67 m. ago Did China’s first emperor launch westwards mission to find ‘elixir of life’?

History records the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang as sending the alchemist Xu Fu eastwards towards Japan on a quest for the elixir of immortality. However, the ancient texts make no mention of any similar expedition heading west. But according to a state media report, findings by Chinese archaeologists suggest that a western expedition for the “elixir of life” may indeed have been launched during the reign of Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang, or the “first emperor of China”, was so named because he...

Events

70 m. ago Labubu becomes bait for China’s Ping An Bank to lure young customers

Hoping the world’s trendiest monster will scare up some new customers, China’s Ping An Bank is rewarding those who open new accounts with a Pop Mart Lababu doll amid fierce competition for young customers among Chinese retail banks. New clients who open a savings account and deposit more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,954) for at least three months could receive a blind box from the first or second series of the Chinese toy retailer’s popular collectibles, according to media reports. Customers who also...

Economics

16 h. ago FBI busts second Chinese scholar at UM in widening smuggling probe

FBI busts second Chinese scholar at UM in widening smuggling probe  The Detroit News

Events

23 h. ago China maths genius opens first social media account, gains 23 million fans in 5 days

Chinese mathematics prodigy Wei Dongyi has recently launched his first social media account, capturing widespread attention due to concerns about his appearance and dental health, while amassing an impressive 23 million followers in just five days. The 33-year-old, originally from Shandong province in eastern China, serves as an assistant professor in the mathematics department at the esteemed Peking University. Despite his remarkable achievements, Wei prefers a life centred on research and...

Economics

25 h. ago China urges ‘high vigilance’ from citizens in LA as ICE protests continue

China has urged its citizens in the Los Angeles area to stay vigilant and prioritise their personal safety amid “ongoing law enforcement actions” targeting immigration-related protests in California’s largest city. In a safety advisory issued on Monday, the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles reminded Chinese citizens in the area “to closely monitor official announcements and media reports, stay highly vigilant, strengthen safety precautions, avoid gathering sites, crowded areas, or locations with...

Events

58 h. ago Chinese media rebate corruption probe widens across agencies

Chinese media rebate corruption probe widens across agencies  Campaign Asia

Politics

68 h. ago Social media giant RedNote opens Hong Kong office, its first outside mainland

Chinese social media giant RedNote has opened an office in Hong Kong, its first outside mainland China, a move the city’s finance chief hopes will provide a boost to local businesses and the platform’s international expansion. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Saturday that he had personally invited the company, also known as Xiaohongshu, to set up a base in the city. “When I visited Shanghai at the end of last year, I made a special visit to Xiaohongshu’s headquarters,” Chan wrote on...

Politics

4 d. ago Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held phone call on Thursday, Chinese state media reports

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held phone call on Thursday, Chinese state media reports  Financial Times

Politics

6 d. ago Sorry, but the ‘China shock’ was actually pretty good for America

The idea that China has stolen millions of American jobs in recent decades, causing a collapse in the manufacturing labour market, has long been a staple anti-Chinese narrative on both sides of US politics. Even economists and media pundits who grudgingly acknowledge that cheap Chinese goods have made life easier and more affordable for the average American would complain about these alleged mass job losses. And the blue-collar voters most severely affected by sectoral lay-offs and the decline...

Events

6 d. ago Malaysia goes after US$178 million in London assets tied to Daim’s widow

Malaysia has launched efforts to freeze assets in London – including bank accounts and prime real estate valued at £132 million (US$178 million) – linked to the widow of the late tycoon Daim Zainuddin, according to anti-graft authorities. The process – which will ultimately need to be executed by authorities in the United Kingdom – is part of a widening embezzlement probe into his family’s wealth. Daim, who died last November aged 86, was a key ally of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and...

Economics

7 d. ago Top retired Chinese general Xu Qiliang dies of illness: state media

Top retired Chinese general Xu Qiliang dies of illness: state media  Reuters

Events

1 week ago Disbelief as China paraglider sucked into freezing, high altitude vortex is punished

Social media in China has reacted with disbelief after a Chinese paraglider who miraculously survived after being sucked into a potentially deadly cloud vortex that carried him 8,598 metres above sea level was punished by local authorities. Peng Yujiang, 55, was sucked into the clouds on May 24 in the Qilian Mountain region across Qinghai and Gansu provinces in northwestern China. He ascended to an altitude almost the height of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest that is 8,849 metres...

Politics

1 week ago China ‘goddess’ actress returns in crime thriller, captivating Cannes audiences

Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan has made a notable comeback to the media spotlight with her new Hong Kong film, Sons of the Neon Night, which recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. After marrying Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao in 2014 and welcoming a daughter in 2019, Gao significantly reduced her public exposure, making her return to showbiz especially stunning for fans who observed that she seemed to have not aged at all. Sons of the Neon Night, a Hong Kong dystopian crime thriller,...

Events

1 week ago WeChat denounced by North Carolina official for complicity in US fentanyl crisis

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has accused the Chinese social media app WeChat of facilitating cross-border money laundering that helps finance the fentanyl abuse crisis in the US. In a video posted online on Tuesday, Jackson alleged that Mexican drug cartels have been using WeChat to coordinate cash pickups in US cities, arrange currency swaps with Chinese brokers and quietly move drug profits across borders. “You are now a core part of the business model that is killing thousands...

Politics

1 week ago WeChat denounced for complicity in US fentanyl crisis by North Carolina official

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has accused the Chinese social media app WeChat of facilitating cross-border money laundering that helps finance the fentanyl abuse crisis in the US. In a video posted online on Tuesday, Jackson alleged that Mexican drug cartels have been using WeChat to coordinate cash pickups in US cities, arrange currency swaps with Chinese brokers and quietly move drug profits across borders. “You are now a core part of the business model that is killing thousands...

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese media highlights Beijing's keenness to boost presence in Gulf region through Kuwait

Chinese media highlights Beijing's keenness to boost presence in Gulf region through Kuwait  kuna.net.kw

Politics

2 w. ago Alibaba entertainment group gets whale of a name change with orca rebranding

Alibaba Group Holding is renaming its digital entertainment division as part of a broader push to reinvigorate growth outside its core e-commerce and cloud businesses. Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group will be renamed Hujing Digital Media and Entertainment Group, using the Chinese name for the orca, or killer whale, Alibaba said in a statement on its official WeChat account on Wednesday. “Orcas are large but flexible and smart, and can adapt to various complex environments,” the...

Politics

4 w. ago Chinese nationalism surges across social media as viral video mocks downed Indian jets

Controversial influencer sparks social media fervour with Indian song parody remix over recently reported J-10C downing of French Rafale by Pakistan fighter pilots.

Politics