Hey, Chris, are you ready to do the episode about [bleep]?
Yeah, I’m ready to talk about [bleep].
Did you…
…hear that?
Sorry guys, it’s my new Chinese camera.
I accidentally switched the
auto-censor sensor on.
Auto-censor sensor?
I wonder what it automatically censors.
Tibet.
Tiananmen.
[bleep]
It’s taboo…
Forbidden…
Unspeakable in Chinese society…
Alan, turn it off!
Anyways, as I was saying,
Falun Gong.
The Chinese Communist Party's
most taboo subject.
How taboo is it?
Let me put it this way.
Chinese Internet police even censored a town in Sweden
that happened to be named Falun.
That is unbelievable!
You know, I've spent years exposing
the Chinese Communist Party for five years.
So how come the Party
has never censored Christopher, Illinois?!
What makes Falun Gong
so much scarier than me?
I'm gonna find out.
Back in 1999,
former Chinese leader
and already-squished frogger Jiang Zemin
vowed to "eradicate Falun Gong
in 3 months."
But for a group of people
who seem to largely sit quietly,
stand quietly,
or march quietly,
this traditional Chinese meditation practice
has been noticeably hard to eradicate.
In fact, more than ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners
held a massive parade in New York City
to celebrate the 25th anniversary
of when the practice was introduced
to the public.
A parade sounds harmless enough, right?
Wrong!
Otherwise, why would the Communist Party
spend more than a million dollars
to try to stop a much smaller Falun Gong parade
in Hong Kong?
Clearly, I needed to take a closer look at this parade.
Well, that was fun.
But I still don't know
the secret to their success
in riling up the Chinese Communist Party.
Maybe a more direct approach is in order.
Tell me the secret to your success
in riling up the Chinese Communist Party.
Well, I believe it’s actually the compassion.
Compassion is a really feisty thing.
So you guys believe in truth, compassion…
and plaid, correct?
Truth, compassion, and tolerance.
Okay.
I don’t know if I can tolerate that outfit.
What’s your secret to riling up the Chinese Communist Party?
Oi, crickey!
I really like your hat!
Thanks, mate!
What’s with the outfit?
It’s a national outfit from Poland.
We want to show the traditional outfits
from each country.
Are you sure there’s no fashion police?
So what happens when you tell Chinese people
that you practice Falun Gong?
Actually, they’re quite surprised.
I have a limited engagement with the Chinese people
in the mountain town of Colorado.
But when I come to the city,
and they see a Westerner,
especially wearing a shirt like this,
to discuss Falun Gong…
You do have another shirt.
I have a couple of shirts.
What happens when you tell a Chinese person
that you practice Falun Gong?
A lot of times, they’re scared.
They think this is a bad thing.
Their reactions are very strange.
What happens when you tell a Chinese person
that you practice Falun Gong?
Well it depends.
Sometimes,
when I’m in my university,
they’ll take photos or be really curious that
even a Westerner is practicing it,
because it’s not allowed in China.
So when they see it’s in Australia…
We have a club in Australia…
You’re Australian?
I didn’t realize…
Well, these practitioners are playing their cards
pretty close to their chest.
Maybe what I need
is an outside perspective.
So what do you think about the Falun Gong parade?
I think it’s really pretty.
I didn’t know what it was,
and I’m just glad I’m here to enjoy it.
Do you think they look a little dangerous or subversive?
They don’t look dangerous…
Not to me!
Do you think there’s something a little
subversive or dangerous about these people?
Oh, no…
Something subversive or dangerous about these people?
Not these people.
But the Communist Party was violent.
Did they pay you to say that?
No…
What do you think of Falun Gong?
Is good!
Always, is good!
Since the beginning
of the Communist Party's crackdown,
Falun Gong practitioners have refused to be silent.
Which is different from being quiet.
Which they are.
They've spoken out about the thousands
known to have been tortured to death
in labor camps and prisons.
About the likely hundreds of thousands more
who have been killed for their organs.
And about how a certain former frogger
--uh, leader--
is responsible for these crimes.
Since they apparently can't silence Falun Gong,
the Chinese Communist Party tries to silence
people who talk about it.
After Wall Street Journal reporter Ian Johnson
won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage
of the persecution of Falun Gong,
he was banned from China.
He had to write a Communist-style self criticism
before he was allowed back in.
Reader’s Digest pulled a thriller
written by an Australian author
because the mother of one of the supporting characters
practiced Falun Gong.
Yes, the Chinese Communist Party
was worried about a fictional character
practicing Falun Gong in the backstory
of a thriller set in Antarctica,
that wasn't even going to be published in China.
It was just being printed in China.
Even a David Bowie concert in Hong Kong
was threatened because his drummer
practiced Falun Gong.
As far as I'm concerned,
all this censorship is just more proof
that there must be something more subversive
going on with Falun Gong.
What is the most subversive thing you’ve ever done?
What do you mean by subversive?
What is the most subversive thing you’ve ever done,
besides wearing this shirt?
Uh, let’s see…
That’s a tough one.
You have to choose between a lot of things?
I’m going through the list now, mentally.
What is the most subversive thing you’ve ever done?
Against the Chinese Communist Party?
Yeah, sure.
Like, giving leaflets and telling the truth…
You know I got kicked out of the Waldorf Astoria once
for trying to interview Xi Jinping.
What is the most subversive thing you’ve ever done?
I got banned for life from the Waldorf Astoria
for trying to interview Xi Jinping.
I went to Tiananmen Square and held a banner,
and got thrown into an underground basement cell in Beijing.
So what’s the most subversive thing you’ve ever done?
I went to Tiananmen Square.
Does everyone go to Tiananmen Square?
Not everyone.
But a lot of people, especially if you’re in China.
They twisted my arms and kicked me into…
Not actually like, “he twisted my arm…”
but, “he twisted my arm!”
Yes, yes.
Well, I got banned from the Waldorf Astoria
for trying to interview Xi Jinping…
I’m doing a lot!
From New York…
But I’m making a difference!
You are!
You’re pushing buttons and making people laugh,
and that’s awesome.
Thank you.
So what can I do
to get more on Beijing’s radar?
From the safety of New York?
Not that I’m concerned about my safety,
just travel budget and all…
If I stayed in New York, what could I do?
Doing interviews inside the embassy
and outside the embassy?
So what involved not going outside New York,
and not going to the Chinese embassy or consulate?
Well, I guess it’s the internet.
The internet is a way.
You’re a force on there, keep it up.
Yes, you are right!
Well, Im at the end of the parade,
which happens to pass right in front of
the Chinese consulate.
I never found out what makes Falun Gong
so subversive .
But at least I know I'm doing something important
right here in New York.
Thanks for watching this episode of China Uncensored.
Once again, I'm your host, [bleep].
What was that? [bleep]
AM I being auto-censored?
[bleep]l!
I am being auto-censored!
I'm sticking it to the Communist Party!
Hey, thanks for figuring out
how to manually add Chris's name
to the auto-censor sensor.
Yeah, sure.
I was kind of surprised how happy he was
about getting censored.
Celebrities are weird.