Randy W Posted October 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 (edited) China’s state-run lotteries are enjoying a renaissance in 2023. Once considered hopelessly uncool, the games are suddenly winning over legions of young Chinese who are seeking cheap thrills and get-rich-quick solutions amid a tough economy. Read more: https://ow.ly/81k250PZqNK from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid0dNR8VqLXNMxFw57xBrNKacMtH1dQ7a35YQxbz9AYR3p6vzrztqXcPBJqENiUNWjCl Young Chinese Have a New Plan to Escape Tough Times: Win the Lottery China’s millennials are seeking cheap thrills and get-rich-quick solutions amid a tough economy. That’s leading many to embrace an institution long considered hopelessly uncool: the country’s state-run lotteries. Quote According to China’s Ministry of Finance, lottery ticket sales reached 50 billion yuan in April — the highest April figure in a decade — thanks in part to the soaring popularity of products favored by younger players, such as instant lottery games. Total sales during the first four months of 2023 surpassed 175 billion yuan, up over 49% year-over-year. Edited October 23, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2023 (edited) China says it uncovered another spying case in USl from Channel News Asia US and Chinese flags are seen through broken glass in this illustration taken, on Jan 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic) Quote The case is the latest to underscore Beijing's heightened commitment to national security, its expanded anti-spying laws and crackdown on domestic corruption. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said in a television report that a man surnamed Hou who worked at an undisclosed defence institute was sent in 2013 as a visiting scholar to a US university, where he was coerced into revealing Chinese state secrets. China's Ministry of State Security released a statement with the report on its WeChat social media account on Sunday, saying "espionage activities go hand in hand with deception, temptation, and conspiracy". The university was not named in the statement or media report. Edited October 23, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 (edited) China removes Defense Minister Li Shangfu after two-month disappearance from CNN Quote China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation. Li was also removed from his state positions as a member of the Central Military Commission – a powerful body headed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping who ultimately commands the armed forces – and as one of China’s five state councillors – a senior position in the cabinet that outranks a regular minister, state broadcaster CCTV reported Tuesday. The decision was approved by the standing committee of the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, according to CCTV. The committee did not name any successor to Li. Li, who was appointed defense minister in March, has not been seen in public since late August, fueling intense speculation about his fate. The general’s disappearance follows a series of unexplained personnel shakeups that have roiled the country’s upper ranks, including the dramatic ousting of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang in July. Qin was also removed as a state councillor on Tuesday, CCTV reported. Edited October 25, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 (edited) ‘Immaculate’ river creature — with ‘fleshy’ lips — discovered as new species in China from the Ledger-Enquirer News Quote The immaculate loach is a small fish, reaching about 3.5 inches in length, the study said. It has an “obtuse” snout with “fleshy” lips and 13 whisker-like barbels on its chin. A photo shows the immaculate loach’s “elongated” body with its relatively uniform brown-gray color. The tips of its fins are almost pinkish-orange, and is coloring blends in well with the surrounding rocks. I thought the headline was a little misleading Edited October 26, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 China crackdown on cyber scams in Southeast Asia nets thousands but leaves networks intact from AP News In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Myanmar police hand over five telecom and internet fraud suspects to Chinese police at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 26, 2023. Tens of thousands of people, many of them Chinese, have been caught up in cyber scams based in Southeast Asia. Local and Chinese authorities have netted thousands of people in a crackdown on such schemes, but experts say they are failing to root out the local elites and criminal networks that are running the scams. (Chinese embassy in Myanmar/Xinhua via AP) Quote In March, a job offer to teach Chinese cooking at a restaurant led him into a cyber scam compound in Myanmar, where he was instead ordered to lure Chinese into giving up their savings for fake investment schemes via social media platforms. Zhang is one of tens of thousands of people, mostly but not all Chinese, who have become ensnared in cyber scam networks run by powerful Chinese criminal syndicates in Southeast Asia. Regional and Chinese authorities have netted thousands of people in a crackdown, but experts say they are failing to root out the local elites and criminal networks that are bound to keep running the schemes. When scam operations are shut down in one place they often just resurface elsewhere. The problem is an embarrassment for Beijing and is discouraging ordinary Chinese from traveling to Southeast Asia out of fear they might be duped or kidnapped and caught up in a cyber scam operation. Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 Roller coaster collision injures 28 in China A roller coast ride gone wrong. from the SCMP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/321638640473110/ Shenzhen theme park closed after 8 people injured in roller coaster collision Shenzhen Happy Valley says it has closed for the weekend while a ‘complete safety check’ is carried out Two roller coaster trains on Snowy Eagle crashed on Friday evening, those injured said to be in stable condition Quote It said the incident happened at 6.27pm on Friday on the Snowy Eagle roller coaster, and that the eight people who sustained injuries were in a stable condition. . . . A video circulating online shows a roller coaster train suddenly sliding backwards from the top of a steep slope and colliding with another train that was stationary at the end of the ride with some passengers still on board. . . . The Snowy Eagle roller coaster is the theme park’s main attraction. It is billed as Asia’s tallest and longest catapult roller coaster and cost more than 200 million yuan (US$27.3 million). The ride, which has been in operation for 11 years, can reach a speed of 135km/h in 2 seconds, according to the theme park’s website. Link to comment
Randy W Posted October 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 5 hours ago, Randy W said: China crackdown on cyber scams in Southeast Asia nets thousands but leaves networks intact from AP News In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Myanmar police hand over five telecom and internet fraud suspects to Chinese police at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 26, 2023. Tens of thousands of people, many of them Chinese, have been caught up in cyber scams based in Southeast Asia. Local and Chinese authorities have netted thousands of people in a crackdown on such schemes, but experts say they are failing to root out the local elites and criminal networks that are running the scams. (Chinese embassy in Myanmar/Xinhua via AP) IN A MINUTE: Myanmar hands over 2,300 telecoms scam suspects to China #shorts @SouthChinaMorningPost Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Halloween Revelers Throng Shanghai, Some Wearing Costumes Seen As A Protest To China Policies from VOA News This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2023 shows a person in costumes posing on a street ahead of Halloween in Shanghai. Quote Halloween revelers thronged central Shanghai late on Tuesday night, with some dressed in costumes that poked fun at China's strict COVID-19 curbs in a rare showcase of free expression as police looked on. Celebrations in the Chinese financial hub began on the weekend, culminating on Tuesday in a large crowd of mostly young people that gathered around a popular bar area, according to onlookers and social media posts. While most attendees did not dress up and many of those who did wore outfits like monsters and superheroes, some attracted attention on social media for costumes such as blue and white hazmat suits that gained infamy in China last year for being used by authorities enforcing COVID-19 curbs known as "dabai." . . . Social media posts from Tuesday and the days before included one of a man donning boards illustrating China's slumping stock market and another dressed up as Lu Xun, a famous author whose works have been popular among Chinese youth as they grapple with historic rates of unemployment. The man recited a work by the author that urged those "who can speak out to speak out," before he was told to leave by a police officer, the video showed. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the video. "The 'dabai', COVID-19 testing, A-share market...that Shanghai people dressed up as are all elements that speak to the trauma of the times and traces of history. Once again, entertainment is not superficial, behind it are real-life scars," said one user on Weibo on Wednesday. Edited November 1, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 (edited) China’s 40th Antarctic expedition sets sail to build new base by February 2024 from the Global Times The 40th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition sets sail on November 1, 2023. The more-than-five-month scientific research journey will be conducted by three ships. Photo: from CCTV News Quote The 40th Chinese Antarctic research expedition set sail on Wednesday. With a scientific research journey scheduled to last for more than five months, the expedition's key task is building a new Antarctic station near the Ross Sea, which will be China's first research station dedicated to the Pacific sector and is planned to be finished by February 2024. Biggest Chinese Antarctic fleet sets off to build research station from Reuters People attend the launch ceremony of China's first domestically built polar icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, at a shipyard in Shanghai, China September 10, 2018. Picture taken September 10, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Quote Work on the first Chinese station in the Pacific sector began in 2018. It will be used to conduct research on the region's environment, state television reported. China has four research stations in the Antarctic built from 1985 to 2014. A U.S.