Ambassador Cui Tiankai returns to China

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Main Link: Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai’s farewell message of deep feelings towards countrymen abroad ( 中国驻美大使崔天凯辞别侨胞深情寄语 )

Xinhua Newsagency, Washington, June 22 report. Cui Tiankai, having served as China’s ambassador to America for more than eight years, published a “farewell letter to all countrymen in America”, thanking the numerous countrymen in America for the care and support they had shown for his work. He also expressed his trust that they would continue to make active contributions to the promotion Chinese-U.S. relations that would develop in a healthy and stable way.

新华社华盛顿6月22日电 担任中国驻美大使8年有余的崔天凯21日在使馆网站发表《致全美侨胞的辞别信》，衷心感谢广大在美华侨华人对他工作的关心和支持，并寄语他们继续为促进中美关系健康稳定发展作出积极贡献。

Cui Tiankai said that from April 2013 until now, the more than eight years he had worked in America had passed in a blink of an eye. He would soon leave to return to China. “This was the longest term abroad in my career, allowing me to experience many historically significant events, getting to know enthusiastic and amicable friends, and leaving me with many unforgettable memories for life.”

崔天凯说，自2013年4月至今，他转眼在美国工作已8年有余，将于近日离任回国，“这是我外交生涯中最长的一次驻外任期，让我经历了很多具有历史意义的事件，结识了很多热情友好的朋友，也给我留下了很多终身难忘的记忆”。

He highly praised the countrymen living abroad, with emotional ties to their homeland, making unremitting efforts to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and connections of popular sentiments between China and the U.S., firmly speaking out for the unification of the motherland and the defense of national dignity. “I will always cherish the profound friendships I have built with all of you countrymen during my diplomatic mission in America.”

他高度赞扬侨胞们身居海外，情系桑梓，为促进中美互利合作和民心相通不懈努力，为促进祖国统一、捍卫民族尊严坚定发声，“我将永远珍惜出使美国期间与各位侨胞结下的深厚友谊”。

Cui Tiankai pointed out that during the 42 years that passed since the establishment of Chinese-U.S. relations, the two countries had achieved historic successes, and their interests had long become inseparably interconnected. By blending Chinese and Western advantages together, Chinese countrymen in America had long become envoys of people-to-people friendship and association. Chinese-American relations were currently at a critical juncture. American policies towards China were being restructured, facing a choice between dialog and cooperation or confrontation and clashes.

崔天凯指出，中美建交42年来，两国关系取得历史性成就，两国利益早已紧密交融。在美侨胞一直以融贯中西的优势，成为中美友好交往的民间使者。当前中美关系正处在关键十字路口，美国对华政策正经历新一轮重构，面临在对话合作和对抗冲突之间作出选择。

He said: “At this very moment, countrymen in America are shouldering a major responsibility and mission. I hope you will continue to be firm promoters of and contributors to healthy and stable development of Chinese-American relations, setting out from safeguarding your personal rights to exist and develop in America, setting out from protecting the fundamental benefits of our two countries’ peoples, setting out from the promotion of global peace and stability.”

他说：“此时此刻，在美侨胞肩负着更加重大的责任和使命，希望你们从捍卫自身在美生存和发展权益出发，从维护中美两国人民根本利益出发，从促进世界和平稳定和繁荣出发，继续做中美关系健康稳定发展的坚定促进者和积极贡献者。”

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Keep it simple, June 24, 2011
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Xu Yuanchong, 1921 – 2021

Documentaries made during a man’s lifetime often do a better job at describing him, than obituaries. Here’s a good film on Xu Yuanchong (许渊冲) – unfortunately only in Chinese.
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Great Matters of the State, Educational Tour

CCTV Xinwen Lianbo, June 5, 2021

The following is a newsitem from Xinwen Lianbo (CCTV evening news) on June 5. The term 国之大者 (guózhī dàzhě), coined in recent contexts by party secretary general Xi Jinping, appears to have led to some confusion, without anyone within the propaganda department or any CPC interface with the public to clarify the meaning.

The non-communist public figures, commonly referred to dangwai in Chinese politics, appear to be facing higher expectations to be faithful agents of the Communist Party of China in the pursuit of state affairs, or intensified worshippers of the CPC as it  commermorates its 100th founding anniversary.
The Upenn language blog has done some heroic explanatory work for the term guózhī dàzhě, and as I can’t find anything more convincing online, I’ve decided to translate it as great matters of the state.
Links within blockquotes added during translation.

