China’s internet population has surpassed the half billion mark to touch 513m at the end of 2011, according to the China internet Network Information Center’s (CNIIC) report.
The Asian nation had reportedly added 28m new users during the second half of 2011.
The number of people going online using handheld devices rose 17.5% year over a year to 356m, as per the report.
The number of microbloggers have also simultaneously grown, as it registered a fourfold increase from 63m in 2010 to 250m in 2011, which is around half of the entire internet population in the country.
However, the use of internet in China is regulated, as the communist government encourages its use for business and educational purpose but blocks access to material, which it feels is subversive. Pornography access is also banned.
The popular online services in this nation are portals such as Sina.com and Sohu.com, local search engine Baidu and video websites Youku.com and Tudou.com.
