China shuts website of leading reformist magazine

BEIJING (Reuters) - China shut the website of a leading pro-reform magazine on Friday, apparently because it ran an article calling for political reform and constitutional government, sensitive topics for the ruling Communist Party which brooks no dissent.

"Yanhuang Chunqiu" (China Through the Ages, 炎黃春秋) is an influential Beijing magazine that features essays from reformist retired officials.

In a message posted on its official Sina Weibo microblog, the magazine said that it had been informed on Thursday that the site's registration had been canceled and that it had not been given a reason.

"The magazine is trying to find out details," it said.

Wu Si (吳思), the magazine's chief editor, did not answer calls seeking comment.

Attempts to open the website (www.yhcqw.com) bring up a cartoon picture of a policemen holding up a badge and the message that the site has been closed.

However, the article which seems to have offended the censors, written in the form of a new year's message, is still up on the magazine's microblog.

"In more than 30 years of reform, the abuses caused by political reform lagging economic reform have become daily more visible, and the factors for social instability have gradually accumulated. Promoting reform of the political system is an urgent task," the piece says.

Analysts have been searching for signs that China's new leaders might steer a path of political reform, whether by allowing freer expression on the internet, greater experimentation with grassroots democracy or releasing jailed dissidents.

But the party, which tolerates no challenge to its rule and values stability above all else, has so far shown little sign of wanting to go down this path, despite president-in-waiting and party chief Xi Jinping trying to project a softer and more open image than his predecessor.

Weibo users flocked to offer their support for the magazine and to excoriate Xi.

"People who are putting their hopes in Xi need to wake up," wrote one.

Xi, who became party boss in November, takes over from Hu Jintao as president at the annual meeting of parliament in March, part of a generational leadership change.

Last month, a prominent group of Chinese academics warned in a bold open letter that the country risks "violent revolution" if the government does not respond to public pressure and allow long-stalled political reforms.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

http://news.yahoo.com/china-shuts-website-leading-reformist-magazine-085810827.html

聯合報╱記者李志德/綜合報導, 11/21/10

擅長“以古諷今”、致力倡議政治改革的大陸雜誌《炎黃春秋》，近期也遭中共當局“關切”。當局向社方要求“改善文章違規的情況”，並且撤換自由派色彩濃厚的社長杜導正。

《炎黃春秋》是大陸一群退休老幹部、老文化人創辦的雜誌，文章內容經常以史為鑒、以史資治，論斷重要人物的是非功過，由於寫作水準高，據聞相當受到中共高層重視。

香港明報昨天引述《炎黃春秋》總編輯吳思的話透露，中共文化部、新聞出版署日前分別派官員找《炎黃春秋》的上級主管部門中華炎黃文化研究會，向會中人士提出三點“整頓改善”的意見：

一、社長杜導正年紀大了，要退休；

二、是最近雜誌每期都有一些“違規文章”，要解決；

三、研究會要對炎黃春秋的“違規”情況拿出具體措施。

什麼是“違規”文章？報導指出，例如杜導正所著，探討當代黨和國家領導人及政改話題的《民主不應有姓社姓資之分》；或者中國人民大學前副校長謝韜遺作、探討重大中共黨史和共和國史的《我們從哪裡來，到哪裡去》等，都被視作“違規文章”。

大陸在1997年訂定“期刊出版工作法律法規”，其中規定“重大選題”要送審。但吳思說，所謂重大選題，“面太廣了，沒有具體標準，分寸很難掌握。而且上面也沒明確如何審查、由哪些部門執行，結果一層層地審，拖的時間特別長，我們去年11月送審的文章，到今年4月時才回來，每次都這樣，雜誌還怎麼辦？”

吳思接受明報訪問時表示，“但若就是不允許發出一點異見，炎黃春秋也沒有辦的必要了。”言下之意，似乎不排除停辦雜誌。對此，吳思昨天傍晚接受本報採訪時表示，如果當局真的要逼迫他們辦自己不喜歡的雜誌，那停掉也沒什麼大不了。但吳思強調，停掉雜誌的可能性“微乎其微”，因為留著這份雜誌，對社方及政府都是好事。

記者問，炎黃春秋這次遭到“關切”，和“10月上旬”（指劉曉波獲諾貝爾和平獎）以來對知識份子的嚴打強壓有沒有關係？吳思表示，這段時間確實氣氛比較緊張，但《炎黃春秋》原本就經常碰到“這樣的事”，因此也無法確定，如果換一種情境，當局的關切是不是就一定不會出現。

http://udn.com/NEWS/MAINLAND/MAI1/5986856.shtml