Free Speech in China

After the [Beijing 2008 Olympics Wallpaper and Screensaver], I received this from my friend. It seems that freedom of speech in China has been improved over years, at least many china citizens were interviewed from the street as we’ve seen on the tv. But what was the actual fact behind the scene??

Here’s an article about Freedom of speech in China taken from Wikipedia, in case you wonder how the situation is: [Human rights in the People's Republic of China]

Although the 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech, the Chinese government often uses subversion of state power clause to imprison those who are critical of the government. Also, there is very heavy government involvement in the media, with most of the largest media organizations being run directly by the government. Chinese law forbids the advocation of independence or self-determination for territories Beijing considers under its jurisdiction, as well as public challenge to the CCP’s monopoly in ruling China. Thus references to democracy, the Free Tibet movement, Taiwan as an independent state, certain religious organizations and anything remotely questioning the legitimacy of the Communist Party of China are banned from use in publications and blocked on the Internet.

Recently, foreign web portals including Microsoft Live Search, Yahoo! Search, and Google Search China have come under criticism for aiding in these practices, including banning the word “Democracy” from its chat-rooms in China. Some North American or European films are not given permission to play in Chinese theatres, although piracy of these movies is widespread.