When we hear the word “China”, one of the first things that come to mind is the fact that the country is still communist. Therefore, the government censors what is published. Often, the western view towards censorship is negative, as we believe it limits individuals from expressing their ideas or opinions. We often believe that in China only a minimal amount of information, that is, in positive light of the government is published. There is some truth to this, but it is only half of the truth. Many articles focus on this first half, about what is not published. However, only a few people actually look at the second half, what is allowed to be published.
Prayer at Temple in Varanasi, India
In his short essay, “Electronic Literature in the People’s Republic of China”, Michel Hockx attempts to depict the other side of the coin. Born in 1964, Michel Hockx is a Professor of Chinese at University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Hockx is also an author to many books related to Chinese poetry and literature. In his essay, Hockx talks about interactive component of writing on the web.
Contrary to the beliefs of many people, the number of Internet users in China has been growing over the past few years. In 1999, “the first commercially operated website for creative writing was launched in Shanghai. This website was called…Under the Banyan Tree” (Hockx). It is a discussion forum, so an author posts his or her work, thus starting a thread. Readers can comment, and the author may also respond. When someone responds to a particular post, the thread goes to the top of the forum. The success of this website came with Lu Youqing’s post called the “Diary of Death” where Yuoqing posted about his last days of life as he was dying of cancer.
From the example of “Diary of Death”, Hockx wants to show the popularity of the online discussion forums in China. These discussion forums serve as a medium between electronic and print literature because the website, Under the Banyan Tree, formats the posts so that they would appear in a format similar to a book. Hockx mentions the growing size of “network literature” in China, which is when “a literary work was published and achieved fame online before it was printed, it will carry with it into print culture a genre label that reminds its readers of the electronic origins” (Hockx).
The example about the “Diary of Death” being posted online and people commenting on it is a very nice way for a man to still be in touch with the world. Yuoqing probably received responses that were encouraging to him to keep fighting. Some people may have told him jokes to bring a smile to his face amidst all of this pain. I think this is important. Just because a man may not physically be able to get up does not mean he has to lose connection with people of the world. Whether he is on his couch or bed, Yuoqing was connected till his last breath. This would not have been possible had countries like China would not have diverged to such interactive paths.
Such discussion forums have also become a vital part in poetry as poets prefer online discussion. These forums serve as a path for aspiring writers to become successful. As these people post on these forums, more people read and comment on them. People moderating the site realize the importance of the work and often label it as such. Eventually, the work gets published into print.
Online discussion forums serve as a good way for one to receive both positive and negative criticism immediately. Granted a personal touch to work is important, but it is also important that works should be published in a timely manner. Today, in many western countries, including the United States, the publishing procedure can take quite a long time. The wait period is often so long that it can outdate the information that is to be published. Therefore, publishing within seconds of completion of a work most definitely speeds up the process.
In the People’s Republic of China, and possibly in other parts of the Chinese reading world as well, innovations are moving into a different direction, employing the interactive features of web writing in order to produce unstable, multi-authored threads of writing and images that encourage participation and that involve their readership in new literary and aesthetic experiences (Hockx).
Through the use of discussion forums, people of all ages interact virtually on a particular point or concept. With the author and readers both commenting on a certain post, it makes the work multi-authored. Unlike the western belief that each work should have unique nature, people in China prefer that their works are interactive and generate discussion within seconds after a post has been made.
Hockx, through his article, also shows how the people of China are using the resources they have to the best of their abilities. Despite the sword of censorship, the people try to work around it and do the most with the power in their hands. Furthermore, engaging in online discussion forums connects people from all across China. These posts can be a great way to express opinions or messages to people around the country. The also allows the meshing of different types of cultures from their respective regions. Similar to how, in America, we have blue and red states, it must be interesting to witness the differing opinions of the people of separate regions on particular posts.
Map of China
This article links to the points made in Writing for the Web because there were many links between China’s discussion forum and blogs. Felder, in Writing for the Web, talks about the use of active vocabulary and using concise language online. A similar style is followed on these discussion threads. Despite the similarities, there are also some differences between blogs and discussion forums. I feel that discussion forums gave more power to the reader compared to blogs. This is seen when a person’s comment on a post is “alive” in order to keep the thread going. I feel that these forums are more “reader-runned” compared to being administered by the authors. Another difference that I observed was the different way people use the discussion forums in different countries. In the United States, we think of discussion forums as standard kind of like “help threads”. The people of China use the discussion forums as platform for a variety of writings such as for poetry or online journals, for example the “Diary of Death.”
I believe the increasing participation in the online discussion forums is a positive step as it is a step towards being well-informed about one’s surroundings. I feel this is a great way to communicate with people. When I make searches on Google, it often leads me to a discussion thread. I often press the back button because I have always thought of them as not being helpful. However, after reading this article my opinion about them has changed. I think western countries need to move in this direction as well. Even though I do feel the personal touch to one’s work is important, I also believe group work has potential to lead to better and stronger results.
From this point, the example that comes to mind is Hinduism. Hindus go to the temple in order to pray, and they also set up small temples in rooms at home. When a Hindu prays by himself or herself, he or she may feel the connection with God alone. On the other hand, while he or she prays amidst a group of people at the temple, he or she will feel that connection with God. However, the vibrations are much stronger as a group because all the people are focusing their attention to the same thing. Hence, in Hinduism and in other religions, people are encouraged to pray together.