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Taiwan: Could the Future Be Nuclear-Free?

I-fan Lin — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:26:41 +0000

Since the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in March 2011, 53 out of the 54 nuclear power plants in Japan have been shut down for security checks. On May 5, 2012, the proportion of Japan's energy supplied by nuclear power reached zero for the first time in 42 years, following the shut down of Tomari’s Unit 3 in Hokkaido. Although the Japanese government is currently seeking to restart some nuclear power plants, local representatives still have serious concerns regarding their safety.

In Taiwan, many people have also started talking about the possibility of moving towards a nuclear-free future. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Union [zh] is optimistic about the nuclear-free movement in Japan, as quoted in Coolloud.org:

日本從去年311之後，國內核電廠陸續關閉，至今尚未發生缺電問題，如果可以熬過今年夏天不需核電，日本將真正進入無核國家。

After the earthquake of March 11, 2011, the nuclear power plants in Japan have been shut down one by one. So far they have not had any problems with electricity shortages. If they can survive this summer without nuclear energy, Japan could really become a nuclear-free nation.

Anti-nuclear energy protest in Taipei, March 11, 2012. Photo contributed to this post by James Yang under CC: BY-NC-SA

Su Huan-Chi, a candidate for chairperson with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), also stated [zh] in Plurk, a popular social media website in Taiwan, that:

如果我當黨主席，一定先推動核四北北基宜四縣市地方公投廢核四！

If I were elected as the Party chairperson, I would campaign for a referendum to stop the four nuclear power plants in Taipei city, New Taipei city, Keelung and Yilan.

Nevertheless, not everyone is so optimistic about the nuclear-free development in Japan. bluesystem [zh] is worried how far Japan can go after shutting down all their nuclear power plants:

廢核絕對可以推! 只要不影響經濟下滑. 不過這真的會很拼…

Of course we can campaign for a nuclear-free Taiwan - as long as this move does not make the economy worse. However, this will be difficult.

核能的問題不只是使用其它能源來替代, 而是「能源自主性」的問題. 一旦重要的能源來源被別國控制, 那這個國家等於廢掉一樣! 這問題要怎麼解決? 除非能源自主率能提高吧~…那大家都廢核, 請問天然資源是不是大家一起搶? 假設台灣也搞廢核的話,能源來源方面搶得贏中國跟日本嗎?

The issue at stake regarding the use of nuclear power is not only about finding alternative energy. It is a matter of ‘energy autonomy’. If the major energy source is controlled by other countries, this country is doomed! How can we solve this problem? Only if we can increase our energy supply can we campaign for nuclear-free living. Are we ready to compete for natural energy resources? If Taiwan shuts down all our nuclear power plants, can we outbid China and Japan in the competition of energy resources?

Anti-nuclear energy protest in Taipei, April 30, 2011. Photo contributed to this post by James Yang under CC: BY-NC-SA

Despite the aforementioned worries, thousands of Taiwanese people protested against nuclear power on March 11, 2012, the first anniversary of the earthquake in Japan. Shuchuan, an independent environmental reporter, explained [zh] why she thinks Taiwan can and should give up nuclear energy:

福島核災打破核能安全神話，只要一次災害就足以毀掉所有。…我們還有選擇時，沒有理由不去思考任何不必使用核能發電的可能性。

The Fukushima nuclear power plant accident destroyed the myth of nuclear safety. We see that one accident can destroy all we have…We have no reason not to think about the possibility of giving up nuclear energy when we still have a choice.

以台灣目前核電佔總發電量不到兩成，但備載容量卻超過25%的情況下，廢不廢核並不是「能不能」的問題，而是「決心」。

In Taiwan, the proportion of electricity supplied by nuclear power is less than 20%, but our spare capacity is more than 25%. Under this condition, nuclear-free is not an issue of ‘can or cannot’, it is an issue of determination.

台灣政府還預估未來用電要再成長38%，只要不歸零思考、不檢討自己的浪費行為、不思索更聰明的用電方式，發再多電都不夠用。

The Taiwanese government estimates that we will need 38% more electricity in the future. If we do not go back to to the fundamental problem and review our energy consumption pattern and use electricity in a smarter way, there will never be enough for us even if we manage to generate more.

過去一年台灣政府已有改變，馬總統宣布核一、二、三使用年限到期不再延役，這是一個進展。然而對於核四依然繼續投入經費不願放手，核廢料無能力處理，卻一再強調核安的可以控制。然而，福島核災近在眼前，繼續說「核能安全」也已經沒有意義、且完全沒有說服力，終歸而言，台灣政府對核災還是沒有覺悟。

In the past year, the Taiwanese government has changed. President Ma claimed that our first, second, and third nuclear power plants would not extend their operations after reaching their shelf life. We have made some progress. However, the government is not willing to give up the fourth nuclear power plant and is throwing more money into it. The government does not know how to deal with the nuclear waste, but they keep claiming that they can promise the safety of nuclear power plants. Nevertheless, when we think of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, we can see that this is nonsense and it is not convincing to talk of the ‘safety of nuclear power plants’. In the end, the Taiwanese government does not seem aware of the possibility of nuclear disasters.

而這個歸零思考，理應是站在「廢除核電」的基礎上，重新去思考其他的能源方式，而如果其他的能源暫時無法完全取代，我們應該如何節能，以因應發電不足的情況。也就是說，思考自己的侷限，然後做出改變。

We should support the fundamental standpoint of a ‘nuclear-free Taiwan’ and explore the use of alternative energy. If we do not have enough alternative energy to replace all the nuclear-derived electricity we are using now and in the near future, we need to reduce our usage of electricity to avoid shortages. In other words, we need to think about our limits and make the change.

This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

China: Propaganda Against U.S. Ambassador Backfires

Oiwan Lam — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:56:07 +0000

Since the escape of blind civic rights activist Chen Guangcheng into the U.S embassy, the U.S Ambassador Gary Locke has become the major target for media attack in Bejing. However, so far each piece of political propaganda has resulted in a backfire.

A number of state-controlled newspapers are involved in the propaganda campaign but Beijing Daily is the most high sounding one. On May 4, 2012 it published an editorial, “Reading the Measly Performance of U.S. Politicians through the Chen Guangcheng Affair” and openly criticized Gary Locke for playing “little tricks” (via China Media Project):

. . . It must be said that for some time, the American Embassy in China and the new U.S ambassador to China, Gary Locke, have used various means that are incommensurate with their roles and responsibilities — their “little tricks” have continued unabated. This causes people to ask, is it the role of this ambassador to do his utmost to advance the U.S.-China relationship, bridge gaps and eliminate misunderstandings, or is it to hatch schemes and bound out into Chinese society to make trouble, manufacturing new and greater fissures between China and the United States.

Many netizens were outraged by such propaganda and attacked the newspapers for losing their consciences. By 8 p.m on May 4, the term “Beijing Daily” (北京日報） had become unsearchable [zh]. The political spoof below, a imitation of political prosecution during the Cultural Revolution, reflects the popular sentiment towards the Chinese propaganda machine's attack on Gary Locke (via China Media Project). The photo's caption read: “The only way out for Ambassador Locke is to be whole-hearted corrupt!”:

Gary Locke's little trick. Via China Media Project

The latest round of attack by Beijing Daily came through its official Sina Weibo account on May 14 demanding that Gary Locke disclose his personal assets. China Media Project has translated some of the immediate responses from Sina Weibo:

@Liu Yadong [zh]: No matter whether its praise or criticism your dishing out, it must be based on a deep understanding of the other side. Seen from a many sides, Beijing Daily‘s demand that Gary Locke disclose his personal finances is a basic error. It shows a basic lack of understanding of American society: how can that country’s top politicians possibly keep their personal assets secret! To openly make such a childish demand perhaps also reveals the closed-up nature of this newspaper, its lack of international perspective. This is a lesson!

@Zhao Chu [zh]: Beijing Daily is a joke. For them to make a joke like this just shows they’re a bunch of stupid pigs at the top.

In early morning the next day, the newspapers removed its comment and re-post the same comment by adding a re-post in front of the message [deleted]. It continued to attract a lot of criticism. The China Media Project has captured and translated some from the comment thread:

@半拉北京人: His assets were disclosed back in 2010. Why doesn’t he teach Chinese official how to disclose [their assets]?

@辣笔小飞: Beijing Daily, are you really dumb, or just playing dumb? You think that just by having this title “Beijing” to back you up you can lead public opinion astray?

@无梦的八戒: Of course Gary Locke’s personal assets have been disclosed. And what about the assets of those imperial officials [of ours]?

@天恩0120: Oh, editors and comrades of Beijing Daily, how are you? How tough things are for you. It’s just that the residence of the Ambassador and the cars he rides in are about the image of America. No matter how we try to refine the idea of whether or not Gary Locke is corrupt, there’s the looming issue of our leaders living in Zhongnanhai. And how much more resplendent are those official residences? Why don’t you have a look.

@老男人的小日子: “What about that post asking Locke to disclose his assets? How was that deleted? How humiliating for the Party!

