China
Stories tagged China.
Student's AI Tool Translates Murakami's New Novel Into Mandarin in Four Hours for Under $2
A 21-year-old Chinese literature student built an AI tool that rendered Haruki Murakami's newest novel into Mandarin within four hours of its Tokyo release, at a cost of about 13 RMB.
Shanghai's Levelup Games Bets on Wuxia and British Horror to Take Chinese Titles Global
Founded in 2024, the small cross-border publisher splits a dozen-or-so staff between Shanghai and Los Angeles, with a two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker quietly advising on narrative.
China’s Young Workers Fight ‘Office Aging’ With Wellness Hacks and ‘Gross’ Outfits
Young professionals in China are pushing back against the physical and mental toll of corporate life with unconventional wellness routines and deliberately sloppy workwear, saying their time at the company shouldn’t cost them their youth.
Hermès Posts Steady First-Half Sales Amid China Stabilisation
Hermès reported first-half revenue of €8.2 billion, with growth of 6.1% at constant exchange rates, while noting that China is not showing signs of recovery yet.
China’s Youth Turns ‘Vibe Coding’ Into a Social Scene
A new AI-driven trend called ‘vibe coding’ lets people build apps using natural language instead of complex syntax, and China’s creative youth are turning it into a weekend social activity.
Haidilao's takeaway business surges 121% as it expands into lower-tier cities
China's largest hotpot chain Haidilao saw takeaway revenue surge 121% in the first half, as the Hong Kong-listed group diversified into new formats and expanded into lower-tier markets despite a soft economy.
CATL Launches E-Commerce Platform for Direct Energy Storage Sales to Smaller Buyers
CATL has officially launched an e-commerce platform enabling smaller energy storage system makers to purchase directly online, bypassing distributors as domestic competition intensifies.
Adidas Originals Launches All-Female Activewear Campaign in China
Adidas Originals is entering China's competitive activewear market with a localized, all-female campaign for its new Originals Sport line, featuring six athletes and celebrities.
Beijing’s Streets Turn Into a Giant Ring Toss Game
A playful new street trend in Beijing has young people hurling plastic rings at fire hydrants, security cameras, and street signs, turning the city into an impromptu carnival game.
China’s Offshore Wealth Tax Push Deepens Luxury Sales Slump
Global luxury brands are facing a sharper downturn in China as the government’s campaign to tax offshore wealth ripples through markets and curbs spending by the country’s richest shoppers.
A Cat, a Giant Winter Melon, and China's Latest Summer Meme
A viral image of a fluffy cat hugging a giant winter melon has become China's newest internet obsession, turning the humble dong gua into a Gen Z cooling hack and inspiring pet-friendly food products.
Nomadic 'Shanzhai MFA' Blurs Art, Fashion, and Education Across China
Shanzhai MFA, a nomadic artist collective founded in 2023, is redefining art education with low-residency programs across rural China and a recent two-week takeover of a Shanghai fashion-and-art space.
China’s luxury rebound brings a changed shopper
China’s luxury market is recovering from a spending slump, but the returning consumer has new priorities that brands must adapt to.
China's 'Ugliest' Animated Film Becomes a Gen Z Phenomenon
The animated movie 'Niu Lai' (The Bull is Coming) turned a disastrous box-office opening into a viral cultural moment as young Chinese viewers embraced its raw, unpolished chaos as ironic entertainment.
Tiffany vs. Alffany: The Unlikely Trademark Clash in China
Tiffany & Co. and Chinese brand Alffany are locked in a trademark fight stretching back years, with the latest case reaching the Beijing High People's Court on July 9.
China’s Gen Z Are Taking Up Quilting, Giving Traditional Pīnbù a Modern Twist
Young Chinese are turning to the ancient craft of pīnbù, or patchwork, as a mindful escape and a form of 'mechanical healing,' fueling a handicraft economy worth an estimated 120 billion yuan.
Marshall Stages Its Largest Live Music and Culture Event in Chengdu
The six-day Keep Live Music Alive festival, hosted with Tmall, brought together Chinese rock acts, independent venues and Marshall archive showcases.
Flash-Era Mini-Game Portals Shaped Chinese Millennials' Summer Holidays
Before smartphones, Chinese millennials spent school breaks on browser-based mini-game sites like 4399 and 7K7K, which became a shared digital playground for a generation.
UBTech's home humanoids attract 13,000-plus pre-orders ahead of September delivery
Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics has drawn more than 13,000 pre-orders for its U1 series companion robots, with the first units set to ship in September.
China Curbs AI Chatbots Used for Emotional Companionship
Chinese regulators have issued new guidelines restricting AI chatbots that offer continuous emotional interaction, aiming to prevent dependency and protect minors as demand for AI companionship grows.
