The latest from the Ministry of Truth (propaganda directives from the Chinese Central Propaganda Bureau) has officially ban-hammered the Chinese phrase gongmin shehui (公民社会), or 'civil society', from use in Chinese media. Apparently the ban has been in the works since October, and is most likely a reaction to growing citizen participation in politics vis-a-vis the internet. more ›

China Digital Times has done us all the favor again of translating directives from various governmental authorities and this week the main focus is unsurprisingly on the Jiaozhou Lu apartment block fire here in Shanghai. Among the missives: Don't put mourning activities in a prominent position on all media outlets and websites, and withdraw issues of a magazine that dared to write about who really was responsible. more ›

CDT's latest in their ongoing translations from the Chinese blog Ministry of Truth reveal a list of eight prominent news items that the Propaganda Department doesn't want "hyped" in the Chinese media. Among the typically sensitive subjects of murder, death, promiscuity, etc., we found a more bizarre missive: "The retention or abandonment of World Expo pavilion buildings." more ›

China Digital Times has translated a series of excerpts from the Chinese blog Ministry of Truth—a website that leaks the directives from various propaganda departments regarding the reporting of current events. A play on the government contrived “truth” in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, “Ministry of Truth” in the Chinese blogosphere refers specifically to the Central Propaganda Department and subordinate censorship agencies which ensure that media and cultural content follows the official line. more ›

• More Battles Ahead for IPhone in China [PC World] "Apple has emerged from winding negotiations with an iPhone deal in China, but the handset will still face government pitfalls and look-alike competitors in the country. Local carrier China Unicom said Friday it had reached a three-year iPhone distribution deal with Apple, ending months of rumor about an impending agreement. The carrier will offer the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, with the first handsets going on sale in the fourth quarter."
• Taiwan seeks to smooth ruffled Chinese feathers [AP] "China has canceled or postponed several events meant to underscore improving relations with Taiwan, apparently to show anger over the Dalai Lama's visit to the island, Taiwan's governing party said Tuesday. The visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader — aimed at offering comfort to the victims of Typhoon Morakot — has created the most serious challenge for relations between the democratic island and the communist mainland since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 15 months ago on a platform of ending 60 years of hostility."
• An unlikely victim of China's censorship [UPI Asia] "It is well known that Internet access is not unrestricted in China. But who would expect that New Threads (Xin Yusi, www.xys.org), an overseas Chinese-language website, would be among the inaccessible sites? A search of the term “New Threads” at Google inside China and at Baidu, a Chinese-language search engine, did not even generate links to the website. New Threads is not anti-Chinese government, nor is it pornographic or related to the banned Falungong cult. It is not about Taiwan independence, Tibet or Xinjiang. It simply reveals academic misconduct in China."