As Google’s Internet Content Provider (ICP) license is up for renewal on June 30 in China, Google now has a new approach to handle Google.cn visitors.

Since Google’s January announcement this year that Google was no longer willing to censor results on Google.cn, Google had automatically redirected everyone using Google.cn to Google.com.hk, which offers unfiltered search in simplified Chinese.

Google has started taking a small percentage of Google.cn users to a landing page on Google.cn that links to Google.com.hk (as shown in the above image). It’s a bit deceptive as it looks like a normal Google search box which in fact is an image that links to Google.com.hk.

Google has announced that over the next few days they’ll end the redirect entirely, taking all their Chinese users to the new landing page.

Also read::Google Search Dropped by Tencent

In a Youku poll to see what made the biggest impression on viewers of World Cup 2010, the vuvuzela takes the first place, with 22.5% of respondents (2,355 votes) voting for “The ear-splitting vuvuzelas” as the most striking feature of the matches so far.

You can check out the voting results here (Chinese).

Also read::Explore Shanghai World Expo on Google

China’s central bank on Monday said it would allow non-financial companies such as Alibaba, the country’s leading e-commerce company, to offer online payment services.

The move comes after months of uncertainty over whether the People’s Bank of China might severely curtail the business of AliPay, an affiliate of Alibaba. The central bank has been pushing Chinese banks to set up a common online payment settlement platform themselves that would compete with AliPay.

via FT.com

Also read::China Q1 Online Payment Exceeded 212 Billion Yuan

Google Maps aggregated Shanghai Expo data and you can explore different pavilions, activities (not available in English version), and World Expo history.

Check out Expo on Google in Chinese or English.

Also read::Tencent Launched English Portal imqq.com for Expats

Today, April 21, the whole country mourns its earthquake victims and the nation’s flag lowered to half-mast around the countr. Not only the front pages of Chinese newspapers were bathed in black but also the online properties.

Also read::Tudou to Launch Internet Millionnair Campaign with Nokia

Previous Google China Homepage

Google China’s homepage changed its name to “Google China” on April 3, 2010. Previously, Google had a Chinese name “Gu Ge” (as shown in the image above), announced in April 2006.

Google China Homepage

Also read::Baidu MP3 Homepage Updated

I think this is no more surprising to you:

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the publication of its March 2010 MessageLabs Intelligence Report. Analysis of the origins of targeted attacks, malicious emails sent in small volumes aimed at gaining access to sensitive corporate data, reveals that the majority of targeted malware sent this month, originated in the United States (36.6 percent) based on mail server location, but when analyzed by sender location, more targeted attacks actually originated in China (28.2 percent), Romania (21.1 percent) and United States(13.8 percent).

View Larger Map

Interestingly, the report also showed the city of Shaoxing (in northeastern Zhejiang province) in China seems to be a major source, accounting for 21.3% of targeted attacks, as is Taipei (16.5%) in Taiwan, and London (14.8%) in the UK.

Also read::Google Tops CIIRC’s Latest List of Porn WAP Sites

Baidu shares jumped on Monday as it appeared increasingly likely that Google  will shutter its Chinese-language search engine. Financial Times seems pretty sure about it,

Google  has drawn up detailed plans for the closure of its Chinese search engine and is now “99.9 per cent” certain to go ahead as talks over censorship with the Chinese authorities have reached an apparent impasse, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking.

A baidu employee is quite excited about the current circumstance; here is a short entry on her RenRen blog:

Also read::Google Search Dropped by Tencent

Tencent launched English version instant messenger some time ago and it has recently launched an English portal for expat netizens – imqq.com.

Unlike its Chinese portal qq.com, imqq.com currently seems to focus on local content. Right now, it has included Shanghai and Beijing.It also promotes its English version instant messenger – QQ International (in English, French, and Japanese) which includes a light Mac version as well.

The content covers local events, listings, group, and video.

Also read::Tencent Launched Social Networking Site: “Friends”

Baidu.com was not accessible this morning and possibly hacked by Iranian Cyber Army, and Chinese hackers retaliate back!

A friend from China pinged me of this site iribu.ir (seems like an education institution page), whose page is currently replaced by Chinese hackers’ page. This is a cached page from Bing on Jan 10 showing what it looked like before it was hacked:

This is what this page looks like now:

Also read::Baidu Hacked by Iranian Cyber Army?

Around 7:20 this morning, many posts at webmaster forums reported that Baidu.com and its subdomains could not be accessed. It’s already working when this post is being published.

