https://www.scmp.com/rss/326568/feed Grace is a senior multimedia producer at Inkstone. She was previously a senior producer for BBC Chinese. She is also a regular contributor to BBC News online. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The women sit on the left, the men on the right. Between them, a host in a suit calls on the men to make the first move. Love is in the air – if the interpreters do their job. The women are either Russian or Ukrainian, the men all Chinese. On a recent Sunday afternoon, they meet in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai in search of love. Without translation, the opposing sexes can’t fully understand each other. But it doesn’t matter. Brought to the same place by sheer destiny – and, for the men,... https://www.scmp.com/society/why-chinese-men-want-russian-or-ukrainian-wives/article/3000811?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/why-chinese-men-want-russian-or-ukrainian-wives/article/3000811?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Feb 2019 10:07:46 +0000 An incoming Tibetan-Canadian student union president at the University of Toronto has pledged to continue advocating for a “free Tibet” after her support for Tibetan self-determination prompted protests from Chinese nationalists. Chemi Lhamo, the president-elect of the undergraduate student union of one of the university’s three campuses, said she is worried about her physical safety because of the hate messages she said she had received after her election win. Lhamo’s support for Tibetan... https://www.scmp.com/politics/tibetan-chemi-lhamo-defends-presidency-utsc-students-union-amid-chinese-nationalism/article/3000790?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/tibetan-chemi-lhamo-defends-presidency-utsc-students-union-amid-chinese-nationalism/article/3000790?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Feb 2019 09:25:50 +0000 $9.8 billion: China’s projected revenue loss to online television and movie piracy by 2022. The forecast figure is more than double the losses of $4.2 billion from 2010 to 2016, according to London-based analytics firm Digital TV Research, suggesting that piracy in China will continue unabated. Despite China’s relatively fast-growing but nascent entertainment industry, the projected loss is comparable to the US’ $11.6 billion over the same period. Movies and TV shows, particularly foreign shows... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-online-piracy/article/3000774?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-online-piracy/article/3000774?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:07:22 +0000 Fan Ho was a legendary photographer, best known for capturing the beauty and spirit of old Hong Kong in his black and white photos. Born in Shanghai in 1931, Ho started taking photos at the age of 14. A sufferer of chronic headaches, Ho found it hard to spend extended periods reading or writing. And so he picked up his father’s Kodak Brownie camera and took up photography. Dubbed the “Cartier-Bresson of the East,” like his western namesake Ho preferred shooting in black and white. “Black and... https://www.scmp.com/arts/photographer-fan-ho-captured-old-hong-kong-black-and-white/article/3000756?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/photographer-fan-ho-captured-old-hong-kong-black-and-white/article/3000756?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:38:38 +0000 287 million: The number of rural migrant workers in China in 2017, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That’s more than a third of China’s labor force. “Rural migrant worker” is the term used to refer to those who live and work in China’s cities, but are not registered under the nation’s official registration system as urban dwellers. As China embarked on economic reforms in 1978, the restrictions on population flow were relaxed. Migrant workers provided the cheap labor needed to... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-migrant-workers/article/3000754?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-migrant-workers/article/3000754?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:38:22 +0000 Chinese authorities have begun an investigation into a large batch of human blood plasma treatment that has been found to be potentially contaminated with HIV. China’s health commission and drug regulator have suspended the use of 12,000 bottles of intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment for many immune deficiency disorders such as leukemia and hepatitis, after they were found earlier this week to contain HIV antibodies. HIV antibodies – the proteins commonly found in those infected with HIV –... https://www.scmp.com/health/china-investigates-blood-plasma-potentially-contaminated-hiv/article/3000745?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/china-investigates-blood-plasma-potentially-contaminated-hiv/article/3000745?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Feb 2019 09:15:31 +0000 Chinese people around the world are celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Pig, an animal symbolizing fortune and wealth, according to the Chinese zodiac. Unlike Western horoscopes, which divide a year into 12 signs based on the position of the sun, the Chinese zodiac runs in a 12-year cycle. But much like in Western astrology, Chinese culture believes that your birth animal has an impact on your personality and fortunes. The two can mix. In Hong Kong newspapers and magazines, it’s common to... https://www.scmp.com/china/what-chinese-zodiac/article/3000647?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/what-chinese-zodiac/article/3000647?