This was originally entitled 'Content aggregation, censorship, capitalism, China'. But after trying to post the below on the group blog Living in China, I found that there is some kind of delay before posts are published (think post Janet Jackson network TV rules). So here, on danwei.org, where you can be sure that you will always end up in the gutter, may I present a mini-essay that does not really have anything to with vaginas at all:

The debate about censorship on Living in China seems to have fizzled out, but a China blogger emailed me asking if I was challenging the Living in China collective by entitling a post on my own site: 'vagina vagina vagina vagina' .

No such challenge intended. But in answer, here is a vagina-free summary of my views on the subject:

Living in China is interesting because it is an anarchic collection of different writings: from political arguments to complaints about leaky central heating from an English teacher in some awful small town; from soft porn to focused little essays about a particular subject.

Unless Living in China is going to become a commercial operation, I don't see why it matters if someone sees a soft porn post there and gets the wrong idea. So what? It's the Internet, be an adult or go read the China Daily.

If I was in charge of Living in China, I would include any and all content from blogs and websites written in China or about China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the overseas Chinese community. Or I would make a decision about what to include and what to exclude, and make the editorial direction explicit.

But I am not in charge of Living in China, so the decision is not mine to make.

Vagina!

Don't you feel liberated?

More about vaginas on danwei.org here.

If you really want to know about vaginas, try this place, All About My Vagina. Here's an extract:

"I love my clitoris. I just appreciate its clitoral nature. There aren't really any qualities that I am aware of that make a clitoris better or worse. They are not supposed to be a certain colour or size or sensitivity; they are just good. I like that.

I say clitoris like "KLIT-o-riss," although I know people who say "kli-TOR-iss." My way seems easier to say (to me) but I don't know whether either way is the decided right way to pronounce the word.

I mostly use the whole word, but sometimes say "clit," especially when referring to piercings. "Clit" seems hipper, but it is hard to sound uptight when willing to refer to a clitoris in the first place. I think I just like the "lit" syllable, despite the fact that with the exception of lit itself, most -lit words have weird sexual connotations (clit, slit, split...)."

Social norms anyone?