Chinese chatrooms and the art of good citizenship

Charles Zhang believes the internet could bring about the "rebirth of Chinese civilisation". The 36-year-old is adamant that the internet "makes people cleverer and more individual and allows them to form their own opinions And this process is unstoppable." Within a few years, he thinks, Chinese students will be studying from their computers.

"Education has high status in our culture," he says. He has just concluded an agreement with a course provider that will enable students to apply via his leading web portal, Sohu.com, for courses in the US. He also hopes to improve limited access to education, due to immense geographical distances and a shortage of good schools, by offering online courses. Having started out in a single room, Sohu now occupies three storeys in an office complex in the centre of Beijing.

Bank loans in China are usually only advanced to established companies, so "we had to draw up detailed plans in order to attract venture capital", he explains. Intel and Dow Jones are among those with a stake in Sohu.

The next generation, he says, knows that it will be able to achieve on its own initiative - and that will change the country. He notes that one-third of all young businessmen in America's Silicon Valley today are Chinese.

Many, of course, will return home - as he himself did, after completing a doctorate in experimental physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

"The internet as a media platform is even more important in China than in the West," he says. A real discussion culture is developing; there are chatrooms on a variety of subjects from theatre to politics. "Corruption is also discussed," he says.

But Sohu, like all media, is obliged by the Ministry of Propaganda to exercise self-censorship. It has a filtering system for illegal content, such as expressions of support for the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong. "We have to show that we are responsible citizens of China," he says.

But Charles Zhang remains optimistic. The number of internet users in China, which stands at about 22.5m, is doubling every six months. And he thinks Sohu will start making a profit from 2003. Sohu had only just launched when technology shares plummeted last year.

The stock price remains well below the issue price, and analysts are asking him how he proposes to generate earnings. His reply: through online advertising, special offers and new partnerships. If these fail to yield results, he will have to think about the possibility of a takeover. Global giants such as AOL and Lycos already have their eyes on China.

But clearly Sohu would prefer to help bring about change in China as an independent company. "It's like a marathon: the finishing line is a long way off, but with every step it comes closer."

Email Martin Kühl at karma-news@gmx.net