's mother—Wu Shunzhen—has been persecuted simply for doing this in China. It's a meditation practice called Falun Gong.

For that—she's been tortured in Chinese labor camps more than once.

[Han Yi, Daughter of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner]:
"One time, they didn't let her sleep for a month. What's worse is that the male guards sexually abused her, and then they [brought in] snakes and scorpions to bite her."

Yi practices Falun Gong, too. She came to America on a student visa. But her mother and millions of other practitioners in China face severe persecution.

[Levi Browde, Falun Dafa Information Center Spokesman]:
"The Chinese Communist Party, which rules China today, uses all these instruments—governmental and nongovernmental—to try and get every single person who practices Falun Gong to relinquish their beliefs. And again, you have to keep in mind we're talking about literally tens of millions of people inside China."

And to force them to stop practicing Falun Gong, the Communist Party uses a variety of methods—including putting them in labor camps to be tortured.

[Levi Browde, Falun Dafa Information Center Spokesman]:
“They are coerced, physically and mentally, until they give up the practice, a lot of people have died in these situations.”

In fact, the Falun Dafa Information Center has documented the deaths of more than three thousand Falun Gong practitioners from torture and abuse.

That's why Han Yi is worried. She doesn't know where her mother is now—or even if she's still alive.

[Yi Han, Daughter of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner]:
"They don't even tell us where my mom is... They don't allow us to contact her."

But she's determined to do what she can to see her again—and to help stop the persecution of millions of other people in China, too.

[Yi Han, Daughter of Jailed Falun Gong Practitioner]:
"I want to reveal this brutal persecution my mom [has been suffering] for 10 years and let more people know about the CCP's brutal persecution of Falun Gong."

Milene Fernandez, NTD News, New York.