Words you cannot use on the Internet in China

(In this new, widescreen view of the famous Chinese protester who blocked a tank in the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, one can see clearly now what he was up against. Facebook photo.)

Google has compiled a list of hundreds of words and phrases that cannot be used on the Internet in China, and at foreignpolicy.com Willis Sparks has put together a clever narrative that touches upon 70 of those unspeakable utterances.

Using one of these words online in China can result in an error message on your screen or a frozen site. The wide array of banned words gives a glimpse into the paranoia of Chinese Internet monitors. The reason for banning Teletubbies is rather juvenile – and Orwellian.

Relying upon a compilation and translation by China Digital Times, Sparks wrote:

(All the terms you see below in bold are apparently considered sensitive subjects.)

“Why are Chinese authorities worried about truth, benevolence, and forbearance? Because these words are associated with the outlawed spiritual movement Falun Gong. Watch out for the phrase snow lion; it's a reference to the flag of Tibet. Not surprisingly, searches for Taiwan Political Talk, Xinjiang + independence, and the Tibetan government-in-exile produce similar reactions. References to dissidents like Chen Guangcheng and Ai Weiwei can get you bounced. So can entering the words Liu Xiaobo or the Nobel Peace Prize he won in 2010. In fact, you might want to avoid the word dissident.

“Nor do China's Internet monitors want citizens thinking about Chinese people eating babies or baby soup. That goes double for pornography, Playboy, and boobs.

“Other words and phrases are dangerously suggestive for different reasons. The expression blood house, which refers to forced evictions, is a problem. Perhaps that's because it can encourage curiosity about assembly, a student strike and a people's movement. As these kinds of events take on a life of their own, it can lead young people to explore the so-called three leaves -- leave the Party, leave the Youth League, leave the Young Pioneers -- the 21^st century Chinese equivalent of turning on, tuning in, and dropping out. It can also lead students into the public square, trigger a rebellion, a coup d'état or even a revolution. These kinds of things can provoke martial law.”

You can read more here.