Ming Liangshu, a webmaser from Beijing, reported yahoo DNS showed up when he pinged baidu.com (8:25am):
Ming Liangshu, a webmaser from Beijing, reported yahoo DNS showed

C:\Users\inso>ping www.baidu.com
Pinging sbs-p11p.asbs.yahoodns.net [98.136.50.138] with 32 bytes of data:

Iranian Cyber Army page was reported seen around 8:36am:

Some users even saw Yahoo error page when trying to access Baidu.com around 8:43am.

Baidu has not responded to this incident yet.

Also read::Chinese Hackers Retaliate and Hacked Iran Website

Alipay CEO

Alipay (under Alibaba Group; similar to PayPal) CEO Xiaofeng Shao made a promise this July that he would go streaking if Alipay daily transactions exceed 1.2 billion yuan by the end of 2009.

It reached 1.213 billion yuan on Dec 7 for the first time; and, yes, Mr Shao kept his promise and ran around naked in front of the crowd on Dec 8, which also happened to be Alipay’s fifth anniversary.

Guess it only happens in China.

Also read::About Alipay of Alibaba Group

CCTV reported in its Morning News program that the Google China Digital Library is suspected for large-scale infringement of copyrighted Chinese books.

According to China Written Works Copyright Society, a total of 17,922 books from 570 authors, including works from government officials, have been scanned into Google China Digital Library without authorization.

Soruce: TechWeb

Also read::Digital Advertising Campaigns in China Reached US$223.9 Million in July 2009 [CR-Nielsen]

via FT.com,

Foreigners would be banned from operating online gaming within China through wholly foreign-owned investments, joint ventures or any other forms of co-operation with local companies, the country’s publishing regulator said.

Also read::Google China Ordered to End Foreign Site Access

It seems Tencent doesn’t want to make the mistake Microsoft ever did by neglecting search; Chinese Internet company Tencent has confirmed that its search engine product Soso.com, which was previously powered by Google search technology, has started to use its self-developed search technology.

Source: China Tech News

Also read::Google Dropped its Chinese Name GuGe

China’s Ministry of Culture (MoC), warned last week that it would strengthen checks and policing of online music content. MoC said that search engines can only provide search information for tracks from legitimate music companies. Today, Baidu launched their new homepage for MP3 searches:

Baidu MP3 Home before Sep 8, 2009

Baidu New MP3 Search Home

The new MP3 homepage shows rich content of popular songs in different categories. This seems to like a strong response from Baidu to Google’s music homepage launched earlier this year:

Google China Music Home

Also read::Baidu Added Two More Links on Homepage

Google Vice President, Greater China president Kai-fu Lee, today will announce the formal resignation. Sina science and technology exclusively learned that Kai-fu Lee on the end of June had already made plans to leave; but, because Google China had to deal with a sudden urgent incident, Kai-fu Lee decided to postpone its departure.

Kaifu Lee will start up his own venture to help young entrepreneurs. And, he may announce the plan for his start-up next week.

Source: Sina

Update: according to Tencent, Liu Yun, vice president of Google worldwide will temporarily take the post of president of Google Greater China, in charge of the Chinese market.

Dr. Liu Yun joined Google last January, as a global vice president in charge of Greater China sales. Based in Beijing, he is responsible for Google sales and channel business in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Prior to joining Google, he served as CEO of SK Telecom and President for China market. He also used to work in FreeMarkets (US) and SingTel (Singapore) in senior management positions.

Update (via NYTimes):

Google said in a news release early Friday in Beijing that Mr. Lee, who was president of Google Greater China and vice president for engineering, would leave the company in mid-September. Two current executives will take over Mr. Lee’s engineering and sales roles. Boon-Lock Yeo, currently director of Google’s Shanghai engineering office, will take over engineering responsibilities for Google China, and John Liu, vice president of sales and operations, will assume business and operational responsibilities.

Also read::Google to Launch Chinese Voice Search on Mobile

Baidu partners with Discovery and has launched Discovery Channel at discovery.baidu.com. Discovery will provide customized content for Chinese market (including translation work) while Baidu is in charge of website management and operations. Both will share the profit generated from this site.

Also read::Baidu Launched API Platform for Baidu Zhidao

Chinese online video site tudou.com announced partnership with Nokia to promote online video show “Internet Millionnair” campaign. Whoever answers some questions with internet enabled mobile phone stands a chance to win one million yuan.

The campaign, which will start on July 6, 2009, consists of four phases lasting for three and half months. Anyone can become a challenger by logging in www.nokia.com.cn/97 or www.nokia97.mobi and registering personal information.

Also read::Top 10 Mobile Websites in China (Opera Mobile Report)

via WSJ,

China plans to require that all personal computers sold in the country as of July 1 be shipped with software that blocks access to certain Web sites, a move that could give government censors unprecedented control over how Chinese users access the Internet.

Also read::China Web Sites Seeking Users’ Names