S: Hello, everyone. Welcome to CBN Friday Special, I’m Stephanie Li.

R: And I’m ZHANG Ran.

S: Hey, Ran, what do you usually do in your commuting time? 

R: Well, I like to spend time listening to podcasts on my way to work. In fact, recently I've been considering trying out an app called Spiritual Wealth Club, which broadcasts the abstract of a book in 45 minutes every week, including content about career development, family relationship, and self-help, which sounds very practical at the current stage of my life and work.

S: Sounds great. Our fast-paced world leaves most of us with little time to sit and read books. But that's where podcasts and China's explosive paying-for-knowledge economy save the day. Many of my friends are keen to pay for knowledge online, which they say is a kind of "spiritual food" to take after work. According to an analysis report, in 2020, post-80s and post-90s are the majority of online learning users in China, mainly in first-tier and second-tier cities. And 86.1 percent of users have a monthly income of 5,000 to 25,000 yuan, making them potential consumers of paid knowledge. 

R: Well, relieving the anxiety loaded on people is behind the business logic of the paid knowledge economy. When there’re some fragmented time slots, like the time during a long commuting route, we often like to fill them with entertainment or light learning, especially when we’re increasingly prone to “knowledge-anxiety” due to higher pressure in the workplace. And that's where the paying-for-knowledge platforms come in. High-quality content can fill our fragmented time, turning the commuting hours into meaningful ones, when we can learn new knowledge, and relieve ourselves from workplace anxieties.

S: I agree. But the pay-for-knowledge industry is not a phenomenon unique to China, but the reason why it became a multi-million dollar industry has a lot to do with the rapid development of mobile payments in the country and the increased protection of intellectual property. A built-in payment platform is installed in all major pay-for-knowledge platforms. With a click on the phone, all payments are routed through Alipay or WeChat Pay - the two dominant forms of mobile payment in China - all within seconds.

R: And the pandemic also gives a major push for the development of paying-for-knowledge platforms, as our work and life switched online. Platforms attract users by providing knowledge and knowhow of the disease and prevention. For instance, Ximalaya, one of China's major podcasting apps, has put dozens of free Covid-featuring programs on the shelf including stay-at-home disease prevention, first-aid measures, and updates. Industry research data show that 63 percent of user have paid for knowledge during the pandemic, with over 90 percent of them being satisfied with what they have purchased.

S: But more importantly, the growing awareness of intellectual property (IP) among Chinese people has greatly contributed to the rise of these platforms. In a country once plagued by rampant piracy, the thriving industry has much to thank the government for its efforts to protect intellectual property. China has become a veritable powerhouse of IP since 2013, ranking first in the world in patent applications for inventions for three consecutive years, and first in trademark applications for 12 consecutive years. As we become more aware of the importance of protecting IP, we also become more willing to pay for knowledge, which is also a kind of intellectual property.

R: All these factors we talked about have led to the booming of the knowledge-based economy. For example, China's biggest online question-and-answer website, Zhihu, posted its total revenue reached nearly 3000 million yuan in 2021, a growth of 119 percent from 2020. Its growth came from increased monthly active users and business diversification. Average monthly active users reached 103 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, a growth of 36% over the fourth quarter of 2020. 

S: Another popular platform Ximalaya enables users to share voices and personal radio stations. The majority of paying customers on Ximalaya belong to the younger generation. It’s estimated that in 2018, more than 80% of Ximalaya users were aged 35 or under. Though a huge chunk of content on Ximalaya is actually free, there seems to be no lack of people who are willing to pay for the educational content on it. For example, Ximalaya produced a paid series that helps deal with personalities and feelings.The top-selling paid podcast on Ximalaya raked in millions of listens. The platform posted a 5.86 billion yuan revenue in 2021, among which nearly 3 billion were from paid subscriptions, up 49 percent year-on-year. 

R: There's no doubt that more and more readers are willing to pay for knowledge. However, a debate about how to keep the balance between content providers and consumers has drawn public attention. Recently, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China’s top research organisation, announced that it will suspend the use of the country’s biggest online academic database CNKI because of its hefty annual subscription fee.

The database has long been criticised for its monolithic status and expensive subscription fees. According to the CAS, In 2021, its total cost for using the CNKI database reached 10 million yuan, which accounted for a ‘giant’ part of CAS’ subscription resources. Over the past decade, at least six Chinese universities have suspended the use of CNKI because of the rapid rise in fees.

S: CNKI has a track record of publishing without authorization. Zhao Dexin, an 89-year-old retired professor, began his campaign against CNKI in 2019 when he discovered CNKI had collected more than 100 academic papers he had written into its database without his authorization. He won, after two years of legal battle, and a court ordered CNKI to fork out more than 700,000 yuan in compensation to Zhao. CNKI also issued Zhao an apology, which is still displayed on its homepage. 

R: While we appreciate the value of knowledge and open our wallets for it, it's also important for the platforms to be regulated against malpractice. It's understandable for businesses to pursue profits, but at the same time, our rights need to be protected.

S: Yes, you’re right. I hope that we can acquire knowledge online with reasonable and affordable prices. That’a all for today, see you next time. Enjoy the holidays and don’t forget to “knowledge up”!

