There are currently more than 600 online stores in China and they're growing at the rate of two new online stores a day, according to the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC).

There were only 100 online stores in China at the beginning of 1999. But new e-commerce sites such as e-commerce consulting, online stores, or online auction site, proliferated especially in the latter half of last year.

Industry experts predict that there will be a one-time surge in online sales during the Spring Festival but China's e-commerce is still in its infancy and many conditions still are not mature.