NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (“NetDragon” or “the Company”, Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to announce that, the Company and Beijing Language and Culture University Press (the “BLCUP”) have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement and a joint venture agreement (the “Agreements”) recently in Beijing, under which both parties will jointly set up a company and integrate advanced technologies, resources and ideas, for the establishment of a global Chinese language learning platform.
Liu Dejian, Founder and Chairman of NetDragon delivered a speech on behalf of the Company at the event. Leaders from both parties, including Xiong Li, CEO of NetDragon, Lin Wei, Senior Vice President of NetDragon, Ni Haidong, Secretary of Party Committee of Beijing Language and Culture University (the “BLCU”), Zhang Wangxi, Vice Principal of BLCU, Zhao Junwu, Director of BLCU Asset Management Office and Hao Yun, Secretary of Party General Branch and Chairman of BLCUP attended the event.
In recent years, overseas demand for Chinese language learning has been rising along with its popularity. However, in an overseas non-Chinese environment, obsolete teaching materials and low effectiveness of online content remain some of the major obstacles of Chinese language learning, which lead to low learning efficiency and weak interest among learners.
To facilitate efficient and interesting Chinese language learning in foreign countries, NetDragon and the BLCUP have reached a strategic cooperation, under which both parties will jointly set up a company, which will use authoritative Chinese learning philosophy and education products as the core, supplemented by NetDragon’s 3D, AI, VR technologies, to construct an integrated, resourceful and wide-reaching global Chinese language learning platform, hence providing a complete set of digital solution to the Chinese language learning sector worldwide. This Chinese language learning platform will be open to different user groups including learners, teachers, and administrators, and will consist of three parts: international Chinese online learning, international Chinese teaching training and international Chinese teaching management, while integrating teaching, examination, learning and training to serve modern Chinese language learning.
Liu Dejian, Founder and Chairman of NetDragon, commented that NetDragon was one of the pioneering companies to bring VR, AR and AI technologies to the field of education. The Company has high expectations to incorporate such technologies into Chinese language learning in order to help international students to learn the language more quickly and effectively, and to also understand the culture. In addition, with a lengthy track record in online gaming business, NetDragon enjoys superior advantage in content production. Currently, NetDragon is speeding up with internet technology development while progressing with the development of educational content.
Ni Haidong, the Secretary of the Party Committee of BLCU, commented that not only NetDragon has ongoing achievements in education, it also carries a strong sense of social responsibility, which reflects its vision and passion for education as a successful company. Ni Haidong added that he looks forward to furthering collaborations between NetDragon and the BLCU in future.
At the event, the BLCUP appointed Liu Dejian as “Honorary Director of the State Key Laboratory for Press and Publication Technology and Standards at BLCUP”. The BLCUP was enlisted as National Key Laboratories of Technology and Standards for Press and Publications. The two parties will jointly develop a platform for research and development and targets to have the implementation as industry standards such that they can provide reference for industry development.
Currently, the BLCUP is one of the most authoritative publishers in international Chinese language teaching and learning. It has a leading market position with more than 3,000 categories of international Chinese language teaching materials published. On the other hand, with over 30 years of operating experience in publishing Chinese textbooks, the BLCUP has accumulated access to a large number of top experts, scholars and teachers in China and overseas. These users can provide professional and authoritative guidance for the establishment of the platform, as well as the most realistic testing ground.
About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited
NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users. These include China’s number one online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China’s most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless, which was sold to Baidu for US$1.9 billion in 2013 as the largest Internet M&A transaction in China.
Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Heroes Evolved and Conquer Online. In recent years, NetDragon has also started to scale its online education business on the back of management’s vision to create the largest global online learning community, and to bring the “classroom of the future” to every school around the world. For more information, please visit www.netdragon.com.
For investor enquiries, please contact:
NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited
Ms. Maggie Zhou
Senior Director of Investor Relations
Tel.: +852 2850 7266 / +86 591 8390 2825
Email: maggie@nd.com.cn
Website: ir.netdragon.com
