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Lunar new year lockdown

Wuhan quarantined in a bid to slow the spread of a deadly virus
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

Epidemics are a feature of Chinese history. Because of the symbolic threat they posed to an emperor’s ‘heavenly mandate’, they always had a political dimension as well. For instance, in 1910 when the Qing Dynasty was already on the verge of ...

Rat race: winners and losers

The last Year of the Rat in 2008 was disastrous; will this one be any better?
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

Why does the Rat come first in the Chinese zodiac, a cycle of 12 years, each represented by a different animal? Indeed, why is it part of the zodiac at all, forcing more illustrious animals onto the sidelines? One of the practical explanations ...

Escape to the country

One of China’s most successful influencers is selling the rural dream
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

In one video, she hand-dyes a dress with fresh grape juice. In another, she spins yarn from wool from her own sheep and builds her own bed from freshly-cut bamboo. When it comes to food, she relies on natural ingredients from her backyard, ...

Moving the dial

Lenovo smartphone head jumps ship for Xiaomi amid market reshuffle
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

It would be a stretch to call Chang Cheng a titan in his sector. But the designer of a number of Lenovo’s products has enjoyed a sprinkling of stardom, thanks partly to his engaging presence on weibo. His pengci-style product reviews ...

First come, first served

Chinese netizens angry as Muji loses trademark battle to local imitator
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

For seven years UK confectionery maker Cadbury had a doppelganger in China called Yikoulian. With the same distinctive shade of purple on the packaging for its biscuits, Yikoulian even adopted Cadbury’s Chinese name for its popular eclairs. The ...

Dutch firm pressured not to sell crucial chipmaking equipment to China
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

Moore’s Law isn’t dead. It’s not slowing down and it’s not even sick. Such is the description from Philip Wong, vice president of corporate research at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). One of the companies benefiting ...

Environmental worries over bluetooth earphones
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

Even though they were once mocked by consumers for looking like damaged Q-tips, at least 60 million pairs of Apple’s wireless earbuds – called AirPods – were sold last year. While the tech giant doesn’t release full figures for any of its ...

Seven films pulled over fears cinemas will empty due to the Wuhan virus
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

As Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak plunged the country into crisis, news emerged on Thursday that Leap, along with six other blockbusters scheduled to debut tomorrow – the first day of the Chinese New Year – have been preemptively ...

No more limits?

China is set to perform a big U-turn in population policy
Jan 24, 2020 (WiC 480)

The year 2021 will see China’s ruling Communist Party celebrate its hundredth birthday. It is also the year that the Party might have to finally undo one of its most intrusive policies – limits on the number of children people can ...

Distilling the truth

Investor favourite Kweichow Moutai experiences choppier times
Jan 17, 2020 (WiC 479)

Usually falling in late January or February, the Chinese Lunar New Year is the domestic movie industry’s most important period for box office earnings. But before the big screen bonanza gets going, China’s anti-corruption authorities usually ...

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