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:30:13 +0000 Lunar New Year used to be a far more boisterous time in China. For days on end, fireworks and firecrackers would crackle in the streets and ring across the countryside, the noise believed to bring good fortune in the new year. But this millennium-old tradition is increasingly at odds with the country, one pressing ahead with modernization and urbanization. The authorities have deemed fireworks dangerous, polluting and even uncivilized. Since 2017, they’ve been banned in more than 400 Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/society/liuyang-hit-hard-chinas-nationwide-ban-fireworks/article/3000705?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/liuyang-hit-hard-chinas-nationwide-ban-fireworks/article/3000705?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 09:31:09 +0000 Lunar New Year is here, and a lot of cash is flowing around. During this occasion, the most important festival of the year, it’s customary for Chinese people to give out and receive red packets – red envelopes with cash inside. The gift has many names: “hong bao” in Mandarin, “lai see” in Cantonese and “ang pao” in Hokkien. “It is a way for the older generations to give their blessings to the younger generations at the start of a year,” Huang Jingchun, a Chinese folklore expert at Shanghai... https://www.scmp.com/china/everything-you-need-know-about-lunar-new-year-red-envelopes/article/3000642?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/everything-you-need-know-about-lunar-new-year-red-envelopes/article/3000642?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Feb 2019 09:30:09 +0000 The largest human migration got underway in China in the days before the start of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb 5 this year. Hundreds of millions of migrant workers traveled hundreds of miles to return home. Festivity and big feasts await – but some young people dread the occasion. Why? Imagine Thanksgiving that lasts at least a week. A week with all of your in-laws under one roof. A week of endless probing questions. Yeah. Here are some tips from Inkstone to anyone (including us) who’s... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstones-lunar-new-year-survival-guide/article/3000716?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstones-lunar-new-year-survival-guide/article/3000716?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Feb 2019 09:34:04 +0000 A former driver for Didi Chuxing, China’s largest car-hailing service, has been sentenced to death for raping and killing a female passenger in August. 28-year-old Zhong Yuan was found guilty on Friday of the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in August 2018. The young woman was the second female passenger to have been killed by a Didi driver in the space of three months last year. Both victims used Hitch, Didi’s Uber Pool-like carpooling service. Didi has been grappling with a crisis of... https://www.scmp.com/society/didi-driver-sentenced-death-raping-and-murdering-female-passenger/article/3000693?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/didi-driver-sentenced-death-raping-and-murdering-female-passenger/article/3000693?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:29:12 +0000 Liza always knew that she wanted to be a mother. After marrying her husband Winson three years ago, she couldn’t wait to start a family. Her daughter was born a year later, and in August, she found out she was pregnant again. The couple couldn’t contain their excitement. They bought a new crib and shared the happy news with her daughter. “We kept telling her that she was going to be a big sister. I asked her to touch my belly every night,” says Liza. But 18 weeks into the pregnancy, she started... https://www.scmp.com/society/hong-kongs-problem-miscarried-babies-defined-medical-waste/article/3000640?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/hong-kongs-problem-miscarried-babies-defined-medical-waste/article/3000640?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:59:15 +0000 400 million: The number of people China considered middle class in 2017. That’s less than one-third of the population. In contrast, about half of the US population is considered middle-class, according to the Pew Research Center. To be middle-class in China, a family of three has to make an income of between $14,800 and $74,000 a year. The benchmark comes from China’s statistics bureau chief Ning Jizhe, who gave the definition on January 21. Estimates of the size of China’s middle class vary... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-middle-class/article/3000635?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-middle-class/article/3000635?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jan 2019 09:20:26 +0000 The United States has filed charges against Huawei and its Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, calling the Chinese tech giant a threat to US national security.  According to two indictments unsealed on Monday, Huawei has been accused of a string of wrongdoings including violations of Iran sanctions, bank fraud and technology theft. The documents cite extensive evidence against the tech giant, often hailed as a symbol of Chinese innovation, from investigations that appear to have been... https://www.scmp.com/tech/us-charges-huawei-over-iran-sanction-violations-and-technology-theft/article/3000631?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/us-charges-huawei-over-iran-sanction-violations-and-technology-theft/article/3000631?