Compared to the thousands who have expressed their views through various protests that took place in China over the weekend, major Chinese internet websites seemed a lot quieter about the marches - but that's just on the surface.
Chinese media, including internet content service providers, are not allowed to publish reports on the marches.
QQ, one of the most popular instant messaging client in China, has added the word “march” (游行) to their list of banned words, preventing users from sending any messages that contains the prohibited word.
Despite the restrictions, hundreds of blog posts were able to make their way through to the internet, providing a range of information and opinions.
Many of them are eye-witness accounts of the marches in Shanghai, Ningbo,
Hangzhou and Shenzhen, with photos taken throughout the protests accompanying their posts.
They showed a sense of pride that they have done the right thing to speak out for justice that would leave a mark in history. That the people in Shanghai are also patriots and not just people who would money first as people from around the country alleged previously.
“Boycott Japanese goods and strengthened China” is the slogan used most throughout the protest in Shanghai, it was also the rationale behind the protest, one angry Anti-Japan blogger said in a blog post where he captured the most memorable moments and accomplishments of the protest.
He was most provoked when protesters tried to pass through the police line. “1, 2, 3! Patriotism is not a crime! Break the (police) protection line!”, he recalled.
Some talked about the window smashing and vandalism that they saw in Shanghai. But they also noted that the vandalism were done by a few emotionally-charged protesters while many other more rational protesters tried to stop them but without any success.
In Ding Yong Speaks, the blogger questioned why people are focusing on the violent behaviors by ten percent of the protesters and not the voices by ninety percent who are the majority. He thought that the outpour of strong emotions and violence in recent protests took place because people never had an outlet nor the experience to let the steam out publicly.
“Are protests useful? Are they necessary? Many people on the internet are debating [about these questions].” Fuiyi, a Chinese blogger wrote.
Already, some bloggers have raised the issue of economic damages that have been done to local businesses. Some called others to remain calm and rational when expressing their views. Some opined that not all protesters are partriots - that some people went for the sake of protesting against the government. Some continued to vent their anger on the text book issue and territorial disputes over Diaoyutai islands.
“I think marches is a strong and powerful behavior for ordinary citizen groups in the society to express themselves. Even though it is a bit useless and may be used for illegal purposes, but if you don't march, how are you going to express yourself?” Fuiyi concluded in his blog.
The views on the topic are wide-ranging and continue to evolve in the Chinese internet.
Further reading:
Update: Fon Tuinstra points out that: “When I read Andrea's overview I get the idea that not only traditional media sanatize reality to accomodate their audiences, Chinese bloggers show the same tendency.” It should be pointed out that it was the translator of this piece who neglected the racist remarks as I thought they have already been widely reported in the news. The Chinese blogger quoted in this piece did mention that “Japanese pigs” has the best rhythm. Whenever people shouted “Japanese pigs”, the rest of the protesters would shout “Leave! Leave! Leave!”.
Update 2: Some users reported that they could use the word “march” in QQ and the word is not censored.
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I posted some thoughts…
Regarding the UPDATE: FWIW, most of the anti-Japanese comments on my blog seem to focus on the phrase “Fuck Japs” rather than “Japanese Pigs”… There aren’t that many, but they seem to be attaching themselves to a post from last year about increasing anti-Japanese sentiments in China.
两厢不情愿
Joi （伊藤穰一）延续Andrea 在Global Voices上关于中国媒体对近期各个城市活动的反应了自己的理解。他希望中国的Blogger 对他的帖子发表看法，甚至也欢迎批评。我想他的坦白能够折射日本几代…
[...] nti-Japan demonstration in Shanghai. Link 1, Link 2 UPDATE#6: Global Voices Online posted an entry on this, and Joi Ito also offered his view on this. This entry [...]
as a student, i’ve learned the anti-japanese war in my
high school history class. at thta time i did not feel any
hatred to japanese people, as i think that the past is past.
it is no use to blame somebody because of the crime commited
bvy their ancestors.
but later, and especially now, i feel much irritated.
as in our philosophy, you are forgiven, but the history can
not be denied. we only forgive those who realized their
own faults, and those deny thier crimes will never deserve any
forgiveness.
