Chinese blogger Zhou Xiaoping gave a lecture earlier this year at the China University of Petroleum about how to think independently in the Internet era. [Photo by Yu Fangping / China Daily]

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Seeking the light

A 33-year-old blogger has become a proud voice reflecting the dreams of a new generation of Chinese, attracting fans and critics along the way, Xing Yi reports.

Zhou Xiaoping, a 33-year-old blogger, became a hot figure after attending a recent forum on art and literature with other 70 well-established writers and artists, which was chaired by President Xi Jinping.

When talking about Internet literature during the forum, Xi specifically mentioned Zhou and another Web writer, Hua Qianfang. When shaking hands with them, Xi encouraged them to "continue to write works that carry positive energy".

However, Zhou's public expression of patriotism has attracted not only acclaim but also verbal abuse and sarcasm. Some netizens praise Zhou for expressing their common feelings bravely and straightforwardly, while others criticize him for "flattering" the government.

"Putting label on a person to attack him was a typical practice during the 'cultural revolution' (1966-76)," says Zhou, who seems to be rather dismissive of naysayers but stays cool with criticisms. "We could debate in a reasonable way."

Born in Rong county of Sichuan province in Southwest China, Zhou started to post articles online in 2006. He posts most of his commentaries on his blog, Comrade Zhou Xiaoping. Zhou writes about his love of China, urging young countrymen to be patriotic. He also posts analyses on issues related to national strategy, such as the importance of Internet security and the nation's soft power.

Most of his recent blog posts reflect his opinion on the country's development, expounding the government's achievements in economy and poverty alleviation, and his love of the country.