Luxury Resumes Growth But Lags Boom-Era Peaks
Source signal: Luxury resumes growth, but the boom years remain elusive
Delivery Rider Wins China’s Top Literary Prize
Wang Jibing, a delivery driver, has won one of China’s most prestigious literary prizes for his poetry collection about the struggles of delivery work.
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K3, a Massive New AI Model for Coding and Reasoning
Beijing-based Moonshot AI has launched Kimi K3, a large language model with 2.8 trillion parameters and a one-million-token context window, targeting coding, reasoning and complex knowledge work.
Peaches Take Over Chinese Social Media as Summer Trend
Chinese netizens are turning peach shopping into a viral taste-test ritual, ordering mixed boxes of varieties to find the best summer fruit.
Chanel Expands Les Extraits Line With Limited Boutique Distribution
Chanel is rolling out its Les Extraits fragrance line in select stores via appointment-only sales, with 50 locations in China and 200 globally, following a Shanghai event that highlighted the new 1957 Extrait and Extrait-to-Wear spray.
China Unveils First Five-Year Plan to Boost Consumption, Targets $9 Trillion Retail Sales by 2030
China's cabinet has issued its first five-year plan dedicated to boosting consumption, aiming for annual retail sales of 60 trillion yuan ($9 trillion) by 2030 and promising to raise household incomes significantly.
Ikea's Parent Ingka Group Sells Eight Former Retail Sites in China
Ingka Group, Ikea's parent company, has hired JLL to sell eight former retail properties in mainland China, marking its largest asset disposal in nearly 30 years in the market.
China’s Gen Z Coins New Slang for Emotional Exhaustion and ‘Villain Era’
Chinese Gen Z internet users have popularized new buzzwords including 'spiralling' for mental fatigue, 'villain era' for aggressive self-assertion, and 'crispy' for sudden physical fragility, reflecting deeper cultural shifts.
China's Women Athletes Drive Soft Power Through Sports
From volleyball to table tennis and diving, China's women's national teams are leveraging athletic success to enhance the country's soft power on the global stage.
AI-Driven Commerce Reshapes China's Beauty Market, Says Yaso Co-Founder
Adam Knight, co-founder of Yaso, advises beauty brands to adopt an AI-first approach as China's market shifts away from legacy retail routes, with AI integration far ahead of the West.
Baduanjin Rave: Chinese Youth Swap Nightclubs for Morning Qigong Sessions
A new wellness trend in China fuses the ancient qigong practice of baduanjin with ambient electronic music, drawing Gen Z and millennials seeking mindful movement and stress relief.
Freitag Taps China's Bag Charm Craze with Blind Boxes and Recycled Tarps
Swiss bag maker Freitag launched bag charms and blind boxes on Tmall to mark its seven-year anniversary, tapping into China's trend for personalized accessories.
Elderly Chinese retail investors shift savings to tech stocks on state support
Technology stocks, including chipmakers and AI developers, are attracting elderly retail investors in China who are betting on the nation's technological ascendancy, spurred by government backing and dissatisfaction with blue-chip returns.
CNSC wins arrivals duty-free concession at Quanzhou Jinjiang Airport
Sinopharm-owned China National Service Corporation (CNSC) has secured the arrivals duty-free contract at Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport, giving it control of both departures and arrivals duty-free stores at the Fujian province gateway.
Chinese Dorm Supervisors Form Punk Band, Go Viral with Graduation Anthem
Five university dorm supervisors in China, known as 'dorm aunties,' have formed a rock band and released a punk-style graduation song called 'Go Shine,' becoming an internet sensation.
CNSC Secures Eight-Year Arrivals Duty-Free Concession at Guiyang International Airport
Sinopharm-owned China National Service Corporation has won an eight-year arrivals duty-free concession at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, marking its first such store at the airport and a key expansion into Southwest China.
CNSC to open arrivals duty-free store at Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport T2
Sinopharm-owned China National Service Corporation (CNSC) has won a concession for a 197 sq m arrivals duty-free store at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport Terminal 2, expanding its presence in the city to three duty-free outlets.
Louis Vuitton Sues Bubble Tea Chain in China Over Trademark
Louis Vuitton has taken legal action against a bubble-tea chain in Suzhou, China, to settle a trademark case, highlighting the challenges luxury brands face in protecting their IP in the Chinese market.
Chinese Youth Adopt Mango Seeds as Low-Maintenance Pets
A growing online community in China is treating mango seeds as pets, grooming and dressing the pits as alternatives to traditional animals.
