In the official atmosphere of following the central government closely and preferring the left to the right, the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee suddenly issued a notice this Sunday asking all district committees, district governments and party organizations of civil society to watch the Chinese anti-American TV series “Crossing the Yalu River” and report the viewing to their superiors in the near future. Some analysts believe that Tianjin’s move is clearly an invitation to Zhongnanhai, one is anti-American, the other is a statement of loyalty.
July 1 this year is the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and the authorities will launch a series of propaganda activities in the future to create an atmosphere to praise the history of the development of the CCP. According to a staff member of the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily, from June onwards party newspapers around the country will cooperate with the Central Propaganda Department to launch retrospective feature stories to glorify the Communist Party: “From organs to rural areas, there are party groups and mass celebrations to promote the history of the CCP for more than a month.”
However, the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), long before the Party’s celebration was launched, issued a “Notice on Seriously Watching the TV Series “Crossing the Yalu River” this Sunday, asking all party groups of state organs and all people’s groups to watch the CCTV rerun of the TV series “Crossing the Yalu River”. It also asked that the viewing situation be reported to the General Office of the Municipal Party Committee by this Thursday.
In response, Guangzhou dissident Wang Aizhong said in an interview with Radio Free Asia this Wednesday (17) that there have been more similar cases in recent years: “including the requirement for Party members, cadres and the masses to study Party history, including some literary works that promote the Party’s ideology, speeches by leaders, and with compulsion. This actually has to do with the beginning of the Communist Party or 100 years ago, and a long Time after, when the socialist ideology became a very popular and fashionable concept not only in China, including in many countries in the world.”
Wang Aizhong said that in today’s world, many former socialist countries, including many people in China, admit that socialist ideology is bankrupt: “Then the people will no longer take the initiative to accept this kind of thing. The state, the party, can only take coercive measures to force the people, especially party cadres, to accept and embrace the party’s theory, ideology, including party Culture. But in practice it is difficult for them to achieve the desired results.”
CCP propaganda offensive only targets domestic masses
The notice from the General Office of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee said that “Crossing the Yalu River” shows the whole process from the initial decision to the final signing of the armistice agreement, enthusiastically eulogizes the heroic sons and daughters and carries forward the great anti-American spirit, and is a reference teaching material for learning and understanding Xi Jinping‘s thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and learning the history of the Party, the history of new China and the history of socialist development. The notice also said that all districts and departments should make good use of the Spring Festival holiday, through a variety of effective forms to organize everyone to watch carefully and so on.
Beijing-based independent scholar Jifeng told the station that whenever problems arise in Sino-US relations, the authorities take the opportunity to express their positions, but these positions are not towards the US, but the general public at Home. He said, “He wants to take these to the domestic people, not to the Americans, because he knows very well what kind of war that war is. The first is because of the North Korean relationship, only with this to say, can be justified with North Korea, other say not. And then because after the recent WHO investigation, many people in the United States do not recognize the WHO’s claim.”
While Beijing is advocating a high-profile promotion of the “100th anniversary of the founding of the Party” this year, the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has taken the lead in the country in proposing to study and understand Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the history of the Party, the history of the new China, etc. by watching the TV series “Crossing the Yalu River”.
Ji Feng told the station that Tianjin’s move should have been agreed to by the top official in charge of ideology: “He won’t do it if he doesn’t agree, this thing should be arranged, some people have played these things countless times. Now it’s like this, as long as the CCP doesn’t force you to take a stand, many people don’t want to go out of their way to do this. Unless you are going to patronize the stand.”
In the political report of the 19th Communist Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned the “two 100-year” goals, including the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Communist Party in 2049. Therefore, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party in July this year has become an important issue for the authorities this year.
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