Unblocking Blocked Blogs in China
Andrew Field
Dear Colleagues,
Like a blocked nose, a blocked blogsite is a constant annoyance for
us blogsters who seek unrestricted honking. Here are some ways I've
discovered to get round the blockage:
Some people have suggested that I create a feedburner for my Shanghai
Journal (http://shanghaijournal.squarespace.com) blogsite, which for
some reason is blocked in China (I assume all Squarespace sites
are). Thanks for the suggestion, and here it is:
This is easy to do: Just go to http://feeds.feedburner.com and
follow instructions. Anybody can subscribe to the feedburner and get
blocked blogs sent to them.
This is one way of getting around the Great Firewall, given that many
blogsites are blocked in China.
Here is another way I discovered recently:
If your site is blocked in China or elsewhere, or if you wish to read
a blocked site, one thing you can do is go through Babelfish or any
similar translation service. This also has the advantage of
translating your blog into Chinese if you write in English as I do.
Of course, the translation is far from perfect and may be awkward for
native Chinese to read, but it does get the point across. Here is an
example of how my blogsite appears in translation.
lp=en_zh&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshanghaijournal.squarespace.com
When my wife read this translated blogsite, her reaction was
"horrible!" The word-for-word translation and the numerous words
that can't be translated directly do indeed make it a bit awkward to
read. It may be a few years before such services are "perfected."
If you want your blog to appear in its original form (more or less)
you can also choose to translate from Chinese to English, which has
the useful if unintended effect of leaving the English alone:
lp=zh_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshanghaijournal.squarespace.com
The only drawback to this method is that from what I've been told by
friends in China, only the text in my site appears, and the photos
and designwork on the site disappear.
These are two methods that seem to work for blogsters who wish people
to gain access to their sites. I'm not sure if other functions are
maintained in the process, e.g. the ability for people to post
comments, and would very much appreciate feedback from readers on
this matter.
As for people who wish to read blocked sites in China, I always
recommend using proxy servers. There are many out there. The one I
was using regularly is called Tor-Vidalia. Just google these words
and you'll find a link to the site where you can download the
appropriate software.
Cheers,
Andrew Field
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