Rock ‘n’ roll, internet highlighted as Western ‘colour revolution’ threats in new Chinese textbook

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - University students are instructed to stay vigilant against Western popular culture and potential ‘colour revolution’ traps encountered online. The term ‘colour revolution’ refers to Beijing’s concern about Western attempts to subvert Chinese society and provoke unrest to challenge the ruling establishment. — AFP pic

By Malay Mail

Wednesday, 04 Sep 2024 6:59 PM MYT

BEIJING, Sept 5 — Rock ‘n’ roll, pop music, and the internet have been identified as potential Western threats that could instigate “colour revolution” among Chinese youth, according to China’s latest college textbook on national security.

The textbook, titled National Security Education Readier for College Students, was officially launched last week and represents Beijing’s latest effort to strengthen ideological control and promote national security among young Chinese, according to a report published in South China Morning Post today.

The book will be used in foundational national security courses at universities, as reported by the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, People’s Daily.

University students are instructed to stay vigilant against Western popular culture and potential “colour revolution” traps encountered online. The term “colour revolution” refers to Beijing’s concern about Western attempts to subvert Chinese society and provoke unrest to challenge the ruling establishment.

“The internet is a key channel of communication; popular culture like pop and rock music are often used as covers for [colour revolution],” warns the textbook.

Historical examples cited include the 2010 Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia and the Arab Spring, which are presented as instances of colour revolutions leading to national instability.

The textbook is based on President Xi Jinping’s speeches on national security and includes essays tailored for university students. The Ministry of Education held a symposium to mark the textbook’s launch and encouraged educators to use it to enhance students’ understanding of national security risks.

“Comprehensively promote the use of the textbook, effectively equip university students to have a proper understanding of the concept of overall national security, guide them to become the firm practitioners of national security,” the ministry said.

Students are required to study the concept of “overall national security,” introduced by Xi in 2014 and incorporated into the National Security Law the following year.

The textbook asserts that the internet is a crucial platform for shaping public opinion, emphasising the need to defend cyberspace amid ideological struggles with the West. It also links the collapse of the former Soviet Union to failures in national security, attributing the downfall to the abandonment of Marxism and one-party rule.

Xi has repeatedly highlighted the need to learn from the Soviet Union’s disintegration to prevent a similar fate.

Using quotes from ancient Chinese texts, the book emphasises that university students should be conscious of their role in safeguarding national security, and urges students to engage in related activities on campus and be vigilant against foreign infiltration.

State broadcaster CCTV said new textbooks focusing on national security and traditional culture have also been issued for primary and junior high schools as the autumn semester begins.

Since Xi’s rise to power, national security education has intensified in schools as a defence against perceived Western infiltration among Chinese youth.

In 2015, China established April 15 as National Security Education Day, with annual activities organised in schools.

Xi’s 2018 speech at the National Education Conference, recently published in the party journal Qiushi, criticised Western attempts to “westernise” Chinese youth and stressed the importance of ideological education in classrooms.