今天的你，还在为卷不动而emo吗？还在被焦虑的情绪所裹挟吗？在内卷和焦虑筑起的重重高墙中，知识付费的故事正在继续。

近些年来，知识付费是如何成为“有志青年”的心头好？

有数据表明，缓解时代附加在都市年轻人身上的焦虑是知识付费的商业逻辑。2020年，中国在线学习用户以80后和90后为主，主要分布在一线和二线城市; 86.1%的用户月收入在5000-25000元之间，他们是知识付费的潜在消费者。由此可见，年轻人越来越推崇知识付费这种新潮的生活方式。理由很简单：上下班路途时间长，职场压力大，知识付费平台可以提供碎片化时间场景下的学习内容，随时随地为自己充电，极大缓解了职场焦虑。

其次，疫情宅家，让知识付费平台迎来一波快速发展。针对宅生活、云生活的新需求，不少知识付费平台推出一系列举措，以吸引和积累用户，并在传递最新疫情消息、普及疫情防控知识等方面贡献了正能量。喜马拉雅音频平台在防疫期间上线了几十档疫情专题节目，包含疫情资讯、防护科普、播客心声、儿童防护等。还有不少来自湖北的主播坚持日更节目，陪伴“听友”度过抗疫日子。“得到”平台与多家出版社合作，将最新出版的疫情防护电子书免费提供给用户下载阅读。蜻蜓FM音频平台设立“战疫情”专区，涵盖疫情动态、科普知识等，并联合好大夫等平台开启在线义诊活动……

前瞻产业研究院数据显示，防疫期间，有63.1%的用户购买过知识付费产品，其中主要以职场技能类内容为主;超九成用户表示，对其购买的知识付费产品比较满意或者非常满意。而从各大平台的数据来看，在赠送会员、免费课程等举措的激励下，防疫期间有更多用户投入了知识付费的怀抱：“得到”平台免费专区课程领取人数近50万，喜马拉雅平台活动参与用户过亿次。

但知识付费之所以兴起，更重要原因是我国版权保护法律法规的不断完善和人们版权意识的增强。2008年，国务院发布《国家知识产权战略纲要》，中国的知识产权保护事业进入了迅速发展的新阶段。截至2013年年底，中国发明专利申请量已连续3年位居全球第一，商标申请量连续12年位居全球第一，著作权登记等创下历史新高，中国已经成为名副其实的知识产权大国。截止到2020年，全国法院审结各类知识产权案件达到52万余件。知识产权不再只是阳春白雪，而是逐步融入企业的生产和人们的生活中。

近年来，针对互联网版权问题的法律、法规也逐步得到完善，知识内容生产方的产品著作权益得到保护，人们对互联网上作品的版权意识不断提升，渐渐形成了互联网版权保护的社会氛围。

不仅如此，在线知识付费行业的兴起，也与互联网技术的完善和普及分不开。我国移动互联网基础设施不断优化升级，已经建成全球最大的 4G 网络。加上5G技术的推广，彻底颠覆了人们以往的上网体验。提速与降费政策的实施不仅促进移动互联网接入流量的增长，也推动了移动终端的普及。

诚然，随着大家付费意识的提高，带动了一大批“知识型”平台。

中国最大的在线问答网站知乎，2021年总收入达29.993亿元，同比增长118.9%。2021年第四季度，月平均活跃用户达到1.033亿，同比增长36.4%。在音频平台喜马拉雅上，大部分付费客户都是年轻一代。据统计，2018年，80%以上的喜马拉雅用户年龄在35岁或以下。尽管喜马拉雅上的大部分内容是免费的，但仍然有很多人愿意为知识买单。2021年，喜马拉雅总营收增至人民币58.6亿元。其中订阅收入为29.9亿元，同比增长49.0%。

个体愿意为知识买单，但当占据资源的平台发展为垄断，也暴露出了许多问题。

近日，一则“中科院停用中国知网数据库”的消息引发网络热议。据报道，中科院相关工作人员确认这一消息属实，称原因在于知网的订阅费用连年上涨，已经突破千万元人民币的大关。国家市场监督管理总局4月25日在回复媒体网上留言时表示：已关注到各方面反映的知网涉嫌垄断问题，正在依法开展相关工作。

事实上，因收费过高、不合理涨价问题，与知网暂停合作的学术机构并不是只有中科院一家。2016年1月武汉理工大学发布停用知网的通知，同年3月北京大学也曾贴出即将停用知网的通知。据统计，2012年至2021年的10年间，至少有6所中国高校发布公告暂停使用知网，停用原因均为知网涨价过高，无法和学校达成使用协议。而知网以低廉甚至免费的价格收录文章的做法，也招致批评。去年，年近九旬的中南财经政法大学退休教授赵德馨状告知网擅自收录其论文并收费，获赔70万元。

人民网对此评论，知网主打知识服务旗号却坚持“收入挂帅”，该调整了。平台运行必然需要成本，这可以理解。但也不该以高收入增长、高利润回报为最高追求。羊毛出在羊身上，不把羊拖垮是最起码的底线。公平交易的市场法则一旦损毁，那些损害公平的人肯定也不会有好前途。只惦记着每篇论文卖多少钱、每家高校收多少钱是急功近利。

在服务读者上，除了知网，其他知识付费平台也应更显担当、多做贡献，在助力创新上抱有更多情怀、更高追求，如此方能行稳致远。

（欢迎大家提供意见和反馈，请联系主播李莹亮：liyl@21jingji.com）

Executive Editor: Sonia YU

Editor: LI Yanxia

Host: Stephanie LI

Writer: Stephanie LI, ZHANG Ran, CHEN Zihui, XIE Kaishan

Sound Editor: ZHANG Ran, CHEN Zihui

Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni

Co-produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News & SFC Audio/Video Dept.

Presented by SFC

编委:  于晓娜

策划、编辑：李艳霞 

播音：李莹亮

撰稿：李莹亮、张然、陈梓慧、谢凯珊

音频制作：张然 、陈梓慧

设计：郑文静、廖苑妮

21世纪经济报道海外部 南财音视频部  联合制作

南方财经全媒体集团  出品

(作者：李莹亮,张然 编辑：李艳霞）