Latest posts by Abby Liu
China Blocks Beijing Independent Film Festival
Beijing authorities blocked an annual independent film festival from opening on August 23, 2014. The move is seen as a sign that Beijing is tightening ideological controls. According to indie director Huang Wenhai, the shutdown was “the darkest day in the history of Chinese independent film.” Started in 2006 by independent art critic Li Xianting,...
Ignoring Pro-Democracy Protests, China's Media Trumpets Pro-Beijing March in Hong Kong as the ‘Majority’
China has promised Hong Kong a direct vote for the next chief executive, but insists that a committee approve the candidates. Pro-democracy protesters want the right to choose the candidates.
China Tightens Its Control of Popular Messaging App WeChat With Real-Name Registration
WeChat has grown popular since 2012 and now has almost 400 million active users. It was subject to a crackdown earlier this year, with 100 public accounts shut down.
Just Google It? Not In China, Where Google Remains Blocked
Google search, Gmail and Google Scholar are only accessible thanks to VPNs and mirror sites in China ever since they were blocked in late May before the Tiannamen massacre anniversary.
Podcast: China's Leftover Women
Sinica Podcast invites Leta Hong Fincher, author of “Leftover Women“, a book about the state of women's rights and gender equality in modern China. The podcast discusses hidden problems and obstacles that Chinese women are facing in society including domestic violence and the “leftover women” issue. It's worth noting that...
China Puts Squeeze on WeChat and Other Messaging Apps
China cracks down on instant messaging platforms including the WeChat messaging application ahead of the 25th anniversary of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen.
China's Censors Become Busier Before Tiananmen Anniversary
Index on censorship magazine details China's yearly Tiananmen anniversary crackdown: slower internet, blocked search terms, more military personnel in public and the arrest of high profile individuals. Author Francine Stone from Index thinks “this year’s crackdown appears particularly thorough, either a reaction to dissent being higher than usual or a perception...
Podcast: History of the Internet in China
Sinaca Podcast discusses how the Internet has grown and changed China with three guests who have experienced the worst and the best of the Chinese Internet: Duncan Clark from BDA China, Gady Epstein from The Economist, and Bill Bishop, the author of the Sinocism newsletter.
Tiananmen Square Protest in Review
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protest in China. To commemorate the protest, CHINA DIGITAL TIMES is posting a series of original news articles from 1989 from NY times and Time Magazine.
China Detains Human Rights Lawyer After Tiananmen Meeting
This isn't Pu Zhiqiang's first detention. As an outspoken critic of the Chinese government's policies, he is monitored by security forces.
China's Anti-Pornography Crackdown Nets Much More Than Porn
Fan fiction websites and others that “distorted mainstream values in the society” have been shut down as part of China's “Cleaning the Web 2014” campaign.
Infographic: Who Are China’s Rural Migrant Workers?
“Rural migrant worker”, a unique term in China,refers to a class of citizens no longer employed in the agricultural sector who nevertheless retain their legal status as peasants. ChinaFile published an interesting infographic explaining their situations and the problems rural migrant workers are facing in today's society.
The Price of Press Censorship in China
At the China Media Project, Chang Ping discusses the implications of case of Wei Yinin, who abused his power to control internet press. Chang believes that the case should prompt deeper reflection on corruption of the propaganda system itself. Chang says: It’s probably difficult for most people even to imagine how...
“I Sold Out to China”-One Journalist's Experience with China's Censors
Leslie Anne Jones from aeon talks about her personal experience with China's censors during her time as a journalist for a local expat magazine. She discovers how she was not permitted to document the true Xinjiang she had observed during her “propaganda” trip there.
China Clamp Down on Slash Fiction
China recently launched a crackdown on online pornographic content: “Cleaning the Web 2014″. According to the campaign, all online texts, pictures, videos, and ads with pornographic content will be deleted in order to “create a healthy cyberspace”. According to Offbeat China, since the launch of “Cleaning the Web 2014″, many Chinese fiction-sharing websites...
Top 10 Sites to Listen to Free Chinese Music Online
China Whisper listed 10 most popular online music sites in China. These sites provide online music, free music downloads and many other functions. Most of the sites offer not only free Chinese music but also western music.
Chinese Court Rejects Lawsuit Over Lanzhou Water Pollution
Tap water in Lanzhou was found to have benzene levels 20 times the national safety limit.
China Blocks Short Sci-Fi Film From Hong Kong
Hong Kong saves itself in the film from a meteor forecast to hit in 2047, an allegory for when the city is set to lose its democratic political system.
Baidu Censors New Citizens Movement Website
After Chinese court affirms Chinese lawyer and activist Xu Zhiyong’s conviction of four-year sentence in prison for assembling a crowd to disrupt order in public places, New Citizens Movement website, of which Xu was one of the founders, disappeared from Baidu search results. This is not the first time that information relating...
Expat Life in China: A Review Of Unsavory Elements
Unsavory Elements is an anthology of true stories about foreigners “on the loose” in China. Through their stories, the authors and journalists from the book also explore illegality and ethics in China. As China Law Blog describes: Ranging from transactions and deeds that would raise the eyebrows of those enforcing America’s Foreign Corrupt Practices...
Chinese State Media Downplays Protests Against PX Chemical Plant
About 1,000 Maoming residents rallied against the project over environmental and health concerns. Clashes reportedly left some injured, with rumors that some people were even killed.
