“Cemetery is constant reminder of China's Cultural Revolution - Lexington Herald-Leader” plus 1 more |
| Cemetery is constant reminder of China's Cultural Revolution - Lexington Herald-Leader Posted: 04 Oct 2010 05:23 AM PDT CHONGQING, China -- At a lakeside park, tucked in the shadows between the trees and bushes, is a cemetery with a story that many in China would like to forget. Hidden behind high walls and locked iron gates are tombs for Red Guards killed during the dark days of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, a ruthless attempt to reinforce Communist party ideology. As with everything to do with Mao, the graveyard occupies an uneasy space in Chinese history. When China's top leaders observed the 61st anniversary of the founding of Communist China on Friday with a flower-laying ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Beijing, they did so quietly, without the speeches extolling Mao that once marked all such events. The country is caught between competing narratives about the legacy of the Communist Party patriarch. His revolutionary triumphs are inscribed on monuments around the country, and his face is stamped on Chinese paper currency. A portrait of the "Great Leader" dominates the gates of the Forbidden City, where emperors once lived, and his mausoleum is across the street in Tiananmen Square. On the other hand, few Chinese are eager to discuss the havoc and death that came with Mao's ideological adventures. Although the Chinese government in 1981 admitted Mao's role in the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution - which together with his earlier Great Leap Forward initiative led to the deaths of millions - it also stated that Chinese should continue to uphold "Mao Zedong thought." The underlying message then, as now: Officials have no interest in judging too closely the man who in large part built the Chinese Communist Party. Some 900 miles southwest of the capital, though, the Chongqing cemetery is a reminder of what happened in the years that politicians prefer to leave blank. The 130 or so tombstones - many marking multiple burials - evoke guilt and sorrow for those who survived, according to ordinary Chinese milling around the paths near the graveyard. "Those people should not have died, but they had too much belief in Old Man Mao," said Li Xingxiu, 68, her eyes filled with sadness. "Me, personally, I also believed him too much. . . . That time made a mess of peoples' lives." The fighting between Red Guards factions - youth groups at the head of Mao's efforts to wipe out "counter-revolutionary" elements - in the city 1967 and 1968 was particularly violent as militants seized tanks and flamethrowers from the city's munitions factories. In Chongqing, many still remember the chaos. "Was I here at the time? I joined the Red Guards. I was on the side of the revolution, I was for Chairman Mao," said a retired factory worker. Pushed for detail, he looked nervous. "Back then it was correct, everyone had to follow Mao," said the man, who didn't want his name published. State media announced this year that the Chongqing graveyard had become the first Cultural Revolution site in China to be preserved under government order. The plan to keep the cemetery was qualified, for it will be closed to the public for most of the year. "It has historical value, but we should wait for a while before opening it, until the people who participated in that event (the Cultural Revolution) have passed away," said Pu Yongjian, a professor of tourism management at Chongqing University. "Many years from now, another generation will be able to view this period of history fairly." Because students in China are given a sanitized account of Mao's life, and unauthorized texts are blocked, it remains unclear to what extent future generations will be able to consider the subject. "For young people, we have a general idea about it," said Xiao Zhiqiang, a 35-year-old factory manager in Chongqing. And what do the legacies of Mao and the Cultural Revolution mean for today's China? "I have no idea," Xiao said. Sitting with a group of friends at the park, Xie Xueru, a former cadre in the local government's agricultural department, said he doesn't like the cemetery at all. "I don't think it's necessary for this graveyard to be here. It reminds us of the Cultural Revolution," Xie said. He considered the matter for another moment before speaking again. "They died innocently and should not be blamed," said Xie, 65. "But they deserved to die. They put too much trust in a 'holy person.'" Having said as much, Xie looked around and seemed unsure of what to say next. Then it came: "That 'holy person' was Mao Zedong." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Sundance Institute Presents Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue - PR Inside Posted: 04 Oct 2010 10:24 AM PDT 2010-10-04 19:29:33 - LOS ANGELES, CA - RPR - 10/04/10 - Institute joins with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute for Museum and Library Services in a Public/Private Cultural Exchange Initiative The nonprofit Sundance Institute was founded by Robert Redford with an initial grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1981. Said Redford, "Film Forward brings the Institute full circle and helps further our mission of supporting and promoting independent storytelling around the world." // Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue chooses a carefully curated group of 10 contemporary independent films, five American and five international, and invites the filmmakers to present their works in selected locations in both the United States