Editing Internet in China (section)

==Content==
According to [[Kaiser Kuo]], the internet in China is largely used for entertainment purposes, being referred to as the "entertainment superhighway". However, it also serves as the first public forum for Chinese citizens to freely exchange their ideas.<ref>Kaiser Kuo, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-jqGmc6xKI TEDxHonolulu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702083011/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-jqGmc6xKI |date=2 July 2016 }} Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference, 5 November 2009</ref> Most users go online to read news, to search for information, and to check their email. They also go to [[Bulletin board system|BBS]] or web forums, find music or videos, or download files.

=== Messaging ===
As of at least 2023, the most used internet services in China are [[instant messaging]] and mobile messaging apps.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=8}} In 2020, 99% of internet users in China used instant messaging, while 99.8% used mobile messaging apps.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=8}}

As of 2019, 93.5% of Chinese internet users have used [[WeChat]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=76}}

===Websites===
All websites that operate in China with their own domain name must have an [[ICP license]] from the [[Ministry of Industry and Information Technology]]. Because the PRC government blocks many foreign websites, many homegrown copycats of foreign websites have appeared.<ref>Goldkorn, Jeremy. "[http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/152/behind-the-great-firewall-of-china.html YouTube = Youku? Websites and Their Chinese Equivalents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412180903/http://www.fastcompany.com//magazine//152//behind-the-great-firewall-of-china.html |date=12 April 2011 }}." ''[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]]''. 20 January 2011. Retrieved on 5 May 2011.</ref>

===Search engines===
{| class = "wikitable" style = "float:right; font-size:85%; margin-left:15px; width:30%"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
|+ Top ten most popular search sites in China<br/><small>As of 17 September 2013 </small><br/><small>By Unique visitors aged 15+, excludes traffic from public computers such as internet cafes or mobile phones</small><br/><small>Source: comScore qSearch</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/3809/china-search-engine-market-share-update-august-2013/|title=Baidu Search Share Down While Qihoo 360 Up in August 2013|date=17 September 2013|website=Chinainternetwatch.com|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828025605/https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/3809/china-search-engine-market-share-update-august-2013/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tech.sina.com.cn/i/2013-07-05/14558511980.shtml|title=谷歌中国搜索市场份额仅2%：排名滑落至第五|website=Tech.sina.com.cn|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-date=17 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517010041/http://tech.sina.com.cn/i/2013-07-05/14558511980.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
! China !! Share of searches (%)
|-
| [[Baidu]] || 63.16
|-
| 360 || 18.23
|-
| [[Sogou]] || 10.35
|-
| [[Soso (search engine)|Soso]]|| 3.62
|-
| [[Google]]|| 2.88
|-
| [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]]|| 0.57
|-
| [[Yahoo]]|| 0.48
|-
| [[Youdao]] || 0.16
|-
| other|| 0.09
|}

[[Baidu]] is the leading search engine in China, while most web portals also provide search opportunities like [[Bing Search|Bing]] and [[Sogou]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Efforts to establish state-owned search engines in China have not succeeded.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=43}} Search engine ChinaSo.com, jointly managed by [[Xinhua News Agency]] and ''[[People's Daily]]'', is active as of 2024 but has few users.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=43}} State-run search engine Jike Search, the CEO of which was [[Deng Yaping]], failed in 2013.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=43}}

===Online communities===
Although the Chinese write fewer emails,{{clarify|compared to what?|date=July 2021}} they enjoy other online communication tools. Users form their communities based on different interests. Bulletin boards on portals or elsewhere, chat rooms, instant messaging groups, blogs are very active, while photo-sharing and social networking sites are growing rapidly. Some Wikis such as the [[Sogou Baike]] and [[Baidu Baike]] are "flourishing".

[[Microblogging|Microblogs]] (''weibo'') have since 2009 become one of the most widely used internet services in China.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=146}}

===Social media===
China is one of the most restricted countries in the world in terms of internet, but these constraints have directly contributed to the success of local Chinese social media sites.<ref>{{cite web |title=How web-connected is China? |url=http://chinapower.csis.org/web-connectedness/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926031804/https://chinapower.csis.org/web-connectedness/ |archive-date=26 September 2017 |access-date=12 July 2016 |publisher=ChinaPowerCSIS}}</ref>

