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Internet in China
The People's Republic of China has been on the Internet intermittently since May 1989 and on a permanent basis since 20 April 1994. In 2008, China became the country with the largest population on the Internet; as of 2025[update], it has remained so. As of December 2024,[update] 1.09 billion people (77.5% of the country's total population) use the internet.
China's first foray into the global cyberspace was an email (not TCP/IP based and thus technically not internet) sent on 20 September 1987 to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, reading, "Across the Great Wall, towards the rest of the world" (Chinese: 越过长城，走向世界; pinyin: Yuèguò chángchéng, zǒuxiàng shìjiè). This later became a well-known phrase in China and as of 2018[update], was displayed on the desktop login screen for QQ mail.
By law, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) governs the country's Internet. China's Internet is heavily censored by the government, with numerous foreign websites blocked by the Great Firewall. The Cyberspace Administration of China is the national internet regulator and censor. China requires a real-name system for Internet services and online platforms.
From 1995 to 2004, internet use in China was almost entirely in urban areas. By 2003, less than 0.2% of rural people had used the internet. In 2004, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology began the Connecting Every Village Project which promoted the use of telecommunications and internet in rural China. Beginning in late 2009, the program began building rural telecenters each of which had at least one telephone, computer, and internet connectivity. Approximately 90,000 rural telecenters were built by 2011. By 2011, 89% of administrative villages had internet access.
China replaced the U.S. in its global leadership in terms of installed telecommunication bandwidth in 2011. By 2014, China hosts more than twice as much national bandwidth potential than the U.S., the historical leader in terms of installed telecommunication bandwidth (China: 29% versus US: 13% of the global total).
China began implementing a National Broadband Strategy in 2013. The program aimed to increase the speed, quality, and adoption of broadband and 4G networks. As of 2018, 96% of administrative villages had fiber optic networks and 95% had 4G networks.
Wireless, especially internet access through a mobile phone, has developed rapidly. The affordability of mobile phones and internet data in China has resulted in the number of mobile internet users in China surpassing the number of computer internet users. 500 million were accessing the internet via cell phones in 2013. The number of dial-up users peaked in 2004 and since then has decreased sharply.[citation needed] Generally statistics on the number of mobile internet users in China show a significant slump in the growth rate between 2008 and 2010, with a small peak in the next two years.
In 2015, the State Council promoted the Internet Plus initiative, a five-year plan to integrate traditional manufacturing and service industries with big data, cloud computing, and Internet of things technology. The State Council provided support for Internet Plus through policy support in area including cross-border e-commerce and rural e-commerce. Various regulatory bodies promoted Internet Plus within their sectors.
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Internet in China AI simulator
(@Internet in China_simulator)
Internet in China
The People's Republic of China has been on the Internet intermittently since May 1989 and on a permanent basis since 20 April 1994. In 2008, China became the country with the largest population on the Internet; as of 2025[update], it has remained so. As of December 2024,[update] 1.09 billion people (77.5% of the country's total population) use the internet.
China's first foray into the global cyberspace was an email (not TCP/IP based and thus technically not internet) sent on 20 September 1987 to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, reading, "Across the Great Wall, towards the rest of the world" (Chinese: 越过长城，走向世界; pinyin: Yuèguò chángchéng, zǒuxiàng shìjiè). This later became a well-known phrase in China and as of 2018[update], was displayed on the desktop login screen for QQ mail.
By law, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) governs the country's Internet. China's Internet is heavily censored by the government, with numerous foreign websites blocked by the Great Firewall. The Cyberspace Administration of China is the national internet regulator and censor. China requires a real-name system for Internet services and online platforms.
From 1995 to 2004, internet use in China was almost entirely in urban areas. By 2003, less than 0.2% of rural people had used the internet. In 2004, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology began the Connecting Every Village Project which promoted the use of telecommunications and internet in rural China. Beginning in late 2009, the program began building rural telecenters each of which had at least one telephone, computer, and internet connectivity. Approximately 90,000 rural telecenters were built by 2011. By 2011, 89% of administrative villages had internet access.
China replaced the U.S. in its global leadership in terms of installed telecommunication bandwidth in 2011. By 2014, China hosts more than twice as much national bandwidth potential than the U.S., the historical leader in terms of installed telecommunication bandwidth (China: 29% versus US: 13% of the global total).
China began implementing a National Broadband Strategy in 2013. The program aimed to increase the speed, quality, and adoption of broadband and 4G networks. As of 2018, 96% of administrative villages had fiber optic networks and 95% had 4G networks.
Wireless, especially internet access through a mobile phone, has developed rapidly. The affordability of mobile phones and internet data in China has resulted in the number of mobile internet users in China surpassing the number of computer internet users. 500 million were accessing the internet via cell phones in 2013. The number of dial-up users peaked in 2004 and since then has decreased sharply.[citation needed] Generally statistics on the number of mobile internet users in China show a significant slump in the growth rate between 2008 and 2010, with a small peak in the next two years.
In 2015, the State Council promoted the Internet Plus initiative, a five-year plan to integrate traditional manufacturing and service industries with big data, cloud computing, and Internet of things technology. The State Council provided support for Internet Plus through policy support in area including cross-border e-commerce and rural e-commerce. Various regulatory bodies promoted Internet Plus within their sectors.