and at American embassies and other venues abroad. Master classes, discussion panels, Q&As and other engagements between filmmaker and audience are programmed around the screenings in all locations, cultivating engaged dialogue, fostering appreciation of other viewpoints and developing new audiences for independent film. The project will launch in New York in December of 2010 and conclude in September, 2011, with all of the films screening next spring at a gala showcase in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall in Washington, D.C. "We are honored to partner with our nation's leading cultural entities that share a commitment to cultural exchange," said Keri Putnam, Executive Director, Sundance Institute. "Film Forward is an important step in advancing our founder Robert Redford's original vision of making independent storytelling accessible and relevant throughout the world. We believe that film has the power both to reflect our cultural diversity and to connect people, and we are thrilled to be bringing these wonderful films and their filmmakers to diverse audiences." "There is no better way for people to know one another than by sharing their personal journeys. Films tell powerful stories that inspire curiosity, recognition and an awareness of shared values beyond generations, language and borders," said Margo Lion, PCAH Co-Chair. "The Committee is excited to be working with the internationally acclaimed Sundance Institute, whose extensive experience in nurturing the next generation of film artists, as well as their successful efforts in bridging cultures, will propel this cultural diplomacy effort in new directions." Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue is a continuation of the President's Committee and cultural partners' efforts to use film to engage diverse audiences in the U.S. and internationally, including a successful four year effort in partnership with the American Film Institute as AFI: Project 20/20. Over the past four years that program has brought together 42 filmmakers representing the United States and 21 other countries as cultural ambassadors, who have traveled to 18 countries and 18 cities within the U.S. The intimate approach of using one-on-one exchange between artists and audiences capitalizes on the nonprofit Sundance Institute's own cross-programmatic international and U.S.-based initiatives to deepen and enhance cross-cultural understanding. The Institute is committed to creative collaboration and plans to engage closely with its large network of national and international film associations, universities, libraries, arts and humanities councils, museums as well as similar cultural organizations for public outreach, education and engagement. The federal cultural partners in Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue said the following about the new partnership with the nonprofit Sundance Institute and the international exchange initiative: "Art is often an expression of shared values and works to create connections among seemingly disparate groups. We are proud to be investing in Sundance Institute's Film Forward program to help bring international films to American audiences, and to share American film makers and films with new audiences across the globe", said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "Film is a powerful medium that can capture and convey the stories of people and places in the United States and around the world," said Carole Watson, National Endowment for the Humanities Deputy Chairman. "Sharing these stories internationally bridges cultures, a goal of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH is pleased to welcome the Sundance Institute to this important cultural diplomacy initiative." "The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is proud to support the Film Forward initiative. This program fosters information sharing all over the world, strengthens cross-cultural connections, and enhances global awareness. These are all essential skills of a 21st century citizen," said IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel. Federal Partners The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation and excellence in the arts and humanities, and helps incorporate these disciplines into White House objectives. First Lady Michelle Obama is the Honorary Chairman of the PCAH. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The NEH is the nation's leading supporter of research education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The IMLS works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. Sundance Institute Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org # # # Media Contacts: Sundance Institute: NEA: NEH: IMLS: Victoria Hutter Paula Wasley 202. 682. 5692 202. 606.8424 hutterv@arts.gov pwasley@neh.gov View Release :  About the author Sundance Institute Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Angels in America, Spring Awakening, Boys Don't Cry, Sin Nombre, Born into Brothels and Trouble the Water. www.sundance.org : Add to Digg : Media Contact Name: Brooks Addicott Media E-mail: brooks_addicott@sundance.org : mailto:brooks_addicott@sundance.org Media Phone: 435.658.3456 Company Contact Name: Mamie Bittner Company E-mail: mbittner@imls.gov : mailto:mbittner@imls.gov Company Phone: 202.653.4630 Contact information Media Contact Name: Brooks Addicott Media E-mail: brooks_addicott@sundance.org Media Phone: 435.658.3456 Company Contact Name: Mamie Bittner Company E-mail: mbittner@imls.gov Company Phone: 202.653.4630 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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