Sun Dawu, D. Carlton Rossi and Professor Luo Xiwen of the philosophy department of CAS meet officials of Red Deer College in 2002 to finalize an agreement to establish Dawu Red Deer College for vocational purposes. D. Carlton Rossi flew in from Dalian to meet the officials in Beijing who then proceeded to Dawu Group. Dawu Group would send both teachers and students to Red Deer College and Red Deer College would send students and teachers to Dawu Group. Other agreements were finalized with a nanny school in Japan, an agricultural university in Beijing and a four star hotel in Dalian. A special library was built after this visit. D. Carlton Rossi recruited an Australian professor for teaching. The college was to begin offering classes on September 1, 2003. However, all plans and arrangements fell through after the arrest of Sun Dawu on May 27, 2003.
158 days
One hundred and fifty-eight days was the time Sun Dawu spent in prison in 2003. The author was present at Dawu Group during his arrest. He was the guest of Sun Dawu. He himself was put under house arrest for three days. In what is termed 2.0, Sun Dawu was arrested a second time. On April 18, 2020 158 days has passed. With respect to the author, he, too, would have been arrested a second time. He, too, would have been forced to read Article 1 regarding National Security or its modern equivalent as had happened on May 28, 2003. He, too, may have been arrested waiting for charges to be laid in what might become a gang related case.
You might say that this supposition is hypothetical and you would be correct. However, you will need more facts because the degree of certainty increases. The author who is a teacher sent a six page proposal by Fed Ex to Dawu Group at the end of 2019. He was creating his own teaching position as a "foreign expert" as he had formerly been classified by the Foreign Experts Bureau. He wanted to teach teachers. One can have much more influence teaching teachers of students rather than students. He had had experience in this field in both China at several schools and South Korea where he taught at Kunsan University. He was accepted for the position at Dawu Group. In addition, Sun Dawu wanted the author to teach his grandchildren.
It seems that the Canadian Embassy in Beijing under the leadership of Ambassador Barton was out of the loop concerning the emergent virus--at least according to the testimony of the ambassador before a parliamentary committee in 2020. On the other hand, the author was well acquainted with the emergence of a new virus similar to SARS. He had not forgotten the lessons of SARS because he had been at ground zero of the epidemic in Beijing prior to May 28, 2003. He had been teaching at both the Graduate School of CAS and at another university specializing in finance when the outbreak hit. He lived right across from a restaurant which was converted into a SARS hospital. Both this hospital and the military hospital in Beijing were the two designated places where patients were sent.
In SARS 2.0, a virus was identified at the end of December 2019 which had emerged in Wuhan. At the end of December Dr. Li Wenliang (李文亮) who was a doctor of opthalmology blew the whistle on a new virus similar to SARS. That doctor was Li Wenliang of Wuhan. That doctor had been the author's opthamologist in Xiamen. The author still holds his written prescription and uses the reading glasses which were manufactured at the clinic where he worked. The new virus was designated SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Li Wenliang passed away on February 06, 2020.
The author was well aware of the relationship between SARS and the arrests of Sun Dawu and Sun Zhigang in 2003. He had written an article called The Year of Two Suns about the beginning of the civil rights movement in China during 2003. Perhaps a reprint is necessary at this time. In retrospect, the author was a participant in what became a movement. SARS basically created a climate of fear where citizens demanded more rights--especially involving information and free speech while the government used cover-up because it was concerned about further unrest or "class struggle".
At any rate, the author saw a parallel between the arrest of Sun Dawu in 2003 during the SARS crisis and the possible arrest of Sun Dawu just a year after he had acted as a "whistleblower" in February 2019 about the African Swine Flu (ASF) epidemic in Hebei Province. This epidemic affected Chinese farmers who culled millions of swine. It still is prevalent in China. Sun Dawu is still referred by many international news organizations as a "pig farmer" because of the publicity or by Chinese state media with reference to the "pig killing list" of the government concerning alleged wayward entrepreneurs.
The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic though was affecting wide swaths of the Chinese population with its epicenter in Wuhan. To remind the reader, ASF is a hemorrhagic fever that affects mainly swine while SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory fever that affects humans and other mammals. It is possible for a pig and handler to have both ASF and SARS-CoV-2.
On January 16, 2020, the author informed the Dawu Group that he declined the offer to teach at their school. He informed Sun Dawu that he was concerned about the emergence of a new virus in China. He cited the opinion of The Lancet which is an independent, international general medical journal founded in 1823. The journal was saying they believed there were many more cases in Wuhan than were being officially reported. I am not sure why the Canadian Embassy in Beijing was not warning Canadians to avoid travel to China either because of COVID-19 or the arrest of Spavor and Kovrig, but the author was informing Sun that he was concerned and that Sun should be concerned about the emergence of a new disease. Indirectly, the author was saying to Sun that he might be arrested.
