ChinAEntErsCyBErspACE
Although rEsEArCh into thE intErnEt BEgAn in thE 1980’s inChinA, it wAs not until thE miD 90’s thAt thE Country CAutiously joinED thE inFormAtion highwAy. thEsE DAys howEvEr, it sEEms thAtChinA is rEADy to jump onto thE "nEt" with Both FEEt. pErsonAlComputErs (pCs) ArE thE hottEst sElling itEm on thE mArkEt in mAjorChinEsE CitiEs.At night, hunDrEDs oFChinEsE who Don’t own A pC、CrowD into thE now FAmiliAr intErnEtCAFEs, whErE nEt timE Costs us $3.60 An hour. wEB sitEs From ArounD thE worlD CAn BE FlAshing on thE sCrEEns oF most high-tECh CompAniEs, AnD mAny BEliEvE thE nEt is thE pErFECt vEhiClE to trAnsportChinA into thE through thE 21^st CEntury.
EvEn though ChinEsE govErnmEnt oFFiCiAls ArE somEwhAt ConCErnED ABout thE wEstErn ContEnt on thE intErnEt, it is ClEAr thEy wAnt to mAkE usE oF whAt thE supErhighwAy hAs to oFFEr. thE nEt is so AppEAling in improvEmEnt-oBsEssEDChinA thAt usAgE is growing morE thAn 40% A yEAr. "it’s A DAily nECEssity," sAys ABEijing ForEign stuDiEs univErsity stuDEnt. "i plAn to gEt onlinE soon. i FEEl likE i miss A lot oF things AnD i Don’t wAnt to lAg BEhinD、" it sEEms EvErywhErE you go thE Air is Buzzing with tAlk oF how to BEst usE this moDErn tEChnology.
possiBilitiEs
thE Country hAs 350 million ChilDrEn to EDuCAtE whAt BEttEr vEhiClE thAn intErACtivE tElEvisions. thE FinAnCE ministry nEEDs to EstABlish BAnk AnD sAvings ACCounts ForChinA’s 284 million workEr—whAt morE EFFECtivE solution thAn smArt CArDsAgriCulturAl plAnnErs DrEAm oF morE proDuCtivEChinEsE FArms how EAsiEr to sEnD wEAthEr AnD AgriCulturAl inFormAtion to 323 million FArmErs thAn ovEr thE wEB
to tAp thEsE BEnEFits,ChinA hAs EmBArkED on A sEriEs oF ninE "golDEn projECts" thAt will rEquirE stAtE-oF-thE Art tEChnology in EvErything From hEAlth-CArE to FinAnCE.By 2010 hunDrEDs oF millions oFChinEsE will BE wirED with A golDEn smArt CArD, All pArt oF hEAlth AnD FinAnCiAl nEtwork.
this smArt CArD or iDEntiFiCAtion CArD, will ContAin vitAl stAtistiCs ABout EACh pErson, AnD will AutomAtiCAlly tAkE A proportion oF thAt pErsons sAlAry As govErnmEnt "golDEn tAx" viA A miCroChip.BryAn nElson, miCrosoFts DirECtor in thE rEgion, sAys, "ChinA is going to BE thE ultimAtE prooF oF All thAt thE intErnEt CAn Do.AnD thE AmAzing thing is thEChinEsE sEEm to unDErstAnD thAt BEttEr thAn somE pEoplE in thE wEst ACtuAlly." thE winDow is still smAll though—only 3,000,000 ChinEsE hAvE ACCEss to thE intErnEt, vs. somE 25 million in thE u. s.—But it is opEning quiCkly. oFFiCiAls AtChinA’s ministry oF posts AnD tElECommuniCAtions sAy thEy hopE to hAvE 4 millionChinEsE ConnECtED By 2000.At thE sAmE timE, ACCEss to thE outsiDE worlD FromChinA—onCE tightly ControllED ovEr A nArrow pipElinE hAs quADruplED in 1998, thE rEsult oF nEwly liBErAlizED govErnmEnt rEgulAtions.As lAtE As 1996, most nEt trAFFiC to AnD FromChinA hAD to Flow through A singlE 56 kiloBit—somE u.s. homEs hAvE morE BAnDwiDth thAn thAt. now ChinA hAs A pipElinE A hunDrED timEs wiDEr, AnD thE CompAnyAtt hAs just BEEn hirED to mAkE it EvEn BiggEr. will ChinA rEAlly hAvE 4 million CitizEns on linE By 2000 "try 20 million." sAys intErnEtCAFE ownErChArlEs zhAng, who hAs wAtChED thE govErnEmEnt ExCEED growth tArgEts in EvErything From tElEphonEs to AgriCulturAl output. thE thEory BEhinD ChinEsE lEADErs’ EnthusiAsm is thAt tEChnology AnD CompEtitivEnEss ArE DEEply linkED、
oBstAClEs
thErE ArE plEnty oF oBstAClEs to ovErComE BEtwEEn now AnD 2010. But thE two BiggEst-limitED ownErship oF Both pErsonAl ComputErs AnD thE tElEphonEs—ArE FADing. pErhAps thE BiggEst oBstAClE to growth oF ComputErs AnD thE nEt inChinA is thAt wEstErn-stylE kEyBoArDs ArEn’t sEt up to typE ChinEsE ChArACtErs. thE BEst systEm For Doing so, thE stokE-BAsED input mEthoD EDitor, wAs DEvisED in thE 1960s AnD involvEs using ComplEx thrEE AnD Four-kEy ComBinAtions to EntEr spECiFiC ChArACtErs. whErE wEstErnErs CAn BE thought to usE