An Emperor who is fearful of an inkbrush rather a sword exhibits insecurity within one’s mind and duty. Such fear instigated from the people’s gossip signals that the country will step into a cloud of censorship. Which is exactly what happened in China after the unification in 221 BCE. Throughout Chinese history, censorship has been a key figure in lifestyle and development for its people and the nation. Censorship in China has been an issue for decades, due to overall restrictions of human rights, freedom of information and the limitations of development in the nation.
The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, feared the publics views; paranoia formed due to the idea of revolts and coups, which were sparked from Confucius ideals and philosophy. To reduce possibilities of a revolt occurring, Emperor Shi Huang took extreme measures to ensure no one and nothing will stand against him. Fearing comparisons of past kings and judgement of his duty, he searched for ways to guarantee his legacy will not be harmed nor despised. As a result, he simply burned them; all of them. “He had about 460 Confucian teachers and scholars arrested and burned alive; he also destroyed many of their
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The Great Firewall of China is a virtual cage for internet users across China. The main job of the Firewall is to ensure that no “harmful information to the communist party [enters] the country” (Denyer). Multiple Chinese citizens on the other hand, speculate that they restrict the internet to limit upbringings of rebellion/ protest, essentially keeping the Chinese public in the dark if the issue at hand can trigger a potential threat to the government. Not only that, but also the fact that some international news is discouraged from speading witith the nation. “With nearly 700 million users, putting almost 1 in 4 of the world’s online population behind the Great Firewall”