Last week, Google released a new feature in mainland China that alerts users to search terms that may reset their connection to the site. Searching for words like “river” or “MacDonald’s” can cut users off from Google for a minute or more.
GitHub user feng92f compiled a list of 456 of these “sensitive” terms. CDT has translated the terms in this list below. Although some words are obvious targets, there are surprises as well, from Teletubbies to baby soup. Check back for updates with more details on listed words.
- Wang [surname] (王)
- river (江)
- Zhou [surname] (周)
- Hu [surname] (胡)
- Liu [surname] (刘)
- Li [surname] (李)
- Wu [surname] (吴)
- Mao [surname] (毛)
- Wen [surname] (温)
- Xi [surname] (习)
- He [surname] (贺)
- Jia [surname] (贾)
- Peng [surname] (彭)
- Tan [surname] (潭)
- harness (轭)
- donkey (馿)
- Ma Chi + Singapore (马驰 + 新加坡)
- free Guangcheng (自由光诚)
- Chen Guangcheng incident (陈光诚事件)
- Guangcheng + South Linyi (光诚 + 沂南)
- Chen Guangcheng + ambassador (陈光诚 + 使馆)
- job title English + answer (职称英语 + 答案)
- civil servant + answer (公务员 + 答案)
- Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜)
- Heywood (海伍德)
- Neil wood (尼尔伍德)
- heywood
- neil + wood
- Teletubbies + Master Kang [Teletubbies refers to Wen Jiabao; Master Kang, an instant noodle company, is a reference to Zhou Yongkang.] 天线宝宝 + 康师傅)
- Teletubbies + instant noodles [“Instant noodles” is another code word for Zhou Yongkang.] (天线宝宝 + 方便面)
- Teletubbies + tire (“Tire” is a nickname for Hu Jintao. 天线宝宝 + 轮胎)
- tire + instant noodles (轮胎 + 方便面)
- coup d’état (政变)
- gunfire (枪声)
- impose martial law (戒严)
- 3\.19
- Beijing Incident (北京事件)
- Beijing + something happened (北京 + 出事了)
- What happened to Beijing (北京怎么了)
- not thick [=Bo Xilai’s surname (薄) also means “thin,” so “not thick” is one of his online nicknames] (不厚)
- Governor Bo (薄督)
- Gu Kailai (谷开来)
- Chongqing (重庆)
- Yecheng + hack to death (叶城 + 砍杀)
- Lian Chengmin (连承敏)
- little brother + sleep (弟弟 + 睡)
- Let there be light + Let there be truth. (要有光 + 要有诚)
- Yang Jie (杨杰)
- Chen Gang (陈刚)
- Riverside [real estate developer (山水文园)
- Running Official [book by Tian Dongzhao] (跑官)
- move + decade rise and fall (移动 + 十年兴衰)
- Chen Jian [died in the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake after giving a live interview from the wreckage under which he was trapped] (陈坚)
- Dai Jian [Kuomintang lieutenant general who lived in the United States later in his life] (戴坚)
- Feng Jue [one of the founders of Chinese search engine Sohu] (冯珏)
- Luo Chuan [CEO of Myspace China] (罗川)
- Mary (马力)
- Sheng Yong [physician and a member of the Chinese Peasants and Workers’ Democratic Party] (盛勇)
- Xie Min (谢岷)
- Xie Wen (谢文)
- Yang Xi (杨希)
- Ye Bing [CEO of China Mobile subsidiary Aspire Technology, was detained and questioned on graft allegations in mid-2011] (叶兵)
- Zhang Bin [sports commentator whose alleged extramarital affair was exposed by his wife on central television in 2007] (张斌)
- Chen Ruiqing [soldier in the resistance against Japanese troops in Northeastern China. When exhorted to defect to the Japanese forces, Chen said he would rather die. He was executed in 1933.] (陈瑞卿)