In less than an hour or so, the post was removed again. However, it couldn't stop netizens from laughing about its self-humiliating move:

wh_w：严重怀疑北京日报脑残或被收买了.洛有无目的另说，麻烦別拿家丑和人家的优势对比。有些方面祖国是相当落后的

@wh_w [zh]: I seriously suspect that Bejing Daily is run by mentally retarded or it has been bribed. I don't want to comment on Locke's intention. But please don't expose the dirt/corruption in our own country by comparing with others. Our country is still backward in many aspects.

buckforland：北京日报挺幽默的，一巴掌打过去竟打回自己的脸上了。

@buckforland [zh]: Beijing Daily is quite hilarious. It just punched its own face.

lpcysy：纽约时报：我们美国多民主，可以公开要求骆家辉公布财产北京日报：我们中国也民主，可以公开要求骆家辉公布财产

@lpcysy [zh]: New York Times: We Americans have democracy and can demand that Gary Locke publicize his personal assets. Beijing daily: We Chinese also have democracy and can demand that Gary Locke publicize his personal assets.

haistone1：感谢北京日报的良苦用心，引起了全社会对官员财产公开的高度关注。

@haistone1 [zh]: We should thank Beijing Daily for humiliating itself to raise the public's concern on the need to be more transparent regarding Chinese government officials' personal assets.

Taiwan: Indigenous Tao People's 30 Year Nuclear ‘Nightmare'

I-fan Lin — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:43:35 +0000

After Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident last year, more and more Taiwanese have started to become aware of the problems caused by nuclear power plants. One of the most serious issues is nuclear waste on Orchid Island, where the Tao people have lived for generations.

In December 30, 2011, a group of Tao people went to Taipei to protest against [zh] the nuclear waste storage facility situated on the Orchid Island in front of the presidential building. However, the president did not respond to their protest.

Another protest took place on February 20, 2012, with more than 500 Tao people demonstrating [zh] in front of the nuclear waste storage facility on the island due to concern over radioactive isotopes detected outside it and their anger with the owner company Taiwan Power's unfulfilled promise to store the nuclear waste elsewhere.

Jessie Tai from Wired Taiwan explained why [zh] Taiwan Power failed to keep their promise and move the nuclear waste out of the Orchid Island by the end of 2002:

因為核廢料處理最終場址的選定程序過於漫長，以及把核廢料運往國外處理的計畫失敗。

It takes a long time to find another place for long-term nuclear waste storage, and the original plan to ship the nuclear waste abroad failed.

A reporter from Taiwan New Talk listed the Tao people's demand [zh]:

首先，已經完成核廢桶檢整的貯存場應立即遷出蘭嶼；其次，蘭嶼將不續租土地給台電放置核廢料，已造成污染之土地必須進行除污與活化；第3，政府部門與台電應對核廢料貯存在蘭嶼的錯誤政策進行檢討，並重新與達悟族人談判後續賠償事宜，以彌補多年來達悟民族因核廢料所損失的健康。

First, the packed nuclear waste should be moved out of Orchid Island immediately; second, Orchid Island will not be leased to Taiwan Power company for nuclear waste storage anymore, and the contaminated land should be restored and revitalized; third, the government and Taiwan Power company should review their mistaken policy of putting nuclear waste on Orchid Island, and they should discuss with the Tao people about compensation for any health problems caused by the nuclear waste storage facility.

Some Tao people have also joined the political party and are pressuring the government through the legislature [zh], according to Jessie Tai's report from Wired Taiwan:

在農曆年前的大選中，提倡環保的綠黨為了強調其反核立場，將長期推動反核運動的達悟族單親媽媽希婻瑪飛洑列為該黨不分區立委名單第一人，綠黨雖然後來並未達到政黨票5%的國會門檻，但在蘭嶼卻創紀錄地拿下35.7%的政黨票，突顯出蘭嶼人長久以來的不滿，以及對自身家園環境的隱憂。

In the national legislative election held this January, to emphasize their anti-nuclear stance, the Green party, which has advocated environmental awareness, made Sinan Mavivo, a single mother from the Tao aboriginal group, the first candidate in their list of legislator-at-large seats. Although the Green party did not win more than 5% of the votes to have any legislator-at-large seat, the Green party won 35.7% of the votes on Orchid Island. This new record shows the anger the Tao people have had for a long time and their worries for their homeland.

Below is a documentary produced by Taiwan Indigenous TV on the history of the nuclear waste problem on Orchid Island:

Here is selected translation of the video script:

0′18″: To the Tao people of Orchid Island, the scene of first shipment of nuclear waste in the harbor of the Orchid Island in 1982 is a 30-year-long nightmare.

4′24″: On February 20, 1988, Tao people protested against the nuclear waste storage facility. Twenty four years ago, on a rainy day, the residents of Orchid Island angrily gathered together in front of the nuclear waste storage facility. They shouted their slogan loudly, “I love Orchid Island, and I do not want nuclear waste.” The Tao people's protest against nuclear waste started from that moment.

4′53″: On June 1, 1995, the Tao people were angry about the Taiwan Power company's plan to build six new nuclear waste storage trenches. There were protests against nuclear waste in Orchid Island and Taipei at the same time.

5′19″: (Former President Chen Shui-Bian said on TV): Our policy about nuclear waste on Orchid Island is very clear. We will move all the nuclear waste out of Orchid Island before the end of 2002. We will give the beautiful island back to the Tao people.

5′40″: The township magistrate of the Orchid Island asked, “Did the people on Orchid Island produce this nuclear waste? Who produced it?” The crowd answered, “Taiwan.” The township magistrate asked, “Do we use the electricity generated by the nuclear power plants?” The crowd answered, “No.” The township magistrate said, “Do not give others what you do not want. Chen Shui-Bian should eat this”.

6′44″: In 1996, the nuclear waste storage facility was full. There are more than 97,000 barrels of nuclear waste [in it]. However, Taiwan Power company still planned to ship more nuclear waste to Orchid Island. The Tao people were mobilized to surround the harbor. At last, the ship of nuclear waste was blocked in the waters off the small island. That ship returned to Taiwan. No more nuclear waste has been shipped to Orchid island.

7′36″: Breaking news: there are radioactive isotopes, Cobalt-60 and Caesium-137, [evident] outside the nuclear waste storage facility on Orchid Island. Although the Atomic Energy Council said the amount of radioactive isotopes is far below the standard, researchers found these radioactive isotopes are from the nuclear waste storage facility.

8′28″: Looking at this photo, you can see what happened in the nuclear waste storage trenches in the past 30 years. This is horrifying. As a mother, when I look at the photo, I think our health may be seriously threatened. I cannot stop yelling. In the past 30 years, in last year, we Tao people have kept yelling. We are yelling for help.

9′09″: What you throw in front of our houses will make the Tao people die and become extinct. You are talking about increasing the compensation. I am sorry. Can you tell Mr. Ma Ying-Jeou what you just said? The only thing we ask for is the removal of nuclear waste from Orchid Island.

China, Philippines: Scarborough Shoal Sovereignty Tension Rises

Oiwan Lam — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:37:11 +0000

Tension between China and the Philippines over the disputed waters of the Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Island has been elevated, with the state-controlled Chinese media reporting that China can no longer tolerate the presence of Philippines naval ships in the South China Sea.

The China Daily commentary on May 8, 2012, highlighted [zh] in its headline that China “could not tolerate the intolerable” regarding the Scarborough Shoal dispute and it revealed that the Chinese government's diplomatic strategy would be a demonstration of sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Nationalist performance

Nationalist Chinese media outlet Global Times's editorial on May 9, stated that [zh] “it would be a miracle if the confrontation would not end up in military conflicts”.

Local newspapers also reported that Chinese naval ships have expelled [zh] Philippine fishermen from the Shoal. The nationalist commentaries come in reaction to a Philippine military expert's claim [zh] that China would not resort to military means to solve either the Scarborough Shoal dispute or domestically, Chinese online nationalism.

The latest sovereignty performance came with the erection of a Chinese flag on the main reef of the Scarborough Shoal by a Dongfan Star television reporter:

Chinese social media is flooded with nationalist sentiment when the word “黃岩島” (Huangyan Island) is searched for, and the mainstream media have added oil to the flame. Below is a selection of some typical Weibo comments on the issue:

周指辉：估计我国要实际控制黄岩岛——这是一个好机会，希望能顺手把菲占的其他岛也给一并拿了！

@周指辉 [zh]: It seems that our country is to take control of the Huangyan Islands. This is a golden opportunity, I hope we can take control of other islands as well.

醉想丽华：[1/2]中国疆域领土确实很大，但没有一寸是多余的，关于领土问题没有谈判，只有战争，如果不准备动武就不要拿起武器，一旦遭人欺负，就应当瞬间回击；对于黄岩岛问题别每天总是在说是中国固有的领土，固有、固有听着就烦了，都已被人家欺负到这份上了，还无动于衷，不给一点颜色瞧瞧还真的以为好欺负，

@醉想丽华 [zh]: Chinese territory is really huge, but every inch of it is holy. There is no negotiation over territorial matters, only war can solve the problem. We have to hold our weapon and get prepared. Once we are being bullied, we have to fight back. Everyday, the media keep saying that Huangyan is an integral part of China, this is so frustrating… we are being bullied and we still keep talking. We need to show some colors so that they won't test our strength.

