Baidu and Sina Weibo Censor Search Results for Artist Dai Jianyong

These screenshots show that on May 27, 2015, Baidu and Sina Weibo began censoring search results for “Dai Jianyong” (戴建勇).

According to an image of a detention notice for Dai Jianyong posted on Sina Weibo before the censorship began (see below), he was detained under Article 20 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法). That article states:

The intermediate people’s courts have jurisdiction as courts of first instance over the following criminal cases:
(1) cases endangering state security or involving terrorist activities;
(2) cases punishable by life imprisonment or death. 

中级人民法院管辖下列第一审刑事案件：
（一）危害国家安全、恐怖活动案件；
（二）可能判处无期徒刑、死刑的案件。

Baidu Censors Searches for Overseas Students Letter on June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Incident

These screenshots show that on May 28, 2015, Baidu began censoring search results for “Joint Open Letter to Students in Mainland China on the 26th Anniversary” (二十六周年致国内同学公开信签名联署).

For context, see yesterday's post - "Global Times Deletes Own Article About June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Incident": http://blog.feichangdao.com/2015/05/global-times-deletes-own-article-about.html.

Global Times Deletes Own Article About June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Incident

On May 25, 2015, the state sponsored Global Times published an editorial in English (“Hostile Forces Target Younger Generation”) and Chinese (“Hostile Overseas Forces Scheme to Incite the Post 80’s and Post 90’s Generations” - 境外势力试图煽动八零后九零后). Some excerpts:

Eleven Chinese students born in the 1980s or 1990s and studying in the US recently signed an open letter to their counterparts in the mainland. The letter carries their extreme views on the 1989 Tiananmen incident in the tone that used to be adopted by much older pro-democracy activists. It harshly attacked the current Chinese regime, twisting the facts of 26 years ago with narratives of some overseas hostile forces. 

The open letter claimed that the post-1980s and post-1990s generations in the mainland have been fooled and they couldn't get to know the "truth" of the 1989 Tiananmen incident until they moved abroad to study, where they can get unlimited access to the Internet. However, it's well-known that Internet censorship cannot prevent people acquiring sensitive information from overseas websites. The signatories mistake their own closed mindsets as the syndrome of the whole society. If the letter is truly written by a few students overseas, we have to say that those young people have been brainwashed in foreign countries, copying the paranoid minority overseas.  

十几名自称是“八零后和九零后”的在美“中国留学生”日前联署了一封致国内青年学生的公开信，就八九政治风波发表充满“民运味”、像是被手把手教着写出来的极端观点。它以十分凶悍的语言攻击中国现政权，照抄海外一些势力的话语歪曲讲述26年前发生的事情。通常来说，中国大陆赴美留学生即使思想发生一些变化，也写不出如此赤裸裸攻击祖国的文稿。 

这封公开信宣称八零后九零后受了“欺骗”，到国外留学得以无限制上网，才了解了1989年的“真相”。众所周知，网络屏蔽阻止不了人们接近海外网站的敏感信息，并非真能对人们看什么和不看什么做完整设计。写信者像是在把个人的闭塞当成整个社会的闭塞来抱怨，如果这封信真是个别大陆留学生写的，只能说这些人恰是在国外被洗了脑，成了留学生中思想和感情都很偏执的少数异类。

The Chinese language version, originally available here - http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2015-05/6524246.html - was deleted within hours of publication.

These screenshots show the link to the Chinese language article disappeared from Baidu’s search results.

These images show the article as it originally appeared in Global Times print and online editions.

These screenshots were taken on May 26, 2015, and show that searches on Baidu for “Tiananmen Open Letter” (天安门 公开信) and “June 4” (六月四日) were being censored, apparently by preventing overseas websites from appearing in the search results.

Baidu and Sina Censor Information About Wanda Chairman Wang Jianlin

On May 14, 2015, the state sponsored Global Times published an editorial entitled "Success of Wang’s Wanda Brings Fashion Culture to Inland Cities"(王健林的市场宣示但愿西媒听得懂). Some excerpts: 

Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, recently gave some long replies over certain public concerns in an interview with The Beijing News. Since Wang won the title of both "China's richest man" and "the wealthiest man in Asia" this year, he, his family, and his Wanda Group have come increasingly into the spotlight of public opinion. Some influential foreign media even described the rise of Wang and Wanda as a result of his "high-level network."
Wang didn't respond to the interpretation made by Western media. But he has reaffirmed for quite a lot of times in public that Wanda Group has been operating under the doctrine of "stay close to the government and distant from politics."  

