The Lowdown on Downloading

The original intent of my blog was to provide information about my experience in China; information that would allow my friends and family to keep updated on my adventure, but still is relevant to strangers who just want to read about China.  The idea was that each entry would be a lesson about something I learned in China.  Though I still sort of follow that format, I think I’ve gotten a little carried away.  My entries tend to be long, but there is something to be said about brevity: it’s short.  It’s sweet.  On that note, here’s a sweet little “fun fact” about China.

If you come to China and bring your computer, you will inevitably encounter the Great Firewall of China.  No Facebook.  No Blogger.  No You Tube.  The list goes on and on.  However, like China’s other famous wall, this one can also be breached.   Simply get a VPN installed and you’re set. 

There is however, one major benefit of being trapped within the confines of the Firewall: access to a site called Google Music (http://mashable.com/2009/03/30/google-china-free-music-downloads/).  This site allows people to legally download music for free.  Piracy is such a problem in China that many artists have opted in to this program to get at least a little bit of money for their music.  The idea is that Google and the record companies split the proceeds of the ad revenue from the site.  Though not all songs and not all artists are available, it’s certainly better than nothing.  Plus, it’s guilt-free downloading, the site navigable for English speakers, and when you search an artist it recommends other similar artists.  Needless to say, it’s easy to spend a lot of time finding old songs you’ve always wanted and discovering new ones you never knew existed. 

Summary: Turn your VPN off, turn your speakers up and download away!  http://www.google.cn/music/homepage