黑匣子陈廖宇：黄岩岛问题特别满足各种国人从各方面的意淫。所以还是不要解决的好。

@黑匣子陈廖宇 [zh]: The Huangyan issue is a symbolic act for different countries to feed their fantasy [political and nationalistic]. So better not to solve the problem.

佳琦-半正太V：对于最近的南海诸问题，中国一直都忍让，但这次黄岩岛和菲律宾闹的有点大。我想，是不是想拿来它试试刀，镇一下越南和小日本呢，

@佳琦-半正太V [zh]: China has been very restrained in dealing with the South China Sea problem. But the Huangyan Island issue has been stirred up by the Philippines. I think we can test our knife and see if we can also give some warning to Vietnam and Japan.

A media worker's reflection

Media worker in Guangzhou, Su Shaoxin [zh], is critical of the media flaming of the popular nationalistic sentiment:

如同我严厉批评我所任职的媒体机构一样，作为媒体及公众人物在此刻为民族主义情绪张目，确能两头讨好：政治上正确，也能获市场掌声。但这种功利思维或不自觉做法背后可能产生的灾难性后果，您应比我更有切肤之痛。这大概是我会使用“知识能力不足”的原因——因为这如果不是天真的话，就是别有用心。

As media workers and public figures, we can win applause from the market and enjoy being politically correct by adding oil to the nationalist sentiment at this moment. However, such utilitarianism would bring disaster to the country and you [probably refers to a more experienced media worker] have much [more] painful experience than me. I would say there is a lack of knowledge and ability in dealing with the [Huangyan] issue — because if it is not out of naivety, there is some hidden agenda [behind the reports and commentaries].

China: Political Space of the Weibo Blogging Platform

Oiwan Lam — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:04:32 +0000

Chicago University Sociology Professor Zhao Dingxin recently delivered a speech entitled “Weibo, Political Space and China Development” at East China Normal University. Zhao's reservations on the technological setting and nature of Weibo, a well known Chinese micro-blogging platform, has triggered debate and reflections amongst Chinese bloggers.

Reflections on Weibo

Zhao's speech has been partial transcribed and published in local newspaper Dongfang Daily (via NetEase) [zh]. Below is a selected translation of the transcript:

微博是一个彻底民主的同时又是可被操纵性很强的通讯手段。说它是最彻底的民主是因为微博只需写寥寥几句话，只要知道怎么用微博，谁都能写，写得好坏也无所谓。说它可操纵性强，是因为微博中的声音不具有“一人一票”的性质。…只要一个人掌握着大量的金钱或者某种技术，那个人就能通过雇佣水军把自己的声音做大，于是就形成了虚假舆论。这里面可操纵的余地太大。

Weibo is an absolutely democratic but highly manipulative mode of communication. It is democratic in the sense that the user only need to write a few sentences. Once a person knows how to login, s/he can start writing regardless of the quality. It is manipulative in the sense that each voice does not register the character of an equal vote… If a person controls a lot of money or certain technology, s/he can hire an online army to magnify their voice and create fake public opinion. The space for manipulation is huge.

前台行为和后台行为的区隔是我们社会文明处事的一个很重要的原则。但是在微博的公共空间中前台行为和后台行为的界限不再清晰。微博中的言论是面向社会的，它们本来应该是前台行为。但是微博中许多人并不在自己熟悉的圈子内混，不少人的真实面目我们完全不清楚。这些人因此能在微博中动辄破口大骂，而不怕受到惩罚。从这个意义上来说，微博公共空间的出现把人类的许多后台行为前台化了，这就是微博语言暴力趋向背后的结构性原因。

The distinction between front-stage and back-stage behavior marks the principle of our social manner. However, in Weibo, the line between front-stage and back-stage has been blurred. The speech in Weibo is directed to society and thus should be considered as front-stage behavior. However, many Weibo users are not hanging around with their own social circle and the users don't know each other's real self. Hence, they can swear and get away with peer pressure. In this sense, the public sphere of Weibo has turned the back-stage into the front-stage. This is the structural explanation for the verbal violence and abusive language [evident] in Weibo.

 从一定意义上说，在微博公共空间中，人们的表现会接近于勒庞所描述的“乌合之众”，他们一方面表现得特别不服从权威，另一方面又在操纵下特别容易对权威产生崇拜甚至盲从。微博中的狂热之士很像“文革”中的红卫兵：一方面喊着打倒一切、怀疑一切；另一方面喊着谁敢反对某个权威我们就打倒谁。

In some sense, people are acting like Gustave Le Bon's description of “the crowd” in Weibo's public sphere. They are against authority on the one hand, but on the other hand worship authority. Some Weibo fanatics are acting like the Red Guards in the Chinese Cultural Revolution: tearing down everything and putting everything in doubt, while at the same time attacking whosoever opposes the leader's [here means Mao Tzedong] authority.

Zhao pointed out that most of the debates in Weibo are ideological and he used famous Chinese writer Han Han's ghostwriter scandal as an example to explain his point:

我本以为这一场争论的核心是真假问题，而不是价值观问题，是比较容易说清楚的。但我马上发觉支持作家的人士大致可分为相互重叠的三类人士。第一是原教旨自由主义者。这些人士认定作家是盟友，并认为打假是政治阴谋，是价值观和意识形态层面上的问题，不是一个简单的真假问题。第二就是作家的“粉丝”。不读大学就可以当作家、收入不菲还可以打扮得很酷的生活令年轻人羡慕。维护作家对他们来说，犹如维护宗教信仰一般是他们的责任。第三，就是一些缺乏常识的人，对于这些人来说，什么奇迹都可以发生，常识简直就是对他们认知的亵渎。

At first, I thought the core issue of this debate is a matter of true or false rather than value judgement. Then I found out that those who support the writer could be divided into three types of characters. First are liberalist fundamentalists. They consider the writer as their alliance and see the scandal as a political conspiracy. It is an ideological matter rather than an issue of true and false. The second type are the writer's fans. A writer without a university degree, a cool lifestyle different from typical rich people; many young people adore the writer and feel responsible to defend him. Such behavior is religious in nature. The third type of people are those who lack common sense. They believe in miracles and detest common knowledge.

Zhao believes that such irrational populist sentiment is rooted in the disintegration of the value system in mainland Chinese society as a result of the cultural revolution, the lack of direction in humanities subjects in the education, people's skepticism of the mainstream media and the culture of a mass consumption society.

Reactions online

Some Chinese netizens disagreed with Zhao's observations. For example, blogger Zuo Zhijian pointed out [zh]:

微博有商业水军潜伏，这固然是一个事实。但赵教授忽视了另外一个事实，即微博是一个开放的平台，意味着这是一个自由的言论市场。…即便是水军，在微博上也要比BBS上更容易识别。相信普通网民识别水军的能力，不会弱于公知，因为他们早就熟悉各类网络工具，在水军的风浪中久经考验了。
如果纵向比较，把微博与电视、广播做比较，应该很清楚“操控受众”的难度已经难太多了。

It is true that there is a ‘commercial army' [promoting things] on Weibo. But Zhao has omitted the fact that Weibo is an open platform and a free speech market… It is more easy to distinguish the ‘army' on Weibo than on BBS [Bulletin Board System]. Ordinary netizens' ability to distinguish the ‘online army' is not be weaker than that of public intellectuals. In fact, they have long experience in fighting against the ‘army' across different online platforms.
When compared with TV and radio broadcast, on Weibo it is a lot more difficult to manipulate the audience.

Zuo agreed that it is difficult to develop consensus via Weibo but he stressed that's the reason why public intellectuals should engage more with the open platform:

认识到微博的局限性，政治家与知识分子就更应主动应对并利用微博的长处。
作为政治家，应该更快更及时地提供公共信息，消除民众的疑惑。
作为知识分子，则应该意识到，微博传播价值远高过辩论价值，所以是一个很好的启蒙平台。在中国这样言论空间稀缺的环境下，更几乎是唯一的平台。
当下在中国，启蒙也远比辩论来的重要。知识分子也知道，民众有危险的民粹倾向，这恰恰意味着知识分子还需要做太多事情。
这个时代知识分子面临的环境，与历史上其他时期最大的不同就在于，有了互联网这样的开放平台。了解并善用互联网工具，是这一代知识分子的必修课。

Knowing the restriction of Weibo, politicians and public intellectuals should be more engaged and help to make use of the advance setting of the platform.
For politicians, they should provide accurate public information to clear people out from speculation.
For intellectuals, they should be making use of Weibo's distributive power rather than entangling in the debate of its nature. It is a platform for people's enlightenment. In particular in China where we lack free speech space, Weibo has become the only platform.
In China, the enlightenment project is more important than debate. Now that intellectuals are aware of the populist tendency, which means you have to work hard.
The environment Chinese intellectuals are facing now is very different from our precedents, we have the Internet, an open platform. The fundamental course for intellectuals is to understand and actively making use of the tool.

