Wuhan TV Station President Zhao Zhizhen Participating in the Persecution of Falun Gong
In June 1999, when Jiang Zemin's regime was secretly planning the persecution of Falun Gong, directly under Zhao Zhizhen, Wuhan TV Station's program series The Light of Science and Technology sent their staff to Changchun City to shoot a special topic film entitled About Li Hongzhi (Zhao's Film, in short). This TV program was shown nationwide again and again by the China Central Television (CCTV) two days after the persecution of Falun Gong formally started on July 20, 1999, namely July 22. It was the only anti-Falun Gong TV program at that time, and has become the most important part of the propaganda against Falun Gong in the early stage of the persecution. Not only that, the footage of the program has been widely used to produce hate propaganda video and writing materials against Falun Gong.
Zhao Zhizhen, male, was born in October 1943 in Yingyang, Henan Province. He was the Director of the Wuhan Broadcasting and TV Bureau (WBTB) and the President of Wuhan TV Station (WTV). Meanwhile, he held the positions of Chief Editor and Senior Reporter at WTV. In 1985, Zhao was transferred to WTV as the Vice President. He was not only the organizer and the planner of The Light of Science and Technology, but also a scriptwriter. The program series The Light of Science and Technology from WTV joined in CCTV in 1995 by invitation. It was once the only popular science program from CCTV. [1] Zhao retired from the end of 2003 to the beginning of 2004, but he is still the producer of The Light of Science and Technology program and also responsible for its website. [2]
Zhao Zhizhen is the standing council member of "China Anti-Cult Association" (CACA). CACA is a Chinese government agency disguised under the name of the civil none profit organization. The sole purpose of its establishment is to persecute Falun Gong. [3]
I. Zhao's film, directed by him has become the major part of anti-Falun Gong propaganda
Light of Science and Technology program series and Zhao's film are fully controlled by Zhao Zhizhen
In late June 1999, three staff members from the TV program series The Light of Science and Technology flew to Changchun City to shoot a special topic film (i.e. Zhao's film) and 6 hours source materials. [4]
CCTV10 series called The Light of Science and Technology broadcasted on CCTV was a large special program produced by Wuhan TV Station for popularizing science. In his more than 10 years term as the director, Zhao has put one quarter of WTV resources for the production of science and technology programs. This was unique in China. Zhao Zhizhen was not only the organizer and producer of The Light of Science and Technology program, but also the scriptwriter of many episodes. [5]
Zhao's film has been used as a policy-making reference for crackdown on Falun Gong
According to Yu Guangyuan [6], the central government document about banning "Falun Gong" was issued on July 19. Before that, the central government held a meeting to discuss and study about it. In the meeting, Zhao's film was played. [7]
WTV Program Center of The Light of Science and Technology [8] claimed themselves that during the struggle against Falun Gong, the Science and Technology Department, as well as the Beijing Correspondent Station of Wuhan TV Station have provided the central Party with important materials for decision-making. They have also provided large amount of written materials and TV programs for further fighting against Falun Gong later on.
The Production of Zhao's film in The Light of Science and Technology program series by Wuhan TV Station Was a Premeditated Plot
According to Minghui Net report, Zhao's film was produced under the command of a few people who have powers in political-legal organizations, by Wuhan TV Station with the request from certain security bureau, together with Song Bingchen and Zhao Jiemin from Changchun. It was a re-fabricated and re-played conspiracy which had been disclosed at the end of 1994. [9]
Zhao's film is the vital part of Jiang Zemin's crackdown propaganda on Falun Gong. Under the circumstance that Falun Gong practitioners have been deprived completely their right of speech, it has played an extremely bad role in misleading public to hate Falun Gong.
Since July 23, 1999, Xinhua News Agency and China News Agency reported in large amount how Chinese people both inside and outside China have changed their positive view on Falun Gong after watching Zhao's film. [10, 11]
A People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily report use the repetitive broadcast of Zhao's film on TV after July 1999 as an example to illustrate that media like radio and TV passes information very quickly, so timing is very critical and irreversible. As a result, one should grasp the opportunity for mind education with media. [12]
Zhao's film was also shown in the army and many other places. [13] It has been played again and again for long hours [14] and created huge impact in the society [15], causing many government officials, police and general public to hate or be hostile toward Falun Gong. It has played a key role in the initiation, escalation and spread of this genocide movement.
