There is a fee for downloading papers from CNKI.
CNKI, also known as China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), or often referred to as "China Journal Network", is China's largest academic paper database and academic electronic resource aggregator, including more than 95 officially published Chinese academic resources. No other database comes close.
HowNet brings together a large number of academic journals, patents, outstanding doctoral and master's degree theses and other resources. It is currently the most comprehensive online digital resource library of Chinese literature data, with a total of more than 200 million documents. For any paper writer, it is an unavoidable information retrieval and duplication checking tool, which is called the "China Knowledge Infrastructure Project".
Extended information
HowNet’s “monopoly of academic resources” and “excessive pricing” have become the focus of attention and discussion
Because of its strong strength, CNKI has Strong bargaining power. As early as 2016, Peking University Library issued a notice saying that "due to the excessive price increase by the database provider," renewal negotiations with CNKI were still in progress and services may be interrupted. Even Peking University has encountered a "price crisis". Consider the situation of other universities.
CNKI was established in response to the concept of "national knowledge infrastructure" proposed by the World Bank. It is an integral part of the "China Knowledge Infrastructure Project" and its fundamental purpose is to provide knowledge production and theoretical innovation. Providing data resources and tools is highly inclusive and public welfare. But now it seems that infrastructure has overemphasized its profit side.
The financial report shows that CNKI’s gross profit margin was 61.23 in 2017 and 58.83 in the first half of 2018. For an average company, it would be great if the gross profit margin exceeds 30%. On one side are the paper authors and editorial staff who are not sensitive to manuscript fees and copyright fees, and on the other side are the students and schools who are desperate for support in order to complete the paper. The resulting scissor gap has allowed CNKI to gain a lot of profits.