China: This is so wrong
The Daily Yomiuri reports that a software company in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, has developed "Anti-Japan War Online," an online computer game set in the 1937-45 Sino-Japanese War:
"Players assume the role of farmers or workers who overcome hardships to become soldiers of the Chinese Communist Party's Eighth Route Army, one of the party's main military forces during the Chinese Civil War and Japan-China War. Players rescue guerrillas and elderly citizens surrounded by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers. Under the leadership of the China Youth Union, organized by the party's young members, the company will spend 50 million yuan (700 million yen) to develop the game, which is scheduled to be completed by the year's end."
Read more here
So I became curious to find out a little more about this "China Youth Union". It turns out that it is an official body with an important role in China's communist society. According to this official website of the city of Beijing, the proper name is "All-China Youth Federation" and it was founded in May 1949. Then I could find their official English website here. It is a federation comprising all the youth organizations in China. Of the organizational members of the All-China Youth Federation, the Communist Youth League of China is the core, being a mass organization composed of China’s "advanced" youth. Founded in May 1922, it has 68.71 million members.
"Advanced"? In my opinion, it is so wrong to encourage children to hate and kill, even if it is just a video game. The fact that China is a communist society, where dissent and free speech are not tolerated, makes it even worse.
"We aim to nurture a national spirit in young people," said Hao Xianghong, 36, the union's Network Film and Television Center's vice minister. As China aims to be a global player, it will find that such ideology is not going to be in China's best interest.
"Players assume the role of farmers or workers who overcome hardships to become soldiers of the Chinese Communist Party's Eighth Route Army, one of the party's main military forces during the Chinese Civil War and Japan-China War. Players rescue guerrillas and elderly citizens surrounded by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers. Under the leadership of the China Youth Union, organized by the party's young members, the company will spend 50 million yuan (700 million yen) to develop the game, which is scheduled to be completed by the year's end."
Read more here
So I became curious to find out a little more about this "China Youth Union". It turns out that it is an official body with an important role in China's communist society. According to this official website of the city of Beijing, the proper name is "All-China Youth Federation" and it was founded in May 1949. Then I could find their official English website here. It is a federation comprising all the youth organizations in China. Of the organizational members of the All-China Youth Federation, the Communist Youth League of China is the core, being a mass organization composed of China’s "advanced" youth. Founded in May 1922, it has 68.71 million members.
"Advanced"? In my opinion, it is so wrong to encourage children to hate and kill, even if it is just a video game. The fact that China is a communist society, where dissent and free speech are not tolerated, makes it even worse.
"We aim to nurture a national spirit in young people," said Hao Xianghong, 36, the union's Network Film and Television Center's vice minister. As China aims to be a global player, it will find that such ideology is not going to be in China's best interest.
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