ADVERTISEMENTAcross China, a retrograde strain of populist nationalism is gaining strength as the ruling Communist Party intensifies its control over history and ideology. “They are shutting down speech that’s not aligned with the party,” said Feng Chongyi, a China scholar at Sydney’s University of Technology. Last year, a Beijing court found a writer guilty of libel after he challenged the veracity of a famous tale of Communist Party soldiers sacrificing themselves against the Japanese. Supporters gather in public parks to spread Mao’s teachings and denounce corruption — sometimes attacking critics like Lu, the writer who sought to defend the professor. “Even if Deng said something wrong, he should be held accountable according to the law, not be attacked this way, like during the Cultural Revolution,” Lu said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 14, 2017 02:47 UTC