chats | gang lu ::
:: Gang Lu [Universe, , , ] has a BSc, MSc, and PhD in wireless communications and is the co-founder of OpenWebAsia Workgroup, the first independent workgroup focusing on the Asian Internet / digital industry. Lu also organizes the OpenWebAsia conference, an annual pan-Asia Web technology event that brings together executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists from all corners of Asia. He is also a recognized tech blogger as the guest editor of the ReadWriteWeb.com, and the founder and main author of Mobinode.com, voted the best China Tech Blog in 2007. With his academic background in wireless communications, and years of R&D and business management experience in the mobile and Web industries, Gang Lu is a well-established and authoritative voice on the digital space in Asia, particularly China.
56minus1: Who will win the SNS war in China? The C2C war? The microblogging war? The video sharing site war?
Gang Lu: There will be more than one winner in the SNS war. Think about it, QQ, 51, Xiaonei, Kaixin001, etc., none of these big players are going to go down easily. In the C2C war, Taobao will dominate the market for a long while to come, but it now has some competition with companies like Tencent’s Paipai. Microblogging? I don’t know if there is or ever will be a war among microblogging services in China. I would be surprised if microblogging ever became truly popular in China. I’m more interested to see how these companies will compete with each other in the mobile market in the future, because I believe Web 2.0 has to go mobile to be truly become part of people’s everyday lives.
56minus1: When do you see Internet censorship no longer being an issue in China? How can China get there?
Gang Lu: Internet censorship will be around for a long time to come in China. The question I ask is whether or not censorship is really even a big deal in China…is it? To be honest, I’m uninterested in the “China Internet censorship” topic…it’s so boring. It reminds me of the LeWeb3 conference in 2006…there was a panel called “The Dragon’s Web” which was supposed to discuss the tech trends from the Chinese Web, but the first question the moderator asked is “what do you think of Internet censorship in China.” It was very disappointing. Censorship is of course not a good thing, but in my opinion, if China got rid of the GFW (the Great Firewall” tomorrow, “The Dragon’s Web” will be in a mess!
56minus1: What a terrible name for a panel…
Gang Lu: *sigh*
56minus1: What are some of the most innovative and worthwhile Web 2.0 / Internet start-ups to keep an eye in China over the next 18 months. Across Asia?
Gang Lu: Kaixin001 (开心网) has come out of nowhere…nobody expected it’s growth. I’m not sure what the “most innovative” start-up is…being innovative doesn’t mean a start-up will be a superstar in China…innovative start-ups in the Chinese Internet often just “fade away” because they lack a revenue model or don’t meet the needs of Chinese netizens, who are typically very young and fickle users. Nevertheless, I’m very optimistic about the market. More and more people are standing out and trying their own ideas…even foreigners are setting up start-ups in China, bringing great ideas and passion to the local space. Regarding start-ups across Asia…I certainly hope there will be some in next 18 months, but I haven’t seen any noteworthy examples recently. For cross-Asia / cross market, as I keep telling people, language is the biggest barrier, but there is no reason we shouldn’t try.
56minus1: Tell us about your blog, Mobinode.com.
Gang Lu: I started Mobinode.com in late 2006. Global markets know so little about the Chinese Internet space…censorship seems to be the only thing people around the world know about the Web in China. I was trying to bring TechCrunch into China, but that didn’t work out, so I decided to do it on my own with Mobinode. Mobinode reports on and analyzes the China Web / mobile industries, and occasionally covers tech news from other markets in Asia. With help from a few guest editors, we’re hoping to build the #1 independent tech blog in Asia.
56minus1: As you’ve lived abroad and Mobinode.com occasionally covers other Asian markets, can you comment on how Chinese Internet culture differs from digital culture in the West and elsewhere in Asia (Japan / Korea, etc.), or other (developed) markets?
Gang Lu: Chinese netizens are very young and the Internet in this market is still not exactly mature yet. The Chinese Internet is very “entertainment-centric,” this is why is the hottest Web services right now in China are video, gaming, and social networking. A lot of people talk about “attention” mattering most for mature and modern “digital lifestyles / culture” to develop, but in China, A.D.D. and entertainment are king. Korea’s online games rule the world and Japan’s mobile industry is far ahead of us (China). Indian and Israeli entrepreneurs are playing very active roles in the global industry, and countries like Vietnam will be the next battle ground for Asian Internet giants as they expand their empires.
56minus1: You recently attended / spoke at the annual China Blogger Conference (official site, blog, Flickr, ), your impressions on this year’s event? Best presentation / session? Most interesting person you met there?
Gang Lu: To be honest, I spent most of time talking to friends…I didn’t listen to many of the presentations. Fortunately, the entire conference was we recorded by 163.net…I will definitely watch it when I have time. The greatest thing about CNBloggerCon is that it brings speakers from difference industries sharing their views on the world and the Internet / social media from different angles.
56minus1: Your presentation at CNBloggerCon?
Gang Lu: The topic of my presentation at CNBloggerCon was “Building Open Web Asia.” I co-founded the OpenWeb.Asia Workgroup in June 2008. The mission of this workgroup is to build a platform where the Western Web industry can efficiently communicate with the Asian / Eastern Web industry, and also encourage local Asian markets to learn from each other. The presentation quickly gave an overview of the Web industry in each Asian country / region, and talked about our plan to drive OpenWebAsia forward.
56minus1: The top 5 local Chinese bloggers you regularly read? Why?
Gang Lu: I read many blogs…its too hard to pick a top five. I frequently find myself landing on the China Blogger Network page.
56minus1: Where are you seeing local Chinese innovation in the digital space in China, or ingenuity among local Chinese tech entrepreneurs? Where can we expect to see more Chinese digital innovation in the future?
Gang Lu: Being asked about Chinese innovation in the digital space is always a difficult question. One good example of Chinese digital innovation is Comenz’s Discuz! BBS system and sites like Dianping.com, the local restaurant search, rating, forum site…it’s Web 2.0 at its best. Tencent’s IM-centric business is very unique and simply unbeatable. Online gaming is another example, people normally don’t pay for online services, but online goods, such as virtual decorations, virtual weapons, etc. are exceptions in China.
56minus1: What has the Internet done to change China over the past 10 years or so, and how do you see it shaping China’s future?
Gang Lu: The Internet has changed every part of China, in just about every way…no need to say anything more about that. Think about it, 10 years ago, most Chinese people didn’t even know the Internet existed, but now, China has become the #1 Internet market in the world. “Made in China” is of course everywhere, but we still haven’t seen any “Made in China” Internet companies truly rock the world. That’s something I want to see in the near future. I hope “Created in China” can start from the Chinese Web and mobile industries.
56minus1: Thanks Gang Lu.
// AjS
