A CHINESE WEEKLY OF NEWS AND VIEWS

February 23, 1987 -Minister on Student Unrest Courtyard of o Farm House. Photo hy Yang Guilin

Riding motorcycles to fetch their brides. Photo hy Zhang Ruizcng

fa

I. ^v.;ml Beijing"-^ HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

VOL. 30, NO. 8 FEB 23. 1987

CONTENTS NOTES FROM THE EDITORS 4 Greeting International Housing Year p. 31 EVENTSARENDS 5-9 P- 14 Light Industry Urged to -.t Boost Export Special Report on Campus Unrest Afforestation; More Trees Planted China's IBM Stone's Ambition • (1) In an exclusive interview with Beijing Review, one of Firecrackers Dash Firemen's China's leading education officials explains the relationship Hope for Easy between the recent student unrest and the trend of bourgeois Spring Holiday liberalization which he sees as having run unchecked for the last China's Stand on Parties* few years. He also spells oyt government policies towards Conference students involved in the turmoil (p. 14). Weekly Chronicle (Feb. 9-15) (2) An analysis of the progress and problems of China's higher education and the strengths and weaknesses of present- INTERNATIONAL 10-13 day university students (p. 21). St>ulh Pacific: Nuclear I'rec Zone (3) A chronicle of the student demonstrations (p. 17). Treaty Pigeonholed China Signs 1 vvo Protocols Japan: Diet Smitten With Multilateral Asian-Pacific Party Meeting Declared Dissension Ecuadtir: Kidnapping Troubles the • A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman declared that ;f;\v,vPr8si£fe^t conditions are not yet ripe for a multilateral meeting of - Canada.'USA: Cobbled Free communist and workers' parties. The most pressing issue today Trade Talks is for all parties concerned to take concrete actions to remove Cuba: Austeritv Measures in the '"hot spots" in the region, he stressed (p. 8). OtTing Obstacles to South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Interview With China's Top Educator: Campus Unrest: Result of 'Liborallzation' 14 • Washington's refusal to sign the three protocols for the Chronicle of Events: South Pacific nuclear free zone pushes the prospect of nuclear Student Upheaval: What's demilitarization there much further away (p. 10). It Ail About? 17 University Students and Higher Education 21 Contributions to the lYSH

FROIVI THE CHINESE PRESS 26-27 • During the current UN-sponsored International Year of BUSINESS/TRADE 28-29 Shelter for the Homeless, the Chinese government plans to CULTURE/SCIENCE 30-33 build 150 million square metres of housing in urban areas and 600 million square metres in the countryside. It has set goals to COVER: Vicc-Ministcr He Dongchang the year 2000 and measures to ensure their realization. To of the Slate Education Commission. provide adequate housing for a billion people will be no small Wu Jiadu contribution to the world's efforts(p. 4).

;|:|5|iMSp;M^f(ol Office Tel: 893860 Subscfiption (jrlces C yeor); USA US$23.00 Stglish Pepgrfrnen) Tph 890951-5.46 Ausfratitt A.$22.00 Canada Can.$2).00 Distributed fay Ctilno tnternationsi Book 24 (5ci:iAO"7!>uang Rood, Bo'jing Troding Cofporofion (GUOJI SHUDIAN) New ZMlond NZ.$30.QO UK £12.00 • NOTES FROM THE EDITORS Greeting International Housing Year by Xin Lin

he United Nations has desig• has built large quantities of laid-out house which will basically Tnated 1987 as the International housing for urban dwellers. Large- meet the farmers' living and Year of Shelter for the Homeless. scale housing construction began production needs. Its aim is to call the society's after the 1970s, of all housing According to the China Com• attention to the lack of adequate space, those completed in the mittee for the International Year housing and urge governments of 1980s accounted for 36 percent; in of Shelter, the government will all countries to make renewed the 1970s, 32 percent; only 9 adopt the following measures in efforts to solve the problem. The percent was built before 1949. order to achieve the above goal: People's Republic of China has Compared with 1978, in 1985 • Changing the low-rent sy• actively responded to this call. investment in urban housing stem under which all urban construction increased nearly 8 workers' housing is provided by This year, China plans to build times, housing area completed the state. China will try to absorb 150 million square metres of rose more than 4 fold, averaging a more private funds for housing housing (more than 2.7 million 22.26 percent increase a year. construction and increase the flats) in urban areas and 600 Rural houses were built with proportion of housing expendin million square metres in the funds raised by the farmers ture in individual consumptibmi countryside. The nation will see 50 themselves. Compared with 1978, (now it accounts for only 3" million people move into new in 1985 investment grew more percent), so as to quickly solve the homes. According to a general than 10 times, averaging an housing problem. survey conducted in 1985, a annual growth of 32.05 percent. • Effectively controlling the quarter of the Chinese people still The first thing a well-off farmer growth of urban population. lack adequate housing. Construc• wants to do usually is to build a China will strictly limit the scale of tion of new houses will ease this new house. The number of new big cities, reasonably develop shortage. houses is increasing in the medium-sized cities and actively countryside and the standard of expand small cities and towns, so It is indeed a tremendous task to housing construction is rising with as to avoid housing and other provide adequate housing for a most houses constructed with problems brought about by billion people. In old China, a bricks, tiles and sometimes overly-large cities. handful of high-ranking officials reinforced concrete. The number • Keeping housing standards and landlords and big capitalists of old-type mud and thatched huts under control. The emphasis of lived in sumptuous private homes is decreasing. The average amount urban housing construction will and spacious courtyards, of living space for farmers is be on small and medium-sized Western-style houses with gardens conspicuously larger than that for flats to suit family structures or big apartment buildings, urban dwellers. tending to become smaller. whereas the majority of people As a developing country, • Encouraging the building of had to make do in ramshackle China's economic power is still apartment houses to meet the houses, some of the more poverty- very limited. Although housing urgent needs of newlyweds. stricken having no shelters at all. area has expanded greatly, • Encouraging the purchase Since the founding of the standards of housing are still very and construction of houses by People's Republic in 1949, this low. Quite a number of people live individuals. great disparity has disappeared. In in crowded quarters, while • Developing low-cost build• terms of property rights, 84 housing facilities and the availa• ing materials. percent of urban housing is bility of private flats are still far • Stressing the transformation publicly owned; in terms of from meeting people's demand. of old residential quarters and old housing area, the flats or houses Steady, long-term efforts are still residences. Efforts will be made to the government provides to necessary to improve people's improve their infrastructures, the officials at the ministerial level are living conditions. The government environment and interior only twice or three times larger has paid great attention to this and facilities. than those for ordinary staff has set the goal for the year 2000: Improving living conditions members and workers. Each household in most cities and and solving the housing problem Over the last 30 years or more, towns will have an economical and for a billion people will indeed be although the state has not been in livable flat and each rural family, a no small contribution to the easy economic circumstances, it practical, hygienic and compactly world. •

4 BE1.I1NG REVIEW, NO. 8 • EVENTSARENDS ••^MMBHBBMMMMMMMHM

Light Industry Urged to Boost Export

ith the growth in the world few years, the country has problems include drabness, W economy, China's light in• depended on its light industry for limited variety, poor quality and dustry is faced with challenges as about 20 percent of its foreign outdatedness, the conference was well as opportunities. To meet the exchange earnings and 35 percent told. challenges and take advantages of of its consumer goods. "The light To tackle these problems and the opportunities, China must and textile industries are, in my make light industrial products expand the exports of manu• view, the most promising export more competitive in the internat• factured goods so as to earn as sectors. They can make full use of ional market. Minister of Light much hard currency as possible. the country's natural resources," Industry Yang Bo, also present at "This is a major strategy for said Hao. the conference, announced that vitalizing China's light ins.iustry," Hao told the conference that the ministry will develop some said Hao Jianxiu, member of the light industry has witnessed a 36.8- 6,000 new varieties of textile Chinese Communist Party Central fold increase in the past 37 years products to replace 20 percent of Committee Secretariat and a since the founding of New the existing ones in the years 1987- model worker in the 50s, at a China — an average annual 90, with emphasis on developing national conference on light growth of 10.5 percent in terms of new products in the areas of industry which opened on Feb• output value — while the state has furniture, cooking utensils, small ruary 8. invested a total of 27 billion yuan household electrical appliances, electronic toys and cosmetics. Accordingly, China's light in• (US$7.3 billion) in developing dustrial manufacturers should light industry during the same shift the emphasis on to more period. The industry has, at the According to Yang, light sophisticated products and the same time, reinvested another 20 industrial production is expected expansion of exports, especially billion yuan (US$5.4 billion) of its to increase 8 percent this year over those in coastal cities, which profits in its own expansion. Last 1986 and the quality of 90 percent possess the technical competency, year the country generated a light of its products will be improved. a complete range of industries and industrial output value of 172.6 "These tasks should be fulfilled comparatively high management billion yuan (US$46.6 billion), an mainly through technical renov• standards. "Meanwhile," she increase of 11.5 percent over 1985, ation and self-improvement of the added, "the industry will try to and upgraded 20 percent of its enterprises, not through heavy adapt more quickly to market products. capital investment, because we cannot expect the state to invest changes and consumer Although the country's light much more in the industry," he preference." industry has been doing well with said, noting that the key to Light industry constitutes an consumer goods for domestic meeting the targets lies in important source of China's market, many of its products still improved efficiency. national income and foreign do not suit to the needs of exchange earnings. Over the past international customers. Major Yang urged all enterprises . involved to follow state standards strictly, make efforts to turn out products in line with international quality standards. The minister also called on workers to make greater contributions to the current nationwide drive to increase production, save re• sources, reduce material con• sumption and production costs and improve management. At the conference, officials reiterated that the current drive against bourgeois liberalization is designed to rectify unhealthy tendencies in China's plitical and ideological field, and will not adversely affect the policy of opening China to the world. •

5 EVENTS/TRENDS

Afforestation: More in China went up 26.9 percent, and language word processor in the fruit output increased 47.7 domestic market in 1987, Wan Trees Planted percent. At the same time, 4 Runnan told Beijing Review million hectares of land were recently. ince the Fourth Session of the seeded from the air with trees and Stone Group emerged in May S Fifth National People's Con• another 584,000 hectares with 1984 from the powerful torrent of gress held in December 1981 grass, representing a 2.7-f@ld and reforms of the country's adopted a resolution on launching 15-fold increase in such seeding economic, and scientific and a nationwide voluntary afforest• over the Fifth Five-Year Plan technological systems. It is an ation campaign, over 5 billion period (1976-80). enterprise for developing scientific trees have been planted, an The People's Liberation Army research, jointly established by a average of five per person. (PLA) has taken an active part in dozen young and middle-aged Wan Li, vice-premier of the this drive. In five years, they scientists and technicians who left State Council and concurrently planted 110 million trees and their jobs at the Chinese Academy chairman of the Central Affore• turned 45,000 hectares of waste• of Sciences located in Beijing. The station Committee, urged a recent land into forests. working capital needed to start the meeting of the committee to push In many localifies, people plant company was borrowed from the effort to make the country trees to mark important events in Sijiqing Township in Beijing's greener. He said that it is im• their lives, such as birthdays, Haidian District. Stone is mainly perative to make people, especial• enrolment in and graduation from engaged in technical development ly leading officials, under• school, finding a job and of microcomputers, technical stand that the prosperity of the weddings. service and the sale of other country and the people depends More than 3,000 foreigners electronic products. It now deals on economic development, and from 30 countries living in Beijing with more than 4,000 kinds of that economic and social develop• also planted 4,900 trees in the products. ment cannot be achieved without International Friendship Forest to afforestation and environmental the north of Beijing. Some The MS-2400 Chinese-language improvement. diplomats go to water the trees word processor is one of Stone's Wan Li asked cadres at various they planted from time to time. In new products put on the market levels to make tree planting a addition, diplomatic envoys, busi• last year. The machine has been priority. In his speech, he praised ness groups and individuals from well received by users. The MS- Gansu provincial Party committee the United States, Canada, 2400 employs a newly developed secretary Li Ziqi, Guangdong Britain, Japan, France and method for distinguishing ident• provincial Party committee secre• Australia have donated more ical consonant and vowel sounds than US$20,000 to support tary Lin Ruo, Shandong pro• in different words. With multiple China's afforestation efforts. vincial Party committee secretary functions, the machine can type Liang Buting, Beijing mayor Chen by Wei Liming Chinese, English, Japanese, Rus• Xitong and Tianjin mayor Li sian and Greek words. Ruihuan for their unswerving Stone has co-operated with efforts in afforestation. Mitsui, a Japanese company, to Yang Zhong, minister of China's iBM produce the MS-2400. Mitsui was forestry, said at the meeting that in charge of developing the over the past five years more than — Stone's Ambition machine hardware, and the 200 million people came forward software was developed by Stone for voluntary tree planting, and as hinese Vice-Premier Wan Li in China. Computer and office a result, the wooded area in the C and other Party and State automation equipment manu• cities increased by nearly 50 leaders met on February 12 in facturers in Japan and the United percent as compared with five Beijing with some of the States have been moving ahead years ago. entrepreneurs who participated in with developing Chinese-language According to statistics collected a forum on privately owned word processors. The MS-2400 is from 324 cities, 89 have covered 20 scientific and technological units. the first machine to employ percent or more of their land with Among them was Wan Runnan, software developed in China. trees, whereas there were only 37 general manager of the Stone The software centre of the five years ago. In addition, trees Group Corporadon. Chinese State Scientific and have been planted along some The Stone Group Corporation, Technological Commission made 50,000 kilometres of highway and a collectively owned Chinese an appraisal of the MS-2400 late 14,000 kilometres of railway. company, plans to introduce six last year. Experts of the centre are In the Sixth Five-Year Plan new types of computer products of the opinion that the machine period (1981-85), orchard acreage based on the MS-2400 Chinese- holds a leading position among

