China: Roses album is 'venomous'

[BanglaBhoot]

China has dismissed the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, as a "venomous attack" on the nation.

An article in the Global Times, published by the ruling communist party, says the album, launched this week, "turns its spear point on China".

The title track of the album, which has not been released in China because of the sensitive material, refers to the banned Falun Gong spiritual group.

The album's official website has also been blocked in China.

Chinese Democracy is the band's first album since their covers collection The Spaghetti Incident? in 1993.

Pirate copies

On the title track, lead singer Axl Rose sings: "If your great wall rocks, blame yourself."

Artwork for the album includes the oil painting Red Star by Beijing artist Shi Lifeng - which depicts Chinese people as powerless.

Photographs of the Chinese military and the Hong Kong skyline also feature in the artwork.

When asked about the record, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the BBC's James Reynolds: "According to my knowledge, a lot of people don't like this kind of music because it's too noisy and too loud."

China frequently bans the release of foreign films and albums, although they often appear in pirated form and are sold in shops and by street vendors.

Live performances are also closely monitored with artists forced to supply set lists for approval in advance.

In July, the Chinese government said that any foreign entertainers who had attended events threatening "national sovereignty" would be banned from the country.

The ministry of culture said that any artists that "whip up ethnic hatred" during shows would also be banned.

The announcement came after Bjork shouted "Tibet, Tibet" at a Shanghai concert in March.

Any talk of Tibetan independence is considered taboo in China, which has ruled the territory for more than 50 years.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | China: Roses album is 'venomous'

 

[Flintlock]

Another CIA plot to weaken China eh?

 

[smeaglegolum]

Practically speaking, Chinese people are powerless politically. They are at the whims and fancies of CPC members. I don't know what qualifies them to rule china without any mandate from people. Hopefully, our Chinese brothers realise this soon.

 

[Chanakya.10]

The saddest part of a chinese's life is that he/she has to grow up without any brother/sister, and soon without uncles/aunts........

 

[Chanakya.10]

hope chinese get to liv with their realtives some time in coming years, so that the generations may know the value of human relations.......

 

[kvLin]

hope chinese get to liv with their realtives some time in coming years, so that the generations may know the value of human relations.......

OKOK, get noted with this before showing your sympathy: the birth control policy in China has greatly loosened up since last decade, and an amendment issued in 2007 allows couples from one-child-family to have more than one baby.

the birth control in China (on Han ethnic only)is both successful and unsuccessful, it greatly restrained China's population growth but on the other hand, since having more than one child doesn't break any Chinese law, second baby is very common in Chinese family,at cost of amercement.

since it's begining, the one child policy allows rural families to have second baby,if their first baby is daughter, and the birth control has never been sternly implemented as the decision-makers wish. most of the one child families are in cities, people have only one child not only because of the policy,but also (more and more likely) due to the stressful urban life.

 

[jeypore]

When asked about the record, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the BBC's James Reynolds: "According to my knowledge, a lot of people don't like this kind of music because it's too noisy and too loud."

That is just too funny!!!


Here are the lyrics that the chinese band

 

[kvLin]

I guess this is the stupidest November Rain by GnR. the album was firstly protested by some Chinese netizen,who are also GnR fans, and then got banished by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

The band had visited Beijing in 1997 and got everybody crazy around the live stage. Hard Rock is not really noise if you are used to Rock bands such as Metalica,Led Zeppelin,Dire Strait and Aerosmith. but none of them would pose as fool as a Falun Gong supporter in China, and the fool of Falun Gong is that they only attack Chinese administration by flawed rumours and Personalities against Chinese leaders especially former president Jiang Zeming. Jiang is not popular among Chinese populace but Falun Gong is simply an idiotic group, coz no one would believe that Jiang should accroach other's wife. lol

Both Free Tibet groups and Falun Gong groups are working with funds in US and Canada, Falun Gong being losing money due to their "Can't do anything right" insanity. on contrary Free Tibet Groups are kinda clever, they've got quiet a few has-been celebs such as Bjork, Richard Gere (The one kissing Bollywood Star in India last year) and Sharon Stone (who said the earthquake in Sichuan May 12 is Karma, which means retribution against China), both neither visited Tibet nor get any clew about Tibetans.

those has-beens need an alternative posture in order to manage their appearance in public attention, only pity they haven't learned that talking about Tibet independence is really alternative but not acclaimed among Chinese people,while cheers on Falun Gong is more like a joke.

