Jeremy Goldkorn, an expert in online media in China, said he thought the government was particularly upset that people were trading information about how to gain access to a controversial memoir that has just been published. It was written by the late Zhao Ziyang, the former secretary-general of the Communist Party who was fired in 1989 for his opposition to the military crackdown on the demonstrations.
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China battens down hatches as Tiananmen anniversary nears
Beijing blocks Internet social networking sites and rips pages out of foreign newspapers before the 20th anniversary of the crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.
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The Chinese government routinely raises what is nicknamed the "Great Firewall of China" at times of political sensitivity.
It has also canceled conferences and speeches around this period. A musician who was scheduled to give a radio interview Thursday about the cultural scene in Beijing said he was told by the station that it had to be canceled because of "technical difficulties."
"The host apologized and explained there is a rash of technical difficulties arising all over the country on Thursday," said the musician, who asked not to be named.
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barbara.demick@latimes.com