Blogger Shan Gu's view echoed with [zh] Zuo Zhijian's criticism and looked deeper into the nature of Weibo as an open platform:

固然，微博空间是个大杂烩，其中高雅与低俗并存，美丽与丑陋同行，真相与谣言齐飞。但同时，与传统媒体相比，微博具有更高效的记忆功能：要证明传统媒体在两年前曾经说谎，你或许需要亲自跑一趟档案馆；而要证明一名微博大V两年前曾经说过谎，则只需要点击一下鼠标。因此，微博空间虽然谣言横飞，但其自身便具备了自洁功能，任何试图用谎言、谣言或其他各种极端思想来“操纵网民”作法最终都只会落人笑柄。

The Weibo space is highly diversified. High and low culture, beauty and ugliness, truth and rumor co-exist. However, when compared with the conventional media, Weibo has very good memory function. If we have to prove that a conventional media told a lie two years ago, we have to dig into its archive. If we have to prove a Weibo opinion leader for telling a lie two years ago, we just need to hit our keyboard. Although there are a lot of rumors in Weibo, the rumors would be cleared in time. Lies, rumors and other manipulative acts would become a joke eventually.

勒宠的“乌合之众”非常强调集体行为的“在场感”，只有亲身置于集体行为的特定场域之中，个体的非理性情绪才会在交互影响中被不断加强、放大并最终主宰个人的行动；而网络上的非理性情绪则缺乏这种“在场感”，其非理性情绪没有被放大、被加强的途径，所以其非理性情绪至多也不过是凝聚为几句“气壮山河”的国骂罢了，即便真的有极少数人会付诸行动，其行动也往往是基于功利计算后的个人行为——要理解上述两者之差异，只要想一下在现场看球、和十几个在电视前看球与一个人在家里看球有何不同便可以明了。

Le Bon description of “the crowd” stresses the effect of collective presence. Only when a person is in a collective presence, would his/her irrational emotion be magnified and take control of the individual's behavior. On the Internet, irrational emotion do not have such kind of collective presence and could not be further magnified. It expresses in the form of four-letter [curse] words. Even if a minority of them take action, such action would be based upon a very utilitarian calculation. To understand the difference, we can compare the emotional effect of watching a football match at the pitch with a huge crowd and watching it on a TV screen with a dozen friends.

微博公共空间的隐忧不在于其可能被心怀不轨的“阴谋家”操纵，而在于其可能被国家机器控制——只有国家的控制才不受成本与收益的市场规律制约，并且能凭借其垄断性的资源而使其影响力超越时空范围的限制，获得主宰性的地位。因此，如果网民真的可能存在被操纵的危险，则其危险的根源绝不源于微博自身，而源自微博之外的强制性力量。

The underlying threat of the Weibo public sphere does not lie in the hand of some “conspirators” but in the state machine. Only state control will not be restricted by cost and effectiveness. Its monopolized power allows its influence to extend beyond temporal and spatial restriction and achieve domination. If netizens are to be manipulated, the threat does not stem from the Weibo platform, but the coercive force from outside the platform.

赵鼎新教授的观点则体现了一种智识上的高傲，在他眼中，“网民”是非理性、易忽悠且缺乏常识的，韩寒粉丝的认知能力更甚至是“亵渎常识”的（视他为奇迹、像维护宗教信仰一样维护他）……但他可能忘了，常识的普及永远不可能建立在“先知式”的智者对公众高高在上的“教化”基础之上，而只可能通过信息的自由与开放而实现。

Professor Zhao Dingxin's viewpoint reflects his [feeling of] intellectual superiority. In his eyes, “netizens” are irrational, easily manipulated and in lack of common sense. Han Han's fans' intellect has blasphemed common knowledge (they defend him as if he were a miracle or a religion)… But he has forgotten that the popularization of common knowledge cannot be founded by the “cultivation” of “prophecy” of a guru upon the public. It can only be actualized in an open society with free information flow.

The thumbnail photo showing Professor Zhao Dingxin is accredited to Dongfang Daily via NetEase.

China: Al Jazeera's Beijing Correspondent Expelled

Oiwan Lam — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:56:54 +0000

Al Jazeera English's Beijing correspondent Melissa Chan's press credential were revoked by the Chinese government on May 8, 2012, resulting in the shutting down of Al Jazeera's English Bureau in Beijing.

The incident marks a setback for press freedom in China with the previous expulsion of an accredited foreign correspondent dating back over a decade to 1998.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei offered little explanation for the expulsion, but online speculation points to Al Jazeera's 2011 documentary “Slavery: An 21st Century Evil”, highly critical of China's labour reeducation system, or the so-called the “state sponsored slavery”, and which features undercover filming from inside China labour reeducation prisons. However, Melissa Chan was not involved in the making of the film.

Melissa Chan reporting on illegal land acquisition in Zhejiang province. Via FMN

Isaac Stone Fish, who worked with Chan on the board of the Foreign Correspondent's Club of China, believes that the China government targeted Chan due to her Chinese heritage:

But Chan also fits into the troubling pattern of the foreigners Beijing has targeted over the last decade: those the Chinese government views of having less protection because of their ethnicity and nationality; often with Chinese backgrounds. It appears that someone in the Chinese government wanted to give a warning to journalists without causing an international incident; Chan, a Chinese-American working for a Qatari-based television station, seemed to be an appropriate target. The thinking seems to be that a foreign government will more loudly protest the mistreatment of a citizen who is both born and raised in its own country and working for a domestic company.

Victor Yang also points out that when Chan reported [zh] on Chinese black jails, guards at the scene called her a “traitor”. Blogger Charlie Custer from ChinaGeeks is very frustrated:

The expulsion of @melissakchan is cowardly, childish and pathetic….just what we've come to expect from the Chinese government.

Foreign journalists based in China have expressed serious concerns regarding the Chinese government's attitude. Kathleen McLaughlin wrote on Twitter:

Sad as I am to see @melissakchan go, I hope this exposes China's larger efforts to censor foreign media via visa manipulation.

Mark MacKinnon has has pointed out that the fate of foreign journalists is intertwined with local journalists:

This false freedom given to reporters working in China is much more important than Melissa’s case or the careers of any of the foreign correspondents based in China. What’s at stake is not only the outside world’s (already poor) understanding of this rising but paranoid superpower, but also the future of journalism inside China. Chinese journalists have told me that they watch the foreign correspondents with envy, wishing they could report about their own country as freely as we do. Our fight to do our job is intertwined with their fight to do theirs.

There are relatively few discussions within the Chinese blogosphere. Lao Rong gives an update of the situation in Sina Weibo [zh] and was able to spark some discussion:

@毛聊：“半岛”怎说也是第三世界媒体，不依附西方媒体，这样都容不下，何以服第三世界。

@毛聊：Al Jazeera is a third-world media and is independent from western media. If China cannot allow them to operate here, how can we lead the third world?

@看看看看1：因为敢于报道事实而失业的记者，恐怕只有中国吧。被中国驱逐的记者，应该得到重用才是

@看看看看1：In the whole world, only China will make journalists lose their job because they insist on reporting the truth. Those reporters who are expelled by China deserve good career opportunities.

@nurundini：在对中国政府的报道中，半岛应该是几个大的新闻媒介中较客观的，某些西方媒体甚至批评半岛亲共。当然，美联社就不会出现现在这种情况。

@nurundini：Al Jazeera is more objective when reporting about Chinese government policy than most major media outlets. Some western media even criticize them for being pro-communist. Of course, that wouldn't happen with Associated Press.

赵佑诚：谷歌也不想离开，还不是离开了，呵呵

赵佑诚：Google didn't want to leave China, but in the end it left.

China: Rural Left-behind Children

Oiwan Lam — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:57:11 +0000

Acopy.net introduces a Chinese documentary, the Road, directed by independent documentary worker Jiang Nengjie on “left-behind children” in rural China.

China: Tibetan Netizen Responses to the Self-Immolations in Tibet

Dechen Pemba — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:52:25 +0000

The April 2012 special “Hot Spots” online issue of the academic journal Cultural Anthropology focuses on the recent self-immolations in Tibet with a comprehensive background page. It features an impressive collection of scholarly responses to the self-immolations by well-known Tibet scholars such as Tsering Shakya, Janet Gyatso and Elliot Sperling. Netizens and bloggers are highlighted, such as the contributions by high-profile Beijing based Tibetan blogger Woeser, High Peaks Pure Earth and Khabdha. The editorial board of the Tibetan Political Review analyze the Exile Tibetan Government handling of this phenomenon.

