This talk discusses web scraping techniques for the Chinese internet, covering sources like social media and official government websites. It highlights that, contrary to popular belief, China’s political processes do not need to be a black box. Millions of government documents can be found online that can illuminate developments in the country, sometimes even on sensitive affairs. Web scraping techniques can help pry open this black box and help see the forest for the trees. Yet, the talk also focuses on how extensive challenges remain, ranging from geo-blocking to “real-name registration”.