How a Thunderstorm Turned Mbappé's World Cup Match Into Marketing Gold for Dongpeng Bushuaila
A rain delay during a France vs. Iraq World Cup match sparked a viral social media moment that Chinese sports drink brand Dongpeng Bushuaila leveraged for a marketing win.
China’s Stock Market Mirrors Uneven Economy as Tech Surges and Consumer Shares Slump
China’s US$16 trillion stock market reflects the widening gap between a booming technology sector and weak consumer spending, with AI chipmakers leading gains while consumer stocks lag.
China Rises in Global Competitiveness as Gen Z Embraces ‘Lying Flat’
China climbed to 12th in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking on June 18, 2026, yet the country’s Gen Z increasingly adopts a ‘lying flat’ mindset, reflecting a rejection of hyper-competitive social pressures.
Starbucks seeks deeper integration into Chinese consumer culture
After successfully introducing coffee to Chinese consumers, Starbucks is now working to embed itself in local lifestyles and cultural identity, according to industry analysts.
Global Luxury Market on Track to Reach $700 Billion by 2030
The global luxury market is projected to hit $700 billion by 2030, driven primarily by growth in the United States and China, according to a new survey-based report.
Nike turnaround wobbles as China sales slump 17%
Nike's global recovery under CEO Elliott Hill is showing signs of progress, but China sales continue to slump, falling 17% in the latest quarter.
France’s Guimet Museum Vows 24-Hour Repatriation of Looted Chinese Relics
Following a new French restitution law, the Musée Guimet of Asian Arts in Paris has pledged to return any Chinese artifacts proven stolen within 24 hours, marking a potentially historic shift in cultural heritage repatriation.
New Documentary 'Scent of China' Traces 5,000 Years of Fragrance Culture
An eight-part documentary series explores China's fragrance history from ancient incense-making to modern aromatic innovations, premiering in Huzhou with over 100 industry figures.
RedNote Creator Revives China's Y2K Dessert Culture
A creator on Chinese social platform RedNote is sparking nostalgia for the elaborate dessert cafes of the 1990s and early 2000s, offering parfaits, banana splits, and fruit cocktails topped with whipped cream and paper umbrellas.
Emotional Connection Tops Logo and Heritage for Luxury Shoppers, Report Finds
A new report reveals that aspirational and established luxury clients, spending $5,000 to $50,000 annually, have been underserved despite representing up to $90 billion in potential growth. Emotional connection now outweighs logo recognition and craftsmanship.
Adidas Taps Street Football Culture in China World Cup Push
Adidas launches an offline activation in China during the World Cup, featuring non-professional players and a Messi exhibition to deepen local engagement.
Ralph Lauren Reports 50% Sales Surge in China as Value Strategy Pays Off
Ralph Lauren posted a 50% sales increase in China last quarter, outperforming a subdued luxury market, driven by a multi-year brand overhaul and a shift in consumer preference toward value-oriented labels.
Documentary Revisits WHAM!'s Historic 1985 China Tour
A new documentary, 'WHAM! 10 Days In China', hits global cinemas on July 28, revisiting the British pop duo's landmark 1985 performances in Beijing and Guangzhou—the first by a Western pop group in the country.
China Retail Sales Fall for First Time Since 2022
Retail sales of consumer goods in China dropped 0.6% year-over-year in May, the first decline since December 2022, as weak domestic demand weighed on the world's second-largest economy.
China's 618 Shopping Festival Growth Stalls
E-commerce growth during China’s 618 festival has stalled, according to a round-up of global market news that also covers Panama’s luxury malls, Polish retailer LPP, and Indian textile exporters.
McDonald’s and POP MART Open ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ Pop-Up Playground in Shenzhen
McDonald’s is marking 35 years in China with an immersive pop-up playground in Shenzhen, created in partnership with POP MART and featuring the 'Twinkle Twinkle' IP by illustrator Daxin.
China Missing from FIFA 2026 Pitch but Dominates Stadium Infrastructure
Despite failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, China has become an 'invisible' home team through widespread technological and product presence, from electric buses to POP MART's Labubu mascots.
Gen Z in China Flips the Script on Expensive Wellness with $2 Shaxian Meal
A 12 RMB ($1.70) chicken leg set from Shaxian, China’s budget food chain, has been repurposed as a high-protein, low-GI fitness hack, challenging the notion that healthy eating must be costly.
China's '618' Shopping Festival Shows Signs of Waning Excitement as Consumers Tighten Spending
The annual '618' e-commerce bonanza, a key barometer of China's retail health, appears less vibrant this year as cautious consumer behavior amid the economic slowdown leads to noticeably smaller package piles at delivery stations.