Introduction

As this book contextualizes Tencent within two poles of global capitalist growth—China and the Internet—the Introduction provides a review of political-economic studies on the Internet as well as a criticism of mainstream scholars’ inability to clarify the structural connections between the Internet industry and the capitalist system. It also discusses discourses on contemporary China’s development, with a reference to the status of Chinese communication and Internet. Lastly, the collection of data and the book’s organization are discussed.