A6National MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2007 SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

In Brief Ancient faith has more support from a government than in centuries

Party chiefs re-elected in three more provinces Three more provinces have re- elected their party secretaries, state Rebirth of fills spiritual media reported. Wei Liucheng was re-elected as party secretary of Hainan province yesterday. Mr Wei, 61, a native of Henan , was named Hainan governor in February 2004 and void in rush to consumerism appointed party secretary last December. He is a well-known businessman, formerly working for decades in the oil industry before moving to Hainan. Lu Hao ,a 60-year-old native of Hebei’s Changli county, was re-elected party secretary of Gansu after being elected party secretary for the first time last year. In Guizhou , Zongyuan was also re-elected over the weekend. The 61-year-old native of Hebei was appointed party secretary in December 2005. He had been chief and party secretary of the General Administration of Press and Publications since October 2000. The new appointments are part of the personnel arrangements planned ahead of the 17th Party Congress to be held in autumn, when more young party leaders are expected to be promoted to the leadership. Staff Reporter Chen protests after WHO rejects Taiwan application Taiwanese President Chen Shui- bian yesterday protested against the World Health Organisation’s rejection of the island’s latest bid for membership, which had angered Beijing. Mr Chen wrote to WHO director-general Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun on April 11, but the WHO secretariat insisted the island was not a sovereign state and not eligible to apply for membership of the international body. Mr Chen told a seminar on the island’s WHO efforts: “Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and has the right to join the WHO. Neither the WHO nor its director-general have the right to deny or strip the human rights of 23 million people. The WHO secretariat has no right to unilaterally decide if Taiwan is a sovereign state or if it is entitled to apply for WHO A Taoist ceremony in , Shaanxi province, where the government last week sponsored a show (as well as in Hong Kong) to promote the ancient indigenous Chinese faith. Photo: Kristine Kwok membership. Therefore, I, on behalf ...... of the government and 23 million Taoism came closest to being a They boast their official roles are an “I’ve listened to politicians and Kristine Kwok people, am filing the strongest state religion in the Tang dynasty. But True words endorsement of China’s religious businessmen [at the forum] telling us I’ve listened protest to the WHO secretariat.” The core concept of the Daodejing, Zhang Jiyu , a vice-chairman The approximate number of characters freedom, although the faith encour- how the Daodejing is the centre of Taiwan had launched a new bid to the founding canon of Taoism by of the China Taoist Association, said in the Daodejing, Taoism’s founding text ages retreat from government. . If one in 10 of those to politicians join the World Health Assembly, the Chinese philosopher Lao Zi ,is the 2,000-year-old faith was now see- For Martin Palmer, general secre- people really believes and actually telling us how highest decision-making body of the arguably the suggestion that doing ing its best time in centuries. tary of the Alliance of Religions and acts on that, I think those will be the WHO, and also apply for WHO nothing is the most effective action. “For hundreds of years, the es- Conservation (ARC) in Britain, redis- model that China would follow.” the Daodejing membership. AFP It is because of this philosophy of sence and meaning of Taoism had covering traditional culture and reli- But he said a cultural change from non-action and its promotion of re- never been properly promoted,” Mr gion is the right course for rebuilding the top could be helpful. is the centre of 5,000...... Child killed, 55 fall ill as treating from society and govern- Zhang said. a better China. “When you have the vice-chair- vendor adds nitrite to stew ment that Taoism has been ignored “It has been marginalised be- “In the past, when dynasties col- man of the National People’s Con- Chinese culture A seven-year-old boy died and 55 by the nation’s rulers for centuries. cause Chinese people think it’s back- which allows priests to marry and lapsed in China, they were mainly be- gress … saying that Daodejing is im- ...... Martin Palmer, general secretary, others fell violently ill after eating But in a move seen as part of its ward and superstitious, especially stay at home, said he hoped the cause of internal processes,” said the portant, that’s a huge cultural ARC in Britain poisoned beef in Yunnan province campaign to heal social problems since the May 4 movement. People in forum could help to promote a mes- Christian, who attended the forum in change.” , state media reported. The and filling the mainland’s ideological modern times prefer things from the sage that Taoism was more sophisti- Xian. The sign of change first came in victims, all residents of Zhadian void by rediscovering Chinese cul- west as more superior and consider cated than fung shui or fortune-tell- “Now China is mimicking the 2003 when the ARC was approached out as the Communist Party lost its township, last week ate beef stew ture, the government threw an ex- all Chinese things as inferior.” ing. The other sect is Quanzhen, west and picking up the worst from by the central government to discuss ideological grip. spiked with the chemical nitrite, travagant show last week in Xian Mr Zhang said the number of - which forbids marriage. the west, such as consumerism and how traditional Chinese religions “The Communist Party should be which is toxic in excessive amounts, , Shaanxi province , and ists was on the rise and temples were Like most religious leaders on the rampant individualism,” Mr Palmer could help to create a better China, grateful [to the