'Freezing Point,' a weekly supplement to China Youth Daily, was closed due to publication of "some sensitive reports," a senior official at the weekly, who wished to remain anonymous, told Interfax. The weekly is well known in China for stories that focus on normal people's thoughts and society in contemporary China.
"Yes, we are closed due to a report by Mr. Yuan Weishi. But that's just an excuse," said the official. According to the official, the decision to stop the weekly was made by a department "even more senior than the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the China Communist Party." The Publicity Department was formerly the Propaganda Bureau, and is responsible for supervision of all news and publication activities in China.
'Freezing Point' re-published an article written by Yuan Weishi, a professor in Guangzhou's Sun Yat-sen (Zhongshan) University, in mid-January. Yuan said in the article that the Chinese side should bear some responsibility in the triggering of many issues in Chinese history, even actions such as the burning of the Old Summer Palace by British and French armies in the late Qing Dynasty, during the boxer rebellion. Yuan wrote the article in the name of "telling true history to the youth".
"Only if we could say what we did is wrong, the weekly may be resumed. But we will never say that, so the shut down has no end point," said the official.
Modernization and History Textbooks. By Yuan Weishi (Zhongshan University professor)
The current history textbooks are using this concept to guide thinking. It is obvious that we must love our country. But there are two ways to love our country. One way is to inflame nationalistic passions. Traditional Chinese culture had deeply ingrained ideas such as "Chinese and foreigners are different" and "if you not my kind, then your loyalties must be opposite to mine." Our thinking is still poisoned by them today. The latest edition is this: if there is a conflict between China and others, then China must be right; patriotism means opposing the other powers and the foreigners. In the selection and presentation of historical materials, we will only use those that favor China whether they are true or false. The other choice is this: we analyze everything rationally; if it is right, it is right and if it is wrong, it is wrong; calm, objective and wholly regard and handle all conflicts with the outside.
