Mainland screenwriter Xie Xiaodong usually waits four weeks for government censors to rule on one of his scripts. With his new movie, Invisible Killer, set for release on the mainland on Friday, officials kept him waiting more than five months before giving him the green light.
But then he is dealing with a controversial subject: so-called 'human flesh' internet searches, or renrou sousuo, which harness the power of the online community as an investigative force.
Although cyber vigilantes have helped identify corrupt cadres and animal torturers, their impact isn't always clear cut. Advocates praise them as an important outlet for public opinion and exacting justice, but critics say they also invade people's privacy and punish individuals for personal choices.
Xie got the idea for the film about three years ago when the phenomenon began. Around that time, clips of a woman killing a kitten with her high-heeled shoes began circulating online. Within a week the woman and the cameraman were identified and both eventually lost their jobs.
'Then I really paid some attention. You think if these things are growing bigger and bigger, what's going to happen to people's lives?' he says.
One of the most prominent renrou cases involved Beijing advertising company worker Wang Fei, whose wife, Jiang Yan, committed suicide allegedly because of his infidelity. Wang became the target of cyber vigilantes after Jiang's online diary surfaced on a bulletin board and classmates posted details of his alleged affair with a colleague online.