6 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 the same kind of products in the In China, the situation that charged from Stone for violating world. The price of the machine is scientific research is divorced from work rules. about 8,000 yuan, and some production has existed for a long Stone Group's assets belong to foreign companies regard the MS- time. There are thousands of all members of the corporation. 2400 as having the lowest price research institutions all over the Everyone in the company has among its competitors, consider• country, and the government shares, which increase in value ing its functions. Mitsui plans to makes big investments in scientific when Stone makes profits, and introduce the machine into the research every year. But many decrease in value when the .Japanese market. research institutions do not realize corporation loses money. So returns on the investment. They employees at Stone are all Stone Group's economic become wrapped up in developing concerned about the corporation's growth has been phenomenal. Its scientific treatises instead of growth. turnover of nearly 10 million yuan scientific products. They care little In the larger economic environ• in 1984 more than tripled in 1985 whether their scientific research to 32 million yuan. With the ment, Stone opposes any form of can be quickly applied to protectionism and hopes that the appearance of tlie MS-2400. its productive use, so many proto• output value reached more than government will provide oppor• types they develop later became tunities for fair competition 100 million yuan last year — the waste products. equivalent of 500,000 yuan per among all the enterprises, includ• Stone changed this situation. It ing private ones. j;person—which is 50 times more insisted on gearing its research ||ian the output value of similar Recently, some people were work to the needs of the worried that Stone would not be enterprises in Beijing. Stone has marketplace. Through market jturned over tax revenue of 12 able to compete with the Great surveys, it found that the Wall Computer Group Corpor• ^.million yuan to the state and development of Chinese-language 'donated 300.000 yuan to social ation, a newly established state- word processors may become the owned computer syndicate. pubhc welfare. Now its fixed breakthrough point in developing assets are valued at 1 million yuan. "Don't worry," said Cao Wuqi, the nation's information industry. director of the general manager's Stone, formerly a regional "1 think we not only provided a office of Stone, "no single company, has become a 's i;;,.n- new product to the domestic enterprise can monopolize an wide group incoporidine eight market, but also tapped a new entire industry." For example, he professional compan'C".. It has set industry that can potentially said, IBM is the largest intern• up its research utvi -.iuns. offices achieve an output value of 10 ational computer corporation and sales netwi); ks in 60 cities and billion yuan and help make with an annual turnover of more regions liiroughout the country, traditional Chinese typewriters than US$40 billion, yet it does not including Shenzhen, Shanghai, obsolete," Wan said. monopolize the entire intern• Uruniqi, Changsha and Wuhan. The corporation pays great ational computer industry. Stone is to open a division in attention to economic results. It Thousands of small and medium- Hong Kong this year. accepts the idea that all enterprises sized computer enterprises have All these achievements lay a should aim to make profits, but it sprung up around the world. solid foundation for Stone to is careful not to harm consumer "Each one can find a place to move towards world market and interests while making money. develop its own potential," Cao realize its ambition of becoming "We put the reputation of the added. the largest associated computer company above our immediate "Although we are weaker on the enterprise in the country — profits because we want to make technology side of things than the China's IBM. further advances," Wan Runnan Great Wall Group, we have our What has enabled Stone to said. "We regard the users as our own superiorifies." Stone is an achieve such big success within supporters." independent enterprise that as• such a short period of time? Qualified, knowledgeable sumes sole responsibility for its "Superiority in ideology is a factor people are respected at Stone. own profits and losses. As such, it of the first importance to the Each employee has his or her own has far more flexibility than a success of Stone," said Wan strong point. The company gives state-run enterprise when deciding Run nan. full scope to the special skills of all what it will produce and quickly Sionc has stressed development its members, and it allows free put its decision into practice. of the spirit and culture of the movement of workers within the The Chinese transliteration of enterprise since it was first set up. corporation. Employees who wish the name Stone is 'Sitong' which The company has formed its own to leave Stone can do so at any means extending in all directions. set of new concepts, including time, and those who fail to live up In English, a stone can be a management methods, personnel to their jobs are dismissed. Late milestone. "We hope our com• policies, and distribution system. last year four people were dis• pany will develop rapidly and

23, 19X7 IFBRIJARY 7 EVENTSARENDS

realize all our ambitions. We also want to be a milestone in the country's reforms," Cao Wuqi China's Stand on Parties' Conference said, "If we fail, we will be satisfied to have been a stone, paving the Foreign Ministry spokesman equality, mutual respect and non• way along the country's road of A said on February 11 that interference in each other's reform. But we are confident that "conditions are not yet ripe for a internal affairs. multilateral meeting of commu• we can succeed and achieve our The Foreign Ministry spokes• goals through our determination nist and workers' parties under the present circumstances." man stressed that "a multilateral and efforts," he concluded. • conference of communist and by Wang Yanjuan The spokesman said this while commenting on Mongolia's invit• wokers' parties, such a conference, ation for communist and workers' if held now, can hardly yield any parties in the Asia-Pacific region positive results." to meet in Ulan Bator at a weekly He reiterated that the Chinese Firecrackers Dash press briefing in Beijing. Communist Party attaches great Firemen's Hope for importance to the maintenance of He said that China has received world peace and of stability in the Easy Spring Holiday no invitation to attend such a Asia-Pacific region in particular. meeting, but has taken notice of "At present, the most pressing t is Spring Festival Eve. Fire the news in this regard. issue concerning the maintenance I fighters of the First Detach• The Chinese Communist Party, of peace and stability in the Asia- " •.' ment of the General Fire Brigade he said, has always stood for Pacific region requires the parties of Beijing Security Bureau, in bilateral free exchange of views on concerned to take concrete actions Fuyou Street, xicheng District, are issues of common concern on the in removing 'hot spots' and watching television. Jiaozi basis of independence, total obstacles in this region," he said. (dumpling), the traditional festival food in north China, are in the pot. Outside the deafening sounds of firecrackers rattles the neighbour• hood. Then suddenly, the alarm goes off The firemen jump to their Even though his wife is eight exceeded 7 million yuan, about feet and rush to the fire engines. months pregnant, he is not able to three times as much as in 1985. Seconds later they are speeding to spend the holiday with her this The number of big fires is the scene of a fire. year. How does she feel about this? increasing. There were 55 big fires During the Spring Festival "She does not complain. She knew last year, most of which occurred (from January 28 to February I before we got married. She knows at night. this year), there were 426 fire calls that my job is important in Kang blamed the high fire rate in Beijing, including two major protecting the life and property of last year on imperfect safety fires. The fires injured one person the people," He says. regulations in many factories and and caused financial loss of over Frontier guards are defending institutions. People on night duty 328,000 yuan. Most fires were the country and the people along in some places were sound asleep caused by firecrackers. During the the borders, firemen are protect• as fires were raging around them. fireworks climax (from midnight ing the people's lives and property With the rise in people's living to one o'clock), there were 104 fire in the inland. They risk their lives, standards, the use of electrical calls, one for every 35 seconds. they are on a round-the-clock call appliances is burgeoning. Fires all the year round. "We are busy caused by faulty appliances are "We spend all our holidays like when other people are working. also increasing. "In our area," this,'" says He Changcheng, We are very busy in the holidays says He Changcheng, "most fires political instructor of the detach• when other people can down their were caused by fireworks from ment. "We were called out nearly tools and rest," He says. January 28 to 29. But most fires 20 times the night of January 28." According to Kang Haishan, an were caused by electrical app• He Changcheng has been in fire official of the General Fire liances from January 30 to fighting units for over 10 years. ^Brigade of Beijing Security February 1." Throughout this period, he has Bureau, the number of fires and not been able to stay at home and the damage they cause is The fire rate was higher in rural celebrate Spring Festivals with his increasing year by year. areas than in the city last year. family Hke his fellow Chinese. Last year, fires claimed 41 lives There were 434 fires in the He spent almost all his holidays at and injured 73 people in Beijing. countryside. Forest fires were his post or at the scene of a fire. The total loss from the 791 fires more numerous than usual

8 BEIJING REVIEW. NO. 8 because of the dry weather last Weekly Chronicle the Civil Aviation Administrafion spring. During the first five (Feb. 9-15) of China(CAAC). months of last year, there were 42 forest fires, a 68 percent increase over the same period of 1985. CULTURAL In recent years, the official says, POLITICAL the number of high buildings has February 9 increased rapidly, and many February 11 factories are producing beyond Xinhua reports that the China Institute of Advanced Acupunc• their designed capacities. There The National Conference of the are fire dangers inherent in all this, ture Studies has opened its door to Revolutionary Committee of the foreigners. he points out. Chinese Kuomintang closes and calls on its members to work for He suggests that authorities at February 11 realizing China's peaceful A giant seismic data processing all levels pay careful attention to reunification. fire prevention and safety. The system for oil exploration, based success of fire prevention depends on Chinese-made massive Galaxy computer, goes into operation in on the enthusiastic co-operation ECONOMIC of the whole community. "We will Zhuozhou near Beijing, Xinhua says. disseminate fire prevention techni• February 9 ques among all Chinese people, down to the children," says Kang. China will strengthen control on foreign exchange and foreign FOREIGN RELATIONS Last year fire prevention teams loans. Spending of foreign ex• of youngsters were organized in change for non-trade and non- February 9 Beijing's Dongcheng, Xicheng, production purposes will be China hopes Japan will pro• Xuanwu, Chongwen and Fengtai curbed, Xinhua says. districts, whereby children were perly handle a lawsuit concerning a piece of Chinese-owned real taught how to prevent fires and February 10 estate in Japan, a group of Chinese spread their knowledge. There are now in china eight law experts said after a week-long open coastal cities, each of which visit to Japan. Fires caused by children can turn out an annual industrial recently amounted to about 10 output value of more than 10 Shenzhen will simplify proce• percent of the total number of fires billion yuna (US$2.7 billion), dures for foreigners to enter China in Beijing. "So the spreading of Xinhua says. from the Luohu and Shekou knowledge about precautions border stations beginning on among children is of great Xinhua reports that China will February 16, a local official importance in reducing the in 1987 issue 6 billion yuna announced. incidence of fire." He also says (US$1.6 billion) in treasure bonds, that a good way of spreading the same amount as in 1986. February 11 knowledge of fire prevention to While answering some foregn society is through children. It February 11 newsmen's question on the receives the parents' full support. To bring in another bumper expulsion of Lawrence Even children in many kinder• harvest of grain, cotton and other McDonald, AFP correspondent gartens in Beijing are receiving fire cash crops, in 1987 the Chinese in Beijing, on January 30, a prevention instruction. Beijing's government will allocate nearly 40 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes• Chaoyang District held a compe• percent more funds than in last man says, "China's policies tition last year on fire prevention year for improving irrigation and towards foreign news organiz- knowledge among kindergarten other facilities in the rural areas, auons and reporters will not children. according to Xinhua. change. We welcome foreign journalists to reside in and report The State Statistical Bureau "I hope more and more people on China and we will give them discloses in 1986 China's state- will know and apply fire acfive assistance so as to enable owned enterprises completed prevention," Kang Haishan says. them to know China better and capital construction worth 115.3 He also suggests strengthening the report on it objectively." billion yuan (US$31 billion), up law so that those who are 7.3 percent over 1985. "Foreign journalists can doubt• responsible for fire can be severely Six independently managed lessly continue to have normal punished. airline companies will be formed contacts with Chinese citizens," he By Wang Yanjuan according to a national meeting of added.

