Some millennials still visit China’s internet cafes for a nostalgia hit, but that won’t be enough to sustain the “wangba” industry
The pungent smell of cheap cigarettes, instant noodles, and a hint of sweaty socks hangs in the air as Tao turns on a PC in a Beijing internet cafe one Tuesday afternoon in April. “I come here for the atmosphere,” he tells TWOC over the clacking of keyboards, the whir of powerful gaming computers, and the noise of other gamers swearing into their headsets as they fight opponents online.
“Though it’s not really what it used to be,” Tao, who only gave his surname, explains with a lit cigarette in his mouth. “It was a lot more rambunctious back in the day.”
Tao, a millennial “post-’90s” construction worker originally from Hebei province, likes to spend his free time here to get away from the crowded dormitory where he lives with other workers. The room is full of rows of long tables hosting dozens of computer stations where (mostly male) patrons can play modern, graphically demanding games. Tao sits down at one of the sophisticated gaming PCs, but then starts up a low-fi 2D game he usually plays for free on his phone.
For many Chinese born in the 1980s and ‘90s like Tao, internet cafes, or wangba (网吧) in Chinese, with their distinctive atmosphere and memorable sensual experience, were an important part of their youth. This was where they would come to read blogs at a time when the medium was booming, as bloggers like Han Han wrote for recently online audiences with a blend of sarcasm, social commentary, and humor. They could also play games with friends, message each other on QQ, get away from their parents or university dormitories, and while away hours of downtime.
Net Nostalgia: Remembering the Glory Days of China’s Internet Cafes is a story from our issue, “After the Factory.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
Roman Kierst is a staff writer and editor at The World of Chinese based in Beijing but much more at home in Chengdu, where his own China story first began as a high school exchange student in 2006. Likes to pick up a film camera occasionally to take pictures of (mostly) old places.
