Douban, also known as Beijing Douwang Technology[2] Co. Ltd., is a Chinese social networking platform founded by Yang Bo. It was launched on March 6, 2005, and since then has grown to host 150 million registered users and 300 million monthly active users[1] as of 2016. The website[3], which is likened to the review sites IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, features 16.7 million book entries and 320 million movie reviews. Douban has also branched out to create Lüzong, a travel website, and Douban Dongxi, a shopping platform. However, the platform has faced controversy due to censorship issues, including the removal of Renaissance art paintings, keyword bans, and allegations of manipulated ratings. Despite these challenges, Douban continues to be a major player in China’s digital landscape.
Douban.com (Chinese: 豆瓣; pinyin: Dòubàn), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese cities. Douban is named after a Hutong at Chaoyang District, Beijing where the founder lived while he began work on the website.
Type of site | Web 2.0, Social network service, Online music, movie and book database |
---|---|
Available in | Chinese |
Key people | Yang Bo |
URL | www |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional |
Launched | March 6, 2005 |
Current status | Active |
Douban was formerly open to both registered and unregistered users. For registered users, the website recommends potentially interesting books, movies, and music to them in addition to serving as a social network website such as WeChat, Weibo and record keeper. For unregistered users, the website is a place to find ratings and reviews of media.
Douban has about 200 million registered users as of 2013 and some Chinese authors as well as critics register their official personal pages on the site. The platform has been compared to other review sites such as IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Goodreads.