Wang Zhicheng

A long line of faithful accompanied the bishop's ashes to the place of burial. Crowds line the roadside from the cathedral to the place of cremation. Agreements between the local authorities and the bishop's successor, Msgr. Guo Xijin.

Funeral will be held tomorrow at 6.30 am. Checkpoints set up to curb the flow of the faithful. Only 3 thousand people allowed into the cathedral. Ban on miter and pastoral buried with corpse. But faithful succeed in gaining permission for episcopal ring, pectoral cross, skull cap and floral arrangements, as well as small procession to the cremation. The tomb, ruined by bad weather of recent days, restored by the government, who wants to stop the prelates ashes from being buried in the cathedral for the homage of the faithful. The successor of Msgr. Huang is Msgr. Vincenzo Guo Xijin. He, like his predecessor, has spent several years in prison.

Unrecognised by the Chinese government, he was liked by both official and underground Catholics as a humble and capable pastor. Almost everyone in Diocese of Mindong belongs to the underground Church, 80,000 out of 90,000 members. The authorities would like to see a low profile funeral, with the body without Episcopal insignia. The faithful plan otherwise. Mgr Huang spent 35 years in prison, house arrest and forced labor. He ordained his successor, Mgr Vincent Guo Xijin, in 2008.

The party’s secretary laid a wreath at the monument that marks the end of the Long March, which brought Mao Zedong to power. At the meeting in Beidaihe, there are concerns about clashes among various factions.

The school stands next to the site of three former pesticide plants. Groundwater and soil pollution levels are way above the safety limit. The authorities tried to hush up the problem. Government and business interests tend to protect polluting companies.

During a conference, Fang Binxing had to bypass his own filter designed to block foreign sites, in order to connect to a South Korean website. AsiaNews.it remains obscured, but through VPN is accessible throughout China. The futility of censorship.

An estimated 20,000 people were baptised on Easter night. Just outside Shanghai, 27 baptised people join a community of 100. Rampant materialism and individualism drive people to convert. Underground communities celebrated Easter without songs and in small groups.

As expected, the proposed five-year plan is unanimously approved. Reported poverty levels are inaccurate. At the concluding press conference, the PM uses soft tones, hiding problems, about dialogue with Taiwan, respect for Hong Kong, friendship with the United States, and government transparency.

Governor Zhou Xiaochuan pledges not to use “exchange rates or other monetary policies to stimulate exports", nor resort to massive capital injections.

Six other lawyers also formally arrested. Some of them worked at the same law center, the Fengrui, described as "a criminal gang". 16 year old son of Wang Yu under 24 hour surveillance. Return of campaigns of the Cultural Revolution era.

The Chinese president wants an international treaty to give governments control over their national cyberspace. Under Xi, censorship has increased in China, placing it just two positions above the last (Iran and Cuba) in terms of Internet freedom. Beijing’s cyber-police has blocked some 5,000 sites. For the latter, AsiaNews “does not exist”.

The head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China praises the traditional virtues of China’s ancient culture, which inspired the Party’s new rules. The vacuum in ideals must be filled or the party will lose power. For Confucius, both love and scorn.