According to the BBC and other media outlets, China is an enemy of free information. In retelling my own travels there, I remembered that what I experienced was probably not the REAL China - of folklore, of deep rooted love of country, of rice fields and workers and The Party. I saw the tourist's version, with tall buildings and the shopping mecca where you can get anything for any price, if you're willing to haggle (and haggle we DID!).
So, because I have a LONG layover in Shanghai on my way to Thailand this weekend (THAILAND!!!), my friend and I are going to attempt to visit the REAL China. I believe it'll be hard to find, as it certainly isn't listed prominently in the guide books, or on tourism blogs. Here is a hint of why:
(reposted from BBC.com)
An extensive web filtering system, dubbed the "Great Firewall of China", is one of the "most technologically-advanced in existence", according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It blocks tens of thousands of sites using URL filtering and keyword censoring.
Thousands of cyber-police watch the web. Internet cafes are closely monitored. Filtering targets material deemed politically and socially sensitive. Blocked resources include Facebook, Twitter, and human rights sites. RSF lists China as an "enemy of the internet" (2010). The CPJ ranks it as one of the "10 worst countries to be a blogger" (2009).
Here's a list of the media outlets in China:
The press
Wish us luck! We'll keep you posted...because clearly, no one in China really can.
So, because I have a LONG layover in Shanghai on my way to Thailand this weekend (THAILAND!!!), my friend and I are going to attempt to visit the REAL China. I believe it'll be hard to find, as it certainly isn't listed prominently in the guide books, or on tourism blogs. Here is a hint of why:
(reposted from BBC.com)
An extensive web filtering system, dubbed the "Great Firewall of China", is one of the "most technologically-advanced in existence", according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It blocks tens of thousands of sites using URL filtering and keyword censoring.
Thousands of cyber-police watch the web. Internet cafes are closely monitored. Filtering targets material deemed politically and socially sensitive. Blocked resources include Facebook, Twitter, and human rights sites. RSF lists China as an "enemy of the internet" (2010). The CPJ ranks it as one of the "10 worst countries to be a blogger" (2009).
Here's a list of the media outlets in China:
The press
- Renmin Ribao (People's Daily) - Communist Party daily, web pages in English
- Zhongguo Qingnian Bao (China Youth Daily) - state-run, linked to Communist Youth League
- China Daily - state-run, English-language
- Jiefangjun Bao - People's Liberation Army daily, web pages in English
- Zhongguo Jingji Shibao (China Economic Times) - state-run, daily
- Fazhi Ribao (Legal Daily) - state-run
- Gongren Ribao (Workers' Daily) - state-run
- Nongmin Ribao (Farmers' Daily) - state-run, agricultural and rural issues
- Nanfang Ribao (Southern Daily) - Communist Party daily, Guangdong province
- Chinese Central TV (CCTV) - state-run national broadcaster, networks include English-language CCTV News
- China National Radio - state-run
- China Radio International - state-run external broadcaster, programmes in more than 40 languages, notably to Taiwan and Korea
- Xinhua (New China News Agency) - state-run, web pages in English
Wish us luck! We'll keep you posted...because clearly, no one in China really can.
No comments:
Post a Comment