Hong Kong: Evangelists Accuse Lady Gaga of Leading Youth Astray

Oiwan Lam — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:32:15 +0000

American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga is currently touring Asia with her ‘Born this Way Ball'. Hong Kong shows are scheduled to take place between May 2 and May 7, 2012. On the eve of her first concert there, an evangelist group's campaign against her presence in Hong Kong has ignited debate within the local community.

A right wing evangelist group, Media Evangelism Limited, has launched an online campaign against Lady Gaga's tour, inviting Christians to sign in and “pray for youth in Hong Kong against the temptation of Lady Gaga”. The online poster [zh] states:

Lady Gaga 演唱會將於 2/5 - 7/5 來港舉行，演唱會帶有色情、同性戀及崇拜撒旦的元素，亦容讓 3 歲以上人士進場。我們籲請信徒支持緊急代禱簽到行動，為青少年的心智守望禱告。

Poster calling for Christians to sign in to pray for youth against the

Lady Gaga's concerts will be held between May 2 and May 7 in Hong Kong. The concert has pornographic, homosexual and satanic elements and it allows children below the age of three to enter. Here we plead Christians to sign up and pray for the youth's mind and spirit.

Facebook user Julie Lam explained the Christian's action in her prayer [zh]:

她的新歌 Born This Way “生來如此” — 聲稱上帝創造同性戀者及同性戀不是罪，她積極推動同性婚姻合法，影響了數個國家的立法。她的表演志在香港及亞洲打開黑暗的大門讓邪惡進入，目標是要嚴重影響青少年, 導致道德墮落。

Her new song, Born This Way, said that God created homosexuals and it is not a sin. She advocates for the legalization of same sex marriage and has influenced several countries' legislation. Her performance will open the door for evil to come in. Her objective is to influence the youth and bring moral decadence.

Less than 100 people have signed in to the page with the majority being against the evangelist group's propaganda. Below is a selection of some of the prayers in the sign-up page [zh].

Johnny Cheung said [zh]:

求主使青年人有清昕頭腦, 分辨壞思想, 壞行為, 分辨到造假的諾亞方舟或者lady gaga 教壞人熟輕熟重的問題。請所有被洗腦影音洗腦的人清醒, 回到你身邊, 呀門.

Pray for god to clear our youth's brain. Let them know how to distinguish bad thought and behavior. Let them know the fake business of the Noah's Ark theme park. Isn't that more of a problem than Lady Gaga in terms of corrupting people's minds? I pray all those who have been brainwashed by the evangelist media to regain their senses and come back to God's side.

Chan Kwan Yeung defended Lady Gaga [zh]:

慈悲天父嘅主呀,求你為被”影音使團”所說的話而被蒙蔽的人,清洗他們的眼睛哦!
LadyGaga是一個歌手,她所行的一切都是引導現今青少年於正道。宣揚,愛與自由,任何種族,性別,性取向的人皆是平等。她本人並沒有崇拜撤旦,只是在節目上回應主持人的玩笑。她的心是永遠追遠追隨父神你的。神呀,請你為那些被影音使團對LadyGaga的誤解,而寬恕。請你引導這班被該團體而誤入歧途的信徒,帶回正道!阿門~

Our Father, Please let those who have been blinded by the evangelist media to regain their sight!
Lady Gaga is a singer. She guides the youth to choose a righteous path. She promotes love, freedom and equality among those of different race, gender and sexual orientation. She is not a Satan worshipper, she was joking with the program host. Her heart follows our Heavenly Father. God, please forgive those who misjudge Lady Gaga because of the evangelist media's propaganda. Please guide the believers who have been led by the evangelist group to the righteous path. Amen.

Chu Ka Yu criticized the evangelist group for spreading a ‘gay sin' message [zh]:

將社會分化, 將同自己價值觀唔同既野打壓, 向年青人洗腦, 向佢地灌輸Gay Sin呢個message, 將自己所知所信既視為世界上唯一正確既真理, 唔去用批判思考去想上帝既道理, 用”人”既腦去解讀上帝既意旨, 呢d就係”教會”

我信主, 我信神, 我讀聖經, 所以, 我反對任何教會既存在…

你話我係魔鬼又好, 話我係咩都好…

Divide society, oppress those who do not share their own value, brainwash the youth with the message of Gay Sin, uphold one's belief as the only truth in this world, refuse to reflect upon God's message, impose upon God's will by one's limited intelligence, these are acts of the ‘church'.
I believe in God and Jesus Christ. I read the Bible. That's why I oppose the Church.
I don't care if you call me a devil or anything else….

Siu Heng pointed out that young people know how to make their own choices [zh]:

我唔係lady gaga fans, 亦冇打算去睇佢show；我亦好尊重人地既宗教信仰。但頂唔蒲有人以為青少年係白痴，睇個show就會變壞；以為自己係道德塔里班，人地同你唔同就話係歪風。

I am not a fan of Lady Gaga and do not plan to see her show. I respect the beliefs of others. But I can't stand people treating the youth as idiots who would become bad because of a show. You are just a bunch of moral Talibans who accuse each other of being morally wrong because they are different.

Vita Lam criticized the right wing for spreading hatred [zh]:

基督徒表達對信仰的立場令到小數族群飽受歧視公平嗎.
假設所有人針對基督來打壓你們會怎樣想
與其說神愛世人不如說是宗教挑起仇恨比較貼切

Is it fair for the Christian to impose discrimination against the social minority when expressing their belief?
If all other people are attacking Christian beliefs, how would you react?
God loves everyone in this world, but in reality, it is more accurate to say that religion has instigated hatred.

The thumbnail and featured image used in this post is by Domain Barnyard, used under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Creative Commons license. Visit Domain Barnyard's flickr photostream.

This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

China: The Heroine Behind Chen Guangcheng's Escape Arrested

Oiwan Lam — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:46:10 +0000

Blind civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng who had been under house arrest for 20 months since his release from prison on September 8, 2010 has finally escaped from Dongshigu Village in Shandong province. On the other hand, He Peirong (”Pearl”) who helped Chen escape to Beijing has been swept away by police from her home in Nanjing on Friday April 27, 2012.

Since February, 2011 Pearl He has been trying to visit Chen Guangcheng under house arrest while campaigning for his release. A few months ago I interviewed her briefly about her activist's path for a research project on Gender and Citizenship conducted by the organisation IT for Change. Below is a summary of the online interview:

Who is He Peirong?

He Peirong's profile picture at Twitter

Pearl lives in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province. She had been an English teacher until 2008 when the Wenchuan Earthquake took place. She left her job and went to Sichuan as a volunteer for earthquake relief work. A few months later, the Sichuan government started cracking down on citizen initiated disaster relief groups and a citizen investigation of bean-dreg school building constructions. A number of activists including Tan Zuoren and Huang Qi were arrested. Then Pearl decided to join an activist group to provide assistance to political prisoners and their families. Her first campaign consisted of fundraising via Twitter. Through the campaign, she was connected to a wider network of like-minded people and later decided to campaign for Chen Guangcheng.

In September 2011, upon learning that Chen's 6-year-old daughter could not attend school due to illegal house arrest, she urged other netizens to visit Chen's family in Dongshigu Village. She tried entering the village twice herself but was beaten up by local thugs. After several failed attempts, she changed her strategy to online campaigns by raising public and international awareness of Chen's condition. [Many netizens have spontaneously joined hand to campaign for Chen's freedom], one of the most well known action is the “Free Guangcheng: Dark Glasses Portrait” by Hexie Farm:

Pearl never gave up on the idea of getting Chen physically out of the village. Now Guangcheng is free and has spoken out to the world on the illegal prosecution committed by local government in Linyi county, Shandong province.

However, Pearl has been missing since April 27 shortly after the news of Guangcheng's escape spread through the Internet. Her last tweet [zh] is about the safety of Guangcheng's brother:

可有山东境内以及临近网友，请开车沿205国道，寻找可贵，提供必要的帮助，拜托大家了！我已经不能出发了，否则，一定第一个驾车前去。

@pearlher: Any friends who are nearby Shandong? Please drive along 205 highway and look for Kegui [Chen Guangcheng's brother]. Give assistance to him, please help out. I can't leave my place anymore or else I would have driven there myself.

Campaigning for Pearl's release

Upon the confirmation of Pearl's arrest by China Aid, Chinese tweets appeared campaigning for her release. Poon Siu To, a radio host in Hong Kong urged [zh]:

今天起，請大家記住這位南京女俠，網名「珍珠」的何培蓉！她犧牲為了拯救陳光誠，赴湯蹈火。壯哉！高貴的勇士！還我珍珠！還我美麗的珍珠！（拜托，轉發和吶喊吧！）

From today onward, please remember this Nanjing heroine, her name is “Pearl”, He Peirong. She sacrificed herself to save Chen Guangcheng. She is such a courageous and noble fighter. Return Pearl to us, return our beautiful Pearl! (Please spread this).