I-EBRUARY 23. 1987 9 INTERNATIONAL

SOUTH PACIFIC Protocol No. 1 of the treaty demands that France, the United States and Britain pledge to Nuclear Free Zone Treaty Pigeonholed implement the main items of the treaty in Polynesia, Samoa and Pitcairn which are controlled by A complete South Pacific nuclear free zone has been ruled out them. Protocol No. 2 asks the since the US government has decided not to sign the three United States, the Soviet Union, China, Great Britain and France protocols to a treaty on the matter. not to use or threaten to use any nuclear explosive device against the South Pacific nuclear free zone, and Protocol No. 3 calls on the five states not to conduct he Reagan administration has nuclear testing in the South Pacific nuclear tests in the region. After Trecently decided not to sign (land or sea), on deploying nuclear the treaty came into effect on three protocols to the South weapons in the signatory ter• December 1, 1986, the above Pacific nuclear free zone treaty as ritories or under the sea and on countries were asked to sign the requested by 13 nations in the dumping nuclear waste in the sea. protocols. region. The impact has already The question of foreign ships and begun to be felt. Australian planes with nuclear arms entering Serious objections have been Foreign Minister Bill Hayden has any country's territories is left up frequently registered againSt said that the United States should to each signatory individually. French nuclear tests in Mororoa, not take its refusal to sign the The treaty zone stretches north the dumping of nuclear waste in protocols for granted. Chairman to the equator, south to the the South Pacific and th« of the House Foreign Affairs demilitarized Antarctic non- superpowers' nuclear arms race in Subcommittee on Asian and nuclear zone, west to the Indian the region. Pacific Affairs Stephen Solarz told Ocean shore of Australia and east The Reagan administration's reporters that it was a mistake for to the Latin American nuclear free rejection of the protocols arises the US government to reject the zone defined by the treaty of from the rivalry between the protocols. Tlatelolco. United States and the Soviet US State Department spokes• man Charles Redman said on February 5 that the US govern• ment has informed Australia, New Zealand and the other countries China Signs Two Protocols involved that "in view of our global security interests and responsibilities, we are not in a n February 10 China signed changed its position on the Non- position to sign the protocols. We O Protocols Nos. 2 and 3 Proliferation Treaty or on the view the growing number of attached to the South Pacific Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. proposals for regional nuclear free nuclear free zone treaty in Suva, zones as potentially undermining capital of Fiji. China will fulfil its obligations the policy of deterrence which has Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Ji under the two protocols, the been the cornerstone of Western Chaozhu did the signing and read statement said, but added that security since World War II." a statement on behalf of the "the Chinese government reserves Chinese government at the the right to reconsider these The South Pacific nuclear free Headquarters of the South Pacific obligations if another nuclear zone treaty was initiated by Bureau for Economic Co• state or the contracting parties to Australian Prime Minister Robert operation of the South Pacific the treaty take any action in gross Hawke in 1983, and the 13 Forum. violation of the treaty and its members of the South Pacific The statement declared that attached protocols, thus changing Forum endorsed it in Rarotonga, China respects the status of the the status of the nuclear free zone Cook Islands on August 7, 1985. South Pacific nuclear free zone and endangering the security The treaty has 16 items and and will not use or threaten to use interests of China." three protocols, requesting the or test nuclear weapons in the "In making the South Pacific a signatories to ban research, region. real nuclear free zone, states in manufacture and possession or However, the statement pointed possession of large nuclear importation of any nuclear out, the signing of the protocols arsenals bear a special responsi• weapons. It also includes a ban on does not imply that China has bility," the statement stressed. •

10 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 Union in this region. For years sentiments in this region will commodities and an alcohol tax. Washington has been strengthen• strengthen those in Western The proposed 5 percent sales tax ing its defence Hne from Japan and Europe, eroding its aOies' support would cover processing and the Philippines to Australia. In for "Star Wars" programme and manufaturing through circulation recent years Moscow has for American nuclear missiles on to wholesale and retail sales. The answered with a marked increase their soil. opposition parties claim that the ip its military presence there. France has also opposed the sales tax is an unfair tax revenue, it It is reported that the United Rarotonga treaty. To keep its would confuse circulation, in• States is ready to build a missile nuclear deterrent credible, France crease the burden on smaller testing ground for its Strategic feels it needs constantly to industrialists and businessmen Defence Initiative on Marshall improve its nuclear weapons, and and cause prices to shoot up. All Island in the South Pacific. will not renounce nuclear tests in this would hamper the domestic Furthermore, the United States Mororoa. market. has fears that the anti-nuclear by He Shiyun The issue has also aroused some opposition within the LDP. In last JAPAN year's Diet election, about 20 percent of the LDP councillors were against introducing large- Diet Smitten Witti Dissension scale indirect tax. It was reported r recently that there were 6 coun• The Japanese Diet is facing its worst crisis in the decade as the cillors in the Tokyo electoral ruling party clashes with the opposition. district who definitely opposed the sales tax. About dozens of prefec- e Japanese Diet reconvened budget allocated more than 1 tural assemblies have disapproved ron January 26 after a month- percent of the gross national of the sales tax. Groups in the long New Year recess. On January product to defence, contrary to the commercial field who formerly 28, Prime Minister Yasuhiro 1976 cabinet decision to keep supported the LDP declared that Nakasone delivered his policy defence outlays below 1 percent of if the party did not scrap the sales speech. The agenda required the GNP. On the eve of the Diet's tax plan, they would withdraw opposition then to put forward reconvening, the Japanese govern• their support, and they hajve questions, but they refused to ment decided, in view of strong initiated action to prevent coun• because the prime minister had opposifion, to declare the total cillors who support the sales tax made no mention of sales tax, the defence spending now for the from being elected. In view of this, people's main concern. The following five years. This drew still the LDP decided to convene a deadlock continued for five days more objections from the oppo• national convention to promote and it was only when Nakasone sition who fears this is part of tax reform so as to reach party agreed to make an additional Nakasone's plan to remove limit unity on the issue. The prime speech about sales tax that the on defence spending and put minister also hinted recently at a meeting proceeded to question Japan on the road to a big military possible revision of the sales tax period. power. bill, hoping to quieten the country and encourage a compromise with On February 4, the ruling The sales tax is an equally the opposition parties. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) thorny question. Japan now is suggested that the 1987 budget be levying a selective tax on certain by Sun Dongmin submitted to the budget commit• tee for consideration. But the opposition parties demanded to ECUADOR take part in the discussion and asked the government to submit Kidnapping Troubles tiie President all the tax reform plans. The LDP rejected this and unilaterally summoned the meeting of the Although Ecuadoran President Leon Fehres Cordero has budget committee. Because of the successfully got through his kidnapping, he is having opposition parties' boycott, the difficulties tackling government in the wake of the abduction. meeting was once again suspended. cuador's President Leon a military ceremony at Taura Air The two matters at issue here E Febres Cordero was kid• Base. Defence Minister General are the sales tax and defence napped by paratroopers on Medardo Salazar Navas was also spending. For fiscal 1987 the January 16 when he was attending taken. Two men were killed and

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 II INTERNATIONAL six others seriously wounded in home and abroad. In the National mandatory and rejected by the exchange of gunfire with the Congress election held last June, Febres, the decision damages the presidential guards. the ruling party and its allies president's reputation. In a statement, the abductors obtained only 19 of the 71 seats, so demanded, among other things, the opposition parties could use The 74 paratroopers from the release of the imprisoned Air their majority to infiuence the Taura Air Base who kidnapped Force General Frank Vargas government. the president were transferred to Pazos and the resignation of the On January 22, the Ecuadoran Quito. They are reportedly to be president. National Congress passed a prosecuted. The political situation Agreement was reached after resolution calHng for the resign• in Ecuador remains tense in the about six hours' negotiation. ation of President Cordero. The aftermath of the abduction. President Cordero was freed after Congress charged him with Febres faces the biggest challenge pledging that Gen. Pazos would be violating the country's consti- in his two and a half years in office released and that no action would tufion, transgressing against the as he decided how to deal with the be taken against the kidnappers. Congress and provoking his own mutinous military. abduction. Though non- by Zhu Manting On March 2, 1986, when his term of office expired. Gen. Pazos refused to resign from his posts as CANADA/USA chief of staff of the Armed Forces and general commander of the Air l\)rce as the law required. Instead, on March 7, forcing his Cobbled Free Trade Talks way into the defence building, he accused the defense minister and the general commander of the Canada and the United States are once again to sit down and army of grafting military funds. A attempt a settlement of their long trade dispute. quarrell ensued, and gunshots were fired. Later, President Cordero re• t the end of last year, Canada's jj One third of Canada's GNP is lieved Gen. Pazos of all of his A Prime Minister Brian Mul- its export income and its trade posts. Pazos rejected the order, roney reiterated that his govern• with .the United States alone and returning to his hometown, he ment would continue to pursue the accounts for one quarter of the occupied an air base there, and free trade talks between Canada total. The row over bilateral trade caused a confrontation between and the United States in the hope in recent years has harmed not the army and the air force. The of persuading the US to moderate only relations but also the beleaguered president had to cope its trade policy with its neighbour, economies. Canada believes that with Pazos -on the one hand and for the slowdown in trade is the United States is the key to investigate the corruption on the estimated to have cost 500,000 Canada's economy becoming other. Not until the defence Canadians their jobs, half the total stable and more competitive. minister and the army commander unemployment population. left their posts did Pazos give up Unfortunately for Canada, the his air base and surrender to the Free trade talks between obstacles to a settlement are government. Canada and the United States intractable. To reduce its stagger• formally began last June and are ing trade deficit, the US has turned On March 13, Gen. Pazos seized now going into their tenth round. to protecfionism. Last year, the another air base and a neighbour• Being each other's leading trade US suffered a US$170 billion ing international airport in the partner, both sides attach great trade deficit, 10 bilHon of which hope of toppling the government. importance to the matter. was with Canada. So the US He was defeated and taken in Over the last four years, unilaterally raised its dudes on custody, prompting forces loyal Canada's economy has slowed Canadian red cedar, soft wood him to kidnap the president. down, burdened by a 4 percent and oil equipment three times last Civilian constitutional govern• inflation rate, a 9.6 percent year. ment did not take over from the unemployment and a financial With indignations running high military in Ecuador until 1979. deficit. The economy grew 3.3 at home, the Canadian govern• Febres Cordero, the second percent in 1986, compared with 4 ment has been anxious to settle president serving the civilian percent or over in the two previous this dispute. In the autumn of system, has been beset with years. It is estimated that the 1985, it issued a statement difficulties over the past two years growth rate of the economy this proposing the co-ordinated step- and has received tough criticism at year will drop to 2.5 or 3 percent. by-step removal of duties on each

12 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 other's exports over ten years, and bring Canada under Uncle Sam's The austerity measures were trying to reduce such "non-tariff thumb, given the US's lead in triggered by a low growth rate of barriers" as quotas to a minimum. technology and in economic between 1.5 percent and 2 percent This prompted the beginning of power: the United States' GNP last year, the lowest in the past the free trade talks. being 10 times as great as several years, and the sharp drop The proposal has led people in Canada's. in Cuba's export earnings, which political, economic and business Other suggestions have since are expected to plummet from circles into quarrels over the best been thrown up, a "common US$1.2 billion in 1985 to only way to expand trade. Many big market," for example, by which all US$600 million this year. companies and nine provinces trade barriers would come down The drop was attributed to (but not Ontario) have supported and the free mobility of labour and falling oil and sugar prices, the North American free trade. Some currencies be assured. Canada and depreciation of the US dollar and economists have asserted that the the US would also erect a united the worst drought in 40 years. protectionism which has been in tariff wall against other countries. Cuba gets 13 million tons of oil evidence since the 1970s is not the Support for this suggestion is from the Soviet Union annually solution to Canada's economic sparse as Canadian economists and is allowed to export what it problems and Canada-US fear it will jeopardize Canada's does not need for home consump• economic co-operation would sovereignty. "Partly free trade" tion. Cuba earns more foreign prevent Canada's economy from and establishment of a "trade income from this surplus oil than choking. zone" are also under from its sugar exports, but consideration. plunging oil prices last year cost Opponents, mostly smaller The greatness of the issues at Cuba about US$300 million. enterprises and particularly the stake will themselves put brakes manufacturers in Ontario, who on the smoothness and speed of Mismanagement, poor labour are less competitive than their US the talks. discipline, extravagent bonus rivals, worry that free trade would systems and waste have all by Guo Wenfu contributed to Cuba's economic problems. The country's foreign CUBA debt has piled up US$4 billio^n, which forced the government to negotiate with foreign banks to Austerity Measures in tlie Offing reschedule the debt payments. Speaking at the third plenary In the new year Cuba will take austerity measures to prevent meeting of the Central Committee its economy from further deteriorating. of the Cuban Communist Party, which was called to pre-examine the socio-economic development ntering the new year, Cubans ludes abolishing free lunches plan and the state budget for 1987 Ewill have less rice, milk, which have been provided by the prior to the National Assembly gasoline,and textiles, according to government for years at cafeterias session, Castro urged the Party to an announcement made by in factories and at snack bars in accomplish the plan and under• President Fidel Castro at a government agencies. Some holi• lined the need for persevering and congress of the Cuban National day subsidies will also be serious effort every day. He also Assembly of People's Power last abolished. stressed the decisive role that December 26. A total of 27 At the same time, the Cuban human, ideological and cons• austerity measures— the first such government decided to reduce TV cience factors play in fulfilling the sweeping and stern provisions programmes and change the hours tasks. since the re\'olution 28 years of sports events to save electricity Castro said Cuba could not ago-; will be carried out to in night lighting, cut gasoline depend on the Soviet Union to overcome Cuba's current consumption in government ag• solve its shortage of foreign economic plight. encies by 20 percent, and double exchange reserves, because the The cutbacks for 1987 are public transportation charges Soviets have also been hit hard by aimed at combating the drop in from five centavos to 10 centavos sliding oil and gas prices. In early foreign exchange earnings, reduc• (about 10 US cents). Electricity December, he called on Cuba's 10 ing expenditures, and balancing rates will rise from 6.5 centavos to million citi/ens to tighten their the budget without drastically nine centavos (about nine US belts and revitalize their "internat• sacrificing economic growth, cents), and more textiles will be ionalist" spirit in a bid to meet the Castro lold the national assembly. exported at the cost of home bleak economic outlook. The austerity programme inc- consumption. by Gao Yonghua

FEBRUARY 23, 19X7 13 Hi ARTICLES

INTERVIEW WITH CHINA'S TOP EDUCATOR Campus Unrest: Result of 'Liberalization'

