Link: The Guardian -- Internet in China, Cuba, India, Russia

[potofsoup]

(As I insist on putting interesting things in Discrete Posts...)

Link from umadoshi: The internet, but not as we know it: life online in China, Cuba, India and Russia

An incredibly cutesy article (each country's internet experience is presented in its relevant form), but somewhat informative as well.

Comments

[potofsoup]

I think a lot of things get substitutions? I was reading an article theorizing why foreigners can't squat, and I was like "why do they keep saying 歪果人 and then I was like "Oh...."

[bluewinged_songbird]

OMG 歪果人!!!!!!! Is this for the sheer hell of it? I don't see why foreigners would be censored but maybe it's so language learners can't find it? Bonus points for being hilarious and also slightly demeaning!

[potofsoup]

I think it's for the sheer hell of it? I think using the wrong characters has become a way of indicating tone (in this case, a sort of humorous one). I know that 悲剧 and 喜剧 are sometimes written as 杯具 洗具....

[bluewinged_songbird]

Makes sense! I forget how much of Chinese culture just revolves around puns, puns and more puns.