AOL's research and development company has been unveiled in Beijing with the Chinese name of Aolong (Beijing) Technology Development Co., Ltd.

According to Chinese media, Aolong formally landed in Beijing at the end of last year. The company has rented a two-floor office space which can hold over a hundred staff in a science park in Beijing.

Aolong Beijing is reported to have three major departments: Labs, Mobile and Online Publishing. Of these, Labs mainly deals with next-generation Internet technology, Mobile specializes in the application and development of mobile communications related website and terminals, and Online Publishing does something related to aol.cn.

The unveiling of Aolong means that AOL has taken a tangible step in returning to colonize the Chinese mainland market. Early in 2001, AOL set up a company with the same Chinese name with Lenovo (then called Legend) and jointly launched with it a doomed Chinese portal website FM365.com. That website failed, leading to the closure of the joint venture and the sale of the website in 2004. AOL also previously had a lukewarm investment in second-tier Chinese website portal China.com.

All these past blunders for AOL makes one wonder "how long will Aolong" survive?