China blog

Two interesting reports on the importance of blogging to the opening up of China to the world.

Google bows to internet search curbs by Beijing
By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor
Last Updated: 2:43am GMT 27/01/2006

The internet company Google was facing renewed criticism yesterday after it launched a Chinese version of its search engine that helps the Beijing authorities to block access to pro-democracy websites.
The media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, described the move as a "black day" for freedom of expression.
However, Google, whose company motto is "do no evil" believes it can play a more useful role by working with the Chinese government. The Chinese authorities devote huge resources to restricting access to the internet. Many sites, including the BBC's news service and Amnesty, are unavailable in the country.
Google's old search engine was subject to blocks from the government's sophisticated computer servers - known as the "great firewall of China".
However, in order to launch its new search service, Google.cn, from computer servers based within China, the company has agreed to actively help the government limit content. Google argues that it would be more damaging to pull out of China altogether and says that in contrast to other search engines, it will inform users when access is restricted on certain search terms.
Sensitive topics are likely to include independence for Taiwan and the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, as well as human rights in China generally.
Google launched its new Chinese service less than a week after resisting efforts by the US Department of Justice to make it disclose data on what people were searching for. "Google's statements about respecting online privacy are the height of hypocrisy in view of its strategy in China," said a spokesman for Reporters Without Borders.

The China Blog

On January 29, TIME opened the China Blog. The blog was written by TIME's China-based correspondents and the contents included their observations and thoughts about China. TIME magazine will also publish China special columns on a periodical basis this year, which is evidence of the "China reporting fever" among the global media.
How did The China Blog come about? Was the point to let more Americans know about China? On March 30, our reporter interviewed The China Blog's writer Simon Elegant at the TIME office in Beijing. He said, "I never thought that a comment would correct my thinking."
On the English-language website of TIME magazine, this reporter saw that apart from specialized blogs on technology, health, finance and art, there are only the Middle-East and China blogs for specific countries or regions.
Beijing bureau chief Simon Elegant said that the editorial department agreed to start The China Blog because "China is developing very rapidly and more and more Americans are interested in China. However, their understanding of China is limited. The blog could help Americans understand China more fully."
Hong Kong-based correspondent Austin Ramzy said: "The bosses in New York City also know that China is one of the most important countries in the world. If our blogs have news about China, more readers will be drawn there."
The China Blog has four writers. Since female correspondent Susan Jakes has returned home to study, the three writers left are Simon Elegant, TIME's Shanghai-based correspondent Bill Powell and Hong Kong-based correspondent Austin Ramzy.
In September 2006, Susan Jakes told Simon Elegant that she had an idea about doing a China blog. Simon Elegant was interested when he heard that: "You know that many of our regular essays cannot be published in the TIME weekly magazine. If these unpublishable essays are posted on the blog and if we can decide ourselves what appears on the blog, then that would be great."
So the correspondents reached agreement quickly and told the editors at headquarters.
But the editors at headquarters had ideas that are was different from theirs. The China correspondents were thinking about blogging for fun -- if you have something to say, you do so; if not, then you don't update.
But the editors believe that the blog must be updated every day. Apart from daily trivia, the coverage should be broader (e.g. politics, economy, culture, humanities, etc), including things such as the two Congresses. In the end, this becomes a news blog.
As of March 20, more than 50 essays have been posted on The China Blog. The blog posts included the overheated Chinese stock market, China's attempt to rectify the improper English-language signage, whether this is the Golden Pig year or Fire Pig year, etc.
Simon Elegant said: "The frequent visitors to the blog will discover that the four people have different styles. I like to use photographs or videos in my blog posts. Shanghai's Bill likes to write longer commentary pieces."
Simon Elegant has published the most number of blog posts. He basically posts a new essay every day, covering subjects such as selling fake merchandise at Xiushui Street, the panda Huamei returning home, food safety problems in China, and even comments on the gossip over Zhang Ziyi and her new boyfriend.
Susan Jakes' articles are more about trivia, such as China rectifying the improperly phrased English-language signage. Hong Kong correspondent Austin Ramzy tends to write more humorous things. Shanghai correspondent Bill Powell writes long essays with broader vistas such as Chinese university students encountering difficulty in finding work, foreign investors in China, etc.
Of course, this blog has not shaken off the traditional tendency for the western media to search for negative information in China, and so it included certain negative reporting and misinterpretations.
These blog posts draw comments from netizens. By this reporter's count, the highest number of comments was more than 100 for a blog post. Simon Elegant said that there are so many comments because the TIME website is fairly well-known.
"Someone said, 'What are your subjects so facetious?' I said that these are contents that Americans may not understand. Judging from the comments, many people want to defend China. I think that is quite normal. If a Chinese person wants to write about the United States, the Americans will likely do the same thing."
Simon Elegant reckoned that 60% of the blog readers are Americans and 30% are Chinese. More Americans read the blog, but they make few comments. The Chinese readers leave more comments. "I find the Chinese readers being specially interested in foreigners. We will definitely pay attention to those comments, and we will publish them as is. However, we will not change what we write based upon the comments."
Although that was what Simon Elegant said, he immediately narrated an example to show that the comments can influence the thinking of the blog writers.
In early March, Simon Elegant saw a photograph on the Internet about 'the skull of a pigeon being opened up' in a scene in which Chinese scientists were conducting an experiment. The photograph was repulsive him. On March 15, he posted the photograph on the blog (see Robo-Pigeon) while describing how he felt. "When I posted the photograph, I did not imagine that anyone would correct my thinking."
There was a comment: "As a Chinese girl, I am quite sad for the pigeons and for all the animals. However, I have to say that not only China is doing this. Scientists from all over the world are doing this kind of researches. As a teenager, I have no idea what we are going to do with these technology but, anyway, there must be a reason for that."
Later on, Simon Elegant learned that American laboratories also used such animals for live experiments, but the workers are barred by regulation from publishing these types of photographs. Therefore, Simon Elegant apologized to certain people.

Meanwhile....

Today my Beijing student correspondent sent me another email about his first encounters with Tai Chi in the park at 6 a.m.