Li Ao
Encyclopedia
Li Ao (born April 25, 1935), is a writer, social commentator, historian
, and independent politician
in the Republic of China
(Taiwan).
He is considered by many to be one of the most important modern Chinese essayists today, although critics have termed him an intellectual narcissist. His political inclinations are more controversial; he is a very vocal critic of both the Kuomintang
and the Democratic Progressive Party
and their many politicians, including Chiang Kai-shek
, Ma Ying-jeou
and Chen Shui-bian
. Although he favors unification, especially under "One Country, Two Systems
", Li refuses to call himself Pan-Blue due to its association with the KMT. He firmly believes in Chinese nationalism
and, in Taiwan, is given much media exposure thanks to his popularity as a writer.
, Heilongjiang Province
to Li Dingyi (李鼎彝), a professor of Chinese, and Zhang Kuichen (張桂貞). His family has ancestry in Wei County
(濰縣), Shandong Province
, and Fuyu County (扶餘縣), Jilin Province
. The entire Li family, except for two children, moved to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War
in 1949.
movement in Taiwan between the 1960s and 1980s. In the 1960s, he was the editor-in-chief of Wenxing (文星), a magazine
that promoted democracy and personal freedom. He was jailed by the Kuomintang
government for more than five years (from 1972 and 1976, and again from 1981 to 1982) after helping a pro-Taiwan independence
political prisoner, Peng Ming-min
, escape to Japan
in 1963. Ironically, Li Ao had a long history of being an advocate of reunification.
Throughout the 1970s, Li Ao received much international attention for his imprisonment. He was highlighted by Amnesty International
as one of the three most important political prisoners in Taiwan in 1974.
After his release, Li Ao continued to publish magazines and newspapers, criticizing the government. Ninety-six of his books were banned in Taiwan before 1991. In the 1980s he also sponsored other numerous anti-Guomintang magazines.
His novel Mountaintop Love (《上山．上山．愛》), about a mother and daughter who fall in love with the same man, though several years apart, solidified Li's status as a serious novelist. His other novel, Martyrs' Shrine: The Story of the Reform Movement of 1898 in China (北京法源寺), is about the beginning and the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform
. Li also published his autobiography
in 2001, revealing more than ten of his romantic affairs in the book. The bulk of his work, however, is non-fiction, consisting mainly of essays and historical commentaries.
" proposed by Deng Xiaoping
. He believes that the unification of China
is inevitable and at one point advocated immediate surrender. He thinks that if reunification were to come as soon as possible, it would be more beneficial for Taiwan. This, in combination with his past as a political dissident and his witty style, has made him a popular figure among supporters of Chinese reunification. Conversely, it has also made him an unpopular figure amongst supporters of Taiwan independence
.
Li participated in the presidential election in 2000
as a candidate for the New Party
. Li usually plays the role of a political gadfly, and his campaign was largely symbolic. He took the election as an opportunity to "educate" the people of Taiwan. Both he and his party publicly encouraged people to vote for James Soong
to the point of stating during the presidential debates that he was not planning to vote for himself and that people should vote for Soong.
Since the 2000 presidential election, Li Ao has bitterly spoken out against pro-independence Nobel laureate Yuan T. Lee
, who publicly supported Chen Shui-bian
. He has also accused former President Lee Teng-hui
of corruption. In October 2004 Li ran in the December 11 legislative election
as a non-partisan candidate in the South Taipei
constituency, for which he was subsequently elected in the last winning place. He took office as an independent legislator on February 1, 2005.
In February 2005, Li held a press conference, accusing PFP leader, James Soong
of having changed his opposition towards military weapons purchase from the United States under the influence of people of Pro-American inclination, people with CIA backgrounds and arms traders who would receive kick-backs. Li threatened Soong that he will reveal the names of the people with CIA backgrounds, who were influencing Soong, to the general public unless Soong reverted to his previous opposition position. PFP legislators dismissed the accusation and responded that Li Ao should reveal his evidence to support his story.