religions]. Nobody be- Xinhua said. The street vendor who Hong Kong to promote the 5,000- being rebuilt nationwide. mainland, Mr Zhang is a delegate to said. Mr Palmer said. lieves in communism in the country. sold the stew had run out of salt character classic, which is the basis of A better economy and a change of the National People’s Congress, A scene rather contradictory to “The government approached us, They might believe for individual when cooking the dish and grabbed the only indigenous faith among the perception had allowed Taoist while the China’s Taoist Associa- the harmonious notion was on view a said that something had gone wrong promotion, but they don’t believe “something that looked like salt” five sanctioned religions. groups to do things not possible in tion’s chairman and most of its 10 block away from the Xian venue, as and asked who it could turn to to cre- communism is going to create a instead, the agency reported. Taoist leaders praised the forum the past, such as compiling literature deputies are also members of the scores of petitioners staged daily sit- ate a culture that is communal for the workers’ paradise; they don’t believe Sample tests of the stew showed for demonstrating an unprecedented on Taoism, said Mr Zhang. congress or the Chinese People’s ins at the government office hoping needs of everyone.” it’s going to solve all the ills.” more than 12 grams of nitrite per level of support from a Chinese gov- The priest from the Daoyi sect, Political Consultative Conference. to get readdress for their problems. Tradition appeared to be the way and Confucianism, kilogram of beef, four times the fatal ernment in centuries, with some esti- which make up the three major Chi- amount, Xinhua said. Nitrite is used mating it to have cost US$1 million. nese philosophies with Taoism, have in very small quantities as a food But doubts have also been raised been given various forms of official additive, but high amounts can over whether the promotion was just Taoist master recalls his tryst with hardships support in recent years. cause headaches, vomiting, another ideological talking shop. An international forum on Bud- unconsciousness and death. Food Divided into two parts, in Xian dhism was held in Hangzhou poisoning outbreaks emerge and Hong Kong, the six-day forum To live in harmony with the universe is Taoist temples destroyed and priests still needed to put in more effort to last year, while Confucian schools are frequently on the mainland. AFP was backed by the State Administra- the essence of life, says Master Ren forced to resume secular life, Master build a harmonious society by sprouting across the country. tion for Religious Affairs and the two Farong , head of China’s Ren retreated to tilling farmland in narrowing the gap between the western The promotion of Chinese culture Firm gets staff to pose as regions’ governments. 25,000 Taoist priests. Shaanxi’s Zhouzhi county. But a and coastal regions and saving the is also seen as a move to counter the buyers in pirate DVD sting With a theme of “constructing a By following this course Master Ren, reclusive life did not spare him the environment. “Of course, it’s going to influence of western religions, espe- A Taiwanese company is using its harmonious world through the Tao”, 71, has upheld his spiritual pursuit as a humiliation of public denouncements. be difficult,” he said. cially Catholicism and Protestant- employees to pose as online buyers the forum was also hailed by some Taoist monk in Shaanxi province He said: “But it was a good chance for As a delegate to the Chinese ism. Advocates of traditional values to stop people selling pirated foreign speakers as adding weight to China’s for more than 50 years, surviving 15 me to mould my temperament. I see People’s Political Consultative also hope “soft power” can improve films on the internet in an unusual “soft power” as an emerging nation. years of hardship during the Cultural this as a good practice.” Conference, Master Ren said his roles of China’s international influence. way of controlling the fake DVD Among dignitaries attending the Revolution, and maintaining a good Master Ren, who also runs a religious head and a political figure Chengyang , who market. Basic International, a sales event was Liu Yandong ,a relationship with both the central Louguantai, or the Outlook Tower, near were in harmony with each other. was among the first Taoist priests to agent for Japanese and Korean film member of the Communist Party government and the likes of Hong Xian , first found his passion for “They are not conflicting roles. preach the religion in the west by set- distributors, has been catching Central Committee, Xu Jialu , Kong’s Henderson Land chairman Lee Taoism after reading the classic Chinese When problems occur in our religion, ting up a temple in Barcelona in 2001, people trying to sell pirated DVDs on a vice-chairman of the National Peo- Shau-kee. philosophical treatise Dao as a we can pass our concern to the said the time was now ripe to boost auction sites since 2005. The ple’s Congress, and Ye Xiaowen “I had suffered a lot [during the child. The youngest of three sons in his government,” he said. Taoism as an international religion. company’s employees present , head of the State Administra- Cultural Revolution]. Everyone looked family, he decided to become a Taoist Master Ren was selected as “Now China is rising, we should themselves online as interested tion for Religious Affairs. Taoist lead- down on me because they think Taoist monk at the age of 19, despite strong president of the China Taoist make use of this opportunity and buyers, but then take police officers ers and experts from 17 countries also priests are monsters and demons,” the objections from his family. Association in 2005 to succeed his promote our civilisation to the world. with them when they go to pick up took turns to discuss the significance native of Gansu province said. Amid a revival of religious pursuits predecessor, Min Zhiting , who It