Qing Dynasty Sea Ban vs. Modern Internet Firewall
Both the Qing Dynasty's sea ban and China's modern internet firewall (often called the "Great Firewall" or GFW) show how the government limits the flow of information and outside communication.
Even though they happened at very different times, they share some key similarities:
-
National Security: The main goal for both was to keep the government stable and the country safe. The Qing Dynasty used the sea ban partly to stop pirates and rebels from working with outsiders, and to maintain a steady farming society. Similarly, the internet firewall was built to filter out bad information, fight cybercrime, and prevent outside threats, all to keep society orderly and politically stable.
-
Limiting Information & Communication: Both the sea ban (which strictly stopped people from trading overseas and talking to foreigners) and the firewall (which blocks certain foreign websites) aim to control how people get information from outside and communicate freely. Their goal is to guide and control what people think and do to some extent.
-
Protecting Beliefs: The Qing Dynasty's sea ban also aimed to protect traditional Confucian ideas and prevent foreign cultures and religions from having too much influence. Today's internet firewall has a similar purpose: to protect the official mainstream beliefs and filter out "harmful" or "subversive" information that might challenge socialist values.
-
Using Tech & Rules: The Qing Dynasty's sea ban involved strict border control, military patrols, and legal punishments. The internet firewall, on the other hand, uses advanced internet censorship technology like IP blocking, DNS hijacking, and keyword filtering, along with government orders and laws to manage online content.
發表文章
