China: New Communist editions of famous children

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China | 21 August 2019

According to a report by Asia News published on 1 August 2019, the Communist education authorities are altering works of international literature where there are references to Christian faith or God. The decision to adapt famous stories for children and make them more acceptable to the Communist worldview affects classics by Hans Christian Andersen and Daniel Defoe, among others. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "This is what the whole Communist Party struggle is really all about: Any alternative to Communism, any alternative source of meaning, is seen as being highly dangerous, especially for children. The insight that Communism is a faith - and faces competition from other faiths - was made clear in a detailed blog explaining why people join the Communist Party on the website "˜SUP China" at the end of July 2019. The same thought was shared in more Christian terms, when a Catholic commentator for UCA News stated on 1 August 2019 that the Communist Party is demanding that "˜what has to be rendered to God, should be rendered to Caesar as well". All this illustrates the ideological challenge Christians and other religions are facing in contemporary China." Thomas Muller continues: "At another level - but still to be understood as a clash of ideologies - is the question how to quell the unrest in Hongkong. As The Guardian reported on 1 August 2019, a propaganda video showing violent anti-riot methods has been released by the garrison of China"s People"s Liberation Army stationed in Hongkong and can only be understood as an open threat to protestors. It remains to be seen, however, if the rulers in Beijing are - in the words of one commentator - as "˜trigger happy" as the army. In any case, the situation is tense and shows that the government of Hongkong is losing its will and its power to rule the city. It also indicates that the "˜one country - two systems" model may be reaching its expiry date soon."