Update on China's Great Firewall and Witopia

I am back in China.  I am still pulling together some information regarding my previous post on China's Great Firewall and Witopia.  Since I may not have regular internet access this week (due to mundane reasons not related to any Great Firewall events), I wanted to provide an update.

At this moment I can say: 

• Upon my return to China, I discovered the claim that the Great Firewall had been expanded in a way that greatly interfered with at least some of Witopia's services appeared to be true.
• Under such circumstances I was effectively "behind" the Great Firewall and could not access sites blocked in China such as Blogger.
• I am now writing this post through Blogger's normal online interface.  I will leave it at that.

The Great Wall is still not solid.  Previously, I believed some of its holes were left knowingly and intentionally (see here for an article on the Great Firewall and it's flexibility by James Fallows).  However, with recent events I'm not sure to what degree China is now willing to allow holes in its Great Wall.  The issue could have large consequences.

More as soon as I can...

[Added note: Further update here]

China Firewall Blocking Witopia or Witopia Fighting Back or...?

There may be a new development regarding the "Great Firewall" used by China to censor the Internet.

First, I need to provide some context.  I frequently make use of the virtual private network (VPN) service Witopia.  In short, it provides a way to surf the web more securely and anonymously.  In China it has the added benefit of "getting around" the Great Firewall -- the main reason I, like others, started using it.  Many foreign companies in China openly use strategies similar to Witopia's for their own internet needs and would not be able to operate efficiently otherwise.

Now the meat of the story...  While using Witopia in Vietnam tonight I noticed an interesting pattern.  It was working fine for web sites hosted in the US, Germany, Japan, etc.  However, I was not getting a response from any of the China-based web sites I attempted to visit despite not having had a problem earlier in the day.  The new problem was consistent whether I connected to Witopia's service through servers in the US or Singapore.

When I turned off Witopia I immediately had no problem accessing the sites in China.  I reconnected through Witopia and the problem returned.  The problem appeared to be specific to my use of Witopia for sites in China.  At this point I noticed a report of recent problems using Witopia in China which suggested that China is doing something that negatively impacts at least some of Witopia's services.  Now, I was intrigued...

So, based on the above I think it's worth suggesting a few possibilities I can think of that may account for what I experienced.

• Maybe China wants to make all of Witopia's services less usable for getting around the Great Firewall or for accessing any site in China.
• Maybe China doesn't want it to occur and it is an undesired (but possibly necessary) side effect of any other interference caused by China.
• Maybe Witopia is retaliating against China - if you interfere with us we'll interfere with you.  It may seem peculiar they would do this without a public announcement but it could also be very savvy.  Often in China, publicly airing your disputes is not effective in resolving issues.
• Maybe it is just an unintended technical glitch -- whether specific to me or broader.

This all raises a host of very interesting issues which I'd love to explore but...   I'll first do some more digging around and also see what things are like during the next day or two.  If nothing else, I want to see if this is a "stable" situation.

On the side, in the near future I will be returning to China.  If I am not able to use Witopia there then I am not sure whether I will be able to access my blog for posting as I normally do.

We'll see...

[Added note: Update here]

Vietnam, meet Mahler and the Backstreet Boys

In Hanoi you can listen to a Vietnamese premiere of music by Gustav Mahler:

Or to the Backstreet Boys:

I wonder if there is anyone who attends both...

Unproductive Interviews

Yesterday, my day was filled with bicycling to some historic sites outside of Hue, Vietnam and my night was occupied by a flight to Hanoi.  The historic sites were incredible and I hoped to speak to some other visitors to learn more about their impressions.  Unfortunately, in several cases I was rather unsuccessful in getting much response as seen in these two cases at the Tomb of Khải Định:

Attentive, but quiet.

Dare I say he was stone faced?

Hopefully better luck next time.  Now, I must deal with an unexpected flight cancellation, so I will have to postpone a more substantial post till later.

Google's Reply to the Chinese Media's Accusation of "Meddling"

In my recent post "Google Accused in China of 'Meddling' in Egypt" I wrote that part of the goal of Google's detractors in China is to link Google with the US Government.

Recently, Bloomberg received this email reply from Google regarding the Chinese article:

“Contrary to assertions made by the Chinese media, every decision we have made regarding China has been made by Google alone.”

