20th Anniversary of ‘Nine Commentaries’ Exposing CCP’s Crimes Commemorated in Canada

People watch a parade in downtown Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024, marking the 20th anniversary of the publication of "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," a book that details the Chinese regime's totalitarian rule and human rights abuses. The Epoch Times

TORONTO—Toronto resident Guoda Zheng praised the “Nine Commentaries” for detailing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has distorted traditional Chinese culture and thought, as he joined hundreds of others at a rally commemorating the 20th anniversary of the book’s publication.

“When I first read the ‘Nine Commentaries’ in 2004, I found it to be the first book in the decades since the CCP came to power in China that systematically clarified how the Party twisted the thoughts of the Chinese people,” he told The Epoch Times in Mandarin at Queen’s Park in downtown Toronto on Nov. 2.

“It serves as a renaissance of traditional culture and thought,” he added.

The cover of "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," a book published by The Epoch Times in 2004. The book started the "Tuidang" (Quit the Party) movement in China. The Epoch Times

“Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” was initially an editorial series published by the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times in November 2004. It provides a detailed examination of the history of the party’s consolidation of power through violence, disinformation, and social division.

After the CCP defeated the Nationalist government in the Chinese Civil War and took control of mainland China in 1949, it launched a series of social movements—most notoriously the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976—that dismantled traditional culture rooted in Confucianism and suppressed religious beliefs including Buddhism and Taoism. In their place, the CCP established an atheistic ideology throughout Chinese society.

“[The ‘Nine Commentaries’] corrects the false historical narrative, distorted culture, and misguided moral values established by the CCP. This is why it is strictly banned in China—because once people read it, the regime’s disinformation and lies lose their grip on society,” Zheng said.

People gather at a rally to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the publication of “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” a book detailing the Chinese regime’s totalitarian rule and human rights abuses, at Queen’s Park in downtown Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024. The Epoch Times

People watch a parade in downtown Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024, marking the 20th anniversary of the release of "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," a book that details the Chinese regime's totalitarian rule and human rights abuses. The Epoch Times

People hold banners as they participate in a parade in downtown Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024, marking the 20th anniversary of the release of "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," a book that details the Chinese regime's totalitarian rule and human rights abuses. The Epoch Times

Social Awakening

Shortly after its publication, the “Nine Commentaries” spurred a grassroots movement in China called “Tuidang,” translated as “Withdraw from the Party” in English. The name refers to quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations, specifically the Communist Youth League, for youth aged 14 to 28, and the Young Pioneers, for children aged 6 to 14. Joining these organizations is common among children and adolescents in China as a way of demonstrating loyalty to the regime.

During the rally, which was organized by local practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, three Chinese men declared their withdrawal from the Youth League and Young Pioneers. Yi Boyang, Song Fengxue, and Wu Chaoyang are members of the Canadian Committee of the Democratic Party of China (CCDPC), the Canadian division of a multinational movement that aims to establish a pro-democracy party and advocate for an end to the CCP’s authoritarian rule.

(L–R) Yi Boyang, Wu Chaoyang, and Song Fengxue announce their withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party's affiliated organizations—the Youth League and Young Pioneers—during a rally at Queen's Park in Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024. The Epoch Times

Yi faced harassment and intimidation from the CCP for circumventing the regime’s internet censorship and sharing pro-democracy information. The “Nine Commentaries” also has significant implications for Western society, as it sheds light on the CCP’s tactics of interference and other malign activities, he told The Epoch Times in Mandarin.

“By reading the ‘Nine Commentaries,’ people in free democratic countries can truly recognize the evil of the Communist Party,” he said. “Many in the West do not understand the methods and tactics employed by the CCP to do harm. The CCP has countless ways to target their adversaries, using one approach to deal with one opponent and a different one for another. It is a very cunning and wicked party.”

Yi also said the “Nine Commentaries” could help efforts calling for global sanctions against the CCP for human rights violations, particularly regarding the regime’s persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, as detailed in the editorial series. He cited ongoing efforts by Canadians to address this issue, including the work of human rights lawyer David Matas, who was among the first to expose the CCP’s practice of live organ harvesting as well as other forms of torture against Falun Gong prisoners of conscience.

As part of the commemoration event, participants marched in a parade through downtown Toronto, featuring a band performance and displaying banners noting that more than 430 million Chinese people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations to date.

Yi Boyang gives an interview during a rally at Queen's Park in Toronto on Nov. 2, 2024. The Epoch Times