The second reason the author gave to Sun Dawu was that he (the author) might be arrested. The author saw the parallel between his house arrest in 2003 at the height of the SARS epidemic and his possible arrest in 2020 with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Incidentally, the author was arrested in 2003 while he was establishing a new college in a cooperative program between Red Deer College, Alberta and Dawu Group. Officials of the Canadian Embassy had inspected the educational facilities of the Dawu Group.
In the author's opinion, it was more than likely that he himself might be arrested in 2020 because it was the end of the civil rights movement in China. For example, Xu Zhiyong who was the former lawyer of Sun Dawu and founder of the New Citizens' Movement (新公民运动) was on the run having evaded an arrest at a dinner party in Xiamen. This was unknown to the author at the time who actually had considered hiring Dr. Xu to meet him at the airport in the event that the author was arrested for arbitrary reasons as had been the Canadians known as Spavor and Kovrig. The lawyer who represented Sun Dawu in 2003 was arrested on February 15, 2020.
The author has contrasted this dinner party of a handful of citizens with the Baibuting Banquet in Wuhan of 10,000 participants where the mayor--Zhou Xianwang (周先旺)--was trying to set a world record. This contributed to the epidemic along with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market (武汉华南海鲜批发市场) from which some of the food for the open banquet originated. What was the government's answer to banquets and food consumption especially of pork? Eat less!
The reader will point out quite rightly to the author that Sun Dawu was not arrested at the beginning of 2020 and that the epidemic was under control by the summer. However, Sun Dawu was arrested on November 11, 2020 between two resurgences of the disease in Hebei Provice. On June 15, 2020, there was an outbreak at Xinfadi market in Beijing. This must have reminded authorities of the outbreak traced to the Wuhan market which is denied by you know WHO. At the same time, authorities declared martial law in Baoding which is a 15 minute ride away from Dawu City. Then, on January 07, 2021, the capital of Hebei Province or Shijiazhuang which has a population of 11 million was under total lockdown.
In summary, there is a similar feature between the arrest of Sun Dawu in 2003 and in 2020. That feature is SARS and its derivative SARS-CoV-2. Both diseases started off as epidemics in China and became international pandemics. In 2003, the emergence of SARS coincided with the beginning of the civil rights movement in China. In 2020, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 marked the end of the civil rights movement with the arrest of Xu Zhiyong and Sun Dawu under a much more authoritarian government.
So far, the government has avoided or evaded a trial of the Confucian entrepreneur Sun Dawu. If there is a trial then it will be the trial of the century. It will remind the author of how Red Guards tried to dig up the bones of Confucius on two occassions in order to burn them during the Cultural Revolution. It will be Cultural Revolution 2.0 or The Great Terror 2.0 (大恐怖 2.0) . It will be the end of civil rights, Confucianism and private enterprise.
D. Carlton Rossi
2021年15月4日
updated 2021年18月4日
May be reprinted for educational purposes
Dawu Anthem 大午厂歌
Trial October 30, 2003
孙大午:迷茫的下一步孙大午还需闯四大关 世界经理人周刊 www.icxo.com ( 日期：2003-11-14 )
今年2月27日，大午集团同加拿大红鹿学院 (RED DEER COLLEGE) 签订《关于建立加拿大红鹿学院中国大午分院的协议》 .大午集团提供校舍教室等固定资产，红鹿学院负责外教师资和招生。中国社会科学院哲学所罗希文教授担任校长。罗希文教授于1985－1996年间主办了 “中国社会科学院英语培训中心”，具有中外合作办学的经验。这个分院第一阶段将从旅游专业和英语专业方面招生，同时作为国内学生留学加拿大的一个招生基 地。从这份已经失效的协议中看到，大午集团在其中的盈利分成相当可观。
On February 27, 2003, the Dawu Group signed an agreement with Red Deer College of Alberta,Canada, i.e. an agreement to build a China Dawu Branch of Red Deer College. According to the agreement, Dawu Group would provide real estate such as school buildings and classrooms while Red Deer College would be responsible for recruiting foreign teachers and students. Professor Luo Xiwen, a scholar in the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, will be the Principal. Professor Luo was in charge of the operation of “English Training Centre, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences” during 1985-1996 and has collected plentiful experience on joint educational programs between China and foreign countries. This branch will train students in tourism and English at its first stage, and play a base for students desiring higher education in Canada. From this valid agreement, we can find that Dawu Group will earn a lot in this program.
出狱后孙大午得知，当他被捕时，仍留在大午中学上课的外教丹尼斯 (Dennis Rossi)用绝食表示抗议。“在被工作组驱逐走之前的最后两天，丹尼斯不吃饭，不喝水，不说话。我当时在监狱里写信给县长，想出来亲自送走他，没有批 准。”孙大午叹息，“我们要善待外国人啊，这样子做太影响我们的国际形象了。”
When Sun Dawu was arrested, Dennis Rossi, a foreign teacher who was a guest lecturer at the Dawu middle school, protested against the police action against Sun through a fast. It was when Sun Dawu was released from prison that he learned about this matter. “In the last two days before being driven away by the Work Group of the government, Dennis did not eat, nor drink, nor speak. At that time, I wrote the Governor of the county and expressed my wish to see him right away, but I was refused. ” Sun Dawu signed, “We should treat foreigners well, if not then it will bring disadvantage to the fame of our people and country in the world.”
