Current Events

[Randy W]

Three state-owned airlines — Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines — ran up huge deficits, averaging 300 million yuan in operating losses per day.

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from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
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[Randy W]

Hong Kong to give away 500,000 airline tickets as part of a HK$2 billion promotion campaign

from the SCMP

Hong Kong has launched a HK$2 billion-plus (US$255 million) campaign to boost tourism, business and investment. The scheme, unveiled on February 2, 2023, by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, will include a giveaway of at least 500,000 airline tickets to visitors and Hong Kong residents. “Hello Hong Kong” aims to increase the number of visitors, bolster business and attract investors, as part of efforts to restore the city’s standing abroad following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Related story:
John woos: Hong Kong leader plans 160,000 free airline tickets for locals, regional visitors https://sc.mp/axx2

 

[Randy W]

Delivery Driver Cheers Up Snake-Bitten Customer, Literally
Impassioned voice messages from a delivery driver taking medicine to a customer who was bitten by a snake have gone viral on Chinese social media.

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from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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Edited February 7, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

After a series of public relations disasters, the gaming giant behind “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo” has found itself in hot water with Chinese players.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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How Blizzard Lost China
After a series of public relations disasters, the gaming giant behind “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo” has found itself in hot water with Chinese players.

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The exact sequence of events leading to the closure of Blizzard’s services on the Chinese mainland remains unclear, but players generally agree on one thing: It didn’t have to be this way. The first sign of a problem came on Nov. 17, 2022, when Blizzard abruptly announced it would terminate its partnership with longtime Chinese partner NetEase, through which NetEase had provided mainland-based players access to popular Blizzard titles like “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” and “Hearthstone.”

At first, the move was chalked up to typical business maneuverings — NetEase took over the license from Shanghai-based developer The9 Limited in 2009 — and players were optimistic Blizzard had a new partner waiting in the wings. But public opinion turned against Blizzard after NetEase made its frustration with the negotiations clear. First, a source close to NetEase leaked a list of Blizzard’s conditions for extending the deal, including a higher share of the profits, higher fees for players, and a massive prepaid deposit. As anger among players mounted, NetEase piled it on, selling “Blizzard Green Teas” at its company café — a reference to the misogynist slang “green tea bitch” — and rejecting a last-minute proposal from Blizzard, which still had not found a new partner, to extend the old agreement by six months as “expecting to live together after asking for a divorce.”

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Why China’s C919 is years away from flying in the US, Europe but not other regions

• Bilateral aviation-safety agreements exist between Chinese and Western aviation authorities to help certify the airworthiness of passenger jets, but there are more factors at play
• Stigma against ‘made-in-China’ products, along with geopolitics, could keep the C919 constrained to China and countries with closer ties

from the SCMP

China’s C919 passenger jet is expected to be put into service domestically over the coming months. Photo: AFP
 

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Before entering commercial service, the C919 is undergoing 100 hours worth of test flights. After a brief hiatus for the Lunar New Year holiday, the flight-validation process resumed on January 28 with a flight from Shanghai to Nanchang, Jiangxi province.

The maker of the C919, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), also has a regional jet – the ARJ21 – that has been in service since 2015 but has yet to be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

This is despite there being bilateral aviation-safety agreements set up among the two regulators and the CAAC for a certification validation that would allow Chinese-made aerospace products to be exported to the US and the EU based on mutual recognition of the certification process.

 . . .

Richard Evans, a senior consultant at Ascend by Cirium, said the primary market of the C919, which is designed to compete with Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320, is China.

“I think it’s unlikely the ARJ21 will ever do so, but it is possible that Comac will look to get the C919 certified by the EASA or FAA one day. I don’t think it will be a priority, however, as it would presumably take a very long time to achieve,” Evans said.

 

 

[Randy W]

H. pylori, a bacteria that can cause stomach cancer, was found in 71% of Chinese families. Experts have pointed to the role of shared dishes in spreading the bacteria, which can be transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids.

