By Xiao Guozhen, published: September 22, 2013   In the citizens’ movement that is flourishing across China, there are activities called “same-city dinner gatherings” (“同城饭醉“). Well-known Beijing Rights lawyer Xiao Guozhen (肖国珍) was a participant in such gatherings. Xiao Guozhen is currently visiting America and rec [...] Keep reading »

By Fan Chenggang, published September 17, 2013   On August 30, I interviewed Wang Gongquan (王功权) in a café. He told me that two days ago a policeman had warned him not to be too direct and too radical. The policeman talked to him for about an hour at a small table in a park. His friends worried about him and warned him. Wang Gongquan said h [...] Keep reading »

By Xu Zhiyong, published: September 11, 2013   A Look Back in History Who are the enemies of China? It used to be a horrifying question. History books used to say that imperialist America was China’s enemy, and John Leighton Stuart, who was taunted by Mao Zedong, represented the ugly image of American imperialism. In recent years however, w [...] Keep reading »

And points it in two directions. By Gao Yu, published: September 6, 2013     According to Xinhua reports last year and this year, it looks like the CCP’s Beidaihe enclave now has a fixed calendar. Last year, the start of the enclave was marked by the leader-to-be Xi Jinping meeting with experts and grassroots talent vacationing at the s [...] Keep reading »

By Teng Biao, published: August 27, 2013 (The article first appeared in Life and Death in China (a multi-volume anthology of 50+ witness accounts of Chinese government persecution and 30+ essays by experts in human rights in China). When I wrote it, Xu Zhiyong was under house arrest; when it was published, he had already moved to the Beijing Third [...] Keep reading »

By Hu Ping Published: August 16, 2013   In China, we live in a time of absurdity unparalleled in history. It is particularly so because everyone knows its absurdity and ridiculousness, but still carries on nonetheless. This is because China is still a one party dictatorship under the Communist Party. The CCP has committed many atrocities that [...] Keep reading »

Guo Yushan, August 10, 2013 That government, powerful as it was, didn’t scare me into doing anything unjust.                                                                — Ascribed to Socrates by Plato in The Apology Zhiyong, Congratulations for having been put in jail. I have been worrying that, i [...] Keep reading »

By Wu Qiang, published: August 12, 2014 A model for a contemporary police state. Urban grid system is nothing new. In ancient Rome, the grid was the standard layout of military camps. Urban grid planning, from the very beginning, bore the marks of militarized management. In Beijing, the grid-like streets and alleys (hutongs) have a lot of to do wit [...] Keep reading »

On Friday, July 19, a text circulated on QQ that is a record of Xu Zhiyong’s “talks” with a top official of the Beijing Public Security Bureau that occurred on June 25, 26 and 28. Its authenticity has since been confirmed by Xu’s close associates. ChinaChange.org is providing a complete translation of the text in three installments. This i [...] Keep reading »