"Mural draws fire from China," announces the headline in this article by
Bennett Hall, in the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
The story so far: An American of Chinese ancestry David Lin (who grew up in Taiwan before coming to the US in the 1970s), hired Taiwanese artist
Chao Tsung-song to paint a 10-foot-by-100-foot mural
last month on the side of a building that Lin owns in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. Lin is is renovating the space for a
restaurant and has rechristened the building Tibet House; see images of the mural
here.
According to
the article, "In vivid colors, the painting depicts riot police beating Tibetan
demonstrators, Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire to protest
Chinese rule and images of Taiwan as a bulwark of freedom."
Forgetting that he was assigned to represent a brutal dictatorship
in a free nation and not back in China, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco got wind of this mural (I wonder how?) and then formally fired off a letter to
Corvallis Mayor Julie Manning on September 8 complaining about the mural’s content and asking for the Mayor to help China have the mural removed.
It gets better; in an implied threat of sorts, the letter "goes on to note the strong economic and cultural ties
between China and Oregon and suggests that Corvallis would benefit from
cooperating with the consulate’s request.
“To avoid our precious
friendship from being tainted by so-called ‘Tibet independence’ and
‘Taiwan independence,’ we sincerely hope you can understand our concerns
and adopt effective measures to stop the activities advocating ‘Tibet
independence’ and ‘Taiwan independence’ in Corvallis,” the letter
states.
On September 20, Mayor Manning responded and in-between the lines reminded the Chinese consulate that Oregon was in the USA and not China, when Manning told the consulate:“As you are aware, the First Amendment of the
United States’ Constitution guarantees freedom of speech in this
country, and this includes freedom of artistic expression.”
 |
| Building owner David Lin has no plans to remove a mural promoting
independence for Tibet and Taiwan, despite pressure from the Chinese
government. (Andy Cripe | Corvallis Gazette-Times) |
Clearly the Chinese Consulate was not aware of what the Mayor was talking about and subsequently two Chinese officials, Vice Consul "Guido" Zhang Hao and Deputy Consul General "Carmine" Song Ruan went up to Oregon and met with Manning and another city official. While munching on their cannoli, they expressed "their concern and the concern of the Chinese government about the mural on Mr. Lin’s building.” They also let the mayor know that “They viewed the message as political propaganda.”
Pardon me while I almost choke... the Chi Comms are complaining about "political propaganda"? That's like Bill Clinton complaining that there's "too many ladies in the audience."
The mayor also "had a conversation with them about the U.S. Constitution,” before the two suits headed back down to Shaky Town to file their report with their
capo. On the way there they used their Ipad ripoffs to Google
US Constitution and see what the heck the Mayor was talking about. Because they didn't put the search term in quotes, I suspect that their report will note some shock and alarm that Manning was possibly threatening China with naval action using the
US Navy's oldest commissioned warship.
I tried to reach someone at the Chinese Consulate today, but couldn't get anyone to call me back, or even understand why I was calling, although I may have accidentally ordered information on how to open a Dollar Store.
When Ron Wyden, who is Oregon's senior Senator, heard about this, he put down his
chai tea and fired off a beautiful letter to Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui ; according to the
Gazette-Times:
“I am writing to express my deep displeasure and concern with these actions,” Wyden wrote in his letter to Zhang, the highest-ranking Chinese official in the United States.
He called the Chinese tactics “a grave affront” and went on to lecture Zhang on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression, as well as freedom of religion and the press and the right of peaceful assembly.
“While these rights may not be respected in China, they are values that all Americans hold dear,” Wyden noted. “Any attempt by your government to suppress these rights is unacceptable and must not be repeated.”
Also according to the
story, subsequently "members of Oregon’s congressional delegation stepped into the fight. Rep. Peter DeFazio, whose district includes Corvallis, blasted China in a speech on the House floor, and Sen. Jeff Merkley issued a short statement applauding Manning and Lin for sticking to their guns."
I contacted the Chinese Embassy today for comments on the letter from Sen. Wyden, but was unable to gather any more information, although I was reassured that my Family Dollar franchise information would be sent to me as soon as possible. I then asked what the difference was between a Dollar Store and a Family Dollar store, as I thought that I had ordered info on the former, not the latter. The nice lady on the phone told me that she "couldn't comment on the letter," so I hung up.
While the story has gone
viral, it has been curiously ignored so far by both the
New York Times and
The Washington Post, which I am sure will now result in another
Ann Coulter best-seller. I am also told that USS Constitution's crew has noted a large increase in Chinese visitors over the last few days.
And Oh Yeah... for the ChiComms: Fuck you.
While temperatures hit
the 100-degree mark this summer, Washington, DC, area painters were
donning hats and sunscreen and grabbing their outdoor easels in a quest
to create paintings for their 100th birthday party celebration.