I hope this will contribute some objectivity into the discussion on the Sino-Japan row:
When the Dragon and the Tiger Clashes
Joi: I want to thank you for your post and for facilitating the wonderful conversation that followed.
Jacksaid: Thank you for your excellent backgrounder on the Sino-Japan relations. I appreciate your quotes from the Japanese constitution and the Murayama Statement.
Tensions appear to be winding down, for the time being at least, between the two Asian giants, China and Japan. But since one or the other is fated to control the region, this can only be a lull - unless (horror of horror!) they decide for some future reasons to form an anti-American alliance.
The move to open conflict seems to have been temporarily postponed for now, according to the stories on http://www.survivalistskills.com/NEWS43.HTM
There’s also a fascinating page of current news articles on the rise of China, the collapsing dollar, the declining U.S. economy, and the New World Order at http://www.survivalistskills.com/newsitem.htm, which makes for interesting daily reading!
Chinese blogs on anti-Japan protests
Official Chinese media were not allowed to report on recent anti-Japan protests in Shanghai, and the word ‘march’ has even been censored on popular Chinese instant messaging software. But the blogs have churned out account upon eye-witness account of…
It is unacceptable that the Japanese denied history. They completely changed
the contents in their history textbook. About the genocide at Nan-King City,
they only stated “many injured and died”. the truth is, 330,000 people died
of torturing in 3 weeks! I really don’t want to mention how the Japanese tortured
the Chinese, it is extremely cruel. Also, the Japanese stated that the
Chinese initiated the Japanese invasion; this is bizarre! A Japanses professor
even said that some photos of the genecide were not real! They are denying
history, and try to cover up their own fault! This is unacceptable and
that makes the people in China angry.
I am a Japanese.
I apologize to Chinese people for Nanjing case.
However I heard that the population of Nanjing was 220,000
at that time.
I want to know the truth of Nanjing case.
Comment by Cathy Johnson ? 4/24/2005 @ 12:56 pm
>this can only be a lull - unless (horror of horror!) they decide for some future reasons
>to form an anti-American alliance.
I wonder why two countries form an anti-American alliance.
It’s nonsense.
No matter the died people killed by Japanese Army is how much, 330000 or “just” 30000, please tell me had you heard so much citizen killed by army just in one city in WW2?? they are citizen, no weapon,most of them even children and women and old people,the Nazi killed 600,0000 Jews in Europe in 5 years, but your country “army”(in China, we call them Beast) kill 1/30 amout person in 3 weeks, even more.Did you heard any news reported by British or American, even Germany Doctors in Nanjing Hospital that moment??They feel Nanjing became hell that three weeks!
The history will not be fogotten , forever!All Chinese will never forget!
I respect Germany just because they can apologize and do many things for their crime, but what did your Country done?If a country still believe power is the only thing they can depend on, they will recieve the aftereffect.
Hope the war will not happen again forever, but Chinese will not fear of war force to us again.
For victims of Nanjing case, I apologize heartily again.
In Japan, tens of thousands of citizens died by an air raid or
an A-bomb instantly in a city of everywhere. Number of died citizens
became hundreds of thousands of sum total.
All Japanese must not forget Japanese wrong acts in Asia eternally.
After the war, Japan makes efforts to become a peaceful democratic
country.
Japan without nucleus armament never attacks China,
because the allied powers do not accept at all Japanese nucleus armament.
I wonder why two countries form an anti-American alliance.
It’s nonsense.
Comment by richilo ? 5/20/2005 @ 7:41 am
>what did your Country done?
Apologies of Japan:
1. Apology comments of the prime ministers
2. The Anti-Japan War Memorial Museum visits of the prime ministers
3. ODA: 1,160 million dollars in 1998(the maximum year)
4. volunteers planting at The Gobi Desert or The Great Wall of China
5. volunteers repairing of The Nanjing City Walls
6. citizen’s contributions to elementary school constructions, etc.
Comment by richilo ? 5/20/2005 @ 7:41 am
>I respect Germany
I respect Germany, too.
