Background

Construction of the Great Wall of China began in the 5^th century BC as a series of separate walls erected by individual states for the purpose of protection. In the 3^rd century BC, Qin Shihuangdi, the sole emperor of the Qin Dynasty, brought the separate walls together, forcing peasants, enemies, and anyone not tied to Chinese land to work on the Great Wall. Armies were stationed at the wall not only to defend against attacks from the north, but also to ensure that those ordered to work on the wall did as they were told. Qin Shihuangdi began a tradition that would last for centuries. Each dynasty that followed elaborated and improved upon the design of the Great Wall, adding to its height, breadth, and length. Such was accomplished through forced labor, backed by military might.

During the Ming Dynasty, sometime between the 14^th and 17^th centuries, the Great Wall reached its present form. Chinese emperors strictly controlled what could be said, thought, and written. While constructed as an imposing means of protection, the Great Wall represented a physical manifestation of the desire of Chinese emperors to control their populous and guard against the infiltration of foreign ideologies. Emerging from tradition and the ideals underlying the construction of the Great Wall, Communism became the dominant social and political force in China during the first half of the 20^th century.

After World War II, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party established a dictatorship that, while ensuring the autonomy of China, imposed stringent controls over all aspects life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. Mao tyrannized the most populous nation of the world for more than a quarter of a century. He exceeded the ruthlessness of such men as Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin in becoming the greatest mass murderer of the 20^th century. What follows are brief descriptions of what are considered by many to be Maoâs greatest crimes against humanity:

* Slave Labor

Aided by USSR advisors, Mao created a Chinese Gulag ö an empire of slave labor camps filled with those looked upon as Îcounter-revolutionariesâ. Prisoners included landlords, well-off peasants, civil servants of the Chiang Regime, and out-of-favor members of the Chinese Communist Party. Estimates indicate that the size of the typical slave labor camp population during Maoâs reign ranged from 10 to 15 million people. Conditions in the slave labor camps were deadly, with annual mortality rates ranging from 5% to 10%. Over 10 million people experienced death within the Chinese Gulag.

* Famine

Most of death endured during Maoâs reign stemmed from the famine generated by his agricultural collectivization program. Focusing first on eliminating the landlords, well-off peasants, and village leaders that might later resist his control, Mao initially let peasants keep their land. Such, however, was not meant to last. After a few years, Mao seized the land he had promised to peasants, and forced them onto collective farms. In Chinaâs Bloody Century, with regard to Maoâs agricultural collectivization, R.J. Rummel states the following:

ÎThe peasant [became] the property of the commune, to labor like factory workers in teams and brigades at whatever was commanded, to eat in common mess halls, and often to sleep together in barracks. Family life and traditions, personal property and privacy, personal initiative and individual freedom, were destroyed or lost in an instant for one-seventh of all mankind.â

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Just as it did in the USSR, agricultural collectivization failed in China, resulting in the death of approximately 30 million people.

* Execution

During his reign, Mao ordered massive purges of educated professionals and the Chinese Communist Party. Over the course of the so-called Cultural Revolution, approximately one million intellectuals and Chinese Communist Party members were killed, most of them falling to execution.

(for more information concerning the activities of Mao, and the leaders of other communist regimes, visit the Museum of Communism)

Mao passed away in the 1976. Yet, as exemplified by the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 and other more recent activities and events, his death did not signify an end to unwarranted killing and infringements upon fundamental human rights in China. To this day, the Chinese government exerts significant control over the freedom and will of its people, controlling what can be said and read, and seeking to keep China from succumbing to the influences of opposition and the outside world.

Internet/Conflict/Activism

The emerging Internet has revolutionized channels of communication. It has combined the characteristics of mass media (e.g., television), with those of personal media (e.g., the telephone). Relative to the one-way, passive, communication model of traditional media (i.e., media speaks, people listen), the two-way, interactive, communication model of the Internet has inherent implications for democracy.

The Internet has transcended the conventional boundaries of mass media systems controlled by centralized governments. With its global reach, it has overcome the barriers of space and time. Individuals and groups can now easily disseminate information worldwide and mobilize others for political action. The Internet has provided individuals and groups with a means for quick and effective organization, empowering them with the ability to communicate with several people within a short amount of time, and with minimal costs. It has enhanced the interchangeability of the senders and receivers of information. The openness of the Internet has facilitated public discussion of issues. Now, in addition to obtaining information from sources worldwide, and becoming informed and empowered, people now have the opportunity to quickly and easily publish their opinions and ideas.

- Paraphrased excerpt from Will [the] Internet Foster Democracy [in] China?

In recent years, the Chinese government has sought to improve the overall economic standing of China by participating in the onset and growth of the global economy. The development, advancement, and diffusion of information technology has been central to its plans for increasing the wealth of China. In particular, given its prospects as a source of current and future prosperity, the Chinese government has had to embrace the Internet.

(for background and statistical informationÊ related to the use of the Internet in China, see the following reports: Internet Development in China and The Internet in India and China)

The rise and continued growth of the Internet in China (it is estimated that, every three seconds, someone in China uses the Internet for the first time^[ref]), contradicts the principles that lay at its foundation. As discussed above, the Chinese government controls the freedom and will of its people. Chinese citizens do not possess the right to share their ideas and opinions if they conflict with those of the government. Yet, the Internet embodies a sense of free speech and facilitates the uninhibited flow of information. The Internet exists as an extension of democratic and capitalistic ideals. Such ideals oppose the totalitarian and communistic nature of China.

Disgusted by years of killing and frustrated by years of oppression (exemplified by the activities of Mao, discussed above), and driven by a desire for democracy and capitalism, the people of China, and their supporters, have looked to the Internet as an outlet for their discontent. What follows are brief descriptions of, and links, to a couple of the sites participating in the struggle against the Chinese Government:

* Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy

Founded as the Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China, by Frank Lu Siqing in late 1993, the Hong Kong based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (from this point on, referred to as the Center), provides information concerning human rights in China to international media, foreign governments, and the UN. Initially, the Center focused on the collection and processing of pertinent information from Hong Kong newspapers, and its delivery to dissidents in China. Now, with over 1000 members and informants distributed throughout China, the Center gathers and verifies thousands of cases related to human Rights in China every year.

* The Digital Freedom Network (DFN)

As is stated on their website, ãThe Digital Freedom Network (DFN) promotes human rights around the world by developing new methods of activism with Internet technology and by providing an online voice to those attacked simply for expressing themselves.ä The DFN features articles written by activists, news concerning freedom and expression, and information on how others, throughout the world, can get involved.

(for additional information and links to sites concerning the human rights and democracy movements in China, visit Internet Resources on China: Domestic Politics and Foreign Affairs)

Closing

Today, the Chinese government, run by the Chinese Communist Party, stands as the true Great Wall of China. However, rather than being a beacon of protection, it exist as a source of oppression. While welcomed by the Chinese government, in their drive for economic prosperity, the Internet may be its downfall. The appearance of the Internet in China provided its citizens with a new and powerful outlet for their opinions, ideas, and discontent. With the continued growth of the Internet, more is yet to come.