Chinese
Version of Wikipedia Is Launched
Popular Chinese Search Site Launches Chinese-Language Version of
Wikipedia
By JOE McDONALD
The Associated Press
May 10, 2006
BEIJING - China's biggest Internet search site, Baidu.com, has launched
a Chinese-language encyclopedia inspired by the cooperative reference
site Wikipedia, which the communist government bars China's Web surfers
from seeing.
The Chinese service, which debuted in April, carries entries written by
users, but warns that it will delete content about sex, terrorism and
attacks on the government.
Government censors blocked access last year to Wikipedia, apparently
due to concern about its references to Tibet, Taiwan and other topics.
The emergence of Baidu's encyclopedia reflects efforts by Chinese
entrepreneurs to take advantage of conditions created by the
government's efforts to simultaneously promote and control Internet use.
Baidu calls its site Baike pronounced "bye kuh" or "One Hundred
Chapters." It says users have written more than 25,000 entries in the
past week alone on cooking, the stock market, Chinese tourist sites and
other topics. Wikipedia, by comparison, currently has more than 2.7
million entries.
Baidu said managers weren't immediately available to answer questions
about the site. But Chairman Robin Li told The Financial Times
newspaper this week that it was inspired by Wikipedia, though he said
he hasn't seen the U.S.-based site.
"I certainly hope our encyclopedia will be the most authoritative one
for any Chinese users," Li was quoted as saying. "The initial reaction
has been very positive, so we are quite confident that we will quickly
become the No. 1 in this area."
China has 111 million Internet users, second only to the United States.
The government promotes Web use for business and education but operates
the world's most sweeping censorship system, trying to block access to
foreign sites considered obscene or subversive.
Baidu was founded in 2000 by Li, a U.S.-trained computer scientist who
worked for search engine firm Infoseek, and Eric Xu, a veteran of
American biotech firms. Xu later left the company.
Baidu has benefited in the past from China's Internet controls.
It saw a competing search engine, U.S.-based Google Inc., plunge in
popularity in China after Beijing imposed filters on its search
results, sharply slowing access to Google's foreign-based site.
Google has since created a China-based site that allows faster access
while leaving out search results on banned topics. But it is far behind
Baidu in Chinese market share.