11月9日，孙大午出狱后第一次和主持学院合作事宜的罗希文教授联系。罗希文告诉他：“我给他们发了好几封电子邮件询问。现在继续合作已经不合适，明年慢慢联系吧。”孙大午非常痛心：“这个协议很好，失去是很遗憾的事情，非常遗憾。我心不死啊。”
On November 9, 2004, after he was released from incarceration, Sun Dawu contacted Professor Luo Xiwen about the matter of a joint college. Professor Luo told him, “I have sent several emails to our Canadian partners. It seems that cooperation is not suitable at present, let’s be concerned about it next year. ” Sun Dawu became grieved, and said, “This agreement is very good. To lose it makes me regretful. I cannot face the fact.”
放下电话，孙大午难以掩盖他的陡然伤感：“我本人并未做对不起社会的事情，并未给学校企业蒙羞，我本人没做丢人的事情。据罗教授说，外国人是完全理解我的，但是对我的企业是否还有未来很没有把握。”
Putting down the telephone, Sun Dawu could not hold his sudden sorrow. He said, “I have not done any unfair thing toward the society, nor brought bad fame to the school. I have not undertook any infamous things by myself. According to Professor’s Luo’s message, foreigners fully understood me, but were uncertain about the future of my enterprises.”
面对这样的打击，孙大午对自己的命运也没有把握：“唉，一切都是命啊。卦爻辞算卦，给我也算一算吧，人对前途没有把握的时候，就要依赖算命了。”
Facing this blow, Sun Dawu also becomes uncertain about his own future. He sighed, “Alas, all is predestined. Individuals use hexagrams to foretell their future. I would like to predict my future from them, too. When a person is uncertain about his future, what he can rely on is only fortune-telling. ”
The Grandson Great Noon is Reprieved, November 11, 2003
Surely his re-arrest on November 11, 2020 is not a coincidence!
今年2月27日，大午集团同加拿大红鹿学院 (RED DEER COLLEGE) 签订《关于建立加拿大红鹿学院中国大午分院的协议》 .大午集团提供校舍教室等固定资产，红鹿学院负责外教师资和招生。中国社会科学院哲学所罗希文教授担任校长。罗希文教授于1985－1996年间主办了 “中国社会科学院英语培训中心”，具有中外合作办学的经验。这个分院第一阶段将从旅游专业和英语专业方面招生，同时作为国内学生留学加拿大的一个招生基 地。从这份已经失效的协议中看到，大午集团在其中的盈利分成相当可观。
On February 27, 2003, the Dawu Group signed an agreement with Red Deer College of Alberta,Canada, i.e. an agreement to build a China Dawu Branch of Red Deer College. According to the agreement, Dawu Group would provide real estate such as school buildings and classrooms while Red Deer College would be responsible for recruiting foreign teachers and students. Professor Luo Xiwen, a scholar in the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, will be the Principal. Professor Luo was in charge of the operation of “English Training Centre, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences” during 1985-1996 and has collected plentiful experience on joint educational programs between China and foreign countries. This branch will train students in tourism and English at its first stage, and play a base for students desiring higher education in Canada. From this valid agreement, we can find that Dawu Group will earn a lot in this program.
出狱后孙大午得知，当他被捕时，仍留在大午中学上课的外教丹尼斯 (Dennis Rossi)用绝食表示抗议。“在被工作组驱逐走之前的最后两天，丹尼斯不吃饭，不喝水，不说话。我当时在监狱里写信给县长，想出来亲自送走他，没有批 准。”孙大午叹息，“我们要善待外国人啊，这样子做太影响我们的国际形象了。”
When Sun Dawu was arrested, Dennis Rossi, a foreign teacher who was a guest lecturer at the Dawu middle school, protested against the police action against Sun through a fast. It was when Sun Dawu was released from prison that he learned about this matter. “In the last two days before being driven away by the Work Group of the government, Dennis did not eat, nor drink, nor speak. At that time, I wrote the Governor of the county and expressed my wish to see him right away, but I was refused. ” Sun Dawu signed, “We should treat foreigners well, if not then it will bring disadvantage to the fame of our people and country in the world.”
