| Internet access in ChinaIt was difficult getting | | | | Gmails.If you like visiting coffee cafes, you will also |
| internet access in China a mere 6 years ago. | | | | find that many of the newer cafes offer internet |
| Corporate leased line were difficult to apply for, | | | | points for you to plug in your laptop. Most of the |
| hotels had no internet access, dial-ups were | | | | time, usage is free. At this point of time, wireless |
| extremely unreliable, xDSL or cable were largely | | | | internet access does not seem to be entirely popular |
| unavailable and cybercafes largely denied foreigners | | | | as compared to wire access in these cafes.If you are |
| access.Today, China is one of the easiest country in | | | | running a business, getting a corporate lease line or |
| the Asia to make internet accessible to businesses, | | | | xDSL broadband is a breeze with very competitive |
| homes, travellers and students.If you are a business | | | | ISP fighting for your business. Monthly charges are |
| traveller or tourist, you will be pleasantly surprised | | | | low and access speed is decent. In fact, many newer |
| that almost all hotels, down to 3 stars hotels, even in | | | | office buildings offer broadband access as part of the |
| more remote cities offer broadband internet access | | | | rental deal and you need not apply seperately to the |
| in their hotel rooms. Most rooms will have an | | | | ISP.Home users are well taken care of as well. Many |
| ethernet port for you to hook up to the hotel's | | | | new apartment also comes with broadband access or |
| broadband. Access is mostly automatically DHCP with | | | | you can apply to the ISPs directly. Charges for |
| dynamic IPs but in certain hotels, you may need to | | | | monthly sDSL broadband can be as low as |
| call the reception to allow access from your | | | | US12.Control of the internetChina is one of the |
| room.You can also visit a cybercafe or 'wang ba' as | | | | countries with strict internet laws. Having said that, |
| they are known in China. Cybercafes are everywhere | | | | internet usage in China is very, very high for both |
| in China and can be a dingy 5 computer setup to | | | | business and social use. Because personal computers |
| large cybercafes with hundreds and hundreds of | | | | are still expensive by China's income standard, most |
| computers. Most cybercafes in China are patronized | | | | people access the internet from cybercafes or from |
| by young people whose sole purpose are computer | | | | offices.All websites hosted in China needs to be a |
| games or online-chatting. These youngsters can | | | | approved by a government unit. One of the first |
| spend days in the cybercafes without going home. If | | | | thing you will notice in China is that domestic sites are |
| you find them too noisy for your liking, you can even | | | | blazingly fast but foreign hosted sites tend to be |
| request for a private VIP room to surf in peace and | | | | very slow. This is due to foreign sites having to go |
| comfort!As a foreigner, you will need to show your | | | | through a proxy as well as a bottleneck on China's |
| passport before you can be allowed access to a | | | | limited conduit out to the international internet |
| cybercafe. In many provinces, the local law requires | | | | pipes.Many foreign sites such as CNN, Falungong, |
| your picture to be taken and your particulars | | | | Playboy and other sites deem sensitive to China's |
| submitted to a central database. The cybercafes are | | | | society are blocked.Web applications and |
| pretty strict about this or they are liable to have | | | | development in China are often of a high standard. |
| their operating licences taken away. Cybercafes are | | | | Many domestic sites such as Alibaba and Sohu has |
| lucrative businesses in China and you can be sure that | | | | made it to the very competitive top internet arenas. |
| they implement the required laws most strictly!One | | | | Many web development companies from Taiwan, |
| of the problem that you may face in a public | | | | South Korea and even the USA has also made China |
| cybercafe is that all the log-in procedures and | | | | their development base for their web applications as |
| computer operating systems will only be in Chinese | | | | China offers a large pool of competitive and high |
| even in the touristy areas. Hence, you will need the | | | | qualified web developers.Ken Cheong worked, lived |
| cybercafe operator assistance before you can | | | | and travelled in China for the last 7 years. Please feel |
| eventually start answering all your Hotmails and | | | | free to email him. |