Poor GunsNRose, though used to be in my favorite RockNRoll list, really old and blind.

 

[blain2]

Practically speaking, Chinese people are powerless politically. They are at the whims and fancies of CPC members. I don't know what qualifies them to rule china without any mandate from people. Hopefully, our Chinese brothers realise this soon.

Does not take anything away from the fact that a vast majority of the Chinese are very patriotic and support their government regardless of the version of governance they have. To most Chinese, a verbal attack on their government is akin to a verbal attack on China. NIC's new assessment says that most of the countries would have something in the middle of a full fledge democracy to a guided democracy (something that we see in China right now). So democracy is not the panacea for all and to assume that Chinese are misguided because they are not represented democratically is an over simplification of the truth.

 

[haviZsultan]

I have this album but it sucks actually...

Yeah exactly. They're musicians why cant they just leave the rest of the world alone and concentrate on their own stupid lives.

 

[gpit]

Practically speaking, Chinese people are powerless politically. They are at the whims and fancies of CPC members. I don't know what qualifies them to rule china without any mandate from people. Hopefully, our Chinese brothers realise this soon.

Frankly, I feel Indian democratic constituents are very political powerless: 60+ years independence witnesses their unabated illiteracy, high infant mortality, rampant malnutrition, unstoppable corruption, vast death of pregnant women, never-ceasing communal violence, persisting starvation,.... Especially those poor, unprivileged, they are at the whims of upper caste and the mercy of religious fantasy. They are condemned by the opium of religion for whole of this life…. The poor can exercise no political right but to vote for the privileged, but sub-quality politicians. They possess absolutely nothing, both materially and mentally, but a bare ballot…

I hope those Indian brothers can wake up, and shout out: “ No! I want to be free!...” “I want a fair share of this world!...”

 

[jeypore]

Frankly, I feel Indian democratic constituents are very political powerless: 60+ years independence witnesses their unabated illiteracy, high infant mortality, rampant malnutrition, unstoppable corruption, vast death of pregnant women, never-ceasing communal violence, persisting starvation,.... Especially those poor, unprivileged, they are at the whims of upper caste and the mercy of religious fantasy. They are condemned by the opium of religion for whole of this life…. The poor can exercise no political right but to vote for the privileged, but sub-quality politicians. They possess absolutely nothing, both materially and mentally, but a bare ballot…

I hope those Indian brothers can wake up, and shout out: “ No! I want to be free!...” “I want a fair share of this world!...”

So what do you propose if the Indian gov't is not working, turn it into communism like the Chinese system? And also all things you have mentioned above do you not see that also in China. Be realistic, stop the old mantra.

 

[smeaglegolum]

Frankly, I feel Indian democratic constituents are very political powerless: 60+ years independence witnesses their unabated illiteracy, high infant mortality, rampant malnutrition, unstoppable corruption, vast death of pregnant women, never-ceasing communal violence, persisting starvation,.... Especially those poor, unprivileged, they are at the whims of upper caste and the mercy of religious fantasy. They are condemned by the opium of religion for whole of this life…. The poor can exercise no political right but to vote for the privileged, but sub-quality politicians. They possess absolutely nothing, both materially and mentally, but a bare ballot…

I hope those Indian brothers can wake up, and shout out: “ No! I want to be free!...” “I want a fair share of this world!...”

Yes, I want to be free, so that truth comes out, not like China where government suppress all kind of negative information and just disseminates the selective information. So, who knows how bad is it in China unless somebody is allowed to speak out the truth. Even when they knew about melamine contaminated milk during Olympics, the information was suppressed, as usual, leading to death of innocent kids.

At least we have ways to resolve any grievances that we might want. Examples being Nandigram, Singur etc, where power of people won over the power of government. But in China, if CPC decides that people should vacate the place, there should be no dissent, people have to just vacate.

We know how much religious freedom you give, oh no sorry the suppression of Buddhism in Tibet, Islam in Xinjiang. Last but not least who can forget the brutal suppression of democracy movement, Tienanmen Square.

Yes, we are slow, but we will be there where you are right now without curbing the freedom of people, now, that is our choice.

 

[smeaglegolum]

Does not take anything away from the fact that a vast majority of the Chinese are very patriotic and support their government regardless of the version of governance they have. To most Chinese, a verbal attack on their government is akin to a verbal attack on China. NIC's new assessment says that most of the countries would have something in the middle of a full fledge democracy to a guided democracy (something that we see in China right now). So democracy is not the panacea for all and to assume that Chinese are misguided because they are not represented democratically is an over simplification of the truth.

