http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/09/200809030912.shtml

Ling Cangzhou and 14 Other Chinese Scholars Call For MId-Autumn Festival To Be Rechristened Freedom of Speech Festival
History records: In the period between the 13th and 14th centuries, under the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty's Mongol rule, the quarters housing the slaves were divided into four types of people. The first type was the conqueror Mongols. The second type was alien peoples below the Mongols but above the native Chinese in status. The third type were the Hans (the various peoples who had conquered the Central Plains). And the fourth type were Southerners (those from south of the Yangtze River). The Yuan Mongol rulers had implemented racial discrimination and had implemented a policy of denying freedom to the subjugated. Not only did they reiterate every several years that the Han people were not prohibitied from possessing military weapons, raise horses, smelt iron, etc., they were also forbidden to study the Mongol language. If a Mongol beat a Han to death, they would not have to pay with their life. They would only have to pay the price of one donkey. Under this despotic rule, the people began to rise up in open revolt.

The legend continues: Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398, founder of the Ming dynasty) organized all the various opposition factions and prepared to revolt. But the Yuan Mongol officers and soldiers conducted very extensive and careful searches, and it made it very difficult to share information. The military counselor Liu Bowen thought of a strategy. He ordered his subordinates to conceal the order to revolt on the (lunar calendar) night of August 15 in moon cakes. Then he sent various messengers out to deliver the moon cake-concealed messages to the various opposition factions. On the night of the revolt, the factions all turned out and their revolt could not be suppressed.

This story of the pursuit of freedom and equality and revolt in pursuit of power utilizing moon cakes as the medium of sharing the information regarding the revolt has become a beautiful model for the Chinese people. Today, as people buy and consume these traditional snacks--moon cakes--how many people know this story of the Yuan Mongol racial discrimination, and the Han peoples courageous revolt in pursuit of freedom? In this era of literary inquisition, when not only information regarding revolts, but writing a simple poem or essay would result in being chained and thrown into prison, one's life ending and family line being extinguished, or killed by dismembering or being decapitated, implicating nine generations of one's family? How many people consider: on the advanced achievement of the Internet, how many comments are extinguished and removed? How many firewalls are there and web overseers, "five-mao" government agents furtively promoting the Party line for money, and obstructing free thought and free speech from being disseminated, thereby weakening our people, intimidating us, deteriorating us into barbarians?

For this reason, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival we issue this three-point declaration:

1. We want the Mid-Autumn Festival to be turned into a holiday emphasizing Chinese people's respect for tradition and love and caring for family. We also want the Mid-Autumn Festival to be turned into a holiday sanctifying the freedom of speech. We want to break free of all spiritual shackles and chains and freely express our views toward the outside world. We vow to overcome all obstacles to free speech and oppose all ruthless rulers and plunderers.

2. We acknowledge that gold medals in athletic competitions are one way to measure progress. But gold medals in free speech and free and open selection of political leaders is another kind of accomplishment that all Chinese should work for with unparalleled thirst. Because moon cakes were used to conceal news of the uprising against the oppressors, this is a courageous symbol of free speech and a gold medal in its own right. As we recall this glorious tradition of the pursuit of freedom of our ancestors, if we achieve freedom of speech in the years to come, there will be future gold medals similar to the moon cake strategy.

3. In view of the fact that several years ago South Korea's Dragon Boat Festival was named one of the world's cultural heritage traditions, China's government and public not only felt a sense of urgency but also applied for China's Mid-Autumn Festival to be named one of the world's great cultural traditions. We humbly inform China's government and public: the tradition of China's Mid-Autumn Festival lies in the moon cake serving as the secret vehicle for news of the coordinated uprising against repression. The moon cake concealing the messages about the revolt are China's equivalent of the "Shot of Lexington."

For us, freedom of speech is more important than food and clothing. Freedom of speech is the clear symbol that distinguishes between free people and slaves.

"Happiness if the fruit of freedom, freedom is the fruit of courage." Every year on this night we thing of our ancestors fervent pursuit of freedom, and their courageous and wise revolt against tyranny. Although our petition is a controversial topic, but it will initiate conversation among people.

Initiator/letter writer: Ling Cangzhou (Beijing scholar, senior media worker)

Signatories:
Ling Cangzhou (Beijing scholar, senior media worker)
Tian Lu (Beijing periodical editor-in-chief)
Teng Biao (Beijing scholar)
Zan Aizong (Zhejiang writer)
Ran Yunfei (Sichuan scholar)
Zhao Guojun (Beijing scholar)
Xu Zhiyong (Beijing scholar)
Zhang Xingshui (Beijing scholar)
Du Zhaoyong (Beijing scholar)
Li Yu (Beijing periodical editor)
Zhang Yigang (Guangzhou periodical editor)
Huang Zifeng (Beijing newspaper editor)
Zhuang Daohe (Zhejiang scholar)
Wen Kejian (Zhejiang scholar)