The New York Times' 2012 Report on Wen Jiabao's Family Wealth - Qihoo, Sogou, and Yahoo Censorship

Following up on previous posts about newly imposed censorship, as well as Sina Weibo and Baidu censorship, of information relating to New York Times August 26 article entitled "Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader" (总理家人隐秘的财富), here are some examples of related censorship by other major websites in China.

On October 26, searches for the names of Wen Jiabao's mother (Yang Zhiyun 杨志云),
son (Wen Yunsong 温云松), and wife (Zhang Beli 张蓓莉) on Qihoo return no results,
just a censorship notice.

At some time between October 26 and October 30, Sogou began censoring
searches for the Chinese title of the New York Times article.

A comparison of search results for "New York Times" in Chinese on October 27.
Yahoo.cn only returns results from a whitelist of about a dozen
websites operated by the government and the Party.
Yahoo.com shows the New York Times home page
as its top result.

A comparison of search results for "Wen Yunsong Ma Mingzhe" (温云松  马明哲)
on October 27.
Yahoo.cn returns no results, just a censorship notice.
Yahoo.com finds over 23,000 results.
Ma is the chairman of Ping An Insurance.

The New York Times' 2012 Report on Wen Jiabao's Family Wealth - Baidu's Censorship

Wen Jiabao (温家宝) is the Premier of China's State Council and holds membership in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China.

At around 5:00 am (Beijing Time) on October 26, the New York Times Published an article entitled "Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader" (总理家人隐秘的财富). An excerpt:

Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

Searching for "Wen Jiabao"

These screenshots, taken on October 27, 2012, show that Baidu restricts search results for Wen's name to its strict whitelist of approximately a dozen websites controlled by the government and the Communist Party. It also bans Tieba forums for Wen, and claims to be unable to find any results for Wen's name in both its Zhidao Q&A and Wenku document sharing products.

Baidu also censors searches containing characters that are homophonous with "Wen Jiabao." For example, this screenshot, taken on October 29, 2012, shows that a search on Baidu for "瘟假饱" returns no results, just a censorship notice.

Searching for Family Members

Baidu also censors searches for the names of some (but not all) of Wen's family members. These screenshots, taken in January and February 2012, show that Baidu restricts search results for "Wen Yunsong" (温云松 - Wen Jiabao's son) to its strict whitelist of about a dozen websites controlled by the government and the Communist Party. It also bans Tieba forums on Wen Yunsong, and claims to be unable to find any results for Wen's name in its Zhidao Q&A product.

As these screenshots from October 26, 2012 show, Baidu also censors search results for the name of Wen's wife, Zhang Beili (张蓓莉) and his daughter, Wen Ruchun (温如春) by restricting search results to a broad whitelist that includes China-based news websites and portals.

This screenshot shows that a Baidu search for "Wen Jiahong" (温家宏 - Wen Jiabao's brother) on October 27, 2012, returned no results, just a censorship notice.

Searching for the New York Times Article

These screenshots were taken on October 26 about five hours after the publication of the New York Times' article, and show that Baidu was restricting search results for "New York Times," "纽约时报," and "nytimes" to its strict white list.

These screenshots show that, within a few hours Baidu stopped showing a censorship notice for searches for these terms.

At the same time Baidu did something that made search results for the Chinese title of the New York Times article "disappear."  These screenshots show that on October 26 Baidu said it could find over 1 million results for the Chinese title, but on October 27 it said it could not find any results.

This screenshot, taken on October 27, shows that when a user entered "Wen" (温) in Baidu's search box, Baidu offered two suggestions - "Wen 2.7 Billion" (温 27亿) and "Wen New York Times" (温 纽约时报).

These screenshots show Baidu's results for those two queries - in both cases there is only one result relevant to the New York Times' article - a post on a forum entitled "New York Times Investigation Uncovers Wen Family Fortune Worth at Least 2.7 Billion" (纽约时报调查揭发 温 一家财产至少27亿美元.)

These screenshots show that the post, originally available here - www.0060.cn/thread-280833-1-1.html - was deleted within hours.

On October 29, the official Communist Party newspaper The People's Daily published an editorial on its website by its former international news editor Ren Yujun. Ren's piece, entitled "In Recent Years the New York Times Piles Up Scandals and Loses Its Reputation" (《纽约时报》近年来丑闻叠出声望下降). The editorial did not discuss anything that had not been reported months (or even years) previously. Nor did it make any mention of the Times' report on Wen Jiabao.

These screenshots, taken hours after the People's Daily editorial was published, show that Baidu News was able to find eight results for a search for the title of the People's Daily editorial, but no results for a search for the title of the New York Times' article.

