How Well Do You Speak “Chinese Netizen”? Test Yourself With This Quiz

Aug 092011
 

No matter how hard China’s censors try to stop netizens from discussing current issues that upset the regime there are always a bunch of creative and subversively funny users in cyberspace who find ways round the overbearing surveillance.

And it is not through high tech software or clever programs that these netizens open up the discussion instead it is old fashioned puns, wordplay and symbolism. This type of low level cryptography dates back centuries and has been used in many cultures. So how well do you know what means what?

The China Digital Times has added many new entries to the Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon and updated a number of older entries.

Take this quiz to see how well you understand the colorful and constantly evolving language of China’s netizens. The answers all relate to new Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon entries as explained at the bottom of this page. Good luck!

1. What is the nickname given to the current Foreign Ministry spokesperson of China?
A. Stiff fish
B. The iron lady
C. The terminator
D. Madame Mao

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China Train Crash – Media Muzzled But Netizens And Journalists Defy Censorship

Aug 012011
 

While the Wenshou train crash has been a good example of how Chinese journalists and netizens can and will defy government censorship orders the net result is for the authorities to further tighten media controls. 

The China Media Project  reports the authorities are turning to screws on the media to put forward only the official line on the tragedy. This follows the excellent coverage from journalists and netizens who refused to be intimidated.

The China Digital Times reports that yesterday morning, July 30, CMP Director Qian Gang (钱钢) delivered a “letter from home” on RTHK Radio. Addressed to the journalists of China and Hong Kong, the letter looked back on a tumultuous week of coverage of the July 23 train collision in Wenzhou, full of victories and setbacks. The message of the “letter” was largely positive, remarking how July 29 had marked a rare high point for mainland Chinese media in particular, with bold and broad coverage of the Wenzhou crash and its implications.

But just as Qian Gang’s message was hitting the airwaves, he was watching the weather change online. Strict controls on China’s media had been rolled into force just the night before, with authorities saying that “public opinion inside and outside China has begun to become complex.” A notice demanded that Chinese media immediately cool down their reporting and commentary on the July 23 Wenzhou train crash, and scores of Chinese media had to move frantically to fill the gaps as planned reports on the crash were suddenly off limits.

Yes, as the China Real Time blog reports, not all media were cowed into silence. The Economic Observer prepared a special report on the crash over the weekend:

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United States Tech Companies Need Regulation In Dealing With China

Jul 262011
 

The New York Times has made a timely call in on its editorial page demanding legislation to stop U.S. tech companies doing business with China from contributing to that country’s online censorship and surveillance apparatus.

Commenting on the editorial the China Digital Times highlighted the point that Yahoo handed over data five years ago about a Chinese journalist who was then condemned to 10 years in jail.  After that incident Yahoo, Microsoft and Google joined in the Global Network Initiative to set principles that include protecting “the freedom of expression rights of their users when confronted with government demands, laws and regulations to suppress freedom of expression.”

It quoted the editorial and agreed with the sentiments that: “Voluntary guidelines are insufficient. Just as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act establishes that companies cannot bribe foreign officials, legislation is needed in this area.”

“Internet companies should not keep user data inside countries where courts convict people for what they write, speak or think. They should warn users about their risks, and they should never censor content. American firms were barred from selling crime-control products to China after the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. The list must be broadened and kept up to date. Firms could be barred from selling technology to eavesdrop on VoIP communications or powerful antispam systems that could be used to target political speech. Technology companies should be barred from tailoring goods to a repressive end.

The full editorial in the Times entitled “Enabling China” follows. 

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The Latest From “The Ministry Of Truth”- Chinese Censorship Instructions For Local Media

Dec 142010
 

The China Digital Times has updated its column “Directives From The Ministry Of Truth” with the latest leaked directives from Chinese censors to the nation’s news organizations.

Not surprisingly mention of Nobel Prizes and Liu Xiaobo are right at the top of the “not to be reported on list”

Given the censors are also now forbidding mention of Liu’s furniture following the Nobel Committee’s decision to have him and his wife represented by empty chairs, one can not be surprised that another story not to be mentioned was ”railway ticket refund machines”. 

It is an ill omen for the Chinese leadership if even the vending machines have had enough and must be, one assumes given their censored status, issuing refunds demanding a democratic, open society as well.
One wonders what will be banned next. What ever it is “Instructions from the Ministry of Truth” will be sure to have it.

Urgent Directive From the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television

December 10, 2010

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The Latest From “The Ministry Of Truth”- Chinese Censorship Instructions For Local Media

Nov 132010
 

The China Digital Times has updated its column “Directives From The Ministry Of Truth” with the latest leaked directives from Chinese censors to the nation’s news organizations.

In the latest batch items to be avoided include, unsurprisingly at number one, Liu Xiaobo and the Nobel Prize, deaths in custody, a senior official’s immoral conduct, the World Famous Architecture District in Urumqi and other assorted subjects.

The regular column is compiled from online sources and direct leaks and then corroborated. It is a fascinating incite into a censor’s mind. Topics covered include politics and crime through to pop music lyrics.

The CDT posts the original Chinese edicts and then translates them into English.

For those interested in China’s censorship practices and standards it is well worth a look. Back postings are available on the CDT website.  On the same web page there is a very good overview of how censorship is run in China.

Website Leaks Chinese Censorship Instructions For Local Media

Sep 082010
 

The China Digital Times has updated its column “Directives From The Ministry Of Truth” with the latest leaked directives from Chinese censors to the nation’s news organizations.

The regular column is compiled from online sources and direct leaks and then corroborated. It is a fascinating incite into a censor’s mind. Topics covered include politics and crime through to pop music lyrics.

The CDT posts the original Chinese edicts and then translates them into English.

For those interested in China’s censorship practices and standards it is well worth a look. Back postings are available on the CDT website.  On the same web page there is a very good overview of how censorship is run in China.