Wow! eBook
Blocked on Weibo: What Gets Suppressed on China s Version of Twitter
Author(s): Jason Q. Ng (Author)
- Publisher: The New Press
- Publication Date: 10 Oct. 2013
- Language: English
- Print length: 240 pages
- ISBN-10: 9781595588715
- ISBN-13: 9781595588715
Book Description
As Ng explains, Weibo (roughly the equivalent of Twitter), with over 500 million registered accounts, censors hundreds of words and phrases, ranging from fairly obvious terms, including “tank” (a reference to the “Tank Man” who stared down the Chinese army in Tiananmen Square) and the names of top government officials (if they can’t be found online, they can’t be criticized), to deeply obscure references, including “hairy bacon” (a coded insult referring to Mao’s embalmed body).
With dozens of phrases that could get a Chinese Internet user invited to the local police station “for a cup of tea” (a euphemism for being detained by the authorities),
Blocked on Weibo offers an invaluable guide to sensitive topics in modern-day China as well as a fascinating tour of recent Chinese history.Editorial Reviews
Review
“It’s an engaging new volume chock full of illuminating, sometimes amusing entries on temporarily or permanently banned terms.”
―Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of History, University of California, Irvine
“This is a fascinating study with important implications for anyone who is interested in the intellectual and political climate of contemporary China. Highly recommended.”
―Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania
“What makes his blog―and the book it has now spawned―so attractive is Ng’s wit and erudition. Some entries in this
Devil’s Dictionary for digital times are simply descriptive, but many open surprising windows onto the wonderfully creative strategies Chinese internet users employ to circumvent blocks.”―Times Literary Supplement
Praise for the Blocked on Weibo blog that inspired the book:
“Blocked on Weibo is interesting for those with any knowledge of China and its Internet space, right from beginners to old hands.”
―Jon Russell, The Next Web
“Censorship nerds: check out Blocked on Weibo, an amazingly useful blog on what’s blocked in China and why.”
―Andrew McLaughlin, VP of Tumblr, and former White House deputy chief technology officer
“A treasure.”
―Thomson Reuters