The New York Times' 2012 Report on Wen Jiabao's Family Wealth - Sina Weibo Censorship

At around 5:00 am (Beijing Time) on October 26, the New York Times Published an article entitled "Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader" (总理家人隐秘的财富). An excerpt:

Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

. . . .

Duan Weihong, a wealthy businesswoman whose company, Taihong, was the investment vehicle for the Ping An shares held by the prime minister’s mother and other relatives, said the investments were actually her own. Ms. Duan, who comes from the prime minister’s hometown and is a close friend of his wife, said ownership of the shares was listed in the names of Mr. Wen’s relatives in an effort to conceal the size of Ms. Duan’s own holdings. 

“When I invested in Ping An I didn’t want to be written about,” Ms. Duan said, “so I had my relatives find some other people to hold these shares for me.” 

But it was an “accident,” she said, that her company chose the relatives of the prime minister as the listed shareholders — a process that required registering their official ID numbers and obtaining their signatures. Until presented with the names of the investors by The Times, she said, she had no idea that they had selected the relatives of Wen Jiabao.

The following screenshots were taken on October 26 and 27, and show examples of Sina Weibo search results being censored for terms related to the New York Times' article.

"Wen Jiabao" in Chinese and the initials "wjb."

Sina began censoring "NYT" on October 26th.

"New York Times" in Chinese and English, as well as "Billion" and
"Chinese Leader" - both of which appeared in the article's English title.

Some time on the 26th/27th, Sina began censoring "The Premier's Family"
(总理家人), which appeared in the article's Chinese title.

Wen Jiabao's family, clockwise from top-left: Wife Zhang Beili (张蓓莉),
Brother  Wen Jiahong (温家宏),  Mother Yang Zhiyun (杨志云),
Son Wen Yunsong (温云松)

Also mentioned in the article: "Duan Weihong" (段伟红) and
"2.7 Billion" (27亿)

New York Times Publishes Article on Wen Jiabao's Family Wealth, Search Engines and Weibos Impose New Censorship

At around 5:00 am on October 26 (Beijing Time), the New York Times Published an article entitled "Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader" (总理家人隐秘的财富). An excerpt:

Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

The following screenshots show examples of new censorship that various websites instituted within 24 hours of the article's publication.

Sina Weibo began censoring "NYT"

Sogou began censoring "New York Times" (纽约时报)

Qihoo began censoring "Wen Jiahong" (温家宏 - Wen Jiabao's brother)

Youdao began censoring the Chinese title of article

Baidu actually stopped restricting search results for "New York Times" (纽约时报)
to a white list, but . . . . .

. . . at the same time Baidu did something that made search results for the Chinese title
of the New York Times article "disappear."  On October 26 Baidu said it could find
over 1 million results. On October 27 it said it could not find any results.

Central Propaganda Department Orders News Websites to Support 18th Party Congress

On October 24, 2012, China's official news agency Xinhua published a report entitled: "State Internet Information Office Convenes Deployment Meeting, Welcoming the Party's 18th Congress, Create a Surge in Online Propaganda" (国家互联网信息办召开会议部署 喜迎党的十八大 掀起网上宣传热潮). An excerpt:

Wang Chen, deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department and head of the Central Overseas Propaganda Office and the State Internet Information Office, spoke at the meeting, and called on Internet propaganda offices in every locale to spare no efforts in meticulous organization, do a good job of propagandizing online the Party's 18th Congress, create atmosphere for expression that will facilitate the victorious convening of the Party's 18th Congress, and create a mass upsurge of online propaganda.
. . . .
The meeting stressed that news websites and commercial websites must further strengthen their sense of responsibility, and utilize the critical ideological guidance provided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and the "Three Represents" to implement scientific development deeply, grasp correct guidance firmly, and insist upon unified and stable enthusiasm, . . . .
中宣部副部长、中央外宣办、国家互联网信息办主任王晨在会上讲话，要求各地网宣网管部门全力以赴、精心组织，做好党的十八大网上宣传工作，为党的十八大胜利召开营造良好舆论氛围，掀起网上宣传热潮。
. . . .
会议强调，新闻网站和商业网站要进一步增强责任感使命感，以邓小平理论和“三个代表”重要思想为指导，深入贯彻落实科学发展观，牢牢把握正确导向，坚持团结稳定鼓劲，. . . .

According to the Xinhua report, the meeting was attended by representatives from agencies responsible for online content, the People's Daily, Xinhua, and other "Central news websites." (中央新闻网站).

