Some two decades ago, China was introduced to something very novel, the Internet. It's now become an indispensable part of the nation’s economy and an integral part of Chinese people's daily life.
The nation's first contact with the internet dates back to September 1987, when two Chinese scientists built up an email node in the country and successfully sent out an Email to Germany. The first ever Email from China was titled "Across the great Wall we can reach every corner in the world." On April 20th, 1994,
China achieved its first full-functioning connection to the Internet via facilities based in the US. In 1996, the first Internet Cafes in China opened in the city of Shanghai. Meanwhile, China's first privately-run Internet companies, Sina, Sohu and Netease, got funding and opened for business. Then in 2008, China surpassed the US as the world's top user of the Internet, with 298 million web surfers.
