FOR a long time, the issue of privacy in China has been closely associated with dirty secrets or sexual affairs that most Chinese are unwilling to talk about.

In the 1983 edition of the Modern Chinese Dictionary, the most authoritative dictionary in the country, the explanation of the word yinsi (privacy) is "Bad things that can't be told".

"Previously, Chinese people didn't pay much attention to the protection of privacy because in accordance with Chinese traditions, we had almost no privacy," said Yu Hai, professor of Sociology at Fudan University.

"For thousands of years, Chinese peoples' lives were based on family links," Yu said. "People divided relations into elder and younger generations without much consideration for the individual. People are encouraged to live closely and treat each other kindly - how can we maintain any privacy?"

If anyone talks about privacy or secrets, it is thought of as being insincere and contrary to the family, whose members all live together and share everything.

During the first decades of the country's liberation, the State called on all people to sacrifice their hearts to the party and to confess everything to the party. Public criticism and the disclosing of other people's secrets was encouraged, which, of course, intruded into the privacy of common people.

"Such intrusion undoubtedly cultivates peoples' curiosity and eagerness to probe into the private lives of others," said writer Meng Haojun.

"On the other hand, without normal channels for obtaining information, people could only search for it through the bamboo telegraph. That may be the reason why so many people like to intrude upon others' privacy."

In 1998, a book published in China called "Absolute Privacy" became a bestseller and raised the privacy topic widely for the first time.

The writer named An Dun, a journalist for the Beijing Youth Daily, collected dozens of love stories, mostly failed ones or extra-marital love affairs.

The book sold like hot cakes, making one thing clear: lots of people like reading about privacy. The writer later published several other books on the topic of privacy.

The book demonstrated that privacy is not just a matter for celebrities. More people came to realize that they too had privacy concerns. With the development of media technology, the lives of common people came increasingly to be tracked and even priced.

A report from Anhui Province said notices saying "Privacy Wanted" had been hung in some dormitories of colleges in Hefei, the capital city.

"After being silent about privacy for so many years, Chinese people tend to the other extreme, which leads to excessive privacy," Yu said. "But, in my opinion, we haven't any basis upon which to talk about privacy, it is not the time yet to do so."

Yu believes the Chinese have lacked individual space and personality up to now because of Chinese traditions.

Chinese people are not even clear about the boundary between the private and the public. They stretch their living space into public passageways or speak loudly at midnight.

After loosening the restraints of traditional principles, Chinese people are going wild about privacy. Anything can be described as privacy when it comes to legal cases and claims for compensation. But most of those with the word "privacy" on the lips all day long still fail to respect the space or privacy of others.

"So the key is not to cry out for privacy protection, but first learn to respect others' space," Yu said.

(Star News)