Xinhua Says CPC Develops Democracy, Baidu Bans Forums on CPC and Democracy

On October 21, 2012, China's official news agency Xinhua published a report entitled "CPC Develops Democracy Over Last Decade." And excerpt:

The CPC attaches great importance to democracy. In his report on the Party's 17th National Congress, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of China Hu Jintao said the people's democracy is the lifeblood of socialism and developing the people's democracy is the CPC's consistent goal. 

Therefore, democracy with Chinese characteristics is improving, both inside and outside the CPC.
. . . .
Although achievements have been made in democracy, it is far from enough in China, a country that was ruled by feudalism for thousands of years. More efforts are still needed to prevent arbitrary decisions from being made by a few people, rein in abuses of power and keep public interests from being ignored.

These screenshots, taken on October 22, show that searches on Baidu's Tieba forums for "Democracy" and "CPC" return no results, just a censorship notice.

Chinese Author Liao Yiwu Awarded German Prize, Baidu Tieba and Sina Weibo Censor His Name

On October 16, 2012, the state-sponsored Global Times published an editorial entitled: "Shan Renping: Exiled Dissidents Should Leave Hatred Behind" (单仁平：海外异见者需有走出仇恨的精神力量). An excerpt:

Chinese dissident Liao Yiwu received the 2012 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. In his speech during Sunday's award ceremony, Liao savaged China as an "inhumane empire with bloody hands." He also described China as "the source of global disasters" and an "ever-expanding garbage dump." In the end he cried out six times that "the empire must break apart."
. . . .
Germans probably think this award could exert some influence on China. But Chinese are used to Westerners using dissidents. Compared with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in 2010, the latest book award will barely draw any attention.
一位出走德国、名叫廖亦武的中国异见作家获德国图书和平奖，在14日的颁奖现场，他在正式发言中把中国称为“灭绝人性的血色帝国”，并称中国是“地球灾难的源头”和“无限扩张的垃圾场”。他最后连续6次高喊“这个帝国必须分裂”。
. . . .
德国人或许认为他们颁这个奖，可以影响中国点什么。他们过于自恋了，低估了中国人的判断力。对西方总拿异见人士当牌跟中国打，我们已经习惯了。两年前诺贝尔和平奖颁给刘晓波，中国人尚不以为然，德国图书和平奖在西方根本算不上大奖，中国社会更不在乎。

These screenshots, taken on October 21, show that searches for "Liao Yiwu" (廖亦武) on Sina Weibo and Baidu Tieba return no results, just censorship notices.

This screenshot, taken the same day, shows that a search for "Empire Break Apart" (帝国 分裂) on Sina Weibo also returns no results, just a censorship notice.

Global Times Publishes, Then Deletes, Report That US Ambassador Visited Tibetans in Aba

[Update - December 2012:  At some time after this post was published the Global Times restored this article.]

On October 18, 2012, the state-sponsored Global Times published a report entitled "US Confirms Locke Visited Sichuan Aba, Urges Sina-Tibetan Dialogue" (美证实骆家辉访四川阿坝 敦促中国与藏人对话). An excerpt:

On October 16, the United States State Department publicly confirmed that in September US Ambassador to China Gary Locke visited the Aba district of Sichuan, China, and met with local officials and residents. Aba has gained world attention because several incidents involving Tibetans self-immolating. The US State Department spokesperson said on the 16th that Tibetan self-immolations are continuing unabated, and the US is "deeply concerned," and urges the Chinese government to have further dialogue with Tibetans.
. . . .
Since a Tibetan self-immolation incident occurred in Aba in February 2009, overseas organizations have said that there have been 55 similar incidents in China, and that of these half occurred in Aba. In August last year Locke became the first overseas Chinese to become  the US Ambassador to China, he has expressed deep interest in China's human rights issues, and in the summer of this year he played an important role in the incident where the blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng went to America.
美国国务院16日对外证实，美国驻华大使骆家辉9月访问了中国四川的阿坝地区，并会见了当地政府官员和居民。阿坝因发生数起藏人自焚事件成为外界关注的焦点。美国国务院发言人纽兰16日称，藏人自焚事件不断增加，美国对此“深切关注”，敦促中国政府与藏人进一步开展对话。
. . . .
2009年2月阿坝地区发生藏人自焚事件以来，海外团体称中国已有55例类似事件，其中一半发生在阿坝。骆家辉去年8月成为美国首位华裔驻华大使，对中国的人权问题表示出浓厚兴趣，并在今年夏季的中国盲人律师陈光诚赴美事件中扮演了重要角色。

These screenshots show that the report, which was originally at this URL -  http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2012-10/3197335.html - was deleted within hours.