-based think tank estimated the fifth could be finished next year. The facility is expected to include an observatory with a satellite ground station, and should help China "fill in a major gap" in its ability to access the continent, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report this year. Edited November 2, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2023 China’s leading liquor brand Kweichow Moutai is raising the factory price of its flagship baijiu for the first time in six years, in a move that aims to tap into consumers’ “buy up, don’t buy down” mentality and broaden its sales channels, industry insiders say. from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid0VzDA3hcipmmS7t5Cq4VgfLP3DHenbYCBhkWGxibVpc1yJTJam8PsRGaDb9uzUiVYl Moutai Raising Factory Prices to Improve Brand Image: Analysts Following high-profile collaborations with several mass consumer brands, Kweichow Moutai is taking steps to shore up its brand image and expand its sales channels. Quote On Tuesday, the company announced an increase in the factory prices of its 53% baijiu by an average of 20%. The factory price of the 500 milliliter classic Moutai, the company’s most popular product, has increased from 969 yuan ($132) to around 1,169 yuan ($160) per bottle, while the recommended market price of 1,499 yuan has remained the same. Factory prices are prices quoted for goods at the gate of a factory, before relevant handling and shipping costs. . . . The price hike would eat into the profits of distributors, who currently price the 500 milliliter classic Moutai at around 3,000 yuan. In recent years, reports have emerged of distributors artificially increasing profit margins through stockpiling and speculation. Company statements show Moutai’s net profits increased 19.09% year-on-year to around 53 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2023. Direct sales increased around 45% year-on-year to 46 billion yuan, around 44.74% of overall revenue. Meanwhile, wholesale revenue increased less than 3% year-on-year. Up until 2019, sales to distributors accounted for over 90% of revenue, while direct sales accounted for between 5% and 10%. Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2023 Wang Xia still denies that she runs Shanghai’s only feminist bookstore. When she started the business in 2020, she claims that she didn’t even know what the term meant. When the 46-year-old quit her job in finance and founded her bookstore three years ago, she just wanted to create a space where women like herself could feel free to express themselves. And the business has done exactly that, fostering a community of tens of thousands of women from across Shanghai. Read more: https://ow.ly/7P6w50Q4hWz from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid03kv1tF5U9vc6ay8RhV4BTRcsoNStrdwLqCJAdtNf2WKdHYJvzVQbSyS9N12jmwufl The Bookstore Giving Shanghai’s Women a Room of Their Own When Wang Xia opened Shanghai’s first “female-friendly” bookstore in 2020, she just wanted to create a safe space for women to express themselves. She had no idea how successful — or potentially sensitive — the business would become. Quote But as the store’s success and public profile have grown, things have gotten more complicated. Wang has had to learn how to maintain control of her own narrative — and work out how to steer clear of some potentially controversial territory. It’s easy to see why Wang’s business has prospered. A three-story space just across the road from the trendy Tianzifang neighborhood, Xinchao Bookstore styles itself as the city’s first and only independent women’s bookstore. The interior resembles a set from the “Barbie” movie. Between bright pink walls, rows of bookshelves are stuffed with titles by female authors ranging from Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters to the Japanese feminist Chizuko Ueno. The first floor is the main shopping area, divided into sections with titles such as “her art” and “her literature.” Upstairs, there is a suite of cozy reading rooms and a loft, which Wang uses to host book talks and other events. Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is estimated to have delivered 72,115 electric cars in October. The achievement brings the total delivery volume for 2023 to over 771,000, surpassing the total output volume in 2022. Check out more Daily Tones: https://ow.ly/cMTc50Q4SPK from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid02rLfSVHr1La7y7pNs4trYUGuUvZfcNvPQzk98ffvHNvWAsKRQyMwjiJXeX28wBYPZl Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2023 In Pictures: The China International Import Expo is currently being held in Shanghai. It will run from November 5 to November 10, 2023. Full Gallery: https://sc.mp/659n from the SCMP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scmp/posts/pfbid0eoeKmSX1FnY2vr3BWbTXRNv9KHnNsbHPrHKi8XJ5m1rvLNkfS4eF58Rofi7dmC4gl Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 The sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai saw $78.41 billion in tentative deals for purchases of goods and services, a record high and an increase of 6.7% from last year. Check out more Daily Tones: https://ow.ly/RUOe50Q6PBr from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid0RdHW8NxzdpmrGEbQYUt73rVzZcLgUo1rksUtnSXkMeuHeh68crGYDRQox1XwdUBPl Link to comment
Randy W Posted November 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 (edited) China has removed 55 brands from its official list of “time-honored brands,” citing mismanagement. Another 73 brands were told to improve their operations within six months - or risk losing their status. Check out more Daily Tones: https://ow.ly/hEAc50Q7i8Lhttps://ow.ly/hEAc50Q7i8L from the Sixth Tone on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/pfbid02Zq7ZqtNBdRF8HDjtJoH2c3WuPUxsubPtbbLkzPdqQMUoG2SHpjgzifaobnj6j7til from - "Lexology, the intelligent global legal research platform, provides easy access to forward-looking analysis, expert guidance and intuitive tools, helping you stay abreast of change and respond quickly and accurately to legal questions from around the world." Government Takes New Measurers to Support Time-honored Brands Time-honored brands, also known as laozihao in Chinese, are titles granted by the government to domestic brands with a long history. They are seen as the pacesetters of Chinese industrial and commercial development. China's Ministry of Commerce and four other government departments have released new rules to facilitate the innovative development of the country's time-honored brands and boost national consumption. Edited November 15, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
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