commentary from experts in academia and media. Many consider her to be the pioneer of internet celebrity in China, and an embodiment of wider trends in the production of celebrity as individualistic, opportunistic and commodified figures who achieve fame not through merit but via narcissistic self-promotion and increasingly, in the online world of user generated blogs and forums. As I.D Roberts, a China studies scholar and author writes in his book chapter on Furong Jiejie China's Internet Celebrity: Furong Jiejie, her rise to fame is also indicative of contemporary developments in China - with regard to the rise of its internet culture, the nature of state censorship, and the changing cultural standards and social mores of the Chinese public. As Roberts concludes, . Public Response Public reaction to Furong Jiejie is mixed. Some view her as a brave and empowering figure, pushing the boundaries of government censorship and asserting her individuality. Zhang Yiwu, a Peking University specialist in modern culture, explains, “In one sense, the phenomenon of Sister Lotus is the victory of common people.” However, others question her popularity, wondering how she became an overnight sensation when her fame is based upon what they view as shameless self-humiliation, and criticizing her for being a negative influence on Chinese youth. Government response When her cult status began to sweep the whole country, Beijing authorities acted. In July 2005, authorities told the country's top blog host to move Furong-related content to low-profile parts of the site. Communist party censors also barred the broadcast of a TV program about Sister Lotus prepared by China Central Television, mainland China’s primary television network. The Chinese government’s censorship of Sister Furong is part of the growing issue of technology usage in China. According to Chen Changeng, deputy dean of Peking University’s School of Journalism and Communications, “The government sees the Internet as vital for China’s technological progress but, at the same time, they want to stop people from accessing content they see as unhealthy.” The Chinese government is increasing its efforts to regulate Internet bloggers. On September 24, 2005, China’s Ministry of Information, Industry and the State Council released regulations that ban the usage of sexually explicit content on the web, a measure which some analysts believe is aimed at bloggers. In typical self-praising form, Furong Jiejie responded to the government censorship by saying, “When I first heard about it I was really disappointed. My