Abstract
Abstract This article examines the human flesh search (Ren Rou Sou Suo), which may be the most salient and controversial phenomenon in the Chinese cyberspace. Unlike the conventional view that treats the human flesh search as illegal or trivial, this article argues that: first, the human flesh search may indeed have some ‘bad’ aspects (eg libel and privacy infringement), but the laws we have so far are sufficient in regulating these ‘bad’ aspects without scapegoating the entire human flesh search; second, and more importantly, every human flesh search is an online free speech mass movement. It gives millions of ordinary Chinese citizens a chance to express themselves in various forms and on wide-ranging topics, and allows them to create a new and more democratic culture. For the first time, activating the long dormant Article 47 of the Chinese Constitution and creating a culture ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ may become possible in China.
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