BEIJING, CHINA, May 22, 2003 – SOHU.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online media, communications, commerce and mobile value-added services company, has reached new heights with the successful arrival of the 2003 China SOHU team reached the summit of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest on May 21. President Hu Jintao sent a message of congratulations to the team, giving national prominence to the climbers’ achievements.
The scaling of the world’s highest summit, which was broadcast live on China Central Television (CCTV), drew a peak audience to the SOHU news center which has the sole online reporting rights for the expedition. SOHU’s title sponsorship for the mountaineering expedition underscores the Company’s dominant position in new media reporting, and follows SOHU’s landmark website partnerships with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and basketball star Yao Ming.

Last month, SOHU.com teamed up with China Mobile Communications Corporation and Motorola Inc. to introduce short messaging and multimedia messaging services at Mount Everest, where some twenty international teams had gathered to commemorate the first human conquest of the world’s highest mountain half a century ago. China Mobile, the largest mobile operator in China, had set up a mobile telephone system at the Base Station to provide the wireless signal. Motorola, the largest mobile handset manufacturer in China, contributed 388C multimedia messaging enabled phones, while SOHU provided the value-added content services for live text-based short messages services (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS) broadcasting throughout the expedition and exclusive online reporting on the SOHU website (www.sohu.com). The unprecedented collaboration among the three companies marked a new milestone in China’s IT industry.

Charles Zhang, CEO and Chairman of SOHU.com and an experienced mountain climber, joined the 2003 China SOHU Team, as assistant captain until a height of 6,666 meters. The team sent around 300 MMS throughout the journey to report on the expedition’s progress. The highest point from which MMS was sent was at 8,300 meters. The 2003 China SOHU team reached the 8,848 meters high summit on May 21 and marked the momentous occasion by sending an SMS text message and planting the team flag.

The ascent of the Mount Everest marked the symbolic start of SOHU’s MMS services. Currently, users can subscribe to daily news, sport or entertainment news updates that combine text messages with pictures as well as download pictures, animation, wallpaper, screensavers or polyphony ringtones.

Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO of SOHU.com, who had joined the mountaineering team part of the way, commented, “While I was with the 2003 China SOHU team on the climbing expedition, the SOHU team in Beijing was taking on a huge challenge of a different nature: to keep the SOHU operations going during the fight against SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). I have been deeply impressed by the bravery and fighting spirit of our employees. Their strong commitment, apt assessments and decisiveness helped shield SOHU from any adverse impact. Accordingly, assuming the SARS situation remains stable we are able to reaffirm our previously provided second quarter revenue and profit guidance.”

About SOHU.com
SOHU.com is the leading Internet portal in Mainland China with current daily page views exceeding 12 million. It provides navigation/search, news, sports, business and finance, real estate channel, entertainment, chat, email and e-commerce activities for a solid and wide base of visitors. Dr. Charles Zhang founded SOHU.com in 1997. Its investors include Intel, Dow Jones, IDG, the Morningside China Group, PCCW, Legend and Hikari. Its content partners include CNET, DOW Jones and dozens of local media organizations in China.

For further information:
Dahlia Wei
SOHU Investor Relations and Communications
Tel: +86 10 6272 6598
E-mail: ir@sohu-inc.com
http://www.sohu.com/about/English/