===Online shopping===
Since 2013, China is the world's largest e-commerce market.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=99}} Its domestic e-commerce market was an estimated {{USD|899 billion}} in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last=Millward |first=Steven |date=18 August 2016 |title=Asia's ecommerce spending to hit record $1 trillion this year – but most of that is China |url=https://www.techinasia.com/asia-ecommerce-spending-1-trillion-dollars-2016 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819043228/https://www.techinasia.com/asia-ecommerce-spending-1-trillion-dollars-2016 |archive-date=19 August 2016 |access-date=4 May 2021 |work=[[Tech in Asia]]}}</ref> China accounted for 42.4% of worldwide retail e-commerce in that year, the most of any country.<ref name="Hu-20232">{{Cite book |last=Hu |first=Richard |title=Reinventing the Chinese City |date=2023 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-21101-7 |location=New York}}</ref>{{Rp|page=110}}In 2019, online retail sales were 21% of China's total retail sales.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=4}} As of late 2022, approximately 850 million Chinese individuals shop online and sectors related to e-commerce employ 69 million people in the country.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=1}} In 2023, nearly 50% of worldwide online sales took place from China.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=2}}

Some local governments have created e-commerce platforms in an effort to facilitate sales of local products.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=43}} With the exception of the [[business-to-business]] platform Yiwugo.com (created by the [[Yiwu]] city government and a state-owned enterprise), these platforms have not been commercially successful.<ref name=":Liu" />{{Rp|page=43}}

===Online Mapping Services===
China has endeavored to offer a number of online mapping services and allows the dissemination of geographic information within the country. [[Tencent Maps]] (腾讯地图), [[Baidu Maps]] (百度地圖) and [[Tianditu|Tianditu (天地圖)]] are typical examples. Online mapping services can be understood as online cartography backed up by a [[geographic information system]] (GIS). GIS was originally a tool for cartographers, geographers and other types of specialists to store, manage, present and analyze spatial data. In bringing GIS online, the Web has made these tools available to a much wider audience.<ref>Tulloch, D. L. (2007) [http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1620/1535 ‘Many, Many Maps: Empowerment and Online Participatory Mapping’] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123185000/http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1620/1535 |date=23 November 2012 }}, First Monday 12 (2)</ref> Furthermore, with the advent of broadband, utilizing GIS has become much faster and easier. Increasingly, non-specialist members of the public can access, look up and make use of geographic information for their own purposes.<ref>Chen, Yu-Wen (2010) Drawing Borders Alters Our World. Taipei Times, 19 December, [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2010/12/19/2003491313] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215627/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2010/12/19/2003491313|date=4 October 2013}}</ref> [[Tianditu]] is China's first online mapping service. Literally World Map, [[Tianditu]] was launched in late October 2010. The Chinese government has repeatedly claimed{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} that this service is to offer comprehensive geographical data for Chinese users to learn more about the world.

=== Online payment ===
The method of directly paying by online banking is required to be able to make online banking payment after opening online banking and can realize [[Mobile payments in China|online payment]] of UnionPay, [[WeChat Pay]], online payment by credit card, and so on.

This payment method is directly paid from the bank card. The third-party payment itself integrates multiple payment methods, and the process is as follows:{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

1. Recharge the money in online banking to a third-party.

2. Pay by third-party deposit when the user pays.

3. The fee is charged for withdrawal. Third-party payment methods are diverse, including mobile payments and fixed-line payments.

In 2013, [[Alipay]] overtook PayPal to become the world's largest mobile payment provider.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=150}} As of January 2015, Alipay, owned by Alibaba Group has 600 million counts of users and has the largest user group among all online-payment providers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.china.com.cn/live/2015-02/27/content_31531594.htm|title=支付宝钱包活跃用户超6亿_新闻中心_中国网|website=News.china.com.cn|access-date=15 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808112651/http://news.china.com.cn/live/2015-02/27/content_31531594.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> It continues to be China's largest online payment service as of at least 2023.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=150}} WeChat Pay remains a strong competitor to Alipay, with 37% of the Chinese mobile payment market as of 2016.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=151}}

By June 2020, there were 805 million users of mobile payment in China.<ref name=":04">{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Shuanglin |title=China's Public Finance: Reforms, Challenges, and Options |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-009-09902-8 |edition= |location=New York, NY}}</ref>{{Rp|page=202}}

By June 2024, about 954 million individuals were actively using mobile payment in China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Consulting |first=Daxue |date=2024-12-30 |title=Mobile payments in China: How China became a cashless society |url=https://daxueconsulting.com/payment-methods-in-china/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Daxue Consulting - Market Research and Consulting China |language=en-US}}</ref> 