The few Chinese campuses briefly ruffled by student protests this Party membership and admitted winter have quickly quieted down. Yet people are still asking: Why into the Party has increased. was the incident attributed to the influence of bourgeois Bourgeois liberalization, how• liberalization? How do the Chinese govemment and universities ever, reared its head once again handle the students involved? Will socialist democracy be among university students begin• advocated on the campus any longer? And will the short-lived ning in 1984, as a result of activities of a tiny number of hubbub change China's policy of dispatching students for studies advocates. These advocates were overseas? A high-ranking official answered these questions in a often Party members, so they February 12 Interview with 'Beijing Review' correspondent Lu Yun. inOuenced quite a few students. He Dongchang, vice-minister of the State Education Commission, is China is making economic considered as the nation's top educator, who presides over the progress— registering tangible re• Commission's day-to-day work. sults in rural and urbaii reform • and improvement in the people's>'i Question: The university student livelihood. But why did thS-'i unrest that took place in some stiidents change iheir minds so ! Chinese cities has drawn to an quickly? end, but our readers are still very The only explanation is that for , much concerned about it. Would a time, a few people in the cultural, you please tell us why the ideological and theoretical fields incident is seen as a result of the were writing articles and deliver• influence of bourgeois ing speeches in opposition to the liberalization? four cardinal principles (the Answer: Very few universities and socialist road, the people's students were involved in the democratic dictatorship, leader• recent disturbance. Fewer stu• ship of the Cotnmunist Party, and dents took to the street in Marxism-Leninism and Mao demonstration*. They got invol• Zedong Thought) that have ved out of different purposes — been laid down in the Constitution for example, some wanted to in spirit and letter. While extolling lodge their grievance against everything under capitalism, they university management, and some influence of bourgeois liberaliz• describe China's socialism as had hard feelings against the ation began to show itself on the feudalism. Some went so far as to authorities in a certain area. But university campus in 1980. A say that the spirit of selflessness on the whole, the agitation number of Beijing University should be written off and the idea reflected the influence of bour• students then were campaigning of "everyone for himself should geois liberalization that had for nomination as deputies to the be kept alive. These erroneous appeared in the last few years. To local legislature, the Haidian ideas gradually spread and their advocate bourgeois liberalization District People's Congress, and influence on the students reached is to write off the socialist system surprisingly, one or two of them its climax during the campus and replace it with the capitalist won prolonged applause from disturbance towards the end of system, with the purpose of their campus constituency after last year. Take Fang Lizhi. the opposing the Communist Party identifying themselves as non• former deputy president of the leadership. party members. But such hard China University of Science and A basic fact to keep in mind is feelings against the Party gradu• Technology, for example. Resort• that over the years, Chinese ally softened under the challenge ing to demagogy in his speeches to university students have come a of solid reality, that is, the university students in Shanghai, long way ideologically. The country's success in economic Hefei and Zhejiang, he openly reform and, in particular, the rural called on his audiences to "change * Only a little more than 1 percent of reform that has brought rapid the colour of the Party" and to China's 2 million university students took growth of production and a achieve "complete Westerniz• part in the campus protests, according to marked improvement in farmers' the vice-minister at a December 30 press ation." The campus unrest was conference in Beijing (see p. 5, Beijing living standards. As a result, the allowed to happen because many Review issue No. 1) number of students applying for organizations at both the central

14 BDLIING REVIEW. NO. S and local levels, with much laxity Party and those who have violated trust of the people. I hope that no and confusion in their ideological discipline with serious conse• students will persists in their and political work, did Httle to quences will be handled according mistakes. The school authorities combat bourgeois liberalization. to the Party Constitution. and the teachers should help the Q: What policies liave tlie For the overwhelming majority erring students correct their government and university auth• of students involved in the recent mistakes so that they will be orities talten against campus campus disturbance, it is generally welcomed by the employing agitation participants? a matter of study and self- organizations. Under the current A: As I have already told you, education. The policy is based on job assignment system, while the only a small number of students in the unshakable belief that the university may have some say very few universities were involved young people of today are a very about the future of their students in the student protests that lasted promising generation. The stu• and the students are entitled to but a few days at the most in each dents will draw lessons from the indicate their preferences, the school. These students were incident and become more mature employing organizations have the actually victims of wrong ideas. politically. As the saying goes, right to make their own choices as Some of them have begun careful "God allows the youth to well. Thus it can be said that the self-reexamination and sensed commit mistakes." Didn't we people are not only nurturing the that they were on the wrong side. ourselves make mistakes when we university students but are also In fact, no student could raise any were young? This is why we should observing them and selecting good reason to justify their use of care for the young and guide them them. street demonstrations to voice with patience. In providing their opinions. guidance, we will bear two basic Q: What impact have the student points in mind. First, the policy of In 1957, the Party committed protests had on ideological and reform, opening to the outside the grave mistake of widening the political work in universities? world and rejuvenating the home scope of the anti-Rightist struggle A: What happened on the campus economy should never be relin• among intellectuals, patriots and will prompt university authorities quished; and second, the four Party officials. Some university to sum up their experiences and students were also labelled cardinal principles should be improve their work in the political Rightists. This was of course adhered to. and ideological field. For instance, wrong. Today we have seen to it Q: Will campus unrest partici• the students will be instilled with that past mistakes will never be pants find it difficult to get jobs the knowledge of the legal system, repeated. No government crack• upon graduation? with the emphasis on the letter and down happened during the unrest, A: Our lives are made up of spirit of the Constitution and the and by publishing regulations positive and negative experiences. notion that the dignity of the governing parades and de• A man is clever not because he Constitution allows no encroach- monstrations, authorities in Beij• never makes mistakes but because ment.The basic point here is to ing and Shanghai have brought he corrects his mistakes very uphold the four cardinal princi• such activities into the orbit of quickly. It doesn't matter if ples, persevere in reform and the state law. someone makes mistakes in his open policy, safeguard socialist democracy and maintain social The handful of law-breakers actions and ideology or even stability and unity. who disguised themselves as repeats them for a while. But if a students and made trouble on the student is given to trouble-making More opportunities will be campus will be dealt with and refuses to mend his ways, he is provided for middle school and according to law. The very few actually making things difficult university students to get in touch students who have run seriously for himself. People write their with society and reality. Partici• afoul of the law (such as those who histories with their own actions. pants in the campus unrest were had damaged public property, Whether a student who persists in mostly first- and second-year burned up motor vehicles or sold trouble-making can find a job students, who are quite different confidential information to upon graduation depends not on from those enrolled in 1978, the foreigners) will also be brought to the attitude of the university year the college entrance examin• legal account. Everyone is equal authorities but on whether the ation system was reinstalled. The before the law, and no exception workplace is willing to accept him. "cultural revolution" robbed will be made for the students at the Situations like this often give the them of their schooling opportun• expense of the dignity of the state school authorities a hard time, and ities, but they never let up studies law. No legal action will be will probably spell losses for the of science and culture. Having brought against minor malfea• state. In my opinion, such students suffered a lot during that sants who are willing to mend their should be given jobs all the same, traumatic decade, they treasured ways. Those who are Party and if they give a good account of their regained learning opportun• members will be criticized in the themselves, they will regain the ity more than anything else. Years

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 15 •1 ARTICLES of physical labour in factories and sions identical with, or at least with state affairs. Dialogue will be rural areas also earned them similar to, those of the Party and advocated among students, be• considerable practical experiences the government. In this regard, the tween teacheres and students and and, above all, a certain degree of short-hved unrest on the campus between students and people with political maturity. will, in the long run, produce practical experience. As long as By contrast, the university positive results. opinions —including criticisms students of today were born The need for schools, society and suggestions concerning pro• shortly before or during the and families to work together in blems in Party and government "cultural revolution" and they student education has aroused work — are expressed in a normal had little idea about what a attention from all quarters. An way, no blame will be put on those catastrophe China suffered during example of this is that during the who have said something wrong. that period. They grew up at a time short winter school holiday this Achieving a high degree of of nationwide improvment in the year student social activities took socialist democracy entails a living stardards. Many are only on a scope much wider than gradual process circumscribed by children so pampered that they before. people's educational level and had to be accompanied by their The temporary student agit• political experience. But democ• parents when they first went to ation has also brought home to racy should be more dynamic in university. parents the importance of improv• universities and other intellectual They were mostly hard-working ing their children's ideological communities, promoted in an students during their middle judgment. Most of these parents, orderly manner within the frame• school days. Upon entering having seen the old and new work of the Constitution and state university, they suddenly found society and the disasterous law. It is my belief that university themselves as grow-ups, people "cultural revolution," know that students will know better how to who have to decide for themselves the current political stability and exercise their democratic rights and citizens with the right to vote. unity that makes it possible for the and make greater, smoother But, ignorant of history, inexperi• whole nation to concentrate its progress. enced in practice, inmature resources on modernization is Q: Will the campus unrest politically, they are prone to hard won. They are in a better change China's policy of sending erroneous tendencies. It is there• position to help their children see students for studies overseas? fore necessary for students to society and reality in the right A: The open policy will stay in maintain close contact with perspective and resist the tempt• force in the field of education, and society and reality from the day ation of wrong ideas. China will continue to draw on they enter schools. Q: What impact will the student useful things from foreign coun• People with knowledge and incident have on the democratic tries according to its actual needs. talent will be held in high esteem as process in Chinese universities Because ours is a big developing before. We'll work to bring about in the long run? country handicapped by a com• a vast contingent of people who A: University authorities will paratively low economic level, we are down-to-earth yet highly make it a point to provide an have got to dispatch people to creative in their work, rather than environment in which students are study abroad strictly according to people who know nothing about able to engage in appropriate the country's needs. Therefore the wprkers and peasants, the real school management work and to work in this field will be improved situation of the country, and the air their opinions and wishes. with more attention paid to complexity and difficulties of the Involving students in democrati• choosing people who are morally reform — people so naive as to cally managing campus Ufe will and intellectually sound. China assume that reform and develop• help universities to improve their will gradually rely on its own ment of the country will take a work and the students to improve universities to train people course as smooth and wide as their work abilities. But, as is the towards MA and PHD degrees, Beijing's Changan Boulevard. case with most countries in the and efforts will be made to tackle It is imperitive for school world, the university president the problem of returnees unable to education to be integrated with and teaching staff are mainly apply what they have learned reality and physical labour so that responsible for teaching and abroad. Given the limited state university students can learn how academic research. resources, it is impractical to start to proceed from reality and base To bring educators and stu• large-scale research in basic themselves on Marxist theories dents closer together, it is science and for this reason not and the practice of society in their necessary to open up democratic many people in this field will be search for the ways and means of avenues so that students can air sent abroad. But on the whole, the making the nation strong and the and swap their opinions without number of students studying people prosperous. In doing so, misgivings. Young people will be abroad will not be reduced but will they'll enevitably come to conclu• encouraged to concern themselves be increased. •

16 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Student Upheaval: What's It All About? Recent student demonstrations in China have come as a surprise, and have aroused much speculation abroad. The situation has now calmed down, and the time seems right to explore what has been happening with Chinese college students.

ovember 10. Big-character criticizing the school authorities called for "changing the Party's Nposters* appeared on the for poor management. colour" because, he added, "the campus of East China Teachers' Two graduate students of Party is now black." University in Shanghai opposing Northwest University in Xian November 18. Speaking at new school regulations which were beaten up by the children of a Tongji University in Shanghai, required student participation in teacher. Because the matter was Fang said: "I appreciate the morning exercises. The posters not handled promptly, students viewpoint of'complete Westerniz• also voiced students' opinions took to the streets and appealed to ation.' When viewed as a socialist about campus food, management the provincial government. system, I think what we have and educational reform. Within a November 18. Some students of done in the last 30 years is a few days more than a hundred Shandong University in Jinan, failure. The result of the pursuit of posters were posted, some with dissatisfied with meals served in orthodox socialism by Marx, political content. One, for the canteens, staged a hunger Lenin, Stahn and Mao Zedong example, declared gratuitously: strike. Several hundred students and what we pursue today is "Students are slaves of the demonstrated and appealed to the actually a failure." president appointed by the State provincial government on Nov• November 19. Speaking at Education Commission, which is ember 23. Ningbo University, Fang said: "I under the jurisdiction of three In less than two months, a appreciate the viewpoint of magnates. Aren't we then slaves to 'complete Westernization.' 'Com• the three big wigs?" dozen or so disturbances of this kind arose in institutes of higher plete Westernization' includes the Mid-November. Some students learning across the country. West's science, technology, cul• of Shanxi University in Taiyuan, In mid-November, Fang Lizhi, ture, politics, ideology, morality, Shanxi Province, organized a then the vice-president of Hefei's everything. It also includes boycott of the student canteen China University of Science and Westernizing our political system because the food there was Technology, Anhui Province, and the system of ownership." expensive and monotonous. They went to universities in Shanghai, Early December. Some stu• also put up big-character posters Zhejiang and other places, where dents at Hefei's China University he delivered a number of speeches. of Science and Technology put up November 15. Speaking at big-character posters and held rallies. They criticized the election * Big-character posters: Posters with Jiaotong University in Shanghai, words written (anonymously) in big Fang Lizhi said: "Students are a of deputies to the district people's characters as an expression of one's progressive force for democratiz• congress then under way in Hefei, opinions and put up publicly. This method ation. This has been the case in all saying that the nomination of of expression developed to an extreme candidates through democratic during the "cultural revolution," and past eras." He instigated the students to lash out at society and consultation was not fully consist• became a weapon in the hands of certain ent with the electors' democratic people for starting rumours, and vilifying incited them by innuendo to and attacking people personally. This oppose the Party's leadership. He rights. They demanded that practice tarnished the reputation of said: "Chinese intellectuals should deputies to the district people's numerous people, sullied their dignity and demonstrate their own strength. congress be elected through plunged almost all Party and government campaigns. Later the election was institutions, public organizations and In fact, they already have this strength; but they are not carried out in conformity with the schools into chaos. Together with demand of the majority of people. "speaking out boldly, airing one's views conscious of it or have not dared fully and holding great debates," this to demonstrate it. If only they dare A student rally took place again method was written into the Constitution to stir up trouble, the impact will on the evening of December 4. At at that time. After the "cultural be very great." revolution," in response to the demand of the rally Fang delivered a the masses of people, the NPC Standing November 16. In a discussion demagogic speech, thus adding Committee decided in 1980 to rescind this with graduate students and young fuel to the students' resentment clause of the Constitution. Big-character teachers of the East China over the election. He said to the posters are no longer protected by law. Chemical Industry College, Fang impassioned students: "Democ-