Sure, CPC is more efficient at getting the work done in a timely manner and people are happy, but that is only because everything is hunky-dory now. Once these people who have been mass shifted from rural areas lose the jobs as a result of present economy crisis leads to massive social unrest. These things never come out in open because all the media is controlled by state.

A recent protest as reported

Thousands Riot in Northwest China
Witnesses report dozens killed
Epoch Times Staff Nov 19, 2008

Burning vehicles block the road at the site of the riot. (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

The largest riot in recent years broke out in Longnan City, in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, over a government-backed eviction project and unsatisfactory compensation to residents.

Sources say that in recent months, news about the Longnan City government moving its municipality’s administrative center from the Wudu District to Cheng County triggered worries and discontent among residents in the Wudu District. Those who are especially concerned include farmers whose land will be seized by the government but who have not been relocated or given compensation and residents who will be forcefully evicted from their homes, as well as land developers.
Riot police hunker down behind their shield wall. (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

Tens of thousands of residents made two attempts to attack the Communist Party Office in Longnan City, from late on Nov. 18 until early the next day. The crowd eventually grew to 50,000 people.
A dense crowd of men and women, cheated by the government, gather outside the government building. (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

The authorities dispatched armed police to suppress the riots. Over 100 farmers were injured, with several dozen severely wounded. Some witnesses said that about two dozen farmers died in the clashes.

Ms. Zhou, an eyewitness who is a resident of Dongjiang Town, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that several hundred people who had been forcibly evicted first went to the Party Office in Longnan City on Nov. 18 to appeal to the government regarding the unreasonable eviction project, but the appeal erupted in a massive riot.

She said that by the following morning, the crowd had lost control and started to attack the Party Office. The first clash occurred when the authorities sent for a large number of armed police and used violence to disperse the crowd, injuring and arresting at least a dozen farmer’s representatives.

The police successfully broke up the crowd at around 2 a.m. on Nov. 19. However, the violence of the police further angered the farmers. A huge crowd of farmers again went to the Party Office at around 9 a.m. on Nov. 19 to demand an official response. The authorities, however, again responded with large-scale suppression against the sizable crowd of farmers and bystanders.

Youmaker.com video clip: ]youmaker.com

Ms. Zhou said, “Because the appeal at the Party Office was ignored, the farmers and the armed police started to fight in the night. At least a dozen farmer’s representatives were injured and arrested, with many being hospitalized.
Chinese riot police hurry to the riot scene. (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

“This morning, more farmers gathered at the Party Office and demanded that they not destroy our homes and that they release the representatives. Several hundred armed police again attacked us. I was pushed to the ground. I saw at least a dozen people who were heavily wounded fall to the ground.”
A beaten protester Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

Mr. Zhou, another farmer, said, “At the time, there were about 50,000 people. The Party Office dispatched several hundred armed police from the neighboring counties. They carried police batons and used tear gas several times to disperse the crowd.
Government vehicles were set ablaze. (Photo provided by mainland China Internet surfer)

“They then violently beat the farmers and arrested those who were injured. Many of them who were chased by the police ran for their lives. Many farmers were wounded. I estimated that over 100 farmers were injured.”

Zhou said that some angry farmers attacked and smashed two Party office buildings and burned many officials’ cars.

Mr. He, another farmer, said that he witnessed many farmers getting beaten to death by armed police; however, authorities did not report any fatalities. He said, “The city government sent for many armed police and beat two dozen appellants to death. They persisted in making their appeal. I was there, and I witnessed the armed police beating the farmers. About two dozen people were beaten to death, and countless were wounded.”

Mr. He said that the Longnan City government proposed to take over several thousand acres of farmland in Liutiao Village, Dongjiang Town, early this year. Tens of thousands of farmers were dissatisfied with the low compensation, and have therefore refused to move. They have made appeals to the local government many times but to no avail.

After the riot broke out, the state-controlled press only briefly and casually reported the incident and blamed the riot on the appellants.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Why do western artistes think they can get more publicity by criticizing China on subjects they have little understanding of? I used to find Richard Gere comments about China really annoying and pointless but he has become the spokesman for anti-China agenda. He should stick to acting and leave politics to the politicians and diplomacy to the diplomats.