Name: Behind the Great Firewall of China
Uploaded: 2012-07-30T15:03:53Z
Duration: 18 min 34 s
Description: Michael Anti (aka Jing Zhao) has been blogging from China for 12 years. Despite the control the central government has over the Internet -- "All the servers are in Beijing" -- he says that hundreds of millions of microbloggers are in fact creating the first national public sphere in the country's history, and shifting the balance of power in unexpected ways.

Michael Anti (aka Jing Zhao) has been blogging from China for 12 years. Despite the control the central government has over the Internet -- "All the servers are in Beijing" -- he says that hundreds of millions of microbloggers are in fact creating the first national public sphere in the country's history, and shifting the balance of power in unexpected ways.

Behind the Great Firewall of China

China’s internet censorship created a parallel ecosystem, where 500 million users built vibrant social platforms like Weibo. Despite strict control, more than 300 million people used microblogs to expose cover-ups, voice outrage, and challenge authority. Viral stories, like the Wenzhou train crash, sparked unprecedented public pressure and led to real consequences for officials. Even under heavy surveillance, social media became a training ground for citizenship and public discourse.