Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews October 1st is named "National Day" by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). However, the 64th anniversary of Communist China has been given a new name from Chinese people; National Shame Day. During the "National Day" holidays, petitioners from all over China protested against the party using innovative means. The "birthday presents" they gave to the party include flyers, banners, slogans, clothing with written complaints, and elegiac couplets, mourning posts, coffin portraits and cremation urns. The "blessing words" to the party are also not "Happy Birthday" but "Overturn the Communist regime". The "National Day" holidays this year have made Beijing an unusually bustling city. Petitioners from all over China have en mass continuously visited places such as Tiananmen Square and Zhongnanhai. They voiced grievances or made protests. Compared to previous years, there are great changes in many aspects of those activities, such as the number, locations, means of expression and petitioners' mindsets. Huang Qi, founder of human rights website 64Tianwang.com: "The most prominent change is that the number of petitioners going to'sensitive areas' has significantly increased compared to last year. Many people have been driven to desperation and have to make more risky moves." Qing Yongmin, human rights activist in Wuhan:"Petitioners who have struggled for a long time are becoming stronger in mind, and less afraid of suppression. Therefore we have seen never-before large-scale protests at Tiananmen Square or the Xinhua Gate of Zhongnanhai. Protests were also performed in very eye-catching but less intensive ways. They included scattering flyers, throwing firecrackers and shouting slogans." It was reported that, since October 1st, the "explosion sounds" have never stopped at Tiananmen Square. Some petitioners even set off firework-like firecrackers, which frightened police and made them very nervous. At noon of October 3rd, a Shandong petitioner Li Yu set off firecrackers with her 4-month baby at Tiananmen Square. Li Yu was then beaten by police in public, and was detained with her baby for more than ten hours. Her experience has drawn a lot of public attention. Li Yu, petitioner from Zaozhuang, Shandong: "All the police came to me and pressed me on the ground by my head. Later I was handcuffed and forced into their police car. My child was beside me when this happened. I kept crying ＇My child!＇ because I was afraid of losing baby." After being intercepted, beaten and detained many times, veteran petitioners have lost their last illusionary hope of the CCP regime. They are changing their petitioning targets from government agencies to ordinary Chinese people and foreign media. Petitioning locations have also changed from offices to sensitive public areas with large crowds such as Tiananmen Square and Zhongnanhai. Li Yu:"I use firecrackers because they won't injure the public. I don't want to injure innocent people. Another reason is that there are many tourists making video-recordings. There are large crowds and it is easy to draw attention and create pressure on local governments. That is my primary goal." Besides firecrackers, "flying" flyers also become a featured sight at Tiananmen Square. Witnesses reported that, only between 4pm and 5:30pm of October 1st, there were four waves of petitioners from Heilongjiang or Shanghai scattering flyers at Tiananmen. Some petitioners even did the scattering work from buses passing the square, which was too difficult to guard. This left both uniformed and plainclothes police in a flurry. Petitioners also expressed their grievances against the CCP in the following "creative" ways: Road-blocking, singing and dancing, diving from Jinshui Bridge, streaking and holding cremation urns. To avoid being captured in large groups easily, this year petitioners no longer gathered together at a single place. Instead, they acted separately and played a "bush fighting game" with the CCP. Huang Qi:"Talking about fighting against the authority, Chinese people are feeling less fearful to do this. They are appealing more aggressively than ever. Currently they have created many different ways to do that." The CCP's suppression has forced more ordinary Chinese people to join the group of petitioners. In the meantime, petitioners that only knew to be resigned to anything are also quickly growing up in their minds and acts. Li Yu:"I think now the situation has already been like that the government is acting so badly that they are simply forcing civilians to resist it. There is no other choice. Ordinary people have no choice but to resist." 《神韵》2013世界巡演新亮点 http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/

• published: 05 Oct 2013
• views: 62