A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2010 WORLD’S FAIR.

“Better City – Better Life”For Who?

Here is an example of one of the newly constructed showpieces of the fair.

Here is rubble from one of the thousands of homes

destroyed to make room for the fair.

The Two Sides of Expo 2010

What has been happening?

Starting in 2000, Chinese citizens in Shanghai were forced to leave their homes and businesses by the government.

The government was planning construction for the 2010 World Expo where their homes were located.

Nearly 20,000 individuals have been evicted from Shanghai to date.

[1] Most are now homeless and poverty-stricken. Many individuals who have spoken out in protest of the evictions

become targets of the government. These activists are harassed, arrested, imprisoned, or put in labor

camps.

Why should I care? : Individual Accounts

After reading Yan Hu’s personal account of the atrocities from her letter to the UN Secretary-General, and the personal account of Jin Yuehua I am sure you will find it hard not to care.

Dear Honorable UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon:My name is Yan Hu, and I come from Shanghai, China. As the Chinese government seriously violated the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in the process of hosting the 2010 World Expo by depriving me and tens of thousands of Shanghai residents of our human rights and private properties, and that I have exhausted all legal means in China, seeking justice in vain, and that I was advised by officials of the Shanghai government to petition the United Nations, I am herein appealing to you for justice. 1. Facts and Evidence. On Dec 29, 2005, my house that I inherited from my parents andgrandparents was forcibly demolished by the Shanghai government to clear space for the 2010 World Expo. My personal property was also crushed to pieces during the demolition, and my family received no compensation at all for my demolished home.2. The Shanghai government has not only been robbing Shanghai residents of their private properties, but also has been persecuting and cracking down on those residents and their families petitioning for their rights. My husband, Bin Jiang, has been continuously defending our right to private property. The Shanghai government has been intimidating our family, tapping our phones, following us wherever we go, and has been detaining my husband under non-existent charges. My family has been living in fear.

Why should I care? : Individual Accounts

3. The Shanghai government directed my work unit to persecute me. The company I worked for has been threatening me, deducting money from my salary and bonuses, depriving me of my right to work and promotion; I was hurt mentally and physically, and in the end, I am having serious mental problems.4. In China, the government has blocked me from seeking justice by all legal means, and if I went to petition in Beijing, I would be subjected to more serious persecution! The Shanghai government has become an "independent kingdom", and it does not care about the central government at all. The government asked me to petition to the United Nations. I have no choice but to come here to tell you the truth about the "Shanghai World Expo", and to tell the international world that thousands of Shanghai residents have lost their homes to forcible demolition and are persecuted relentlessly.5. The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, hosted by the Chinese government, is acknowledged and supported by the United Nations; the Exhibition Hall of the United Nations at the World Expo is provided by the host free of charge. 33 international projects of the UN will be exhibited there. For this reason, I herein appeal to you, the Honorable UN Secretary General, to urge the Shanghai government to return my looted private property to me, and to stop persecuting those Shanghai residents who lost their homes to forcible demolition and relocation as a result of the 2010 World Expo, and who had no choice but to go on petitioning in vain for their private property looted by the Shanghai government!

Respectfully,Yan Hu Refugee of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo [2]

Why should I care? : Individual Accounts

Yan Hu outside the UN in New York City campaigning for help for those who have been evicted due to Expo 2010 in Shanghai. [3]

Why should I care? : Individual Accounts

"Minhang district was the last district in Shanghai under construction. Even two weeks ago there were still people being beaten and bones being broken because people living in Minhang district refused to move out,” said Jin Yuehua. [1]

Jin Yehuda's dream of sending her only son to university was shattered the night her electric appliance shop in Minhang district was demolished by property developers. Her appeal against the demolition was never heard. [1]

Three activist for housing rights in Shanghai. From left to right: Shen Peilan, Mao Hengfeng and Jin Yuehua. [1]

What is the big picture?

Human rights violations need to stop.Since the dawn of civilization people have been

enslaved, trafficked, and oppressed. China, like many other authoritarian

governments, infringes upon these and other people’s human rights.

These evictions and the acts intended to prevent citizens from speaking out are not one of a kind.

Similar tactics were used to prevent citizens from speaking out on human rights abuses before and during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. [4]

What can be done?

World leaders need to say no to World Expo 2010. They need to send a message to China that they do not support human rights abuses.

The best thing to do is to make your voice heard. You can send a letter to the Chinese authorities through Amnesty

International expressing your concern. You can send a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or President

Barak Obama requesting that they advocate for the rights of the activists and those displaced by the evictions.

You can boycott Chinese products until these human rights violations are handled.

[5]

Works Cited

[1] "China silences women housing rights activists ahead of Expo 2010." Amnesty International. Amnesty International, 30 Apr 2010. Web. 26 May 2010. <http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and- updates/china-silences-women-housing-rights-activists-ahead-expo- 2010-2010-04-30>. [2] "Chinese Citizen Takes Forced Eviction to UN. "Boxun News. Boxun News, 30 Apr 2010. Web. 26 May 2010. <http://www.boxun.us/news/publish/chinanews/Chinese_Citizen_Takes_Forced_Eviction_to_UN.shtml>. [3] Boxun News. Boxun News,. Web. 26 May 2010. <http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/04/201004301243.s html>.[4] "China: Authorities’ broken promises jeopardize Olympic legacy." Amnesty International. Amnesty International, 28 July 2008. Web. 26 May 2010. <http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press- releases/china-authorities%E2%80%99-broken-promises-jeopardize-olympic-legacy-20080728>.[5] Boxun News. Boxun News,. Web. 26 May 2010. <http://news.boxun.com/img/pol1.shtml>.