Information/Technology - 79. page

Qiushi Journal, a bi-weekly magazine published by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, recently republished an article from People’s Daily on the phenomenon of Internet culture. According to the author, theoretical studies on this culture are far behind the reality of its rapid development. The article focused on the fastest growing portion of the domestic Internet market – online gaming – saying that the growth of the gaming industry should be limited. The author dismissed the view that Internet culture represents only a “virtual” world. He suggested that the virtual world is obviously interacting with the real world and concluded that, to a certain degree, “managing the virtual society amounts to managing the real one.” The author also expressed the belief that Internet-based enterprises lack deep cultural resources and called for help from the traditional culture industry. The article ended with the observation that the Internet culture is merging into mainstream Chinese culture.

Source: Qiushi Journal, April 5, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/wh/sxdl/201104/t20110405_75256.htm

On March 31, 2011, China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) issued a public notice regarding the production of TV series. The notice criticized some submitted TV series as having “random compilations of fairy tales” and even promoting “superstition, fatalism and reincarnation.” The notice reminds all the producers that the 2004 SARFT regulations on TV production and broadcasting remain in effect. “At the beginning of their work, organizations involved in the production of such TV series must carefully consider the market risks so as to avoid any blind investment.”

Source: China News, April 2, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/cul/2011/04-02/2948839.shtml

The website of Qiushi recently posted an article on its forum discussing the need for a “gatekeeper” for online media. It emphasized the growing importance of China’s online media, as the netizen population is 457 million, topping all other countries in the world. The author believes that the Internet has a large amount of “junk” information that pollutes people’s minds, especially young people. “Society needs a healthy, proactive, and high quality online environment, and needs ‘gatekeepers’ for online media.” The “gatekeepers” should “filter and monitor the accuracy, reliability, and objectivity of information, and select beneficial information for the audience from the jungle of cyberspace, so as to avoid a flood of information and misleading the netizens.” The “gatekeepers” include not only online journalists and editors, but also government supervision agencies. The netizens should also improve their capabilities of being “gatekeepers.” 

Source: Qiushi, February 21, 2011
http://bbs.qstheory.cn/bbs/thread-44727-1-1.html

Hu Jintao, chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently signed an order to promulgate the newly revised “Regulations of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Secrecy,” which will take effect on May 1, 2011. The new regulations redefine military secrets and require designated personnel to define, decode, and reevaluate security. They add a requirement to build an infrastructure to process security information as well as to ensure safety for Internet and mobile phone use. They establish guidelines for handling secrecy leaks based on job function and related law requirements. They also clarify responsibilities among security committee members, military personnel, and various management and administration levels.

Source: Xinhua, April 1, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-04/01/c_121259548.htm

According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), in 2010, 45.8% of Chinese Internet users encountered virus or Trojan malware attacks and 21.8% experienced account or password theft. CNNIC also noticed that, by the end of 2010, the number of Internet users in China had reached 457 million, an increase of 73.3 million over 2009.

Source: China News Service, March 29, 2011.
http://www.chinanews.com/it/2011/03-29/2938890.shtml.

To step up the regulation on the submission of publication samples, China’s publishing regulator, the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP), recently issued a Notice about Further Strengthening the Submission of Publication Samples. It requires that all publishers submit a sample of every new publication to a specific address in a timely manner.

The types of publications falling into the regulation include first editions of books, reprinted books, audio-visual products, and electronic publications. All must be submitted within 30 days of publication. All submissions must be complete, without any missing components.

Source: China News and Publishing Journal, March 29, 2011.
http://data.chinaxwcb.com/epaper/2011/2011-03-29/9179.html.

An opinion article published on the website of Huanqiu, a bi-lingual newspaper owned by People’s Daily, complained about Western media’s coverage of China’s Jasmine Revolution.

Without giving details, the article claimed it had received tips from Internet users that the photos that some foreign media recently used on China’s Jasmine revolution came from unrelated events in the past. The author criticized the reporting as “unprofessional” and full of “hostility.” “The Majority of Western media portray China as awkward, lacking transparency, and always on guard against other countries. They are spreading a big lie." It also questioned why China gets the most criticism and is labeled a “totalitarian regime.” The article concluded, “Let me say something. … China’s Internet users understand many languages. They like politics, debate, and make good observations. No foreign media will get away with spreading rumors about China.”

Source: Huanqiu, March 26, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-03/1589974.html

On March 24, 2011, IRI Consulting Group, a research institute affiliated with the Communication University of China, issued an Internet Real time Public Opinion Index (IRI) report. The report revealed that land confiscation and housing demolition, anti-corruption, and the image of the police are the three issues that have drawn the most attention from Chinese Internet users.

The report said, “2008 was the first year for the Internet to touch on political issues; 2009 saw a fast growth in public opinion; 2010 was the year of microblogging in China.” Faced with the fast growth and spread of cyber public opinion, government bodies and officials have started to use microblogs as a tool to deal with the public. Microblogs have grown to be the third most popular Internet opinion source following news and online forums. 

Source: Xinhua, March 24, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/24/c_121227816.htm