The Chinese Ministry of Culture recently set up a special organ to promote the country's 113,000 Internet parlors, which have a yearly income of 25.68 billion yuan (about US$3.2 billion).

The new organ, known as the Center for the Promotion of the Internet Cafe Industry, is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture.

China has more than 100 million Internet surfers. Though many families and offices have internet access, internet bars receive some 40 million people a day, according to official figures.

A total of 1,056,000 people are hired by Internet parlors with 8.28 million set of computers, and the industry has brought revenues of 128.2 billion yuan (about US$18 billion) to auxiliary enterprises.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2005)