In the realm of censorship, even James Bond cannot escape the clutches of the Communist Party of China. The reach and absurdity of the restrictions in China has recently hit the headlines with reports that blockbuster Bond flick ‘Skyfall’ has been censored for release in the Peoples Republic of China. The offending material? The death of two Chinese security guards at the hands of a villain. Presumably the many non-Chinese fatalities were acceptable as long as the competency of Chinese security guards wasn’t questioned.

Motives behind censorship like this are often opaque. Excessive violence is banned, as is material which is deemed to insult the ‘honour’ of the Chinese state. Sexual material is also similarly forbidden, although not always without protest. When Chinese Central Television (CCTV: an ironic acronym if ever there was one) pixelated images of the penis of Michelangelo’s ‘David Apollo’ statue, the ensuing mockery both online and in print resulted in the show being rebroadcast, with poor David Apollo now fully intact.

Ridiculous examples aside, the laws on censorship in China are far-reaching and powerful. One of the main tenants is to prevent the sharing of important ‘state secrets’. The definition of ‘state secret’ is flexible enough to be applied to anything; from army base locations to harvest reports. Restrictions tend to be more stringent during times of political instability - for example the recent handover in Beijing resulted in a blanket ban on Google services.

Indeed, it is in the vibrant and frankly enormous world of Chinese cyberspace that censorship can truly be measured. Naturally there are ways to circumvent the authorities, to ‘jump over the Great Firewall’. As a student on my year abroad, programs that disguise a computer’s IP address are very useful. Chinese netizens have also crafted an ingenious dialect in order to evade watching eyes; full of allusions, puns and homonyms, its impenetrability is its strength.  Despite these valiant efforts, recent developments such as new laws requiring ‘real name registration’ for all internet users make it harder than ever to slip past the censors.

Shifts in demographics also aid the party in its battle to keep control. Traditionally in China, the internet was mostly used by people possessing money, a university education and high social status. However, this is changing as more and more people without degrees or even a high school education start surfing. There is a strong correlation between education level and use of news websites; the less educated a person is, the less likely they are to go onto the news. As internet access becomes more widespread, interest in the news is more likely to decrease.

However, the CCP’s greatest trick is to make more news available, whilst at the same time removing anything controversial. Like a skilled magician, it specializes in misdirection. Ever since the death of Mao and the ‘opening’ of China to the wider world, reporting on entertainment, sport and the economy has been steadily liberalized. However, news regarding politics has remained heavily regulated.

When Chinese users do go online, what do they search, discuss and read?

At the time of writing, the most popular search on Baidu, the Chinese search engine, was ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger pornographic photos’. The top topic on Sina Weibo, a microblog site similar to twitter, was the marriage of actor and singer Ekin Cheng to actress Yoyo Mung. Celebrity news is king.

In the battle for the soul of the Chinese people, maintaining access to ‘soft news’ is just as vital as removing access to disruptive stories. Occasionally a scandal like Bo Xilai’s spectacular fall from grace breaks through and becomes a topic of interest. These exceptions are of note, but remain just that; exceptions. For the most part, censorship in China is effective and subtle; it mixes potently with increasing interest in celebrity, sport and scandal. Although we hear about the obvious, sometimes ridiculous restrictions, it is this promotion of other materials that more truly represents censorship in China.