However I think as follows:
The allied powers declared to Germany and Japan that only war criminals
had war responsibility.
The people of Germany have acted according to the declaration.
The people of Japan have acted according to the thought that the war
criminals abandoned their lives for life / safeness / freedom of
the people of Japan. It is Japanese spirit.
Now, first understand that by no means am I taking away from the suffering of people who where victimized through out history here. I believe that the Japanese did need to be stopped in world war II. But I also feel a lot of people don’t know their history. I find it hard to believe that China, a leading country in human rights violations for the last 60 years and the biggest treat to Japan for centuries prior to WWII, can still hold hatred towards the Japanese, or Korea, a people who where infamous for their brutality towards Allied prisoners of war during WWII(just read Knights of Busido) can still be angry at a war. Or Americans, who set a policy to massacre all men between the ages of 10-40 in the phillipians prior to the War, can be upset of the “crimes committed by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and elsewere.” By the way, my great grandfater was at Pearl Harbor. My point is no one is innocent. Every nation, at one time has commited crimes against humanity, weather we want to denie it or not. And the worst part is most people who carry on the hate or who are hated were not even alive during these times. So get over it, it is history. Learn from it and insure it never happens again, but hating will only insure we have a repeat in history.
unbelievable what is going on over there…
i am born in china.and iam still studying in china.da people around me just say something upon it.there are something strange in our heart making us want to kick da “ri ben”.i do not say waht to express my emotion.i just wanna say to japanese”remember what u did during da auti-japanese war. thank u
YOU KNOW, THE WAR IS OVER.
THE REAL PROBLEMS OF CHINA ARE ACTUALLY INSIDE THE COUNTRY.
OIL PRICE WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE AND IT WILL BE HARD TO TRADE WITH WESTERN COUNTRIES. IT’S BETTER TO HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPAN.
why dont you guys remember that americans drop atomic bombs and killed hundreds of thousands of people. should japanese people hate americans like chinese people hate japanese people? what about the british invasion of china? lots of chinese people are killed unfairly by western invaders. why don’t they hate those people but just hate japanese people? also, if it is the case that it is absolutely an unforgiveable thing to massacre people in invasion, isn’ it also terrible that chinese people (the CCP) invaded Tibet and killed tens of thousands of people and raped lots of women. probably chinese people even do not learn about that fact at school, do you? why do you guys regard people as “us” and “them?” you were not even born yet when the WWII happened, nor were most japanese people born. do you think it is justice that those chinese people set fire of japanese companies’ buildings, beat up foreign students from japan, and throw rocks into japanese empassies? i am a japanese, part of whose taxes are being paid to china as ODA, Official Development Assistances, every year. have i done personally anything wrong to you? i personally am giving you money (the total amount of ODA paid by Japan to China sums up to 60 billion US dollars). It’s not the matter of money? Then, why accept it?
You guys hate us forever for what some of our ancestors did to your ancestors? Just forever? japan is returning to imperialism? we have renounced nuclear weapons of any kind completely. what is china doing using the money we gave? building nuclear weapons? invading india? practicing anti-japan education? which is closer to an imperial nation, china or japan? which country has freedom of speech? which country is closer to democracy and which is closer to dictatorship? which country has federal elections? you guys better be aware of the fact that you are being deceived by your own country.
Ni men de guo jia mei you le. gongchan dang po huai le ni men de zhongguo. tamen cuihui le zhong guo wen hua he lishi. kangri zhanzheng de shenglizhe bu shi zhongguo. meiguo dabai le riben. zhanzheng jieshu le liushi nian le. beican de lishi shi gai bu dao de. nimende yuan hen you shenme yong ne? wo men ya zhou guo jia ying gai youhao tuanjie. zhongguo ying gai minzhuhuale! ruguo ni haishi riben shi nimen de diguo, ni yinggai lai riben liuxue. ni kan riben shifou diguozhuyi guojia. xiexie ni kan wo de yijian.
