About
When: June 13-14, 2008
Where: Council Chamber, 8/F Meng Wah Complex, The University of Hong Kong
The conference theme, “China and the Internet: Myths and Realities,” calls attention to scholarly work that helps to separate fact from fiction about the Internet in China. Does the Internet bring more democracy to the country? Is there freedom of expression on the Internet? Does the Internet foster greater integration of China and its diaspora? Do the Chinese use the Internet for entertainment only?
Since the mid-1990s, Internet usage in China has grown very rapidly. As of September 2007, China boasted 172 million Internet users, the world’s second largest, behind only the United States, and 523 million mobile phone users, by far the largest in the world. To track these developments, the Annual Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) brings together academic scholars, policy analysts, industry leaders, journalists and legal practitioners from around the world.
This year, for the first time, this prestigious conference will take place in Hong Kong, China. As the attention of the world will be focused upon the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games, this timely event will explore the political, social, economic, cultural and institutional aspects of Internet development in China. With simultaneous translation in English and Mandarin, the event will be of great interest to anybody who studies Internet developments in China.
The conference will also feature the latest empirical research, as well as qualitative and critical studies of the meaning of information technologies in the Chinese world.
For information about the paper submission process, please click here.
Past conferences were held at Texas A&M, Nanyang Technological University, Michigan State, University of Calivornia at Berkeley, and the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication.
Hosts:
This year’s conference is hosted by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong, with help from our co-sponsors.
Co-organizers:
 The Institute for Pacific Asia Texas A&M University |
 School of Journalism & Communication Chinese University of Hong Kong |
 Drake Law School Intellectual Property Law Center |
 The Singapore Internet Research Center (SIRC), Nanyang Technological University |
 School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University. |
Corporate Sponsors:
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