Recently I tried to go to a website, SparkNotes where I need to access some English learning materials regarding the literary analysis of the Great Gatsby, which was failed anyway because this website is blocked in China. I remember that I added this website to my favourites some years ago. Unfortunately, I can no longer access it since then in spite of the fact that it is quite beneficial for learning of English Literature on this platform.
Frankly speaking, I got quite depressed when I realized that it was blocked in China. Actually a lot of websites are blocked in China. You may refer to the lists below as an overview.
- Youtube
- Blogging platforms(WordPress, Blogspot, Blogger, Tumblr)
- Media/Publication (The New York Times, Google News, Daily Motion, Time)
Many people are wondering why Google is blocked in China. In 2010, Google had a dispute with China over internet censorship in the country. The government basically wanted Google to filter search results, but Google refused because they stand for freedom of information.
Initially, Google started redirecting all search queries from Google.cn to Google.com.hk to avoid China’s censorships. Years later, Google search, Gmail, Google Maps,and other Google services became completely inaccessible.
In addition to this, some famous international media websites such as The New York Times, Google news are also blocked probably because they contain articles that seem unfavourable by the government or they are banned so as to conceal articles that criticize the government.
It is extremely inconvenient when you have the desire to access these famous and international websites with some good purposes. Being rather frustrated because of the blocking in China will be the first feeling when you come up with this problem. Is there any ways to sort it out? Of course. One way is to set up a proxy server so as to access these blocked websites inside Mainland China. Another way is to use the VPN(Virtual Private Network) service.
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