On April 20, 1994, with the opening of a 64K international dedicated line, China achieved full-featured access to the Internet and became the 77th member of the Internet.
Looking back at this special juncture, no one can help but feel that the changes brought by the Internet to China's development and our lives are far beyond imagination.
△In 1994, the Institute of High Energy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences set up the first WWW server in China and launched the first website www.ihep.ac.cn.
(a)
"Over the Great Wall and into the world. This is the declaration issued by the Chinese when they first "touched the net" at the end of the 80s of the last century.
At that time, many countries and regions around the world were connected to the Internet, but China was long shut out due to non-technical barriers.
From the construction of CNPAC, the first X.25 packet-switched network in China, to the realization of e-mail communication with Europe and North America, to the replacement of China's "partial connection to the Internet" channel to a full-featured Internet connection line after repeated negotiations and communication, it can be said that "China has entered the Internet from a small road".
In the face of the vigilance and obstruction of developed countries and the basic blank domestic information infrastructure, the Chinese, who are not willing to lag behind, have never given up catching up with the trend and chasing the waves. The desire to embrace new things and the passion to forge ahead in the face of hardships have supported the steady pace of progress, and have also made the Internet in China today.
△ In 1996, in Beijing, a bus printed with the logo of "Yinghaiwei". Info High Way is the first Internet company in China.
(b)
A dedicated line that seems as slow as a snail today opens the door to a new era.
Over the past 30 years, China has developed into the world's largest Internet market, with the world's largest number of Internet users and mobile Internet users, and built the world's largest and most technologically advanced network infrastructure.
Over the past 30 years, China's Internet has moved from learning and imitation to independent innovation, from web portals, post bar forums, instant messaging, e-commerce, to mobile payment, social media, algorithm recommendation, and the Internet of Everything.
From 0 to 1, and then from 1 to infinity, in many industries and application scenarios, the Internet has reshaped the life of Chinese people, subverting the original boundaries of behavior and imagination.
At the same time, based on technological innovation and application innovation, the Internet has promoted the commercial, social and cultural innovation of Chinese society, and deeply imprinted the spirit of innovation in the fabric of national development and social progress.
△ In October 2005, Tencent held a grand new product launch conference for the official version of QQ2005 in Beijing.
(c)
"The Internet is the most dynamic area of our time, and it is also the biggest variable we face."
In recent years, the Internet world has shown a colorful ecology, and people can't help but feel the "sigh of Dickens" mixed with "the best" and "the worst".
More and more voices are reflecting on the "middle-aged troubles" of the Internet -- spam information and Internet rumors are flying all over the sky, where is the boundary between truth and falsehood? Information leakage, big data kills the dark shadow, why should convenience always be exchanged for security? Mobile payment, online taxi-hailing, how can technological progress prevent minorities from being left behind?
As early as 1994, the mainland's first administrative regulations on Internet management were issued.
A series of policies such as information security and data security have gradually filled the blind spots in supervision, industry enterprises have recalibrated their business content, and all parties are working towards standardization and refinement, so that the development of the Internet can avoid "negative externalities" to the greatest extent.
△ In February 2007, the panda incense burning virus ravaged the Internet.
(iv)
China's Internet development has never been isolated, but an important pole in the world's Internet wave.
Looking back 30 years ago, when globalization was in the ascendant and new technologies were emerging, people at that time believed that the Internet, which represents openness, equality and collaboration, would become the spiritual home of all mankind.
Today, 30 years later, although the world has ushered in "great changes unseen in a century" and "anti-globalization" dregs are rising, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation represented by artificial intelligence is also emerging, bringing a future prospect full of opportunities. Just as 30 years ago, we have come to the eve of the explosion of new technology dividends, and the most critical issue now is how to seize the opportunity to realize the leap forward in innovation and creation again.
"How far are Chinese from the information superhighway?" In 1996, on the streets of Zhongguancun, Chinese Internet people asked the world a profound question.
Today, we have already galloped forward, but in many frontier areas, there are still many bottlenecks and gaps. The times are still calling for the lofty ambition of "1500 meters to the north", and for more people who stand at the top of the technological wave, are determined to innovate, dare to think and dare to fight.
Looking back, an important logic for the vigorous development of China's Internet is that it is committed to removing unnecessary shackles for innovative enterprises and talents, and maximizing the vitality of innovation and creativity. By continuing to improve and optimize the environment and ecology that encourage innovation, and giving more open space and a more tolerant growth environment for those enterprises with technological innovation capabilities, the development of the Internet in mainland China will be able to maintain its vigorous vitality and strong momentum.
△ In July 2023, Beijing, the 2023 Global Digital Economy Conference opened, and the Olympic Tower staged an AR show.
(5)
In 1994, Kevin Kelly, the founding editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, published a book "Out of Control", in which the predicted technologies such as cloud computing, Internet of Things, virtual reality, sharing economy, and virtual currency have been fulfilled one by one in the past 30 years.
Where will the Internet go in the next 30 years?
It may be harder to predict.
But the most solid action is undoubtedly to seize the opportunity, forge ahead, and firmly control the future in their own hands.
Source: Beijing Daily client