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 17 •i ARTICLES racy is not granted from the top, it Jiaotong University and had a talk dents in Shanghai took to the is won by individuals." Some with the students. He affirmed the streets for three consecutive days. students took to the streets.. The students' enthusiasm and concern At most the number of students following day, some students of for reform, and answered some of was just over 10,000 (Shanghai the Science and Technology their questions. He hoped the has 45 institutes of higher learning University contacted several students would correctly exercise with 175.000 students). This thousand students in other their democratic rights and aggravated the already crowded institutes of higher learning in maintain political stability and traffic situation in Shanghai. Hefei, and another street de• unity. Incomplete statistics show that monstration took place. During during the three days city buses the parade, the students shouted December 19. Thousands of covered 85,000 kilometres less such slogans as "We don't want students gathered at People's than their usual mileage. Because democracy bestowed," and "We Square in Shanghai. Several workers and staff members could will fight f6r genuine democracy." hundred of them crossed the iron not get to work as usual, the Individual students even shouted: balustrades and swarmed into the normal operation of factories, "Down with feudal dictatorship." premises of the municipal people's shops and other organizations was The news quickly spread. Many congress standing committee. A seriously affected. During the schools received leaflets and number of students returned to three days more than 2,600 people propaganda materials issued in their schools after being per• missed trains and nine postal the name of the students of the suaded to do so. At about 7:00 transport lines were disrupted. A Science and Technology p.m., some students streamed to handful oi lawless persons took University. the gate of the building of the advantitgc of ihe confusion to municipal government, thus bloc• wreck cars, insult women and December 4. Newspapers pub• king traffic. Deputy Mayer Ye (i'.srupi social order. Some passen• lished the new decision on the Gongqi had a dialogue with gers on buses being held up said to election of deputies to the county student representatives. the students: "You want freedom, and district people's congresses At 12 o'clock midnight, Mayor but you interfere with our freedom adopted by the Standing Commit• Jiang received student representa• to get to and from work!" tee of the National People's tives at the municipal government Congress on December 2. The new office. He patiently persuaded the December 19. The Shanghai electoral method strengthened students to go back to school as Municipal Public Security Bureau socialist democracy. For instance, quickly as possible. He told the issued two circulars on maintain• it stipulated that a person named students that their actions should ing social security and traffic by 10 or more voters should be conform to the provisions and order. The municipal government included in the list of candidates requirements of the Constitution, arranged special motor vehicles to initially nominated. The method and that their call for reform and send the students back to their of election in which the number of quickening the development of schools. A few reluctant students candidates nominated was equal socialist democracy was were forced by the police to board to the number to be elected was understandable. the vehicles and go back to their campuses, but no students were changed into a method by which But, he added. "We don't the number of candidates is arrested. Policemen oa duty favour the method of taking to the received orders that under no greater than the number to be streets." He explained that elected. circumstances were they allowed Shanghai is a big city with a to beat or abuse students, even December 9. Students from population of 12 million, and that though more than 30 policemen several institutes of higher learn• it was near the end of the year, were wounded by some extremists ing in Wuhan, under the slogans when the people of the whole city in the crowds. "We want democracy," and "We were working hard to fulfil want freedom," took to the streets production tasks. If social order, December 22. Newspapers and in solidarity with students from political stability and unity were radio stations publicized the the Science and Technology harmed, it would cause un• Shanghai municipal government University. necessary economic losses. Jiang spokesman's answers to corres• December 10-13. Big- added that under no circum• pondents' questions on student character posters appeared in stances should patriotic students demonstrations. The spokesman succession in Jiaotong, Tongji and do anything detrimental to the said: The majority of students Fudan universities in Shanghai, interests of the state and the took part in the demonstrations mainly about student demonst• people. They must be vigilant out of concern for reform and with rations in Hefei and their support against a handful of people with good wishes for speeding up the for the upheaval. ulterior motives stirring up process of socialist democracy. trouble. December 18. Shanghai Mayor Such enthusiasm is understan• Jiang Zemin was invited to December 19-21. College stu• dable. But it should be noted that

18 BELIING REVIEW. NO, 8 some students do not quite Shanghai Public Security Bureau were more or less the same as those understand the actual situation of arrested two lawless persons who in Hefei and Shanghai. They China's reform; they only have had infiltrated the student ranks shouted "We want freedom," vague ideas about how to exercise and instigated the burning of cars, "We want democracy." Some democratic rights correctly. charging them with the crimes of even introduced such slogans as He added that since the Third disrupting public order and "We oppose the Constitution," Plenary Session of the 11th Party damaging pubhc property. The "We oppose the four cardinal Central Committee in late 1978, students began to reaUze that, far principle*." Thousands of peo• China has enjoyed pohtical from speeding up the process of ple, including student demon• stability and unity, and people democratic construction, de• strators and on-lookers gathered, across the cduntry have concen• monstrations would make a mess holding up urban traffic in the trated on the drive for moderniz• of things and were thus contrary downtown area. A handful of ation. They have achieved signifi• to their original intentions. Since lawless elements took advantage cant progress. The people of December 22, school returned to of the opportunity to make Shanghai, including university normal in the majority of trouble. For instance, Cheng students, should treasure and institutes of higher learning in Keqin, a young worker from the continue to develop this hard-won Shanghai. Students concentrated Nanjing Clothing Factory, in• progress. This was the first time on studying for their final filtrated the student paraders, that domestic mass media had examinations. used flower pots to smash given a detailed report on student residents' windows, climbed up demonstrations, and the first time December 23. The newspaper Renmin Ribao (People's Daily), and intercepted a truck, and that a local government had made poured rice from a loaded truck. known its position. organ of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, He also incited students to ransack published an editorial entitled a restaurant. He started making On the same day, a student of trouble at 5:00 p.m. and did not Jiaptong University issued an "Treasure and Develop Political Stability and Unity" The editorial stop until early morning the "Emergency Appeal," calling on following day. He was arrested by student demonstrators to think said: "Political stability and unity is the key factor determining the officers of the city public security seriously about the question: bureau. What will the consequences be if success or failure of China's we go on with our actions? We sociahst modernization, and is the December 30. At a press should calm down, and not let the most important guarantee for conference held by the All-China situation deteriorate. In just a few persisting in reform and opening Journalists Association, He hours a dozen or so proclamations up to the outside world. As the Dongchang, vice-minister of the appeared in response. The cause of reform is a deep-going revolution, State Education Commission, students' self-questioning was the it is normal to have different views briefed more than 100 Chinese and lawless elements' sabotage and on the question. The Party and foreign correspondents on student trouble-making. On the evening of government welcome criticism demonstradons in Hefei, Wuhan, December 21, when the news and suggestions offered through Shanghai, Nanjing and Hang• spread about lawless elements normal democratic channels. But zhou, and answered their ques• overturning two cars in front of if some people take extreme tions. He said that so far no the municipal government and actions just because they have students had been arrested. some bad elements insulting different opinions, they \yill affect Foreign reports claiming that women, student representatives stability and unity and obstruct many students had been arrested from several institutes of higher the smooth progress of the reform. were incorrect. learning immediately indicated Even if done with good intentions, China's Constitution stipulates: that they would withdraw from things will go contrary to their "Citizens of the People's Republic the demonstrations. wishes, and they will play into the of China enjoy freedom of speech, At the democratic discussions hands of those who harbour of the press, of assembly, of held on the evening of December ulterior motives and are anxious association, of procession and of 22 in the Shanghai East China to stir up trouble. That was the demonstration." The Consti• Chemical Institute, many students first statement Renmin Ribao tution also stipulates: "The recounted what they had heard published about the student exercise by citizens of the People's and seen during the demonst• demonstrations. rations and rallies, confirming December 21-25. A small that there were indeed people who number of university students in *The four cardinal principles are: tried to induce students to attack Nanjing and Hangzhou took to Upholding the Party leadership, socialism, the people's democratic dictatorship and the police, or passed themselves the streets in solidarity with the Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong off as students to attack the police campus upheavals in Hefei and Thought, which have been written into and create disturbances. The Shanghai. The slogans they raised China's Constitution.

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 19 m ARTICLES

Republic of China of their December 27. Beijing Ribao in Tongren County, Guizhou freedoms and rights may not (Beijing Daily) published the Province. He had earlier made infringe upon the interests of the reguiations, and at the same time demagogic speeches at institutes state, of society and of the cited similar regulations laid down of higher learning in Guangzhou collective, or upon the lawful by Federal Germany, France and and Shanghai; later he used the freedoms and rights of other Tokyo, Japan, concerning rallies assumed name of Ma Zhe and citizens." In order to ensure the and demonstrations. It pointed sneaked into the student dorms of implementation of the Consti• out that it is simply not true people Beijing Teachers' University. tution, local governments have can stage demonstrations without A spokesman for the Beijing begun to work out appropriate restrictions in capitalist countries, people's government delivered a regulations. as some may have imagined. speech about this, calling on city December 29. Most residents people to heighten their vigilance December 26. The standing supported the regulations. But against sabotage by bad elements. committee of the Beijing muni• some students resented them, He pointed out that when leaflets cipal people's congress adopted thinking that they restricted their and big-character posters had the Provisional Regulations Con• "freedom." Several hundred stu• recently appeared in several places cerning Procession and De• dents from Beijing Teachers' in Beijing, instigating people to monstration. The regulations University, instigated by indivi• make trouble at Tian An Men consisted of 10 articles, including duals with ulterior motives, took Square, a foreign radio station one saying that organizers of to the streets on the morning of played this up in its Chinese- processions and demonstrations December 29 without going language broadcasts. Presently, must file a written application to through the procedures of applic• some people were making secret the public security organs of the ation and approval. The basic contacts between Beijing and locality concerned five days in cause was that some big-character other cities and engaged in advance. Permission would be posters on the campus with conspiracies. They declared that granted on applicadons, except content against the Constitution unless there was chaos in Beijing, for those violating provisions of and fanning up trouble were taken there wouldn't be chaos in the the law and Constitution. At the down. whole country, and thus they same time, public security organs wouldn't be able to achieve their may, in accordance with the need When a small number of aims. for maintaining traffic and students of Beijing Teachers' security order, change the time, University took to the streets, they January 1, 1987. In Beijing, place and route as stated in the shouted the slogan "We want 150,000 university students held original application. Paraders and liberty," and stormed into activities on campuses to celebrate demonstrators are not allowed to People's University, Beijing Uni• the New Year. Many studied for possess weapons, particularly versity and Qinghua University, the final exams. An atmosphere of lethal weapons, inflammables, encouraging students to take part tranquility prevailed throughout explosives or other objects in the demonstration, but they the campuses. At about 1:00 p.m. endangering pubUc security, nor received no response. Some several hundred students launched are they allowed to disrupt public Beijing University students said: an unlawful demonstration on the order, hold up traffic, write, "You have the freedom of street east of Tian An Men inscribe and put up slogans on procession, we have the freedom Square. They quickly held up their way, or damage gardens, to sleep." well-prepared banners with lawns and public facilities. As for Some Qinghua students urged slogans on them. There were permissible processions and de• the intruders to return; "Final agitators and organizers in the monstrations, public security exams are about to begin; you'd procession, some of whom took organs would be responsible for better go back and prepare for the lead in shouting "Demand maintaining traffic and security them." A few hours later, the freedom of demonstration," orders. With regard to processions crowds dispersed. "Abolish the 10-article regul• and demonstrations that go December 30. The Beijing ations" and "Oppose tyranny." against regulations, security Public Security Bureau, informed The procession caused a tempor• organs should adopt necessary by students' reports, and after ary traffic jam. The public security measures to persuade the paraders making investigations and obtain• organ stopped this unlawful and stop the demonstrations. ing evidence, arrested Xue Deyun, procession. Security officers took Processions and demonstrations who had passed himself off as a a number of trouble-making are not perm.itted around the student and sneaked into institutes leaders away from the spot, Great Hall of the People, of higher learning in Beijing, counselled and questioned them. Zhongnanhai, the Diaoyutai State where he tried to foment After counselUng, the students Guest House or the Beijing disruptive activities. Xue was a were taken back to their schools Airport. dismissed employee of a company the same evening by responsible 20 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 officials of the schools concerned. Beijing Ribao. This symbolic led "Taking a Clear-cut Stand At about 10:30 p.m., more than action was an expression of their Against Bourgeois Liberaliz• 2,000 Beijing University students resentment against the organ of ation"* went on to say: "There is walked out the school and the Beijing Municipal Committee nothing terrifying about students marched to the city proper, of the Chinese Communist Party. taking to the streets. So far as its demanding the release of those At that time the paper was nature is concerned, however, it is students who had taken the lead in publishing admonitions almost a serious matter. It is the inevitable staging unlawful demonstrations every day to students by public outcome of the weakness of some and had thus been temporarily figures, scholars and people of comrades in fighting the spread of detained by police for counselling various circles. bourgeois liberalization over the and examination. While on route, January 6. A Renmin Ribao last few years. It is a good thing in after learning that those students editorial said: "In China today that it confirms the need to abide had returned to their schools, there exists no ideological or by the four cardinal principles and most of the student marchers material basis for great turmoil. fight against bourgeois dispersed. The remaining 200-300 The 10-year 'cultural revolution,' liberalization." students arrived at Tian An Men which caused so much turmoil in January 17. The Commission Square at 3:30 a.m. After some the country, took place because it for Discipline Inspection of the persuasion, they took the buses was erroneously launched by the Anhui Provincial Party Commit• rsent especially for them to go back leadership and made use of by tee took the decision to dispel lo school. The Xinhua News counter-revolutionary cHques. Fang Lizhi from the Party. Agency and Beijing Rihao gave Now the situation is different." immediate reports on the student "A comparatively small number demonstrations taking place in of students in several cities took to * Bourgeois liberalization: A resolution Beijing around New Year's Day. the streets to create disturbances of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 12th for some time, but now the Party Central Committee says: "Going in January 4. A small number of for bourgeois liberalization means negat• Beijing University students gath• situation is tending towards ing the socialist system and advocating the ered together to burn copies of tranquility." This editorial entit• capitalist system."

