Click for full view. (Song Song/People’s Daily)

Some netizens complain that the survey does not match up with reality, glossing over many people’s diminishing sense of security, rising real estate prices, and the woes of an unfree, unjust political system. Happy people must be “stupidly happy” (愚蠢的幸福), they conclude. Others point out that happiness is subjective. They are not ready to rule out that some people have happy “Chinese dreams.”

A few Weibo responses to the survey:

朱大可: China has been reduced to the world’s happiest country.

中国沦为全世界最幸福国家。

王宝子: No house, no car, no bride; no money for the mortgage, no oil money to burn, couldn’t afford to raise my wife’s children… What a happy state of affairs indeed. We’re all so happy we could cry.

没房没车没媳妇，不用还房贷，不用烧油钱，不用养老婆孩子，这是多么的幸福的事情啊。我们都幸福的哭了。

侯宁: I don’t know who their survey respondents were. But one thing is certain: it’s easy for journalists and IT professionals to be unhappy.

不知调查的样本如何。但有一点是确定的：记者和IT族容易不幸福。

Scenes of “happy” Chinese people. (@朱大可)

望海在云端: All I hear is grumbling, but all I see from this survey is satisfaction. The hypocrisy, I’m afraid, isn’t just in the happiness itself, it’s also in the minds of those who deceive themselves and others. If you were woken up from your “dream” to take a survey, would you dare to be unhappy?

听到的都是抱怨，调查出来的都是满足；虚伪的恐怕不只是幸福，还有被绑架的自欺欺人的心。一纸问卷惊醒“梦”中人，你还敢不幸福吗？

小乐1102735184: It depends on who we compare ourselves to. North Korea, they’re definitely happier than us. The U.S., not so much.

你要看和谁比，和朝鲜比，那就是比较幸福，和美国比，那就是不幸福。

弐古: Were all of the respondents from the families of officials?!

采访的是公务员家庭吧？！

持之以恒: Just as long as I can watch CCTV every day, I’m happy.

只要每天能收看CCTV我就觉得很幸福了。

雾 满拦江: I’m going to nitpick: according to the news, the agency’s report shows that more than ⅓ of China’s families feel “extremely happy.” The Renmin and Tsinghua University survey looked at the people in 16 major cities. So the survey results should be read to mean that ⅓ of city residents are exceedingly happy. But the total urban population [of China] is only 50%, so the total happy population can only be ⅙. China has close to 100 million left-behind children.

给新闻挑错：新闻说，机构报告显示目前我国1/3以上家庭感到非常幸福，报告是人大和清华，针对于16座城市居民进行的调查。所以报告的结果，应该是城市居 民有三分之一超幸福。就算城镇居民占总人口50%，幸福人口比例应该是六分之一才对。而目前中国留守流动儿童总规模接近1亿人。

天盛贵金属企划部: 98.5% of Chinese families drink poison milk, eat gutter oil, breathe record-breaking levels of PM2.5, and have PX factories at their doorsteps. Housing and commodity prices basically never go down, while wages and stocks basically never go up. If an old man or old lady falls in the street, no one dares to help them up. Children can schedule a date to be taken to a hotel room by their school headmasters. Workers have to watch out for back-stabbing leaders and colleagues, and students have to make sure their roommates don’t poison them. Truly, we are so very happy.

98.5% 的中国家庭每天喝着毒牛奶，吃着地沟油，呼吸着PM2.5爆表的空气，家门口没多远就是PX化工项目，房价物价基本没有降过，工资股票基本没有涨过，老头 老太走在马路上摔倒了没人敢扶，小孩子指定哪天就被校长带去开房了，上班要防着领导同事背后下黑脚，上学要防着室友偷偷给你下毒，真是太幸福了。

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Josh Rudolph.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chinese Dream, happiness, happiness index, Netizen Voices
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“Peace” (@鸟人与鱼)

The death of 22-year-old Yuan Liya, who fell from the Jingwen shopping center on May 3, has been deemed a suicide by the Beijing police. In disbelief, hundreds protested last week calling for the surveillance footage of Yuan’s final moments to be released. But even that has not quieted doubts that Yuan took her own life. Prior to the release of the footage, a 28-year-old woman was arrested for spreading a rumor that Yuan was gang-raped by security guards, which spread on Weibo. The official site of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau announced that it had been proved that the girl from Anhui had “committed suicide” and “the family offers no disagreement.”

In response to the official verdict, seasoned blogger @琢磨先生 started a “non-suicide vow” campaign on Weibo:

@琢磨先生: [Non-Suicide Vow] I am Mr. Zhuomo. I will never commit suicide. If I should die in any type of accident, it is homicide, and the police should investigate thoroughly. Please repost this and make your own vow, lest you are “suicided.”

【不会自杀承诺保证书】我是琢磨先生，我绝对不会自杀。将来如果我出任何意外，都是他杀，请警方务必彻查。转发本微博并做出你的承诺，以防“被自杀”。

[original post]

As of May 13 at 5:15 p.m. EST, this weibo has been reposted 33,103 times and received 11,653 comments. There is also a Non-Suicide Vow Weibo discussion page.

Through these vows, netizens are trying to prevent being “suicided”–having their murder written off as suicide by the authorities.

This is not the first time such pledges have appeared. Activist Li Wangyang was found hanging in his hospital room last year. 20 years in jail took a severe toll on Li’s health, but those close to him doubted the official ruling of his death as a suicide. After Li’s death, activists including the likes of Hu Jia and Wang Lihong declared that they would never commit suicide, no matter what situation they found themselves in.

CDT Chinese has collected a number of vows:

@鸟人与鱼: I am Birdman-and-fish (鸟人与鱼). I will never commit suicide. If I should die in any type of accident, it is homicide, and the police should investigate thoroughly. Please repost this and make your own vow, lest you are “suicided.” @琢磨先生

【不会自杀承诺保证书】我是鸟人与鱼，我绝对不会自杀。将来如果我出任何意外，都是他杀，请警方务必彻查。转发本微博并做出你的承诺，以防“被自杀”。@琢磨先生

@天使向莉: I am Xiangli. I promise that I will never commit suicide. I am outgoing and positive. My regular activities, such as buying soy sauce, taking cold showers, and doing sit-ups, would not cause my death. I have signed a power of attorney (POA) with Attorney Liang Xiaojun (@梁小军律师) and Attorney Chen Jiangang (@律师陈建刚). From the date of signing the POA, no one, including myself, my family, and other relevant and non-relevant persons, has the right to terminate the agreement.

