“How Chinese Internet Policy is Like Qing Isolationism”

Via Amoiist’s Twitter, a comparison of modern Chinese internet policy with Qing dynasty isolationism from IfLonely (a blog whose motto is “If we want to keep living, we must understand the internet a little”). Anyway, here is our translation of their comparison table.

Translation

A Comparison…
	Qing Dynasty Closed-Door Policy	Modern Internet Censorship Policy
Goal	Control the dissemination of religion, maintain stability of rule	Control the dissemination of illicit foreign influence, maintain stability of rule
Methods and What was Said	Strict regulations for Chinese wishing to travel abroad. The Qing government mandated that businessmen wishing to conduct trade abroad had to apply, sign a guarantee, go through an approval process, and obtain a permit before they could go, and there were harsh regulations on everything from the number of seamen allowed to the amount of grain that could be brought.	Domain registration, host computer verification; limiting of ADSL Port 80, etc.
	In 1757 the Qing issued the one port policy in Guangzhou, prohibited the exportation of grain, iron and ironware, several flammable chemicals, and works of literature, as well as placed heavy restrictions on the export of tea, silk, and roots [used in Chinese medicine].	Keywords are blocked, pages “reset”, etc.
	Goods are plentiful in the celestial kingdom [China], we lack nothing and foreign products are unnecessary	National power advances every aspect of the internet, [but in reality] the nation advances [gains] and the people retreat [lose].
Causes	“Using reason to kill”; during the Qing the will of the ruler became morality and the ultimate basis for rationality, this will was considered ‘the rationality of Heaven’. Other ways of thinking were eliminated and freedom of thought was inhibited. Therefore a “lifeless” mentality was created.	If some department says it’s this way, it’s this way; if they say something is “vulgar”, then it’s vulgar; those who behave in any way like “violaters of the law” will be severely dealt with, if they say Blogbus [a popular blogging portal] is banned then it’s banned.
	“Using part to cover the whole”。Because of some misunderstanding about the West, even as Chinese were being introduced to Western technology they went so far as to hold deep prejudice and denounce it. Although they knew this technology was more precise than their own, for the sake of preserving the Chinese system, it was always labeled ‘rude technology that harms people’s thinking’.	The trend of “plotting” is in many people’s hearts
	“Being content with one’s lot”. There was too little consciousness of crisis。Speaking objectively, Chinese people at that time lacked the correct knowledge of the West, and there was only a vague consciousness of the external threat [to China].	All kinds of glorious activities, people living in contentment, China is extremely conceited.
	“Sticking to one’s convictions”。Lacking creativity and intrepidness. The Civil Service examination system had a large influence on Chinese academia, and since the exam focused on Confucian ethics, other types of learning were reluctantly abandoned by most people. This greatly shackled the creativity and vitality of Chinese intellectuals.(1)	The college examination system has led to a lack of creativity, and so the most cutting edge technological information is abandoned en masse.
Results	The country was defeated	Wait and see