- Gao Nianshu [deputy general manager of data services for China Mobile] (高念书)
- Hua Ruxiu (华如秀)
- Lu Xiangdong [deputy general manager of China Mobile] (鲁向东)
- Qu Naijie [director of oil, logistics and real estate company Haichang Group. He was listed as China’s 189th richest person in 2010 with 5.15 billion yuan in assets.] (曲乃杰)
- Sun Jingye (孙静晔)
- Tu Zhisen (涂志森)
- Yu Jianming (于剑鸣)
- Zhang Xiaoming (张晓明)
- Zhao Zhiqiang (赵志强)
- Deng Jianyuan (郑建源)
- late emperor (先皇)
- backstage ruler (太上皇)
- toad (蛤蟆)
- death of an emperor (驾崩)
- Qiu Xiaoxiong (丘小雄)
- public prosecution (公诉)
- rightist (右派)
- Zengcheng [county-level city in Guangzhou and site of June 2011 migrant worker riot] (增城)
- rebellion (暴动)
- manifesto (宣言)
- Morgen (莫日根)
- Inner Mongolia + protest (内蒙古 + 抗议)
- West Ujimqin Banner [site in Inner Mongolia of demonstrations in spring 2011] (西乌旗)
- Fang Binxing (方滨兴)
- moli
- McDonald’s (麦当劳)
- Tianfu [Square] (天府)
- People’s Park (人民公园)
- public square (广场)
- Egypt (埃及)
- Tunisia (突尼斯)
- jasmine (茉莉)
- jasmine + revolution
- assembly (集会)
- revolution (革命)
- Qilu Bank [lost over 1 billion RMB in January 2011 scam] (齐鲁银行)
- open letter (公开信)
- time of the college entrance examinations (高考时间)
- Nobel Peace Prize (诺贝尔和平奖)
- be employed (被就业)
- cabin (小屋)
- diary (日记)
- Lu Xin (鲁昕)
- Tianan + incident (天安 + 事件)
- 1989 + Tiananmen [in traditional characters] (1989 + 天安門)
- Tiananmen (天安门)
- 89 (八九)
- 64 (六四)
- 6 4 (六 四)
- 6\.4 (六\.四)
- redress 64 (平反64)
- May 35th (5月35日)
- May 35th (5月35号)
- 89 turmoil (89动乱)
- 89 + student turmoil (89 + 学生动乱)
- 89 + student movement (89 + 学生运动)
- 64 + student movement (64 + 学生运动)
- 64 + suppression (64 + 镇压)
- 64 + truth (64 + 真相)
- 64memo
- tiananmen
- 8964
- student strike (学潮)
- student strike (罢课)
- people’s movement (民运)
- student movement (学运)
- student federation (学联)
- Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (学自联)
- Capital Autonomous Federation of University Students (高自联)
- Capital Autonomous Workers Federation (工自联)
- Macau Union for Democracy Development (民联)
- Civil Human Rights Front (民阵)
- Chinese Democratic Party (中国民主党)
- Chinese Democratic Justice Party (中国民主正义党)
- Chinese democratic movement (中国民主运动)
- Century China Foundation (世纪中国基金会)
- Tankman (坦克人)
- block tank (挡坦克)
- tankman
- Muxidi [Beijing subway stop] (木犀地)
- Victoria Park evening event [annual memorial service to remember Tiananmen] (维园晚会)
- blood is on the square
- Jiang Weiping (姜维平)
- Ai Weiwei (艾未未)
- Ai Momo (艾末末)
- Lu Qing [Ai Weiwei’s wife] 路青
- fake [sounds like “fuck”; name of Ai Weiwei’s studio in Beijing. ] (发课)
- Yu Jie (余杰)
- Xin Ziling (辛子陵)
- Mao Yushi (茅于轼)
- Molten Iron [writer] (铁流)
- liu + xiaobo|xiaobo + liu
- Hexie Farm (蟹农场)
- Chen Xi [Tiananmen protester and jailed dissident] (陈西)
- Tan Zuoren (谭作人)
- Gao Zhisheng (高智晟)
- Feng Zhenghu (冯正虎)
- Ding Zilin (丁子霖)
- Woeser (唯色)
- Jiao Guobiao (焦国标)
- He Qinglian (何清涟)
- Yaobang (耀邦)
- Ziyang (紫阳)
- Fang Lizhi (方励之)
- Yan Jiaqi (严家其)
- Bao Tong (鲍彤)
- Bao Tong [traditional characters] (鮑彤)
- Bao Pu (鲍朴)
- Chai Ling (柴玲)
- Wu’er Kaixi (乌尔凯西)
- Feng Congde (封从德)
- Bing Zhang (炳章)
