Chen Yunfei, a small businessman in Sichuan was placed under house arrest after putting an advertisement for the June 4th Movement in the Chengdu Evening News . On December 3, 2007, when he regained his freedom, he went to the Chengdu Evening News offices in order to apologize to the staff members who were implicated during the incident.
In an interview with the The Epoch Times on December 5, he said that he had no regrets about his action, although he was placed under house arrest by the authorities due to the advertisement. However he felt regret for the media staff who were implicated during the event.
During the interview, he made a public statement of his quitting the Communist Youth League in order to express his support for the tide of thirty millions quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. He said,“Thus I can start my life anew, and become a true person, an awakened person, a reasonable person and a person with a conscience.”
Leaders in the Newspaper Office Demoted Due to the Advertisement
June 4, 2007 was the 18th anniversary of the June 4th Movement— a student movement seeking democracy in 1989. That day, an advertisement in the classified section (page 14) of the Chengdu Evening News , caused strong repercussions in media circles at home and abroad. It said, “Salute all strong mothers of the victims of the June 4th Movement.”
On June 5, the authority detained Cheng Yunfei. He was detained at home on charges of “subverting the political power of the state and overthrowing the socialist system.” The next day, he was sentenced to a half year of “supervision of residence” (“house arrest”) and his individual actions were then restricted.
On December 3, the authorities lifted the surveillance order and he regained his freedom.
On December 4, Chen Yunfei and Huang Xiaomi, another human rights activist, went to the office of the Chengdu Evening NewsM and apologized to all the staff who got into trouble or were demoted as a result of the advertisement. Chen said he went there knowing that a number of high-ranking officers in the Chengdu Evening News and other employees in advertising agencies had been demoted or lost their jobs.
According to some of Huang Xiaomi’s friends in media circles, the advertisement event made quite a stir in media circles in China. The CCP authorities published an inside notice to nearly one million media personnel, requesting them to be on guard against similar events in the future.
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party Disintegrating the Party Culture
It is the 3rd anniversary of the publishing of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party by The Epoch Times . The number of people who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations has reached nearly 30 million.
Chen Yunfei told the reporter that he had already read the book, and he thought it was a good book providing authentic facts and that the history, facts disclosed and deep analysis enlightens the reader. The book inspires and awakens people up.
He added that the book exposed the CCP’s true colors and is forcefully disintegrating the party culture.
Chen Yunfei’s Declaration Of His Withdrawal from the Youth League
Chen said he would take this opportunity to declare his withdrawal from the Youth League in support for the tide of 30 millions quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
He said, “Actually I have refused to pay the League membership dues since my sophomore year in college, thus I quit the League automatically. But I still want to make a public statement of quitting the Youth League and become a true person, an awakened person, a person in harmony with humanity. Under the advice of my teacher, I joined the Youth League when I did not know what it was about. Since I went to college and now know more things about this organization, I found out the organization was unlike what it asserted and its actions were against the will of the people. I felt I was cheated and I was ashamed. This advertisement incident tells me they do not want to become better. I look down on their policy of suppression and coercive methods. Here I make a solemn statement of quitting the Youth League and the Young Pioneers. I wish more people to understand what’s what and distinguish between truth and falsehood and and walk their own path, a path a true person should follow.”
Chen Yunfei said the movement of quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations is very peaceful and reasonable. Everybody can join. The movement can awaken people and recover their morals; it not only helps them know more truth, but also awakens peoples’ conscience. The movement is functional, quite accessible, and getting popular, and he encourages more and more people to participate in it.