See also: After CCTV Names Lhasa China's "Happiest City," Sina Weibo Bans Searches for "Self-Immolations"

After Mo Yan Wins Nobel Literature Prize, Baidu "Nobel Peace Prize" Baike Updated to Include 2011 and 2012 Winners - Still Omits Liu Xiaobo

On October 11, 2012, Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, announced that the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2012 was awarded to the Chinese writer Mo Yan "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary."

Within two days the Nobel Literature Prize article in Baidu's Baike (a wikipedia-like product) had been updated to include an biography of Mo Yan, an image of Mo Yan, and the following excerpt cut-and-pasted from a Xinhua article:

Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee Member Li Changchun's Congratulations 

Baidu's "Nobel Literature Prize" Baike Article

On October 11, sent a letter to the Chinese Writers Association expressing his congratulations to the famous modern writer and deputy director of the Chinese Writers Association Mo Yan on his being awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. In his congratulatory letter Li Changchun said that, with China's swift development during reform and opening up and modernization, China's literature has burst forth with enormous creative energy, and the authors of China have taken root in the deep soil of the lives and traditions of China's people, producing a prolific body of work with Chinese characteristics, Chinese manners, and Chinese style. Mo Yan is one of the outstanding examples of this. Mo Yan's winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is an expression both of the glorious progress of Chinese literature, and of continuously growing power and influence of the Chinese nation. He hoped that writers will strive to take the people as the focus of their creative guidance, stick to reality, stick to real life, stick to the masses, and create more outstanding works that will not fail to live up to history, the times, or the people, and make more new significant contributions to the glorious development of Chinese literature and the progress of human civilization. 

中共中央政治局常委李长春祝贺 

中共中央政治局常委李长春11日致信中国作家协会，对中国当代著名作家、中国作家协会副主席莫言获得2012年诺贝尔文学奖表示祝贺。 李长春在贺信中说，随着我国改革开放和现代化建设的迅猛发展，中国文学迸发出巨大的创造活力，广大中国作家植根于人民生活和民族传统的深厚土壤，创作出一大批具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的优秀作品。莫言就是其中的杰出代表。莫言获得诺贝尔文学奖，既是中国文学繁荣进步的体现，也是我国综合国力和国际影响力不断提升的体现。他希望广大作家坚持以人民为中心的创作导向，贴近实际、贴近生活、贴近群众，创作出更多无愧于历史、无愧于时代、无愧于人民的优秀作品，为中华文化繁荣发展，为人类文明进步作出新的更大贡献。

On October 8, 2010, Thorbjørn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, announced that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo  "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."

Below, the left-hand screenshots show the Nobel Peace Prize article in Baidu's Baike as it appeared on October 7, 2012. The right-hand screenshots show the same article as it appeared on October 17. The article was updated on October 12, 2012 and mentions both the 2011 and 2012 winners. There is no mention of the 2010 award.

Baidu Tieba Forum Posts Discussing Nobels for Dalai Lama and Liu Xiaobo Deleted

These screenshots show three examples of user posts on Baidu's Tieba Mo Yan forum that were deleted:

"People are asking who is the only Nobel Peace Prize winner who is still imprisoned. Does anyone know who it is?" (有人问我世界上唯一一个诺贝尔奖获得者还在监狱里，谁知道他是谁)
Original URL: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1915772535

"The Lama and Liu Xiaobo getting the Nobel are just garbage conspiracies, Mo Yan's getting one is a great breakthrough. - Hehe, that's what you call a two-faced nation." (喇嘛和刘晓拿诺奖就是垃圾阴谋 莫言拿就是伟大突破-呵呵 这就是两面的天朝)
Original URL: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1916367957

"I'm going to let folks know who the last two Chinese winners of the Nobel were. - Most people  don't know what those two actually did." (给大家普及下前两位诺贝尔奖的中国人吧 大多数人都不知道这两个做过什么事儿)
Original URL: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1916225592

Is Baidu Censoring Web Search Results for Mo Yan's Statement Regarding Liu Xiaobo?

On October 11, 2012, Chinese Nobel Laureate Mo Yan (莫言) told reporters during a news conference: “I hope [Liu Xiaobo] can achieve his freedom as soon as possible.”

These screenshots, taken on October 14, shows that a search for "Hope Liu Xiaobo Freedom" (希望 刘晓波 自由) on Baidu news search returned no results from China's state sponsored media. The only relevant result is from the Chinese version of the New York Times. The same search on Baidu's web search restricted to the New York Times returns no results - Baidu says it is unable to find any.

