The Butcher of Beijing is Dead

"The butcher of Beijing" is dead -- Li Peng died on Monday in Beijing

This evening came the news that former Chinese premier Li Peng -- the man who advocated the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 30 years ago -- passed away on Monday at the age of 90.

For many critics of China, Li will is remembered as "The butcher of Beijing", while the Communist Party of China revere him as a great communist leader and statesman.

Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Deng Xiaoping

The official obituary in Xinhua says Li played an "important role" in the 1989 crackdown.

"Under the resolute support of veteran revolutionary leaders represented by comrade Deng Xiaoping, comrade Li Peng unequivocally stood with most of the comrades of the Politburo, taking decisive measures to stop the turmoil, cracking down on the counter-revolutionary riot and stabilizing the domestic situation. He made an important contribution in this fundamental struggle, which was critical to the future and fate of the Communist Party and the state."

It was at this critical juncture that Li helped the CPC take a more hard line path; they had seen East Germany crumble as well as the Soviet Union, and the Chinese leaders were not going to let the People's Republic of China to follow the same fate.

The PLA move in to clear out Tiananmen Square in 1989

Alas, was this the right decision?

The CPC would like to think so and is proving it is right by showing off its economic muscle that is way stronger than everyone else's. But morally it plays by its own rules that the rest of the world is still grappling with.

Li, a hydraulic engineer by training, was also responsible for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. It was considered a massive engineering feat, despite forcing villagers to move and causing massive environmental damage.

The dam was supposed to control floods, but it hardly solved the issue, and so much silt from the Yangtze River accumulates in the dam that it caused a lot of problems, even triggering minor earthquakes! And no, the massive hydroelectric dam didn't solve electrical supply issues either.

The Three Gorges Dam is an environmental disaster

But Li did well for his family. He has three children, two of whom ran two of China's electrical monopolies. One of them, Li Xiaopeng entered politics in Shanxi province and became its governor in 2012, and four years later he became Minister of Transport. Li Xiaolin was chief executive of China Power International Development before being transferred out to another power company.

The more the Chinese know about what happened on June 4, the more they will change their opinions about Li Peng. They have a right to know about this bloody stain on their country's history and Li's part in it.

Fact of the Day: 80 Percent of China's Groundwater Polluted

Discoloured water isn't a good sign, especially near factories in China...

It's depressing though not surprising to find about 80 percent of the groundwater in China's major river basins is unsafe for human consumption, according to a survey by the Ministry of Water Resources.

Last year the ministry tested 2,103 wells in the basins of the Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River and Hai River, and found exploitation and pollution from industrial and agricultural emissions threatened water standards.

The results covered 18 provinces and was the first time -- the first time -- the ministry published water quality information in its monthly update on its website.

Too much algae in this water due to phosphates

Nitrate pollution was common, and in some cases water was contaminated due to heavy metals and organic pollutants, which are more difficult to remove.

Nearly half, or 47.3 percent of the wells tested were found to have fifth grade or "extremely bad" water quality, about one-third had fourth grade, or "bad" water quality. None of the wells had "excellent" water quality.

Fourth or fifth grade groundwater is so polluted that it is unfit for human consumption.

The water ministry's finding that 80 percent of China's groundwater is polluted is higher than the 60 percent figure issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The environment ministry looked at data from nearly 4,900 monitoring sites in 202 cities, though it wasn't clear if the two ministries overlapped in their data collection.

Critics say groundwater monitoring standards are outdated and that monitoring is insufficient, suggesting surveys may not reflect the full scale of pollution.

Groundwater keep dropping in this photo taken in Kunming

Does that not sound like the government is in denial about wanting to know the  actual quality of the groundwater? After over 30 years of fast-paced economic development at any price, the reality of devastation comes back to bite.

How are people supposed to live productive lives if they are sickened by the water they drink?

Access to clean drinking water is essential to realizing human rights, according to the United Nations.

China could blame the west for imposing all of its polluting businesses on it -- but really it could have said no, or forced foreign companies to conform to strict environmental guidelines.

Regardless of the blame game, something needs to be done now to rectify the issue. Does anyone have any bright ideas besides moving people to the cities?