我是向莉，我在此承诺，我绝不会自杀。本人性格开朗，积极向上，打酱油凉水澡仰卧起坐等常规项目均不至于致命。本人已签写委托函至@梁小军律师 @律师陈建刚 处，自函签订之日起，本人及家人及相关、无关人等，均无权更换、解聘律师。

@折腾画笔: #nonsuicidevow Though I occasionally feel depressed, I promise I will never cut off my future by committing suicide. I have no tangled romances, and no tendency towards world-weariness. I am striving to learn traditional arts from all across China. Hang gliding, parachuting, riding a hot air balloon, deep-sea diving, and traversing Siberia are all on my list. I also want to circumnavigate the globe. I absolutely love life.

#不自杀承诺# 本人虽偶有抑郁，但承诺绝不自断前程。无情感纠葛，无厌世倾向，现正积极努力在祖国各地学习传统文化遗产技艺。滑翔翼、降落伞、热气球、深海潜水、穿越西伯利亚等，均被排上行程。有生之年还想环行世界，绝对爱惜生命。

@周泽律师: I just reposted the following two blogs. @无敌破壊王 promises he will never commit suicide and says, “If I should die in any type of ‘accident,’ it is homicide, and the police should investigate thoroughly;” @天使向莉 promises she would “never commit suicide,” and has signed a POA. What do they mean? We need to seriously discuss this topic: If they really did do that [commit suicide], would these vows and POAs have effect?

【不自杀承诺】刚转发两条的微博中，@无敌破壊王 承诺不会自杀，表示“将来如果我出任何意外，都是他杀，请警方务必彻查”；@天使向莉 也承诺“绝不会自杀”，还向律师出具了委托书。这到底怎么回事呢？严肃探讨：如果他们真那个了，这承诺及委托有效吗？

@徐子林不加V: I am Xu Zilin. I will never commit suicide. If I die in some unexpected way some day, it is homicide. The police should launch a thorough investigation. Please don’t say I have committed suicide. To those who are like me, please publish your own “non-suicide vows” preemptively and declare them to the world, lest you are suicided.

我是徐子林，我绝不会自杀的。如果我有一天被各种方式给弄死了，都一定是他杀。请警方彻底追查到底，请不要说我被自杀。那些和我一样绝不自杀的人，请提前为自己写下“不自杀保证书”，并昭告天下，以防被自杀。

@白眼狮子大老爷: [Non-Suicide Vow] I am Master White-Eyed Lion (白眼狮子大老爷). I solemnly swear that I will never commit suicide. If one day I disappear, swallow poison, jump off a building, drown in the ocean, or do anything else unexpected,  it is homicide, and the police should investigate thoroughly. A big case like this must be resolved! I believe in you, gentlemen of peace.

【不自杀承诺保证书】我是白眼狮子大老爷，我郑重承诺，我绝对不会自杀。将来如果我失踪，服毒，跳楼，跳海或者是出现其他方式的意外，都是他杀，请警方务必彻查。大案必破！我相信你 平安君

The official Beijing police Weibo account is called “Peaceful Beijing” (@平安北京).

@法西斯集中营-毅: [Non-Suicide Vow] Though I am not afraid of death, I do not want to die. Though I may not always succeed in the pressures of life, eking out my insignificant existence is still a small matter. No matter how hard life may be, I will never commit suicide. If I should die in any type of accident, it is homicide, and the police should investigate thoroughly. Life is short and time flies. I will be a good child who loves life.

【不自杀承诺保证书】本人虽然不怕死，但绝对不想死，忍辱负重可能做不出来，但苟且偷生对小弟来说小事一桩。再苦再艰难都绝对不会自杀，在此之前，不管出现什么意外，均为他杀，请有关部门务必彻查。人生苦短，光阴飞逝，做个爱惜生命的好孩纸~

@Vegas-babe: #Anhuigirljumpsoffbuilding [Non-Suicide Vow] I, Xiao Yin, testify that I will never commit suicide! Not even if I am raped by 100 shameless men, have no car, no home, no lover, no money to feed myself, go through 100 break-ups, and develop gynecological complications from AIDS. If I should die suddenly, it’s homicide! The relevant departments must not blithely conclude my case. May 10, 2013 More: http://t.cn/zT8Uh4o

#安徽女孩坠楼#【不自杀声明】本人小茵在此声明，本人在有生之年绝不自杀！即使被100名抠脚大叔轮X没车没房没人爱没钱吃饭失恋100次得了艾滋妇科炎症，亦不会自杀或自主性堕楼等~倘若横死均为他杀！有关部门请勿随便定义~特此声明，2013年5月10日 详情:http://t.cn/zT8Uh4o

@杨佩昌: I suggest that all young and beautiful single women who love life should testify openly on Weibo: under no circumstance will I ever choose to take my own life.

建议热爱生活、年轻漂亮且未婚的女士在微博上发表公开声明：本人在任何情况下都不会选择自杀这条道路。-这年头防着点好，免得万一被自杀。

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Junebug.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Hu Jia, li wangyang, Netizen Voices, suicide, Wang Lihong, weibo, Yuan Liya
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Now Yu is using Weibo to expose the censorship of his latest book. The publisher’s notice:

China Radio & Television Publishing House

Letter Concerning the Halted Publication of Yu Jianrong’s Book Father’s Wandering: Panorama on a Public Intellectual

Wuta International Cultural Development (Beijing) Ltd.:

Upon receipt of notice from the State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, Yu Jianrong’s Father’s Wandering: Panorama on a Public Intellectual may not be published for the time being. The book’s ISBN (978-7-5043-6884-3) and CIP (2013 No. 075663) have been invalidated. We now inform you that upon invalidation of this book’s bar code and CIP, the publication contract is revoked, and all publishing activities are halted.

Please respond.

Office of the Editor-in-Chief, China Radio & Television Publishing House

April 24, 2013

Yu did indeed respond, publicly:

@于建嵘: Who knows the name and contact information for the bureau chief of the General Administration on Press and Publication (GAPP)? I want to treat him (or her) to a cup of coffee and a constitutional study session, where we can also discuss Secretary Xi’s Chinese Dream.

谁知道出版总署图书司司长叫什么，联系方式。我打算约他（她）边喝咖啡边学习宪法，还要讨论习总书记的中国梦。

Some followers attest that Yu’s “sensitivity“–his focus on social justice–undermined his book’s debut:

@余胜海 [Please Don’t Smother Our “Chinese Dream”] When I learned about the ban on Professor Yu Jianrong’s new book Father’s Wandering, I was startled. According to the China Radio & Television Publishing House’s @贺雄飞’s description, the reason is “because Yu Jianrong is a sensitive person.” I can’t help but ask, what is a “sensitive person?” What legal provisions prevent a “sensitive person” from publishing? Micro-comment: The government is not smothering just one book, but smothering our “Chinese Dream.”

