The Marmot’s Hole

Sugar Shin was kind enough to send me this Asia Times piece on the Chinese blogging community that really is worth reading. Just to cite the intro:

Detained in solitary confinement for more than a year, Liu Di, 23, a post-graduate psychology student at Beijing Normal University, learned a lesson the hard way about the dangers of participatory journalism or blogging in China. Finally released from Qincheng Prison, she has resumed her university studies. News articles revealed that her subversive cyber crimes, committed under the screen name, “Stainless Steel Mouse”, were mainly criticisms of renewed restrictions on Internet cafes, a plea for more freedom of expression on the Internet and - oh, yes - a satire of the Chinese Communist Party.

Liu, is only one of many new Chinese bloggers - one conservative estimate places the number at 300,000 - who are becoming high-profile symbols for democracy and free speech. (China’s reformist President Hu Jintao is believed to approve of, even support, websites that criticize and discredit anti-reformers and his rivals.)

And while we’re discussing China-oriented blogs, and just in case anyone missed it, some goofball attacked “bigoted Westerner” Richard of Peking Duck in the English-language China Daily back on July 11. You know, Richard, it’ll be a proud day in Marmot history when someone shows me that kind of attention — keep up the good work.