It would be easy to make fun of China's new anthem glorifying internet censorship. But I don't want to pan"Cyberspace Spirit" or mock the Cyberspace Administration of China choral group signing it, because they literally don't know what they're missing.

The Great Firewall of China truly sucks. If you or I tried living a day behind it, we'd quickly realize how much we take free speech andperhaps more importantlythe freedom to read that speech for granted. There are nearly 3,500 websites that are blocked in China, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, most of Wikipedia, and nearly all of WordPress. How much would it screw up your cyberspace spirit if you couldn't access these key services?

According to The New York Times, this anthem to censorship was performed at a Beijing Internet Association event this weekand the Chinese government has been deleting the video evidence ever since. "Can China now claim to have censored the online celebration of its own Internet censorship agency?," asks the NYT. "The Beijing Internet Association did not respond to a request for comment."

Luckily, video does still exist, along with translated lyrics:

Devotedly keeping watch over the space every day, Taking up our mission as the sun rises in the east,Innovating every day, embracing the clear and bright,Like warm sunshine moving in our hearts.Unified with the strength of all living things,Devoted to turning the global village into the most beautiful scene.

An Internet power: Where the Internet is, so is the glorious dream. An Internet power: From the distant cosmos to the missing home.An Internet power: Tell the world that the Chinese Dream is uplifting China.An Internet power: I represent my nation to the world.

In this world all rivers flow to the sea, Assuming the measure of Chinese civilization.Five thousand years of history condensed to illuminate innovation,Integrity is the clear ripple of a nationality.We are unified between heaven and earth,Faith and devotion flow like the Yellow River and Yangtze.

An Internet power: Where the Internet is, so is the glorious dream. An Internet power: Thinking of home from the distant cosmos.An Internet power: Tell the world that the Chinese Dream is uplifting China.An Internet power: I represent my nation to the world.

There's nothing like the steady cadence of a military march to celebrate a governmentespecially when that government makes it impossible for its citizens to find out what it's up to. [NYTimes]

Read the original here:

Listen To "Cyberspace Spirit," China's Anthem To Internet Censorship