Fei Chang Dao

On May 17, 2013, the state-sponsored Global Times published an English language article entitled " Thousands Protest Kunming PX Plan ."  According to that report: "Thousands of residents in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, staged a protest near the provincial government Thursday against a massive oil refinery and paraxylene (PX) project over fears of pollution." The previous day, the Global Times had published a Chinese language report entitled "Hundreds of Residents  Gather on the Street to Challenge Refinery Project, Officials Offer Reassurance" ( 昆明数百市民上街聚集质疑炼油项目 官方进行疏导 ). As of May 21, both of these articles, which did not have any photographs were still available. However, as these screenshots show, articles that included photographs of the protests have been deleted. Original URL:  http://news.21cn.com/hot/social/a/2013/0516/15/21685980.shtml#p=1 Original URL:  http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2013/05/16/264047.ht

On May 28, 2013, the web site of the Hong Kong based Phoenix News published an article entitled "The Report by Some Hong Kong Newspaper that 'The Central Discipline Commission Demands Children of Senior Officials Studying Abroad Return to China' Was Inaccurate" ( 香港某报“中纪委要求高官留学子女回国”报道失实 ). On May 28, some newspaper in Hong Kong published a report claiming that the Central Discipline Commission was requiring the children of senior officials studying abroad to return within one year after graduating. Based on our understanding, this report was inaccurate, and was false news.  Phoenix News republished this inaccurate news without verification or examination, and it had an adverse social impact, and for this we express our deep apologies to the Internet using public. We will adopt practical measures and strengthen our management of the news and the quality and training of our editorial department. We will safeguard the truthfulness and credibility of online media a

On April 26, 2013, the state-sponsored Southern Metropolitan Daily published an article entitled "Struggle Over Government Taking Rented Land: Villagers in Tongan District, Xiamen Say 3,300 Mu of Land Was Rented Out, Local Survey Finds Exercise of Imminent Domain Lawful, Procedures Complete" (租地征地之争 厦门同安区村民称3300余亩地是出租，当地调查后则认为征地合法、手续齐备). An excerpt: At around 4:00 am yesterday, villagers gathered in front of Kaige Golf Club while officers from Xiamen's Tongan District administrative law enforcement agency demolished the Pantu residential area in Xike village. Their actions triggered a clash, with villagers and officers claiming injuries on both sides. 昨日凌晨4时许，厦门市同安区行政执法局工作人员拆除了西柯镇潘涂社区(村改居)村民在凯歌高尔夫俱乐部门前搭建的聚集区。这一行动引发了冲突，村民和政府工作人员均称己方有人受伤。 This screenshot, taken on April 30, shows that Sina Weibo was censoring searches for "Pantu" (潘涂).

On May 16, 2013, the state-sponsored China Daily published an article entitled " Shanghai Battery Factory Canceled Over Protest ." An excerpt: A Shanghai battery maker has given in to public pressure and canceled its plans for a new lithium battery factory in the city's Songjiang district.  Shanghai Guoxuan New Energy said on Wednesday it had withdrawn its investment for the Songjiang program and would return the planned factory site to the local government, without claiming any compensation.  The company gave in after hundreds of residents of Songjiang, in Shanghai's southwestern outskirts, held three protests against the planned factory out of concern about potential wastewater and gas emissions from the plant. This screenshot was taken on May 11, and shows that Sina Weibo was censoring searches for "Songjiang Battery Factory" (松江 电池厂). These screenshots were taken on May 2, and show that Sina Weibo was censoring searches for "Guo Xuan

On May 9, 2013, the state-sponsored China Daily published an article entitled " Death of Girl at Mall Triggers Large Protest ." Some excerpts: Yuan Liya , 22, died after plunging from the seventh floor of a mall last week, and police say initial findings point to suicide.  However, by Wednesday morning, hundreds of people had gathered outside the Jingwen coat wholesale outlet in the capital's Fengtai district to call for further investigations into the tragedy.  . . . .  Duan Xiuying, who runs a shop in nearby Dahongmen market, said Yuan also had a part-time job at Dahongmen, which is open only in the morning. She said the protest started late on Tuesday, with only dozens of people at first.  "I wanted to join in and call for a thorough investigation, but when I arrived, it had been blocked by police," said Duan, who hails from Hebei province. On May 22, the China Daily published an article entitled " 13 Arrested in Beijing for Rumormongering