11月9日，孙大午出狱后第一次和主持学院合作事宜的罗希文教授联系。罗希文告诉他：“我给他们发了好几封电子邮件询问。现在继续合作已经不合适，明年慢慢联系吧。”孙大午非常痛心：“这个协议很好，失去是很遗憾的事情，非常遗憾。我心不死啊。”
On November 9, 2004, after he was released from incarceration, Sun Dawu contacted Professor Luo Xiwen about the matter of a joint college. Professor Luo told him, “I have sent several emails to our Canadian partners. It seems that cooperation is not suitable at present, let’s be concerned about it next year. ” Sun Dawu became grieved, and said, “This agreement is very good. To lose it makes me regretful. I cannot face the fact.”
放下电话，孙大午难以掩盖他的陡然伤感：“我本人并未做对不起社会的事情，并未给学校企业蒙羞，我本人没做丢人的事情。据罗教授说，外国人是完全理解我的，但是对我的企业是否还有未来很没有把握。”
Putting down the telephone, Sun Dawu could not hold his sudden sorrow. He said, “I have not done any unfair thing toward the society, nor brought bad fame to the school. I have not undertook any infamous things by myself. According to Professor’s Luo’s message, foreigners fully understood me, but were uncertain about the future of my enterprises.”
面对这样的打击，孙大午对自己的命运也没有把握：“唉，一切都是命啊。卦爻辞算卦，给我也算一算吧，人对前途没有把握的时候，就要依赖算命了。”
Facing this blow, Sun Dawu also becomes uncertain about his own future. He sighed, “Alas, all is predestined. Individuals use hexagrams to foretell their future. I would like to predict my future from them, too. When a person is uncertain about his future, what he can rely on is only fortune-telling. ”
The Grandson Great Noon is Reprieved, November 11, 2003
Surely his re-arrest on November 11, 2020 is not a coincidence!
Most of the following accounts were removed from the website after the trial. They had served their purpose. They are now republished on the web in order to document events that transpired earlier.
At 3:00 a.m. on the 27th of May, I was awakened by a disturbance. It took place directly across from my hotel room on the fourth floor of a student dormitory. Someone yelled in Chinese "Sit down!" I saw lights turned on and off in various rooms. I followed flashlights as they went from room to room. Then, all was quiet until I heard the soft breathing of a policeman beneath my window.
At the break of dawn, I went for my regular exercise. However, Sun did not appear that morning. When I returned to my room I found a short note left on my desk. It told me to immediately prepare to leave for Beijing. This was strange since I wasn't slated to leave for another two weeks. Later, XU (Dean of the Middle School and also a government official) came to my room. He asked me if I had heard the police siren last night. He informed me that Sun had been arrested. In a surprising move, he asked for the return of his note. I said that I had thrown it away. He retrieved the note from the waste paper basket and tore it into small pieces. Then he ordered me to pack my suitcase.
I asked him why was Sun arrested? He told me that Sun had strange ideas. I replied "Strange ideas?" He clarified his remark by saying that Sun's ideas were advanced. I asked how anyone could be arrested for advanced ideas? Xu replied that it was better to know nothing.
An half hour later, Xu returned to my room. He told me, now, to unpack all my bags. I was not to appear to be leaving. In fact, I must stay. I was under house arrest.
The situation was exceedingly serious. It was obvious that my arrest was connected in some way to the arrest of Sun. He was in terrible, unutterable trouble over his advanced ideas.
Xu said to me that my meals would be brought to my room. Did I want anything special? I replied no salt, no M.S.G and no garlic. In other words, I wanted nothing. My meal was brought at supper time. I refused it. Xu phoned me and told me that I must accept the food; so I allowed the food to be placed on my desk.
Xu also informed me that I would be interviewed by the Xu Shui Police. Nothing to worry about, he said. You will have lots of time to read. Actually, I had been reading Conrad's Nostromo at the time. It seemed to me rather ironical since Sun had been officially charged with establishing an unofficial co-operative bank on behalf of the peasants.
I told him that I wished to speak to the Canadian Embassy. This request was never granted. The cable line to my computer was cut. Mr. Xu had been quite concerned about a mobile telephone call that I had made earlier to a friend just prior to the time my card had run out of money. He asked me if I had phoned the embassy. I replied "No".
A breakfast meal was brought to my room and placed on my desk. There was a bit of confusion since the staff noticed that I hadn't eaten the previous meal. This necessitated another visit from Xu and the following conversation ensued.
XU You must eat your food.
dr Oh.
XU Why don't you eat your food?
dr I follow Gandi.
XU You have a gun?
dr I didn't say that I had a gun. I said that I follow GANDI .
XU Do you mean the leader of the Indian independence movement?
dr I don't advocate an independence movement.
XU Then how do you follow Gandi?
dr I adopt his slow fast.
XU Slow fast?
dr Yes, slo dow you mov too fas.
XU What does that mean?
dr Not eat feat. (pun intended)
XU Can I get you anything else?
dr I need to talk with the Canadian Embassy. (not provided)
I had never seen police at the Langwuzhuang village, so to be interviewed by police here was an extraordinary event. In fact, they were conspicuous by their absence. There was no need for police here in the past since there had been next to no crime.