【请不要封杀我们的“中国梦”】得知@于建嵘 教授的新书《父亲的江湖》被禁感到吃惊，据中国广电出版社@贺雄飞 介绍，该书被出版总局封杀的理由“是因为于建嵘是敏感人物”。我不禁要问：什么是“敏感人物”？哪部法律规定“敏感人物”不能出书？微评：政府封杀的不是一本书，而是我们的“中国梦”。

Yu asked netizens to explain:

@于建嵘: Who can tell me: what kind of person is a sensitive person?

谁能告诉我：敏感人物是什么人物？

And explain they did:

@孤狼莫三: People who don’t kiss ass and who pick the scabs off diseased scalps. Those are all sensitive people.

凡不舔人家眼子、不捧人家臭脚，并且还揭人家秃疮嘎巴儿的，皆为敏感人物。

@曾勋微博: Community leaders and I regard Teacher Yu and his writings with the utmost respect. It is truly baffling, how a public intellectual who draws strength and wisdom from the lowest rung of society can become a sensitive person. A phone call can bring down the world, and they don’t need any sort of justification. The right of citizens to publish is written in the constitution, but how far is the constitution from us? Remember this aborted book. We’ve still many roads to walk down.

社领导与我都对@于建嵘 老师以及他的著作予以最真诚的尊重。百思不得其解，一个在底层汲取力量与智慧的公共知识分子为何会成为敏感人物。一个电话，坍塌了一个世界，他们不需要任何理由。公民的出版权利写在宪法上，宪法离我们多远？纪念这本流产的书，我们还有很多路要走。

@卫志民1988: Actually, Yu Jianrong has basically no influence, and won’t be able to sell many books anyway. This notice is unnecessary, and in fact is a hard sell at Yu’s convenience. I suggest the notice be repealed, lest the masses think it’s just part of the publisher’s marketing campaign. Don’t let public intellectuals benefit at others’ expense, am I right?

其实，于建嵘根本没有多大影响力，出本书也卖不了多少册，此举没有必要，反而为其做了硬广告，让于建嵘占了便宜。建议撤销此通知，否则群众以为是出版公司营销运作的结果呢。不能让公知占便宜，是吧？

柴_学斌: Quick, look at Yu Jianrong’s Weibo. Teacher Yu is good; if you’re fortunate, you will see. I want to buy your book. If possible, please reply. I am curious what content kept your book from being published. Perhaps you truly are a “sensitive person.”

快来看看@于建嵘 的微博于老师好，如果有幸您能看到，我想买您的书，如果可以请回复，我想学习及很好奇什么内容让您的书不能问世，或许您真是“敏感人物”

海南梁山: [“Chinese Dream”] Publication of Professor Yu’s new book Father’s Wanderers was halted. It has been reported that GAPP’s reason for blocking publication is “because Yu Jianrong is a sensitive person.” Micro-comment: To borrow Professor Kong’s words: “Go run to your mom–damn your mom–fuck your mom!” Do the three characters in Yu Jianrong’s name have the sensitivity of a corrupt official? Do they have the sensitivity of the three public expenditures? Of stability maintenance? Why don’t we kill the corrupt officials, forbid the three expenditures, and stop stability maintenance!

【＂中国梦”】@于建嵘 教授的新书《父亲的江湖》，在要付印时被叫停。据说该书被出版总局封杀的理由“是因为于建嵘老师是敏感人物”。微评：借用孔教授的话，去你妈的，滚你妈的，操你妈的！于建嵘3字有贪官敏感？有三公敏感？有维稳敏感？咋不贪官杀了，三公禁了，维稳停了！

作者张宇龙: Recently I heard that Teacher Yu’s book was censored. Jeez! If there’s a problem, man up and face it. If you don’t admit to flaws, how can you correct them? Believe me, the more the country and the government behave like this, the louder people’s complaints will get. You fail and then don’t let anyone talk about it. What gives!

最近听说@于建嵘 老师的书被封，真是气愤，有问题要敢于面对，如果不承认有瑕疵之处，何来改正优化？相信我，国家与政府越这样，百姓的怨言就更大。因为你做不到，还不让人说，这是干嘛！！

温州黄朝钦: People already refuse to donate to the Red Cross. Yu Jianrong’s book won’t be published. A court director dies in shuanggui.

红十字会已经没人捐款了，@于建嵘 的书不能出版了，被双规的法院院长死亡了。

李百味五世: Authorities are brimming with “confidence in the path,” “confidence in the theory,” and “confidence in the system,” but they’re scared to publish a few books, scared to print a few thousand booklets. What “confidence” indeed.

当局充满了“道路自信”“理论自信”“制度自信”，但是啊，就是怕出那么几本书，就是怕印那么几千本小册子。好一个“自信”。

@贺雄飞: Before, it was Teacher Yu helping petitioners formulate their statements. Today, Teacher Yu strives for press freedom for himself and the Chinese people. This matter is destined to go down in history alongside the “Southern Weekly Incident.” Teacher Yu, it’s up to you. You have my full support.

以前是于老师帮助那些访民讨说法，现在是于老师为自己也为中国人争出版自由。这件事注定要和“南周事件”一样载入历史。于老师，看您的了，我全力配合。

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Josh Rudolph.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, Chinese Dream, GAPP, Netizen Voices, publishing, Yu Jianrong
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The Red Cross inspired one netizen to write a poem:

Whether or not you donate, that’s up to you, but what are the bastards at Red Cross up to?
An individual’s donation is voluntary. Don’t let selfish thoughts in your hearts become Justification for you to say, swelling with pride, “A few yuan is enough to feed our disaster-Stricken brothers and sisters a few meals, but not enough to make a real difference.” I don’t Care what you all think, I will donate to the Red Cross, but is it enough to relieve the disaster? Of course one person’s contribution isn’t, but for the sake of our beautiful motherland, And our wonderful mothers, be a good Chinese person. Brothers and sisters, if you often buy A pack of cigarettes or a midday snack, you’re already spending a few yuan. The whole world And all of the ancients know that, since the quake, countless of our countrymen don’t even have Pants to wear, including many young ladies. Do your hearts not ache?

This elegy to the Red Cross has a hidden message: the first character of every line, when read together, warns, “The money you donate isn’t enough for Meimei to buy underpants.”

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Josh Rudolph.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2013 Sichuan earthquake, guo meimei, Netizen Voices, Red Cross
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Foreign media and websites are off-limits as sources, according to new regulations. (@悟为7092)

Weibo and other social media have allowed journalists to skirt press censorship, posting information about the Wenzhou train crash, the Southern Weekly protest, and other major events on their personal accounts. Media organizations have even issued weibo in defiance of propaganda directives. The government has caught on and is now attempting to stymy this outlet.

