The Pulse：Vatican & China and Putonghua in HK Baptist U

The People’s Republic of China is a self-declared atheist state. During the Cultural Revolution, religious figures and symbols were condemned, vandalised and destroyed. Organised religion has been viewed as a threat to state power. Recently, Christian churches have been destroyed and crosses taken down, and at the recent Party congress, religion was once again declared an enemy of Communism. Yet the Vatican and China seem to be coming to a rapprochement, but at what cost? On Friday, Cardinal Zen, the most senior and outspoken opponent of this rapprochement, spoke to a number of reporters.
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin who said: “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Is this relevant to the situation in Hong Kong? Well many people believe that since the Handover, the government has been on a mission to use the local education system to inculcate so-called patriotic and motherland-loving views. Language has become one of the battlegrounds. Last month, a group of around 30 Hong Kong students entered the Baptist University’s Language Centre and embarked on a standoff that lasted eight hours. They were protesting about the university’s requirement that students have to either pass a newly-introduced Putonghua exemption test or take a Putonghua course to graduate. 70% of those who sat the recent tests have failed. Students say the test went beyond “basic communication skills” and wasn’t what the school promised when discussion started two years ago. As a result of the protest, two students were suspended and charged with “behavioural misconduct”. The suspension was lifted after the students made “sincere personal apologies”, although disciplinary proceedings are going ahead.
On Tuesday night, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Hualien in Taiwan. The city is not only home to about 100,000 people but is also a popular tourist hub. As of our recording time, the official death toll stood at ten, with at least 67 people still missing. We’ll leave you with images of the rescue operation. See you next week.