万达董事长王健林近日接受《新京报》采访，围绕公众关心的问题做了长篇回答。由于今年以来王健林先后摘得“中国首富”和“亚洲首富”头衔，舆论对他本人和其家人，以及对万达公司的关注不断攀升。个别有影响力的外媒以咄咄逼人的姿态解读王和万达的崛起，暗示是“与中国高层的关系起了决定性作用”。
王健林没有在最新专访中回应西媒的解读。他长期以来一直公开申明万达“亲近政府，远离政治”的信条，他在专访中强调，“这句话的核心就是要走市场，搞自己的商业模式”。

This screenshot was taken on April 28, and shows that Sina Weibo was censoring search results for "Wang Jianlin at the Intersection of Business and Power" (王健林 游刃于商业与权贵之间). 

These screenshots show that on April 29, 2015, Sina Weibo began censoring search results for "Wang Jianlin New York Times" (王健林 纽约时报). 

These screenshots show that on April 29, Sina Weibo was also censoring search results for "Wang Jianlin Xi Sister" (王健林 习姐姐) (but not "Wang Jianlin Sister"), and "Wang Jianlin Xi Family" (王健林 习家属) (but not "Wang Jianlin Family").

These screenshots show that, on April 28, 2015 Baidu said it was able to find an article entitled "Wanda Empire Wang Jianlin at the Intersection of Business and Power" (万达帝国王健林 游刃于商业与权贵之间) at the URL http://www.snslink.com/index.php/china/4zenV.html. The next day, Baidu tells users it is unable to locate a web page at that link.

These screenshots were taken on May 21, 2015, and show that a Baidu search for "Wang Jianlin" limited to the New York Times website only returned two results - the New York Times home page and an article from 2012. The same search on Microsoft's Bing returns over 12,000 results, and the first is a New York Times article entitled "Wanda Empire Wang Jianlin at the Intersection of Business and Power" (万达帝国王健林 游刃于商业与权贵之间).

This screenshot, taken the same day, shows the same search on Baidu's Brazilian search engine Busca returned no results.

Wu Gan Jailed for Insulting Judge, Baidu and Sina Weibo Censor Search Results for "Wu Gan"

On May 25, 2015, the print edition of the People’s Daily published an article entitled “Internet User ’Super Vulgar Butcher’ Wu Gan Subjected to Administrative Detention for Disturbing a Work Unit’s Order and Publicly Insulting Others” (因扰乱单位秩序、公然侮辱他人 网民“超级低俗屠夫”吴淦被行政拘留). Some excerpts:

At approximately 9:00 am on the 19th, Wu Gan once again came to the courthouse entrance, and continued to loudly insult court officials, and produced insulting banners that had been prepared ahead of time in preparation of displaying them in front of courthouse entrance. Court police attempted to dissuade him several times, but Wu Gan refused to cease shouting curses and insults. 

19日上午9时许，吴淦再次来到法院门口，继续高声辱骂该院负责人，并摆放事先制作好的带有侮辱性质的广告牌，准备在法院门口摆设灵堂。法警多次对其进行劝阻，但吴淦拒绝停止叫骂和侮辱行为。

These screenshots show that on May 21, 2015, Sina Weibo began censoring searches for "The Butcher was taken by police from the Jiangxi High Court" (屠夫在江西高院被警察带走).

This image shows a document dated May 19, 2015 stating that a man named "Wu Gan" (吴淦) had been ordered held in administrative detention for 10 days on the grounds that he violated clauses 1 and 2 of Article 23 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法), which make it illegal to:

(1) disturb the order of government departments, public organizations, enterprises or institutions, thus making it impossible for work, production, business operation, medical care, teaching or scientific research to go on normally but not having caused serious losses; 

(2) disturb the public order at stations, ports, wharves, airports, department stores, parks, exhibition halls or other public places.

