Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 19:34:47 +0000
Sender: H-Net list for Asian History and Culture
<H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
From: Marilyn Levine, Lewis-Clark State College
<mlevine@lcsc.edu>
Subject: H-Asia: PRC Internet: Cheaper, More Popular and Chinese
To: H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU
Summary: Chinese efforts to popularize and boost the Chinese language
presence on the Internet through a low-cost domestic-only service, a
convenient non-registration Internet service added to the telephone
bill, and increased Chinese language content will likely push the
total number of Chinese users to over 5 million by the year
2000. Internet use and home PC sales in China will about double this
year but most Internet Service Providers are losing money. The PRC
government strives to assure China=A1_s place it what it sees as the
coming global information-based economy
by promoting
information networks. Some Chinese commentators fear that in this new
information economy
developing countries like China will fall
further and further behind.
Some industry observers believe that a combination of highly preferential pricing and appealing Chinese language content would in itself be sufficient to restrict the vast majority of China's Internet users to domestic websites and so eliminate the need to rely on ineffectual blocking techniques. The Chinese language Internet is bringing an ever richer diet of information to Chinese people. Thousands of high school students now turn to on-line cram schools to prepare for examinations. An appendix lists Chinese search engines and useful starting points for Chinese language Internet exploration.
This report is now available at http://www.usembassy-china.gov/english/sandt/Inetcawb.htm
The U.S. Embassy Beijing Environment, Science and Technology Web Page is at http://www.usembassy-china.gov/english/sandt/index.html
Visitors to China with laptops may want to try the 169 dial-in service to the Chinese domestic branch of the Internet. This service offers inexpensive worldwide e-mail service but browsing limited to Chinese domestic sites. You could set up a free mailbox on the Chinese domestic network to maintain contact with people outside of China. The charges are added to your telephone bill. This no-registration dial-in Internet service is described in the report above.
A list (in Chinese) of free e-mail mail boxes can be found on the Sohoo search engine (www.sohoo.com.cn) at http://www.sohoo.com.cn/Computer/Internet/Personal/Freemail/index.html
David Cowhig
dcowhig@public3.bta.net.cn
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