A documentary shows the rebirth of the activist movement in China, where volunteers and dissidents risk their freedom for a fairer country
The environment, child poverty, The search for democracy and the trade union movement are some of the most fruitful struggles
Monica Zas Marcos
05/12/2016
El disidente chino Hu Jia en "El viejo loco de la montaña"
There is a Chinese proverb that tells about an old man named Yugong. The man enrolled in the herculean task of moving a mountain that blocked the path to his house. Although in the village they called him crazy because he would never finish the transfer while he was alive., he laughed at her ignorance. "Mis hijos y mis nietos seguirán mi labor y, some day, esta montaña habrá desaparecido". The story is known as The crazy old man and perfectly sums up the persevering spirit of activism in China.
The proverb also gives the title to a documentary about the social changes in the country that premieres Tuesday night on Spanish Television. The journalist Diego Torres and the filmmaker Antón Calderón wanted to give a voice to those who work for the well-being of their compatriots and do not open the covers, but they risk their safety every day. They are four activists and dissidents who have made great progress in the environment, unionism, democratic development and child poverty.
"Son la prueba de que la dignidad humana puede prevalecer en las circunstancias más desfavorables. Queríamos que este documental fuese un homenaje hacia ellos", Diego Torres recognizes, who was a correspondent in China for several years. He knows firsthand that these stories do not have priority in the international press, where scandals or the imprisonment of dissidents stand out. Now they offer an essential point of view to avoid falling into the typical caricature of submission about the Asian continent.
"Es cierto que es una sociedad pragmática y discreta que no suele involucrarse en cuestiones políticas", Calderon says, But he points out that in the last decade they have begun to fight for freedoms and more intangible issues..
The documentary was filmed in 2014, when Xi Jinping had not even been president for a year and was still settling into power. In recent times, however, Any opinion has become dangerous for the Government and each mobilization is accused of disturbing public order by the communist party..
The four protagonists of The crazy old man have way of working very different and not all of them worry Xi Jinping's Government in the same way. In China, This risk measurement is compared to the red lines on a ping-pong board.. You can and must push the limits for progress to occur., pero nunca salirte del tablero "porque ya no necesitarán excusas para encerrarte". All these forms of activism, even the least risky ones, They leave a mark on society so that new generations can take over.. But there are always those who risk more than others to speed up the process., like the case of the dissident Hu Jia.
The democratic activist
Hu Jia carries 233 days under house arrest when he speaks directly to the camera. It is not the first time that the Chinese authorities have subjected him to publicizing his battle for human rights.. He was already imprisoned for three and a half years for posting an Internet blog with his wife with harsh criticism of the health system, police brutality, lies about the transmission of AIDS and ecological scandals.
"Está en una situación como la de Ai Wei Wei. The State thinks it is less harmful to have it neutralized, without imprisoning him so that he does not generate international protests, pero sin apenas libertades", says Diego Torres. Hu Jia does not have access to the country's social networks, Most of the time he is confined to his home and his wife (also an activist) He asked for a divorce to flee to Hong Kong with his daughter because the pressure was unbearable.. Even so, He escapes every time he can to visit the families of political prisoners and distribute food and coats to street beggars..
"Seguramente me vuelvan a encarcelar pronto, y esta vez serán más de tres años y medio", admits Hu Jia in the film. "Pero es que soy un hombre, no un esclavo". in 2006, Time magazine highlighted the Pekingese as one of the thousand heroes and pioneersof the world and, two years later, received the Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament. This case represents the most dramatic of the quartet and is contrasted with that of the next protagonist.: former investigative journalist Deng Fei.
The child poverty activist
Deng Fei was the typical reporter uncomfortable for the regime. Se servía de su libertad de prensa en Hong Kong para destapar grandes escándalos medioambientales como la de los "pueblos del cáncer en China". He discovered that contamination in small areas was directly linked to the disease and that the authorities were covering it by all means. But nothing happened. He saw that his investigations did not even serve to shake the foundations of the Government a little., So he abandoned his prestige as a communicator to try another way.: social mobilization.
The former journalist founded a non-profit organization for children living below the poverty line in rural areas. "No sólo ha conseguido aliviar la situación de estas zonas y de esos niños, sino que además ha conseguido movilizar y organizar a la opinión pública en favor de estas causas", Torres admits.
Deng Fei is the only activist in the group who is a public figure, appears on television and receives support from the Government for his campaigns. "Es un tío listo y sabe que nadie le va a poner trabas para que dé de comer a los niños pobres del campo", compare Calderon, while ensuring that in other areas he would never receive that support. That is the case of the union and environmental movement, in which the following two activists have specialized.
The union activist
Zhang Zhiru worked in a shoe workshop in 7 from morning to 12 of the night for 20 euros per month. Your bosses, in addition to slapping him with the soles, They did not cover the expenses of a work accident. That was when the union light bulb went on and he began to fight for the dignity of Chinese workers.. Their activism consists of encouraging day laborers to strike if companies ignore their requests and offering them legal advice..
These movements were within what was tolerable before Xi Jinping's government, but now they are pursued with ferocity. "El régimen usa la carta del patriotismo con Zhang Zhiru. Da la imagen de que es un criminal que se ha vendido a Estados Unidos y que solo quiere hundir la reputación de China", Torres account. However, Their constant pressure on these companies has achieved great salary improvements and less despicable working conditions..
The young environmentalist
"La situación medioambiental es postapocalíptica", Antón Calderón confesses. Da Shi is the example that the new generations carry social awakening in their veins. This twenty-year-old started working in a factory that threw its polluting waste into the river, so he said goodbye and denounced the bosses. It was then that he founded the first environmental organization in his area., where they report the excesses of the industry and promote awareness through social networks.
"A pesar de que los activistas están más reprimidos que nunca, the movements continue to grow. Lo que da idea de cuánto más organizadas y valientes están siendo ciertas capas de la comunidad china", journalist Diego Torres applauds. He says this society is not the rule, is the exception, and that in the West we must eliminate the anti-Chinese sentiment that has emerged in recent times.
That is the main motivation of The crazy old man. Its creators know that it will not cause the great fall of the communist party, nor that China suddenly becomes the country of freedoms. But it helps them by breaking myths and recognizing what normally does not fit in the headlines of the international press.. That there are brave people with tremendous patience who are transforming their country., even if it is at the pace at which a mountain moves.
