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China re writes Clinton History
« on: Sep 27th, 2003, 7:45am » |
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China rewrites Clinton's 'History'
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 Posted: 1:42 AM EDT (0542 GMT)
Hillary Clinton's memoir on sale at a bookstore in Beijing.
HONG KONG, China -- Hillary Clinton's autobiography "Living History" is more a case of history rewritten in China.
The book by the United States senator and former First Lady has been as much of a sales success story in China as it has in America -- despite some selective editing on the part of the Chinese publishers.
All negative references to China have been removed from the book by the Chinese state-owned publishers, according to the New York Times.
With its references to the jailing of Chinese human rights activists, suppression of the media, Tibet and political repression, the promotion of the book was originally seen as a sign of increased tolerance and openness on the part of the Chinese government.
The changes were made without the authorization of either the U.S. publishers, Simon & Schuster, or the author.
Among the topics excluded from the Chinese version were, according to the NYT, passages addressing China's imprisonment of activist Harry Wu, China's treatment of women's groups that attended the 1995 U.N. conference on women and what Clinton described as "the religious freedom that was a right forbidden to many".
Even a lighthearted jibe at the Chinese propensity to create a positive impression to visiting dignitaries was removed.
Clinton had written that in readiness for her lunch appointment, Shanghai police had replaced staff in nearby stores with "attractive young people wearing Western clothes". The anecdote landed on the cutting room floor of Chinese publishers, Yilin Press.
The NYT quoted a Yilin Press spokesman as saying the changes to the Chinese book were "minor" and made in a hurry because of the competition with unedited black market versions of the book.
Clinton and the publishers were both said to be pushing for the Chinese publishers to revert to the original text.
Censorship of international criticism, including in films, books or on the internet, is routine in China.
While translations of books by foreign dignitaries are often bestsellers in China, Chinese publishers regularly excise material that is deemed offensive to the party and government or otherwise politically incorrect.
An editor in a state publishing house in Beijing told the Times the Communist party's Propaganda Department did not have specific instructions for the translations of English or foreign-language books, but "editors and publishers are well aware of the need to take out embarrassing topics and materials."
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