The State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television, a new ministry formed from the merger of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) and the General Administration of Press Publication (GAPP), has issued a “Notice on Strengthening Control of Media Personnel’s Online Activities” (关于加强新闻采编人员网络活动管理的通知). It forbids media organizations from using foreign media or websites “without authorization” and newsmakers from “using Internet platforms to participate in activities such as seeking illegal benefits,” and requiring official Weibo accounts to keep records. Liz Carter of A Big Enough Forest has translated the full notice.

This is one giant step backwards, many netizens say:

子非程哥: Even Myanmar is more open than you.

缅甸都比你开放

何兵: I think you should just leave People’s Daily and kill every other newspaper. That way, it will be easy to manage, instead of being so annoying.

我觉得不如只留一家《人民日报》，其他报纸砍了。这样管起来顺溜，不糟心。

He Bing (@何兵) is a professor at China University of Political Science and Law and whistle-blower with a large Weibo following.

王冉: “That day you took a piece of red cloth/Covered my eyes and covered the sky…” (Cui Jian, “A Piece of Red Cloth”). In fact, when you covered your own eyes, you thought you had covered everyone’s sky.

“那天是你用一块红布，蒙住了双眼也蒙住了天…”（崔健《一块红布》）。其实是蒙住了自己的双眼，就以为蒙住了所有人的天。

Cui Jian is known as the “Grandfather of Chinese Rock.” He was banned from holding concerts in the 1990s for his participation in the Tiananmen protests in 1989.

豆豆和步步: I can’t stand it! Hmph, I’ll just scale the wall. Come and get me!

受不了！哼我就翻墙，你抓我啊

KCDUAN10: We’re just one about-face away from North Korea.

我们离朝鲜只有一转身的距离

cullinanll: We just want to see how the infinite evils of capitalism exploit the people, how cold-blooded and ruthless, how vulgar and base, and to have a look at how their people live in the depths of hell… Mainly to throw into relief the superiority of our socialist state and our sense of pride… If you don’t let us know, how can we dream?!

我们就是想看看万恶的资本主义是如何的剥削人民，如何的冷血无情，如何的卑俾下流，再看看他们的人民如何生活在水深火热当中……主要是突出我们社会主义国家的优越性和自豪感……不给知道了，我们如何做梦呢？！

RAE_YANG: The new SARFT just got on the horse and rode China back 30 years.

新版广电总局刚上马，中国立马倒退了30年。

宅在网上: Ministry of Environmental Protection: You cannot breathe foreign air without authorization!

环保总局：不得擅自呼吸境外空气！

Via CDT Chinese.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, media censorship, Netizen Voices
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Xi Jinping’s “Chinese dream” bears the dreams and great trust of millions upon millions of people, and has reignited the hope for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Realizing the Chinese dream requires steadfast confidence, persistent conviction, and lofty faith. Tremendous self-confidence in our beliefs and unwavering conviction will bring us into an even more self-aware coalition under the flag of socialism with Chinese characteristics, drawing the multitudes together in total unity in the struggle to realize our common Chinese dream. When the hundreds of millions of people assemble in confidence, conviction, and faith to hold fast, we will at last coalesce an unbeatable, boundless force from the wisdom and strength of 1.3 billion people with which to collectively realize our dreams. We welcome your participation in the People’s Forum “Confidence-Conviction-Faith” survey.

习主席的“中国梦”承载了亿万人民的梦想和重托，重燃了中华民族伟大复兴的希望。实现中国梦，需要坚定的信心，执着的信念，和崇高的信仰。高度自信的信心和坚定不移的信念，使我们更加自觉地凝聚在中国特色社会主义信仰的旗帜下，紧密团结，万众一心，为实现共同梦想而奋斗。当亿万人民的信心、信念、信仰汇聚为共同坚守，我们才能用13亿人的智慧和力量汇集起不可战胜的磅礴力量，共同实现梦想。欢迎参与人民论坛问卷调查中心“信心•信念•信仰”调查。

The survey includes these four questions:

1. Do you agree that the Chinese Communist Party has enough courage and intelligence to accelerate and push forward reform?

1、您是否赞同中国共产党有足够的勇气和智慧加快推进改革？

2. Do you agree with the argument that “persistence in and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics is beneficial to fundamental interests of the people at large”?

2、您赞同“坚持和发展中国特色社会主义有利于最广大人民的根本利益”的说法么？

3. Do you agree with the argument that “only the Chinese Communist Party can lead the people successfully down the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics”?

3、您赞同“只有中国共产党才能带领人民走好中国特色社会主义道路”的说法么？

4. What is your opinion of China’s system of “one-party rule, multi-party participation”?

4、您对中国“一党执政、多党参政”的制度怎么看？

From the results captured in the screenshot below, the Party’s sales pitch for the Chinese dream is backfiring:

75% of respondents disagreed with the first question, while over 80% disagreed with the following three questions. 3492 people participated when this screenshot was taken.

The survey has already been taken offline.

Via CDT Chinese.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: CCP, Chinese Dream, Netizen Voices, people's daily, socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi Jinping
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Job announcement on Weibo from Anquan.

Chief Pornography Identification Officer

Location: Beijing

Salary: 200,000 RMB/year

Responsibilities: identify pornographic websites swiftly and accurately

Job Requirements:

1. familiarity with the standards for identification of pornographic information in all countries
2. familiarity with the standards for identification and explicit regulations of pornographic information in Chinese legislation
3. familiarity with the standards for identification of pornographic material of the Chinese Internet and major service providers
4. bachelor’s degree or above; age 20-35; no restriction on gender
5. ability to work well on a team and a strong sense of responsibility

Benefits:

1. National insurance, “Five Insurances and One Fund” [pension, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, workplace injury insurance, maternity insurance, and housing fund], meal allowance, transportation subsidies, phone allowance
2. Reimbursement for books, extra daily fruit and yogurt
3. Annual employee physical examination; gifts for birthday, marriage, and childbirth

Please send CV to: hr@anquan.org

首席淫秽色情鉴定官

工作地点：北京

待遇：年薪20万

岗位职责：快速准确识别色情淫秽网站

任职要求：

1. 熟悉世界各国对淫秽色情信息的认定标准
2. 熟悉中国法律方面对淫秽色情信息的认定标准、明文规定
3. 熟悉中国互联网、各大运营商使用过的对淫秽色情信息的鉴定标准
4. 本科及以上学历，年龄20-35之间，性别不限
5. 具有良好的团队协作能力，责任感强

福利：

1. 国家保险五险一金及餐补，交通补助，通讯补助
2. 随时报销图书购买费用，每天额外的水果、酸奶福利
3. 每年一次的员工关怀体检，生日、结婚、生育贺礼

请将简历发送至：hr@anquan.org

It is just a “publicity stunt,” according to Global Times interviews with “Father of the Great Firewall” Fang Binxing and Shanghai Jiaotong University professor Wei Wuhui, but Weibo users, while mocking the position, are certain it is for real:

那个野和尚: Thanks to the government for giving me the chance to rehabilitate myself!!! By the way, I have years of work experience!

