Word: chen
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...Chen used to spend his evenings in the corners of Shanghai's cheapest bars, whiling away the hours with his Sprite-and-beer shandies and a stack of car magazines. But last September, the 20-year-old engineering major discovered a new hangout. Ascending a narrow staircase to a windowless room, he found a place near several other men sitting alone, obscured by clouds of cigarette smoke. Chen (he declines to give his full name) is now devoted to this Internet cafe. In May he spent 32 hours straight here, working his way through six packs of Double Happiness cigarettes...
Beijing has declared war on Chen's world. Authorities kicked off a nationwide crackdown this month against China's estimated 150,000 unlicensed Internet cafes, comparing them to the opium dens where young men slowly destroyed themselves a century ago. In mid-June, 25 people were killed when a pair of teens torched a Beijing cybercafe that had refused them entry. It was the capital's deadliest fire in decades, and the central government used the blaze as an excuse to order the closure of thousands of illegal outlets...
...anyone who accesses banned sites. Although the Public Security Bureau has deployed a corps of Internet police to block surfers from offending websites, there's no way a few hundred officers can filter the whole Web and maintain blocks that stymie users for long. In less than three minutes, Chen is able to access a blocked Chinese news site, using a proxy server that cloaks his online movements. Next to him, a friend uses the same technique to get to a porn site. Four seats down, a thirtysomething woman takes a covert look at the teachings of Falun Gong...
...Chen figures his new life is safe. "No matter how many cafes you try to close, new ones will always appear," he says. "The government should just accept that the Internet is here to stay." Chen suggests that if the crackdown continues, university students across the country should sign an online petition to demand their Web rights back. That kind of mass organization is just what frightens Beijing, which is leery of any gathering free of government supervision. Until then, Chen is happily playing computer games, interacting only with his avatar, a 19th century warlord. The name of Chen...
...Chen, the solution is clear. "No matter how many caf?s you try to close, new ones will always appear," he says. "The government should just accept that the Internet is here to stay." Then Chen gets back to interacting with his avatar, a 19th century warlord. And the name of Chen's online alter ego? "The Opium Smoker...