Rand Leeb-du Toit, CEO of Yoick, recently blogged that China is getting ready for a "virtual world onslaught".
The most public argument for this would be Cyworld China. Since launching in June 2005 they've reached 3 million subscribers and are growing by 15,000 a day. Add to this Tencent's QQ with its half a billion registered users, and you have an audience that is accustomed to purchasing virtual items and "forming deeper connections via immersive environments."
As far as virtual worlds, they have HiPiHi (often referred to as a "Second Life clone"), and the upcoming worlds from Shanda, UOneNet and Entropia. Once these worlds have established themselves, expect many more companies to join the virtual world industry.
