And do people even care about websites in China’s mobile-centric society?
Navigating a Chinese website like the NetEase news and entertainment portal 163.com can feel like a digital archaeological dig, excavating the internet designs of yesteryears. Flashing banners, bright colors, and a chaotic collage of links can evoke a sensation of time travel.
In a country at the vanguard of digital innovations, where applications like the ubiquitous WeChat have revolutionized the concept of what an app can do, the stark contrast between modern mobile apps and seemingly outdated websites raises an intriguing question: Is the design harking back to the early days of the internet a mere aesthetic divergence or is there more to it?
Screenshots of NetEase’s 163.com from 2003 and 2023
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.