Zeng Jinyan, whose husband Hu Jia has met with Chen Guangcheng upon his escape also pleaded [zh]:

要求：1.释放何培蓉@pearlher；2.释放陈光诚的妻女母亲兄长家人及村民；3.确保陈光诚全家今后的自由；4.停止骚扰迫害维权人士及家属；5.追责每一位具体参与迫害行凶的官员和社会闲杂人等

Demand: 1. The release of He Peirong @pearlher; 2. The release of Chen Guangcheng's wife, daughter, mother, brother's family and villagers; 3. Make sure that Chen Guangcheng's family can be free in the future; 4. Stop harassing and prosecuting rights defenders and their family members; 5. Officials and thugs who have participated in illegal prosecution should be put on trial.

The significance of Chen's prison break

Prominent video activist, Prof Ai Xiaoming sums up [zh] in his blog the significance of Chen and his supporters' prison break action:

从冲破鬼门关接走陈光诚，简直堪比一部大型劫狱片。而被破解的禁锢，更在于人们的心狱。为什么那么多罪恶可以大行其道，除了体制作恶，还有一个更简单的原因，那就是人们的沉默。声援陈光诚的行动打破了沉默，而救援的成功则显示了行动的可能。它标志着，勇气是在追求自由的行动淬炼的；智慧、筹谋和协力团队，也是在挑战恐惧的过程中赢得的。陈光诚能有今天，证实了珍珠、玉闪等英侠非凡的勇气和战斗力；而所有那些前往东师古找打的公民，也都起到破除恐惧的表率作用。那些在推特上、微博上呼吁的网民、那些自戴墨镜者和展示车贴的朋友，大家都曾经属于沉默的大多数；而一旦在公益的目标下集结起来，就能相互给力。这表明，暴力尽管强悍，它对精神的控制却很有限；正义常遭挫败，它的能量却是源源不绝。正如珍珠在google+上的留言：每个人都发出声音，这才是最重要的。

Breaking through the door of hell and taking Chen Guangcheng away is a prison break thriller. The prison house is not only a physical place but in people's heart. How can evil manifest itself so openly? The problem is not only in the system but in people's silence. The Free Chen Guangcheng's campaign has broken such silence. The successful escape implies the power of such action. The courage comes from our practice of freedom; the wisdom, collective effort and planning are the fruit of a series of process that overcomes our fear. Chen's freedom is a result of Pearl and Yushan's courage and persistence. The citizens who visited Dongshigu village and were beaten up by local thugs are in the frontline of the fight against fear and terror. For those who have made their pledge on Twitter or exhibited their sun-glasses images were once the silent majority, but eventually they have joined together in support of each others to defend goodness. Violent oppression cannot extend its power towards people's spirit. Although justice has always been the target for crackdowns, its has endless power. Like Pearl has said on Google Plus: The most significant act is for people to speak out.

Taiwan: Travel with Art

Portnoy Zheng — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:09:39 +0000

Blogger and artists Lovingpure(黃愛淳) uses contemporary paintings about Taiwan from distinguished painters to create this video as the ultimate travel guide for foreign tourists.

China: Reactions to TV Ban on Japanese Porn Star, Sola Aoi

Oiwan Lam — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:33:56 +0000

China’s State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) has recently set restrictions [zh] on entertainers with a “bad image” from appearing on stage, resulting in the withdrawal of Japanese porn star Sola Aoi from being featured on television shows in China.

Sola Aoi is the most popular porn star in China. During the Shanghai Expo 2010, she served as a spokesperson for a portal website in some of the major Expo activities. Her Sina Weibo account [zh] has more than 11 million fans.

Despite the fact that Sola is adjusting her image in China by shooting artistic online micro-movies, she cannot escape from the ban. Her fans of course are very frustrated. To express their support to Sola, a number of them decided to display a slogan in a football match in Guangzhou on April 17, 2012. It said: “Diaoyu Islands [refers to a territorial dispute of islands by both China and Japan] belongs to us, Sola Aoi belongs to the World”:

'Sola Aoi belongs to the world' banner. Photo by Weibo User Chen Zhaohua

The slogan, which captures both nationalistic sentiment in term of the territorial claim of the Diaoyu Islands and the international solidarity of porn fans, quickly attracted a lot of attention and spread through the Internet.

Weibo user Song Zude's comment [zh] has best represented the frustration of Sola's Chinese fans:

宋祖德：封杀苍井空，非常愚蠢！苍作为一个艺人，并没有危害社会，相反在我国做了不少慈善事业，她比我国很多艺人更坦诚更勤奋，苍的粉丝素质不比其他大腕的差，祖德以为，广电总局应该干点自己该干的事，乱作为有时比不作为更有害！

@宋祖德 : It is very stupid to ban Sola Aoi. As an artist, she does no harm to society. On the contrary she has engaged in many charitable works. She is more true and hard working than many of the artists in China. Her fans' quality is not worser than other popular stars. I think the SARFT should focus on its own business rather than adding chaos to the scene.

There are more than 1,866 comments follows Song's micro-blog, with a majority echoing his opinion:

@绿茶喝我：那些所谓的文人专家卫道士，天天窝家里快着进看片，有精彩的还回放。关了快播就骂这个卷内个，说别人破坏河蟹危害下一代，你才是虚伪无耻，道德沦丧！

@绿茶喝我：Those so-called experts and judgmental moralists would use the fast forward mode to watch porn and rewind the tape when they spot the spectacular scenes. After they are done, they would curse the tapes, saying that they will destroy social harmony and harm the young generation. How shameless and immoral these people are.

@单骑千里：现在这个操蛋的社会，就指望苍老师带来一点快感，广电总局都不放过，封杀了苍老师，那些宅男们、那些新生代农民工们，业余生活都干嘛呢？干嘛呢

@单骑千里：In a frustrating society like ours, teacher Sola Aoi is our source of pleasure. SARFT is so eager to destroy such pleasure by banning Sola. Without Sola, where can otaku [geeks] and rural migrant workers seek entertainment?

朴永春：广电总局的爷们，本来就很无聊！又让我们的生活少了一份颜色，多了一层灰色！

朴永春：The Uncles in SARFT are good for nothing. Now the color grey has replaced another color in our lives.

Cesc黄泳斌：广电局你凭什么人家，至少也给一个合理理由，我看来真正应该被封杀的还是你们这班搬弄是非，吃饱饭没事干的人

Cesc黄泳斌：What is the reason for the ban? We should ban those who keep reporting on other wrongs.

Yang Guoying explains [zh] why Sola Aoi is so popular in China:

@杨国英V：【苍井空被封杀】：低俗的事，少数人可以做，多数人却不可以看，即使从良也不可以看!苍井空在中国为什么红？源自民众对伪道德的反叛！

@杨国英V: [Ban on Sola Aoi]: [In China] only a minority of people can commit vulgar behavior while the majority cannot even watch it. Even if porn stars have stopped shooting adult movies. Why is Sola Aoi is so popular in China? Because people want to rebel against fake morality.

China: What is Causing the Death of Endangered Finless Porpoises?

Oiwan Lam — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:46:58 +0000

More than a dozen Finless Porpoise corpses have been found in Dongting Lake in Hubei and Hunan provinces since March 2012. Chinese micro-bloggers are keeping each other updated on the situation while trying to determine the reasons for the deaths of this endangered species, as the government is yet to confirm the death toll and put forward a rescue plan.

The Finless Porpoise is one of the most endangered species in China. Information spreading online said [zh] that there are fewer than 84 remaining in Dongting Lake. The large scale death of this endangered species should be national news, yet the state controlled media outlets have been downplaying this news and as yet no government authority is actively responding to the problem.

Corpse of Finless Porpoise by Flickr user Changhua Coast Conservation Action CC: BY-NC-SA

Magazine reporter Yang Jiang has been a consistent source of information regarding this issue, reporting [zh] in microblogging website Sina Weibo:

刚连线湖南岳阳江豚保护协会会长，证实，从3月3日至今，洞庭湖已发现的死亡江豚为12头，非网络流传的17头，但该协会不排除有更多尚未发现的江豚尸体，原因初步判断为环境污染所致…，另，此次至少7头是母江豚，照此速度，洞庭湖江豚一年内灭绝也不是没有可能。

I have just confirmed with the Chairperson of the Yangtze Finless Porpoise Conservation Society, that twelve Finless Porpoise corpses have been found in Dongting Lake since March 3. The Society did not rule out the possibility that there were more corpses, with a number of online reports claiming that there were more than seventeen. The reason for their death is environmental pollution… At least seven of the dead are female. If this death rate continues, the extinction of Finless Porpoises in Dongting lake will be complete in less than a year.

Blogger Yongaiqiqi has gathered information from various sources, including newspapers and online reports, and found that there were more than thirteen reports on the discovery of Finless Porpoise bodies in 2012 and that only one report came from state controlled media [zh].

现在我要问：对洞庭湖已经发生的如此严重的江豚集中死亡恶性事件，当地政府为什么至今没有发布信息向社会公开？是不知情？还是有意隐瞒真相？呼吁当地政府尽快作出负责任的回应，澄清事实。

Now that the situation regarding the death of Finless Porpoises has become so devastating in Dongting Lake, why has the local authority not reported the situation to the Society? What is the reason? That they don't know? Or that they want to hide the situation? I hereby urge the government to take responsibility and clarify the facts.

