As of September 23, the following search terms are blocked on Weibo (not including the “search for user” function).
We Are Willing to Endure Injustice: The non-profit China Rural Library (CRL) ceased operations last week after years of harassment, confiscation of books, and shuttering of village libraries by local authorities. CRL’s board of directors issued an open letter explaining the decision to close entitled “We Are Willing to Endure Injustice, Because Justice Will Not Be Late” (我们愿意承受不公，因为正义不会迟到), which is still available on the CRL website [Chinese]. The media have been ordered not to report on CRL’s dissolution.
Student Strike: Thousands of Hong Kong university students are boycotting class this week in protest of Beijing’s control of future elections for chief executive. The China Media Project reports that social media posts on the protests are being deleted.
- 罢课: student strike–First block detected September 7, 2012.
Yanhuang Chunqiu: The liberal magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu has been ordered to switch organizational affiliation from the Association for Yan Huang Culture of China to Chinese National Academy of Arts. The Association for Yan Huang Culture has ties to the Ministry of Culture, while the Academy of Arts is administered directly by the ministry. “If we agree to be restructured, I am afraid that our magazine’s inherent editorial independence will be ruined,” publisher Du Daozheng told the South China Morning Post.
- 炎黄春秋＋主管单位: Yanhuang Chunqiu + governing body
- 炎黄春秋＋独立: Yanhuang Chunqiu + independence
Liu Yuandong: Liu is one of several activists who were detained following participation in the Southern Weekly protests in January 2013. Liu was charged with “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order” in December 2013. His January 2014 trial ended without a verdict. Another activist, Guo Feixiong, has had his trial postponed after his lawyers refused to show in court earlier this month.
- 刘远东: Liu Yuandong
Rui Chenggang + Ling Jihua: Rui, a popular CCTV anchor, was detained in July on suspicion of graft. He was accused of espionage last week. According to an Apple Daily story, Rui claims that Hu Jintao’s former secretary Ling Jihua planned for his wife, Gu Liping, to rape Rui, forcing Rui into a “special relationship.”
- 芮成钢＋令计划: Rui Chenggang + Ling Jihua
Xi Jinping et. al.: Searches for Xi Jinping and others related to him.
- 习＋微信: Xi + WeChat–The public WeChat accounts “Study Xi Group” and “Jingjian” posted a series of articles during the president’s trip to South and Central Asia over the past few weeks, “Travel with Daddy Xi” (跟着习大大去出访). While Jingjian is associated with People’s Daily, the person or group behind the Study Xi Group is unknown. Zhigu Qushi reports [Chinese].
- 彭阿姨: Aunt Peng–Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan.
- 习＋谷: Xi + Gu: Possible reference to Bo Xilai’s wife Gu Kailai, who is serving a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Alternatively, Gu could refer to Gu Liping, Ling Jihua’s wife.
- 废习: waste Xi
Old Men Messing Around in Politics: Retired political figures and more.
- 老人干政: old man messing around in politics–i.e. Jiang Zemin
- 总政＋知情干部: [PLA] General Political Department + cadres in the know
- 陈世炬: Chen Shiju–Hu Jintao’s former secretary
Mei Ninghua: Mei was removed from his post as president of the Beijing Daily newspaper in July, possibly for his neutrality on the Bo Xilai trial.
- 梅宁华: Mei Ninghua–First block detected July 16, 2014.
- 梅妍凌: Mei Yanling–Mei Ninghua’s daughter
- 梅道德: Moral Mei–nickname for Mei Ninghua
All Chinese-language words are tested using simplified characters. The same terms in traditional characters occasionally return different results.
CDT Chinese runs a project that crowd-sources filtered keywords on Sina Weibo search. CDT independently tests the keywords before posting them, but some searches later become accessible again. We welcome readers to contribute to this project so that we can include the most up-to-date information.
Have a sensitive word tip? Submit it to CDT through this form:
