Current Events

[Randy W]

This season’s box office takings were largely driven by the sci-fi movie “Moon Man,” which has amassed more than 2 billion yuan since its release on July 29, according to Beacon. The movie is adapted from South Korean illustrator Cho Seok’s comic series and tells the story of a spacecraft maintenance worker named Dugu Yue after he was unintentionally left on the moon.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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Sci-Fi Comedy ‘Moon Man’ Helps Boost China’s Box Office Sales
The latest domestic release is likely to provide a much-needed thrust to a film industry pounded by virus control measures.

Moviegoers scan “venue code” at the entrance to a cinema in Shanghai, July 8, 2022. VCG

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This season’s box office takings were largely driven by the sci-fi movie “Moon Man,” which has amassed more than 2 billion yuan since its release on July 29, according to Beacon. The movie is adapted from South Korean illustrator Cho Seok’s comic series and tells the story of a spacecraft maintenance worker named Dugu Yue after he was unintentionally left on the moon.

 . . .

Moviegoers had, however, mixed reactions for “Moon Man,” which has scored 6.8 out of 10 on review site Douban as of publication time. While some people said they liked the human emotions and self-serving nature of the protagonist, others argued the movie felt like “a hodgepodge of previous sci-fi movies.”

Other top-ranking movies during the holiday season include Chinese drama “Light Up the Stars” and Hollywood thriller “Jurassic World Dominion.” The two movies raked in 1.7 million yuan and 1.1 billion, respectively, as of Monday afternoon.

 

 

[Randy W]

Huge fire consumes 900-year-old bridge in China

The longest wooden bridge in China was burnt down by a huge fire in August. The Wan’an bridge was 98.2 metres long and 4.7 metres wide.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/1223771384872265/

[Randy W]

Portray Another You in the Metaverse with a Virtual Avatar Creator

With the increase in popularity of the metaverse in China, a raft of new occupations has come to the fore to satisfy users’ individual needs. A virtual avatar creator, or “nielianshi,” is one of them. A search on Taobao shows results for products with prices ranging from 20 yuan ($2.96) to 1,000 yuan, and an avatar of a celebrity can cost up to 2,000 yuan.

Learn more: http://ow.ly/pZlz50KiAYM

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/videos/772241484091439/

[Randy W]

Flash Flood Turns Chinese Scenic Spot Into Death Trap

Seven people died and eight were injured in southwest China’s Sichuan province, after flash floods ripped through a popular tourist hotspot.

Read more: http://ow.ly/E8gy50KkyqB

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/videos/1172740663642807/

Flash Flood Kills Seven in Southwest China
A flash flood turned a social media-friendly valley into a death trap. Local authorities say they saw it coming.

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The emergency management bureau in Pengzhou reported the flood Saturday night, saying local officials sent people to the site to warn tourists to leave after they received warning of a cloudburst from the local meteorological station an hour before the accident happened.

The city has sent at least 15 professional rescue teams, together with civil soldiers and police, to search for survivors in the valleys and rivers over the past weekend. The rescue was “close to an end,” according to the latest official release on Sunday afternoon.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

On 12/2/2021 at 12:39 AM, Randy W said:

In the aftermath of the "bicycle wars": a protracted, venture capital-funded fight between Ofo and Mobike that took place from 2016 to 2017, the industry seems increasingly stable. Are the country’s bike-sharing firms finally on the right track?

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3101382943513878

After the Crash: Checking In on China’s Bike-Sharing Industry
It’s been almost five years since the “bicycle wars.” Are the country’s bike-sharing firms finally on the right track?

 

Without VC money, Chinese bike rental survivors are seeking ways to make ends meet. China’s top two bike rental services, Meituan Bike and Ant Group-backed Hello Inc., have increased their rental fees for membership services by between 40% and 50% since the beginning of this year.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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Inflation Hits China’s ‘Sharing Economy’ as Bills Come Due
Without VC money, Chinese bike rental survivors are seeking ways to make ends meet.

A man maintains Meituan sharing bikes in Beijing, Aug. 12, 2022. VCG

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These operations aren’t cheap, and so-called “sharing economy” companies relied for years on deep-pocketed venture capitalists to pick up the tab for their operations. Now, many VCs are tired of paying, and companies are sending the bill to someone new: you.

China’s top two bike rental services, Meituan Bike and Ant Group-backed Hello Inc., have increased their rental fees for membership services by between 40% and 50% since the beginning of this year, our sister site The Paper reported.

