China bans George Orwell's Animal Farm as President Xi JinPing extends grip on power

[Independent voter]

President Xi Jinping has just declared himself president for life.

"Animal Farm" is a book about how the pigs plot to seize the farm from the human farmer, the pigs getting the help of all the other farm animals manage to overthrown the farmer but once the pigs are in power they soon become just like the human farmer.

They also banned Orwell's 1984 and the letter "N" for some reason.

Second largest economy in the world with over a billion citizens.





https://www.standard.co.uk/news/worl...-a3777686.html

The Chinese government has banned the letter 'N' and George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 in a major online censorship clampdown.

Experts believe the crackdown is part of leader Xi Jinping's plans become a dictator for life. The move has been met with criticism from around the world.

The China Digital Times reports that a list of proposals made by Beijing's National People's Conference includes the letter 'n', George Orwell's novels 'Animal Farm' and '1984', and the phrase 'Xi Zedong', a combination of Mr Xi and former dictator Chairman Mao Zedong's names.

It is not entirely clear why the letter 'n' was briefly banned, just one among hundreds of words and phrases, although some speculate it could be considered a sign of dissent.
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Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping take part in a Tea Ceremony at Mr Jinping's official Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China (PA)

Charlie Smith, co-founder of GreatFire.org, which helps users track and bypass Chinese censorship, told The Guardian: “[Censors] probably determined it was sensitive and then moved to add that content to the blacklist so others would not be able to post something similar,” he said, noting that the seditious symbol had now been emancipated.

“I doubt that they actually put that much thought into it so sadly, the letter ‘N’ was a victim of this rash decision.”


Censors also banned images of Winnie the Pooh after dissenters shared images of the cartoon bear hugging a jar of honey alongside the quote: "Find the thing you love and stick with it."

The Disney bear's image has been compared to President Xi Jinping, prompting periodic blocks on the use of Pooh pictures online.


Mr Xi's rule has been characterised by a relentless crackdown on critics and independent civil society voices such as lawyers netted in a sweeping crackdown on legal activists that began in July 2015.

Joseph Cheng, a long-time observer of Chinese politics now retired from the City University of Hong Kong, said that following the passage of the constitutional amendment: "There will be even less tolerance of criticism."

[Izalla]

Those two things in combination are clearly not ominous at all. Nope.

[Arrkon]

How is this not already a thing?

An irony that is so ironic that this should quantify as Fe(26).

[Puri]

Well, what's left to say but:
All aimals are equal but some aimals are more equal tha others.

[Deleted]

They also banned Winnie the Pooh bear btw, because he looks too much like Xi.

Apparently they even use(d) Pooh memes in China to make fun of Xi.

[Raqubor]

So... when will 'Murica invade China to free them from the big bad dictator? You know... for consistency's sake.

[Azadina]

Those two things in combination are clearly not ominous at all. Nope.

Nah, what could possibly go wrong!

[Evangeliste]

I mean honestly, because world history isn't enough to show that 1 that rules all just eventually falls apart.

[Judgedredd]

I mean honestly, because world history isn't enough to show that 1 that rules all just eventually falls apart.

Classical Athens says hello.

And don't hide behind the no true Scotsman cop out.

Besides hasn't China been around for more than 4000 years?

[AwkwardSquirtle]

Press N to pay respects.

[Flarelaine]

Besides hasn't China been around for more than 4000 years?

China has been around for millennia, but not without falling apart periodically.

[Judgedredd]

So... when will 'Murica invade China to free them from the big bad dictator? You know... for consistency's sake.

Typical Yankee bluster considering the last time you tried to invade China you 'advanced in a different direction'.

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Perhaps those in the so called 'free world' should put their own houses in order before criticising others. Surely Uncle Xi must be doing something right if China's influence and power is expanding.

And yes the ends justify the means. This is not some Disney fairytale.

[Zelk]

They banned references from the book on weibo, not the book itself. Still not a great look though.

[Deleted]

Riperio /10char

[igualitarist]

So... when will 'Murica invade China to free them from the big bad dictator? You know... for consistency's sake.

Maybe after they invade Cuba, Venezuela, and some africans dictatorships.

[Deleted]

Maybe after they invade Cuba, Venezuela, and some africans dictatorships.

Or Saudi Arabia.

[igualitarist]

Or Saudi Arabia.

I didn't add Saudi Arabia because the prince there seems to be doing some reforms to the right direction, but yeah, it could be on that " waiting queue" as well.

[Deleted]

Okay that's it I'm selling my China funds immediately.

[Gaaz]

Or Saudi Arabia.

Nah. Without Saudi Arabia, who would finance most of the muslim terror groups? And without them, arms sales might decline. I always found it fascinating how US is so buddy-buddy with a country that finances most of jihadists movements in the Middle East. A ban of a gay parade somewhere on the ass end of the world - a huge deal and an international scandal. 5 years prison and 500 lashes for a man wearing a dress in SA is business as usual. They did not execute him after all, because it was a first time offence (second offence is exclusively death penalty). And do not even let me start on executions. Judging by 50 people executed already in 2018, they have a conveyor system for that.

[Samin]

They banned references from the book on weibo, not the book itself. Still not a great look though.

Please don't try to distract from the narrative by using facts. It's 2018, get with the times!

I guarantee you, nobody is going to care, especially not here and will at most deflect with "well banning the word is just as bad", ignoring the core problem of maliciously false reporting.