These screenshots, also taken on October 14, show that Baidu web searches for three different translations used by foreign media for the phrase "hope Liu Xiaobo can achieve his freedom as soon as possible" apparently return thousands of results, but Baidu's first page only loads 3-5 results (as opposed to the normal 10).

BBC: 希望刘晓波尽快获得自由
Deutsche Welle: 希望刘晓波早日重获自由
New York Times: 希望刘晓波能尽快获得自由

China's Nobel Winners: Search Engine Results for Liu Xiaobo in 2010 vs. Mo Yan in 2012

On October 12, 2012, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Hong Lei had the following exchange with reporters at a press conference:

Question: What is China's view of Chinese author Mo Yan being awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature?
Answer: We express our congratulations to Mr. Mo Yan on his being awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature. Mr. Mo Yan was recently awarded Mao Dun Literature Award, and his literary achievements are obvious to all. The Chinese people have a long history and magnificent culture, and these are the common treasures of all humanity. We welcome friends from countries around the world to better understand China's culture and to appreciate the charms of China's outstanding literature.
Question: Is there any possibility that, two years after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Sino-Norway relations may soon take a turn for the better? Has China communicated with the Norwegian Nobel Committee about the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: Two years ago, the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision severely interfered with China's internal governance and judicial sovereignty, so of course China resolutely objected. Regarding problems with Sino-Norway relations, they are caused by the Noregian government's support of the Norwegian Nobel Committee's incorrect decision. The person who tied everything up in a knot is responsible for getting it untied, and Norway should do everything it can to restore and advance the two nations' relationship.  

问：中方对中国作家莫言获得2012年诺贝尔文学奖有何评论？
答：我们对莫言先生获得2012年度诺贝尔文学奖表示祝贺。莫言先生是最近一届茅盾文学奖得主，他的文学造诣有目共睹。中华民族拥有悠久的历史和灿烂的文化，这是全人类的共同财富。我们欢迎世界各国朋友更多地了解中国文化，感受优秀中国文学的魅力。
问：刘晓波获诺贝尔和平奖近两周年，中挪关系近期是否可能转圜？中方是否就今年诺和奖获奖人选与挪威诺贝尔委员会进行了沟通？
答：两年前，挪威诺贝尔委员会的决定严重干涉中国内政和司法主权，中方当然坚决反对。关于中挪关系，其困难是由于挪威政府支持挪威诺贝尔委员会的错误决定造成的。解铃还须系铃人，挪方应为两国关系恢复和发展做出切实努力。

These screenshots show the following search results:

Left: October 12, 2010, "Liu Xiaobo Nobel Peace Prize" (刘晓波 获诺贝尔和平奖)

• Baidu: No results. Censorship notice.
• Sogou:  No results. Censorship notice.
• Soso: No results. 

Right: October 13, 2012, "Mo Yan Nobel Literature Prize" (莫言 诺贝尔文学奖)

• Baidu: Over 1 million results.
• Sogou: Almost 70 thousand results.
• Soso: Over 3 million results.

Chinese Websites Censor "Nobel Peace Prize" and "Liu Xiaobo" But Not "Nobel Literature Prize" and "Mo Yan"

On October 11, 2012, China's official news agency Xinhua reported:

Chinese authors and netizens congratulated Mo Yan on Thursday night after he became the country's first Nobel Literature Prize laureate. Mo's win brought joy to his supporters as no Chinese national has ever won the Nobel prize in literature in its century-long history." 

On October 8, 2010, Xinhua reported: "Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to China's Liu Xiaobo desecrated the prize and could harm China-Norway ties, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu on Friday."

These screenshots were all taken on October 12, 2012, and show that both Baidu and Sina Weibo censor searches for "Nobel Peace Prize" (诺贝尔和平奖) and "Liu Xiaobo" (刘晓波) but not for "Nobel Literature Prize" (诺贝尔文学奖) and "Mo Yan" (莫言).

Baidu bans forums on "Liu Xiaobo," but not "Mo Yan"

Baidu censors searches for "Liu Xiaobo," but not "Mo Yan"

Sina Weibo censors searches for "Liu Xiaobo," but not "Mo Yan"

Baidu censors searches for "Nobel Peace Prize" but not "Nobel Literature Prize"

Baidu bans forums on "Nobel Peace Prize" but not "Nobel Literature Prize"

Sina Weibo censors searches for "Nobel Peace Prize" but not "Nobel Literature Prize"