Andreas Antonopoulos, author of the ‘Mastering Bitcoin’ cryptocurrency guides, has reacted positively after Chinese state television showcased his book – albeit with a completely different title.
Mastering… Blockchain?
As Twitter-based cryptocurrency news resource cnLedger reported October 25, QQ had showcased an edition of Mastering Bitcoin, a presenter holding a copy with the title printed in both English and Chinese.
While the English title is visibly the same, the Chinese translation fails to make any mention of the word ‘Bitcoin’ at all, cnLedger notes, and instead reads: ‘Blockchain: The Path Towards Digitized Assets.’
The curious incident, which received both scorn and ridicule on social media, comes after Beijing authorities stepped up a ban on cryptocurrency trading and promotion in August.
Far from being dismayed at the censorship, however, Antonopoulos, who is well known for publicly calling out authorities’ attempts to subdue cryptocurrency, suggested the publicity in and of itself represented a vote of confidence.
“How cool is this: ‘Mastering Bitcoin 1Ed’, on Chinese national TV,” he commented on Twitter. “Even with a slightly sanitized title (no mention of Bitcoin), the content is the same.”
The celebrated speaker and educator also revealed that he is “hoping to visiting China next year.”
“Maybe this brings more opportunities and conference invitations,” he added.
How cool is this: "Mastering Bitcoin 1Ed", on Chinese national TV. Even with a slightly sanitized title (no mention of Bitcoin), the content is the same.
Hoping to visiting China next year. Maybe this brings more opportunities and conference invitations. https://t.co/SHOBoaiF9a
— Andreas M. Antonopoulos (@aantonop) October 25, 2018
Not All Mastering Bitcoin
As a figure active in Bitcoin advocacy for many years, Antonopoulos has garnered a loyal fan base which has nonetheless been taken by surprise by his reactions before.
In August, when speaking about his writing another book, ‘Mastering Ethereum,’ some of those fans appeared confused. Antonopoulos, they wrote in the form of questions for a Q&A session, should notionally favor Bitcoin.
“That doesn’t mean that (Ethereum and other virtual machine, smart contract-based blockchains’) technology is useful or useless… does it mean that this technology is interesting? Absolutely,” he said addressing the feedback.
This week, Antonopoulos revealed Mastering Ethereum had entered its final production phase.
What do you think about China’s portrayal of ‘Mastering Bitcoin’? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Twitter, Antonopoulos.com