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The systematic deletion of literature has been instigated at every level, from primary and secondary schools and even in higher education departments, such as the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing. The order came from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP’s) ministry of education after they released a statement in October 2019 ordering the destruction of books “that damage the unity of the country, sovereignty or its territory; books that upset society’s order and damage societal stability; books that violate the Party’s guidelines and policies, smear or defame the party, the country’s leaders and heroes”. This is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in 1933 that launched its own infamous bonfire of books labelled “Jewish” or “un-German,” or deemed to be against the Nazi Party.

In alarmed reaction to the directive, the many in China have quoted the famous idiom “the burning of books and burying of scholars” to describe the notching up of oppression levels under Xi Jinping. The saying refers to the supposed burning of texts in 213 BCE and live burial of 460 Confucian scholars in 212 BCE by the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty. The ministry of education edict dictates that schools offering the nine-year compulsory education, consisting of primary and middle schools, are no longer allowed to use “foreign teaching materials” for textbooks. One state-run library in Zhenyuan, a small county in Gansu province, took the enthusiastic approach of symbolically burning the books, that have now been classified as “illegal”.

Xi Jinping's thoughts will appear in school textbooks

Pupils in China waiting for President Xi Jinping

An article, which local media said was originally posted on the library’s website, but was no longer accessible reads: “The library has completely cleaned and quickly destroyed illegal books, religious publications and especially books and articles with biases.” In a statement on Monday the 9th of December 2019, the county government said there would be “an in-depth investigation of the specific employees, who will be seriously held accountable” for their actions. The statement added that “the employees did not seal and collectively destroy them according to regulations, but rather burned the 65 illegal books in the small plaza in front of the library.” The South China Morning Post reported that at the last CCP National Congress Education Minister Chen Baosheng said Xi Jinping’s ideology would be incorporated into curriculums across the country. JUST IN: South China Sea: Beijing warplanes in fearsome exercises amid US row

Pupils in a Chinese high school

Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron

They are told to convince young people to support the Chinese government’s decisions, such as those in Hong Kong. One student interviewed by the religious and human rights journal said: “Our teachers told us that the topic of Hong Kong would be included in college entrance exams. “We could get high scores if we know it well. “We must learn whatever we are taught, right or wrong, true or false so that we could get into colleges. “We must learn whatever the government tells us to learn.”

Pupils in a Chinese high school

Xi Jinping

School textbooks are being destroyed in China

He said: “The thoughts of Xi Jinping will go into textbooks, into classes, and into the brains of students” “We will design specific teaching methods that combine texts of various grades and subjects.” And, a recent report from the religious liberty and human rights magazine Bitter Winter reported that college entrance exams in China were being manipulated so that pupils would have to study CCP propaganda in order to pass. Among the topics that high school students are forced to study are the protests in Hong Kong, which were presented as a negative example, demonstrators portrayed as “thugs and separatists, incited by foreign forces.” DON'T MISS US and China seek to avoid all out war as tensions surge [Latest]

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