The next morning I was interviewed by two uniformed police officers (PO) from the Xu Shui station. The one officer (graduate of Shenyang Police Academy) sat at my desk; although, she had to clear a space between the untouched meals. The police were mainly interested in the date of my arrival, my purpose and who had invited me. Xu interpreted.
PO It's hot in here. Let's open the windows. You don't want to catch SARS through poor ventilation.
dr I was given a full battery of tests upon my arrival which included temperature reading, blood tests and chest x-rays in the new hospital built by Sun. However, I will set your mind at ease. (for the next two minutes I stuck my own thermometer
in my mouth). You see, my temperature is 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit below a normal reading of 98.6. I have no fever. I am in exceptional health.
PO We have been tested, too. Do you have anything to drink?
dr I have Dawu white wine and Tibetan barley wine if you wish.
PO Chinese tea would be better, thanks. I'd like to see your passport.
dr Here it is.
PO I'd like to see your residence permit.
dr Here it is.
PO I'd like to see your Foreign Experts Certificate.
dr Here it is.
PO. When did you arrive at the hotel?
dr I don't exactly know.
PO Why did you come?
dr I am here to set the groundwork for a college that will be established. The students may be from poor families, but they are exceptional in their character and work habits. Look around you. Everything I see is good. There is a library, hospital and school.
Author's note: It was a cooperative endeavour between Dawu Group and Red Deer College, Alberta. We had held discussions in Beijing. College representatives had previously visited the middle school and a contract was signed. Canadian embassy officials had approved this school after their visit. Mr. Sun was making plans for a large building program at the new college. I had convinced an Australian colleague from Dalian to teach at the school. We were negotiating additional agreements with several other colleges in Beijing and with a Japanese college to establish a nanny training program. I had successfully negotiated with a 4 star hotel in Dalian to train our students on the job. My official position at the college was Dean and member of the Board of Directors. The college was set to begin in three months or September 2003. It would have been called Dawu Red Deer College. Red Deer College lost interest in the project upon Mr. Sun's arrest in June 2003.
PO How long have you been here?
dr I don't know.
PO Who invited you?
dr The secretary.
PO We're finished for now.
At two o'clock, the Xu Shui police, the officers from Baoding (BPO) and Xu who acted as interpreter entered my room.
BPO Why are you not eating?
dr I'm not hungry.
BPO Is something wrong with you?
dr (No answer)
BPO What are you doing here?
dr. I'm writing poetry. Here is a copy of a poem in progress called
"The Question Mark".
BPO Hmm. How long have you stayed?
dr I'm unsure. I live in the present. I don't know what date it is or even the month.
BPO When did you arrive?
dr I'm not sure. Why don't you check the hotel records?
PO You have stayed at the hotel for more than 10 days and failed to report to the police station.
dr I thought that I had 30 days to report.
PO No, that is only when you are entering the country.
BPO You have contravened Article 44.
dr What is the penalty?
BPO It is a warning or fine of 500 yuan (equivalent to $90 Canadian).
dr I accept responsibility. I'll pay the fine.
BPO Please read Article 1.
dr Do you mean read it out loud?
BPO Yes.
dr (reading Article 1- National Security)
BPO Do you understand?
dr Yes.
BPO Who invited you?
dr The secretary.
BPO Did you come to teach?
dr I came to establish an administrative infrastructure for a college.
BPO But you taught students?
dr I merely gave lectures to an assembly hall filled with three hundred students to promote the program and get students excited about it.
BPO Were you paid?
dr I came as Sun's friend. I received no money. I can provide witnesses who will verify it. (Xu himself among others)
PO You may pay your fine now.
Later, Xu told me why my 500 yuan was returned. It had been determined that I had not been at the hotel for ten days, but that I had been a few hours short of the period. Technically speaking, I was innocent.
Xu arranged for a driver to take me back to Beijing on Friday at 9:00 am the next day. However, at 10:30 p.m. that night I received a call from a teacher of the Communist Youth League. He and his wife had agreed to take a weekend holiday at the hotel as my guests and as the guests of Mr. Sun. This acceptance was the fruit of several months of dinners and discussions with me and conversations with Mr. Sun. The visitors would represent their uncle who owned a major agricultural concern in Shanxi and Outer Mongolia. He had also started four middle schools. In my opinion, this was a match made in Confucian heaven for the Dawu Group.
At seven a.m. the next morning I walked into Xu's class and then met him outside in the hall. I told Xu that I was staying at the hotel even if Sun had been arrested. I wanted the car that would have taken me to Beijing to pick up my guests from Beijing. I would return with my guests on Sunday. I also told him that I wanted to establish this college and link it to the world. I'll realize SUN Dawu's dream for him. Xu was a man of one thousand eXcUses. For example, he replied that it can't be done because of SARS. Peasants were quarantined. I told him that my friend was a Chinese teacher and member of the Communist Youth League rather than a peasant. Finally, I said to him that I had the authority to ask these guests here. He refused to allow my guests to visit and ordered me to return to Beijing.
