4 d. ago Pizza, the Pentagon and connecting the pepperoni dots to China’s military parade

What insight does a flood of pizza orders to chains near the Pentagon give China about official American interest in its military parade? More than a slice, according to a Chinese social media account following the scent of melted cheese near the Department of Defence in Washington. Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV noted an apparent spike in pizza orders near the Pentagon during Beijing’s Victory Day parade. It released a video saying customer...

Events

8 d. ago Chinese tourists’ love affair with Paris deepens as visits surge 15%

Many Chinese tourists arriving in Paris in recent weeks have been surprised by the same thing: the quiet. August is the traditional holiday month in France, when most Parisians flee the capital for sunny beaches in the south or exotic destinations abroad. “The French have all left, some neighbourhoods have barely any people,” one user wrote on the Chinese social platform RedNote. Others posted photos of deserted boulevards near Parc Monceau and the Musée d’Orsay. But that has not stopped Chinese...

Society

9 d. ago Student’s operating room photo sparks Hong Kong medical school pledge on conduct

A Hong Kong medical school has pledged to strengthen measures to uphold professional conduct after an exchange student was found to have posted a photo on social media taken inside an operating theatre, with the hospital involved slamming the “inappropriate” behaviour. The remarks on Saturday by the faculty of medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) came after internet users widely circulated a post on the Chinese social media platform RedNote. The RedNote account holder claimed...

Culture

1 week ago Chinese man travels across nation in ‘goodwill’ excavator, gains 550,000 followers

A Chinese man has gone viral for embarking on a journey across China in an excavator, visiting 13 provinces and regions over six months and amassing more than 550,000 followers online. His remarkable adventure has garnered widespread admiration and envy across Chinese social media platforms. Wen Xiangpu, 27, from Pingdingshan in northern China’s Henan province, began learning to operate excavators at the age of 15 and spent years travelling the country working at various construction...

Economics

1 week ago What does a mock US rocket launcher in mainland China say about a Taiwan conflict?

Mock-ups of Himars rocket launchers – which Taiwan has ordered from the US – have been spotted in a car park in mainland China, suggesting a PLA simulation of a cross-strait conflict. A video circulating on mainland Chinese social media this week showed three trucks resembling the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars). The replica trucks appeared to be lighter than genuine Himars units and, according to the video, lacked rocket launchers. The footage showed the vehicles...

Events

1 week ago ‘Inappropriate’: Japan urges China to curb AI videos on wartime emperor

Japan has called on the Chinese government to take steps against a surge of artificial-intelligence videos on Chinese social media mocking Emperor Hirohito, the wartime monarch, warning that the clips risk further straining already fraught bilateral ties. There has been a sharp increase in video clips released on Chinese social media in the run-up to a military parade scheduled for September 3 to mark 80 years since Japan’s surrender ended World War II. In one video, the wartime emperor...

Events

2 w. ago China’s Weibo shuts down social media accounts for ‘inciting gender antagonism’

The Chinese social media platform Weibo has shut down several accounts for “inciting gender antagonism” and vowed to continue cracking down on such behaviour. On Monday, the social media site announced via its official account that it had permanently closed an account named “Lilian Shuodao” for “continuously stigmatising the opposite sex and posting extreme anti-marriage remarks”. The term “opposite sex” referred to men. As of Tuesday, the banned account, which had 129,000 followers, was no...

Politics

2 w. ago Swatch apologises, pulls ad after backlash over racist gesture in China

Swatch apologises, pulls ad after backlash over racist gesture in China  Storyboard18

Politics

3 w. ago Tesla says Model Y L 'coming soon' in Chinese social media post

Tesla says Model Y L 'coming soon' in Chinese social media post  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago Watchmaker Swatch apologizes for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China

Watchmaker Swatch apologizes for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China  NBC News

Politics

3 w. ago Swatch apologizes for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China

Swatch apologizes for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China  yahoo.com

Politics

3 w. ago Swatch pulls "slanted eye" ad after Chinese social media uproar

Swatch pulls "slanted eye" ad after Chinese social media uproar  cbsnews.com

Politics

3 w. ago Apple joins China’s RedNote platform ahead of iPhone 17 launch

Apple has joined the popular Chinese social platform RedNote, known as China’s answer to Instagram, in the US tech giant’s latest bid to strengthen its brand presence in the competitive mainland market ahead of the launch of the iPhone 17. After publishing its first post on Saturday morning, the verified Apple account has amassed more than 200,000 followers on RedNote, a site known for its young, tech-savvy and trend-conscious user base. Earlier this year RedNote gained worldwide fame,...

Politics

3 w. ago Watchmaker Swatch apologises for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China

Watchmaker Swatch apologises for 'slanted eye' ad after online backlash in China  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago Swatch says sorry for ‘slanted eyes’ ad after social media backlash in China

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology for a “slant eye” promotional image that has triggered strong criticism on Chinese social media, with the gesture widely considered offensive to Asians. In statements posted to Instagram and China’s Weibo on Saturday, the Swatch Group sought to “sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused”. The company said it had taken note of the “recent concerns” regarding the portrayal of a model in images for a men’s watch...

Politics

3 w. ago Swatch says sorry for ‘slant eye’ ad after social media backlash in China

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology for a “slant eye” promotional image that has triggered strong criticism on Chinese social media, with the gesture widely considered offensive to Asians. In statements posted to Instagram and China’s Weibo on Saturday, the Swatch Group sought to “sincerely apologise for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused”. The company said it had taken note of the “recent concerns” regarding the portrayal of a model in images for a men’s watch...

Politics

3 w. ago Will retirees be job market winners as China targets social insurance dodgers?

Increased scrutiny of businesses in China that evade their social insurance obligations looks set to further boost the employment of retirees, prompting widespread concerns as a record number of university graduates tries to find work. It all came to a head recently when recruitment notices put out by the McDonald’s fast food chain, which has been employing retirees for years, sparked an emotional response on Chinese social media platforms. “The logic behind it is simple – hiring retirees means...

Events

3 w. ago Family drama as Chinese mum sues daughter for US$680,000 over elder care dispute

A family drama has sparked intense debate on Chinese social media after a mother – who had given her daughter 4.9 million yuan (US$680,000) as compensation for quitting her job to care for her – sued her to reclaim the money following a heated dispute over unpaid rent. The case originated when the mother, surnamed Jin, whose age remains undisclosed, required help due to health issues. In 2021, she reached an agreement with her daughter, surnamed Lu, asking her to resign from her job in Guangzhou...

Events

3 w. ago Apple eyes Douyin Pay for China App Store while speculation swirls on new iPhone

Apple has started testing Douyin Pay as a new mobile payment service on its China App Store, according to mainland media reports, while purportedly leaked images of the iPhone 17 stirred up discussion on Chinese social media this week. Once tests are completed, Douyin Pay is expected to serve as the fourth payment platform on the mainland App Store, after Ant Group’s Alipay, Tencent Holdings’ WeChat Pay and state-run China UnionPay, according to reports on Tuesday by online local media IThome...

Politics

4 w. ago Elegant World Games judge ‘Mr Ferrari’ goes viral on Chinese social media

A Latvian judge in the Latin dance contest at the World Games in Chengdu has gone viral on Chinese social media, with fans commenting on his posture and elegance, which have earned him the nickname “Mr Ferrari”. Standing at more than 1.88 metres (six feet, two inches), Sergey Sinkins, listed as an official adjudicator at the World Games, drew the eye of Chinese fans at the Chengbei Gymnasium on Friday for his tall and slender appearance, needle-straight posture, silver hair and black suit. As...

Events