(CNN) -- "China is not on the Internet, it's basically an intranet. Everything is banned by the Great Firewall," says Sherman So, co-author of "Red Wired: China's Internet Revolution." Sherman So, author of "Red Wired," talks about China's online habits and Internet culture. With 338 million Internet users in June 2009, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China is no longer a niche market of the online industry. Chinese is the second most common language on the Internet, according to The Economist, and quickly gaining ground on English. As the former technology writer for Hong Kong's daily English-language newspaper, South China Morning Post, So has been following closely China's exponential Internet developments over the past decade.
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China counts 338 million Internet users, but only 25.5 percent of its population
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Majority of Chinese Netizens are low-end users in search of entertainment
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Internet in China has made information and popular culture accessible to all
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Chinese "sea turtles" bring back knowledge and resources from Silicon Valley
In short, for the vast majority of Chinese, @placeholder means play, not work.
Another recurring factor of success among Chinese Internet start-ups is their founders' extensive experience working in @placeholder before returning to China to launch their own business.