As I was leaving, Xu made a strange request to me. He wanted to exchange a ten yuan note for some Canadian pocket change. He said that it would impress the children. I did not want to to take any money from him for any purpose, so I refused his request. I felt that he was laying a trap. Furthermore, I wondered what on earth he was thinking. Mr. Sun was just arrested and he is asking me for pocket change? The car did not pick me up at the hotel. I was forced to walk 150 meters down the village road. As I left, I counted fifteen undercover police trying to look inconspicuous.
China Change
https://twitter.com/hashtag/孙大午
Fighting Terror With Faith — The Road Walked by a Human Rights Defender’s Wife
Shi Minglei
March 8, 2021
They read out the notice of residential surveillance at a designated location (监视居住 or RSDL), then confiscated my ID card, passport, driver’s license, social insurance card, accumulated funds card, bank card, cell phone, work computer, headphones — almost everything. At my insistence, they left my mortgage card behind, and I asked to keep some money for me to make mortgage payments and cover my living expenses. On the spot, I provided my income certificate, certificate of personal income tax completion, and a document called “Bank Flow Details,” proving that every penny I had was my legal income from work. They didn’t check them in detail, saying that it was just a seizure for review, not to freeze my assets. They lied to me. My bank account was frozen. After confiscating my phone, they took me to procure a dumbphone and a new phone card for monitoring me. In an instant, I was back in the 2G era and lost all my contacts.
On September 29, 2019, Shenzhen National Security officer Han came to my home again, accompanied by another man, to interrogate me and warn me that I could not violate the rules of residential surveillance. I asked him, “What acts of subversion did I commit? What did I do that constituted subversion?” Officer Han replied, “I am only responsible for your residential surveillance, don’t ask me why.” I then asked, “This residential surveillance is illegal, why are you enforcing it?” Officer Han replied, “I'm talking to you about politics, but you’re trying to talk law with me!” I asked, “You didn't arrest my husband according to the law, but according to politics? Is it according to the rule of law? Or is it according to politics?”
https://chinachange.org/2021/03/09/fighting-terror-with-faith-the-road-walked-by-a-human-rights-defenders-wife/
This article is the first one I have read concerning RSDL. It gives a general idea of what might takes place in a grey area of rule by law as opposed to a prison or even a "black hole".
The authorities continue to strengthen control of the Dawu Group and terror envelops Dawu City
2021-04-06
According to news from the Overseas Rights Defence Network on April 6, Sun Dawu’s sister-in-law published "A Letter to Dawu Group Employees" on Weibo on April 3, and the Dawu case lawyer team published "Dawu Case No. 10" on April 4. After "Ten Questions and Answers", the government further strengthened its control of the Dawu Group, and Dawu City was shrouded in an atmosphere of terror.
Ten Questions and Answers
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Lawyers for detained Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu warn authorities could ‘destroy’ Dawu Group under laws targeting criminal gangs
Guo Rui in Guangzhou
April 06, 2021
The businessman was detained along with family members and senior executives in a case that highlights concerns about legal protections for entrepreneurs
His family has assembled a high-powered defence team, which warned that a business which had contributed much to society was now at risk of collapse
Yang said she was worried that Sun and his managers would be prosecuted under anti-gang laws, which carry long jail sentences and would allow the authorities to confiscate their property.
Yang added that if this happens, “then the Dawu Group – a well-managed private enterprise – will be destroyed and taken over by the government”.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3128401/lawyers-detained-chinese-billionaire-sun-dawu-warn-authorities
It appears from November 11, 2020 or the arrest of 30 individuals at Dawu Group that authorities may have been preparing to lay the foundation for utilization of anti-gang laws. Why else undertake a night time raid using 300 police with submachine guns and knock down doors as opposed to knocking at the doors? This can now happen to any enterprise, any entrepreneur, farmer or anyone in China for any reason at any time. If this isn't terror then what is?
Guo Rui in Guangzhou
April 06, 2021
The businessman was detained along with family members and senior executives in a case that highlights concerns about legal protections for entrepreneurs
His family has assembled a high-powered defence team, which warned that a business which had contributed much to society was now at risk of collapse
Yang said she was worried that Sun and his managers would be prosecuted under anti-gang laws, which carry long jail sentences and would allow the authorities to confiscate their property.
Yang added that if this happens, “then the Dawu Group – a well-managed private enterprise – will be destroyed and taken over by the government”.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3128401/lawyers-detained-chinese-billionaire-sun-dawu-warn-authorities
It appears from November 11, 2020 or the arrest of 30 individuals at Dawu Group that authorities may have been preparing to lay the foundation for utilization of anti-gang laws. Why else undertake a night time raid using 300 police with submachine guns and knock down doors as opposed to knocking at the doors? This can now happen to any enterprise, any entrepreneur, farmer or anyone in China for any reason at any time. If this isn't terror then what is?
