The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
Guangdong Propaganda Department: This afternoon, the grassroots Association for the Study of Yan’an Spirit and Association for the Study of Xibaipo Spirit will hold the “Without the Communist Party There Would Be No New China: Carry On the Yan’an Revolutionary Spirit, Recreate the Glory of the Development of Special Zones” public symposium in Longgang District, Shenzhen. Absolutely do not report or comment on this event. (October 15, 2013)
广东省委宣传部:今天下午,中国延安精神研究会、西柏坡精神研究会等民间机构在深圳龙岗区举办的”没有共产党就没有新中国–弘扬延安革命精神,再创特区发展辉煌”公益研讨会,一律不报道、不评论。
About 120 people participated in the symposium, including many “veteran military officers and cadres,” according to NetEase [zh]. The government is wary of all organizations and events out of its control, whatever their political leaning. Leftists have particularly been under pressure since the Bo Xilai scandal broke.
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date on CDT Chinese is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.