Internet and Activism
in China
20 Years after Tiananmen
Rebecca MacKinnon
Open Society Fellow
Assistant Professor, University of Hong Kong
Journalism & Media Studies Center
Co-founder, Globalvoicesonline.org
Thursday, June 4, 2009 1

20 years ago..
Thursday, June 4, 2009 2

Yesterday
Thursday, June 4, 2009 3

Thursday, June 4, 2009 4

Thursday, June 4, 2009 4

Google.cn top searches
http://www.google.cn/rebang/detail?bid=12000000
What day is June 4
20th anniversary
Today in history
June 4th
Twentieth anniversary
Thursday, June 4, 2009 5

Search engine censorship
google.com
Thursday, June 4, 2009 6

Search engine censorship
google.com
baidu.com
Thursday, June 4, 2009 6

Search engine censorship
google.com
google.cn
baidu.com
Thursday, June 4, 2009 6

The “Great Firewall” in action
Thursday, June 4, 2009 7

Blog company censorship
Baidu:
“Weʼre sorry, your article failed to be
published. It contains inappropriate content,
please check.”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 8

Sorry, the blog address youʼre
visiting doesnʼt exist.
Sorry, the page youʼre
visiting canʼt be found.
Thursday, June 4, 2009 9

This week
Ai Weiweiʼs blog
“This blog has been closed”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 10

This week
Ai Weiweiʼs blog
“This blog has been closed”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 10

This week
Ai Weiweiʼs blog
“This blog has been closed”
“The system is undergoing maintenance. Service is planned to resume early on the 6th”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 10

Thursday, June 4, 2009 11

Thursday, June 4, 2009 11

Anti-censorship Protest video:
“song of the grass mud horse”
“cao ni ma”
“grass mud horse”
(alpaca sheep)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3tPA_Z_MT0
Thursday, June 4, 2009 12

Anti-censorship Protest video:
“song of the grass mud horse”
“cao ni ma”
“grass mud horse”
(alpaca sheep)
*
Same sounds,
different tones =
“F***your mother”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3tPA_Z_MT0
Thursday, June 4, 2009 12

Anti-censorhip meme:
“River crab wears three watches”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 13

Anti-censorhip meme:
“River crab wears three watches”
“He xie”
“Harmonious”
“Harmonious Society”
Slogan of President Hu Jintao
Thursday, June 4, 2009 13

Anti-censorhip meme:
“River crab wears three watches”
“He xie”
“Harmonious”
“Harmonious Society”
Slogan of President Hu Jintao
“san ge dai biao”
“Three Represents”
Slogan of fmr. Pres. Jiang Zemin
Thursday, June 4, 2009 13

Anti-censorhip meme:
“River crab wears three watches”
“He xie”
“Harmonious” “Rivercrab”
“Harmonious Society”
Slogan of President Hu Jintao
“san ge dai biao”
“Three Represents”
Slogan of fmr. Pres. Jiang Zemin
Thursday, June 4, 2009 13

Anti-censorhip meme:
“River crab wears three watches”
“He xie”
“Harmonious” “Rivercrab”
“Harmonious Society”
Slogan of President Hu Jintao
“san ge dai biao” “dai san ge biao”
“Three Represents” “Wears three watches”
Slogan of fmr. Pres. Jiang Zemin
Thursday, June 4, 2009 13

River crab muzzles Twitter bird
Thursday, June 4, 2009 14

River crabs vs. alpaca sheep
Thursday, June 4, 2009 15

Prime Minister Wen Jiabaoʼs
2-hour live chat with “netizens”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 16

Prime Minister Wen Jiabaoʼs
2-hour live chat with “netizens”
Thursday, June 4, 2009 16

“E - Congress”
http://elianghui.people.com.cn
Sign up for a
“membership Two suggestions for fighting corruption
badge”
Crackdown on ads for illegal medicine as
hard as the anti-porn crackdown
Suggestions for improving
safety in coal mines
Thursday, June 4, 2009 17

Somebodyʼs proposal to abolish one child policy
Don’t we have enough people?
“End the one-
child policy, restore
population growth to a
sustainable rate” Uphold the reproductive
rights of the Han Chinese race!
Deng Xiaoping himself said that the one-
child policy would be for 30 years!
Reward single childless
people with free health care...
Thursday, June 4, 2009 18

Internet heroine Deng Yujiao
Thursday, June 4, 2009 19

Imprisoned
Online political organizers
Liu Xiaobo
Zeng Jinyan & Hu Jia
Huang Qi
Thursday, June 4, 2009 20

Cyber-nationalism:
Anti-Tibet independence video
Thursday, June 4, 2009 21

Cyber-nationalism:
Anti-Tibet independence video
Thursday, June 4, 2009 21

Cyber-nationalism:
Anti-Tibet independence video
Thursday, June 4, 2009 21

Liberals vs. Nationalists
Thursday, June 4, 2009 22

freedom vs. control
Both photos in public domain via Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T_Jefferson_by_Charles_Willson_Peale_1791_2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Hamilton_portrait_by_John_Trumbull_1806.jpg
Thursday, June 4, 2009 23

freedom vs. control
Both photos in public domain via Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T_Jefferson_by_Charles_Willson_Peale_1791_2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alexander_Hamilton_portrait_by_John_Trumbull_1806.jpg
Thursday, June 4, 2009 23