This special issue includes articles on the effects of Internet use in rural China, the social consequences of the diffusion of mobile phones in Beijing, the cultural interpretation of information and communication technology (ICT) use, and the relationship between ICTs and the Chinese polity. Before introducing these topics, we will briefly describe the traditional relationship between knowledge and technology in China and the long-held attitudes of the Chinese towards science and technology. We will also discuss the economic conditions in China in recent decades, when ICTs were introduced. This background is intended to provide the reader with the broad perspective necessary for the evaluation of the social consequences of the diffusion of ICTs in contemporary China.