However, convincing the Chinese people that Google is independent of the US Government is not going to be solved by an email to Bloomberg News.  I'm pretty sure Google did not have such far reaching hopes for the email, but it raises an important issue to consider.

How do you convince the Chinese people you're not "against" them when the Chinese Government supported media is actively saying otherwise?  That's a million dollar (actually, much more than that) question.

Much of my research in user experience design in China has touched on this and similar issues.  After all, my work has been to help companies design technology that is not only useful and usable for consumers but that is also desirable.  Being viewed as a company aiding the causes of foreign governments doesn't likely aid in increasing the desirability of your products or services.  And just as understanding people's needs, desires, concerns, etc. are key to designing a successful product or service, they are also a key component for understanding how to best navigate situations such as the one Google faces.

Based on my research, I have thoughts about how companies such as Google could increase their chances of success in China with particular groups of consumers.  Some of these directly relate to Google's current predicament.  I will share some of these thoughts in future posts.

"I'm Muslim, Don't Panik"

Seen on a bridge in Hue, Vietnam:

Google Accused in China of "Meddling" in Egypt

David Bandurski for the China Media Project comments on a recent article about Google circulating in China in his piece "Opium Wars and the perfidy of Google":

"As “web user” Zheng Yan (郑岩) wrote in an article posted Friday on People’s Daily Online, a website operated by the CCP’s official People’s Daily, “[Google] is not just a search engine tool — it is a tool to extend American hegemony.” The Mountain View, CA, based company is, says Zheng, “America’s British East India Company.”

The article was cross-posted on more than 300 websites in China, including Xinhua Online, QQ.com, China Youth Daily Online and Sina.com.

And since this is a story about good guys and bad guys, you should know that Chinese search engine provider Baidu is a national hero that “strongly blocked” Google in China."

Bandurski's piece also provides an English version of the the article by Zheng Yan that is worth reading.  It makes numerous claims including:

"The facts have shown that Google is not purely a company, that it seeks not only to make the money of other nations, but also meddles in the political affairs of other countries. It is not just a search engine tool — it is a tool to extend American hegemony"

This claim is key for those who wish to "block" Google in China.  It is to the advantage of Google's detractors, whether competitors or other "forces", for Chinese people to believe that Google is not a potential vehicle for what they may want but for what the US Government wants.  Many Chinese already believe that if the US & Chinese Governments disagree on something, what the US wants must be detrimental to China.  So, any association of Google's interests with the US Government's is viewed poorly.

As I wrote earlier, some of Google's supporters in China had a change of heart after Hillary Clinton gave a speech last year that specifically referenced Google's situation in China.  The speech provided an opportunity to associate Google with the US Government.  Zheng Yan's article is yet another attempt to fuel the perception that Google is "political".  Ironically and brilliantly, it may cause many in China to not only further dismiss the power that could be provided to them with services such as Google's, but to also not see that they have many goals in common with the people in places such as Egypt.

[Added note:  Post about Google's reply]

Google Hotel in Vietnam

Recently, I arrived in Hue, Vietnam - the former imperial capital of the Nguyễn Dynasty.  I was excited to explore both its rich historical sites and its delicious local food.  However, something else also caught my attention.  Yesterday, while I was walking down a street I noticed this sign:

I had never heard of a Google Hotel, so I walked around the corner to see if it really existed.  Indeed, not far away I found the Google Hotel:

Later that night, I discovered the hotel appeared to have its own web site -- of course, it's the Google Hotel!  I was particularly intrigued to find that under "Our services" they listed "Nerd water" as a drink for sale.

Well, I knew I had to try some nerd water so I stopped by the next day.  The menu was a bit different from the online version.  The drinks page is here:

Instead of "nerd water" they had "nerd bird can".  I wasn't totally sure I wanted a nerd bird can so I ordered this instead:

After a few sips of the decent 50 cent local beer I asked the Google Hotel staff about the nerd bird can.  They insisted it was very healthy so I decided to give it a try.  Out came this:

It actually had a good taste.  I don't know how to describe it other than that it was completely not like how I'd expect a white fungus bird's nest drink to taste.  Or nerd water.  Regardless, "bird's nest" appears to be a much better English translation for the Vietnamese listings on their menus.  The people I spoke to weren't aware of the meaning of "nerd".  Maybe someone else had a sense of humor...