Among Wu Gan’s actions cited in the document was his “insulting the head of this court, Zhang Zhonghou.” (辱骂该院院长张忠厚).

According to a March 13, 2010 article entitled "Human Rights Protection Tops China's Judiciary Agenda" published on the website of China's National People's Congress:

Lawmaker Zhang Zhonghou, president of the Higher People's Court in eastern Jiangxi Province, said judicial protection of human rights has improved over the years and the protection of detainee's rights and interests has extended to larger areas such as "ensuring suspects speak in defense of themselves and their rights to seeing doctors and working." 

Zhang said there are more cases of ordinary citizens bringing government officials to court, a sign of the public's enhanced legal and rights awareness.

These screenshots were taken on May 21, 2015, and show that Baidu and Sina Weibo were censoring search results for “Wu Gan” (吴淦).

Hu Xijin, Global Times Editor, Says China Would Be North Korea Without Liu, Ai, and Pu

Hu Xijin on the cover of his book:
"Complicated China."

On May 23, 2015, the following posts appeared on the verified personal Sina Weibo of Hu Xijin (胡锡进), editor-in-chief of the state sponsored Global Times:

8:46 am

Without those such as Liu, Ai, & Pu, China would be North Korea. Without the forces restraining those people, China would be Egypt, the Ukraine. Without certain external pressures, China might stagnate. Without the state's ability to restrain and master its political conflicts, China would inevitably fall apart. Complementary forces are molding and pushing China, and if these complementary forces can ultimately follow the example of the last 30 years, then it can only be for the greatest good of China. Some people don't understand this sort of talk, but this is the logic by which society progresses. 

没有刘、艾、浦等，中国就是朝鲜。没有制约他们的力量，中国就是埃及、乌克兰。没有来自外部的一些压力，中国可能停滞。没有国家的抵制能力和政治上的对立自主，中国必将溃散。合力在塑造、推动中国，合力的最终方向如这三十几年的样子，实乃中国之大幸。一些人听不懂这些话，但社会在按这个逻辑前进。

Original URL: http://www.weibo.com/1989660417/Cj7PF4USD

2:10 pm

Liu, Ai, and Pu represent a class of people. I am willing to believe that, viewed from a longer historical perspective, their positive impact on social progress is something more than nothing. But this kind of positive impact is only what exists and remains after they have been subjected to powerful restrictions. Sometimes social progress derives its benefits from a tortured path of conflict, and the key is that this society retains control over the process, intensity, and direction of that conflict. Those who, when faced with enormous influence of Western value systems, would wipe out the destructive forces of Liu, Ai, and Pu, deserve our respect. 

刘艾浦是一类人的代称。我愿意相信，从历史长河去观看，他们对社会进步的正面意义不是零。但这种正面意义只有在他们受到强大制约时才会存在和残留。社会进步有时会从对抗中曲折受益，关键是这个社会能够驾驭对抗的过程、烈度和方向。那些敢于在西方价值观颇具影响时消除刘艾蒲破坏力的力量是可敬的。

Original URL: http://www.weibo.com/1989660417/Cj9X3v1sq

10:58 pm

I went ahead and deleted today's posts myself after I saw the disagreements and emotions of certain Internet users. I've been in transit all day, and got off a plane just now. Here's wishing everyone a good weekend. (This post will also get deleted eventually). 

我删掉了今天发的微博，是我看到一些网友的不同意见和情绪后主动删的。我今天不停坐交通工具，刚又下飞机。祝大家周末快乐。（这条过会也删啊。）

Original URL: http://www.weibo.com/1989660417/Cjdpe3jRw

That post was deleted shortly before noon on May 24.

According to a Global Time’s editorial published on April 16, 2011 entitled “West's Support of Ai Weiwei Abnormal”:

As a Chinese citizen, Ai undoubtedly enjoys favorable treatment from the West, which constitutes an intrusion of China's legal system. The Western bias toward Ai results from his confrontational attitude to the government.
. . . .
The majority of this group has enjoyed the freedom to criticize almost everything, bringing them both fame and wealth. China has entered an era of unprecedented political tolerance. 

Take Ai's case as an example: He has won more media coverage and fame than many of his peers in recent years, mostly thanks to his biting comments and confrontational activities. 

