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Chinese World Cup Blog Gets 10 Million Hits

It is known that FIFA`s World Cup is one of the most anticipated events, and that billions of people around the world are following World Cup`s progress. Beijing blogger and podcaster Dong Lu probably expected that people will take interest in his World Cup blog, but he didn`t believe his blog would attract more than 10 million hits.

Dong Lu is 36 years old and opened his blog to speak his mind on Germany 2006`s weak showcase, as he claims. The blog has transformed to one of the most popular blogs in China with more than 10 million people visiting it so far. Lu offers podcasts that feature caricatures of leading players on his site, and the blog is updated frequently. "We do it for fun, out of passion for football," Dong, looking suitably bleary-eyed after another all-night session in front the TV watching the action from Germany, told Reuters.

"The World Cup is a great event for everybody whether from small countries or large ones, rich or poor. In sports journalism there is relative freedom of expression and we can give our opinions about a match and other sporting issues," said Dong. "In other fields such as the social and political arenas, there are regulations. I`ve spent 10 years working in the media and I understand the line that can never be crossed. There are many other interesting things in life for me to talk about. It`s about fun, not trouble."