| Organizers of a Chinese cultural show that’s coming to Calgary on May 14 and 15 say the Chinese consulate is trying to pressure members of Calgary’s Chinese community not to attend the performance.
Jie Wang says a relative of his who is visiting from China wanted tickets for the show, called the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular. But the relative changed his mind after being told by a member of the Chinese community with close ties to the Chinese consulate that the performance is a Falun Gong show where people harvest organs "in a very bloody manner" onstage.
Wang and David Song, who have both been selling tickets to the show, say they’ve been asked by people interested in buying tickets if it’s true that the performance will include bloody organ harvesting. They suspect Chinese consulate officials are spreading the rumour.
Jerry Wu, ticket office manager for the show, says his friend, who is an influential member of the Calgary Chinese community, received a call from a Chinese consulate official asking her not to attend the show. His friend didn’t want to talk about it with the media because she is concerned about possible repercussions.
Caylan Ford, one of the show organizers, says posters promoting the show have started disappearing in Chinatown. She says business owners have agreed to put them up, but days later the business owners take them down without explanation. Some posters have been ripped down overnight. Ford suspects Chinese consulate officials are influencing business owners.
Hua Yu says a man started videotaping her when she was selling tickets for the show and she suspects he was monitoring her on behalf of the Chinese consulate.
The show celebrates China’s ancient cultural heritage through traditional music and dance, elaborate sets and costumes. The show, which has been staged around the world, is put on by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDT), an independent, non-profit New York-based Chinese language TV station that is often highly critical of the Chinese government.
Joe Wang, president of NTDT Canada, says he has read a classified document from the Chinese government that orders embassies and consulates overseas "to try all possible means to stop the show." He says Chinese embassy and consulate officials have been spreading rumours, trying to prevent Chinese Canadians from attending and pressuring sponsors. "It’s a central government policy and what the diplomats and consulates in Canada are doing, they were ordered to do by the Beijing government... It’s way beyond what we can imagine in Canada that a foreign government could do to stop a cultural event."
Wang says the Chinese government is opposed to anything NTDT does because "we have a history of independent reporting and that’s what the Chinese government is most afraid of. Anything we do, they want to stop us, even a cultural show."
Henry Liu, who has been selling tickets, says the Chinese consulate is trying to brainwash Chinese Calgarians.
"I think their methods are absolutely unacceptable in a country like Canada. Mainstream Canadians should pay attention to what they’re doing because obviously this isn’t China."
An official from the Chinese consulate, who asked not to be identified, says "the (NTDT) and Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular are just propaganda organizations of Falun gong. He says "the purpose to host such a performance is on the pretext of giving publicity of Chinese culture" but the show’s true goal is "to damage the relationship between China and Canada."
The official says the consulate has been "speaking out" about its opposition to the show but it hasn’t told Chinese Calgarians not to attend. He says the allegations that the consulate has been spreading rumours about organ harvesting, trying to prevent business owners from advertising or videotaping people are untrue. |
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