As shown bellow, our premier’s Yasukuni visits have revealed some unknown aspects of our Constitution, which you Allied gave us half a century ago:
http://george23.cocolog-nifty.com
to GONG:
I am sure most of the chinese do not mean to hate the japanese. it is just a small amount of people who thinks that. personally I do not hate any japanese but however the history should not be forgiven.
*yawn* filth. Typical Chinese filth with a mixture of British/US sponsored propoganda. To establish rifts among Eastern Nations CHN - Korea - Japan. Always has been the case. The only groups I can see who will profit from these prolonged conflicts are the filthy Muslims who are now steadily invading the East, US/UK/France (this is too obvious). BTW Tibet is a fabrication of Western Nations. There is no Tibet. Buddhist came from India. Bloody Hindu Arabic Indian Scum do not claim territory either as a people or through subversive religions. As far as I’m concerned they’re just a bunch of niggers from the Middle East and Africa. Nuff said. BTW, this *English* blog is orchestrated propaganda. This comment will probably not be approved but who cares, the person judging this is and will always be nothing but a whining SUBHUMAN. PLEASE PUT PROPER KEYWORDS IN YOUR META SEARCH SECTIONS, I WAS SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND ENDED UP IN THIS PIECE OF SHIT SITE.
To Gong,
The way you wrote your opinion, it is also nevetheless than how Chinese felt about the Massacre that happen to China in WWII. Yes, majority of the people who live through that period are old or deceased. However, history does not erase and that’s what Japanese are doing. They know how badly it does and even want to erase it, that’s why denying it the best way to resolved the problem. You said it correct; wars doesn’t do anyone justice; it just only bringing the worst of humanity. However, everyone needs to know this problem did existed and not covering the past. I don’t hate Japanese; instead I just felt sorry for everyone who suffer during wartimes. This massacre is no less than what happen to Jewish people in concentration camp and German do respond by saying yes we did it and we are sorry. Should Japanese do the same way, acknowledge the facts and present to the younger generation so it they would have lessons about cruelty of wartimes.
I think the difference between the feelings between Chinese and Japanese about the war vs. Japanese and American about the war is that the Western countries tend to appologize officially and do not discount the war dead claim. There will be American elements that will call Japanese “Japs” and wished they’d drop a 3 A bomb, just like there are Germans that deny the holocaust. I have met Germans that openly say that they don’t like Jews and how they have suffered more during the war. But it is what Germany officially recognizes and teaches in schools that everybody hears.
The difference, again, is how the government behave. In America, during the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, we hear stories from Japanese survivors of the bombings and interviews were conducted in the tone of, “What have we done!” I am sure that there are many Japanese citizens who feel the same way about the war and their Government has made great strides into a democratic force in the world.
Yes, I do believe the Chinese Government like to stir up things so their citizens forget what is wrong with their government. There is genuine resentment because the Chinese felt defeated by someone close to home, another Asian. With all its glorious history and resources, China was defeated by this island nation who called them the sick man of Asia. You see, once someone has been oppressed, they will look for every slight, every inuendo and react. And it has taken a long time for Japan to appologize, but apologize they did.
I hope the answer is more official dialogue between the Governments of China and Japan. The Chinese people are working hard to rehabilitate their self image, to rebuild their national self esteem. Some give their lives as dissidents. I hope the good people of Japan understand this and forgive the violent protests and encourage constructive relationships.
BTW, I am Chinese and I look for the joy that most Asians can share in our love for food and tight-nit families. I wish there is someway that we can start over, Tabula Rasa, clean slate without forgetting how bad war is. Maybe it will just take another generation.
I know why the japanese think taht of americans.But that was only a part of americans that wanted to do that.And like me the usa made very stupid mistake.You know they were gona use exploding bats instead.
But then the atomic bomb came.I feel bad.I think what are nation did should really make the japanese hate us.But im not the kind of american that likes what the usa did.I respect japanese alot unlike some american guys that go into japanese clubs and rape the girl the next day.And alot of america still treat japan like shit but my point is here.Thats not all of the americans.But if one does it it reflects on the whole nation.
and about china and japan.Japan went into china and slaughtered the chinese so the chinese have a small reason.