China: Censorship and Cultural Consequences

Here is a new piece on Chinese censorship by Boston University literature professor Ha Jin. See too what he says about self-censorship and the ultimately destructive nature of Beijing's policies. You've all seen (unless you are a deluded undergraduate leftist poseur) the physically harmful effects of China's autocratic sway. Killing the body is one thing, but killing the mind . . . The mental massacre continues unabated.

Here's a blurb:

Rigid censorship not only chokes artistic talent but also weakens the Chinese populace, who are forced to be less imaginative and less inventive. The crisis in education has been a hot topic in China for years. Why are so many Chinese students good at taking tests but poor at analytical thinking? Why are many Chinese college graduates less creative and innovative than college graduates in the West? Besides the commercialization of education, the absence of a free, tolerant environment has stunted the intellectual growth of students and teachers. People often ask how many great original thinkers and artists modern China has contributed to the world, and how many original products China has created on its own. Very few, considering that the country has 1.3 billion people. True, China is richer than before, but its wealth relies on duplicating and emulating foreign products. Such wealth is temporary and will dwindle away. Without its own original cultural and material products, a country can never stay rich and strong. In other words, the real wealth a country has is the talent of its people. In the case of China, the way to nurture that talent is to lift the yoke of censorship.