After finishing the drinks, I took a look around the lobby and saw this:

All those clocks for different cities around the world and no Mountain View clock?  I suspect Google Headquarters would not be pleased.

At least they were providing free internet:

They were also selling Google Hotel raincoats & hats for less than $1 each:

I finally asked why they named their hotel the "Google Hotel".  One replied, "It's a good name!"  Indeed it is.  After some further questioning they pointed to a lady, who I assumed was the manager or owner, and said she really liked Google so she decided to use its name.

That was the end of my visit to the Google Hotel.  I saw no point in staying longer since there weren't any free meals.

Just one more thing...  If you visit the Google Hotel web site you can find this at the bottom of the pages:

"Copy right @ 2010 by Googlee Hotel"

That's priceless.

Vietnam Scenes: Hanoi

I've already commented on Hanoi's wonderful beer, food, art and "tiger mothers" so now I'd like to share some city scenes in Hanoi.

Furniture stores

There are many narrow buildings in Hanoi.  They are a result of an old tax based on the width of buildings.

"Tiger Mothers" in Vietnam?

Last month, I posted a warning that the "Tiger Mother" methods discussed by Amy Chua were possibly being applied in Yulin, China.

I've now captured evidence from a park in Hanoi, Vietnam that may prove to be of similar importance.  I'll post the photos and let you decide for yourself:

Innocent kids playing?  Or ruthless training by Tiger Mothers?  Sometimes it is so hard to decide...

Bia hoi lesson - How not to be tricked

As I mentioned previously, Vietnam makes a special beer, bia hoi, that's enjoyed very fresh every day by many.  I realize that identifying a bia hoi location may not be always obvious to many visitors so I'd like to provide a quick guide.

The trick is to look for people drinking beer from glasses such as this:

However, you may still mistakenly identify some tea sippers as bia hoi aficionados since their respective liquids can look similar.  Another key thing to look for is nearby beer kegs (although my understanding is that bia hoi is sometimes served from a big plastic jug).  This, for example, is most certainly a place for bia hoi:

However,  if so many kegs turns you off, Hanoi has an answer - the single-keg bia hoi establishment:

As you can see, this photo was taken when the night was ending and the bia hoi was beginning to run dry.

Now that your eyes are readily spotting kegs so that you don't miss a critical bia hoi opportunity, you may find that you start making too many "false-positive" identifications.  For example, as much as one could hope, this is not a bia hoi keg:

That is just too big.  So, once you've trained yourself to filter out overly large objects as potential bia hoi kegs you may fall for the next trap:

The size is closer but again that is not a bia hoi keg.  It's a big pot of "pho" -- a delicious beef soup very popular in Vietnam.  How can you know this is pho?  Well, if you lack pho pot identification skills or a sense of smell you can look at the prominent sign.  Which leads to the next tip.  Typically bia hoi places also have signs saying... you guessed it, "bia hoi".  Here is one example in a tourist area meant to capture the attention of even those who haven't yet learned the key Vietnamese word "bia hoi":

"OK" you say, "We're ready for setting out, right?"  Well, one more word of caution...  Sometimes you can be tricked by signs, especially if you don't pay attention to the marks above and below the letters in Vietnamese.  Here is a sign that initially raised my hopes I would soon be enjoying a bowl of pho:

I suppose this sign may be brilliant for capturing my attention...  Anyways, it isn't for anything you can eat or drink.

So, look for the glasses, the kegs, and the signs.  Don't let any of them trick you, even though bia hoi is great with a bowl of pho.  And with that, I think you're more than prepared for your own adventure.

More on "The Writing on the Wall: China's Implicit Communication"

[note: in the process of adding "labels" to my posts somehow this post (unlike all others) from February was treated as a new post when I edited it.] 

I've received some interesting feedback on my post at James Fallows blog, The Writing on the Wall: China's Implicit Communication.

One, from someone not in China, was particularly unexpected and asked about the meaning of numbers in Chinese bathrooms.   It actually raised an interesting issue.

In many parts of China I've seen phone numbers on outside walls, walls inside hallways of apartment complexes, etc.  However, I don't recall often seeing them in bathrooms.  I don't think bathroom graffiti is common here.

I'm not going to ponder it more deeply at the moment, but there may be some fascinating things to uncover.

Let me know if you have anything to add...