will be very useful in boosting their purchases. AP of the Daodejing and Taoism. To escape the turmoil, which saw on the mainland, Master Ren said China died at 80 in 2004. Taoist Master Ren Farong China’s international status,” he said. Olympics may be used ‘as a pretext’ to abuse Ottawa’s foreign minister to raise human rights, warns Amnesty International jailed citizen in talks with Beijing ...... pretext to expand the use of abusive successful attempts by some individ- Mr MacKay has criticised main- Beijing has bristled at Mr MacKay’s Tom Miller in Beijing Agence France-Presse in Montreal forms of punitive administrative de- Fears remain that uals to win better compensation in land authorities for their refusal to accusations of corporate spying and The central government’s preoccu- tention”, the report says. return for the forced demolition of Ottawa’s top diplomat is heading to “recognise that Celil is a Canadian criticised Ottawa for showing little pation with creating a “harmonious” Mainland police retain the power these abusive their homes – it says that abuse of ac- the mainland this week amid rising citizen” and asked them to investi- will to extradite Chinese people environment raises fears that the to detain petty criminals and other systems are being tivists who defend wider human or tensions over a Canadian imam’s life gate allegations he was tortured in wanted for crimes back home. Olympic Games will provide a plat- undesirables without charge or trial. political rights is on the increase. prison sentence on terrorism and custody. After the Canadian Parliament form for human rights abuses, ac- One punishment that remains com- used to detain petty “Arbitrary detention, harassment separatism charges. After fleeing the mainland to es- decided to give honorary citizenship cording to a report published today mon, despite repeated attempts to and surveillance of such activists and Foreign Minister Peter MacKay cape prison in 1996, Celil sought ref- to the Dalai Lama in November, Pres- by Amnesty International. reform the system, is “re-education criminals, vagrants, their families has continued since the will meet his counterparts today and uge in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and ident Hu Jintao cancelled The latest issue of “The Olympics through labour”. publication of the last Olympics up- tomorrow. Turkey before settling in 2001in Can- talks with Prime Minister Stephen Countdown” report, which judges The report highlights the case of drug addicts and date, with the convictions of several After a closed trial, Huseyin Celil, – ada, where he was granted citizen- Harper during the Pacific Economic the mainland’s recent record on hu- Falun Gong practitioner Bu Dong- others in order ‘to key rights advocates and the growing a 37-year-old mainland-born Uygur ship. He was arrested during a trip to Co-operation summit in Hanoi. man rights according to the core wei, who it says is doing forced pack- use of informal forms of ‘house ar- with Canadian citizenship – was sen- Uzbekistan in March 2006 and was In response to the snub, Mr principles of the Olympic Charter, ing work at the Tuanhe correctional clean-up’ Beijing rest’ against others,” the report says. tenced on April 19 to life in prison for extradited to the mainland. Harper said: “I think Canadians want also expresses concern for the con- labour facility in Beijing. Mr Bu, a for- “It is likely … that the Chinese “the crime of splitting the mother- Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu us to promote our trade relations tinued suppression of political activ- mer employee with a US aid organ- ahead of the authorities will employ similar tactics land” and involvement in terrorism. Jianchao said last week he worldwide … But I don’t think Cana- 1 ists and raises doubts about the isation, was assigned 2 ⁄2 years’ of re- at the time of the Olympics in 2008,” it His sentencing sparked anger in hoped Canada “would not interfere dians want us to sell our important effectiveness of reforms to the death education through labour last sum- Olympics concludes. The report also finds that, Canada, which has protested at the in the internal matter”. Canadian values – our belief in de- penalty. mer after a police raid on his home ...... despite the restoration of the Su- central government’s failure to allow Mr MacKay hopes the two-day mocracy, freedom, human rights. Amnesty International February’s announcement that found material about the Falun preme People’s Court’s right of re- diplomatic visits and expressed con- visit will allow him to “set priorities They don’t want us to sell out that out drug addicts in the capital may have Gong, which the government labels view for all capital punishment from cern over allegations that Celil may for productive co-operation”. to the almighty dollar.” to undergo an extended, one-year as an “evil cult”. jing ahead of the Olympics,” the January 1, at least 13 individuals have have been subjected to torture and The Celil case is the latest in a se- Last week, Ottawa asked to take “enforced rehabilitation” in the lead- “Fears remain that these abusive report says. been executed by local courts this unfair trial proceedings. ries of events that have soured rela- part in World Trade Organisation up to the Games heightens “concerns systems are being used to detain pet- Although Amnesty points to year without proper judicial review. Beijing has warned that Celil’s tions between Ottawa and Beijing consultations on the application of that Beijing’s hosting of the Olympics ty criminals, vagrants, drug addicts “signs of growing tolerance for indi- This came after a dramatic rise in exe- sentence was “related to anti-terror- since the rise to power of the Conser- intellectual property rights in China is being used by the authorities as a and others in order ‘to clean-up’ Bei- vidual rights activism” – citing the cutions in December last year. ism” and did not concern Canada. vatives in Canada in January 2006. after the US lodged complaints.