Google is steadily losing its grasp on China. Last year it was the search engine and this summer Google Maps may be moving out as well.

A report this week in the China Daily (spotted via the English People's Daily website) says officials with the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping have announced “more than 100 domestic and overseas companies that provide online mapping services have received licenses to continue doing business in China, while another 100 [are] still applying for a license.”

Nokia’s Alliance Internet Services (a joint venture between the Finnish handset maker and a Shanghai company) was among those on the list of approved companies, but mention of Google’s online mapping service was conspicuously absent from the article, which could spell bad news for the online giant and its users in China -- when asked about Google’s status, officials reportedly sidestepped the question, merely stating “China's Internet market is open and free and those who conduct online mapping services in China should abide by Chinese law.”

Chinese netizens took a tongue-in-cheek response to Obama and, needless to say, the outpouring of Chinese-language comments have confused Americans, some a bit more than others. Back in China, politicians are getting a more critical online response. Meanwhile, we're trying to come up with a use for China Telecom's new hard-of-hearing service and are feeling pretty good about our own record-breaking attempts. (We at least follow the rules.)

If you're suffering after a tough New Year, we're here to help soothe the pain. Take it easy and enjoy this rundown of some of the most-watched, strangest and funniest videos to hit China's streaming sites in the year just gone by.

Surf’s up: the Beijing Government will launch a new, free wi-fi network called “My Beijing” later this month. According to China.org (via Techcrunch), the plan is to “provide 2Mbps broadband WiFi to approximately 60 percent of Beijing through some 90,000 access points that the municipal government plans implement over the next few years.”

The 2Mbps broadband service will require users to input their China Unicom, China Telecom or China Mobile numbers to obtain a password good for three hours of access. Considered a pilot program, the network will be free to users for three years, but may eventually become a fee-based service (details TBD).

Check out the full story on agendabeijing.com.