Later that year, in June, Li claimed to the Taiwanese press that he had exclusive information from the CIA concerning the 3-19 shooting incident
. He alleged that the real motive of the killer was to assassinate Vice-President Annette Lu
in order to garner sympathy votes for Chen Shui-bian
, and that the killer had been condoned by the governing party for ulterior political reasons. After flashing a series of supposedly CIA-endorsed documents to reporters, he mailed them to Annette Lu, claiming that she would need to know the full extent of truth about the assassination attempt.
On September 19, 2005, Li Ao returned to Mainland China for the first time in 56 years. He was invited to give speeches at Peking University
, Tsinghua University
and Fudan University
where he was warmly received, and this trip is claimed to have had significant impact on observers of the China-Taiwan strait relations issue. His speech at Peking University was particularly noteworthy as Li publicly urged the Chinese Communist Party to protect the freedom of speech
as laid down in the constitution of the PRC. But he also praised the achievement of the CCP in bringing economic progress and prosperity; at one point he even alluded to the Tiananmen Square massacre and take it as an example to sustain his point that freedom should be obtained through "cleverer" means, rather than mass revolutions that could result in numerous deaths.
Li Ao was a candidate for the 2006 Taipei Mayoral election
, and is currently a candidate for the 2012 Legislative Yuan elections
, campaigning in Taipei City District 8 under the People First Party (PFP) banner.
Li has had many tempestuous love affairs. His eldest daughter by his first wife, Li Wen, is an Asian American
who now teaches in Beijing
. He had a very short-lived marriage to Taiwanese movie star Hu Yin-meng in 1980; they divorced after just 4 months, 22 days. His present wife, 29 years his junior, was accosted at the streets of Taipei. They have a son and daughter.
Li is interestingly known for generally appearing in public wearing a Fred Rogers-like cardigan sweater. He also has a habit of taking pictures of the audience at public events where the media is present since he believes that it is only fair to take pictures of the people who are taking pictures of him.
On October 24, 2006, Li sprayed tear gas and wielded a stun gun
during a Legislative Yuan National Defense Committee meeting, forcing several members of parliament to flee. He was attempting to stop debate on purchasing attack submarines and Patriot
anti-aircraft missiles for $16 billion dollars from the U.S. He was also wearing the Guy Fawkes mask
from V for Vendetta
.
Li frequently hosts a show on the Mandarin-language Hong Kong channel Phoenix TV called "Li Ao has something to say" (李敖有話說).
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and independent politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan).
He is considered by many to be one of the most important modern Chinese essayists today, although critics have termed him an intellectual narcissist. His political inclinations are more controversial; he is a very vocal critic of both the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
and their many politicians, including Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
and Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
. Although he favors unification, especially under "One Country, Two Systems
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...
", Li refuses to call himself Pan-Blue due to its association with the KMT. He firmly believes in Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
and, in Taiwan, is given much media exposure thanks to his popularity as a writer.
Background
Li was born in HarbinHarbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Heilongjiang Province
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
to Li Dingyi (李鼎彝), a professor of Chinese, and Zhang Kuichen (張桂貞). His family has ancestry in Wei County
Wei County
Wei County may refer to:*Wei County, Xingtai , in Hebei, China*Wei County, Handan , in Hebei, China*Weifang , formerly Wei County, a municipality in Shandong, China...
(濰縣), Shandong Province
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, and Fuyu County (扶餘縣), Jilin Province
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
. The entire Li family, except for two children, moved to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in 1949.
