My son is 29 months old and, already, I am anxious about his education. Recently, I have been thinking about moving from Beijing’s east to its west, where high-quality schools and tutors are more abundant, as some of my friends with children have done. As Chinese, we seem to be saddled with that sort of … Read more
Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, the operator of one of China’s largest payment services, Alipay, has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence (AI) app that works as a virtual assistant in its latest effort to turn large language models (LLM) into consumer services. Ant launched its chatbot app Zhixiaobao on Thursday, with a name meant to … Read more
Rock ’n’ roll, pop music and the internet are Western vices that can be used to sow the seeds of “colour revolution” among Chinese youth, according to China’s latest college textbook on national security. The textbook, which was officially launched last week, represents the latest move from Beijing to strengthen ideological control and promote national … Read more
Now that China is at a crossroads again, amid widespread concerns over the direction of the country and the state of its economy, remembering Deng has taken on a special significance. Deng, who died in 1997 at the age of 92, would have been heartened but unsurprised to see that China’s economy has become the … Read more
At the heart of the ongoing reversal of globalisation lies a deficit of political trust. Despite the continued logical appeal of globalisation, geopolitical tensions and concerns about national security and employment are fuelling tariffs and sanctions, as well as artificially inflating the cost of trade. Meanwhile, at the people-to-people level, flights between China and the … Read more
The response has been so enthusiastic that it has raised the hopes of China’s video gaming industry about the prospects of pulling off another big-budget blockbuster game that takes years to produce – the typical features of titles that get the unofficial AAA designation. But the excitement belies the numerous challenges that remain for the … Read more
Based in New York, the brand offers ready-to-wear clothing that combines Chinese traditional aesthetics with Western sensibilities: think casual qipaos, reimagined dudou tops (a traditional Chinese undergarment) and other “modern chinoiserie” apparel. Dawang founder Daisy Wang Jingwen. Photo: Henry Thong Aside from her seasonal collections, she has worked on a number of custom garments: she … Read more
JD.com is launching five-day international shipments for customers in the US, Japan and Singapore, as the Chinese e-commerce giant fights against rivals like Alibaba Group Holding, Shein and Temu for a bigger slice of the overseas online shopping market. Customers in those countries, who order from branded shops run directly by JD.com on its platforms, … Read more
Hong Kong fencer Cheung Ka-long won his 2024 Olympic gold medal after a dramatic, exciting final. The close match against an Italian opponent required video reviews, with Cheung eventually edging the match with a score of 15-14. The Italians were naturally disappointed. An official complaint was lodged about some of the refereeing. Worse, armchair critics … Read more
In a proposed regulation published online for public solicitation last month, China’s Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration outlined in a 16-article document plans for an national identification system that would authenticate the country’s netizens on all internet platforms. But there are worrying signs that public feedback is going unheeded. In accordance with … Read more
