Daohang Google

Today Google China launched a Chinese web directory site or a user start web page, Daohang (daohang.google.cn). Daohang means “piloting” or “leading to the right directions”.

On Daohang’s homepage has many outbound links pointing to useful Chinese portals, search engines and websites, including Google’s Chinese search rival Baidu, which owns www.Hao123.com, China’s most visited web directory site.

Besides the main section of outgoing links to major Chinese sites, other sites are grouped into 6 sections.

Forum communities
Music
News
Blogs
Online games
Chinese literature

This move was made probably because Google has realized the importance of product localization in China. It makes sense to provide such a localized product as the majority of Chinese Internet users still prefer visiting fully-content-packed portals than clean sites with loads of white space.

Edited:

Daohang.Google.cn has been redirected to Google’s 265.com which is the new Chinese web directory site / start page.