A good article in the Economist outlines some of the important social roles the Internet is playing in China, even though it is tightly controlled (Wikipedia banned, Google filtered, for instance).
China will soon boast more Internet users than any other country. Most are under 30. With laws limiting reproduction to one child per couple, the resulting loneliness may be leading to more online community participation. Of course, file-sharing and piracy are rampant. And the mobile web is a major component of commercial success.