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And Finally

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Lockdown’s legacy

Condom sales in China have plummeted
Jun 30, 2022 (WiC 591)

The Covid pandemic hasn’t been kind to condom makers. Hotels and bars have been closed, app-based hook-ups have dried up and lengthy lockdowns have proved to be passion-killers for many couples. The world’s largest condom producer, ...

Historic collection

Hong Kong’s Palace Museum opens July 2
Jun 24, 2022 (WiC 590)

In 1924, thirteen years after the end of the Qing Dynasty, the expulsion from the Forbidden City of Puyi, China’s last emperor, raised questions about the purpose of the imperial palace. With no one in residence, some wanted to destroy the ...

Messi scores with two Chinese dairy giants
Jun 17, 2022 (WiC 589)

Can Lionel Messi inspire Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar later this year? With his 35th birthday coming this month, Messi likely won’t get another chance to emulate his idol Diego Maradona, who led the national team to lift the trophy in ...

NFT sneakers (briefly) arrive in China
Jun 10, 2022 (WiC 588)

In late May Chinese venture capitalist Zhu Xiaohu – an early backer of Didi Chuxing, Ele.me, and Ofo – posted on WeChat that he had just purchased a pair of NFT sneakers from StepN, a lifestyle app. “I finally bought a pair of BSC ...

In praise of ‘Grandpa Nice’

British children’s author stunned by his popularity in China
Jun 3, 2022 (WiC 587)

British writer and academic Michael Rosen boasts five decades of experience in publishing, performing and teaching. But what he wasn’t expecting was to develop a passionate fan base in China. Rosen became aware of his popularity in ...

Pupils learn how to skip

Skipping tutors tap into demand from grade-obsessed parents
May 27, 2022 (WiC 586)

Chinese parents once spared little expense on tutoring for their children, hoping that the extra classes would help them to get ahead of their peers. That became a thing of the past after the government’s crackdown on after-school tutors ...

Fringe benefits

How more Chinese men are battling baldness
May 20, 2022 (WiC 585)

The eight-part drama-documentary Oh, My Hair (or Turan Fasheng in its local title) begins with an arresting image – 30 newborn mice pickled in a jar of Chinese liquor. The narrator then explains that the folk remedy is regarded as a ...

Labour Day holiday sees China’s camping craze reach new heights
May 13, 2022 (WiC 584)

Before the pandemic, the idea of sleeping in a tent and cooking around a campfire didn’t sound too relaxing to many holidaymakers. But attitudes have changed in the last two years. In the UK, one in five adults have been on a camping or caravan ...

Music to the ears

Steinway rides China’s piano mania to IPO
Apr 29, 2022 (WiC 582)

Some 40 million people in China play the piano regularly, according to the National Musicians’ Association. That’s almost seven times the number of American pianists. The vast majority are children, spurred on by parents who didn’t ...

How phone cases became a huge business
Apr 22, 2022 (WiC 581)

Even if “mirror selfies” isn’t part of your daily lexicon it is not hard to figure out its meaning: rather than taking a photo directly – that is smartphone camera-to-face, like traditional selfies – the image is captured by reflection ...

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