- Seeking Truth to Internet Users: Stop Griping and Get to Work (2013-06-18) [CMP summary] ― Seeking Truth, an official journal of the central CCP leadership, has run a new piece criticizing the use of the internet to attack the government and spread negativity about China. The piece concludes: "We must have an accurate grasp of online public opinion. The government must . . . see online public opinion as a way to understand the popular mood . . . At the same time, we must recognise that China's mainstream are those who are busy going to work everyday, those employees busy at their jobs; they are those men and women pushing their carts at the supermarket; they are those strolling at the park on the holidays. In the online world, they are the silent majority, and they are the principal part of our modern society. . . When a voice emerges, one must ask who that voice represents, and how many people it can represent. One cannot listen to the wind and simply assume there is rain." Seeking Truth, however, seems not to realize those people at the supermarket are using smartphones.
- Liu Xia: must the "Chinese dream" become a "Chinese nightmare"? (2013-06-14) [CMP summary] ― On June 9, 2013, Liu Hui (刘晖), the younger brother of Liu Xia (刘霞), the wife of jailed dissident and Nobel Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), was sentenced to 11 years in jail on a criminal fraud charge that legal experts in China have said was a miscarriage of justice. In an open letter today, Liu Xia appeals directly to Chinese President Xi Jinping. She writes: "I believe the verdict of the court is entirely unjust. . . Mr. Chairman, you talk about the Chinese dream and how it must be realized through every Chinese citizen. I hope this Chinese dream does not become a 'Chinese nightmare' for individuals like me."
- Ai Weiwei makes music debut with dark video for single "Dumbass" (2013-05-23) [CMP summary] ― Artist and celebrity dissident Ai Weiwei (艾未未), known for his provocative works of art making thinly veiled criticisms of Chinese society and politics, formally made his rock music debut this week with the video release of his single "Dumbass." The video, filmed by Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle, directly references the nearly three months Ai spent in detention during a 2011 crackdown on political dissidents in China.
- Red Flag Journal: Would the West allow "flesh searches"? (2013-05-23) [CMP summary] ― The CCP's official Red Flag journal has run a series of articles recently calling for stricter controls on online public opinion in China. A piece posted to the website of Seeking Truth on May 21 answered a question from a reader raising concerns about the phenomenon of the "human flesh search" (crowdsourced investigation and often hazing of individuals online) and personal privacy. Would this sort of thing happen in the West, the reader asked Red Flag journal. The journal responded: "As you say, 'human flesh searches', which gather widespread web user participation in the search for and provision of information . . . have an immense power that is difficult to estimate. . . But 'human flesh searches' are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they can be advantageous in enforcing moral norms in society and carrying out supervision by public opinion [i.e., monitoring of power]; one the other hand they can harm the personal right to privacy and even cause the spread of online violence."
- Party journal: Chinese media must create cohesion, not division, as the country nears its "dream" (2013-05-21) [CMP summary] ― An article from the CCP's Red Flag journal posted to the website of Seeking Truth argues today that there are now two types of media in China: traditional media (print and broadcast) and internet-based new media. Both, says the article, must push for social cohesion. Now, as China reaches it's "dream," is not the moment to upset the boat, it says. "Right now, it would be difficult for any country or organization to use economic or military means to check and prevent the great sailing ship of China's revival. But there are certain powers that hope to use the internet as a means to bring about the collapse of China. The Party media and various new media, and the internet masses, must maintain clear heads -- they must not change directions or banners. The closer we get to the shores of our dream, the easier it is to run aground."
- Yu Jianrong 于建嵘 Dear leaders: what would you do?
- He Yanguang 贺延光 Cyber-Maoism and the micro struggle session
- Zhan Jiang 展江 Where is the government’s sense of shame?
- Zhan Jiang 展江 Is high-brow culture for the masses?
- Yu Jianrong 于建嵘 Yu Jianrong on closing of migrant schools
- Yang Hengjun 杨恒均 This is Yang Hengjun
- Robert Erhart on Elections in Taiwan set the bar for China (2013-02-27)
- Barret Dolph on Web users attack press censorship (2013-01-17)
- Dani (ZaiChina) on Porridge in support of Southern Weekly (2013-01-10)
- JOHN on Open letter ups the ante in the Southern Weekly incident (2013-01-08)
- ltlee on Students speak out against censorship (2013-01-08)
- Dan Williams on Southern Weekly incident update (2013-01-08)
- Hua Qiao on The Emperors, No Clothes: a Party fable? (2013-01-06)
- AG King on A consensus for political reform (2013-01-05)
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