Cannot decode JSON returned by HttpWebRequest

I am trying to decode JSON returned by the website http://wthrcdn.etouch.cn/weather_mini?city=北京. When I look at this URL with Firefox using Unicode encoding, I see the following valid JSON:

{"desc":"OK","status":1000,"data":{"wendu":"20","ganmao":"各项气象条件适宜，发生感冒机率较低。但请避免长期处于空调房间中，以防感冒。","forecast":[{"fengxiang":"无持续风向","fengli":"微风级","high":"高温 27℃","type":"晴","low":"低温 15℃","date":"30日星期四"},{"fengxiang":"南风","fengli":"3-4级","high":"高温 30℃","type":"多云","low":"低温 16℃","date":"1日星期五"},{"fengxiang":"北风","fengli":"3-4级","high":"高温 25℃","type":"小到中雨","low":"低温 14℃","date":"2日星期六"},{"fengxiang":"无持续风向","fengli":"微风级","high":"高温 25℃","type":"多云","low":"低温 14℃","date":"3日星期天"},{"fengxiang":"无持续风向","fengli":"微风级","high":"高温 26℃","type":"多云","low":"低温 13℃","date":"4日星期一"}],"yesterday":{"fl":"微风","fx":"无持续风向","high":"高温 27℃","type":"晴","low":"低温 15℃","date":"29日星期三"},"aqi":"149","city":"北京"}}

But if I try to get and decode this JSON with HttpWebRequest the result is always gibberish:

string http = "http://wthrcdn.etouch.cn/weather_mini?city=北京";

HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)HttpWebRequest.Create(http);    //创建一个请求示例
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();　　//获取响应，即发送请求
Stream responseStream = response.GetResponseStream();
StreamReader streamReader = new StreamReader(responseStream, Encoding.UTF8);

string jsonStr = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
Console.WriteLine(jsonStr);

Produces

"�\b\0\0\0\0\0\0\0���JA�_%��`��\"_�� �t5���,�\v̏0�4LRJʲ����]jfֹ�:��-v!�������o��ƑG��ȅ�\ri:�#r�%I�!�1r�QT\rz\"�%��pp�`E�i^b����N�������񜡹�Y��t�n��afw�)�}On�����#��ӭ}~�g�m���5[Ơ�b�}^�'�64!�&/�\r������ªk:r-ƑW\r���8�V:e�\r���gY�/�(�\r����5M���~�2��e�u[S��[:U=���G��\b���\f�\"aw0\a�P$Vj�rM8W*(a�J������i�O`E��i��1���m�B�8��L���Vt'Gw;0n^�pX��޷�c�;\0�$s�j(#�F�4f&�P,��qt�(�dC1U�հ\a���\r|����j����7�=�kb�v���~=6�ĸB��'��L�\0\0"

Decoding with Encoding.Unicode produces:

"謟\b\0\0\0鎭䫝䄂윔╟󉥠⋕ꅟẋ먠琘섵�ጕⰑ௭迌됰䰴䩒닊늈橝홦㨕邃瘭픡컝￙�칯워䞑�藈එ㩩⏖爚◙뉉༡㇖앲呑稍ဢ░灰蜅䕠槳罞鵢캶鏀諸鳱릡如놬赴Ὦꪰ晡ٷ⦯鋲佽鉮췁�폨維�핧洚覤㖑왛鎠뭢幽➺㛝ℴ⚽�鬍蟀슆᮪㩫⵲釆ൗ훺㣽Ϩ嘕攺඙ힳ柦驙蠯밨㗫䴔᳣쮊�鐲旸疙卛㩛唅똽說䜞냷萈ꨌ愢๷〓鄇⑐橖犲㡍⩗愨䪳﷐递뎾榕俇䕠育ᢘㆅ賶涅䋿ꌓ踸䳎隈嚝❴睇〻幮ᢹ瀓ј퇤럞揚뼂;ⓧ끳⡪责㒟♦僑ᨬ톎瑱⢓撱ㅃ퍕냕윇࿄෣ᅼ쎅迺罪趼�蜷ᠽ숅扫皣᳇�㵾밶쐘䊸쒉Ｇ퐃"

How can I decode the JSON from this web site using HttpWebRequest?

Solution

The response is compressed so you need to enable automatic decompression. Also, you should wrap your disposables in using statements:

        string http = "http://wthrcdn.etouch.cn/weather_mini?city=北京";

        HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)HttpWebRequest.Create(http);    //创建一个请求示例
        request.AutomaticDecompression = DecompressionMethods.Deflate | DecompressionMethods.GZip;
        using (var response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse())　　//获取响应，即发送请求
        using (var responseStream = response.GetResponseStream())
        using (var streamReader = new StreamReader(responseStream, Encoding.UTF8))

        {
            string jsonStr = streamReader.ReadToEnd();
            // Use the JSON string.
            // Starts out with {"desc":"OK","status":1000,"data":{"wendu":"20","ganmao":"各项气象条件适宜，...
            Console.WriteLine(jsonStr);
        }

Note that my console doesn't display Chinese characters. If yours doesn't either, the result of writing to the console will contain many "?" characters.