Overview
- .xihuan (Chinese for "like") is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) applied for and delegated under ICANN's New gTLD Program.
- The string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 30 March 2016.
- Operator information in the source: QIHOO 360 TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD. is identified as the registry operator; the ICANNWiki entry also lists Afilias as the registry.
History
- .xihuan was applied for during ICANN's New gTLD round (Reveal Day referenced 13 June 2012).
- The gTLD was delegated to the Root Zone on 30 March 2016.
- The applicant, Qihoo 360 Technology Company Limited (360), filed .xihuan alongside other applied-for strings (.YUN, .ANQUAN, .SHOUJI).
Usage and Audience
- Intended primarily for Qihoo 360's user communities and services, notably its social network and link-sharing/collection service accessible at woxihuan (service available in mainland China at the time of application).
- The applicant described the TLD as an identifier for a limited number of eligible registrants, including both 360 and non-360 users.
- Qihoo 360 positioned the TLD to serve its large user base (applicant-cited metrics: hundreds of millions of users) and to integrate with its consumer-facing web and mobile services.
Registration Rules
- According to the applicant's statement, initial registrations were intended to be restricted to a limited set of eligible registrants.
- Registration and use requirements were described as being managed through corporate/subsidiary agreements rather than standard public registration contracts.
- The applicant emphasized trademark-quality-control provisions and brand protection as part of registration/use governance.
SEO and Brand Impact
- The applicant framed .xihuan as a strategic brand and top-level identifier to preserve domain resources for Qihoo 360's businesses and users.
- Qihoo highlighted goals of user recognition, reputation, and experience at the top-level, indicating an emphasis on controlled branding and quality of domains under .xihuan.
Notable Cases or Examples
- The applicant planned to use .xihuan in connection with its woxihuan social network/link-sharing service; at the time of application the service had nearly 200,000 registered users in mainland China.
- .xihuan was part of a group of strings applied for by Qihoo 360 in the same application round (.YUN, .ANQUAN, .SHOUJI), reflecting related business aims.
Operator
QIHOO 360 TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object
domain: XIHUAN
organisation: QIHOO 360 TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
address: Building #2, No. 6 Jiuxianqiao Road
address: Chaoyang District
address: Beijing
address: China
contact: administrative
name: Senior Operation Manager
organisation: Beijing Qihu Keji Co., Ltd.
address: Building #2, No. 6 Jiuxianqiao Road
address: Chaoyang District
address: Beijing
address: China
phone: +86 10 5244 7383
fax-no: +86. 10 5878 1411
e-mail: newgtld@360.cn
contact: technical
name: CTO
organisation: Beijing Tele-info Technology Co., Ltd.
address: 21st Floor, Block D, Beihang Zhizhen Building, No. 7 Zhichun Road, Haidan District
address: Beijing 100088
address: China
phone: +86 18910283591
e-mail: gtld@teleinfo.cn
nserver: NS1.TELEINFO.CN 103.61.60.1 2402:7d80:0:0:0:0:0:1
nserver: NS2.TELEINFOO.COM 103.61.61.1 2402:7d80:8888:0:0:0:0:1
nserver: NS3.TELEINFO.CN 103.61.62.1
nserver: NS4.TELEINFOO.COM 103.61.63.1
ds-rdata: 27565 8 2 b77f15373b8af8e7ba2d8641701ae833416f8d439bbdaee71d18ce55efde7903
ds-rdata: 33427 8 2 1061b1aacada68d55b091340a0765746a4fa68530d47faa10edfcd3237e3748c
whois: whois.teleinfo.cn
status: ACTIVE
remarks: Registration information: http://www.teleinfo.cn
created: 2016-03-18
changed: 2025-04-30
source: IANA
