The 1980s marked a key stage for global Internet development, since at this stage key and fundamental standards of the Internet were laid down, including the DNS, TCP/IP protocol suite and the World Wide Web. It’s also at this stage that China started to connect with the Internet.

It’s not until 1994 did China realize full-functional connection to the Internet, but its actual application of the Internet began earlier than that. In early 1980s, non-governmental academic institutions in China already started information retrieval via international online information retrieval terminals based in Hong Kong and Beijing and with the help of leased satellite links. What’s more, some scholars also started to try a new way of information transmission --- the email.

Meanwhile, Chinese scientists began their exploration and practice in full-functional connection to the Internet. and the registration of China’s top-level domain .CN was accomplished. China’s access to the Internet won the support and agreement from the international Internet communities. Thanks to the concerted efforts of parties involved, China managed to open the gate to the Internet.

The six years following the full-functional access to the Internet is the Foundation-Laying Stage of China’s Internet development. At this stage, directed by the principles of developing actively, enhancing management, drawing on the advantages and avoiding disadvantages as well as absorbing the quintessence for ourselves, China’s construction of the Internet infrastructure and the deployment of critical Internet resources went on the right track. Chinese netizen scale had reached a 10-million order of magnitude，the application services represented by portal websites marked the beginning of Internet innovation and entrepreneurship. Internet management shifted from mere computer network management to Internet information service management.

Within the first five years in the new century, the Internet development in China entered into the industry formation stage, when the Internet information services system was basically established. During this period, China’s netizen scale was quadrupled and the Internet services market saw a preliminary user scale effect. With the expansion of netizen scale, Internet companies which mainly provide search engine, E-commerce, instant messaging, social networking and online game services sprang up one after another. Moreover, the government departments developed relevant regulations as well as mechanisms, and the industry organizations were established and began to play a positive role.

The eight years after 2005 when the number of China’s netizens exceeded 100 million for the first time is the rapid development stage. At this stage, the construction of broadband networks were upgraded into the national strategy, meanwhile the numbers of China’s netizens kept rapidly increasing and the online retailing and social networking became new highlights of the industry, and mobile Internet drove the Internet development into a new phase. Furthermore, the Internet governance system was going forward and continuously improving in the exploring process. We are now at the integration and innovation stage. Since China proposed to build a strong cyber power as a strategy in 2014, innovations in the Internet industry have been more deeply integrated with all aspects of economic and social life, meanwhile the Internet plus Initiative has advanced Internet-based industrial development in an all-round way, and Internet governance has entered into a new phase of reinforced coordination.