Celebrating the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, officials of all non-communist parties’ central committee members and public figures and representatives with no party affiliations went to Shanghai and to Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, for visits and studies.

[视频]庆祝中国共产党成立100周年 各民主党派中央负责人和无党派人士代表赴上海 浙江嘉兴参观学习
来源：央视网2021年06月05日 19:18

CCTV online news (Xinwen Lianbo): with permission from the Communist Party of China’s central committee, the Central United Front organized a trip by members of all non-communist parties’ central committee officials and public figures and representatives with no party affiliations to Shanghai and Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, so as to admire the site of the Communist Party of China’s first congress, and the Nanhu Red Boat. A symposium was also held.

央视网消息（新闻联播）：经中共中央批准，中央统战部组织各民主党派中央负责人和无党派人士代表今天（6月5日）赴上海、浙江嘉兴，瞻仰中共一大会址和嘉兴南湖红船，并举行座谈会。

The one-hundred years of struggle have amply demonstrated that without the Communist Party there would be no New China, that without the Communist Party there would be no socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Chinese people wouldn’t have stood up, wouldn’t have prospered, wouldn’t have become stronger. It is hoped that non-communist democratic party public figure will always cherish “great matters of the state”, thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s ideology of New Era socialism with Chinese characteristics, firmly develop party history education, always faithfully maintain the leadership of the Communist Party of China, keep to the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthen the joining of forces of party construction, and unite in the common effort of promoting the development of multi-party cooperation, so as to create a beautiful future for the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.

中国共产党百年奋斗历程充分表明，没有共产党就没有新中国，没有共产党就没有中国特色社会主义，中国人民就不可能站起来、富起来、强起来。希望各民主党派、无党派人士始终胸怀“国之大者”，深入学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想，扎实开展中共党史学习教育，始终不渝坚持中国共产党的领导，走中国特色社会主义道路，加强中国特色社会主义参政党建设，协力推进多党合作事业发展，共同创造中国人民和中华民族的美好未来。

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Political parties in China, Wiki, last edited June 6

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External Propaganda: Cai Mingzhao’s then, Xi Jinping’s now?

Politburo’s 30th study session, Xinwen Lianbo, June 1, 2021

English-speaking Chinese media translate 传播 (chuánbō) as “communication” – as in this English-language rendition of a Xi speech on May 31, to the “30th collective study session of the CPC politburo. I don’t quite trust the translation, because there is a Chinese habit of making Chinese terms more palatable to a foreign audience by using not-quite-the-closest possible translation.

As a shortwave user, the most familiar translation to me would be propagation, which may stand for a process of information flow, “transmissions of impulses (or triggers) to influence the behavior of others” (传播就是某个人传递刺激以影响另一些人行为的过程), or “social information flows and the information of social information systems” (郭庆光定义传播是社会資訊的流动和社会資訊系统的运行). All that, and more, plus propaganda, I suppose.

So, the official Chinese translation for chuánbō would be communication. But China Copyright and Media, in an October 2013 translation of an article by Cai Mingzhao, director of the State Council Information Office’s Foreign Propaganda Office at the time, referred to chuánbō as dissemination. It’s a translation that leaves room for a lot of interpretation.

What strikes me when reading the China Copyright and Media translation of nearly eight years ago is its similarity with Xi’s speech of May 31. Back then, Cai Mingzhao, the State Council of Information Office’s external propaganda bureau at the time, discussed the future priorities in public diplomacy work in the light of Xi Jinping’s recent speech at the National Propaganda and Ideology Work Conference.

While Xi’s national propaganda conference speech in August 2013 had contained some referals to external propaganda, too, most of it had been about propaganda in general, and ideological work within China. In fact, I’m under the impression that in his May 31 speech, which focused exclusively on external propaganda, Xi borrowed heavily from Cai Mingzhao’s 2013 article.

You can contrast these two English renditions: one by China Daily on June 2, i. e. four days ago, reflecting Xi’s speech, and one by China Copyright and Media, in October 2013, translating Cai Mingzhao’s article.

June 4

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天空更加阴暗 你说 这船老了
一生运载的风暴都已走远
该卸下自己了 让石头船舷去腐烂
夏季 是惟一的港口

杨炼 (Yang Lian)

The darker it gets, you say, the boat is old
The storms it carried are long gone
It is down to us to unload ourselves, let the stone boat rot away
Summer was the only harbor