国营农场强占土地 大午集团维权39人被抓
2020年08月06日 8:31
河北民企大午集团和保定国营农场的矛盾升级。国营农场在公安庇护下偷拆大午集团建筑，遭大午工人和村民抵制后，公安对抗议的工人大打出手，有人肋骨被打断。大午集团百余人到公安局门口请愿，再有39人被拘。
大午集团微博公众号“大午采风”披露，8月4日清晨，徐水国营农场人员开着挖掘机、吊车，准备偷偷拆除大午集团农业公司的办公室。得到消息的大午农业公司员工和郎五庄村民，赶到现场，阻止对方偷拆。徐水区公安局副局长崔超则指挥特警向大午农业公司的工人和村民喷射辣椒水，发烟雾弹，殴打工人和村民。
https://youtu.be/JL5L0yiGI3U
https://www.bannedbook.org/bnews/cbnews/20200806/1375435.html
39 members of Dawu Group's rights defenders were arrested for occupying land by state-owned farms
August 06, 2020 8:31 am
The conflict between Hebei Private Enterprise Dayu Group and Baoding State Farm has escalated. The state farm was under the protection of the public security to demolish the building of the Dawu Group. After being boycotted by the workers and villagers of Dawu, the public security attacked the protesting workers, and some people had their ribs broken. More than a hundred people from the Dawu Group petitioned at the door of the Public Security Bureau, and another 39 people were detained.
Dawu Group's Weibo public account "Dawu Caifeng" disclosed that in the early morning of August 4, personnel from Xushui State Farm drove excavators and cranes to secretly demolish the office of Dawu Group Agricultural Company. The employees of Dawu Agricultural Company and the villagers of Langwuzhuang who received the news rushed to the scene to prevent the other party from stealing it. Cui Chao, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Xushui District, directed special police to spray chili water on workers and villagers of Dawu Agricultural Company, fire smoke bombs, and beat workers and villagers.
2020年08月06日 8:31
河北民企大午集团和保定国营农场的矛盾升级。国营农场在公安庇护下偷拆大午集团建筑，遭大午工人和村民抵制后，公安对抗议的工人大打出手，有人肋骨被打断。大午集团百余人到公安局门口请愿，再有39人被拘。
大午集团微博公众号“大午采风”披露，8月4日清晨，徐水国营农场人员开着挖掘机、吊车，准备偷偷拆除大午集团农业公司的办公室。得到消息的大午农业公司员工和郎五庄村民，赶到现场，阻止对方偷拆。徐水区公安局副局长崔超则指挥特警向大午农业公司的工人和村民喷射辣椒水，发烟雾弹，殴打工人和村民。
https://youtu.be/JL5L0yiGI3U
https://www.bannedbook.org/bnews/cbnews/20200806/1375435.html
39 members of Dawu Group's rights defenders were arrested for occupying land by state-owned farms
August 06, 2020 8:31 am
The conflict between Hebei Private Enterprise Dayu Group and Baoding State Farm has escalated. The state farm was under the protection of the public security to demolish the building of the Dawu Group. After being boycotted by the workers and villagers of Dawu, the public security attacked the protesting workers, and some people had their ribs broken. More than a hundred people from the Dawu Group petitioned at the door of the Public Security Bureau, and another 39 people were detained.
Dawu Group's Weibo public account "Dawu Caifeng" disclosed that in the early morning of August 4, personnel from Xushui State Farm drove excavators and cranes to secretly demolish the office of Dawu Group Agricultural Company. The employees of Dawu Agricultural Company and the villagers of Langwuzhuang who received the news rushed to the scene to prevent the other party from stealing it. Cui Chao, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Xushui District, directed special police to spray chili water on workers and villagers of Dawu Agricultural Company, fire smoke bombs, and beat workers and villagers.
Sun Dawu: A Chinese Agricultural Entrepreneur’s 36-year Dream in the Era of Reform and Opening Up (Part One)
Yaxue Cao
March 30, 2021
Following his arrest, Sun was placed under residential surveillance at a designated location (指定居所监视居住, or RSDL), and funneled into the black hole of the extra-judicial system. He has not been able to meet with a lawyer, and no information is available on his case.
https://chinachange.org/2021/03/30/sun-dawu-a-chinese-agricultural-entrepreneurs-36-year-dream-in-the-era-of-reform-and-opening-up/
Sun Dawu: A Chinese Agricultural Entrepreneur’s 36-year Dream in the Era of Reform and Opening Up (Part Two)
Yaxue Cao
April 2, 2021
“The combination of traditional Confucianism, modern rule of law, and the socialist idea of shared wealth, these three form my philosophy on management. I would like this society to be happy and peaceful (祥和), I love this society, I love this country, and I love all people.” Sun Dawu (孙大午) Speech at Peking University, 2003
https://chinachange.org/2021/04/02/sun-dawu-a-chinese-agricultural-entrepreneurs-36-year-dream-in-the-era-of-reform-and-opening-up-part-two/
The Importance of Ostracism for Athenian Democracy
One remembers--for a moment--the crowd at President Trump's rally in Toledo, Ohio. They were yelling "Lock her up!" The president agreed. "You should lock her up, I'll tell you". The alleged crime of the Democratic presidential nominee wasn't made clear in the circus-like atmosphere. In that brief moment, the president lost more than the trust of the American people--he lost the election.The ancient city-state of Athens which began the democracy experiment had similar problems. However, one innovation called "ostracism" provided a relief value for tumultuous politics and tensions which substituted for the threat of a trial or an actual trial.