===Online gaming===
{{main|Online gaming in China}}
As of 2022, China is the second largest market for online games after the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top countries and markets by video game revenues |url=https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326135814/https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |archive-date=2023-03-26 |access-date=6 October 2023 |website=Newzoo}}</ref> In 2023, the country has 668 million internet users playing online games and the industry was worth US$42 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Feng |first1=Coco |last2=Deng |first2=Iris |date=13 January 2024 |title=China's video gaming market ended 2023 battered and bruised, but can world-beating titles and innovation save the day? |url=https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3248249/chinas-video-gaming-market-ended-2023-battered-and-bruised-can-world-beating-titles-and-innovation |access-date=11 July 2024 |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711195228/https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3248249/chinas-video-gaming-market-ended-2023-battered-and-bruised-can-world-beating-titles-and-innovation |url-status=live }}</ref> 53.8% of gamers are male, 46.2% are female.<ref>{{cite web |author=Steven Millward |date=30 April 2024 |title=The Future of Female Gaming in China [Top Market Trends] |url=https://sekkeidigitalgroup.com/the-future-of-female-gaming-in-china |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=11 July 2024 |work=Sekkei Digital Group}}</ref>

In 2007, the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) along with several other agencies implemented the Online Game Anti-Addiction System which aimed to stop video game addiction in youth. This system restricted minors from playing more than 3 hours a day and required Identification (ID) checking in order to verify you are of age.<ref>Zhan, Jing Da; Chan, Hock Chuan (April 2012)''. [https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3655&context=cais "Government Regulation of Online Game Addiction".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428080626/https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3655&context=cais |date=28 April 2019 }}''Communications of the Association for Information Systems. '''30''' (13): 187–198. [[Doi (identifier)|doi]]:10.17705/1CAIS.03013. Retrieved October 20, 2021.</ref>

Later in 2019, the Chinese government announced in November that gamers under the age of 18 would be banned from playing video games between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. In addition, gamers under 18 would be restricted to 90 minutes of playing during the weekdays and 3 hours of playing during weekends and holidays as per new guidelines.<ref>BBC. (2019, November 6). ''[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50315960 Video game addiction: China imposes gaming curfew for minors.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803043510/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50315960 |date=3 August 2023 }}'' BBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2021.</ref>

As of 2021, the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) further restricted rules limiting playtime for under-18s to one hour per day from 8p.m. to 9 p.m. and only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.<ref>Goh, B. (2021, August 31). ''[https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-rolls-out-new-rules-minors-online-gaming-xinhua-2021-08-30/ Three hours a week: Play time's over for China's Young Video gamers.]'' Reuters. Retrieved October 19, 2021.</ref>

===Censorship===
{{Main|Internet censorship in China|Internet censorship}}

The [[Golden Shield Project]] was proposed to the State Council by Premier Zhu Rongji in 1993. It is overseen by the Ministry of Public Security.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=143}} As a massive surveillance and content control system, it was launched in November 2000, and became known as the [[Internet censorship in China|Great Firewall of China]]. The governmental authorities not only block website content but also monitor the Internet access of individuals; such measures have attracted the nickname [[Great Firewall|The Great Firewall of China]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://phys.org/news/2005-09-china-yahoo-youve.html|title=The China Yahoo! welcome: You've got Jail!|access-date=1 August 2017|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110160834/http://phys.org/news/2005-09-china-yahoo-youve.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, there are some methods of circumventing the censorship by using proxy servers outside the firewall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm|title="Race to the Bottom": Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship: II. How Censorship Works in China: A Brief Overview|website=Hrw.org|access-date=1 August 2017|archive-date=22 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422063645/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Users may circumvent all of the censorship and monitoring of the Great Firewall if they have a secure [[VPN]] or [[Secure Shell|SSH]] connection method to a computer outside mainland China.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/14/china-tightens-great-firewall-internet-control|title=China tightens 'Great Firewall' internet control with new technology|last=Arthur|first=Charles|date=14 December 2012|work=The Guardian|access-date=1 August 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422011808/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/14/china-tightens-great-firewall-internet-control|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, the Chinese government declared unauthorized VPN services illegal, requiring VPN providers to obtain state approval.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ye |first=Josh |date=January 2017 |title=China tightens Great Firewall by declaring unauthorized VPN services illegal |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064587/chinas-move-clean-vpns-and-strengthen-great-firewall |access-date=April 21, 2021 |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |archive-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424082112/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2064587/chinas-move-clean-vpns-and-strengthen-great-firewall |url-status=live }}</ref> Although China restricts VPNs, they remain widely used by private individuals.<ref name=":9222">{{Cite book |last=Šebok |first=Filip |title=Contemporary China: a New Superpower? |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-03-239508-1 |editor-last=Kironska |editor-first=Kristina |chapter=Social Control and Propaganda |pages=99–113 |doi=10.4324/9781003350064-11 |editor-last2=Turscanyi |editor-first2=Richard Q.}}</ref>{{Rp|page=109}} [[State-owned enterprises of China|State-owned enterprises]] or state institutions also use VPNs for official work.<ref name=":9222" />{{Rp|page=109}} The Chinese government has authorized several official VPN providers.<ref name=":9222" />{{Rp|page=109}} Those who develop or sell their own VPNs potentially face years in prison.<ref name=":9222" />{{Rp|page=109}}