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[Randy W]

Multiple overseas entertainment giants including Netflix, Disney, and Amazon have sued Renren Video, a hugely popular Chinese streaming app, for copyright infringement.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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Netflix, Disney, Amazon Sue Chinese App for Copyright Violations
Renren Video — the streaming service in question — has faced dozens of similar lawsuits over the years.

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Shanghai Zhongduomei Network Technology Co., the parent company behind Duoduo TV, previously known as Renren Video, has been accused of copyright violations by eight original content providers, according to an update of the company’s legal records on Tianyancha, an enterprise information database.

The cases — filed by Universal Studios, Paramount, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Twenty-First Century Fox, Amazon, Netflix, and Disney — have been filed in a Shanghai court, the platform said.

With many global streaming services still inaccessible in China, most Chinese viewers have turned to websites like Renren Video over the years to watch overseas shows and movies.

And despite major domestic streaming services like iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku expanding their content, Chinese audiences continue to use more niche apps and even unauthorized websites for global video content.

 

 

[Randy W]

China has seen a steep decline in the number of young people willing to get married in recent years. But one surprising group bucks the trend: esports fans.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
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The college students admired each other’s ability to slaughter their rivals inside the game’s digital battlefield. After a few games, they began chatting, and then Gao took the plunge. “I played it cool,” he says. “I waited and added her after a few days.”

Four months later, they finally met in person. On their second date, standing on the beach in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, Gao asked Li to be his girlfriend. This time, she was the one who played hard to get.

“She said it would depend on my performance,” Gao recalls with a smile. “I told her this is your only shot, and then she agreed.”

 . . .

There has been a steep drop in the number of young Chinese willing to start families in recent years, with the number of couples getting married falling over 6% in 2021 alone. But gamers appear to buck this trend. A 2022 study by the Renmin University of China found that esports fans are 7.8% more likely than other Chinese college students to plan to marry and start families in the future.

Esports are massively popular in China, especially among students. The country’s esports market was worth an estimated 167 billion yuan ($24 billion) in 2021, up 13.5% year-over-year. Big wins by Chinese esports teams have been known to trigger wild celebrations on campuses across the country.

 

 

[Randy W]

ChatGPT frenzy sweeps China as firms scramble for homegrown options

from Reuters via CNBC

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At the same time, the OpenAI models behind the ChatGPT programme, which can write essays, recipes and complex computer code, are relatively accessible in China and increasingly being incorporated into Chinese consumer technology applications from social networks to online shopping.

The tool’s surging popularity is rapidly raising awareness in China about how advanced U.S. AI is and, according to analysts, just how far behind tech firms in the world’s second-largest economy are as they scramble to catch up.

“There is huge excitement around ChatGPT. Unlike the metaverse which faces huge difficulty in finding real-life application, ChatGPT has suddenly helped us achieve human-computer interaction,” said Ding Daoshi, director of Beijing-based internet consultancy Sootoo. “The changes it will bring about are more immediate, more direct and way quicker.”

OpenAI or ChatGPT itself is not blocked by Chinese authorities but OpenAI does not allow users in mainland China, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia and parts of Africa to sign up.

OpenAI told Reuters it is working to make its services more widely available.

“While we would like to make our technology available everywhere, conditions in certain countries make it difficult or impossible for us to do so in a way that is consistent with our mission,” the San Francisco-based firm said in an emailed statement. “We are currently working to increase the number of locations where we can provide safe and beneficial access to our tools.” 

 

 

[Randy W]

Sichuan pepper finally gets its own "name" in the export! In the past, it was marked with "other spices" in #export #tax issues. From 2023, it has had a separate list to export, which will benefit domestic enterprises like #Chongqing Jiangjin Fengyuan Chinese Prickly Ash Co. Ltd. to go abroad.
#SichuanPepper #Peppercorn

from iChongqing on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/iChongqing/photos/a.1152396818241348/2581263575354658

 

 

[Randy W]

Brewdog sets sights on China with new joint venture
Brewdog China will use Budweiser’s sales and distribution network in order to sell beers such as Punk IPA

Craft beer firm BrewDog is expanding across China after striking a joint venture deal with brewing giant Budweiser

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Brewdog China will use Budweiser’s sales and distribution network in order to sell beers such as Brewdog’s Punk IPA and Elvis Juice. It aims to start selling its products in China next month.

These beers will be produced at Budweiser China’s Putian Craft Brewery in Fujian province.

The announcement follows the opening of a Brewdog-branded rooftop bar in Las Vegas at the end of last year.

“Chinese drinkers love craft beer, but the sector is still very new,” Brewdog founder James Watt said. “In Budweiser China, we have found a partner that shares our growth vision for BrewDog in China and is perfectly placed to support our rapid growth in the region.”

 

 

[Randy W]

Mine collapse in China kills five, 48 miners still missing
Reuters

• At least five killed in coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia
• 48 people missing, rescue operations continue
• Authorities order immediate safety inspections at other mines

 

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The open-pit mine operated by small local firm Xinjing Coal Mining Co collapsed in a landslide, leaving dozens of workers buried under a huge pile of debris half a kilometre (550 yards) wide and an estimated 80 m high, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Dramatic security camera footage aired on CCTV on Thursday showed an avalanche of rock and soil falling from one side of the mountain into the mine pit, burying a number of excavators and dump trucks.

Three hundred rescue workers were at the site using heavy machinery and rescue dogs to aid in their search for the trapped miners, state media said.

 

 

[Randy W]

Weeks after a 23-year-old woman ended her life after being slut-shamed for sporting colored hair, a campaign has emerged online across China asking people to color their hair pink.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
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To Fight Trolls, A Campaign Wants People to Flaunt Pink Hair
It comes weeks after a 23-year-old woman was pushed to suicide after being attacked online for coloring her hair pink.

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Named PinkUp, the campaign began trending on Weibo, the microblogging platform, Wednesday and is aimed at combating cyberbullying. In January, Zheng Linghua took her own life as a result of being attacked online for several months after she posted pictures of herself with her hair colored pink.

“Pink is not a crime, violence is,” said the user who started the PinkUp campaign. “Let’s make pink the color that represents the fight against cyberbullying.”

 . . .

While some questioned whether a teacher with a “bizarre” hair color would be able to carry out her job responsibilities, another comment accused her of being “a graduate student with hair dyed like a bar escort.” The latter got more than 2,000 likes overnight. 

Some even alleged she was a prostitute, and tagged her post with titles such as “the old man and his young wife.” 

For months, Zheng battled all the slut-shaming and rumors with her lawyers. And just days after the photo of her with her grandfather went viral online, she dyed her black and even cut it short — just as online users claimed a potential teacher should do.  

But the attacks left her severely depressed, which she documented on her Xiaohongshu account. In her last online post, Zheng wrote last December: “This egg is alive and is trying its best to keep living.” 

About a month later, Zheng chose to end her life. In her suicide note, she stated that the numerous anonymous online attackers were the main cause of her depression and eventual death.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

4 suspects, including ex-husband, charged in killing of Hong Kong model Abby Choi 

Four former family members of a Hong Kong socialite, whose partial remains were found in a village house, were remanded in custody without bail.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/608652961083865/

 

 

4 suspects, including ex-husband, charged in killing of Hong Kong model Abby Choi

Four former family members of a Hong Kong socialite, whose partial remains were found in a village house, were remanded in custody without bail.

Posted by South China Morning Post on Monday, February 27, 2023

 

[Randy W]

The ‘two sessions’ – China’s most important political meetings of the year

Although the “two sessions” take place only days apart on the political calendar, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC) are two very distinct gatherings.

Here’s a closer look at how the two sessions, known as lianghui in Chinese, shape the nation’s policies.