感谢政府给我重新做人的机会！！！顺便说一声，我有多年的从业经验！

郭国松: When I was a reporter, someone from the Public Security Bureau told me that the person there in charge of pornography identification was an old police officer. His job was to watch and evaluate pornographic video CDs. He said that none of the young people was willing to take the job, ‘cause they would soon be used up.

以前我当记者时，有个公安局的人跟我说，局里负责色情光碟鉴定的是一个老警察，他每天的工作就是看各种与色情有关的光碟，然后给出鉴定结论。他说年轻人都不愿意干，干一段时间人就废了。

夏天戴口罩02: Cutting off sexual desire, as hateful as Fang Bingxing.

隔断性趣，和方滨兴一样可恶。

李普曼: How come there is no tissue paper allowance? It’s not included in the benefits either. Too inhumane. I won’t go.

竟然没有纸巾补贴。福利中也不包括这一项。公司管理太不人性化了。不去。

单身的牛大叔：The salary is enticing, but I’m afraid I would’t be able to endure the substance of the position…

薪酬诱人，内容就怕自己吃不消啊……

Anquan was launched in 2010 by Baidu, China’s number-one search engine. Tencent, Sogou, and other major players on the Chinese Internet are members of Anquan.

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Mengyu Dong.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, Internet censorship, Netizen Voices, pornography, weibo
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Extensive non-coverage of the H7N9 bird flu, which has sickened and killed several patients in Shanghai and surrounding provinces.

The April 5th edition of CCTV’s flagship evening news program News Simulcast did not mention a word about the H7N9 strain of bird flu, which has already claimed six lives. Instead, it dwelt on the tidal bore coming up the Amazon River and, taking advantage of the “Sino-African honey moon” following Xi Jinping’s visit, the Great Migration on the Serengeti. CCTV has manifest its “selective blindness” before, such as when it covered Hurricane Sandy but ignored protests in Ningbo.

This has triggered harsh criticism online. One Weibo user posted a list of topics covered in today’s broadcast:

News Simulcast Program, April 5, 2013

1. Xi Jinping holds ceremony to welcome Bruneian Sultan Hassanal’s visit to China.
2. Xi Jinping holds talks with Bruneian Sultan Hassanal. The two heads of state decide to promote the Sino-Bruneian relationship to the level of “strategic cooperation.”
3. Xi Jinping holds ceremony to welcome Burmese president’s visit to China.
4. During his meeting with Burmese president Thein Sein, Xi Jinping emphasizes the need to strictly hold to the correct direction, ceaselessly push forward the Sino-Burmese friendship.
5. Li Keqiang meets with Bruneian Sultan Hassanal.
6. Zhang Dejiang meets with Bruneian Sultan Hassanal.
7. For the first time, the Boao Forum for Asia will include political leaders and issues from all five continents.
8. Amazon River awaits tidal bore. Our reporters are carefully preparing for live broadcast.
9. Report on 2013 Great Migration in East Africa.
10. President of Tanzania: CCTV’s live broadcast on Great Migration is exceptionally meaningful.
11. Shanxi: Getting through “the last kilometer” of agrarian hydraulic project.
12. 【News Feature】Morticians: Understanding is as precious as life.
13. Domestic news bulletin.
14. Second round of dialogue of Iran nuclear crisis takes place in Almaty.

Popular “weiber” Zuoyeben weighs in:

@作业本: Sina Weibo is brimming with discussion of the bird flu, while News Simulcast doesn’t even say a word. Now that’s the biggest gap in the world.

Zuoyeben has 5.51 million followers on Sina Weibo.

新浪微博满屏都是禽流感的消息，新闻联播一字没提，这就是世界上最遥远的距离。

“H7N9″ is currently the second hottest topic on Weibo, followed by “bird flu.” At the same time, some weibo critical of the government’s delay in reporting flu cases have been deleted.

More Weibo commentary:

@温州张宏良: Nothing about the H7N9 avian flu. News Simulcast has been reduced to a journalistic disgrace!

没有H7N9禽流感新闻，《新闻联播》已沦为新闻的耻辱！

@袁道唯: If the virus were had taken lives in Europe or the U.S., you can imagine how much CCTV would flog the story.

要是这病毒是在欧美整出人命，可以想像央视会多么地连篇累牍。

@ 威尼斯的彩虹-ljf: CCTV is no longer the people’s television station–if it ever had been! It only exists to make profit and numb the masses. Is anyone still watching CCTV? Does anyone still need the brain-washing?

央视已经不是人民的电视台，或者一直都不是！它只不过是追求利润，麻木大众的工具而已。大家还要看央视，还要被洗脑吗？

@秦前红: The issues at home, the bird flu, water pollution, the dead pigs, none of these get covered, but you run around reporting on tidal waves in Brazil and Africa’s Great Migration. CCTV is pretty damn sick!

自己的禽流感、水污染、死猪事件等全部不播，却跑去播巴西潮水、非洲动物迁徙，央视真TM有病！

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Mengyu Dong.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bird flu, CCTV, H7N9, media, Netizen Voices, News Simulcast, public health, weibo
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The 12th NPC Standing Committee head, vice-head, secretary-general, and members are to be elected. The national chairman and vice-chairman will be elected. The prime minister will be decided by vote. The vice-premier of the State Council, State Council members, ministry heads, committee heads, People’s Bank of China president, auditor-general, and State Council secretary will be decided by vote. The chair of the Central Military Commission will be elected. The vice chair and committee members of the Central Military Commission will be decided by vote. The head of the People’s Supreme Court will be elected. The head of the People’s Supreme Procuratorate will be elected. Eight other NPC special committee members will be on the ballot.

将 选举十二届全国人大常委会委员长、副委员长、秘书长、委员，选举国家主席、副主席，决定国务院总理的人选，决定国务院副总理、国务委员、各部部长、各委员 会主任、中国人民银行行长、审计长、国务院秘书长的人选，选举中央军委主席，决定中央军委副主席、委员的人选，选举最高人民法院院长，选举最高人民检察院 检察长，表决通过其他八个全国人大专门委员会组成人员的人选名单。

Netizens are exclaiming about the “suspense” of this “election,” made all the more exciting because average citizens do not know who the candidates are. From Weibo:

@HeBing: The moment of truth has arrived.

@何兵：激动人心的时刻到了

A professor at China University of Political Science and Law, He Bing revealed on Weibo last April that older cows were being given hormones to continue producing milk.

@Luobiaoxz: It’s hard to decide whom I should vote for. Speak up, people. Let’s hear what the rabble have to say.

@罗飚：纠结啊，选谁好呢？大伙说说，听听P民的意见。

@Donghaisandaiyufu: This is so suspenseful that we don’t even know who the candidates are.

