Through creative means, Chinese internet users showed support for a prominent political prisoner.
BEIJING — The death on Thursday of China ’s most prominent political prisoner, Liu Xiaobo, set off a frenzied effort by government censors to block discussion of his legacy online.
Candle emoticons and the phrase “R. I. P.” were banned on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site. On many sites, searches of Mr. Liu’s name turned up zero results.
Still, Mr. Liu’s admirers found creative ways around the controls, using code words, videos and photographs to show solidarity and to criticize the government’s treatment of China’s only Nobel Peace laureate. Here’s a look at the reaction.
When a thunderstorm erupted over Beijing shortly after Mr. Liu’s death, internet users embraced the imagery.
“It must be to mark the exit of a hero, ” one Weibo user wrote. “The heavens are also moved.”
“Heaven is watching, ” wrote a WeChat user, suggesting that China was being judged by a higher power for its treatment of Mr. Liu. The activist, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, had been sentenced to 11 years for his efforts to promote democracy.
Activists have accused the government of depriving Mr. Liu of proper medical care after a cancer diagnosis. Some critics warned that the treatment of Mr. Liu has marred China’s international reputation and tarnished the legacy of President Xi Jinping, who has taken a hard line against dissidents.
