Chinese censorship has narrowed official stories about the past and present, so historian Ian Johnson and a team created an online archive in late 2023. The archive is a US-registered non-profit and aims to preserve censored modern Chinese history.
The collection gathers books, magazines, blog posts, documentary films and a database of independent Chinese thinkers. Most items were banned inside China. Each entry has neutral descriptions in Chinese and English and can be searched by theme, era or format.
Many users are Chinese or overseas Chinese, and some come from China and the United States. The project says it is not ideological and wants to make independent work visible and useful.
Difficult words
- censorship — control of information by authorities
- archive — place or collection of stored records
- non-profit — organization not made to earn profit
- preserve — keep something safe for the future
- ban — official rule that stops somethingbanned
- neutral — not supporting any side or opinion
- independent — free from control by others
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Discussion questions
- Why is it important to preserve censored history?
- Would you use an archive that includes banned items? Why or why not?
- Which type of item in the collection would you like to read or watch, and why?
