The truth (or not) in China's blog growth

Like so many things in China, the size of its blog population is gigantic--34 million, according to the news agency Xinhua. But as its politics prove, size isn't everything.

The lightning-fast expansion of China's sector of the blogosphere, which represents a 30-fold increase in four years, can hardly be interpreted as a reflection of commensurate growth in free speech. Beijing's never-ending crackdown on blogs has led to routine censorship that has drawn wide criticism from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations.

There is a reason, after all, that it's called the Great Firewall of China.

Blog community response:

"As in the West, the blogosphere has become a 'source' for Chinese 'journalists.' Of course, when reading about blogging in China, it is useful to remember that the Chinese have recently gained quite a bit of attention by putting in place systems to monitor and control blog and news content."
--As I May Think

"Censorship in China is a major hurdle for anyone who would speak out against the Communist Party. But despite the many trials Chinese bloggers face they are pretty good at it."
--Sewers of Babel: Braineel

"China, in fact, has a fine sense of irony that is often wieldedby local bloggers and commentators. It is the government that has no discernible sense of irony, and thus makes such a spectacular target for lampooning and satire. Which makes it all the more sad that there is no tradition of political cartooning here."
--Imagethief