On May 6, 2013, the state-sponsored Global Times published an article entitled " Cold Case Petition Grabs US Attention ." An excerpt: A poisoning case that permanently paralyzed a former Tsinghua University student has triggered an online petition on the White House's website, the newest development to a matter that has remained unsolved for 19 years so far.  Zhu Ling , the victim and then chemistry major, suffered severe brain damage after being allegedly poisoned by thallium in 1994 by her roommate, Sun Wei, or Jasmine Sun, who now lives in the US. The following screenshots were taken on May 3, 2013. Sina and Tencent censor searches for "Zhu Ling" (朱令).  Sina censors searches for "Tsinghua Poisoning" (清华 投毒). Sina censors searches for "Tsinghua Poisoned" (清华 中毒).  Sina censors searches for "Thallium" (铊).

The screenshot below was taken on May 13, 2013, and shows the top two search results on Sina Weibo for "Gui Jie Tibetans" (簋街 藏族) - "Gui Jie" is the name of a popular restaurant street in Beijing. The posts both say "May 12, 2013 at 5:30 Beijing Gui Jie, Han restauranteurs and Tibetan peddlers brawl." (2013.05.12.下午五點半北京簋街，漢族餐飲店與藏族攤販群毆). This screenshot was taken on May 14, and shows that both posts have been deleted. Original URLS: http://weibo.com/3216102571/zwAnhrRxS http://weibo.com/1647608681/zwzEd0mOz

On May 17, the web site of the state-sponsored Yunnan Info Daily published an article entitled "WhiteHouse Web Site Petition Leads to Visit from Chengdu Police" ( 白宫网站请愿 成都警察找上门 ).  An excerpt: When the White House launched a new version of its "Internet Government Query" - "We The People," on September 1, 2011, it may not have foreseen that it would trigger an undercurrent of rivalry across the ocean. On May 7, 2013, a woman in Chengdu posted an English language petition on the "We The People" web site under the pseudonym "B.Y.," and three days later local police demanded she delete it. . . . . On May 7, 2013, after a woman in Chengdu signed petition under the pseudonym "B.Y." expressing support for Zhu Ling, she discovered that in fact she could also submit a petition. Consequently, she also published an English language petition on the "We The People" web site, expressing her discontent regarding some local m

On May 14, 2013, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post published an article entitled " Eight Activist Lawyers Detained in Sichuan Over 'Illegal Jail' Have Been Released ." An excerpt: Eight prominent lawyers, who have been arbitrarily detained in Sichuan province on Monday, have been released from police custody. Seven of them tried to visit a detention centre; the eighth was part of a rescue group that arrived later.  The seven detained lawyers had attempted to visit an "illegal" detention centre in Ziyang. Later that day a separate group of four lawyers arrived to try to rescue them, but they were also detained.  Three in the later group had been released early, but police in Ziyang kept the fourth, Li Heping (李和平), in detention. By Tuesday morning, all had been released. . . . . The seven lawyers from Beijing, Chongqing and Wuhan, including renowned activists Tang Jitian (唐吉田) and Jiang Tianyong (江天勇), had gathered in Ziyang on Monday morning

On May 10, 2013, the state-sponsored China Daily's web site published an article entitled " Public Opinion Decisive in Kunming's PX Project ." An excerpt: CNPC, China's largest oil and gas producer, is planning to build an oil refinery in Anning, a county-level city administered by Kunming. One of the refinery's byproduct projects would produce 500,000 tons of paraxylene (PX) annually, according to media reports. PX is a carcinogenic petrochemical used to create raw materials for the production of polyester film and fabrics. Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kunming on Saturday to protest the project, insisting that the production of PX will damage the environment. On May 5, 2013, the state-sponsored Nanjing Daily web site published an series of photos under the title "3,000 Kunming Citizens Gather in City's Center to Peacefully Protest PX Project."(昆明3000市民聚集市中心和平抗议PX项目) These screenshots show that the photos were deleted the foll

