| URL | http://www.douban.com |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Web 2.0, Social network service, Online music, movie and book database |
| Registration | Optional |
| Available language(s) | Chinese |
| Launched | March 6, 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
Douban.com (Chinese: 豆瓣; pinyin: Dòubàn), launched on March 6, 2005, is the largest Chinese website devoted for movies, books, and music reviews. It had about 30 million[1] registered users in 2010 and as of May 2011, it ranks the 134th most popular website worldwide and 22nd in China according to Alexa Internet.[2]
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It’s founded by Ph.D Bo Yang, a former IBM research scientist. It’s started as one man project.[3]
Douban has attracted a large number of intellectuals who are eager to discuss social issues. This makes douban vulnerable to be outlawed by the Chinese government. Douban has introduced a massive censorship on all contents posted in the website and often found itself in the hot water of controversy[4].
In March 2009, douban removed art paintings of the Renaissance for the ground that it contained 'pornographic' elements.[4][5][6] The action led to a campaign called "Portraits: Dress up" in which internet users were asked to dress up images of famous renaissance nudes in a protest against douban's self-censorship. The discussion about the campaign was then removed by the administrator[4].
The year also saw the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and douban has further extended its keyword list to ban any terms that may be relevant to the incident. One notable example is the ban on merely mentioning the name of Victoria Park in Hong Kong where the memorial gathering for the 20th anniversary was held, in the fear that it may lead to sensitive discussions. Users also found that some discussion groups, like a Hong Kong cultural study group hkren were suddenly banned and all topics were removed without any notices. The action further angered some members to move to other similar websites that employ lesser strict self-censorship policies[4].