(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday morning as I was browsing the web, I came upon Shen Yun's announcement that its Hong Kong debut on January 27, 2010 will no longer happen. The reason was that the Hong Kong government, in collusion with the Chinese Communist Party's suppression, has denied visas to six production staff members of the show. After reading this piece of news, I couldn't help but wonder, does Hong Kong have a new head of its household?
I remember how in 1997, we were given the promise that upon Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, the policy of "one country, two systems" would go unchanged for at least fifty years. It has been thirteen years since that promise was made, yet a far cry from fifty. But already, it seems that the citizens of Hong Kong has already lost their freedoms, to the point they cannot choose what kind of artistic show they may watch. The CCP has already taken over Hong Kong's economic and cultural reins, not to mention holding sway over who can enter or leave Hong Kong. Whether or not the people of Hong Kong can avoid their fate of being absorbed into the red machine is up to how much fortitude and conscience they can muster.
Thankfully, Hong Kong has long been a member of the free world, and many who have grown up under the umbrella of freedom has already spoken out against this outrage. Legislator and lawyer Albert Ho Chun-Yan said that the decision to deny visas to key Shen Yun production staff was politically-motivated. Democratic Party legislator Lin Yunghsien asked why, unlike those in other cities, the residents of Hong Kong are being denied the chance to enjoy a high-level artistic performance? Strictly speaking, that's a violation of the citizens' freedoms. Therefore, he wanted to express dissatisfaction and wanted government officials to take action based on their conscience. A senior member of the Hong Kong media, Cheng Hsiang said, "I hope that the people of Hong Kong treasure this environment, one where one was free to come and go. I don't want this freedom of ours and our interactions with the international community to become limited for political reasons."
This incident has also validated some news that I had heard earlier. Some internal communications within the Mainland had dictated that those from the mainland are not to enter Hong Kong between January 27-30, with the violators potentially being labeled as "counter-revolutionaries." Those from the mainland who called the Hong Kong ticket office for the show had also drawn unwanted attention from CCP police and state security agents. Some even had their homes intruded into by police and were ordered to turn in their tickets. The fingerprints of the 610 Office were everywhere. It seems that when the CCP said that it would treat Hong Kong "like family," what it really meant was that it was taking over as the head of the household, intent on stripping away all semblances of independence and freedom. It's little wonder that so many have left Hong Kong with their families in recent years.
They know that just as a leopard cannot change its spots, the CCP is not going to change its deceitful, corrupt, violent, and wicked ways. Whenever they interfere, no matter how they dress it up, people will be reviled by it. Perhaps that is one reason Shen Yun has gained such acclaim all over the world, in spite of the CCP's futile attempts at interference.
In January of 2010, when Shen Yun was about to take the stage in Little Rock, Arkansas, the CCP's Chinese Consulate based out of Houston wrote a 13-page letter to the venue's management, slandering Shen Yun and demanding that the venue cancel the show. This letter was promptly forwarded to the FBI by the venue's management. The general manager of the venue said that this was the first time they had received this kind of ridiculous correspondence, "No matter who tries to pressure or threaten us, we will do what we think is right. I feel proud that Shen Yun is coming here to perform."
U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis, after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at Washington DC's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, described it as "marvelous," writing that "I feel that Hong Kong too, can benefit from watching a performance of this caliber." The letter continued that Shen Yun is the "world's premier Chinese dance and music company" and an "outstanding multicultural example of our country and we are very proud of it."
I believe that the CCP is this afraid of Shen Yun because it is fundamentally afraid of the people having their own thoughts and having their own culture apart from the CCP culture that it tries to instill in them from birth. I wonder how the seven million-plus citizens of Hong Kong will feel and react? Will they act to safeguard their dignity and freedom?
