China is trying to find rocks on the moon
The China Letter: November 27, 2020
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A political race into space
Chang’e 5 is a mission named for a moon goddess, which seeks to bring back rocks and debris from its surface, during a visit expected to last two weeks. But it’s also part of broader space program ambitions: while China says it isn’t competing with anyone, reaching for stars is seen as a way to boost the reputation of its ruling Communist party.
Carrie Lam’s call for order
The annual policy address from Hong Kong’s chief executive stated the priority is to “restore the political system from chaos.” Carrie Lam announced plans to introduce a bill that will ban politicians who support independence from the former colony, while requiring them to take an oath that keeps them in line with China’s new security law.
Joshua Wong was placed in solitary confinement with lights on 24 hours a day, according to a post on his Facebook page after the pro-democracy activist admitted to organizing and inciting an unauthorized assembly near Hong Kong police headquarters last year. He’s become the latest face of hope to prevail over China’s regime.
Looking into surveillance
Deng Yufeng is an artist who recently staged a performance to demonstrate how difficult it is to avoid CCTV cameras in Beijing: “A Disappeared Movement” enlisted volunteers attempting to prevent being seen by Big Brother. There’s also a trend of Chinese homebuyers wearing helmets to anonymize their visits to real estate agent offices:
The price of good news
Weekend newspaper readers across North America have increasingly noticed during the COVID-19 pandemic how sponsored features from state-run China Daily portray the nation in a positive light. Spending on this propaganda has to be legally disclosed to the U.S. Department of Justice, allowing the observers to keep watching the money.
The last words, for now
Horrible Histories is a sketch comedy show for children that’s produced in the U.K. An episode from 2015 featured a parody of ancient Tang Dynasty empress Wu Zetian eating insects, rats, jellyfish and hair. While it first aired five years ago without any apparent commotion in China, a recent Australian airing elicited a harsher reaction:
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