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Watch: China has made an internet censorship THEME SONG

Never has repression sounded so good

Video Creating patriotic songs is an age-old solution to difficult problems, albeit one that is out of fashion in the Western world.

Not so in China, which has just released a tremendous rousing tribute to its clean, clear and incorruptible internet.

The song is performed by the Cyberspace Administration of China choral group, otherwise known as the people who censor the internet inside China and remove any mention of things like the Tiananmen Square massacre or Falun Gong.

Called Cyberspace Spirit, the bombastic tune features a large mixed choir and four solo singers who regale an audience with their song while informing them that they are also keeping a close eye on everything they view and type.

"Keeping faithful watch under this sky, the Sun and the Moon," they sing. "Creating, embracing everyday clarity and brightness; Like a beam of incorruptible sunlight, touching our hearts."

The chorus exclaims: "Internet power! The web is where glorious dreams are; Internet power! From the distant cosmos to the home we long for."

Youtube Video

The song was written for the Chinese New Year and an "internet media celebration". The audience in the room appears to enjoy it although the online reception has been somewhat less spirited.

China has the most sophisticated online censorship system in the world called The Great Firewall or just GFW for short by those who regularly visit the country.

Recently the system has had a few hiccups, with an upgrade cutting off millions of citizens and redirecting requests seemingly randomly to other IP addresses, knocking websites offline.

The government has also decided that from next month its citizens will be required to use their real names when registering for social media sites or posting responses on newspaper articles.

As far as we can tell there was no mention of these issues in the song. The Wall Street Journal has handily provided a full translation of the lyrics. ®

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