HONG KONG—The inaugural International Chinese Vocal Competition hosted by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) will be held from October 15 to 17, 2007 in New York's Kaufmann Concert Hall.
After arresting three contestants in Fushun City, Liaoning Province and ransacking their homes, the Chinese Communist regime is now blocking Ms. Huang Xuanjia, a contestant in Shanghai, from applying for a U.S. visa and competing in the vocal competition. Ms. Fu Yuxia, mother of Ms. Huang Xuanjia, took a trip to Hong Kong on October 11 specifically for the purpose of obtaining an invitation letter to the vocal competition.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Ms. Fu explained how the Chinese government prevented her daughter from competing in the vocal competition. "I will have the world know how Shanghai government suppresses its people!" said Ms. Fu Yuxia.
Ms. Fu regrets that her daughter was prevented from entering the competition, but she still hopes the competition will be a great success. She made a long-distance call to Shanghai and recorded her daughter's performance of a traditional Chinese song titled "Ode to Red Bean" in operatic style, over the phone. By doing so, she hopes that this will somewhat fulfill her daughter's wish to perform in the vocal competition.
All Mail and Emails Intercepted
After Mrs. HU and Ms. Fu heard about NTDTV's inaugural International Chinese Vocal Competition, they decided to join the competition. First, Ms. Fu enrolled her daughter in the competition. After her daughter obtained a Chinese passport, Ms. Fu asked her aunt in Shanghai to send her daughter's videotape, the lyrics of the songs, sheet music and her daughter's personal information to a relative in Japan, who would relay the materials, sending two separate packages for safety, to NTDTV's New York offices. They thought that the mail relay would keep them below the Chinese government's radar.
However, Ms. Fu's aunt in Shanghai got a surprise visit from the her neighborhood administration committee. She summoned to the local office and asked to explain what she had mailed and why Ms. Fu hadn't mailed these packages directly. When Ms. Fu's aunt explained that they are nothing but lyrics and sheet music for the child's vocal competition, cadres of the committee told her not to mail anything for Ms. Fu again.
Because the packages were intercepted, Ms. Fu called NTDTV directly to ask what she should do next. NTDTV told Ms. Yu that she could email the materials, which she did. She saw on her computer screen that the email was sent out successfully. On the next day, Ms. Fu called NTDTV the next day and learned that NTDTV had not received the message. Finally, Ms. Fu sent out the materials by fax, but by then there was not enough time to apply for a visa for her daughter.
Longing to Compete in an International Competition
Ms. Huang Xuanjia is currently a student of vocal performance at the Music Conservatory of Shanghai Teachers' College, where she won a special prize at Shanghai's inaugural foreign song competition. When Ms. Fu heard about the NTDTV's Chinese vocal competition, she decided that it would be a great opportunity for her daughter to compete in a vocal competition promoting classical vocal arts, and also to expand her daughter's horizons. Ms. Fu said, "The vocal competitions in China are fake. My daughter studies traditional opera singing. This is a great opportunity for her. Besides, this is an international competition. I asked my daughter to compete in this vocal competition to see how good she is."
Since her daughter won't be able to compete in the vocal competition this year, Ms. Fu called her daughter in Shanghai and asked her to sing "Ode to Red Bean" over the phone in operatic style.
In a small hotel room in Hong Kong, Ms. Huang's voice came out from a mobile phone. She sang a sad traditional Chinese ballad. The melancholy in her singing is infectious. In a civilized society, it would be very normal to compete in a vocal competition. It is something that is as natural as breathing, but it can be something quite unattainable for people in China.
Appealing to the Chinese Government for 11 Years, Imprisoned Eight Times
Ms. Fu Yuxia has been living in agony for the past 11 years. She was among the first group of people in Shanghai that appealed to the Chinese government for justice. After the Shanghai government tore down her house against her wishes, Ms. Fu repeatedly exercised her constitutional right to appeal to the Chinese government for justice. When she didn't get any response from the Shanghai government, she went to Beijing to appeal to the State Appeals Office. After her first appeal trip to Beijing, Ms. Fu was imprisoned in Shanghai. To date, Ms. Fu has been imprisoned for eight times for appealing to the Chinese government.
During her many years of appeals, Ms. Fu has been repeatedly beaten up by the Chinese police; so has her daughter, Ms. Huang Xuanjia.
Announcing Her Withdrawal From the CCP's Young Pioneer League
During the interview, Ms. Fu Yuxia decided to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party's Young Pioneer Leaguewhich she had joined as a child. The following is her public statement:
"My name is Fu Yuxia. I am a 48-year-old woman. Because the Chinese Communist Party prevented my daughter from competing in the International Chinese Vocal Competition and because the Chinese Communist Party stole our land and house by force, which put us in a reduced circumstance for 11 long years, I now ask The Epoch Times to publish my withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party's Young Pioneer League on my behalf."
Ms. Fu will soon return to Shanghai. When asked if she will face any danger, Ms. Fu said, "I don't know. But I have no fear since I have stepped out. Everything I have said is truth."
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