China's gay dating app Blued, once boasting more users than Grindr, is now nowhere to be found in China. The company behind the platform, Blued Holdings, was removed from all mobile app stores in the country back in November last year. Months on and it remains unavailable.
Blued's founder, Ma Baoli, took a seemingly bold step to establish legitimacy for his platform when he met with Li Keqiang, the then executive vice premier of China, in 2012. The photos of their meeting were seen as evidence that Blued was not a threat, but rather a valuable asset.
However, things didn't quite play out that way. In recent years, Beijing has been tightening its grip on online freedom. The situation for tech companies like Ma Baoli is precarious, and failure to navigate the changing landscape can be disastrous.
The story of Ma Baoli and Blued serves as a microcosm of how Chinese internet users are forced to navigate the delicate game of controlling what's allowed and not allowed under stringent censorship.
Ma, who reportedly idolized Alibaba's founder Jack Ma, never expected his idol to become the target of such sweeping regulatory measures. Yet, like any skilled dancer, he was able to adapt and move on when Blued faced setbacks.
Liu's book profiles several other dancers, including a former social media content moderator who quit after being unable to bear the moral weight of conducting censorship. Others, such as a feminist activist and a rapper, have also been forced to retreat from the spotlight.
For many of these individuals, leaving China or taking themselves out of the system has become an act of protest – one that can be seen as a form of passive resistance when traditional voting mechanisms are limited.
The story of Blued serves as a reminder that in China's complex and ever-changing online landscape, it's essential to be adept at dancing on the thin line between control and freedom.
Blued's founder, Ma Baoli, took a seemingly bold step to establish legitimacy for his platform when he met with Li Keqiang, the then executive vice premier of China, in 2012. The photos of their meeting were seen as evidence that Blued was not a threat, but rather a valuable asset.
However, things didn't quite play out that way. In recent years, Beijing has been tightening its grip on online freedom. The situation for tech companies like Ma Baoli is precarious, and failure to navigate the changing landscape can be disastrous.
The story of Ma Baoli and Blued serves as a microcosm of how Chinese internet users are forced to navigate the delicate game of controlling what's allowed and not allowed under stringent censorship.
Ma, who reportedly idolized Alibaba's founder Jack Ma, never expected his idol to become the target of such sweeping regulatory measures. Yet, like any skilled dancer, he was able to adapt and move on when Blued faced setbacks.
Liu's book profiles several other dancers, including a former social media content moderator who quit after being unable to bear the moral weight of conducting censorship. Others, such as a feminist activist and a rapper, have also been forced to retreat from the spotlight.
For many of these individuals, leaving China or taking themselves out of the system has become an act of protest – one that can be seen as a form of passive resistance when traditional voting mechanisms are limited.
The story of Blued serves as a reminder that in China's complex and ever-changing online landscape, it's essential to be adept at dancing on the thin line between control and freedom.
. I mean, can you believe they just vanished from China? It's like, what even is the point of having an app if it's not available anymore? 
And poor Ma Baoli, he must be feeling totally lost right now 
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. It's like, can't we just have some freedom to express ourselves without all the red tape? 
. The stories of these individuals who were forced to navigate this crazy landscape must be so eye-opening and intense 
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. We should all be paying attention to this situation and seeing what we can do to support those who are fighting for their rights 
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and I'm totally stoked about trying out that new trail this weekend! have you guys tried any good hiking spots lately? I swear, getting lost in nature is like, the best form of meditation ever 
. anyway, back to blued... i feel so bad for ma baoli dude - it's like, he took a huge risk and then got caught in the crossfire 
. and can we talk about how crazy it is that some people just lose themselves doing their job? i mean, i know it sounds dramatic but censorship can be super toxic 
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I mean, he did meet with Li Keqiang back in 2012, which was supposed to be some kind of validation, right? But instead, it just led to more trouble down the line.
and can't we just talk about the fact that these ppl are literally having to leave china or go underground cuz they cant handle the moral weight of censorship anymore? 
it's like, what kind of society allows this kinda stuff to happen? 
but honestly, how can u expect them 2 navigate all that when the gov is just changing the rules every other week? 
anyway, i feel bad 4 blued and its users... they deserve better than being censored or forced out of the country. maybe this is a wake-up call for china to rethink its online policies? 
ma baoli was like "hey i'm good 2 go" and then BOOM regulatory measures r imposed n he's gotta scramble 
its like they say: once u get on the gov's radar, u better be ready 4 the fallout 
It's like they're trying to erase their own history, including the progress made by Blued. Ma Baoli's whole thing was supposed to be a way for him to legitimize the app and show the government that it wasn't a threat... but nope, just more red tape 
. I mean, who can blame these individuals for quitting or going into hiding? The moral weight of censorship is too much to bear... and now Blued's gone, leaving all its users wondering what happened 
. i can kinda see why they had to shut it down though, chinese gov's been cracking down on online freedom left and right lately 
. ma baoli's story is actually pretty inspiring though... he was all about navigating the system and adapting when things got tough 
. anyway, i'm gonna go listen to some old grindr videos just to remember how things used to be 
, only for them to turn on him. it's like the government is always one step ahead of these tech companies. i feel bad for blued users who can't access the app anymore 
. and btw, china's censorship game is so strict... sometimes i wonder if they're even letting themselves get their own info out there 
i feel bad for ma baoli tho, he was trying to bring some acceptance and visibility to the lgbtq+ community in china, which is already super repressed 
and now it's like, his platform is gone 
But seriously, it's like the government was all like "we're gonna crack down on this" and now it's just...gone 
It's like they're all "I'm not gonna play by your rules" and I respect that.
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200 million Chinese internet users are now forced to use VPNs to access social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter 
70% of them are under 30 years old 
Guess you can say he "danced" out of that situation 
. But seriously, this is a big deal for the LGBTQ+ community in China. They need more than just online dating apps to express themselves. It's time for some real change 
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