Microblogging in China The website's layout, API, and mode of use was highly similar to Twitter, which was created earlier in 2006. Fanfou's users increased from 0.3 million to 1 million in the first half of 2009. The users included HP China, the "Southern Weekly", artist Ai Weiwei, writer Lian Yue () and TV commentator Liang Wendao (). Some other weibo services, such as Jiwai, Digu, Zuosa and Tencent's Taotao were launched in 2006-2009. After the July 2009 Ürümqi riots, the CPC government shut down most of the domestic weibo services, including Fanfou and Jiwai. Many popular non China-based microblogging services such as
Han Jian (Weibo warlord) to seize nearby Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), took 30,000 soldiers and attacked Heyang's military governor Zhuge Shuang at Xiuwu (修武, in modern Jiaozuo). Zhuge abandoned Xiuwu, and Han left forces to defend Xiuwu, before turning north to pillage Xing (邢州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei) and Ming (洺州, in modern Handan) Prefectures (both belonging to Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi)); he then returned to Weibo. Later in the year, Han attacked Yun Prefecture (鄆州, in modern Tai'an, Shandong), the capital of Tianping Circuit (天平), and Tianping's military governor Cao Cunshi (曹存實) died in battle.