Chinese firm applies for over 100 fresh top level domains
Firm’s website lists over 300 top level domain strings.
[Update: the firm was fake.]
A Chinese firm states it has applied for more than 100 top level domain names.
Journey to the West Corporation’s website lists 323 primary and replacement strings related to China.
It’s the first disclosure I’ve seen that includes internationalized domain names (IDNs).
The site breaks the domains down into many categories:
Flagship (23) counting .panda, .dragon, .jade
Nature & Geography (18) counting .orchid, .plum, .chrysanthemum
Craft & Art (9) counting .porcelain, .lacquer, .cloisonne
Zodiac & Creatures (8) counting .zodiac, .tiger, .rabbit
Cuisine (15) counting .mooncake, .hotpot, .noodle
Performance & Culture (5) counting .guzheng, .erhu, .pipa
Martial & Strategy (8) counting .taichi, .shaolin, .wudang
Invention & Heritage (7) counting .abacus, .compass, .gunpowder
Imperial & Myth (14) counting .forbidden, .imperial, .mandarin
Festival & Fortune (15) counting .lunar, .springfestival, .newyear
Philosophy & Learning (8) counting .wisdom, .scholar, .exam
Journey & Legend (10) counting .journey, .xiyou, .pilgrim
Trade & Logistics (27) counting .sourcing, .export, .import
Manufacturing & Materials (15) counting .textile, .garment, .fabric
Tech & Electronics (11) counting .pcb, .semiconductor, .chip
Energy & Mobility (27) counting .battery, .lithium, .anode
Digital Commerce (13) counting .livestream, .shortvideo, .miniapp
Brand & Heritage (10) counting .guochao, .domestic, .nationalbrand
Future Tech (11) counting .smartcity, .newinfra, .digitaltwin
Chinese-script (IDN) categories:
Digital & Retail (14) counting .美食, .旅游, .酒店
Trade & Industry (4) counting .外贸, .出口, .工厂
Tech & Energy (15) counting .芯片, .半导体, .新能源
Wellness & Lifestyle (8) counting .养生, .美容, .健身
Agriculture & Food (5) counting .农业, .生鲜, .茶叶
Consumer Goods (9) counting .宠物, .母婴, .玩具
Education & Career (4) counting .求职, .培训, .考研
Media & Entertainment (5) counting .音乐, .电影, .动漫
Culture & Civic (5) counting .公益, .国潮, .老字号
Oddly, at least six of the domains it listed are existing top level domains: .fan, .furniture, .silk, .soy, .storage, .公益.
It is not clear who is behind the firm. The site states it is “Backed by domain investors and China internet celebrities.”
The address in the footer is for China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which houses the China Internet Network Information Center, the organization that oversees domains in China.
Still, the domain was registered today at Spaceship. If MIIT was involved, it would presumably register the domain through a Chinese domain registrar.
The site is still under development.
I count 13 domains potentially in contention with other known applications. This assumes that both Journey to the West’s applications and Link Freedom Group’s (LFG) are for primary strings:
.Factory – LFG, USA Made in America (Colin Campbell)
.Dragon, .panda – Oinkadot
.Cell, .drone, .logistics, .model, .port, .pump, .robot, .swap, .tea, .token – LFG