University Students and Higher Education

by Hu Junkai and Zhao Yining

n China, if you ask a secondary Education in Three higher learning reached 434 (more i school student what he or she Development Stages than doubled the pre-1949 record) plans to do after graduation, the and the total enrolment, 674,000 answer, in most cases, is "to take (4.4 times higher). Many univer• part in the national university Since 1977, China's institutions sity graduates trained during the entrance examinations and go to of higher learning have developed first 17 years have become the university." To many Chinese apace, what with millions of backbone of their professions; not youngsters, institutions of higher young people thirsting for know• a few have emerged as specialists learning are sacred shrines of ledge and society increasingly in and scholars well known at home knowledge which they have need of trained personnel and and abroad. yearned to enter since childhood. professionals of all kinds. Now the Second stage (1966-76). Enrolling in a university or college number of institutions of higher Beginning from 1966, China means that the door leading to a learning has topped 1,100, with a experienced the turmoil of a professional career has opened, a combined enrolment of 2 million. decade-long "cultural revolution" student may look forward to China's institutions of higher during which the development of becoming an engineer, scientist, learning have grown in roughly insdtutions of higher learning doctor, scholar, etc., that the three stages. came to a standstill and suffered parents will feel consoled and First stage (1950-65). Devel• serious setbacks. According to the honoured, and that the entrees opment during this period, as statistics of the State Education need not worry about a job, as tens compared with the time prior to Commission, between 1966 and of thousands of enterprises and the founding of New China in 1969, none of China's colleges or units are vying to recruit 1949, was fairly fast. In 1965, the universities enrolled a single university graduates. number of China's institutions of student. Many school buildings

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 21 •1 ARTICLES

This situation lasted till the downfall of the gang of four in 1976. Suggested by Deng Xiao• ping, the Chinese government began to resuscitate and revamp the university enrolment and higher educational systems. Uni• versity entrance examinations were formally restored in De• cember 1977; this ushered in the third stage of the development of China's institutions of higher learning (see table). Third stage (since 1977). The rebuilding and development of China's institutions of higher learning started on a very weak foundation. A sharp increase in the number of schools and students brought on a series of new problems and contradictions. Professor Yang Jike lecturing on the development of rural enterprises to students of Construction of school buildings the China Unhrerslty of Science and Technology. lagged far behind growth in the were turned into factory work• learning. In respect to educational number of students, which put a shops or barracks; educational level, these "worker-peasant- strain on the students' living facilities were damaged or care• soldier" students were uneven. Of facilities. lessly disposed of; countless books course some of them were well The China People's University and materials were lost; numerous qualified, but there were many in Beijing is a key university. Soon lecturers and professors were with only a primary school after the "cultural revolution" humiliated and branded as education. Disruption during the started, almost all the university "reactionary authorities," and the "cultural revolution" actually staff and their families went to the majority of university faculty dragged China's higher education rural areas to receive "re• members were sent to the back dozens of years and planted a education." The library books and countryside, factories or army to timebomb which exploded in later materials were disposed of and the do physical labour. Some univer• years as a serious dearth of school campus was taken over by sities were moved to out-of-the- specialized personnel. an army unit which built living way places, and some were closed down. A higher maths class at Shazhou Vocational Engineering College. During the ten years, a total of 106 colleges and universities were disbanded. By 1976, while some new ones were established, only 392 universities and colleges were left and the number of students in school was 16 percent less than in 1965. Although China's insti• tutions of higher learning began to enrol students in 1970, the national university entrance examinations, however, were cancelled and the candidates were workers, peasants and soldiers recommended by their localities. The university students enrolled throughout this period were called "worker-peasant-soldier" stu• dents. This system kept many talented young people outside the doors of institutions of higher

22 BEIJING REVIEW. NO. 8 Development of China's Institutions of Higher Learning

Year Number of Institutions Number of University Number of Graduate Investment in Capi• Proportion of Invest• of Higher Learning and College Students tal Construction of ment in Education Students Education to the Country's (million yuan) Total Investment in Capital Construction (%)

1977 404 625,000 115 1.00 1978 598 856,000 334 1.29 1979 633 1,020,000 684 2.12 1980 675 1,144,000 21,600 900 2.51 1981 704 1,279,000 18,800 982 3.42 1982 715 1,154,000 25,800 1,058 3.16 1983 805 1,207,000 37,200 1,518 4.05 1984 902 1,396,000 57,600 1,948 4.25 1985 1.016 1,703,000 87.300 2,663 4.07 + quarters on the sports ground. middle school graduates. The matter of course. The work The university was formally re• enrolment of all institutions of assignments received by the first opened in 1978, although the higher learning that year, how• and second batches of university teaching staff, classrooms, dormi• ever, was 147,000. Only one out of graduates after the resumption of tories and facilities were inade• every 40.2 secondary school the examination system further quate. Because the canteen was graduates had a chance, in enhanced their "superiority com• too small, the students enrolled in addition to numerous other young plex," as all of the graduates were 1979 had to dine in the open air. competitors from graduates of immediately grabbed by units About two-thirds of the students previous years. In 1985, the short of trained people. lived at home. The same problems competition eased up a bit. But Due to their sense of superioity, beset many other universities. In still, only one out of every six the students care a lot about the recent years, with the increase of attending the national examin• realization of their value. On the state investment in education, ations was enrolled. Under the one hand, they are motivated to conditions in China's institutions circumstances, the successful ones make sacrifices for their mo• of higher learning have greatly develop a sense of superiority as a therland and set a high aim for improved. The "internal injuries" caused by the 10 chaotic years, however, coiil d hardly be healed in First-year students at the East China Teachers' University in Shanghai are learning a short time about remote sensing technology.

Characteristics of Today's University Students

The revival of the university entrance examination system has provided Chinese young people with an opportunity to continue their education. It began to meet the country's immediate needs for all kinds of professionals and fostered a sense of superiority among university students. Today's university students gained their seats through stiff competition. In 1980, for instance, there were 6.162 million senior

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 23 m ARTICLES their future, on the other hand, able number of students are tall trance examinations. As soon as they cannot always persist in their but thin, because intellectual they entered university and came efforts to attain their ideals. development is stressed, body across so many new things, their It is apparent that university building neglected. inability to absorb them with discrimination became apparent. students are getting younger in The students of this generation Some things which they accepted, recent years. Among the students have developed in a special social they could not even understand, enrolled between 1977 and 1986, environment, quite different from let alone digest. those attending university in the that in which previous generations first three years had comparatively grew up. Beginning in 1978, China According to the State Edu• more life experience. Most of them has pursued a policy of opening to cation Commission's survey at had been workers, soldiers, unit the outside which has led to a Beijing University, students are leaders or educated city young tremendous influx of new things, more concerned and worried people working in the countryside. both spiritual and material. After about China's current reforms, Thus, they have seen more, done the Party held discussions on the including educational reforms more and understood more about criterion of truth in 1978, people's that are closely related to their China's conditions. ideas were released from the old future, than they are about the established confines. poor management of the dining Today, generally speaking, halls, domitories, libraries and Chinese students enter university With such a background, these classrooms. In genera! they don't at the age of 16 or 17, and are students, as they step into the gates like watching TV, but took gfeat around 21 when they graduate. of the university, feel as if they are interest in The New Star, a TV They spend their time in studying in a new land, and are dazzled by series about reform and reformers. in school, free of household all kinds of foreign and domestic The survey shows that 98 percent chores. Examinations year after theories and schools of thoughts. watched it, and carried on year keep them from showing Sometimes they feel this theory is animated discussions about it as concern for social affairs; at the reasonable, sometimes they be• well as about other reforms. very most they only talk during a lieve that one is logical. Their About 86.31 percent are satisfied break or after meals, participation views and major concerns waver or relatively satisfied with the in social activities being largely and they cannot stand firm in their economic reforms and 13.68 out of the question. They are opinions for any length of time. percent are dissatisfied. As to the economically dependent on their They always try to absorb new various reform policies adopted parents or grants-in-aid from the thoughts and views but fail to by the central government in the government. Parents pay special conform with them in their last few years, 96.77 percent were attention to their children's school actions. On the one hand, they are satisfied and 3.23 percent were life so as to encourage them to be moved to tears by the devotion of dissatisfied. In their interviews good students. In 1986, Beijing PLA fighters in safeguarding with the students, the reporters University saw one-third of the Chinese territory in the Sino-Viet found that most of the students, new students' parents coming to nam border battles, on the other while showing concern about school with their children, helping hand, they speak highly of reforms, underestimate the dif• them to register, even making up existentialism. Moreover, they ficulties involved, and do not their beds for them. The survey at appreciate China's reforms and realize that the reforms have a Beijing Polytechnical Institute open policy but at the same time, long way to go and will meet twists shows that some students have will turn over a new car, just and turns, and are over-anxious to never washed clothes, swept the because it is Japan-made. Their see it succeed overnight. A law floor, or joined in general clean• tendency to go to extremes clearly department student who made a up activities during their three demonstrates the vulnerability social invesfigafion in his last years in senior middle school. and contradictions in their summer vacation said, "Before I While at university they still take thinking. In fact, people of older began my investigation, I always their dirty clothes home to be generations also feel at a loss when thought the reforms were so slow washed. They take Httle interest in something new emerges, although and unscientific. I even believed physical exercise and many of the feeling is sharper among young the fear of losing their leading post them have not the slightest idea people because of their and shouldering responsibilities how to keep healthy and strong. inexperience. prevented some leaders from Students in one Shanghai univer• taking bold actions. My own sity objected to doing early Most of the students in the experience during the investig• morning exercises on campus. recent demonstrations were from ation has helped me understand Many of them said they preferred the countryside or from the lower that because of the uneven to stay in bed rather than get up grades in the university. In development of the Chinese for physical exercise training. In secondary school they had economy and culture, we have to today's universities, a consider- thought of nothing but preparing for the national university en•

24 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 be prudent and careful in carrying concepts in regard to the reform of aiming only for marks required by out reform and to push it poHtical education in institutions the university to the neglect of forward step by step. Only if in the of higher learning. everything else. To ease the course of social practice can we In early summer of each year pressure on institutions of higher really understand the correctness students about to graduate worry education which mounted with the and reasonableness of the about their future work. In China increased enrolments of recent government's reform policies. the graduates are assigned under a years, the State Education Com• In fact most university students state unified plan and only a few mission decided to limit the know little about Chinese society. students have a chance to choose number of students in 1986. They tend to think highly of the job they are interested in. themselves and entertain grandi• The students therefore have In the past China followed a ose aims but show little or no either to wait around for stipend system in the universities ability to solve problems which something to turn up or find a and the government supplied crop up in the present reforms. good job with the help of friends subsidies for the students' study When they join the burgeoning or relatives. If they are unwilling and living expenses. Experts reform they immediately feel out to stay and work in the district or discovered that this system on one of place and don't know what unit to which they were assigned, hand helped needy students . action to take or how to behave. they have great difficulty in financially, but on the other, did obtaining a transfer because of the not necessarily induce the students Students from the Beijing inflexible personnel system. Not to study hard and learn conscien• Polytechnical Institute made an only the students but the work tiously. In fact some students did investigation in about 50 factories units as well are dissatisfied with not devote much effort to their •and mining undertakings and this system, because only too often study, but took their state subsidy heard with their own ears the graduates are sent to work in units for granted and were satisfied with assessment on university gradu• where they are not needed. just passing the mark of 60. ates of different decades: Those In 1985 Chinese universities and To avoid the shortcomings of this who graduated in the 1950s and colleges started to bring in system, some universities and 1960s are working hard to build reforms. Qinghua University, colleges have introduced a new up the country; those who finished China People's University and system under which scholarships their studies in the 1970s are Shanghai Jiaotong Uni• are granted to those who are modest, keen on their work and on versity were the pilot units. Now excellent in study and exemplary good terms with the people people from the work units which in conduct as a means of around; the graduates of the 1980s need graduates come to the encouraging students to put forth have expansive ideas and extensive university to introduce their units their best efforts. Some univer• knowledge but lack practical to the students and describe the sities and colleges have also ability and discipline. They aim qualifications they require. At the increased the percentage of high but work incompetently and same time they look into the study, find it hard to stick to a plan. Some scholarships and decreased the achievements and character of the like to put on airs; they can't percentage of stipends. Students applicants. This sort of reform perform important tasks but who study diligently but have gives both students and units consider routine work beneath financial problems can apply for a wider range of choice but it also . them. loans, this system which en• requires graduates to work in courages competition is being remote areas for a certain period. popularized and is generally More reforms will follow as welcomed by the students. Reforms in Education experience accumulates. Insfitutions of higher learning in China have also improved their More and more specialists are Some reforms have also been classes in politics, a compulsory needed in the reform, and made in the enrolment system. At course.»The political classes in the university students must be_ present students are enrolled on past were not convincing and thus provided with a good education. the basis of their entrance not favoured by students. By way China is carrying out a series of examination marks. At the same of improvement, Fudan Univer• reforms in connection with work time, students from senior middle sity in Shanghai, for example, ran assignments for university gradu• schools, chosen for all-round a series of fourums on trends of ates, the enrolment system, excellence in study, good health, thought in Western countries for scholarships and stipends, said an sound basic knowledge and good the students interested in Western official from the planning and conduct, or for some particular theories and trends of thought. • statistics section of the State outstanding talent, are allowed to Education Commission. An offi• enter the university without an (An abridged iranslalion of an article from cial in charge of the political exam. This reform discourages "Outlook Weeklv" Overseas Edition issue education section explained the middle school students from •N0.3.19S7)

