Latest News:  

English>>China Society

SMS out? Technology evolves New Year greetings

(Xinhua)

09:29, February 12, 2013

BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese lunar New Year usually witnesses two records: the world's most watched television gala show, and its busiest telecommunications network.

Rather than visiting families and friends and passing on good wishes in person on the first day of the lunar New Year, the Chinese have grown used to sending greetings from their mobile phones.

The Beijing branch of China Mobile, the country's biggest telecom operator, said that in the capital city alone, a total of 831 million text messages were sent on the eve before this year's Spring Festival, up 4.27 percent from a year ago. China Unicom Beijing also recorded a peak volume of 8,000 text messages per second around 7:45 p.m. that night, according to Sunday's edition of the Beijing Evening News.

However, while media once dubbed telecom operators the biggest money-maker on New Year's eve, industry insiders say the heyday for the short message service (SMS) may have passed.

A January report from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said the Chinese sent 897 billion SMS messages in 2012, up only 2.1 percent year on year, whereas the number of mobile users gained about 11 percent to 1.1 billion.

At the same time, the country now has 564 million netizens, about 75 percent of whom can access the Internet from their cell phones, according to the MIIT report.

For many netizens and mobile users, staying online tweeting about the Spring Festival Gala Show run by China's state television is a "ritual" as important as watching the program itself.

"I brought my computer to the living room," netizen "robin_taoran" said on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like service, on lunar New Year's eve. "Watching the show on TV while tweeting on Weibo is a must, just like Chinese steamed bread goes with pickles."


【1】 【2】

We Recommend:

'Wedding' for two old men in Beijing

$16,000 splash to be washed emperor-style

So sleepy on way home in Spring Festival travel rush

Sweetest moment of 'mother-to-be'

Parents keep son alive with DIY ventilator

China's weekly story (2013.01.27-01.31)

Chinese New Year in country fair

A Taiwan student’s adventure in Beijing

Wedding planner: dealing with 'happiness' and 'love'

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:HuangBeibei、Yao Chun)

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Chinese fleet patrol Diaoyu Islands waters

  2. Mexican Air Force marks anniver.

  3. South Americans engjoy carnivals

  4. Festive activities held all over China

  5. Shanghai sees tourist peak

  6. Smog covers city after setting off fireworks

  7. Table tennis legend Zhuang Zedong dies

  8. Ancient royal heaven worship ceremony held

  9. Renault to recall over 60,000 cars in China

  10. Chinese select goods fro New Year

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. US to withdraw from Middle East?
  2. Ensure fairness during festival travel rush
  3. Is the wolf really gone?
  4. K-pop on Spring Festival gala stirs controversy
  5. Some media don't get the message: no bootlicking
  6. US playing strategic arms game
  7. Aiming at fairer realty market
  8. Dark business environment breeds dark deeds
  9. Israel-Palestine peace talks dominate Obama's visit
  10. Cowardly officials behind thuggish pawns

What’s happening in China

China’s Weekly Story
(2013.1.31-2.8)

  1. Overloaded truck crushes bridge in NW China
  2. 839 fires reported on Lunar New Year's Eve
  3. Shanghai sees tourist peak
  4. Holiday workers sacrifice for others
  5. Pray for good fortune in Year of the Snake