Dissident writer
Li Ao was credited for his contributions to the democraticDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
movement in Taiwan between the 1960s and 1980s. In the 1960s, he was the editor-in-chief of Wenxing (文星), a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
that promoted democracy and personal freedom. He was jailed by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government for more than five years (from 1972 and 1976, and again from 1981 to 1982) after helping a pro-Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
political prisoner, Peng Ming-min
Peng Ming-min
Peng Ming-min is a noted Taiwan independence activist and politician. Arrested for sedition in 1964 for printing a manifesto advocating Taiwanese independence, he dramatically escaped from Taiwan to the United States and after 22 years in exile, returned to became the Democratic Progressive...
, escape to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1963. Ironically, Li Ao had a long history of being an advocate of reunification.
Throughout the 1970s, Li Ao received much international attention for his imprisonment. He was highlighted by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
as one of the three most important political prisoners in Taiwan in 1974.
After his release, Li Ao continued to publish magazines and newspapers, criticizing the government. Ninety-six of his books were banned in Taiwan before 1991. In the 1980s he also sponsored other numerous anti-Guomintang magazines.
His novel Mountaintop Love (《上山．上山．愛》), about a mother and daughter who fall in love with the same man, though several years apart, solidified Li's status as a serious novelist. His other novel, Martyrs' Shrine: The Story of the Reform Movement of 1898 in China (北京法源寺), is about the beginning and the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform
Hundred Days' Reform
The Hundred Days' Reform was a failed 104-day national cultural, political and educational reform movement from 11 June to 21 September 1898 in late Qing Dynasty China. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu Emperor and his reform-minded supporters...
. Li also published his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
in 2001, revealing more than ten of his romantic affairs in the book. The bulk of his work, however, is non-fiction, consisting mainly of essays and historical commentaries.
Entry into politics
Li Ao strongly supports the idea of "One country, two systemsOne country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...
" proposed by Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
. He believes that the unification of China
Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification refers to the bringing together of all of the territories controlled by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China under a single political entity...
is inevitable and at one point advocated immediate surrender. He thinks that if reunification were to come as soon as possible, it would be more beneficial for Taiwan. This, in combination with his past as a political dissident and his witty style, has made him a popular figure among supporters of Chinese reunification. Conversely, it has also made him an unpopular figure amongst supporters of Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
.
Li participated in the presidential election in 2000
ROC presidential election, 2000
The Election for the 10th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China , the second ever direct elections for President and Vice President of the Republic of China on Taiwan and the 10th under the 1947 Constitution, were held on March 18, 2000...
as a candidate for the New Party
New Party (Republic of China)
The New Party, formerly the Chinese New Party , is a centre-right conservative political party in the Republic of China , and part of the pan-blue coalition....
. Li usually plays the role of a political gadfly, and his campaign was largely symbolic. He took the election as an opportunity to "educate" the people of Taiwan. Both he and his party publicly encouraged people to vote for James Soong
James Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
to the point of stating during the presidential debates that he was not planning to vote for himself and that people should vote for Soong.
Since the 2000 presidential election, Li Ao has bitterly spoken out against pro-independence Nobel laureate Yuan T. Lee
Yuan T. Lee
Yuan Tseh Lee, Ph.D. is a chemist. He was the first Taiwanese Nobel Prize laureate, who, along with the Hungarian-Canadian John C. Polanyi and American Dudley R. Herschbach won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986 "for their contributions to the dynamics of chemical elementary processes"...
, who publicly supported Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
. He has also accused former President Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
of corruption. In October 2004 Li ran in the December 11 legislative election
ROC legislative election, 2004
The Election for the 6th Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China on Taiwan was held on December 11, 2004. All 225 seats of the Legislative Yuan were up for election: 168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political...
as a non-partisan candidate in the South Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
constituency, for which he was subsequently elected in the last winning place. He took office as an independent legislator on February 1, 2005.
In February 2005, Li held a press conference, accusing PFP leader, James Soong
James Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
of having changed his opposition towards military weapons purchase from the United States under the influence of people of Pro-American inclination, people with CIA backgrounds and arms traders who would receive kick-backs. Li threatened Soong that he will reveal the names of the people with CIA backgrounds, who were influencing Soong, to the general public unless Soong reverted to his previous opposition position. PFP legislators dismissed the accusation and responded that Li Ao should reveal his evidence to support his story.