The belief that there is political persecution in China is a fallacy.  Instead, the country is witnessing the unfolding of democracy. 

On March 31, 2015, Hu, writing under the pseudonym “Shan Renping” published and editorial on the Global Times website entitled “Hyping Dissidents Leaves Anti-China Western Critics With Egg on Their Faces.” Some excerpts:

In China, more people know of Ai Weiwei's political stance rather than his arts achievement. Few people in China can understand his performance art, but he is hailed as a master of art in the West, for obvious reasons.  Some Chinese artists know how to play trick and benefit from it by defying political systems while being exploited by the West. 

On May 8, 2014, Hu wrote in an editorial entitled “Legal Activists Must Also Respect Rule of Law”:

Pu Zhiqiang, a Beijing-based civil rights lawyer, was detained by Beijing police on Tuesday on the charge of provoking troubles, according to his relatives, an event which drew sympathetic comments on social media.
. . . .
The problem is some of them have deliberately crossed the bottom line of the rule of law. It was reported that Pu was detained after he attended an anniversary event to commemorate the June 4th incident. . . . [S]uch an event, which is related to the most sensitive political issue in China, has clearly crossed the red line of law.
. . . .
These activist lawyers, to some extent, have inspired the whole society to look into the past, but these lawyers themselves have lost the ability of self-introspection. They must regain self-awareness and realize that they are not the commandos or authoritative forces to improve China's rule law.

On November 1, 2010, the Global Times published an editorial entitled “Nobel Winner Holds Deep Hatred for China.” Some excerpts:

From the mid-1990s, Liu began to work for a company in the US subsidized by a CIA-backed foundation. He was well paid, and even during his imprisonment Liu has continued to be paid every month. 

Despite his contempt for China and its people Liu has always claimed that his activities are his responsibility as a Chinese citizen. However, his words and acts have exposed the hypocrisy of his "honest image." 

Liu's anti-government remarks and articles have been merely a means of earning money.
"Your life will become more meaningful if you have a certain amount of money" is his mantra in support of his "lifelong cause" against the Chinese government. 

To ensure his income, Liu has made unremitting efforts to work for the anti-China Western forces, reviling the government and the socialist system. 

He has also utilized the Internet in an attempt to get more people to join his attempt to change China's current political system and overthrow the government led by the Chinese Communist Party. 

Liu's remarks and acts are already beyond the scope of freedom of speech and his proposals, which aim at implanting Western political institutions in China and overthrowing the CPC's leadership, contravene the country's Constitution and laws.
In December 2008, Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on the charge of subversion.

These screenshots were taken on May 24, 2015, and show that Baidu PostBar (Tieba 贴吧) had banned the topics “Liu Xiaobo” (刘晓波), “Ai Weiwei” (艾未未), and Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强).

Sina Weibo Censors Searches About Protests in Linshui Sichuan

On May 19, 2015, the state sponsored Global Times published an article entitled “Sichuan County Denies Protestors Killed.” Some excerpts:

The local government of Linshui in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday denied violently repressing its residents, who took to the streets to demand a regional railway pass through their county.  

Thousands of residents in Linshui county gathered in Saturday morning and marched on the streets for several hours, demanding the planned railway linking Dazhou, Sichuan to Chongqing municipality pass through Linshui instead of the neighboring city of Guang'an.

Linshui authorities published a statement on their website Monday, saying that there were no deaths in the protest despite some 30 police officers and 38 residents being injured, refuting media reports saying that four people allegedly died and more than 100 were injured.

This screenshot was taken on May 17, 2015, and shows that Sina Weibo was censoring search results for “Linshui Railway” (邻水 铁路).

This screenshot, taken the same day, shows a post reporting injuries and fatalities as protestors clashed with police. There is a notice on the post saying it had been reported for policy violations. The post, originally available here - http://www.weibo.com/3151965543/CierT4nft - was subsequently deleted.

Government Tells People Who Is Authorized to Repost News Online

On May 5, 2015, the Cyberspace Administration of China (国家网信办) published the following “List of News Organizations Authorized to Provide Websites for Reposting News” (可供网站转载新闻的新闻单位名单).

Source: http://www.cac.gov.cn/2015-05/05/c_1115179188.htm