Jiang Yichun, Deputy Division Chief, Secretariat of Dalian Administrative Service Centre, China (pictured) Social media in China tend to be a means for entertainment or making friends. Anyone is free to comment on these platforms. But when it comes to policy, social media are out of bounds - it is inappropriate for Chinese civil servants to be discussing policy on these platforms. China’s Premier, Hu Jintao, launched a blog some time ago, but it soon closed. In such an open environment where anyone can comment, this includes enemies of the state. Such individuals are often looking to spread rumours about the Chinese government, which are usually inflammatory and counterproductive. Such statements could lead to a misunderstanding of government, and undermine peace and stability. Besides, there are many other ways for government to communicate with citizens, such as online public forums, but these are subject to stringent layers of approval. One of the reasons why Google left China is that it could not accept China’s approval system.

Internet users were asked "What's your opinion of Google's pulling out of China?" and up to 84 percent of more than 27,000 respondents answered the "Don't care" option.

Monday, March 22 Google announced on its official blog that it would stop censoring its search results in that country. David Drummond, Google’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, attributed the decision in part to “a sophisticated cyber attack originating from China” and “evidence [suggesting] that the Gmail accounts of dozens of human rights activists connected with China were being routinely accessed by third parties.”

Video sharing sites like Tudou and Youku

The central government is hyper-vigiliant and quick to censor moral and political information

assimilation and "shanzhai" (knockoff) adaptation

The major players in the U.S. social media world can be counted on one hand: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn. Not so in China,

Facebook doesn't even crack the top 10.

There is so much talk about Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin that sometimes digital marketers in the West forget that there is a mature and thriving social media eco-system existing – in a different parts of the world. Hope this list can provide you with more information about the Chinese social media landscape and I appreciate that this is list only outlines a small percentage of the huge number of great companies operating here.

China has more Internet users than any other country

China’s largely anonymous right-wing, online message board community commands disproportionate attention from Communist Party leaders seeking to keep their fingers on the pulse of public opinion

Facebook competitors delighted at the bans, quickly sweeping in to claim market share.