KEBRUARY 23, 1987 25 •i FROM THE CHINESE PRESS

major cities continue to pay more attention to multiplying output value, Jin said, and ignore A Nobody Touches a Big Problem development of service trades regardless of objective reality and long-term interests, the present unreasonable structure of produc• 2000. Some comrades engaged in tion and distribution will be "LIAONING RIBAO" urban research even thought that aggravated. (Liaoning Daily) major cities should develop their economies at a higher rate in order to play the role as centres for This insightful paper received t is unnecessary for China's political, economic and cultural nationwide attention after it was I major cities to accomplish the activities. published. In his report on the goal of quadrupling their 1980 It was under such conditions work of the government to the gross industrial and agricultural that Jin Fengde wrote his paper Third Session of the Sixth output value by the year 2000. The and sent it to the Party Central National People's Congress in rate of industrial and agricultural Committee. He discussed the 1985, Premier Zhao Ziyang development in big cities should experience of some countries in repeated the idea contained in his be lower than the national developing their national inscription on Jin's article and average. Service trades, however, economies after World War II, stressed that it is necessary to should be developed rapidly on a and China's tortuous path in its "adhere to the principle of seeking large scale, said Jin Fengde in an economic construction. He argued truth from facts and making academic thesis entitled "Is It that China's major cities should steady progress, resolutely guard Necessary or Possible for Big now put stress on management against blindly pursuing a higher Cities to Lead Growth in Industry and transformation because they rate of development and vying and Agriculture?" have already quite expanded. If with one another to this end." a Jin Fengde is a 1983 graduate from the Japanese Economic Research Institute of Jilin Univer• sity with a Master's degree and now works at the Economic The Lisus Learn to Do Business Research Institute of the North• eastern University of Finance and Economics. "RENMIN RIBAO" Liuku Town, the capital of the autonomous prefecture, were Central government officials (People's Daily, Overseas Edition) deserted until 1980. took the matter seriously. Premier In 1981, the local government Zhao Ziyang read the paper and decided to stimulate the exchange wrote: "I agree with the author. ince ancient times, the Lisu of urban and rural products. More But it should be pointed out that people of Nujiang Lisu S and more people from other parts after adopting a new strategy of Autonomous Prefecture in Yun• of the country came to do development, large cities may nan Province held back on trade, business. Seeing the profits experience a lower industrial as they considered commerce available from selling products, growth rate than the national disgraceful. But, with the develop• local people began to learn trading average, but their total output ment of local economy, science, arts. Now the Lisus not only dare value and national income growth technology and civilization, the to bargain face to face with rate may very well be higher. Lisus have changed their tra• customers but also skilfully use Therefore, the gross national ditional ideas and begun to learn balances for weighing and cal• product and income should be business. culators in the market. made the principal yardstick for In the past, things were sold in assessing the economic perfor• piles in the country fair. The Lisus The Lisu nationality had no mance of a major city." put their goods on the ground and history of slaughtering pigs and After the 12th National Con• went and hid. They walked slowly selHng pork in the past. Those gress of the Communist Party of towards a potential customer and people who did sell pork in the China in 1982, the various parts of dared not bargain with him. The country fair sold their pork with the country put forward their price was not determined accord• skin and bristles. Now they have programmes for quadrupling the ing to the quaUty of the product, mastered the skill of slaughtering 1980 gross industrial and agricul• and buyers could pay what they and have worked out prices in the tural output value by the year liked. All the streets and lanes in market according to the quaUty.

26 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 At present, there are more than 20 former work place. The reason requirements, Jilin University butchers selling pork in the Liuku this student was ordered to quit checks students' morale, in• country fair, all of whom are school was degeneration. The tellectual and physical perfor• Lisus. university authorities considered mance at regular intervals. Those The Lisus have also learnt to that he was incorrigible and inconsistent with the standards transport goods for sale in other beyond hope. will be eliminated promptly. Since localities. They carry local pro• Postgraduates are a reserve last year, the university has ducts such as medicinal herbs and force for China's modernization removed four master-degree and firewood to other parts of China, drive. According to the training one doctor-degree candidates. while bringing back farm produce, industrial goods and sideline products. Now the Liuku market Cabieways on All Famous Mountains? is brisk. Stands managed by the Lisus are strung in a line and China's best-loved peaks, has been provide everything one would "GUANGMING RIBAO" badly affected. One-third of the expect to find. As a result, a fair (Guangming Daily) Guanyue Peak at the top of the number of Lisu people have mountain was blasted away in become well-off. • order to build a stopping place for cableway craze has threatened cable cars. This was the most A the rapid development of wanton destruction. Secondly, the China's scenic spots. According to cableways do not blend in with the reports, more than 20 cableways scenery. Long cables seyeral- A Breakthrough in are planned for well-known thousand metres long and high mountains, involving the spending steel frames merely get in the way Higher Education of more than 200 milhon yuan. when one is trying to look at exotic China has 5,000 famous moun• pine trees or rare rocks. Thirdly, tains. If each of them were to have the value of the mountains "BEIJING RIBAO" a cableway, the state would have themselves is beHttled if one views (Beijing Daily) to invest at least 30 billion yuan. them by cable car. There are so The disadvantages of cableways many beautiful places and cultural outweigh the advantages. First, relics and historical monuments to ot long ago, three postgradu• the building work damages the be seen in the Mount Taishan area N ate students were struck from landscape and plant life. For that most would be missed one just school rosters and one postgradu• example. Mount Taishan, one of sits in a cable car. • ate was ordered to leave school by the authorities of Jilin University. Do You Offer Power Insurance? Cartoon by XU PENGFEI This indicates a breakthrough in the administrative system of higher education. Of the three students, two did not pass the first-year final examination for required courses. When they still couldn't pass the make-up exam, the presidential office of the postgraduate research institute felt it necessary to dismiss them from school and assigned them jobs as undergraduates. Another student repeatedly vio• late school principles. He was absent from school without leave for more than 82 class hours and evaded examinations for four courses. Again and again teachers warned him. Despite criticism, he persisted in his old ways. In view of this, the postgraduate research institute decided to terminate his study there and return him to his

FEBRUARY 23. 1987 27 m BUSINESS/TRADE

Kong (Holdings) Ltd., and legal procedures for the new company New Method for Tungsten Ore Export including the registration process are under way.

he Ministry of Foreign percent of the shareholding in TEconomic Relations and Trade Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. China to Buy adopted on February 10 a new (CPA), a CITIC spokeman said by Three Boeings method for enhancing the export the end of January. of tungsten ore and para- The acquiring of CPA's shares he General Administration of ammonium tungstate. is another major move in CITIC's TCivil Aviation (CAAC) has According to the new method, overseas investment. Prior to this, recently decided to buy three the China National Nonferrous CITIC invested in Citifor Inc., a Boeing 757-200 passenger aero• Metals Import and Export timber company in the State of planes equipped with the RB-211 Corporation and the China Washington, USA, the Portland engines. National Metals and Minerals Aluminium Smelter Project in These three Boeings are advan• Import and Export Corporation Australia and the Celgar Pulp Mill ced medium-haul passenger will be the only companies in Canada. Moreover it invested in planes and with the spare parts are the second cross-harbour tunnel in concluding contracts for export• valued at US$125 million. They Hong Kong and acquired 95 ing these products and their are expected to be delivered in/. percent of the capital share of the branches will carry out these September and October this yearji jj Ka Wah Bank in Hong Kong. contracts. In the last few years, China has J Tungsten ore is a sensitive CITIC established a branch ordered from the US company 10 commodity. When its price office in Hong Kong as early as Boeing 707s, 23 Boeing 727s, 10 dropped China lost considerably. 1980, which evolved into CITIC Boeing 747s and 6 Boeing 767s. Of To raise and stabilize the price (Hong Kong) Ltd. in 1985. Over them 8 were ordered in 1986. Two China has adopted this new the past few years CITIC (Hong Boeing 767-200ER aeroplanes arrangement and the granting of Kong) Ltd. has launched several and a Boeing 747-COMBI will licenses to producers of tungsten companies and joint ventures and soon be delivered to China. ore and tungsten products. successfully undertaken business operations in production, tech• investors Grow nology, finance, trade and First Commercial services. Confident in China Carrier Rocket to Be To meet the needs of business ie Beijing Friendship Winery development, CITIC has also TCo. Ltd. was jointly es• Produced decided to set up CITIC Hong tablished on January 12 in Beijing he production of the first commercial carrier rocket. T An imported Boeing 757. Long March 3 ordered by the United States for launching satellites, was started in mid- February 1987 in Shanghai. The space industrial depart• ments in Shanghai will produce the control system for the first stage, second stage and third stage of the rocket. To ensure good quality they made careful prepar• ations and will complete produc• tion by the end of this year. CITIC Acquires 12.5 Percent CPA Shares hina International Trust and C Investment Corporation (CITIC) has authorized CITIC (Hong Kong) Ltd. to acquire 12.5

28 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 by the China Beijing Winery, about marketing the produce. advanced technology and results China Economic Development T.Y. Wong, manager in charge of of scientific research. Corp., France's Pernod Ricard, trade with China, said: The quality Relevant investment and trust the French Banque Indosuez and wines, which will be produced by companies, technology trading British Caldbecks Macgregor the Chinese company with the businesses and import companies (Hong Kong). French technology, will certainly will also hold talks with overseas The company has a total find a ready market in the world. business representatives on im• investment of US$1.2 million, by Yao Jianguo port, co-operative production, 56.67 percent of which comes from joint management, technology the Chinese side, 38.33 percent transfer and establishing exclus• from the French side and the rest Three Cities Host ively foreign-owned businesses. from the British company. The co• • Nanjing will host Jiangsu operation is for 14 years. With a Trade Fairs Province's foreign trade negoti• production capacity of 600 tons a ations which will begin on year, the company will produce • Beijing will hold its first February 22. All the province's quality dry red wine, dry white foreign economic trade fair on import and export companies, wine and medium-dry white wine February 19-28. More than 50 local trading companies, industry- and export 30 percent of its foreign trade companies, and six and technology-trade integrated produce. Sino-foreign joint ventures in companies, and Sino-foreign joint According to the contract, the Beijing and 1,000 business repre• ventures will attend the meeting. Beijing winery provides land and sentatives from over 60 countries These businesses have formed 19 workshops, the French companies and regions, including Japan, the trading groups to deal in import the advanced technology and United States, France, Britain, and export through both normal management and the British Federal Germany and Italy, will and flexible channels. company is responsible for sales. attend the meeting,- The negotiations will centre on export trade. An exhibition hall of In order to guarantee the 6,000 square metres will hold more quality of the wine, the company Coca-Cola Production than 1,000 kinds of export will import from France grinders, commodities on display, including Expanding In China squeezers, wine pumps and other carpets, lacquer ware, Xinghai- equipment as well as enough grape brand violins and osmanthus sprouts for 33 hectares. flower wine. he Coca-Cola Company of the Thierry Jacquillat, general man• TUnited States has met early ager of the French Pernod Ri• success in China and is trying to card Wine Co., said at the contract Talks on import, joint ventures increase its sales here. Mr. Henry signing ceremony: Overseas and co-operative management will L. Wah, manager of the sales expansion makes us look for also be held during the meeting. section of the Coca-Cola China co-operative partners abroad. Beijing Municipality will propose Company Ltd., said that his Five years ago we tried to expand 283 co-operative projects of varied company plans to establish two in two Asian countries but failed forms, including co-operative manufacturing centres in Shan• in one of them. Later we shifted management, joint venture, ex• ghai and Tianjin and three bottle our focus to China. The clusively foreign-owned business, plants in Shanghai, Nanning in experience in the last two years for processing imported materials or Guangxi and Dalian in Liaoning the Beijing winery has proved that processing according to designs in the next few years. we have found an excellent and samples provided by foreign Over the last five years, the partner. As for the risk, any businesses, compensatory trade, company has set up four bottle investment involves risk. The joint design and project plants in Beijing (1981), Guangz• various trade forms and flexible contracting. hou (1983), Xiamen in Fujian policies China has adopted to • The Fifth Shanghai Foreign Province (1984) and Zhuhai in open to foreign investment make Trade Symposium will be held Guangdong Province (1985) with us confident about our investment between February 27 and March 8 good results. It has also built two in China. We have taken the first at the Shanghai Exhibition production lines for filling 500 step. We will take the second. Centre. The several hundred bottles and 300 tins of coca-cola China's present policies help negotiation chambers will also per minute at the Guangzhou convince us to stick to our present display Shanghai's well-known Coca-Cola Factory. In the last path. brand products both standard and two years the factory has The British company, with new. The technology export produced 62 million bottles of several dozen years of experience corner, to be opened for the first coca-cola and made profits of 2.8 in selling wines, is also confident time, will put on show products of million yuan.

