Embracing Internet economy

March marks the beginning of spring; and this year it applies to both the season and the flourishing Internet economy, as Internet financing appeared for the first time in the national Government Work Report, and Yu'ebao, an emerging on-line financial product, has seen its accumulated funds rise to 540 billion yuan ($87 billion) within months.

The era of the Internet economy has come, and it poses both opportunities and challenges, says a People's Daily column that urges entrepreneurs and ordinary people not to fall behind as the new financial wave gathers pace.

While the latest figures show a mild slowdown of the economy, the Internet sector remains buoyant. The retail sales of consumer goods experienced a year-on-year growth of 13.6 percent in December 2013. However, retail sales via the Internet grew by 42.8 percent in 2013.