Different methods are used to block certain websites or pages including [[DNS poisoning]], blocking access to [[IP address|IP]]s, analyzing and [[URL|filtering URLs]], inspecting filter packets and resetting connections.<ref name="howto">{{cite web |last1=Hoffman |first1=Chris |title=How the "Great Firewall of China" Works to Censor China's Internet |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/162092/htg-explains-how-the-great-firewall-of-china-works/ |website=Howtogeek.com |date=22 September 2016 |access-date=15 August 2018 |archive-date=15 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815131540/https://www.howtogeek.com/162092/htg-explains-how-the-great-firewall-of-china-works/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2009, motivated in part by its desire to prevent [[Colour revolution|color revolutions]], China banned Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.<ref name=":Li">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Hongshan |title=Fighting on the Cultural Front: U.S.-China Relations in the Cold War |date=2024 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=9780231207058 |location=New York, NY |pages=332 |doi=10.7312/li--20704 |jstor=10.7312/li--20704}}</ref> It banned Google the next year.<ref name=":Li" /> By blocking major international internet platforms such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, the Great Firewall has contributed to the development of domestic alternatives including [[Baidu]], [[Renren]], [[Youku]], and Weibo.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=8}}

===Memes===
The [[Baidu 10 Mythical Creatures]], initially a humorous [[hoax]], became a popular and widespread [[internet meme]] in China.<ref>[http://hi.baidu.com/xueliang/blog/item/38d5f60379333d703812bb6f.html 【贴图】百度十大神兽_水能载舟亦能煮粥] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223004113/http://hi.baidu.com/xueliang/blog/item/38d5f60379333d703812bb6f.html |date=23 February 2009 }}. Hi.baidu.com. Retrieved on 16 April 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.danwei.org/humor/baidu_baike_fake_entries.php Hoax dictionary entries about legendary obscene beasts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212184001/http://www.danwei.org/humor/baidu_baike_fake_entries.php |date=12 February 2009 }}. Danwei.org. Retrieved on 16 April 2012.</ref> These ten hoaxes reportedly originated in response to increasing online censorship and have become an icon of Chinese internet users' resistance to it.<ref name=pun>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/world/asia/12beast.html?em|work=New York Times|first=Michael|last=Wines|title=A Dirty Pun Tweaks China's Online Censors|date=11 March 2009|access-date=12 March 2009|archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005134536/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/world/asia/12beast.html?em|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Bobbie Johnson, [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2009/mar/13/china-grass-mud-horse ETech: The truth about China and its filthy puns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510163632/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2009/mar/13/china-grass-mud-horse |date=10 May 2017 }}, The Guardian, 13 March 2009</ref>

The [[State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television]] issued a directive on 30 March 2009 to highlight 31 categories of content prohibited online, including violence, pornography and content which may "incite ethnic discrimination or undermine social stability". Many Chinese internet users believe the instruction follows the official embarrassment over the "[[Grass Mud Horse]]" and the "[[River crab (Internet slang)|River Crab]]". Industry observers believe that the move was designed to stop the spread of parodies or other comments on politically sensitive issues in the runup to the anniversary of the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|4 June Tiananmen Square protests]].<ref name=parody>{{cite news|author=Vivian Wu|title=Censors strike at internet content after parody hit |work=South China Morning Post |date=3 April 2009}}</ref>