Utopia

The Utopia is a Chinese internet forum noted for its strong support of Maoist and communist ideology. The forum is notable for its promotion of Maoist philosophy and for its occasional clashes with the Chinese Communist Party. History Utopia was founded in 2003 by Fan Jinggang, who owned a bookstore (also named Utopia, ) in Beijing, China. The forum was created with the stated intent to be “a patriotic website for the public interest", and soon acquired a political lean towards Maoism. In addition to online activities, Utopia also has organized offline events and campaigns. In 2011, Utopia organized a campaign against Chinese writer Mao Yushi and historian Xin Zilin who wrote and published critical histories of Mao Zedong. The campaign involved organizing of a petition of 40,000 signatures, including those of Liu Siqi (the widow of one of Mao's sons), former vice-minister Ma Bin, and Peking University professor Kong Qingdong. In April 2012, following the arrest and prosecution of Chinese politician Bo Xilai, Utopia along with several other leftist Chinese websites was temporarily shut down.