FEBRUARY 23. 1987 29 • CULTURE/SCIENCE BM——•

Chinese New Year Galas

pring Festival, the Chinese to climb over a fence, and play Slunar New Year, is the biggest with water when taken to the river. holiday of the year, and this year, These actions are very demanding the year of the rabbit, began on on the performers, and excite the January 29. Spring Festival is a spectators. time for celebrations — fireworks, — Hanchuan(hoating on land). New Year's paintings, dragon A cloth boat is tied to the waist dances, lantern shows, and ice usually of a woman performer, sculptures. Some of the most who is followed by a boatman. attractive celebrations this year Another piece of cloth hangs were the fairs. In the city of Beijing down from the bottom of the boat alone 25 different fairs were held, like water. So the whole picture is and they were very popular. that of a woman sitting serenely on a boat, while the boatman rows. The woman, though, is far from Flower Shows at Longtan serene. The lower half of her body, Park covered by the cloth, must move vigorously to imitate rough water.

Up to nine boats perform YANG LIMING This was the biggest folk art together, requiring great co• show for nearly forty years. Skating with Mr. Panda on tlie Dragon ordination among the performers. Lake. Although called a "flower show" Sometimes there are also indiv• by centuries-old tradition, it was idual figures like crabs, shrimps, is tied to the waist of the "wife," in fact a festival of folk arts. Each turtles and fish performing who is carrying a baby in her arms. participating group carried a alongside. Accompanying the The "husband" follows behind banner with its name and the name performance is the percussion beat directing the animal. With fancy of its leader on it. The of drums, gongs and cymbals, and steps, the "donkey" acts out tricky performances included: the performers sing along. '— Wushi{\ion dance). This is movements, here tripping down, usually performed by one or two — Paolu(donkey running). The and there pretending to be unable people in a traditional lion tradition is for a husband to to climb out of a pothole. The man costume. The one-person dance is accompany his wife to visit her synchronizes his steps with the called shaoshi, lion cub dance, the parents on donkey back. The woman's. He either runs to the two-person one, taishi, master lion performance is similar to han- front to pull the donkey out or dance. The "lions" are supposed chuan, except that a donkey figure gives it a push from behind. Although he is sweating all over, the donkey still goes his own way. — Lianhualuo. A kind of ballad singing, usually based on popular stories taking from folklores, to the rhymic accompaniment of bamboo clappers. — Zhongfan{banner). A long and narrow banner with colourful decoradons and bells hangs vertically on a bamboo pole well over ten metres long. The performer supports the pole on the top of his head, or on his forehead, shoulder, chest, or his back. The decorations stream in the wind and the bells tinkle prettily. — Gaoqiao{hightr stilts). Dressed hke well-known figures in tradifional Chinese opera, the

30 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 performers walk in groups on Variety Shows at Ditan Park stilts, about three or four feet high. The group at the fair was made up Ditan (Temple of Earth) Park of more than 30 people. They were fair — the third to be held there — dressed as fishermen, and farmers was the largest fair in Beijing, with as well as opera figures. over 160 shows and 112 shopping Panggezhuang Village on the stands. A special souvenir from outskirts of Beijing is well-known this fair was a fengche, a sorghum- for its water melons, and this stalk, wind-powered rattle shaped inspired the villagers to put on an like a wheel. Walking among XIAO YINZHANG original show at the fair — a large visitors to the fair as they left the "Gaoqiao:" each figure represents a barn topped with a huge water park was a cacophony as everyone traditionai story. melon. This was surrounded by 18 proudly held their fengche aloft. oversized cymbals. Beyond these One part of the fair was a sale of leaves from southern Fujian, there were many more performing calligraphic works, paintings, and many more. "This is in• wushi, hanchuan, and datouwa, a kites, shuttle cocks, diabolos and credible," said one girl, busy dance of simple steps where the the like. There were video shows, eating. "I don't have to run puppet-plays, stamp sales, a around all over the city to buy Chinese checker contest, and also these foods. I wish we could have "Zhongfan." YANG LIMING exhibitions of paintings, calli• this kind of fair more often." graphic works, H'M5/!M(Chinese The tea house is usually a martial arts), folk art, and more. hangout for the old. The tea Food also featured. Stands were houses at the fair were built in arranged in two lanes which made Qing style. Traditional tales were for a walk through a snacker's being told there; people would heaven. There were; wotou: a listen to them while sipping tea out coned bread made of ground of small tea cups and nibbling on walnuts, pea cakes, paicha: deep- the goodies they had just bought. fried dough slices, egg-rolls, spring The toy fair was a mixed rolls, qiegao: a special kind of blessing of temptation and sweet gludnous rice cake, and frustration: here were children guotie: baked dumplings, all pestering their parents to buy Beijing style. There were also something for them, and the Korean pickles, fish balls from parents feeling they should satisfy Wenzhou, fried rice-flour noodle the children during the holiday from Guangzhou, meat dump• season. For the year of the rabbit lings wrapped with bamboo the toys too, carried this theme.

Souvenir hunting at Ditan Park. CHEN ZONGLIE

performers usually wear big masks painted like girls and boys. The success of the fair this year has aroused people's expectations of next year in Lorigtan (Dragon Lake) Park: for next year is the year of the dragon.

FEBRUARY 23, 1987 31 m CULTURE/SCIENCE

decorated archway before the gate of the temple, receiving a warm ceremonious feeling. Taoist rites of blessing were performed twice a day, and veteran Taoist priests chanted propitious formulas for the fair goers. The Baiyun Temple Fair featured decorated donkey rides, stone monkeys to touch, and throwing through the hole in a coin one metre in diametre, suspended under a bridge. It is said that touching the three stone monkeys on the front gate at spring festival will bring a good year. If the throw was good — a The bird fair was a major culture, and walking through the brass bell hidden in the hole of the attraction: the colourful little garden in the atmosphere of the coin sounded a clear toll, a goocj birds were trained to do such novel was, to many, a special treat. omen for the new year fot tricks as fetching water, opening whomever made the throw. boxes, picking up marbles, and then collecting coins from the Taoist Temple Resumes Its Lantern Fair at Beihai Parle spectators. Fair During the spring festival Shows at the Grand View The eight-hundred-year-old Baiyun Taoist Temple, the largest holiday, Beihai park was devoted Garden in Beijing, became once more a to folk lanterns from Zhenjiang, major spring festival fair after Jiangsu Province. At night, 2,000 On January 20 as 2,000 pigeons forty years of suspension of its decorated lanterns lined the were released into the winter sky, traditional activities. walkways in the park, drawing the red gate of the Grand View Baiyun Taoist Temple is the streams of visitors. Garden was swung open for the centre of Taoism in north China, One lantern was in the image of waiting visitors. The garden was and it is said that the temple had a a fairy maiden standing on a recently built hke the setting of A centuries-old tradition for holding blossoming lotus flower. Another Dream of Red Mansions, the fairs to greet spring festival. famous classical novel by Cao The temple was decorated with Xueqin (?—1764), which tells the "Fengche": a cacophony of joy. lanterns and coloured streamers CHEN ZONGLIE tragic love story of a young couple bearing auspicious words, and and the ups and downs of four coloured flags fluttering in the inter-related family groups. breeze. Five children in beautiful The garden was decorated dress, according to festival according to clues and descrip• custom, rode on young donkeys. tions in the novel. Colourful paper Eight priests in Taoist clothes, cuttings were hanging from trees with Taoist musical instruments, all over the garden. Various stood on both sides of the traditional operas based on the novel were on show. A hundred Food stalls: a snackers' heaven. riddles from the novel were CHEN ZONGLIE written on lanterns around the garden. There was a sale of paintings and calligraphy either quoted from or depicting the novel. Visitors could also have their photographs taken dressed in costumes described in the novel. A Dream of Red Mansions has a unique position in Chinese

32 BEIJING REVIEW, NO. 8 Scientific Expedition of the Changjiang River

fter six months of drifting in 5,800 metres in elevation so far. ditions for building a hydro• A unpowered boats down the All these changes indicate that thf electric power station. If a 6,380-kilometre Changjiang climate of the river's source area is hydropower plant, equipped with (Yangtze) River, the longest river getting warmer. 5.28 . million kw. generating in China and third longest in the First-hand data collected dur• capacity, is built, it could s apply world, the China Changjiang ing the expedition also revealed 30,400 milhon kwh. of electricity a Scientific Expedition Team finally that the' real source of the year. arrived at the mouth of the river Changjiang is the Dam Qu River near Shanghai last November, After a comprehensive survey of and the Tuotuo River, not just the bringing with it fruitful scientific the Jinsha River basin, scientists latter as is commonly believed. data. have discovered important data Surveys show that the Dam Qu about the distribution, character• River has a flow capacity three During the expedition, the 11 istics and potential hazards of times as high as that of the Tuotuo scientists from the Chengdu mud-rock flow. Mud rock flow River, and is tvw^ kilometres scientists from the Chengdu partly results from natural factors longer than the Tuotuo River. Institute of Geography, the such as earthquakes and land- Phangchun Institute of Geo• At its source area, scientists' shdes, and partly from human graphy, Northwest Institute of found a vast expanse of grassy activities including deforestation, Plateau biology and Lanzhou marshland, the largest in the°world mine exploitation and channelling Institute of Glaciers and Cryope- at a level of 5,300 ^metres, .water through mountains. During dology, investigated geology, providing a good place for their survey in the area, the landforms, hydrology, climate development of animal farming. scientists helped local people draw and resources at different sections out a plan to control mud-rock Besides grassland, the areas of the Changjiang, especially flow. along the upper reaches of the around its source area in Qinghai During the expedition, ichthy• river are also rich in mineral Province. ologists Wu Yunfei collected more resources. Scientists found a 1.8- In this area, scientist^ collected than 1,000 specimens of 50 metre-deep layer of peat and many samples of earth, water, fish, varieties of fish. At the upper copper mineral veins in mountains rocks and glaciers, and shot more reaches of the Tuotuo River, 4,700 along the Tuotuo River. In than 2,000 photos and about 1,000 metres in elevation, he caught 56- addition, they discovered other metres of films. cm-long diptychus which are the minerals such as rock crystals, Scientists found that there are same as those found in Nujiang tungsten, lead, zinc and white more than 350 glaciers at the River and Langcang River. The marble. river's source area, which are scientists believe that some 10 shrinking. For example, overnhe The Changjiang's Hutiao (tiger million years ago it is possible past 10 years, there has been a 30- leaping) Gorge, one of he deepest these rivers were linked together as 50 metre shrinkage in south and and most dangerous river gorges part of the same river system. north Jianggudiru glaciers. Also, in the world, also has rich Important data were also the snow level at the top of the resources. With its densely collected about the formation and Geladandong Mountains show forested banks and swift currents, movement of the Qinghai-Tibet signs of rising, and has reached the gorge has favourable con• Plateau. B

lantern was of "The God of style. In addition, Zhenjiang local goddess giving a lovely baby to a Longevity" in ancient costume, artists created a lantern of a young couple, a scene from a fairy his head nodding humorously, cowboy. The cowboy wears a tale. accompanied by a sika deer and a straw hat, and plays a flute as he Children were especially taken crane. The image of Monk Dao Ji, rides on the back of the cow. with the animal-shaped lanterns well known in China, also The "Drunken Poet Li Bai" is such as the "Elephant Blowing a appeared in the park as a lantern. the image of the famous poet of Ball," the "Tiger Roaring" and The highlights of the fair were the Tang Dynasty (618-907) the "Peacock in His Pride." huge lanterns, more hke statues lit turning his wine pot upside down Amidst the sound of fire• from inside. There were the 3.45- as he contemplates the plot of a crackers and people's laughing. metre-long dragon boat, poem. The "Goddess of Mercy" Beijing was intoxicated with the pavilions, and towers in national lantern describes a Buddhist spirit of the festival. a

FEBRUARY 23. 1987 33 CHINA'S FOREIGN ECONOMIC LEGISLATION Vol.11

Since its publication in 1 982, China's Foreign Economic Legislation, Volume 1, has been well received both in China and abroad. The English translations of the laws and regulations relating to foreign trade and investment have been carefully edited by American and Chinese experts. With the original Chinese texts attached, the book proves to be handy for use. David G. Pierce comments in the Malaya Law Review (1983), "Certainly dissemination of the book abroad will extend opportunities for study and analysis to foreign lawyers and potential investors who have had to rely, hitherto, on piecemeal publication of unofficial translations in a variety of periodicals. The compilers' meticulous translations and elaborate glossaries provide exactly the sort of foundations which will be required for more thoroughgoing analysis of the possibilities and prospects cJ^fered by China's new legal regime for foreign investment." Volume 1 1 of this book contains all important laws and regulations promulgated by the People's Republic of China from the end of 1981 to September 1984.

Published by FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS, Beijing, China

Distributed by CHINA INTERNATIONAL BOOK TRADING CORPORATION (GUOJI SHUDIAN) P.O. Box 399, Beijing, China

34 BEIJING REVIEW. NO. 8 ART PACE

A Miao Girl.

Sculptures by Tian Shixin

Tian Shixin, born in Beijing in 1941, teaches in the Guizhou Arts School. While carrying forward the traditions of China's sculpture, he creates works reflecting present-day life.

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