Readers from anywhere in the world can now log on to the www.cnki.net website to search for almost any important academic periodical published in China.

China's first official database for academic journals became operational on Tuesday.

A key national web project, the search program built at a cost of 345 million yuan (43 million U.S. dollars) provides the contents of 6,642 periodicals, or 99 percent of Chinese academic periodicals that are used as sources by researchers at home and abroad.

Going beyond academic periodicals, over the next five years China will build a huge database called the national database of knowledge resources. Netizens will be able to carry out an internet search on all kinds of academic documents.

The project is being undertaken by Qinghua University and the Qinghua Tongfang Internet Technology Co. Ltd.