Wang’s “Massage Cream” (eww!) blog appeared with the message:

“Because of unavoidable reasons known to all, this blog is now temporarily closed.”

Foreign news media seized the opportunity to report on March 8, that his blog joined the masses of blogs shut down by the Communist Chinese government. The next day, however, his blog was reopened with a wink and a “gotcha!”

State-controlled English-language news source China Daily said the apparent shutdown was a prank designed to test Western media and demonstrate biased coverage.

When Western media asked Wang if the shutdown was a hoax, says Reuters, he would not confirm or deny it, nor would he answer other questions.

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “How do I explain this? After Western media report what I say, it will not be the same as what I actually said.”

But according to China Daily, it was some kind of bizarre prank. “We tried the prank to test how foreign media would react. And this is exactly what we anticipated,” said Wang.

It is assumed also that he will not comment as to whether or not he intended to gross out Western media by tricking them into using the phrase “Wang’s Massage Cream.”

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