In modern times, the Internet has the power to reach into every corner of the world. One can discover virtually everything imaginable on the Internet. Simply by possessing network technology, a region can quickly go online. People employing computers and cellular phones are unconstrained by location and can use the network to log onto the Internet. This permits them to easily and conveniently perform a substantial array of activities online. A fixed time is also not an issue, with people freely able to log on and off. For the first time, traditional industries across the spectrum have begun to engage in network activity. It has prompted many to embark in e-business, leading to an immense boom in the global economy. The service industry as related to daily living, including the dining, clothing, domestic household, and entertainment industries, have grown even bigger since the advent of the Internet. The increasing position of the Internet has hastened the invention of further technological innovations. It has inspired a longer and healthier lifespan for all. In today's Internet era, knowledge is the root of all wealth. Regions that do not make use of computers will suffer a widening gap with developed areas. Conversely, the spread of advanced information technology, affordable computers, and the endless possibilities of the Internet have dramatically increased the ability of underdeveloped areas to develop knowledge-based economies.
Over the past three years, we have established more than fifty Internet bases in Yellow Sheep River, Gansu province and other underdeveloped areas in China including Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, and Hebei provinces. These Internet bases prove that computers and networks are capable of changing the course of people's lives. In the 1980s, the Drs. Tofflers, renowned futurists, predicted that through the use and popularization of computers and network technology, agricultural societies could bypass the industrial society, and transform directly into information societies. Without ever having experienced the industrial society, they could avoid all of the negative effects and social turmoil associated with the industrial stage. From our experience over the last three years in setting up Internet bases, we firmly believe that the transformation from an agricultural society to an information society requires seven ordered steps. Below are listed the seven steps: schools leading local economic developing, expanding e-business, improving agricultural and pastoral economy, establishing Internet Villages, concentrating scattered villages in a central location, developing the service industry, and enacting a system of remote employment. Each of these seven steps has a separate goal that must be achieved before proceeding to the next step. By using scientific methods and the tools of the information society, we can evaluate the progress.

As the ultimate goal is transforming into an information society, it is important to note that information economies are knowledge-based. Hence, we must first introduce a range of new concepts and ideas. This includes the new definition of wealth in the 21rst century and how to effectively use this knowledge to create wealth. Knowledge is of greater import than capital in bringing about successful transformation of agricultural economies (based on agricultural and pastoral products) to information economies (based on knowledge). The necessary seven steps are separated into two stages: the first focuses on furnishing underdeveloped areas with outside knowledge, which would in turn attract investors and capital. Corresponding modern techniques would be added to agricultural villages in the latter stage.

The first stage begins with schools leading local economic development. By using the Internet, town and villages in distant areas could be remotely trained in essential software, English, and typing skills. This would elevate the level of knowledge in underdeveloped areas to equal that of the eastern coastal region of China. Schools would become Internet bases, assisting villagers in performing e-business and facilitating the inflow of outside knowledge. This would also significantly improve the agricultural and pastoral economy of these areas. It would offer the opportunity for locals to achieve wealth without relocating, permitting skilled workers to remain in their hometowns.