386 « Week In China

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WiC 386 (Nov 3, 2017)

A Shenzhen for Arabia

Belt and Road, Talking Point Saudi plans $500 billion new city – expect China to play…

A month ago the government of Saudi Arabia made a historic decision to allow women to drive. Last week it also announced that females will be allowed ...

Influence peddling

China Consumer Dior and KFC in brand ambassador mishaps; Prada adopts new approach

When Dior tapped actress Zhao Liying as its brand ambassador in China, it was not expecting the backlash that followed. Fans of the brand were furious, ...

Will they deliver?

Internet & Tech Latest fundraising sees Meituan become the world’s fourth biggest unicorn

China is no stranger to food safety scandals. The latest culprit was a unscrupulous food deliveryman, who was caught on camera opening a customer’s ...

A question of quality

Energy & Resources How the latest scandals from Japan could benefit China Inc

One of Japan Inc’s greatest admirers was Deng Xiaoping. On visiting a Nissan car plant in 1978, China’s then leader marvelled at the high level of ...

No money, no problem

Banking & Finance China is on track to develop the world’s largest cashless economy

China has been credited as the place where paper money was invented, appearing first as unofficial IOUs written by Sichuanese merchants, and later as ...

Wealth and health

Healthcare China declares war on cancer

In Mao’s China it was a familiar sight for workers to begin their day with communal exercises. During the Cultural Revolution, students shouted ...

China Consumer IKEA annoys female consumers and pulls ad

In many countries IKEA is known for its socially progressive, often humorous advertising campaigns. In 1994 the Swedish retailer made what is ...

Media Can Caixin get readers to pay for its news?

The financial publisher Caixin has never been afraid to take risks. During its seven-year existence the weekly magazine has written damning exposés ...

Passage to India

China and the World An account of China and India’s intertwined history

“Those who come between or dare/ Tamper with us. We reply: Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai.” This verse of solidarity (bhai-bhai means ‘brother-brother) ...

23 million abortions a year

Society New survey reveals ignorance about contraception

You would think that the Chinese know all about contraception. After all, they have had to respect strict family planning policies for almost 40 ...

Show me the money

Entertainment Han Han’s journey from rebel intellectual to movie mogul

Han Han’s blog was at its most popular eight years ago when it was getting over 100 million views. It has been largely dormant since then. In ...

Moutai, motorways and mountains

Ask Mei The "abnormal" growth of China's Guizhou province

A year ago (see WiC346) I wrote about China’s shift from imitation to innovation and mentioned that I was keen to visit Guizhou and see some of the ...

Separated at birth

Planet China Errors at hospitals have seen babies heading home with the wrong…

Errors at hospitals have seen babies heading home with the wrong parents. But from such a disastrous error in Zhejiang province two couples have worked ...

Indomitable rise

Sino-File “I don’t think anybody would be able to contain China”

China’s ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai fires back at the Trump administration’s plans for a new ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategy to counter ...

Cartoons Stepping on it

How to create a positive buzz in China’s online video sharing world has become something of a holy grail for marketeers. So a round of applause for ...

In the front row

And Finally Victoria’s Secret Shanghai show lures rich locals

Victoria’s Secret has made no secret of its mission to woo Chinese shoppers. In 2016, the US lingerie brand used an oriental theme at its annual ...