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jan 2019 09:20:17 +0000 A Taiwanese flight attendant forced to undress a passenger is planning to sue him for sexual harassment, according to her labor union. “She is deeply hurt and wants to fight for justice,” Chou Sheng-kai, vice secretary of the Taoyuan Flight Attendant’s Union, told Inkstone. News of the incident emerged on social media as flight attendants shared an account of a traumatic EVA Air flight from Los Angeles to Taipei on Saturday. And in a tearful press conference on Monday the flight attendant,... https://www.scmp.com/society/eva-air-flight-attendant-wants-sue-sexual-harassment/article/3000580?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/eva-air-flight-attendant-wants-sue-sexual-harassment/article/3000580?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jan 2019 10:07:33 +0000 Gigi Wu became a social media star after she scaled 100 of Taiwan’s highest mountains – and then posted selfies from the summit, clad only in a bikini. But on Saturday,  the experienced Taiwanese hiker, nicknamed the “bikini hiker,” fell more than 65 feet into a ravine in the Yushan National Park, which is home to Taiwan’s highest mountain, during a solo hike. Badly injured, she was able to call in her location with a satellite phone. But amid plummeting temperatures and bad weather, a rescue... https://www.scmp.com/society/tragic-death-gigi-wu-taiwans-bikini-hiker/article/3000565?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/tragic-death-gigi-wu-taiwans-bikini-hiker/article/3000565?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jan 2019 09:27:50 +0000 $17.8 trillion: That’s the annual value of mobile payments made in China. China is quickly becoming a cashless society, as hundreds of millions of Chinese people get used to scanning QR codes to process payment on their smartphones. The transaction volume of mobile payment has increased a hundredfold between 2013 and 2017, according to Chinese consulting firm iResearch. In contrast, the value of US mobile payments was projected to reach about $49.3 billion in 2017, according to market research... https://www.scmp.com/tech/inkstone-index-mobile-payment-china/article/3000491?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/inkstone-index-mobile-payment-china/article/3000491?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jan 2019 10:04:45 +0000 China’s central bank has denied that it has delayed opening up its credit card market to Visa and Mastercard, both of which have spent over a decade trying to enter the country. The People’s Bank of China has refuted a report in the Financial Times on Monday that the bank had refused to acknowledge the two American companies’ applications to enter China and be permitted to set up payment networks and issue cards. The card companies’ failure to gain market access to China highlights a key issue... https://www.scmp.com/business/visa-and-mastercard-have-failed-break-chinese-market-heres-why/article/3000488?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/visa-and-mastercard-have-failed-break-chinese-market-heres-why/article/3000488?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jan 2019 10:04:41 +0000 2,000: the estimated number of executions carried out every year in China.  China, with a population of 1.4 billion and one of the world’s highest conviction rates, is believed to execute more people than the rest of the world combined, although it doesn’t publish official data as the number of people it executes is regarded as a state secret.  Execution estimates from human rights groups vary. The San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation puts the number of executions in 2016 at 2,000, while... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-executions/article/3000473?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-executions/article/3000473?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jan 2019 10:01:57 +0000 The Chinese internet is engaged in a heated debate over justice and morality after a man was sentenced to death for murdering three neighbors – to avenge the killing of his mother more than two decades ago.  The triple murder took place in the northwestern province of Shaanxi on February 15 last year, which was also Chinese New Year’s Eve, a time for family reunions across China. 36-year-old Zhang Koukou carried out his revenge methodically. He followed the 70-year-old patriarch of the Wang... https://www.scmp.com/society/internet-divided-zhang-koukou-revenge-murder-case/article/3000423?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/internet-divided-zhang-koukou-revenge-murder-case/article/3000423?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jan 2019 09:35:24 +0000 As President Trump insists on building a giant wall on the US-Mexico border, Americans have turned to Google in droves to evaluate the idea. One of the things they most wanted to know is: did the Great Wall of China work? Online interest in the ancient Chinese walls (yes, there were a bunch) spiked as Trump pushed for building his wall in a prime-time address on January 8, 2019 from the Oval Office, according to Google Trends data. And a month before that, Americans’ interest in the Great Wall... https://www.scmp.com/china/did-great-wall-china-work/article/2181352?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/did-great-wall-china-work/article/2181352?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jan 2019 10:00:45 +0000 A man in southern China has been fined for bypassing censors to access international websites, adding to the uncertainty over the tools to evade censorship used by millions in the country. Zhu Yunfeng, a 30-year-old man living in the Guangdong province, was ordered to pay a $145 penalty for using Lantern, a proxy software which allows users to bypass Chinese censors. As it tightens its grip over Chinese society, Beijing has in recent years also tightened its information censorship and cracked... https://www.scmp.com/society/internet-user-fined-scaling-chinas-great-firewall/article/2181183?