It was Cleisthenes who reformed the Athenian constitution in 508 BCE. For this achievement he is regarded as the father of Athenian democracy. He though was forcibly expelled from Athens by his political opponent Isagoras with the help of Spartan King Cleomenes. Isagoras dispossessed hundreds of Athenians of their homes and exiled them on the basis of the Alcmaeonid curse. However, councillors and the people resisted the attempt to abolish the "Boule" or Council.
It is said that Cleisthenes probably introduced the reform called "ostracism" which was first used in 487 BCE. It differed from Athenian law in that there was no charge or defense possible in a court of law. The vote could take place only once a year and applied to a single person.The exiled person could retain his property and be recalled earlier.
In contrast, Meletus in 399 BCE summoned Socrates (470-399 BCE) to court on charges of corrupting the youth and impiety. If found guilty before 500 citizens then Socrates would face a variable sentence from small fine to execution. One of the differences between ostracism and a trial was that the former required a quorum of 6000 while a trial required 500 citizens. The larger number gave a better representation of the people's wishes who were more likely to be swayed by reason than political rhetoric. In either case, though, it was not held in camera by judges who have already made a decision before hearing the case.
However, Socrates' case was special as he could only be tried for actions four years prior to his trial or 403-399 BCE. The reason was that a general amnesty was given to those before or during the reign of the Thirty Tyrants which lasted for eight months beginning in 404 BCE. The Thirty Tyrants were a pro-Spartan oligarchy led by Critias and Theramenes. Many wealthy citizens were murdered or exiled just so the Thirty could confiscate their property.
Yet, it was said by the orator Aechines "Men of Athens, you executed Socrates, the sophist, because he was clearly responsible for the education of Critias, one of the thirty anti-democratic leaders." It was also recorded by Xenophon "that Athenian anger at the reckless and destructive behavior of Critias and Alcibiades, both associates of Socrates, was the real reason behind the execution of Socrates in 399 BC (Memoirs of Socrates 1.2.12). In other words, Socrates was a scapegoat. One might therefore say that it was not the trial of the moral Socrates but rather the postumous trial of the immoral Critias and Alcibiades.
The vague charges of impiety may also have influenced the jury. "For Athenians, piety meant not only respect for the gods, but also for the dead and ancestors." Again, though, it was not what Socrates did but what Alcibiades might have done. Plutarch explains that Androcles, a political leader [in 415 BCE], used false witnesses who accused Alcibiades and his friends of mutilating the statues, and of profaning the Eleusinian Mysteries. Critias was accused of the same crime and released on the testimony of Andocides.
In summary, Socrates was treated as a scapegoat. He was sacrificed at trial in both the political arena and religious area.This was due to a popular hatred for the tyrant Critias and the figure of Alcibiades. While both men respected the teachings of Socrates they preferred an easier path which led to corruption.
It is Socrates though who is remembered through schools of philosophical thought. He used reason through what is termed the "Socratic Method" to determine that the supreme good is virtue which is defined as moral excellence. It so happens that another man named Confucius 孔子 (who chose and was allowed self-exile) developed a similar view emphasizing moral cultivation at about the same time in another place.
D. Carlton Rossi
2021年4月4日
Alcibiades
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcibiades
Critias (460—403 B.C.E.)
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
https://iep.utm.edu/critias/
Ostracism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism
Thirty Tyrants
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Tyrants
The Trial of Socrates, Professor Douglas O. Linder
https://famous-trials.com/socrates/833-home
Lazarus Resurrected
With silent lips "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".
Welcome to my hometown and to my home
as fish dish awaits with bottle of báijiǔ.
My toast to your health and your prosperity,
your family and your ancestral lineage.
The Sun shines brightest at time of Big Noon
and smiles on bigger land of fewer people.
D. Carlton Rossi
2021年4月19日
Video may be shared. It is called Swing of Things. Simply attribute D. Carlton Rossi
Wayback Machine
Thousands of archival pages and pictures available from 2003 to 2021 on the Wayback Machine
Website Archive 2003 - 2013
Archive of sundawu.ca 2010 - 2021
Website Archive 2003 - 2013
Archive of sundawu.ca 2010 - 2021
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