The blogged world
by Shang Zuo
by Shang Zuo
It all started with a casual click on the Net a few years ago. A hyperlink brought me to a blog owned by a Chinese
living in Paris. From the blog, I randomly picked up one of her linked blogs, and then, from there, I jumped to even
more sites. The world of Chinese bloggers revealed itself in front of me.
Now reading blogs is a part of my daily life. I'm always amazed by the variety of people's lives and perspectives.
A former Microsoft employee sharing his thoughts about the new trends of the Internet industry, a Briton living in
Beijing taking photos of every restaurant he goes to, and an artist drawing pictures to tell the traditions of his
beloved hometown Chendu -- they are all members of the blogger community.
Different forms of online diary could be tracked back to the early age of the Internet, though it's not until 1997
when the blog we see today came into shape. The early adopters in China were IT professionals. And then
journalists joined the army. The blogging service is so easy to use that everyone starts to write their random
thoughts or share photos with friends online. Some may lose their interests in a few months and stop updating
their blogs, but more will join in. According to Baidu, the most popular search engine in China, the number of
Chinese bloggers has reached over 16 million, and the number of blogs is about 37 million. In June, Technorati
indicated the number one blog on the planet in term of site traffic belonged to Xu Jinglei. Surprised? You should
not.
As a nice young lady with an angel's face, Xu Jinglei has millions of fans, though she wants to be more
recognized as a director than an actress. She's particularly good at calligraphy, which was taught by her strict father
during her childhood. This is a rare achievement among young women. Far from being a master, her calligraphy is
fine enough to easily win admiration from audiences. As a blogger, Xu is surprisingly diligent. She updates her
blog every day. No wonder the blog drew 10 million visitors in over 100 days./ Celebrity blogs? Yes. Wouldn't it be
wonderful if Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg wrote about their next project and their daily lives?
Celebrity blogs are quite a phenomenon in China, thanks to the efforts of Sina, a leading web company in
China. Since Sina launched its blogging service, it has been inviting public figures to blog on its site, which is
arguably a very successful advertising strategy. The invited people include rock stars, entrepreneurs, intellectuals,
writers, and those with different backgrounds.
A world like this is never short of passions. The hottest flame was between a writer and a critic. Han Han
published his first book when he was 17. When he read an article written by Ye Bai criticizing young writers like
him, saying that he knew little about literature, he felt insulted and amused. He responded with a post on his blog
titled "Literature Is Nothing" in a sarcastic tone. After several rounds of debate between Han and Bai, the critic
found him in no position winning the debate, because his blog was flooded by provocative comments posted by
the writer's fans. Mr. Bai thus closed his blog.
The incident well illustrated some natures of young Chinese netizens: emotional, relentless, never hesitate to
express their own opinions.
However, it's absolutely wrong to conclude Chinese blogs are dominated by simple minds. People talk
business and even affect national policies. Xiang Wenbo, the president of a manufacturer of construction
equipment, was angry about the proposed deal to sell Xugong, China's largest crane maker, to a foreign company.
He accused that the company was being sold by an unreasonable low price. Even though Xiang's article was
probably the most influential voice regarding the Xugong deal, it was only a tip of a broader concern among the
public. Chinese government has recently announced to set up a commission and consider limiting foreign
participation in several industrial sectors.
Public attention is always attracted by the news makers, but Chinese blog community is just as grass-root as
anywhere else. And that's exactly where the future lies on. With all the virtues and vileness, blogs are the true face
of the real world. In this respect, we can say the world is accurately blogged.
living in Paris. From the blog, I randomly picked up one of her linked blogs, and then, from there, I jumped to even
more sites. The world of Chinese bloggers revealed itself in front of me.
Now reading blogs is a part of my daily life. I'm always amazed by the variety of people's lives and perspectives.
A former Microsoft employee sharing his thoughts about the new trends of the Internet industry, a Briton living in
Beijing taking photos of every restaurant he goes to, and an artist drawing pictures to tell the traditions of his
beloved hometown Chendu -- they are all members of the blogger community.
Different forms of online diary could be tracked back to the early age of the Internet, though it's not until 1997
when the blog we see today came into shape. The early adopters in China were IT professionals. And then
journalists joined the army. The blogging service is so easy to use that everyone starts to write their random
thoughts or share photos with friends online. Some may lose their interests in a few months and stop updating
their blogs, but more will join in. According to Baidu, the most popular search engine in China, the number of
Chinese bloggers has reached over 16 million, and the number of blogs is about 37 million. In June, Technorati
indicated the number one blog on the planet in term of site traffic belonged to Xu Jinglei. Surprised? You should
not.
As a nice young lady with an angel's face, Xu Jinglei has millions of fans, though she wants to be more
recognized as a director than an actress. She's particularly good at calligraphy, which was taught by her strict father
during her childhood. This is a rare achievement among young women. Far from being a master, her calligraphy is
fine enough to easily win admiration from audiences. As a blogger, Xu is surprisingly diligent. She updates her
blog every day. No wonder the blog drew 10 million visitors in over 100 days./ Celebrity blogs? Yes. Wouldn't it be
wonderful if Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg wrote about their next project and their daily lives?
Celebrity blogs are quite a phenomenon in China, thanks to the efforts of Sina, a leading web company in
China. Since Sina launched its blogging service, it has been inviting public figures to blog on its site, which is
arguably a very successful advertising strategy. The invited people include rock stars, entrepreneurs, intellectuals,
writers, and those with different backgrounds.
A world like this is never short of passions. The hottest flame was between a writer and a critic. Han Han
published his first book when he was 17. When he read an article written by Ye Bai criticizing young writers like
him, saying that he knew little about literature, he felt insulted and amused. He responded with a post on his blog
titled "Literature Is Nothing" in a sarcastic tone. After several rounds of debate between Han and Bai, the critic
found him in no position winning the debate, because his blog was flooded by provocative comments posted by
the writer's fans. Mr. Bai thus closed his blog.
The incident well illustrated some natures of young Chinese netizens: emotional, relentless, never hesitate to
express their own opinions.
However, it's absolutely wrong to conclude Chinese blogs are dominated by simple minds. People talk
business and even affect national policies. Xiang Wenbo, the president of a manufacturer of construction
equipment, was angry about the proposed deal to sell Xugong, China's largest crane maker, to a foreign company.
He accused that the company was being sold by an unreasonable low price. Even though Xiang's article was
probably the most influential voice regarding the Xugong deal, it was only a tip of a broader concern among the
public. Chinese government has recently announced to set up a commission and consider limiting foreign
participation in several industrial sectors.
Public attention is always attracted by the news makers, but Chinese blog community is just as grass-root as
anywhere else. And that's exactly where the future lies on. With all the virtues and vileness, blogs are the true face
of the real world. In this respect, we can say the world is accurately blogged.
