March 23, in front of Google Beijing Headquarters
Google , Rather Leave for Freedom than Live for the "River Crab" (River Crab an internet slang created by netizens in Mainland China. The word river crab sounds similar to the word harmonious in Chinese Mandarin)
Google Chose to Leave
After two months’ negotiation with Chinese government, Google made a statement at three am in the morning on March 23rd 2010. Google declared the search engine company has formally withdrew from mainland China. In its statement, Google said, “We very much hope that the Chinese government respects our decision, though we are well aware that it could at any time block access to our services.”
Users visiting Google.cn are now being redirected to its Hong Kong site, Google.com.hk, with a line on the homepage saying, “Welcome to Google’s new home in China.”
China's coverage
Overseas media have given thorough coverage over Google’s decision to leave the Chinese lucrative market. Large media houses such as Reuters, Voice of America, FRI, Radio Free Asia, Lianhe Zaobao and Wall Street Journal all put it as the headline news on their websites. New York Times, BBC, Central News Agency(CNA)、Deutsche Welle, Times, and Washington Post also put this news on prominent place in their front page. In China, the Xinhua News Agency only has a 39-word message about Google.cn being redirected to its Hong Kong site. The Internet Administration Office ordered its people to remove any posts that is pro-Google, doing everything they can to remove supporters for Goole.
In the real world, many Netizens paied they tribute to Google by sending flowers to its Beijing Headquarter, other writers have donated their royalties to Google.
Secret China received letters from readers, saying that lots of netizens went over to Google Beijing Headquarters to deliver the flowers personally. Eight hours after the announcement there were groups of people gathering outside the building and the number was increasing. The letter said that in the afternoon or evening, there would be something more spectacular than delivering flowers.
Writer Ling Cangzhou also post a statement, “Whereas it is a historic moment concerning human rights for Google to stop censoring its search services, I decided to donate the royalties of my work that’s been scanned and collected by Google’s library (Critics of Scholars and other of my books) to Google. I will reserve my rights to sue Baidu, for randomly reprinting my work.”
Google turned to Hong Kong with no intention to confront China.
A netizen named “Clear Song White Snow” said, “The short term effect for Google to leave China is, to the outsiders, to smash the image of openness that Chinese government has put in so many efforts to build. As to the insiders, it has smashed the fallacy that Chinese market can make the westerners bow. It’s blow to censorship is indirect, but deep and long term, of course. ”
He also said, for Google to migrate to Hong Kong, technically it is leaving China. Yet in public relations, it is a smart move. It shows people that Google does not want to go. It also shows that Google has no intention to challenge China. Who can say that the laws and regulations in Hong Kong are illegal?
Google.cn will be a humiliating yet honorary label to be put in Google’s museum, and on the track record of human development. Currently, a lot of netizens expressed their feelings towards Google in their posts, such as：Google.cn will never come back. What will come back sooner or later is Google.com, the Chinese version. Google.cn will be a humiliating yet honorary label to be put in Google’s museum.
Some netizen wrote the following classic sentence: Google, I’d rather see you leave for the sake of freedom, rather than see you become lower for the "River Crab". (River Crab, an internet slang created by frustrated netizens after the implantation of "the Great Firewall" and harsh censorship in China. The word river crab sounds similar to the word harmonious in Chinese Mandarin)