Later that year, in June, Li claimed to the Taiwanese press that he had exclusive information from the CIA concerning the 3-19 shooting incident
3-19 shooting incident
The 3-19 shooting incident was an assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu while they were campaigning in Tainan on March 19, 2004, the day before Taiwan's presidential election...
. He alleged that the real motive of the killer was to assassinate Vice-President Annette Lu
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
in order to garner sympathy votes for Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
, and that the killer had been condoned by the governing party for ulterior political reasons. After flashing a series of supposedly CIA-endorsed documents to reporters, he mailed them to Annette Lu, claiming that she would need to know the full extent of truth about the assassination attempt.
On September 19, 2005, Li Ao returned to Mainland China for the first time in 56 years. He was invited to give speeches at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
, Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
and Fudan University
Fudan University
Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
where he was warmly received, and this trip is claimed to have had significant impact on observers of the China-Taiwan strait relations issue. His speech at Peking University was particularly noteworthy as Li publicly urged the Chinese Communist Party to protect the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
as laid down in the constitution of the PRC. But he also praised the achievement of the CCP in bringing economic progress and prosperity; at one point he even alluded to the Tiananmen Square massacre and take it as an example to sustain his point that freedom should be obtained through "cleverer" means, rather than mass revolutions that could result in numerous deaths.
Li Ao was a candidate for the 2006 Taipei Mayoral election
Republic of China municipal elections, 2006
The Republic of China municipal elections of 2006, or more commonly known as the Taipei and Kaohsiung elections of 2006 , was held on Saturday, December 9, 2006, to elect the municipal mayors and municipal councilmen of the two special-municipalities administered directly under the central...
, and is currently a candidate for the 2012 Legislative Yuan elections
Republic of China legislative election, 2012
The 8th Legislative elections will be held on 14 January 2012 in the Republic of China . It will see voting take place in all Legislative constituencies of the Republic of China, in order to appoint Legislators of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. This will form the 15th Legislative...
, campaigning in Taipei City District 8 under the People First Party (PFP) banner.
Family life and trivia
Li is known for his quick wits and energetic vocal style. Although not primarily a novelist, he has released two novels to date.Li has had many tempestuous love affairs. His eldest daughter by his first wife, Li Wen, is an Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
who now teaches in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He had a very short-lived marriage to Taiwanese movie star Hu Yin-meng in 1980; they divorced after just 4 months, 22 days. His present wife, 29 years his junior, was accosted at the streets of Taipei. They have a son and daughter.
Li is interestingly known for generally appearing in public wearing a Fred Rogers-like cardigan sweater. He also has a habit of taking pictures of the audience at public events where the media is present since he believes that it is only fair to take pictures of the people who are taking pictures of him.
On October 24, 2006, Li sprayed tear gas and wielded a stun gun
Stun gun
Stun gun may refer to:*Electroshock weapon, an incapacitant weapon that momentarily disables a person with an electric shock*Directed-energy weapon, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without projectile, if it causes unconsciousness...
during a Legislative Yuan National Defense Committee meeting, forcing several members of parliament to flee. He was attempting to stop debate on purchasing attack submarines and Patriot
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
anti-aircraft missiles for $16 billion dollars from the U.S. He was also wearing the Guy Fawkes mask
Guy Fawkes mask
The Guy Fawkes mask is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes, the best-known member of the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the British House of Lords in 1605...
from V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
.
Li frequently hosts a show on the Mandarin-language Hong Kong channel Phoenix TV called "Li Ao has something to say" (李敖有話說).
External links
- Li Ao's Verified Weibo, at Sina.comSina.comSINA is an online media company for China and Chinese communities around the world. SINA operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, SINA Mobile, SINA Online, and SINA.net. SINA has over 100 million registered users worldwide...