Once again, we’ve rounded up some of our filmmaker’s micro-dispatches on Sina Weibo, China’s version of twitter. Here are some thoughts from some of China’s independent directors and indisputable proof that when you micro-blog in Chinese characters, 140 characters can go a lot further!

"Shattered" (dir. Xu Tong)

Xu Tong, director of Fortune Teller and Shattered, blogged on 02/12:

We had a discussion after the screening of “Shattered” on the eleventh and the people of Shanghai really impressed me. Who says people are numb—especially young people? They may not know some things (like history before twenty years ago) or be living in a state of reality (compared to some of the subjects of my movies); but once they’ve seen it, they’re eager to express their sorrows and joys, their angers and confusions. The problem is not our audiences, but ourselves. I should be harder on myself more often. 

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"Though I Am Gone" (dir. Hu Jie

China News Watch‘s Stephen Chan, discussing a recent CCTV broadcast, reports on recent efforts made by Xi Jinping and the CCP to “to step up ideological control of students and young lecturers” at Chinese Universities. Recently enacted, wide-spread initiatives to tighten controls and censorship of Chinese cultural life–from the internet to TV and film and beyond–are now increasingly apparent in the education system. Said Chan, “Universities have long been regarded as the most important stronghold for the party’s grip on ideology.” 

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"Crime and Punishment" (dir. Zhao Liang)

Protests in Guangdong Province’s Wukan Village, which began months ago in response to government seizure of collectively-owned agricultural lands, have suspended their protests after a representative of Wukan Village met to negotiate with Guangdong  Province government officials.

The New York Times‘s Edward Wong reports:

In the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour outside Wukan, two senior provincial officials spoke to Lin Zuluan, 65, one of the villagers’ main representatives. Mr. Lin said after the meeting that the officials had agreed to three conditions set by the protesters, including freeing several villagers who had been detained, though the issue of the land sales remained unresolved.

“I was satisfied with how the meeting went,” Mr. Lin said. “Now they’ve opened up a new channel of communication, and it will help to build a closer relationship between the two sides.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Lin and other village leaders met to discuss their options and decided to call off the public protests and to reopen access to the village. It was unclear whether party officials who fled earlier would return and resume their jobs.

After that conclave, the village leaders held a rally with more than 1,000 residents in a public square and told the audience about the new agreement. When the villagers then dispersed, they took down protest banners hanging up near the square.

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