@东海三代渔夫: 悬念大到都不知候选人有谁

@Fengjixuchuiyjm: So nervous. But it seems my ballot hasn’t been sent yet.

@风继续吹yjm：好紧张，不过我的票好像还没发

@sunwoo888: There are fewer than 3,000 people eligible to vote. Don’t worry.

@无言抵抗：能投票的不到3000人，你甭着急

@IWantToHaveBallotXI: What if I get elected?

@我想有张选票十一世：万一选上我怎么办啊

@JiaMinhuiculturedsexy: Is there prize money if we guess the results correctly?

@贾慧敏斯文也可以很颯：你们说我要猜对了有没有奖金呀

@Chending_Newsky: Wow, did we have ballots delivered overnight? Where is mine? I’ll vote for Boss Xi!

@陈丁_Newsky：哇，一夜醒来有选票了吗？我那张在哪里？我要投习大大！

@Junqixielu: What are they bullshitting about? Even in our village, the old granny I ran into yesterday told me that Xi is the chairman and Keqiang the premier.

@俊氣洩露：骗鬼啊，昨天碰见一个村里的老奶奶都跟我说了是习当主席克强当总理

@Asusuola: Go to hell, America! You guys get either A or B every time for the election. There’s no suspense at all. Let us tell you what the pinnacle of suspense is: when there are no candidates at all.

@阿苏索拉：阿美莉卡去死吧，你们每次不是A就是B，一点悬念也没有，让我们来告诉你们什么叫悬念的最高境界，就是连candidate都没有

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Mengyu Dong.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: elections, Fu Ying, Netizen Voices, NPC 2013, weibo
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China’s “old friend” isn’t known for playing nice. (Pumpkin Brother)

After North Korea’s February 12 nuclear test, condemnation of the blast rained in from both China’s government and the general public. Netizens voiced anxiety that irradiated fallout from the blast might travel across the border into China.

But China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) issued a report that dismissed the possibility of nuclear radiation from the blast reaching the Chinese border. Quoting data from the National Meteorological Center, the MEP claimed, “Even if fallout had leaked out [from the North Korean nuclear test], the wind mainly blows towards the southeast, and China would therefore not be affected.”

Many netizens weren’t blown away by the MEP’s assurances:

@2ndGenerationSickJiuFuTian: It seems nuclear fallout is classist; it [only] drifts towards countries with different ideologies.

@二代症久富田：核爆污染有阶级性，向不同的意识形态国家飘。

@DontWorryAlmostDone: The Third Kim decided on the nuclear blast, while the resulting radiation is under the command of China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

@别急快完了：核爆金三儿说了算，辐射规中国环保部指挥。

@EcoProtectionDongLiangJie: Be good, dear wind. You’ve got to be patriotic. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is counting on you.

@环保董良杰:风儿，乖乖，你要爱国啊。中国环保就靠你了

@WangXianSen: Even if it did blow over here, would the Ministry of Environmental Protection tell the truth?

@Wang先森：就算真飘过来了，环保部会说实话吗？

@HisOpponentIsScary: Can our Ministry of Environmental Protection’s most advanced technology control the direction of the spread of radiation?

@他的对手很可怕：我环保部最新技术，控制核扩散方向？

@Oso_azul: For a nuclear test that wasn’t conducted above ground or outdoors, the direction of the wind isn’t such a big issue. But if it was an underground nuclear test, then what about underground water sources?

@Oso_azul：不是露天的、地面的核试验，主要不关心风向。地下核试验，那地下水源呢？

@Roookie: Even if you were talking about PM2.5 pollution, could just one gust of wind really blow it away?

@Roookie：你当是PM2.5啊，一阵风就能刮走？

@YiWeiBing: I peed myself laughing! The great General Kim has invented an intelligent form of radiation that avoids what is nearby in search of what is far away.

@毅卫兵：笑尿了，伟大的金将军发明的舍近求远的智能辐射

Translation by Liz Carter. Via CDT Chinese.

© Little Bluegill for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: environment, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Netizen Voices, North Korea, North Korea nuclear, North Korea relations, radiation
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@DengFei: #ALetterFromTheFrontLines# ‘Brother Fei, we of the Qilu Evening News have already been banned. Tomorrow, five field reporters will be withdrawn. I’m afraid the two reports written today will not make it into the paper.’ Brothers, keep up the fight! Commentary: Isn’t the Weifang Environmental Protection Bureau offering a 100,000 yuan reward, encouraging netizens to report underground pollution? Now, Shandong has moved to seal off local media. Will they next travel to Beijing to lobby for a national ban, withdraw all reporters from around the whole country, and seal off national media?

@邓飞：#一封来自采访前线的来信#飞哥，我们齐鲁晚报已下禁令,明天五路记者将被撤回,今天采写的2版稿件恐难见报。弟兄们，请加油!评：潍坊环保局不 是悬奖金十万，鼓励网友举报地下水污染线索吗?山东现封口本地媒体，他们会进京讨要禁令，撤回全国记者，封口全国媒体吗?

The allegations of government hypocrisy struck a chord with legions of Weibo users, who swooped into action, furiously reposting and commenting on Deng’s post:

@HuangbuYitou: Fight on, Weifang! They certainly have the ability to shut the mouths of all the reporters in the country.

黄埔一投：潍坊加油！封全国记者的嘴一定能做到

@RecorderChenBaocheng: Expose every current Shandong propaganda official, sub-provincial-level and above!

记录者陈宝成:暴光山东籍宣传口副省级以上现任官员！

@JunoChen-SZ: Investigating pollution isn’t what they’re good at. Sealing things off, on the other hand, is.

JunoChen-SZ：查排污不是他们的特长，封口才是

@PrettyAngel003: They’re willing to spend hush money, but they’re not willing to spend money on fixing the problem. Isn’t this their home, their country, too?!

美丽天使003：他们宁愿拿钱去封口也不愿拿钱去治理，难道这个家园不是他们的家园，这个国不是他们的国?!

@VisualPawnshop: I won’t say a word. Just silently reposting. I hope popular attention can turn into power.

视觉当铺：什么都不想说了，默转，希望围观能成为力量。

@ChinaJarBrother: The National People’s Congress and CPPCC are about to open their annual meetings–what a wonderful excuse to control public opinion in the name of maintaining stability.

中国坛子哥：全国2会即将召开，这是个极好的维稳控舆借口。

@ChenWeina: Rivers across the whole country are all polluted. How could it even be possible cover all of that up?

陈微娜：全国河流都污染，怎么能全捂住呢？

@TaoHaijunReporter: They’ve obstructed the voice of reporters, but can they obstruct the voice of the entire people?

陶海军记者:防了记者之口，能防全民之口？

Via CDT Chinese. Translated by Little Bluegill.