Zhao's film Was Used as Brainwashing Materials in Prisons and Forced Labor Camps
From China's official media reports [16] as well as the witness accounts of Falun Gong practitioners who have been detained in the forced labor camp and undergone forced brainwashing [17], it's clear that Zhao's film is the major brainwashing materials often used in the prisons and forced labor camps. Brainwashing (Chinese official term is "transformation" has been regarded as the most important method to detroy practitioner's will and physical body in the crackdown on Falun Gong. [18]
II. Created Anti-Cult website to Persecute Falun Gong
Under Zhao Zhizhen, WBTB's Internet Department planned, designed and developed many websites including The Light of Science and Technology Web, The Chinese Anti-Cult Web, etc. WBTB claimed by itself that The Chinese Anti-Cult Web is the most professional website against Falun Gong in China and has received high attentions from the leaders in the central government. It was officially open in Beijing on December 23, 2000. [19]
III. Plotted and Conducted Information blockage to Persecute Falun Gong
Due to the incidents of practitioners' tapping into TV signals to tell people about the truth of Falun Gong in the cities of Chongqing and Changchun, on the eve of the 16th People's Congress (i.e. before November 3, 2002), "Broadcast Security Control Team of WBTB" was created. Under the leadership of party secretary Tang Huihu and director Zhao Zhizhen of the bureau, they took two actions: 1. Get the support from the city government and city party committee to form a so-called "Mass Prevention and Management System" in the city. 2. Thoroughly deploy the prevention techniques. In the [2002] No. 77 document issued by the offices of Wuhan City Party Committee and Wuhan City Government, working rules were stated about "crackdown and on guard"of Falun Gong sabotaging TV broadcast. Led by the Wuhan City Party Committee "610 Office" WBTB connected and straightened out cable networks of all enterprises, government offices and institutions. Through close cooperation with WBTB, the City Police Department, City Overall Management Committee, National Security Department and Information Technology Department etc. worked together to remove the "illegal" ground-installed satellite dishes and RF emission apparatuses. The police department has confiscated 36 sets of "TV sabotaging equipment" Just before the 16th People's Congress, WBTB invested more than 15 millions yuan to establish the Wuhan Wire Monitoring Network, which was connected to the National Radio and TV Monitoring Network. During the 16th People's Congress, the web companies under WBTB have sent out 600 people on more than 60 vehicles everyday to patrol the city. They were divided into more than 100 groups and shut down about 200 dishes that can receive oversea satellite programs. They have also combined the networks of 16 enterprises like Yiye and Chenming Paper Production Company, etc. [20]
References:
[1] World Personnel Dictionary, the fifth on-line edition: Family Name Zhao(Back)
[2] "A Pioneer in the Making of Popular Science TV Program" on Science Net (March 19, 2004)(Back)
[3] "Investigation Report on Anti-Cult Association" from WOIPFG(Back)
[4] Zhao Zhizhen's speechat the Popular Science Work Conference, People's Daily of January 1, 2000, Page 9(Back)
[5] "Science Education Film, A dilemma of Entering Market" Chinese Popular Science Net (September 15, 2003)(Back)
[6] Yu Guangyuan: China's contemporary economist. He is a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), professor in the graduate school of CASS, Ph.D. advisor, member of Chinese Communist Party Central Consultation Committee, member of State Council Academic Committee, consultant of State Council Environment Protection Committee, chairman of Chinese Environment Strategy Research Center, president of Chinese Research Society on Works of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, director of Chinese Technical Economy Research Association, director of Chinese Land Economy Research Association, president of Chinese Productive Force Economy Research Society, director of Chinese Dialectics of Nature Research Association, director of Chinese Political Economy Socialism Part Research Association, consultant of Chinese Economics Groups Federation, co-professor of Beijing University and Chinese People Univerity, chief-editor of The Dictionary of Economics. (His positions and strong opinions against Falun Gong can prove the credibity of decision making background information provided by him about the crackdown on Falun Gong.)(Back)
[7] "My personal feeling about pseudo-science" Yu Guangyuan(Back)
[8] The Light of Science and Technology Program Center, whtv.com.cn(Back)
[9] According to Minghui Net report of February 17, 2000 "Reveal the Scheme of the Very Few People from Changchun (revised version)"...Under the command of a few people who have powers in political-legal organizations, a certain security bureau went to Wuhan TV Station, together with Song Bingchen and Zhao Jiemin from Changchun, re-fabricated and re-played the conspiracy which had been disclosed at the end of 1994; dreaming that after a rumor being repeated a thousand times, they would be able to use it as the evidence to claim Falun Gong guilty. Nevertheless, at this point the problem has tended to be the most serious: a few conspirators usurped the name of central government, based on the lie that "the central government has declared Falun Gong as evil religion", issued a command to Wuhan TV Station who was not clear about the truth to fabricate the video tape of criticizing evil religion and attempted to play it in every authorized TV station. The hazardous fact is: those pure slanders from a few have turned into the mistake of the central government's policy-making. Therefore, urgent appeal has to be forwarded to the central government to prevent the conspiracy of those conspirators who tried to deceive their superiors and delude their subordinates in order to cause even greater chaos nationwide. Relevant reports have been put on the website of Falun Gong in Changchun. According to the latest news, those several people from Changchun are still working on fabricating the materials in an even larger scale with Wuhan TV Station.(Back)
[10] Xinhua News Agency reported on July 23, 1999 from Beijing(Back)
[11] China News Agency reported from New York on July 23, 1999(Back)
[12] "Right Use Mass Media for Education" by Chen Fei, People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily of June 27, 2000, page 7(Back)
[13] PLA Daily reported from Jinan City on March 1, 2001(Back)
[14] E TV (chatroom) That summer vacation time, we happened to run into exposing and criticizing "**Gong" About Li Hongzhi was played again and again on TV from morning to night, all the other series had to be pushed to 11 pm to 12am.(Back)
[15] "On characteristics of in-depth TV reports" by Chen Xiaoping, Southwest China TV magazine of May 16, 2000(Back)
[16] "Important News" People's Daily (Oversea Edition) of March 29, 2001, page 1(Back)
[17] Witness accounts from Falun Gong practitioners(Back)
[18] "Investigation Report on the Destruction of Mind and Body of Falun Gong Practitioners through Brainwashing" from WOIPFG(Back)
[19] Answer to reporters by Lei Ximei, responsible person of WBTB Press Room(Back)
[20] WBTB 2002 Annual Work Summary and 2003 Work Essentials(Back)
