Jiangxi Officials Embrace Web 2.0 to Communicate with Citizens

As the Chinese mainland approaches a new era of internet access, local officials in Jiangxi province have taken a bold step in embracing Web 2.0 to increase interaction with citizens. In response to a call-to-action from Jiangxi party chief Su Rong, over 60 county chiefs and local Communist Party bosses have set up blogs to engage with internet users. The government-run website blog.jxwmw.cn has listed these officials, and tens of thousands of users have visited their blogs in recent months. The initiative aims to bring the government closer to the people, but many internet users remain skeptical.

Key Takeaways:

• Jiangxi officials have set up over 60 blogs to communicate with citizens, with Jiangxi party chief Su Rong's call-to-action being the catalyst.
• The most popular blog belongs to Nanfeng county party secretary Fu Qing, with over 70,000 users and thousands of comments.
• Jiangxi officials have posted articles discussing development, economic, and livelihood issues, with Fu Qing even asking for ideas to help villagers sell oranges.
• Many internet users have questioned the move, dismissing the blogs as purely political show.
• The initiative aims to bring the government closer to the citizens, but the effectiveness of this approach remains to be seen.

Statistics:

• 155 million mainland internet users access the web through mobile phones.
• 99 counties in Jiangxi province have official blogs.
• Over 60 county chiefs and local Communist Party bosses have set up blogs.
• Tens of thousands of users have visited their blogs in recent months.
• Fu Qing's blog has attracted over 70,000 users and thousands of comments.
• Jiangxi officials have posted 16 articles on their blogs.

Sources:

• People's Daily (July 2014)
• Jiangxi Government Website blog.jxwmw.cn:

+ List of Jiangxi officials with blogs: [http://www.blog.jxwmw.cn](http://www.blog.jxwmw.cn)

+ Fu Qing's blog: [http://fuqing.blog.jxwmw.cn](http://www.fuqing.blog.jxwmw.cn)