Time magazine looks into online video in China in an interesting new article by Beijing-based staff reporter Jodi Xu.

Xu dissects the ways that Chinese video sharing sites like tudou.com and 56.com are being used to bypass government censorship, share news of political repression and scandal, and broadcast protests, like the recent demonstrations in Shanghai against the expansion of the maglev train.

The Chinese government has recently introduced laws demanding that video-sharing sites be state-owned, and the article says it is still unclear whether the new regulations will be enforced. Needless to say, Tudou CEO Gary Wang sounds a bit nervous.

The article also claims that Tudou streams 30% more video than Youtube. It would be interesting to see someone break down that number a little more thoroughly, because if it is accurate, the size of the Chinese online video market is staggering.

The article leads off with an incident in which a prominent Beijing newscaster accused her anchorman husband of adultery in front of "thousands of Chinese and foreign reporters" covering the inaguration of CCTV's Olympic coverage. The clip was taken off Tudou after 650,000 views, and the woman was tossed in jail, but her several-minute tirade is still up on Youtube:

Luke @ 12:48 | .(3314) |