BBC and other news when in China
Replies: 18 - Last Post: Aug 30, 2012 7:48 AM Last Post By: worldwide2012
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China blocks certain internet radio broadcasts which are deemed particularly sensitive. This includes the Chinese-language BBC feed, and all of Radio Television Hong Kong (English or Chinese). Last time I was in China (admittedly more than a year ago), I was able to listen to BBC English with no difficulty. (I just did it through my computer's browser.)8
Why look for Western news when China Daily and Xinhua have us covered in all world affairs? They are really stand-up news organizations. Just look at their latest cutting edge piece: "Happy Moments of Overweight People". Move over Reutershttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-07/25/c_131735043_2.htm
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I liked the Global Times "Foreign devils or angles sic" page. Sadly deleted. Screen shot still here: http://shanghaiist.com/2012/07/26/well_let_this_global_times_special.php10
Johnny, I know what I'm talking about even if you don't see any point. Access to the internet around China varies from place to place, so maybe you are just lucky with where you happen to be, and have an ISP that is less restrictive. I'm assuming the OP not only wants to listen to news, but also wants to read and access all websites freely. Trust me OP, get a VPN unless you will only be China a short time. You can find services where you don't have to sign up for a long period and the money involved is small.12
Jiejie, I know you know what you're talking about. My point is merely that everywhere I've lived in China (Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Heilongjiang) I've been able to listen to the BBC World Service online without a VPN with no problem. Listening to the World Service being what the original question was about.13
Fair enough, Johnny. I've been travelling around with laptop a lot in the past 8 months, and can emphatically state that Beijing is the worst place in China for filtering, blockages, and plain old slowdowns by ISP's. Shanghai is middling. I've surprisingly been able without VPN activated, to get on wordpress and some other usually-blocked sites in the oddest places in China, even on some pages mentioning the usual forbidden topics like the D. Lama. Obviously, not all ISP's are as diligent in enforcing the GFW.I guess it comes down to what range of internet services the OP needs to access, from where he needs to acces them, and for how long.
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Interesting. I've also noticed that RTHK is never accessible in Southern China (where people might understand the Cantonese, I guess) but I have sometimes been able to get it in places further north, like Nanjing).