Blogger “Subject of the Empire” examined [zh] the problem in detail and found that aside from the underlying ecological reasons, the Finless Porpoise might have been poisoned by snail fever prevention treatment:

2008年记录死亡江豚20头，2009年为19头，2010年为12头。连续3年，江豚死亡都是两位数。要知道江豚种群总数已经比大熊猫还少，每年两位数的死亡速度实在太高了！太快了！太危险了！刚刚过去的2011年，记录死亡20头，然而进入2012年仅仅只是东洞庭湖一个栖息地，3月份以来40天内就死亡了12头，这还只是被渔民发现的江豚尸体，考虑到江豚一般都是以父母子女一家为活动习惯的规律分析，实际死亡情况更加严重，按照中科院豚类专家王丁先生们的研究判断，这次可能已经有30多头江豚已经死亡，这难道还不足以引起相关政府主管部门和研究机构的高度重视吗。

Regarding the death toll of the Finless Porpoise, in 2008, 2009 and 2010, there were 20, 19 and 12 deaths respectively. In three consecutive years, the death tolls were in double figures. We have to be aware of the fact that the total number of Finless Porpoises in China is less than the number of pandas. This death rate is already too high and too dangerous. In 2011, the recorded death toll reached 20. In 2012, in Dongting alone and in less than 40 days, 12 corpses have been found, with this figure only including those corpses discovered by fishermen. Since Finless Porpoises live together in family groups, the situation is probably even more serious.According to the Finless Porpoise expert Wang Ding from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the death toll may have reached 30. This is an alarming figure that the government and research organizations must pay attention to.

洞庭湖的生态危机其实已经早就成了众所周知的事实，江豚为什么濒临灭绝，这是与整个洞庭湖生态链遭到严重破坏、是与多年来围湖造田、滥捕滥捞、竭泽而渔分不开的，更是与渔政部门长期行政不作为、监管不力甚至为了经济利益纵容滥捕滥捞分不开的，加之洞庭湖水位随着三峡大坝蓄水后大幅下降，阻断了千百万年来年复一年的洪水泛滥，大面积的湿地长期裸露在外，再有就是大量挖砂船活动、大量捕捞螺类底层物种致使湖区食物链、生态链断裂…

The ecological crisis in Dongting Lake is a known fact and the extinction threat to the Finless Porpoise is related to the breakdown of the ecological chain as a result of agricultural and excessive fishing activities due to lack of management by the fishery department. In addition, since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, flooding has disappeared but a large area of the wetland has been exposed. Then the sand of the lakebed was dug up, creatures from the lakebed could no longer survive and the ecological chain has been broken…

江豚的意外死亡，其实也不意外，在人类与江豚争夺食物也就是鱼类水产的时候，江豚甚至自身都处于被人类捕杀的境地，何况其食物链已经接近断裂；洞庭湖鱼类资源作为江豚的食物来源，已经从10多年前还剩下120多种急骤下降到目前仅存10多种…

The death of Finless Porpoises is not an accident. When humans are competing for food with Finless Porpoises, we kill them indirectly by breaking their food chain. Ten years ago, there were more than 120 river creatures for Finless Porpoises to eat, now less than 20 remain.

我注意到今天的湖南经视新闻在报导本次江豚密集死亡事件的新闻中，采访了岳阳渔政部门的相关领导，他以自己的经验猜测可能是由于近期岳阳县出于血防需要在洞庭湖区投放杀钉螺药剂有关，可能是江豚误食了被灭螺毒死的鱼有关，我认为这当然是最直接的原因之一，但我就纳闷了，这种后果其实并非今天才出现，而是早就发生过，为什么就没有引起相关部门重视并在工作上加以改进呢？我查了一下资料，洞庭湖江豚多年来饱尝命丧之虞就有类似直接的人为原因，2004年，岳阳为迎接全国血吸虫病防治工作会议的召开，在洞庭湖区投放了约5000吨杀钉螺药剂，曾酿下一个月内毒死6头江豚的惨剧。

I noticed in a Hunan TV news report today, they interviewed a government official from Yueyang fishery department regarding the large scale death of Finless Porpoises. From his experience he speculated that the incident was related to the poisoning of the Oncomelainia Snail in the Lake to prevent Schistosomiasis disease (Snail fever). The Finless Porpoises might have poisoned by the dead fishes. This may be the most direct cause of their death. Such news is so frustrating. This is not the first time the government authority has messed up. But they did not learn from their mistakes. I reviewed the information and found out that, back in 2004, following the national conference on the prevention of snail fever, the Yueyang authority dumped 5,000 tons of poison to kill the Oncomelainia snail and poisoned six porpoises in one month.

This post was sub-edited by Jane Ellis.

China: Feminist Questions ‘Date NGO Girls' Charity Event

Oiwan Lam — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:30:33 +0000

Recently, NPI, a nonprofit organization that supports the development of NGOs, together with a number of print and online media organizations hosted a marriage matchmaking charity event in Beijing. The organizers explained that the project, known as ‘Close to Charity, Date NGO Girls', is meant to help young female NGO staffers to find their marriage match and to promote the idea of “new happiness”. The first dating event was on April 15, 2012.

However, prominent feminist blogger Lu Ping has questioned why charities and NGOs are spending their resources to promote a culture that reinforces gender, marriage and sexual stereotypes.

Below is the advertisement [zh] for the event:

Online marriage matchmaking event poster. Image from Weibo account suesue2008

是的，这是一场相亲会。2012公益圈兄弟姐妹第一件欢天喜地的大事儿，就是争当“卖女孩的小火柴”，纷纷要为身边NGO女生找到伴侣。
这，又不仅仅是一场相亲会。各界青年才俊将会云集，在这里，您可以亲近公益，跨界交友，感受“新幸福主义”。
如果您是公益界的人士，请踊跃推荐和鼓动身边的NGO单身女生！
如果您是NGO的单身女孩，赶快摘下面纱勇敢自荐，2012都来啦！
如果您喜欢有爱心的女孩，还等什么？还不报名来“抢亲”？
同时，欢迎您出谋划策，提供创意；欢迎您提供资源，加盟合作。
4月中旬，我们将为您在茫茫人海中“情缘一线牵”。
谁来一起，与她擦亮生命中的火柴？缘来如此，敬请期待。

Yes, this is a marriage matchmaking event. A big and happy event in 2012 for brothers and sisters within the charity circle to compete to become a match for someone, sell their girls and help girls from NGOs find a mate. This is not only a marriage matchmaking event. Elites representing different sectors will gather here and build friendships across industry lines. Experience a new happiness.

If you are from within the charity circle, please recommend single girls from NGOs around you.

If you are a single girl from an NGO, take off your veil and sign yourself up for the function. 2012 has come.

If you like girls who have love in their hearts, don't wait. Sign up for the function and grab your bride.

You are welcome to give us suggestions and creative ideas. You are also welcome to provide resources and become our partners.

In mid-April, from among millions of people, we will find the one for you. Who will become the match that lights up her life? This is what we call karma, please be ready.

Currently, only 16 girls have been selected for the actual dating function. Their pictures and profiles [zh] are hosted on a special page on QQ's web platform.

Marriage matching is a very common phenomena in China, with marriage markets and “matchmaking corners”, as they are known locally, found very easily in major cities, such as in Shanghai. Most of the dating events are either arranged privately by family members or by commercial dating businesses. The question arising from this charity marriage matchmaking is, why are charities and NGOs getting involved in marriage matchmaking and what kind of gender relations they are perpetuating in the process?

Well-known Beijing-based feminist Lu Ping penned a long article [zh] in the China Development Brief, a publication that covers the nonprofit sector in China, criticizing such a charity:

公益组织从资金到人力、品牌、平台、公信的投入，应该划出公共利益的底线，否则就是滥用。为部分公益工作者的个人需求，而动用公益资源，是滥用行为。

A charity's resources, such as its manpower, platform, or credibility, should be used for projects in the public interest or else the spending could become abusive. The use of funds to satisfy the personal needs of some charity workers is thus abusive.

都是单身，若一部分“未婚”公益人需要相亲，也总有一部分丧偶、离婚的公益人需要吧，公益组织怎么就不关心他们的婚恋需求？排斥这些人的理由是什么？

在同一阶层中，离婚、丧偶、同性恋者更少找到伴侣的机会，既然是公益相亲，为何不首先满足他们？多数人优先、主流群体优先、更有机会者优先，这不是公益精神。

All the participants are single. When it comes to the need of marriage, divorcees and widowers also would have the same need. Why don't the organizers pay attention to their needs? What is the reason for excluding their participation in this event? The chance for divorcees, widowers and homosexuals to find their partners is far less than that of single girls. If this is charity matchmaking, why don't you satisfy the needs of these minorities? To give priority to the mainstream and dominant social groups is not consistent with the spirit of charity.

