The Secret Messages Inside Chinese URLs

Fri May 9 07:13:04 UTC 2014

New Republic

The Secret Messages Inside Chinese URLs

In the U.S., you really only have to remember two long numbers, ever: Your phone number and your Social Security number. In China, you’re constantly barraged by digits: QQ numbers (QQ is China’s most popular chat service), email addresses, and even URLs. For example, the massive online retailer Jingdong Mall is at jd.com or, if that takes too long to type, 3.cn. Check out 4399.com to see one of China’s first and largest online gaming websites. Buy and sell used cars at 92.com. Want to purchase train tickets? It’s as easy as 12306.cn.  Why the preference for digits over letters? It mostly has to do with ease of memorization.

Full story:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117608/chinese-number-websites-secret-meaning-urls
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