Zhou Shuguang
Encyclopedia
Zhou Shuguang is a Chinese
blog
ger and citizen journalist
. He has become known for traveling around China to document injustice done to citizens.
in Hunan province, China
. Since 2004, he has been writing a blog documenting many sensitive issues in China, such as freedom of speech, Tibet
, "nailhouses
" and government censorship of the media
. His blog has attracted a lot of interest in China and as such the authorities have tried to shut it down on several occasions. However, Zhou hosts his blog from servers in the United States
to get around the blocks. Zhou advocates further reform in China and as a result travels around the country documenting cases of injustice. During a visit to Hong Kong in 2007, he described it as a "harmonious society".
Zhou is mentioned as a prominent blogger in foreign media. In one instance, he was invited to attend the Deutsche Welle
citizen journalist awards on November 27, 2008, but was prevented from doing so.
, Zhou posted pictures and translated information from foreign news articles that were not mentioned in the state media and posted them on his website.
, Zhou travelled to the area where interviews with the girls parents and photos of the riots aftermath were published on his website. His and other bloggers work were a major reason four Communist Party, local government and security officials were eventually fired for misuse of power.
what was happening as he was led out of the house then forced into a vehicle where he was driven back to his hometown of Meitanba. After his release, Zuola was returned his computer, but set under a town arrest so he is not allowed to leave Meitanba.
and along with others, signed an online petition demanding authorities investigate the causes of Yang Jia's murdering spree.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger and citizen journalist
Citizen journalism
Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
. He has become known for traveling around China to document injustice done to citizens.
Personal
Zhou was born near ShaoshanShaoshan
Shaoshan is a county-level city in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, noted as the birthplace of Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China. Shaoshan was an important base during the Chinese Communist Revolution....
in Hunan province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Since 2004, he has been writing a blog documenting many sensitive issues in China, such as freedom of speech, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, "nailhouses
Nail house
A nail house is a Chinese neologism for homes belonging to people who refuse to make room for development. The term, a pun coined by developers, refers to nails that are stuck in wood, and cannot be pounded down with a hammer.-Historical background:In the People's Republic of China, during most...
" and government censorship of the media
Censorship in the People's Republic of China
Censorship in the People's Republic of China is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Communist Party of China . The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have their own legal systems and are largely self-governing, so these censorship policies do not apply...
. His blog has attracted a lot of interest in China and as such the authorities have tried to shut it down on several occasions. However, Zhou hosts his blog from servers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to get around the blocks. Zhou advocates further reform in China and as a result travels around the country documenting cases of injustice. During a visit to Hong Kong in 2007, he described it as a "harmonious society".
Zhou is mentioned as a prominent blogger in foreign media. In one instance, he was invited to attend the Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
citizen journalist awards on November 27, 2008, but was prevented from doing so.
2008 Tibetan unrest
During the 2008 Tibetan unrest2008 Tibetan unrest
The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
, Zhou posted pictures and translated information from foreign news articles that were not mentioned in the state media and posted them on his website.
2008 Guizhou riot
During the 2008 Guizhou riot2008 Guizhou riot
The 2008 Weng'an riot was a riot on June 28, 2008 involving tens of thousands of residents in Weng'an County, Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the Guizhou province of Southwest China...
, Zhou travelled to the area where interviews with the girls parents and photos of the riots aftermath were published on his website. His and other bloggers work were a major reason four Communist Party, local government and security officials were eventually fired for misuse of power.
2008 Arrest
On August 14, 2008 Zuola was detained for just over an hour in his hometown in Hunan province. He was able to tweetTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
what was happening as he was led out of the house then forced into a vehicle where he was driven back to his hometown of Meitanba. After his release, Zuola was returned his computer, but set under a town arrest so he is not allowed to leave Meitanba.
Yang Jia case
Zhou was critical of the impartiality of the court proceedings in the Yang Jia caseYang Jia (murderer)
Yang Jia was a Chinese citizen executed for murdering six Shanghai police officers with a knife.Yang received international media attention for the public sympathy accorded to him in China, where, according to exiled writer Ma Jian, Yang has become "a sort of national hero." Beijing lawyer and...
and along with others, signed an online petition demanding authorities investigate the causes of Yang Jia's murdering spree.
External links
- Zuola.com - Zhou Shuguang's blog (mostly in Chinese)
- Zuola's Twitter account (mostly in Chinese)