Images of PDF versions of the Liaoyuan Daily front page showing the article on the Party Circular was replaced with a story about Mother's Day. On May 9, 2013, the web site of the Chongqing Construction Committee (重庆市城乡建设委员会) published an article entitled "Hold High the Flag, Remain Resolute, and Maintain Unanimity with the Party Central Committee" (高举旗帜 坚定信心 坚决同党中央保持高度一致). Some excerpts: On May 8, 2013, the Party leadership groups for various local construction committees convened a meeting to expand study of the central organization, the specific topic being the study of the Communist Party Central Committee Working Office's publication of the "Circular Regarding the Status of the Current Ideological Realm" (the "Circular"). The meeting was lead by the Party group secretary and director Cheng Zhiyi. . . . . At the same time, central authorities have undertaken in-depth analysis and a steadfast attitude toward the seven outstanding iss

On May 13, 2013, the official Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily published an article on page four of its hard copy edition entitled "Lhasa's Old Town 'Big Demolition Big Construction' False (For Confirmation - See the Truth Behind the Uproar" ( 拉萨老城“大拆大建”不实（求证·探寻喧哗背后的真相） ). Some excerpts: On May 4, a Weibo claimed "Our Lhasa is on the Verge of Destruction! Please, Save Lhasa!" It also posted a photo of "big demolition big construction," and criticized the excessive commercialization of Lhasa's old town.  Is there any truth to the claims of large scale demolition of the cultural relics and buildings in the old town? Is Lhasa becoming overly commericialized? The People's Daily's investigative journalists took these questions the heart of the Lhasa old town - Bakuo Street District - for in-depth research to "seek proof."  . . . .  Lhasa city conducted surveys regarding the protective construction o

On May 3, 2013, China's official news agency Xinhua published an article on its web site entitled "Deng Xiaoping's Only Grandson Deng Zhuodi Assumes Post of Deputy County Chief of Pingguo County, Guangxi" ( 邓小平唯一孙子邓卓棣任广西平果副县长 ). That same day, Sina.com published an English language article entitled " Deng Xiaoping’s Grandson Named Deputy County Chief ." According to that article: "It was reported that Deng Zhuodi was an erudite and diligent man with outstanding work ability, but he kept low profile and never received any interview." The following screenshots show how China's web sites were censoring search results for information regarding Deng Zhuodi. Between May 4 and May 9, Sina Weibo began censoring search results for "Deng Zhuodi America." (邓卓棣 美国) Screenshots taken on May 9 show Baidu did not censor search results for "Deng Zhuodi America," but did censor results for (邓卓棣 美国) "Deng Zhoudi American N

On April 21, 2013, China's official news service Xinhua published an article entitled " China Hits Back with Report on U.S. Human Rights Record ." Some excerpts: China on Sunday retorted the U.S. criticism and distortions of its human rights situation by publishing a report of the U.S. human rights record. The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2012 was released by the Information Office of China's State Council, or the Cabinet, in response to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 issued by the U.S. State Department. China in the report argued that there are serious human rights problems in the U.S. which incur extensive criticism in the world, as it has posed as "the world judge of human rights" again. "As in previous years, the reports are full of carping and irresponsible remarks on the human rights situation in more than 190 countries and regions including China," China said in its report. "However, the U.S.

April 20, 2013, was the 48th birthday of Gao Zhisheng (高智晟). Gao is a Chinese army veteran and self-taught lawyer. He was named one of the 10 Best Lawyers in China by the Ministry of Justice in 2001. On December 22, 2006, Gao was convicted of subversion, and was sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence was suspended, and he was placed on probation for five years. In February 2009, Chinese security agents took Gao for interrogation, and he was not seen again until March 2010. At that time he said that he had abandoned his criticism of the government in the hope of reuniting with his family. On December 16, 2011, Xinhua reported that, one week before Gao Zhisheng's probation was to expire, a Beijing court withdrew his probation and sent him back to jail for another three years. Gao's probation had been due to expire in a week. See: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2011-12/16/content_24176428.htm These screenshots show that on December 16, 2011, a user searching for &