© Little Bluegill for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: environmental activism, industrial waste, media censorship, Netizen Voices, Shandong, water pollution, weibo
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Protesting North Korea’s nuclear tests in Harbin, China.

After North Korea’s nuclear test yesterday, Chinese netizens have voiced concern that radiation could reach across the border. Rumors about nuclear pollution in the northeast continue to surface, but to date the government has issued no formal report. Today, the People’s Daily tried to quell fears on Weibo by reporting the results of Japan’s radiation tests:

@PeoplesDaily: [North Korean Nuclear Test: Japan Has Not Detected Radioactivity] The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology reported on the 13th that following North Korea’s nuclear test, levels of radioactivity measured throughout Japan were the same as before the test. Additionally, Self-Defense Forces aircraft flew in Japanese airspace on the 12th, collecting large amounts of airborne particles, which they delivered to the Japan Chemical Analysis Center, the organization under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology that is entrusted with analyzing the samples. No radioactivity from the nuclear test was detected. via @TopNewsInternational

@人民日报：【朝核试：日本没有监测到放射性物质】日本文部科学省13日宣布，朝鲜进行核试验后，日本全国监测的放射线量数据与核试验前相比没有变化。此外，自卫队飞机12日在日本上空采集大气尘埃，交由文部科学省下属的财团法人日本分析中心进行分析，也没有检测出来自核试验的放射性物质。via@新国际

Instead of calming the public, the People’s Daily only provoked more anger and uncertainty among netizens. People left comments on Weibo asking what Chinese government scientists had to hide:

@UnconventionalChildKing: Excuse me, what about China’s test results? Are they stalling on tests? Or do they not dare to release the results?

@非主流孩子王：请问中国政府的监测结果呢？它就在挨着我们，是没监测？还是不敢公布？

@laodan2010: The People’s Daily is overlooking the common concerns of the Chinese people and isn’t reporting on the state of China’s test results. Meanwhile, it’s announcing Japan’s test results. It really is asking for a tongue-lashing!

@laodan2010：人民日报避开中国人的普遍忧虑，不公布中国监测情况，而左顾言他发布日本的检测，真是找骂！

@SecretlyLaughingPiglet: An explosion occurs on China’s border, but we still have to learn whether or not there is radioactivity from foreign media. Our society and government are truly tragic.

@偷笑的小猪：中国边上爆炸，还得通过外媒获得是否有辐射，这个社会政府悲哀啊

@TheThirdEarl: CCTV journalists reported live from the scene during the U.S. snowstorm, while this is happening right on our national border. I don’t know what high-level or national media think about this, but comparing the two incidents, how can average people tolerate this?

@伯爵-三世：美国暴风雪央视记者现场直播，而这事就在国境边，不知道高层或国家级媒体咋想的，二相比较，叫百姓情何已堪啊

@WangChuan: The People’s Daily cares so much for the Japanese people! It’s Japan’s conscience-in-media.

@王川: 人民日报对日本人民十分关心！是日本的良心报

@SanHeTech: The Chinese government should publicly announce how radiation from North Korea’s nuclear explosion has impacted China. It’s enough that they won’t announce anything themselves, but now they are even deleting online information from the Japanese government. Isn’t that low of them?

@三合技术：朝鲜核爆，对中国核污染如何，中国政府应当公告。自已不公告也就罢了，网上还删除日本政府的消息，这不是缺德吗？

@SuYaoshirley: I demand that detection tests take place in Jilin. We are in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, very close to North Korea, and an unnatural earthquake shook us. If there is nuclear radiation and radioactive pollution, we will have no way of ensuring our physical health!

@苏瑶shirley：强烈要求对吉林进行监测，我们身处延边州地区距离朝鲜最近，非自然地震波及到了我们，如果有核辐射及放射性物质，我们的身体健康将无法得到保证！

@SanHeTech: When we have no enemies, we create them and say that external hostile forces are trying to overthrow the government. When we have enemies, even when they set off nuclear explosions on our doorstep, we still say they’re targeting enemies 80,000 kilometers away and that it doesn’t have a d**n thing to do with us.

@三合技术：没有敌人，制造敌人也要说有境外势力要搞颠覆；有了敌人，即使他们在家门口搞核爆也要说他们是针对八万里以外的敌人，跟自己没鸟事。

Despite chastising North Korea, China’s lukewarm response to the nuclear tests is seen by western analysts as nothing more than a Cold War-style feint.

Via CDT Chinese. Translation by Liz Carter.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Japan, Netizen Voices, North Korea, nuclear testing, people's daily, radiation, weibo
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Zhang Hongming, the man behind the Learn from Xi Fan Club.

Does incoming President Xi Jinping have a stalker? After months of anonymous posts, the blogger behind the “Learn from Xi Fan Club” Weibo account (@学习粉丝团) revealed himself in an interview with the Associated Press earlier today. Followed by over 825,000 people, the account is filled with photos of Xi traveling the country. Zhang Hongming, a migrant worker from Sichuan Province, told the AP he wanted to end speculation about his identity. He even posted a photo of himself on Weibo, tucked under the covers to fight the cold. Zhang left this final message to his readers:

@xuexifensituan: Farewell. I came with joy, I leave in sorrow. Tears are all I can give, torment is all I can keep. Despite my suffering, I must persevere a while longer. Thank you to all my disciples and fans. Perhaps our countrymen aren’t ready for us. I am full of self-reproach and regret. If you share my interests, send me a private message: 605789327 I’m at: http://t.cn/zjt8hzC (February 11 15:27)

@学习粉丝团：再见，那天我开心的来了，今天我深怀的走了。挥之不去的是泪水，留下孤独的是煎熬。哭了，痛了，也要坚强一回。谢谢各位同门粉丝，也许国民现 有认知容不下我们，我很自责和遗憾。有共同爱好加私扣605789327我在：http://t.cn/zjt8hzC

Far from satisfied, weibers suspect Zhang is actually a propaganda worker. Chen Tong, chief editor at Sina Weibo, quipped:

@laochen: No matter what, the masses will still believe you are from [Xi’s] office…  Why don’t you just admit it

@老沉:广大群众死活不愿相信你不是办里的。。。实在不行就承认吧

Other netizens were less delicate:

@dandanteng: Don’t you think you’re being melodramatic? F**k!

@淡但疼：我能很贱的说，什么泪水之类的，能不用这么煽情么？F***

@xuhan-Han: Aren’t you one person? How did you become “us”?

@徐晗-Han：不是一个人吗？怎么又成我们了？

The Learn from Xi Fan Club has accounts on multiple microblogging platforms. This photo appeared on Sohu Weibo.

@tengjunyouyou: Don’t you sneak out without answering these questions: 1. How did you get to know the travel schedule of the national leader? 2. Where did you get these close-ups?

