Young iconoclast's dim view on revolution strikes chord in Beijing

There may be many mysteries in Chinese politics, but whether the state propaganda machine is surrounded by many competing voices is not one of them.

A leader among those voices is Han Han, a 29-year-old professional rally driver and self-described amateur writer, whose blog has received 520 million visits since he started it in 2006.

The system never really took the young writer seriously, despite his occasional iconoclastic postings. But who could have expected that, as if to usher in the potentially eventful Year of the Dragon, Han would grow dissatisfied with his status as a mere youth icon. He began to get deep.

In a series of three essays posted between December 23 and 26, Han outlined his ideas on freedom and democracy, as well as the subject of revolution. The essays, which advocated a more gradual change than many dissidents might like, caused quite a stir among his usual fans, but also among an older crowd, a group that included academics and government media.

The official Global Times ran an editorial praising Han's views and many outlets reposted his blogs.

Officials have tolerated Han's political views in part because they differ from the usual dissident views - ranging from those who cling to neo-Maoism to those seeking the usual rights associated with Western-style democracy.