Open and Ready to Be Read in China: Climate Change, Starbucks and landmines

For a change of pace I elected to do a blog post about some websites that are surprisingly UNBLOCKED in China. These are pages that I sent to my mother thinking they would be blocked, and I was shocked to discover they weren't. This just goes to show while there is mass censorship within China, the population is still able to access a lot of the same things that we are. But unlike us they can't use Google to get to them.

1. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21656133-climate-change

This is a discussion about climate change and how it might have been the cause of the recent Indian and Pakistan heat wave. I was sure this would be blocked. China is notorious for being difficult to deal with when it comes to climate change. China hasn't wanted to lower its emissions in the past, claiming that because it is still industrializing it should not be held to the same emission standards as advanced countries. However, I am happy to discover that this link was accessible. Perhaps because China is hoping that citizens will read it and attempt to be more eco-friendly. Or maybe the link is open because China is now combatting a major pollution problem and this raises awareness of the major health implications it could have.

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-33346140#4

This is a picture story about men who are working to remove landmines from a river in Cambodia. I assumed this link would be blocked because it involves a war that China participated in (via semi-indirect routes). And China is generally somewhat hush hush about its military operations or involvements. However, I think this link might be unblocked because a majority of the landmines were laid by the Khmer Rouge and China was an ally fighting against them. In addition, it is less of an article and more a picture story, so it doesn't contain much information about the past Cambodian War or even mention China.

3. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/a42967/most-amazing-starbucks-drinks-around-world/

Coffee IS ALLOWED!!!

I didn't think China was the biggest fan of Starbucks because it was a Western company. But after learning this link was actually allowed, I did a bit of research. Starbucks has partnered with a local Chinese company to serve ready made drinks, and China actually has one of the highest concentrations of Starbucks worldwide (Puget Sound Biztalk). I'm guessing this Cosmo article isn't blocked because it compliments one of China's unique Starbucks drinks, and because apparently the coffee conglomerate is well liked within China.Read the article I link to below to find out more.

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2015/03/all-the-tea-in-china-starbucks-biggest-market-isnt.html