CNN International's News Stream has been dedicating time this week to exploring the power of the internet in China. The special series continues today, Thursday and Friday.

CNN Press Release: CNN'S 'NEWS STREAM' FEATURES A WEEK OF SPECIAL COVERAGE ON THE POWER OF THE INTERNET IN CHINA

As the show marks its 100th episode, CNN's technology-powered news program News Stream investigates the impact of the Internet on Chinese society in a week of special coverage, featuring in-depth reports, interviews and analysis.

China has more Internet users than the entire population of the United States: A staggering 450 million people. But who are they, what interests them most and what sites do they visit ? Host Kristie Lu Stout looks beyond the numbers to find out how this massive group are spending their time online.

Kristie also looks at Sina Weibo, China's version of twitter. The microblogging service is fast approaching 100 million users despite only launching in 2009. Kristie explains the differences between the two services and looks at how Sina Weibo has become one of the leaders in social media.

The special coverage continues as Beijing-based correspondent Eunice Yoon features two of China's most popular websites - Baidu and Taobao. She follows a 29-year-old engineer who works at Baidu to find out how the search engine has transformed itself into one of the biggest names on the Internet. She also looks at the success story behind Taobao, China's biggest online retailer, which sells an average 48,000 items per minute and has more than 370 million users.

While China has the world's most active Internet users, online censorship is among the most stringent anywhere. News Stream shows how the 'Great Firewall' impacts online life and what people do to get around it.

And there's more on News Stream's website, including an interview with noted blogger and activist Isaac Mao.

This special series on News Stream airs at 8pm Hong Kong time (1200 GMT) this week.

About News Stream

Airs weeknights Monday to Friday at 2000HKT (1200 GMT)
Duration: 1 hour
News Stream is a one-hour live news program powered by the smart use of technology. Anchored from CNN Hong Kong by Kristie Lu Stout, News Stream uses visualization tools, riveting imagery and social media to enhance our view of today's most pressing issues.

Online: www.cnn.com/newsstream
Facebook: www.facebook.com/newsstreamcnn
Twitter: twitter.com/klustout