Culture

A couple walk through the People’s Park in Shanghai, China, on August 9, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

Dating apps with Chinese characteristics draw Gen Z and millennials

Young romance seekers in China flock to a new breed of dating services designed to fill the gaps left by existing apps like Tinder and Grindr.

21 Mar 2021 - 11:24AM
Zhaxi Dingzhen, a 20-year-old Tibetan herdsman from Sichuan, is an internet sensation after a 10-second video showcasing what fans describe as his rugged appearance went viral. A local travel agency quickly hired him as an “image ambassador”. Photo: YouTube

Internet celebrities offering rustic escapism get a government boost

Online personalities from rural China, like viral Tibetan star Dingzhen, are drawing huge followings as Chinese authorities seek to boost rural economies.

9 Jan 2021 - 7:41AM
Bilibili's New Year's Eve celebrations, streamed on the video platform on December 31, 2019. Photo: Handout

Bilibili’s New Year’s show gets airtime on TVB after fireworks axed

After the usual waterfront fireworks display was cancelled, Hong Kong’s TVB viewers will be watching a New Year’s Eve event from mainland video streamer Bilibili, known for catering to China’s younger generation.

30 Dec 2020 - 7:56AM
This year’s Baidu Buzz List list includes new internet slang illustrating the anxieties of workers in China as the coronavirus upended businesses and forced “flexible” schedules on people nationwide. Photo: AP

Baidu’s top 2020 internet buzzwords reveal new work-related anxieties

The annual Baidu Buzz List shows people searched for new terms like ‘flexible work’, ‘cloud supervisors’ and ‘715’, revealing changes to work and everyday life in China amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

16 Dec 2020 - 6:15AM
A program that emulates Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying will condemn or praise your country at the click of a mouse. Photo: Kyodo

Want to be a Chinese diplomat? Program emulates ‘Wolf Warrior’ rhetoric

Chinese diplomats have been taking a more aggressive stance on Twitter this year and a GitHub text generator is here to help.

14 Aug 2023 - 4:19PM
iQiyi, one of China’s largest video streaming platforms, raised prices for subscribers for the first time this month. But some users say even an extra 4 yuan is too much. Photo: Shutterstock

First price hikes on China’s video platforms spark doubts

As Tencent Video and iQiyi users face higher prices for the first time, some complain that user experience on the streaming platforms does not justify the price hike.

17 Nov 2020 - 12:43PM
Netflix’s Over the Moon tells the story of a Chinese girl who builds a rocket to the Moon to prove that the Moon goddess Chang’e really exists. Image: Netflix

Netflix’s Over the Moon praised in China but bigger box-office bomb than Mulan

With an all-Asian cast, Netflix’s new animated film is being applauded for its handling of Chinese culture, but it has failed to attract a wide audience.

17 Nov 2020 - 12:16PM
iQiyi's Dimension Nova pits 30 digital avatars against each other in front of a panel of human judges. Image: iQiyi

China’s first virtual idol talent show draws mixed reactions

Video streaming platform iQiyi is trying to connect with younger users by letting virtual avatars compete in front of human judges on the show Dimension Nova.

30 Oct 2020 - 9:44AM
A man and a woman use their mobile phone as they walk in a subway station in Beijing on March 11, 2020. Photo: AFP

Men more prone than women to phone addiction, China study says

Researchers look at residents in Beijing to study smartphone addiction, often defined as stressful phone use that leads to anxiety and depression.

20 Oct 2020 - 12:01AM
Kung Fu Mulan, a 3D animated film from Chinese studio Gold Valley Films, was pulled from cinemas in China three days after its release. Image: Gold Valley Films

China’s new Mulan film upsets audiences more than Disney’s

Kung Fu Mulan was pulled from cinemas within three days after opening on Saturday to terrible reviews and poor turnout.

12 Oct 2020 - 5:38PM
Tencent rewarded its staff with an extravagant gift this year: the foldable Huawei Mate Xs. Photo: Shutterstock

Workers who got Huawei’s foldable Mate Xs free promptly sell them online

After 10,000 Tencent employees reportedly got Huawei’s new foldable Mate Xs smartphone, additional listings started showing up online.

2 Oct 2020 - 5:23AM
China has 940 million people online, and the country loves online shopping. Over time, that makes up a lot of packaging waste. Photo: Xinhua

Shanghai tackles China’s massive e-commerce waste problem

China is on track to have packaging waste as heavy as more than 400 aircraft carriers by 2025.

1 Oct 2020 - 10:51AM
The week-long national day holiday kicks off on October 1, and ride-hailing companies are already preparing for awful traffic. Photo: Reuters

This is the worst day to hail a taxi in China, but Didi says it’s ready

Didi says there’s less than a 60 per cent chance of successfully hailing a taxi the day before China’s week-long national holiday.

30 Sep 2020 - 10:37AM
A viral debate kicked off online in China after a parent reportedly complained about her daughter’s teacher, who explained to a primary school class how women get pregnant. Photo: Shutterstock

A teacher’s bid to explain pregnancy to kids hits a nerve in China

Sex education remains taboo in Chinese schools despite efforts from educators and publishers.

25 Sep 2020 - 8:35AM
Facebook said on Tuesday it had removed a network of inauthentic Chinese accounts that were interfering in Asian and American politics.

How a Chinese network of fake accounts infiltrated Facebook

This is the first time that Facebook has taken down Chinese-based accounts for foreign interference and engagement in US politics.

28 Sep 2020 - 3:29PM
A girl plays with a robot designed to be a growing partner for kids at the 2018 Smart China Expo in Chongqing on August 23, 2018. Photo: Simon Song

5G and smart speakers are widening China’s digital divide

China’s rural residents under 18 years old are less likely to have used smartwatches, voice assistants and computers to get online, new study says.

23 Sep 2020 - 11:05AM
Mulan (Yifei Liu) holds a sword in a scene of Disney's live action remake of “Mulan.” The film is facing calls for a boycott after the company thanked government entities in Xinjiang, a Chinese region where authorities are accused of suppressing ethnic minorities.

Mulan hit by rampant piracy in China yet again

Mulan was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times ahead of its theatrical debut, mirroring rampant piracy of the animated version in 1999.

16 Sep 2020 - 3:24PM
Alibaba founder Jack Ma performs a duet with Canto-pop diva Faye Wong in a duet on September 9. Picture: Youku

Alibaba crooner Jack Ma duets with pop diva Faye Wong

The Alibaba founder is famed for his flamboyant performances and love for the stage.

20 Oct 2020 - 2:14PM
A woman walks past a poster for the National Security Law in Hong Kong on July 28. Photo: AFP

Chinese netizens post bad reviews for Hong Kong security law book

Douban is known for its community of liberal bookworms and film fanatics, but censorship is common on China’s internet platforms.

10 Sep 2020 - 11:45AM
Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is heading to Chinese cinemas on September 11. Image: Disney via AP

Disney’s Mulan compared with Western Chinese food

Disney’s Mulan was highly-anticipated in China, but now the live-action remake is disappointing early viewers who are blasting it online.

22 Sep 2020 - 9:21AM