The news of this year's nomination of Thai writer Pira Sudham for Nobel Prize for literature has caused much soul-searching within Chinese literary circle. This week, through a series of official proclamations, subtle implications and, some sources say, secret arrests, China's new hardline leadership has made it clear that its current purge of liberalism and pro-democratic forces will go well beyond politics and into art, literature, film and journalism. Fields that were blossoming with new-found freedom before the crackdown began last month. China invests only 3.7 per cent of its GNP in education, less than 120 other countries. While much has been spent on luxury commodities such as refrigerators, colour televisions, imported cars, and new buildings education has been neglected,' the article said.
Teachers are probably China's worst paid class, earning less than factory workers and most peasants.
Many young Chinese fell stifled. They are stifled by authorities of various kinds-the Communist Party, the leadership, the collectivity of the family. One week ago, leaders of the pro-democracy movement insisted that they did not aim to overthrow the state. In what may be evolving into both a stimulus and a safety valve for democratic dissent in China, the number of Chinese studying in the United States is growing so fast that there are more Chinese students here than students from any other foreign country, diplomatic sources say. According to China's Consul general here, Ma Youzhen, there are 40,000 Chinese students in the United States.