@藤逡悠悠：这几件事你没做解释就想溜？1、国家领导人的行程你是如何得知？2、领导人的近距离照片你是如何获得的？…

@thistle2012: A thousand words, a million places, and one guy for hire–how could you get all those close-ups?

@蓟草2012： 说一千道一万，他一个打工者，能从那么近的距离拍图片吗？

Zhang has apparently posted from multiple cell phones:

@internetlaughs: Get out of my face! Where did all those close-ups come from? How can such a loser have so many different cell phones? Or are you switching cell phones constantly to post?

@笑看网世：滚犊子吧！那些近景照片哪里来的？你一屌丝手机N部？不停换手机发微博？

Zhang’s cellphone showed that he posted his last message from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, but one netizen noticed something fishy about his location:

@dongzhenwuxin: Why is your private messenger number from Hong Kong?

@东真无信：私扣地址为什么在香港？

@bluemtnBaiSuzhen: You can’t cook up any more lies? You fix it by walking away?

@青城山白素贞：谎言已经编不下去了？决定一走了之？

@boxind: I seriously doubt your identity…

@蓝色百姓：我很是怀疑你的身份…

@yeheshang: Our countrymen aren’t ready? Could you be more of a poser? Our countrymen are ready to believe in a system [that works]. You’re just ready to wait for a “good emperor.”

@那个野和尚:国民现有认知？？能再装逼点吗？国民的认知是相信制度，你的认知是期待明君

@qiuzhiyunei: Cool it with the dramatics. Hey twerp, let me ask you, there’s this netizen who just wrote a measly little weibo. Why did she get picked up by the police?

@求之于内：小编少特么在那煽情了。问问那孙子，有个网友只是在丫微博发了个评论，为什么立马就被警察抓进去了。

This may be a reference to Cheng Aihua, who was detained by the police on February 8 after posting on the Tencent Weibo Learn from Xi Fan Club account, as reported by Yaxue Cao at Seeing Red in China. Cheng has since been released.

@renliantao: Go then. This was nothing but a farce.

@任连涛：走吧，一场闹剧而已。

@xiaxiaoxxx: I’ll believe you when I see you on News Simulcast.

@夏小xxx：只能在新闻联播里相信你

Read more comments at CDT Chinese.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Netizen Voices, weibo, Xi Jinping, Zhang Hongming
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@XinhuaViewpoint: [Xi Jinping: CPC should put up with sharp criticism] At a February 6 Spring Festival event with non-Party members, Xi Jinping said, “We must continue to strengthen democratic supervision. The CPC should be able to put up with sharp criticism, correct mistakes if it has committed them and avoid them if it has not. Non-CPC personages should meanwhile have the courage to tell the truth, speak words jarring on the ear, and truthfully reflect public aspirations. We must reach the point where people say everything they know and speak without reservations.”

@ 新华视点：【习近平：对中国共产党而言，要容得下尖锐批评】习近平6日下午与党外人士共迎新春时说，要继续加强民主监督。对中国共产党而言，要容得下尖锐 批评，做到有则改之、无则加勉；对党外人士而言，要敢于讲真话，敢于讲逆耳之言，真实反映群众心声，做到知无不言、言无不尽。

While known liberals left comments, CEOs, professors, and other people with more to lose have also criticized Xi. Journalist Xia Youzhi (@夏佑至) suggests an end to “entrapment,” while property developer Ren Zhiqiang (@任志强) recommends “not sending those who offend you to re-education through labor.” The government’s penchant for punishing its critics leaves many questioning Xi’s motives for this call for “sharp criticism.”

For now, dissenting comments left for Xinhua Viewpoint have simply been silenced. Only praise and thumbs-up emoticons remain:

Via CDT Chinese.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Netizen Voices, re-education through labor, Ren Zhiqiang, Xi Jinping, Xia Youzhi, Xinhua
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@kaifulee: [Innocent Weibos Hounded to Death] Over the past 6 months, 78 of the weibos I posted were deleted (see the image below). What do you all think: did these 78 posts really deserve to die?

@李开复：【冤死的微博】过去6个月，我发的微博一共被删除78条（见图）。大家评评理：这78条，真的那么该死吗？

As of posting, Lee’s weibo of weibos has been reposted 5447 times and commented on 3581. It has not yet been removed.

A business guru and best-selling author, Lee is not a political activist by any means. Nor does he have personal grievances with the Chinese government; Taiwanese by birth and American by citizenship, he only stands to lose business from his current perch in mainland China. For Lee to broadcast such carefully documented evidence of censorship to his audience of over 27 million followers is to bring a “fringe” concern to the mainstream. His move comes just weeks after Yao Chen’s viral weibo in support of the Southern Weekly protesters in early January. Everyone is affected by censorship in China–now they’re talking about it.

A sampling of Lee’s defunct posts:

@kaifulee: This many? If I hadn’t seen the post below, the rate of deletion would have risen from 16.3525% to 16.3526%. //@SparrowScience: [How Many Weibos Disappear?] How many posts are deleted inside the Wall? This March, Carnegie Mellon University did just this kind of study. Among 1.3 million Weibo posts they observed, 212,583 were deleted, a rate of 16%.

@李开复:有这么多吗？如果下面的微博不见了，那就是从16.3525%升到16.3526%。// @麻雀理工科技创业：【多少微博消失了？】在墙内，有多少帖子被删？今年三月，卡耐基梅隆大学的学者就做了这么一个研究。在他们统计的130万条微博中，有212583条微博被删掉了，删贴率超过16%。

@kaifulee: I like this cover and headline!

@李开复:喜欢这个封面和标题！

@kaifulee: RT @liuxiangming: RT @yantao: This laundry detergent ad is loaded!

It isn’t really clean
Until the collar and sleeves are clean*

@李开复://@刘湘明：转发微博//@闫涛：洗衣粉广告太内涵了！！！

领袖干净
才算真干净

* The abbreviation “collars and sleeves” (领袖) also means “leader.”

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

There are plenty of vicious attacks on Lee among the comments he received, but each one carries the taint of the Fifty Cent Party. Praise for Lee, on the other hand, is sincere:

@ieras: You know too much.

@李昊哲CEO：你知道的太多了。

@miceecim: This one will soon be number 79!

@小耗子耗小：这条马上就是第79条！

@beautie-yes-itsher: Little Weibo Secretary, you’ve worked too hard. Have a rest and let them speak. Yuan Fang, what do you think?

@玲珑-对-就是她：微博小秘书，这样太辛苦了，休息一下，让他们说去吧，元芳，你怎么看？

Walk through Lee’s weibo graveyard at CDT Chinese.

© Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: censorship, Internet censorship, kai-fu lee, Netizen Voices, sina weibo, weibo
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