Chinese Internet users do not have it easy – access to Google Maps is blocked because the authorities did not like that they could not censor it. For their citizens, the Chinese authorities have prepared their own version of an interactive map of China, together with 3D models of the largest cities.
In a communist state such as China, the authorities cannot afford to disturb the citizens from the uncomfortable information with a click of the mouse. It is no wonder that the site with sometimes very detailed satellite images was found in the Middle Kingdom on censored. As you know, it’s hard to make changes to satellite imagery, it’s much easier to create maps from scratch.
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On the map.baidu.com website there is a map of China resembling a Google product. The largest cities can be viewed in a 3D view that resembles the iconic Sim City game . You have to admit to the Chinese creators of the site that the whole looks really impressive. The worst, however, is that beautifully mapped cities are just a cover, thanks to which the authorities can easily hide inconvenient information.
The model of the center of the Chinese capital can be seen by going to map.baidu.com , selecting Beijing (this red star) and switching to 3D view with one of the buttons in the upper right part of the map.
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