- Su Shaozhi (苏绍智)
- Chen Yizhi (陈一谘)
- Han Dongfang (韩东方)
- Xin Haonian (辛灏年)
- Cao Changqing (曹长青)
- Chen Pokong (陈破空)
- Pangu [band] (盘古乐队)
- Sheng Xue [penname of human rights activist Zang Xihong] (盛雪)
- Wu Fan (伍凡)
- Wei Jingsheng (魏京生)
- Situ Hua (司徒华)
- Li Anyou (黎安友)
- Great Firewall (防火长城)
- great + firewall
- gfw + what (gfw + 什么)
- National Great Firewall (国家防火墙)
- climb over the wall (翻墙)
- proxy (代理)
- vpn + free (vpn + 免费)
- vpn + download (vpn + 下载)
- vpn + century (vpn + 世纪)
- hotspot + shield
- UltraSurf (无界)
- ultrasurf
- ^freenet
- safeweb
- Dynaweb (动态网)
- Garden Networks (花园网)
- ^cache
- Burn After Reading [Coen Brothers film (阅后即焚)
- Falun (法轮)
- falun
- wise (明慧)
- minghui [pinyin for 明慧]
- leave the party (退党)
- three leaves [leave the Party, leave the Youth League, leave the Young Pioneers] (三退)
- Nine Commentaries [Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party] (九评)
- nine commentaries
- Grand Verses [poetry collection by Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi] (洪吟)
- Shen Yun Performing Arts [Falun Gong associated performance troupe] (神韵艺术)
- Shen Yun Evening Party (神韵晚会)
- People’s Paper (人民报)
- renminbao [pinyin for 人民报]
- epoch (纪元)
- ^dajiyuan
- epochtimes
- New Tang Dynasty (新唐人)
- ntdtv
- ndtv
- XinSheng.net (新生网)
- ^xinsheng
- Zhengjian.org (正见网)
- zhengjian
- World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (追查国际)
- Truth, Benevolence and Forbearance [core Falun Gong teachings] (真善忍)
- religious assembly [Buddhist] (法会)
- mindfulness (正念)
- classical text (经文)
- heavenly destruction [of the CCP] (天灭)
- The Wrath of Heaven [book about Chen Xitong, mayor of Beijing during Tiananmen crackdown] (天怒)
- speak the truth (讲真相)
- Masanjia [a labor camp in Liaoning province where Falun Gong practitioners were allegedly tortured] (马三家)
- good and evil will be repaid in kind (善恶有报)
- organ harvesting (活摘器官)
- mass extermination (群体灭绝)
- China Health Care and Wisdom Enhancement Practice [Zhong Gong, a martial arts and spiritual practice outlawed in 1999] (中功)
- Zhang Hongbao [founder of Zhong Gong] (张宏堡)
- house church (地下教会)
- Chinese League of Victims (冤民大同盟)
- Dalai (达赖)
- Tibetan Independence Movement (藏独)
- freetibet
- snow lion [refers to the flag of Tibet] (雪山狮子)
- Tibetan government-in-exile (西藏流亡政府)
- “Blue Sky with a White Sun” flag [Kuomingtang flag] (青天白日旗)
- Democratic Progressive Party (民进党)
- Cary S. Hung (洪哲胜)
- Association for Taiwanese Independence(独立台湾会)
- Taiwan Political Talk (台湾政论区)
- League for Taiwan Independence (台湾自由联盟)
- Organization for the Establishment of the Country of Taiwan (台湾建国运动组织)
- Taiwan + Independence League (台湾 + 独立联盟)
- Xinjiang + independence (新疆 + 独立)
- East Turkistan (东土耳其斯坦)
- east + turkistan|turkistan + east
- World Uyghur Congress (世维会)
- Dilixiati [World Uyghur Congress spokesman; also the name of a Uyghur website manager sentenced in 2010 to a five-year jail term for “endangering state security”] (迪里夏提)
- Voice of America (美国之音)
- Radio Free Asia (自由亚洲电台)
- Reporters Without Borders (记者无疆界)
- WikiLeaks + China (维基解密 + 中国)
- Twitter (推特)
- Beijing News (新京报)
