Wikipedia Is a Hit in China As Ban Is Lifted

Wikipedia Is a Hit in China As Ban Is Lifted - WSJ.com: "The Chinese-language version of reader-edited online encyclopedia Wikipedia has exploded in popularity in the past five days, after a yearlong ban of the site was lifted.

Activity on nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation's Chinese Wikipedia site has skyrocketed since its release, which Internet users in China first started reporting on Nov. 10. Since then, the number of new users registering to contribute to the site has exceeded 1,200 a day, up from an average of 300 to 400 prior to the unblocking. The number of new articles posted daily has increased 75% from the week before, with the total now surpassing 100,000, according to the foundation.

China's government routinely blocks overseas Web sites containing content it considers threatening. Officials seldom discuss the online controls publicly and don't acknowledge blocking or unblocking specific sites."