Century China (‰∏ñÁ∫™‰∏≠ÂõΩÔºâ, a popular and influential discussion site, has been closed down by authorities. See this post (in Chinese) from Pu Zhiqiang’s blog. Global Voices has also translated a message from the site:
We still don’t know the exact time the website will be shut down, because nobody is willing to carry out a ‘voluntary closure.’ That’s right, nobody is willing to pass off the ‘execution’ as a graceful ‘suicide’. Now, we’re just waiting for the person who sent down the order to pull the trigger!
It might be in the next minute, or it might be tomorrow morning But it won’t be very long now.
Since the day it was founded, Century China and especially its forum, have built a rational and open public space for free speech.
For six years we’ve maintained this objective. Because we believe that this kind of public domain plays a significant and constructive role in fostering equality, freedom, rationality and a positive civic culture, in contributing towards construction of China’s scientific and cultural development. In these six years, although we’ve been through countless trials and tribulations unbeknown to outsiders, in learning to compromise in our persistence and to persist in our compromising, we’ve gotten through many moments of crisis. But today, we cannot escape our doomed fate. [Full text] (scroll to bottom of post)
– See also CHINA: Popular forum rushes to go offline after closure order by AsiaMedia.
– Click here to download the previous contents of Century China.
