Apparently, the Chinese government blocks all blogs from being viewed in China. I discovered this fact after trying to retrieve my blog to make sure everything posted correctly. The internet kept "thinking" and thinking, and finally directed me to a search page, much like you'd get in the US if you've typed an internet address in incorrectly.
One of the strangest things to get used to on this trip is the role of communism in China. The concept of government-owned property is mind-boggling to me. The citizens here don't own their own houses or their own land. They can't. If the governement decides to build something better (public or private) on the very spot the person has lived for 50 years, they can do it. What's even harder to wrap my mind around is that the citizens don't "care." This is part of life and they accept it, and don't think any differently about it. Such a strange concept coming from a culture that is all about private ownership and the importance of owning our own homes and land, and the anger we feel towards our government if they try to take it away, for public domain, for example.
Funny thing is, Hong Kong allows you to view blogs. This is a part of China, but their relationship with the mainland is so funny. Capitalism, private ownership of land and property, and goverment deregulation of many things.
So consider yourself lucky that you can read this blog. That our government doesn't play big brother (current politics aside) and that we have freedoms that not all people in the modern world enjoy. I'm sure the Chinese government would love that I'm saying this. Maybe that's why they're blocking my blog.
1 comment:
I remember that, too. I think Google did end up complying to the Chinese governement, causing a lot of debate on both sides. I don't know which side is right...maybe by being in the market, you can slowly open people's minds and be there when the governement finally deregulates. Of course, I don't forsee that happening any time soon.
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