We all know there is growing concern in China over the continuing riots and the new threat to the up and coming China Olympics of 2008. What we don't all know is what it's exactly like in China at this present time and what the Chinese public are going through.
The censorship of the Communist Chinese government play a huge part in the controlling of it's citizens and are a lot worse than we thought. The unrest has been felt in China, especially in areas with high Tibetan population, for many years dating back to around the 1940's due to ethnic and religious hatred and also by the rising inflation and food costs which forced many families out on to the street and madethe sight of starved corpses quite common. A British source currently living in China told me that there are vast differences between the rich and the poor, despite Communist ideology being everyone is equal. However, both classes undergo the same influences from the Chinese media.
There have been many unexplained stories which have been banned by Chinese censors from being broadcasted and this has become stricter and stricter over the last few years especially over issues such as health, education, inflation and stories concerning China's national leaders which are all big issues affecting China currently.
What i found most shocking from what my source told me was how the rioter's and protesters were being portrayed in the Chinese media. When reports are being shown to the Chinese public about the riots, those involved are not displayed as being ordinary citizens looking for change and a better way of life, but are presented as terrorists only out to cause trouble. With all the casualties and deaths caused by the rioting, two different death tolls were given. The Chinese official news agency, Xinhua, announced the death toll was at 19, whereas, the Tibet's Government-in-exile put the figure at around 100 although the reports are unconfirmed.
The overall concern currently is with the threat of athletes boycotting the Olympics in the hope that the rioting will cease but i wonder how it could ever end unless certain problems are resolved and how on earth they can hold Olympics when they are in the middle of a crisis such as this.
The censorship of the Communist Chinese government play a huge part in the controlling of it's citizens and are a lot worse than we thought. The unrest has been felt in China, especially in areas with high Tibetan population, for many years dating back to around the 1940's due to ethnic and religious hatred and also by the rising inflation and food costs which forced many families out on to the street and madethe sight of starved corpses quite common. A British source currently living in China told me that there are vast differences between the rich and the poor, despite Communist ideology being everyone is equal. However, both classes undergo the same influences from the Chinese media.
There have been many unexplained stories which have been banned by Chinese censors from being broadcasted and this has become stricter and stricter over the last few years especially over issues such as health, education, inflation and stories concerning China's national leaders which are all big issues affecting China currently.
What i found most shocking from what my source told me was how the rioter's and protesters were being portrayed in the Chinese media. When reports are being shown to the Chinese public about the riots, those involved are not displayed as being ordinary citizens looking for change and a better way of life, but are presented as terrorists only out to cause trouble. With all the casualties and deaths caused by the rioting, two different death tolls were given. The Chinese official news agency, Xinhua, announced the death toll was at 19, whereas, the Tibet's Government-in-exile put the figure at around 100 although the reports are unconfirmed.
The overall concern currently is with the threat of athletes boycotting the Olympics in the hope that the rioting will cease but i wonder how it could ever end unless certain problems are resolved and how on earth they can hold Olympics when they are in the middle of a crisis such as this.
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