- World Economic Guide [chief editor refused to remove article on mourning Hu Yaobang] (世界经济导报)
- China Digital Times (中国数字时代)
- ^ytht
- New Threads (新语丝)
- ^creaders
- ^tianwang
- China + banned news (中国 + 禁闻)
- ApolloNet (阿波罗网)
- ApolloNews (阿波罗新闻)
- Big News [Internet magazine] (大参考)
- ^bignews
- Duowei (多维)
- SeeChina (看中国)
- Boxun (博讯)
- ^boxun
- peacehall
- ^hrichina
- Independent Chinese PEN Center (独立中文笔会)
- China News Digest (华夏文摘)
- Open Magazine (开放杂志)
- TopSage Forum (大家论坛)
- Huaxia Forum (华夏论坛)
- China Forum (中国论坛)
- Muzi Forum (木子论坛)
- Dispute Forum (争鸣论坛)
- Greater China Forum (大中华论坛)
- Anticorruption Forum (反腐败论坛)
- New Observer Forum (新观察论坛)
- New China Expert Forum (新华通论坛)
- Justice Party Forum (正义党论坛)
- HotstopPolitics (热站政论网)
- China Expert Current Forum (华通时事论坛)
- Chinese World Forum (华语世界论坛)
- Huayue Current Forum (华岳时事论坛)
- Cross-Straits Three Places Forum [implies Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the PRC] (两岸三地论坛)
- Nanjing University Free Forum (南大自由论坛)
- People’s Voice Forum (人民之声论坛)
- Creaders.net Forum (万维读者论坛)
- You Say I Say Forum (你说我说论坛)
- EastWestSouthNorth Forum (东西南北论坛)
- EastWestSouthNorth Talk (东南西北论谈)
- The Grateful One [TV series about the underbelly of the stock market] (知情者)
- The Fall of the Red Sun [alternate title for Mao Yushi’s essay “Returning Mao Zedong to Human Form”] (红太阳的陨落)
- Let Harmony Redeem [Buddhist film] (和谐拯救危机)
- blood house [referring to forced eviction] (血房)
- An Antisocial Person [film by Ai Weiwei] (一个孤僻的人)
- 08 + charter (零八 + 宪章)
- 08 + charter (08 + 宪章)
- 8charter (八宪章)
- 8charter (8宪章)
- 08 + county head [“county head” 县长 sounds like “charter” 宪章] (零八 + 县长)
- 08 county head (08县长)
- lymph county head [sounds like Charter 08] (淋巴县长)
- My Final Statement [by Liu Xiaobo] (我的最后陈述)
- I Have No Enemies [statement by Liu Xiaobo] (我没有敌人)
- River Elegy [controversial 1988 CCTV documentary series] (河殇)
- open-air burial [Tibetan tradition] (天葬)
- Yellow Peril (黄祸)
- Mein Kampf (我的奋斗)
- Wound of History [Taiwanese song recorded in May 1989 to support the protesters in Tiananmen] (历史的伤口)
- reform + process (改革 + 历程)
- prisoner of the state (国家的囚徒)
- prisoner of the state
- political struggles in the reform era (改革年代的政治斗争)
- political struggles in the reform era (改革年代政治斗争)
- moment of truth (关键时刻)
- jump over the red wall (超越红墙)
- The Lake of Unnamed Passions [book by Ji Xianlin] (梦萦未名湖)
- An Inch of Blood For An Inch of Land [Taiwanese documentary series on the Nanjing Massacre (一寸山河一寸血)
- behind the scenes in the Politburo Standing Committee (政治局常委内幕)
- North Country’s Spring (北国之春)
- Beijing Spring (北京之春)
- Chinese Spring (中国之春)
- East Is Red Space [CCTV program] (东方红时空)
- Namibia (纳米比亚)
- baby soup (婴儿汤)
- leaked questions [on exams] (泄题)
- hunger strike (罢餐)
- Yueyue (月月)
- invoice issuing services [a tax fraud involving fake invoices] (代开 + 发票)
- Pinnacle Islands (钓鱼岛)
- ^triangle
- female bodyguard (女保镖)
- play with ps (玩ps)
- play with Photoshop (玩photoshop)
- chinese people eating babies
- shoot [a gun] (开枪)
- persecute (迫害)
- torture (酷刑)
- evil (邪恶)
- brainwash (洗脑)
- Web brigade [Internet monitors and censors] (网特)