 . . .

China’s main bike rental companies are the survivors of the “bike wars.” Ofo, an early pioneer whose name was almost synonymous with the market, collapsed in 2018. Hello, Meituan Bike, and Qingju are all backed by major Chinese tech firms.

They’ve been increasing per-ride prices for years, in an effort to make money. The price of a short ride went from 1 yuan ($.15) to between 2.5 and 4 yuan in 2019. Now, prices in the city range from 4.5 to 6 yuan, with more increases expected this year. That’s about 50% inflation on an annual basis.

 

 

[Randy W]

Chinese woman detained by police for wearing kimono in public

"You are picking quarrels and provoking trouble."

from the SCMP

Edited August 19, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Elon Musk, CEO of electric vehicle maker #Tesla Inc, called for cooperation with like-minded Chinese partners in clean energy, artificial intelligence, human-machine collaboration and space to jointly create a shared future.
Musk is the latest US entrepreneur to embrace a warm attitude toward Chinese partners in cutting-edge technologies, which will benefit the world, experts said.
Musk said Tesla was established to solve the problems of energy revolution, and Chinese enterprises cannot be neglected in the transition.
The senior executive made the comments in an article for a magazine of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation's top internet regulator. The article was published online in Chinese on Tuesday.  

from China Pictorial on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaPic/posts/pfbid02rvhsi9QxFox23s47ecGA7p72NBfRWSXX7EU3rrttKNF6GVns9WaE44hdLJReCm54l

In this undated file photo, smart robots are displayed at a demonstration zone in Zhangjiang AI Robot Valley, a high-tech hub in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. (SHEN CHUNCHEN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

[Randy W]

It's not clear that Elon Musk has an understanding of what he is stepping into.

Elon Musk envisions ties with China partners

from China Daily

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Dong Yifan, assistant research fellow at the Beijing-based China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said: "Musk's comments highlight that the opportunities of the Chinese market and the appeal of Chinese partners are unparalleled for large global companies. That is especially true amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China's efforts to promote industrial transformation and upgrade will continue to create tons of opportunities for foreign companies. Healthy China-US technological ties will benefit the world."

On Saturday, the millionth China-made Tesla EV rolled off the assembly line at its Shanghai plant, which means the facility has produced around one-third of all vehicles the US carmaker has sold across the world. The carmaker said the Shanghai facility is "the most efficient" unit of its global production network.

 

 

[Randy W]

Macau’s New Gaming Law

from China Law Blog/Harris Bricken Law Firm

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Macau has a new gaming law as of June 21, 2022. On that day, Macau’s Legislative Assembly approved Law No. 7/2022, which amends a 2001 law. While the legal framework for gambling remains fundamentally unchanged, the amended law offers a hint of what is to come, not just for Macau’s casinos, but for Macau itself.

 . . .

Macau has established itself as a global gaming leader. Not having any legal competition in China has helped, of course. This said, Macau’s casinos have been around since long before the city had a meaningful number of visitors from Mainland China: There is a reason why Macau has 24-hour ferry service connecting it to Hong Kong, and why it has more Hong Kong dollars in circulation than its own currency. In any case, Macau’s economy is highly dependent on its casinos for tax revenues and jobs, and to help attract tourists more broadly. (N.B., Macau is a great place to visit, even if you have no interest in casinos.)

The amended law expands regulatory oversight over Macau’s casinos, reflecting the central government’s wishes for tighter controls. Casino licenses are now only valid for 10 years, down from 20. Concessionaries now face an expanded list of duties, and will be subject to a Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau review every three years, “regarding compliance with the concession contract in general.” In a clear nod to Beijing, national security threats are now explicitly listed as one of the reasons for cancellation of a casino license. Gaming taxes have been increased slightly, from 39% to 40%.

One of the most interesting features of the new law is that it provides tax breaks for casinos that bring in more foreign (as in, non-Chinese) visitors. This is part of a bid to reduce dependence on Chinese bettors as Beijing cracks down on cross-border gambling activity. Keep in mind that in 2021 China’s Criminal Law was amended, making it illegal to organize Chinese citizens to participate in overseas gambling activities. China has also taken steps to curb gaming-related travel.

 . . . Yet it is hard to see how Macau can maintain its First World lifestyle without casinos. A gambling ban would cripple the Macanese economy, something that Beijing surely does not want to happen, particularly given how Macau has been a “good student” following the return to the Motherland – in marked contrast to Hong Kong.

