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Weibo helps Chinese express views
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CNTV, December 31, 2011
For the year 2011, there is one topic that must be mentioned, and that's Weibo, or micro-blogs, the Chinese version of Twitter. It has become a way of life in China, especially for the young.
Our train bumped into something. Our carriage has fallen onto its side. Children are screaming. Come to help us please! Come fast!
This is the first message sent from a high-speed train that crashed on July 23rd in China's Zhejiang province.
Not only a cry for help, it saved tens of lives. It also triggered a wave of unprecedented "citizen journalism" on China's micro-blogs. Within ten hours, the message had been reposted over one-hundred-thousand times. Something the girl who wrote it never imagined.
Xiao Yang, a Weibo user, said, "I just wanted to survive at that moment, so I posted a message on Weibo. I didn't know it would help us to be rescued so quickly."
In the aftermath of the crash, China's twenty million strong micro-bloggers demonstrated tremendous and unfamiliar power. They joined rescue efforts, helped survivors and monitored the officials investigating the accident.
As with traditional media, Weibo functions as a mirror on society, sparking debates and enlightening discussions.
But what's different about the micro-blogging site is that anyone - not just journalists - can take a photo, record a video clip or write a quick note about what is happening around them.
"The first thing I do in the morning is check my Weibo. I say "Hi" to my friends on Weibo instead of sending group messages to everyone like before."
"I can fully accept this new Weibo lifestyle. Almost everyone has Weibo now."
"I read news on Weibo and it helps me with my life."
Clearly, Weibo enables millions of Chinese to become "citizen journalists," opening them up to fresh news and views on their community, country and world.
This has led to many micro-bloggers keeping a closer eye on the authorities. In response, the government is also using Weibo as a tool to respond to citizens' queries. 42 district government bureaus have now opened Weibo accounts, attracting more than four million followers.
And in Beijing, micro-bloggers have already left thousands of messages, urging the government to solve problems they consider urgent.
Wang Hui, general director of Beijing Information Office, said, "Weibo has created a platform for government officials to better understand what the citizens are thinking about and what they really need. This bottom-to-top information transmission channel is innovative and will become a new trend for government officials to provide better services for the people."
It's been a dynamic two-year history for Chinese micro-blogs, as help for Japan's earthquake victims has been coordinated, abducted children brought home and the Red Cross Society's financial operations put under public scrutiny, all thanks to this unique internet function.
But, however compelling Weibo may be, much information it provides turns out to be rumors. Weibo, as a platform, not only helps the Chinese people express their views, but also trains the government in facing public opinion.
Meanwhile, for Xiao Yang, a simple message saved her life. And for millions of others, Weibo means much more than just a simple touch on a smart phone.
