Photos of a group of second and third graders dancing for local communist party leaders in the rain with frigid temperatures during a New Year celebration drew critical comments from Chinese netizens.
Children at Shidangang elementary school in Wenzhou City, of China’s southeastern Zhejiang Province, were giving an outdoors dance presentation on Dec. 29, 2011 as part of a New Year celebration. They were dancing in the rain, with temperatures in the mid 50s, dressed in thin outfits, while local party leaders were enjoying the show seated on stage with umbrellas held over them.
A backdrop banner displayed the performance theme: “Children’s Rainbow Hearts Escorting Life.”
It caused a big upset on the Internet after a photo with caption “Kids dancing in the rain for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders under umbrellas” was posted on a Weibo microblog on Jan. 9.
“Carollj” said: “Kids were dancing in the cold winter rain while officials enjoyed watching it on stage. The officials just can’t change their arrogant and decadent nature.”
“Jasmine 1223” said: “Escorting life? Maybe they’re escorting the life of those party leaders, who are trampling on the hearts of children.”
“Don’t-understand-life” said: “How can those leaders watch kids dancing in the rain? Maybe they have lost their hearts a long time ago.”
Party Leaders First
According to a report from Southern Metropolis Daily, the local meteorological observatory published a coastal wind warning that day, with patches of rain and highest temperatures around 12 to 14 degrees Celsius (between 54 and 57 degrees Fahrenheit).
A teacher from Shidangang elementary school by the last name Xu, said the rain was getting lighter, and kids wouldn’t have been able to dance if they were wearing raincoats. They didn’t wear raincoats only during the dancing part.
“The raincoats were only in kids’ sizes; adults couldn’t wear them, so we had to use umbrellas for the leaders,” Xu explained.
According to the Shidangang elementary school website, among the delegates attending the celebration were: Lin Xuanfu, communist party secretary and director of the Education Department of Lucheng district; Lin Kefu, educational consultant to Lucheng District government; Li Zhenyang, student director of Education Department of Wenzhou City; Cheng Xiaohua, deputy party secretary of Education Department of Lucheng District.
After the 2008 toxic milk powder scandal, the school collapses during the Sichuan earthquake, and many other large and small tragedies involving Chinese children in recent years, Chinese people have become increasingly sensitive and outspoken about abuse of children.
Some netizens said the dance performance in the rain reminded them of the big fire in Karamay City in 1994, where over 200 children perished in the fire because party leaders escaped first.
The Karamay fire took place on Dec. 8, 1994 at the Friendship Hotel in Karamay City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. When the fire broke out during a performance welcoming provincial officials, an official shouted: “Everyone sit down. Don’t move. Let the leaders walk out first.”
Of the 325 deaths, 288 were middle and primary school children. All local officials survived. Seventeen out of 23 provincial officials died, the remaining six were injured.
Chinese people remember the tragic accident by the slogan, “Let the leaders walk out first.”
Read the original Chinese article.
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