Our new Perspectives section seeks to promote dialogue and cross-culture understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own, and feel free to add your opinions in the comments section below.

Photo: faungg

Censorship in terms of self-censorship, it could be argued, is often necessary in certain situations to avoid embarrassment or offence. Censorship of this kind, in the way that China likes to do by suddenly cracking down on websites only acts to highlight the cause they were trying to hide in the first place. Someone really ought to teach the Chinese government the phrase: "today's news is tomorrow's bird cage lining."
Lisa / UK

China is just on the way back to a stable society, 60 years is not long for a newly established government, though I don’t like this kind of censorship, I can understand why the government does it. Historically, at the very beginning of a new government, there are normally always ways to control people’s mind (I don’t know how about for other countries, but at least for China). Free statements normally showing up after the education system and economic situation could benefit most of the people, but not now.  
Li Qin/ China

If I were in USA, I would call the disappearing websites censorship. In China, I call it government discretion. This is not my country and I am not its citizen. I have enough foreign friends who feel as if they have some divine claim to what is best for China and her people, including government decisions. While I don't agree with everything China does, I also don't agree with everything USA does, and the USA is my homeland and therefore my business. Perhaps the more appropriate question is: why do foreign websites continue to challenge the authority of this sovereign nation?
rickymay / US

I can‘t believe they closed YouTube! I guess there are 3 reasons for it.
1. Somewhere in China, the government took farmers land and did not pay them again
2. Some riots are happening or about to happen in Tibet
3. Some other human rights have been violated and people want to talk
Kai / Germany

Photo: myuibe

I don’t agree with the policy of often closing down sites because of something on them. I think better to let the information go on the internet and let the people decide what’s right and wrong. The government should trust more in the Chinese people.
Hui An / China

China has a tradition of secrets and mystery; this is how it functions and always will. As the west is more open to all things it has gone through periods of decadence and decline along with its increase in living standards. Basically, the people in any country need to be guided so as not to over step the boundaries of morals and social decline. Any group of people can turn into a mob and make life better or worse depending on their agenda. Slowly, China will become more open as the younger generation grows older and becomes the voice of the new China. But for now the old school will control what comes in and goes out of China. Only time will tell and history will determine who has made the greater contribution to China’s future. The whole world is watching China and its leaders with great interest as to who they handle their countries future. The young in China will not forget their youth and what restrictions have been put on them to express themselves. This may promote a backlash and revolution mentality. An old saying goes, “The peasants are revolting”. An interesting time to be in China for a foreigner I think.
The Phantom

If the people can decide for themselves what they want to read, see, listen to, comment on, blog about, then let the people, the internet users decide. Perhaps, realistically, if it were suddenly opened fully, there may be a large degree of culture shock, misunderstanding due to culture and language. There may be a bloody violent peoples' uprising.

I have taught many Chinese nationals in Sydney, Mostly teenagers and young adults who are spending 3 to 5 years in Australia. Once they return home to China for a holiday break, they come back to Sydney with 2 main concerns or issues, 1) a heightened or renewed love of the Mother Land, and 2) a greater awareness of the gap between our western culture and their traditional Chinese culture. This often is some what confusing for the young person, and they often say that you can't trust Western media including the internet.

Photo: taiyofj

It seems still, that what The Party says is not to be questioned! Eventually in say 5 years this will break down and attitudes will be more open to Western Media. Let's see what happens. I say open the internet to all as in Australia, and let the people decide for themselves. There would have to be much more bi-lingual information. See good old QQ and Qzone for example. It's not English-friendly!
Pete / Australia

Sometimes I want to see sites that are not allowed but I in the end the government has the right to decide what the citizens see. Just as the authorities ban drugs to protect the people dangerous information on the internet could lead to many people being hurt. The number one responsibility of the government is to protect the people and this is what is happening. Some want to do drugs and are angry it is illegal but it is better for them this way. We must trust in our leaders.
Xiao Hong / China

From the Chinese government's perspective, guess so, to maintain a false sense of control and therefore stability. They also realize it's not waterproof, but it's also to let the people know that there are limitations, and that they don't have absolute freedom, which would lead to chaos and problems. From the Chinese people's perspective, guess not. Nowaydays, there are ways to get the required information anyways, since the (e-)borders are open to a lot of Chinese.
Dan / Netherlands

***

China Media > China’s Web Police: the Thin Blue Cyber Line
Hot Topic > YouTube blocked in China; official says video fake
Hot Topic > 'Porn star' detained for posting sex film on Internet
Hot Topic > China's population of Web users hits 298 million
Hot Topic > China targets Google in crackdown on pornography

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.