Foreigner-only casinos may offer a compromise. Macau would get to keep some casino income coming in, while making it harder for China’s own citizens to legally gamble within the country. The tax breaks provided by the amended law may be paving the way for such an arrangement, by giving the good student Macau a chance to prepare.

For now, China is ready to let the good times roll, with the increased oversight established by the amended law. This said, it may just be a question of time before Beijing decides that open gambling is altogether inconsistent with its socialist values. In that case, Macau better hope that its rulers can at least accept taking bets from those incorrigible foreigners.

 

 

[Randy W]

China heatwave sends villagers into a cool cave - to have hotpot

These villagers fought heat with heat - through hot pot 

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/731439031285593/

[Randy W]

 

The bed of Poyang Lake is exposed in Jiangxi. China is experiencing a heat wave and drought this year unlike anything seen in decades, which led to such dry conditions that China’s largest freshwater lake appeared to hardly be a body of water at all in some locations. VCG

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/a.1604152706570250/3305749863077184

[Randy W]

Early dry season for China’s largest freshwater lake

This temple is normally partly submerged in the summer. But China’s heatwave is drying Poyang Lake and threatening the water supply of local communities.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/447941174049535/

[Randy W]

‘The Last Generation’: The Disillusionment of Young Chinese
Many believe that they’re the most unlucky generation since the 1980s as Beijing’s persistent pursuit of the zero Covid policy wreaks havoc.

from the NY Times

 

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Four years ago, many young Chinese liked to use the hashtag #Amazing China.

Two years ago, they said that China was the “A” student in pandemic control and urged the rest of the world, especially the United States, to “copy China’s homework.”

Now many believe that they’re the most unlucky generation since the 1980s as Beijing’s persistent pursuit of the zero Covid policy is wreaking havoc. Jobs are hard to find. Frequent Covid testing dictates their lives. The government is imposing more and more restrictions on their individual liberty while pushing them to get married and have more children.

 . . .

Ms. Cheng is part of a new trend known as the “run philosophy,” or “runxue,” that preaches running away from China to seek a safer and brighter future. She and millions of others also reposted a video in which a young man pushed back against police officers who warned that his family would be punished for three generations if he refused to go to a quarantine camp. “This will be our last generation,” he told the police.

His response became an online meme that was later censored. Many young people identified with the sentiment, saying they would be reluctant to have children under the increasingly authoritarian government.

 . . .

Some students in Changchun in northeastern Jilin Province complained on social media that they couldn’t shower for more than 40 days when the city was locked down and had no access to public bathhouses.

Tongji University in Shanghai, known for its engineering and architecture programs, issued detailed instructions on how to use a mobile phone-based queuing system for the toilets and washrooms, according to a document on the system reviewed by The New York Times.

Students would need to press “start” when they left the dorm for the toilet and press “stop” when they returned to avoid having two people in the hallway at the same time, the instructions said. Each toilet run would be allowed a maximum 10 minutes. After eight minutes, the others in the queue could digitally poke the student in the toilet. After 10 minutes, the student would need to explain to the queuing group why it took so long.

Some of the social control mechanisms were never lifted.

 

 

[Randy W]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:18 PM, Randy W said:

Unanswered Questions Linger in the Aftermath of Tangshan BBQ Restaurant Beating Incident
The deafening silence surrounding the female victims of the Tangshan incident is trending on Weibo, where people are demanding answers.

from What's on Weibo

 

 

 

 

Prosecutors in the northern Hebei province have filed charges against 28 people and launched an investigation into over a dozen officials two months after a brutal attack against a group of women that triggered widespread concerns about the safety of women across the country.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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28 People Charged Over Brutal Attack on Women in Tangshan
The assault on four female diners in June sparked a public outcry about women’s safety in China.

A screenshot from surveillance video shows victims sent to hospital. From @央视新闻 on Weibo

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Prosecutors in the northern Hebei province have filed charges against 28 people and launched an investigation into over a dozen officials two months after a brutal attack against a group of women that triggered widespread concerns about the safety of women across the country.

Criminal charges have been filed against seven people accused of attacking the female diners in Tangshan, said the Guangyang District People’s Procuratorate in the city of Langfang in a statement Monday. Investigations involving local officials are sometimes passed on to other cities in the same province to avoid potential cover-ups and corruption.

 

 

[Randy W]

Cloud-seeding rocket nearly hits pedestrians in China as it falls on pavement

from the SCMP