Community Informatics in Chongqing: A Case Study of the Real-Name and ID Requirement Policy in the Chinese Railway System

LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 62, No. 1, 2013 (“Community Informatics in China,” edited by Kate Williams), pp. 105–120. © 2013 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois Abstract This study discusses strategies for narrowing the digital divide by examining the real-name and ID requirement policy that governs online purchases of train tickets in China. Using a case study, the authors of this study asks what factors influence online ticket purchasing by railway passengers and examines how Chinese public libraries offer online ticket-purchasing assistance as a strategy for bridging the digital divide. Deploying both quantitative and qualitative methods—including questionnaires and semistructured interviews—the authors found that four factors—gender, age, social status, and privacy concerns—were most important in influencing passengers’ online ticket purchasing, and that Chinese public libraries do facilitate access to the digital world.