- internal struggle (内斗)
- party boss (党魁)
- literary inquisition (文字狱)
- one-party dictatorship (一党专政)
- one-party dictatorship (一党独裁)
- news blocked (新闻封锁)
- elders’ government (老人政治)
- ^freedom
- ^freechina
- anti-society (反社会)
- rights defenders (维权人士)
- weiquan [rights defending] lawyers (维权律师)
- dissident (异见人士)
- dissident (异议人士)
- underground publications (地下刊物)
- Gao Zhan (高瞻)
- aleph ghain [Arabic letters] (غا)
- Communist (共产)
- Common Shovel Party [a derogatory term referring to the Chinese Communist Party] (共铲党)
- Common Disabled Party [a derogatory term referring to the CCP] (共残党)
- Common Tragic Party [a derogatory term referring to the CCP] (共惨党)
- Communist bandits [a derogatory term referring to the CCP] (共匪)
- red bandits [a derogatory term referring to the CCP] (赤匪)
- Chinese Communist [Party] (中共)
- Central Propaganda Department (中宣)
- Ministry of Truth (真理部)
- 18th congress [abbreviation for the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China] (十八大)
- 18 big [same as above] (18大)
- prince (太子)
- Shanghai Clique (上海帮)
- Youth League Faction (团派)
- Beijing authorities (北京当局)
- The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (裆中央)
- The nine standing committee [of the Politburo] (九常委)
- The nine elders [standing committees of the Politburo] (九长老)
- Jintao (锦涛)
- Jiabao (家宝)
- best actor [referring to Wen Jiabao] (影帝)
- Jinping (近平)
- Hui Liangyu [government official] (回良玉)
- Wang Yang [government official] (汪洋)
- Zhang Gaoli [government official] (张高丽)
- Yu Zhengshen [government official] (俞正声)
- Xu Caihou [government official] (徐才厚)
- Guo Boxiong [government official] (郭伯雄)
- Xilai (熙来)
- Liang Guanglie [government official] (梁光烈)
- Meng Jianzhu [government official] (孟建柱)
- Dai Binguo [government official] (戴秉国)
- Ma Kai [government official] (马凯)
- Lin Jihua [government official] (令计划)
- Han Zheng [government official] (韩正)
- Zhang Qinsheng [government official] (章沁生)
- Chen Shiju [government official] (陈世炬)
- Zemin (泽民)
- Zei Min [“Thief” Min, referring to Jiang Zemin] (贼民)
- Deng Xiaoping [government official] (邓小平)
- (Jia) Qinghong (庆红)
- Luo Gan [government official] (罗干)
- Jia Qinglin [“Fake” Qinglin] (假庆淋)
- hujin
- wenjiabao
- xijinping
- likeqiang
- zhouyongkang
- lichangchun
- wubangguo
- heguoqiang
- jiaqinglin
- jiangzemin
- xjp [abbreviation of Xi Jinping]
- jzm [abbreviation of Jiang Zemin]
- pornography (色情)
- Playboy (花花公子)
- tits
- boobs
- [Hu] Haifeng [Son of Hu Jintao] (^\s*海峰\s*$)
- Nuctech [a Tsinghua University-owned company controlled by Hu Haifeng, charged with corruption in 2009] (^\s*威视公司\s*$)
- ^\s*nuctech\s*$
- Xiao Yaoyou [a circumvention tool] (逍遥游)
- Freegate [in both simplified and traditional Chinese; a circumvention tool] (自由门/門)
- Gate to Freedom [refers to Freegate] (^\s*自由之门\s*$)
- ^\s*freegate\s*$
- ^\s*freegate download\s*$
- ^\s*download freegate\s*$
- Download Freegate [in both simplified and traditional Chinese] (^\s*自由门下载/自由門下載\s*$)
- Ultrasurf [in both simplified and traditional Chinese; a circumvention tool] (^\s*無界浏览/無界瀏覽\s*$)
- Dynapass [a circumvention tool] (^\s*动网通\s*$)
- ^\s*dynaweb\s*$
- ^\s*dongtaiwang\s*$