Tangling with the Chinese Dragon
July 31st, 2012 admin
Finding truthful information about China is a challenging experience. I’m doing doctoral level work at a large private university about the Chinese political system and believe me when I tell you it is a nightmarish experience. Trusting official Chinese sources on anything is an exercise in futility. Totalitarian governments tend to deal in lies and distortions, and the Chinese government has turned falsehood into an art form. To make matters worse, the censorship of non-government sites in China is heavy-handed and quick. A bit of information goes up that the government officials don’t like and almost immediately all of the sites go down or are blocked with a warning sign. It’s maddening when I’m trying to get solid information to earn my degree. What all of this means is that I must use a little intelligence and some tenacity when looking for the information I need to do my work.
It’s quite fortunate that the Internet works to find pathways around even the most onerous censorship. As soon as the Chinese government blocks a site, two more pop up with the censored information. Oftentimes, you’ll get good commentary on what is actually going on. Read the rest of this entry »
The trial of Bo Xilai’s wife is currently underway in China. This landmark case involves Mrs. Gu who is accused of poisoning Neil Haywood, a national businessman. Far from the traditional criminal case, this involves widespread speculation that her accusal was brought about specifically to topple her husband, a formerly powerful politician in the Chinese rigime.