The May 35th incident in China, or how to scale the Great Firewall of China

Yu Hua is an acclaimed contemporary Chinese writer and social critic. He recently wrote a marvellous article, "The spirit of May 35", which was translated into English and published in the New York Times. It has now appeared in Today (28 June). Here's the link to the article:

http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC110628-0000217/The-spirit-of-May-35

Some excerpts:

Why the term "May 35"
You might think May 35th is an imaginary date but in China, it is a real one. Here, where references to June 4th -- the date of the Tiananmen incident of 1989 -- are banned from the Internet, people use "May 35th" to circumvent censorship and commemorate the events of that day.

'Is there freedom of expression in China?'
Practically everyone has mastered the art of May 35th expression, and I myself am no slouch. I've had a go at broaching freedom-of-expression issues. I once posted an article referring to a talk I gave in Munich.

The post said: "I was asked: 'Is there freedom of expression in China?' 'Of course there is,' I replied. 'In any country,' I went on, 'freedom of expression is relative. In Germany, you can curse the chancellor but you wouldn't dare curse your neighbour. In China, we can't curse our premier but we're free to curse the guy next door."

Why it's OK to say you won't find many germs on Chinese leaders' fingers
On the concentration of power in China, I wrote: "In Taiwan I told a reporter, 'You need to wear gloves when you shake hands with politicians here, because they are always out canvassing and shaking hands with people. You don't need gloves on the mainland, because our politicians never have to press the flesh. You won't find many germs on their fingers."

Since the first remark seems to emphasise that everything is relative and the other appears to focus on matters of hygiene, both were posted on the Internet without incident. My readers know what I'm getting at.

I have always written as much as I please in the May 35th mode, and for that I have the fictional form to thank, since fiction is not overtly political and by its nature lends itself to May 35th turns of phrase.