Chinese government blocks Google.com, Gmail, Google+, Maps, Docs and more
If I had to wager a guess, I'd say this is probably due to the 18th Party Congress going on in Beijing right now, and that the block will be lifted sometime in the next week, once the transfer of power is over.<p>I <i>think</i> we may see some more moderates come to power, so I wouldn't expect this to continue.  Whether or not Wang Yang gets a seat in the Standing Committee will be a good bellwether though.