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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 018191 
 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L 
 
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STATE FOR EAP/CM AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/16 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV ECON SOCI CH
SUBJECT: GUANGDONG HUMANISTIC ASSOCIATION BEGINS PRIVATE, 
POLITICAL MAGAZINE 
 
REF: (A) GUANGZHOU 5378; (B) 05 GUANGZHOU 32674 
 
¶1.  (U) Classified by Consul General Edward Dong.  Reason 
1.4 (d). 
 
¶2. (C) Summary.  China's first-ever privately-funded 
magazine has recently been launched in Guangdong Province. 
According to its publisher, Hao Yuanwen, the monthly 
magazine, entitled Citizen ("Shimin"), was designed to lay 
the foundations for political change in China.  Originally 
focused on educating "the people" about the need for 
political change, Citizen has evolved into a medium through 
which Chinese intellectuals can communicate and exchange 
ideas.  End summary. 
 
Guangdong Humanistic Association - a New Political Party? 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
¶3. (C) On June 13, Poloff and Econ/Pol intern met with Hao 
Yuanwen and Yao Yuanguang (please protect) from the 
magazine Citizen.  Hao is the president of the magazine and 
Yao is a special assistant.  The two men represented the 
Guangdong Humanistic Association ("Guangdong renwen 
xuehui") (see septel on the association).  The Guangdong 
Humanistic Association (GHA) consists of about 1,000 
members from "all walks of life," including government 
officials, students, professors, and intellectuals. 
According to Yao, the long-term ambition of the GHA was to 
"be prepared" for the first political party alternative to 
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 
 
¶4. (C) Both Hao and Yao have had respected careers in the 
Chinese bureaucracy, which have given them contacts to 
support their magazine.  In fact, the GHA has registered as 
a legal organization under the Guangdong Civil Affairs 
Bureau.  Hao served more than 30 years in the People's 
Liberation Army (PLA) and claimed to have highly placed 
friends in both the provincial and federal governments. 
Hao's family also has a wealth of CCP credibility.  He 
claims his parents were important founding members of the 
People's Republic of China.  Despite this status, Hao 
explained that sympathizers within the government would be 
unable to give much assistance to the GHA should it run 
into trouble.  Yao, to a lesser degree, is also respected 
as a professor of international relations at South China 
Normal University. 
 
Citizen - a Medium for Exchange of Political Ideas 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶5. (C) Yao indicated that the GHA's broad goal is to lay 
the groundwork for political change in China by educating 
its people: "Our primary mission is to promote political 
reform in China.  For us the starting point is to educate 
modern citizens.  We want to let the Chinese people have a 
basic understanding of human rights." Hao added that the 
Chinese people are influenced by a long history of 
feudalism and authoritarianism; people are "numb" after 
years of dictatorship.  A further frustration for Yao is 
the self-centered nature of contemporary Chinese who 
protect their own interests at the expense of "the future 
of this nation." 
 
¶6. (C) Citizen was originally founded by the Guangxi Normal 
University Press.  However, because of low circulation and 
an unclear focus, it nearly went bankrupt.  Hao bought the 
magazine and hired a new set of editors (currently ten). 
Because of a crackdown on progressive journalism in South 
China, some journalists have become attracted to Citizen. 
For example, two editors from the "Nanfang Chuang" 
(Southern Wind Window) magazine (refs A and B), as well as 
a number of freelance writers, have recently joined the 
staff.  By purchasing a magazine that already existed, Hao 
was able to bypass many of the regulations required to 
start a periodical in China.  In addition, Hao was able to 
take advantage of distribution channels that the former 
owner used, facilitating the magazine's availability in 
major cities around China, such as Beijing, Chengdu, and 
Xi'an. 
 
Will it Survive? 
----------------- 
¶7. (C) The first issue of Citizen under its present editors 
was published in February 2006.  However, the magazine has 
thus far relied mainly on the financial contributions from 
the GHA's members, who "gave their savings" so the magazine 
could exist.  Citizen therefore has funds for only eleven 
issues.  According to Yao, advertisers are reluctant to 
purchase space in a magazine that is politically oriented, 
 
GUANGZHOU 00018191  002 OF 002 
 
 
and Citizen is currently the only privately-funded magazine 
in China.  At present, Citizen's circulation is 20,000, 
though Hao said his goal is 100,000. 
 
¶8. (C) Although running a magazine of this nature naturally 
carries many risks, Hao explained that he and the members 
of the GHA were willing to "sacrifice for the nation." Hao 
expressed a willingness to face any problems from the 
government that may arise, stating "If we want to avoid 
trouble, we can't have this magazine.  We're determined to 
face the trouble," and claimed "The progress of change 
cannot be stopped by anyone." 
 
¶9. (C) In an editorial from the May issue of Citizen 
entitled "'Citizen' Past and Present," the editors seek to 
explain the function of a responsible member of civil 
society by distinguishing between "citizen" (shimin) and 
"subject" (chenmin).  They draw implicit but clear 
parallels between feudal and contemporary China.  In feudal 
China, they write, people were subjects: they relied on the 
government for safety and order, but sacrificed freedom and 
dignity.  Citizens, on the other hand, enjoy freedom, 
equality, and democracy; the government answers to them, 
not the other way around.  It is the responsibility of all 
the inhabitants in a city, country, and the entire world to 
be citizens instead of subjects. 
 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶10. (C) Despite Citizen's circulation of 20,000, it remains 
unclear how many people the magazine actually reaches.  Hao 
and Yao claim the magazine can be found in Guangzhou's best 
bookstores; however, based on an informal survey, street 
newsstands in the city do not carry it.  The Guangzhou- 
based correspondent for the South China Morning Post had 
also never heard of the magazine.  Nevertheless, the 
existence of such a magazine may be a sign that South 
China, once a hub for progressive journalism, is undergoing 
a resurgence in bold political writing.   In the future, 
Post will provide selected translations of important 
articles as a barometer of intellectual debate in South 
China.  In the meantime, the ambitions of Citizen's 
publisher seem broad and somewhat abstract, and its 
circulation appears to be within a relatively small circle 
of intellectuals.  The question remains: What exactly do 
these activists hope to accomplish with their magazine? 
End Comment. 
 
DONG