Werner Zorn

-Individual recipient of World Internet Conference Distinguished Contribution Award 

Werner Zorn, widely considered as "the father of the internet in Germany", was presented the World Internet Conference (WIC) Distinguished Contribution Award at the opening ceremony of the 2025 WIC Wuzhen Summit on Nov 7. 

Zorn helped China send its first email from Beijing to the world and generously assisted in the establishment of China's national domain (.cn), enabling the power and warmth of the internet to cross borders and connect people globally.

In his video address to the ceremony, Zorn, a longtime advocate for China's integration into the global internet community, said: "I am lucky to have witnessed the early development of the internet in China, as well as a boom of modern Chinese e-commerce, which is almost breathtaking for its speed of development and a wide range of reach in areas like retail and full-stack logistics."

As an old friend of the WIC, Zorn also lauded the event's role in advancing the development of the internet technology. 

"The WIC has successfully served as a platform for promoting the development of internet technologies and, more importantly, for ensuring that these technologies better serve the everyday lives of people around the world," he said.

He noted that the WIC allows software engineers and scientists to gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest technologies, while entrepreneurs from around the world can explore collaborative opportunities in the e-commerce sector.

Zorn said that for years, the WIC has adhered to its mission of "building a community with a shared future in cyberspace".

From German laboratories to China's water town, Zorn's journey reflects the truth that technology knows no borders. In closing, he emphasized that the WIC will continue to play a crucial role in realizing its mission of making the internet beneficial to everyone.

The year 2025 marked the 10th anniversary of the proposal to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Amid numerous challenges in digital governance, the Wuzhen Summit is to offer global internet development new insights and solutions with its unique Chinese wisdom. 

In this sense, Wuzhen is not only a historical water town in China, but  also a shared spiritual home for the global internet community.