Chinese cyberspaces: Defining the spatial component of a "borderless" media

Can a common "Chinese cyberspace" be defined in terms of language, culture and policy, or would it be more appropriate to speak of several distinct "Chinese cyberspaces"? And in what way can the relation between offline local entities and the cyberspaces be described? This paper highlights the fragmentation and/or commonalities of Chinese cyberspace(s) through a detailed analysis of websites which are particularly involved in constructing or deconstructing Chineseness belonging to "Greater China." "Chinese cyberspace(s)" will refer to cyberspaces which are either defined by language, or by content, or by the political dimension. The author concludes that the actual existence of a common language presents the most obvious argument for the existence of a Chinese cyberspace. This is, however, counteracted by technical limitations, by laws, in particular by the PRC, and by cultural boundaries all of which restrict Chinese cyberspaces very much to specific political entities. Thus, these cyberspaces are characterized by various types of constraints. Finally, elements of transnationalism, cosmopolitanism and hybridity are tightly restricted by issues related to Taiwan's nation-building.