通过相亲找到配偶的例子很多，但共识的恐怕是，相亲本身不是浪漫爱，相亲要讲条件，至少在起点上必须是，条件匹配的人才应该坐到一起相。至于条件，身高、相貌、教育程度、收入、家庭背景……往往是基于等级的标准，以及刻板的性别期待。

Many people do find their marriage partners via matchmaking, but the understanding is that there is nothing romantic in it. It is all about the matching of social statuses, at least in the beginning. Only once the social backgrounds of the two people match, then comes the dating. The matching of profiles usually involves height, face, education, income, family background …. all these are markers of social class and gender stereotype.

中国的主流社会深患婚姻强迫症，最直接的表现是认为人人都要在所谓“适龄”结婚，不结婚就是不忠不孝不成年，针对单身妇女还特别发明了“剩女”一词，暗示没男人要就是没价值。相对间接的表现，则是赞美婚姻生活，宣扬浪漫爱，仿佛单身就不是“幸福”和享受生活。然而正有越来越多的人在争取和维护单身的自由，从家庭暴力到男性性特权到财产和责任的不平等，则正在让越来越多的人特别是妇女认识到，在这个性别不平等的社会里，浪漫爱之承诺的兑现往往要靠幸运，婚姻不是什么幸福的终点站。

Mainstream Chinese society is suffering from a pathology of marriage coercion. It pressures everyone to marry at the appropriate age. Or else the person is immature and not loyal to his or her family and country. Recently, society introduced the term “residue woman” to trash single women who are deemed not wanted by men. The society praises married life and propagates romantic love as if being single cannot lead to a happy and enjoyable life. However, more and more people are defending the single life. More and more women are coming to realize that in a gender unequal society, what they face in a marriage is domestic violence, unequal claim to property, etc. One's luck in love and marriage is not the end game for happiness.

China: An Insider's Reflection on Keyword Filtering Programs

Oiwan Lam — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:06:19 +0000

A computer programmer, under the pseudo name 'smilings', has written a reflective article at my1510.cn [zh] about his experience in developing a program for keyword filtering on mobile devices. The blogger's account informs readers about the nature of filtering - that which entails active monitoring of individual privacy. Below is a full translation of his reflection:

刚毕业的第二年，部门经理让我和同事一起做一个短信关键词过滤的功能，也就是说在收到用户发来的短信之后，判断这条短信是否包含关键词，如果有，就直接拒绝，并且呢又要模拟一条发送成功的状态报告返回。后来客户提出进一步的要求，在拦截了包含关键词的短信之后，需要将这条短信的源号码、目的号码和短信内容记录下来。当时的我，正处于懵懂的积极工作期，欣然接受了这个任务。

Error sending message. By Keso (CC: BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In my second year of graduation, the head of my department asked my colleague and me to design a program for keyword filtering. The program entails a keyword recognition system to distinguish whether or not the message contains certain keywords. If yes, the system would deny the delivery of the message. However, at the same time, it has to send out a successful delivery message to the sender. Later our clients demanded that we add another function. Upon blocking the messages, the system has to record the sender's number, the receiver's number and the content of the messages. I was too green then and accepted the task without any hesitation.

我和同事一起，认真地做需求分析、设计、实现和测试，在测试时发现增加这个功能之后短信处理速度下降了将近30%，两个人又一起加班将它的性能提高到比原来还高的水平。这样还不够，为了增加客户使用的友好性，我们做了一个管理界面，让用户可以在界面上修改配置项、增加修改删除关键词、查询被过滤的短信内容和号码。很快地，这个功能在原系统上升级使用了，客户也非常满意。而当我登录上这个系统做维护的时候，意外地发现，被捕获的短信各式各样，黄色的、敏感的、私隐的，心里有一点点的不安。但是，我并没有去深究，很快地忘记了这件事情。

My colleague and I were very dedicated in our analysis, design and in testing all the functions. During the testing stage, we found out that the system would slow down the message delivery time by 30%. We worked overtime to increase its speed. In order to be more user friendly, we had designed an interface for the clients to manage the system. There, they could add or delete keywords, check the filtered messages and the sender's and receiver's messages. Very soon, we had an upgrade of the system and the client was very satisfied. Later, when I logged in for system maintenance, I found out that the system had captured all kinds of indecent, sensitive and private messages and I felt quite uneasy seeing that. But I did not think deep and forgot about the whole thing very quickly.

直到后来，见的东西多了，看的东西多了，自己的思维也发生了变化，回想自己曾努力投入地实现的那个尽善尽美的短信过滤功能，心里既不安又自责。我时常会想，会不会有人因为我们曾经实现的那个功能，而遭遇不幸呢？会不会有人因为这样而泄露私隐呢？如果我们不做这个功能，又会怎样呢？

Later, when I had more experience and had exposure to different ideas, I started to look at things differently. When I look back at my devotion to the development of the filtering system, I feel so guilty. Sometimes I am worried whether the system that I have created has brought misfortune to others. Or if someone has had their privacy exposed because of that. If we refused the request in the first place, would things be different?

这几个问题，我一直没有找到答案，但偶尔间想起，内心依然感觉不安。虽然知道，在那个时候，自己并没有这样的意识，也没有太多的选择，而且，即使我们不做，排队要做的也大有人在。

I don't have any answers for the above questions yet and I still feel uneasy about that. Even though I was not conscious of the issue at stake and did not have much choice… also even if we had rejected it, someone else would certainly have taken up the task.

这个推断很快得到了印证。不久前，产品经理将一个类似的功能交给我们，我很本能地、非常激烈地拒绝。产品经理很困惑地找我聊天，问我为什么会拒绝，当他听完我的理由后，哭笑不得。他说：“这是我们产品打入中国市场的最好机会，中国的移动市场将会给我们带来丰厚的利润，这你应该很清楚。但是，缺少这个功能我们无可能会有机会获得入场券，你知道，现在的市场竞争是那么的激烈。”当我反过来尝试说服产品经理拒绝这个功能的时候，他像看外星人一样看着我，半天不说话。我们之间，谁也无法说服谁，而最终折衷的方法是他将这个功能交给了另一个同事。

I was soon proved right. Sometime ago, our product manager asked us to follow up with a client who wanted to have a similar program. I objected instantly this time. The manager was confused and asked me why. He laughed at my explanation and said: “This is the best opportunity for our product to get into the China market. The mobile market in China would give us very good return. You should be aware of that. Without this function, we could never have the chance to enter the market, it is so competitive.” When I tried to convince him to refuse, he looked at me as if I were an alien. We failed to convince each other and he handed over the job to another colleague.

在同事实现这个功能之后，我自告奋勇地提出承担这个功能的性能测试任务，在意料之中，性能下降了25%，内存使用率和CPU占用率却是增高了32%，我将这组数据写进测试报告，在测试报告的总结中，加上这样的一句话：“这个功能因为XX等原因，占用资源较多，处理速度也会相应下降，建议不要启用。”产品经理看到这样的报告，皱着眉头问：“将性能提高回原来的水平，需要多大的effort？”同事面露难色，我在旁边插了一句：“恐怕会比较大的代价。”其实，对于容不得产品有明显瑕疵的专业测试人员，我又陷入了另一种矛盾中。莫名地，在那几个瞬间，为了稍许的心安，违背了自己的专业，虽然明知这改变不了任何事情。

When my colleague finished the program, I nominated myself for the testing. As I had anticipated, there was 25% decrease in speed when the usage of memories and CPU increased to 32%. I wrote a testing report and concluded: “Because of XXX reason, such function would occupy a lot of resource and reduce the speed. Suggest not to launch the product.” The product manager wrinkled at my report and asked: “How much effort do we need to push up the capacity to original level?” My colleague hesitated to answer. I said “the price is quite big”. As a programmer in pursuit of perfection, this is a contradictory move. However, in order to relieve myself from my moral tension, I betrayed my professional ethics even though I knew that I could not change anything.

在产品的生存和利润面前，我们很少会去考虑它是否值得做、是否应该做，我们所做的功能，是否会给他人、甚至自己带来了不公正的待遇。我们也很少去考虑，为了利润的我们所做的事情，看似是很正常的，但实际上却成了别人利用来对付我们这些普通百姓的工具。就算意识到了，也很难去拒绝，在碗饭面前、在利润面前，是否又真的能说不？是不是只要有利润，就一定会有人做？如果是这样，那最后呢？

In the face of profit making and survival in the market, we rarely take into consideration whether or not it is ethical for us to develop a product, or whether such product(s) would bring injustice to the others or ourselves. It seems quite normal for us to develop certain products in our quest for profit, but we seldom take into account that the products could turn into tools that are used to control ordinary people, including us. Even if we are aware of the problem, can we risk our job and say no? Is it inevitable that someone would take up the job when there is profit involved? If so, what would become of our world?

很多时候，在我们抱怨某颗树上结出来的果子太苦涩时，我们没有意识到，其实是因为在果树开花的季节我们自己不问对错地喷了本来不该喷的药。

When we complain that the fruits of a tree are too bitter, it is because we have sprayed too much poisonous fertilizers during its flowering.