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/internet-user-fined-scaling-chinas-great-firewall/article/2181183?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jan 2019 10:03:57 +0000 The world’s largest gay dating app has come under fire, after a report claimed that underage users had caught HIV after meeting via the platform. In response Beijing-based app Blued, which has some 40 million registered users, has suspended new registrations for a week. A cover story by influential magazine Caixin alleged that while Blued does not permit underage users – those under 18 – the lack of a verification mechanism means that age restrictions are not enforced. The app also doesn’t offer... https://www.scmp.com/society/blued-chinas-most-popular-gay-app-suspends-new-user-registration-after-hiv-scare/article/2180986?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/blued-chinas-most-popular-gay-app-suspends-new-user-registration-after-hiv-scare/article/2180986?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:00:00 +0000 The South China Sea is a vast, resource-rich body of water that is made up of over 250 islands, reefs and shoals. China claims about 90% of the contested waters, arguing it has historical rights in the region thanks to its “nine-dash line.” Other Asian countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia, have competing claims in the area. Even though the US has no territorial claims in the South China Sea, it sees the waters of as an area of strategic interest, since they are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/csis-china-power-debate-could-china-control-south-china-sea-without-war-us/article/2180183?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/csis-china-power-debate-could-china-control-south-china-sea-without-war-us/article/2180183?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jan 2019 03:43:20 +0000 30.5 million: The number of impoverished rural people in China in 2017.   That means 3.1% of China’s rural population is still living in poverty. The 30 million+ figure may seem high at first glance, but considering China has a population of 1.4 billion, the country has made massive progress in tackling poverty. Poverty alleviation is one of the major achievements of the Chinese Communist Party. It’s where it gets much of its legitimacy. In the four decades since China embarked on economic... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-impoverished-population/article/2180379?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-impoverished-population/article/2180379?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2019 09:15:30 +0000 Can China dominate the global race for dominance in artificial intelligence? It’s already made its first move. In 2017, Beijing published a development plan, laying out three steps for China to become a world leader in AI by 2030. Progress is being made. In 2017, China’s AI industry grew by 67%. More patents and research papers originated from China than the US. More money is being poured into AI investment, too. About 48% of total equity funding for AI startups comes from China, while the US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/csis-china-power-debate-will-china-be-world-leader-artificial-intelligence/article/2180179?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/csis-china-power-debate-will-china-be-world-leader-artificial-intelligence/article/2180179?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2018 10:59:36 +0000 21.4%: number of apartments in Chinese cities and towns that are unoccupied.  Economists widely consider China’s housing oversupply a ticking time bomb. About 65 million urban homes were uninhabited in 2017, leading to a 21.4% vacancy rate, according to a recent study by Gan Li, an economics professor at Southern University of Finance and Economics. That’s nearly twice as high as the US’ in the third quarter of 2018, at 12.4%.  China’s housing vacancy has increased by almost 55% between 2011 and... https://www.scmp.com/business/inkstone-index-empty-homes/article/2180107?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/inkstone-index-empty-homes/article/2180107?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2018 10:00:45 +0000 108 pounds: the amount of meat people in China eat a year on average. Chinese people make up about 27% of the world’s total meat consumption. Meat used to be a rationed, rare luxury in China. But as economic reforms made the country richer, its appetite for meat has soared. Chinese people on average consumed about 108 pounds of meat in 2017, according to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Meat consumption has tripled from 1990 and is expected to rise,... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-meat-consumption/article/2179774?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-index-chinas-meat-consumption/article/2179774?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Dec 2018 09:45:45 +0000 A tech mogul has apologized for defending Richard Liu, a Chinese billionaire and founder of JD.com who tacitly admitted to cheating on his wife after being cleared of rape charges in the United States. “It wasn’t sexual assault. It was sex outside of marriage, and you can’t say it brought any harm to shareholders and staff members,” wrote Li Guoqing, the co-founder of online bookstore DangDang, on the Twitter-like platform of Weibo on Sunday. Citing insufficient evidence, Minnesota prosecutors... https://www.scmp.com/society/dangdang-co-founder-li-guoqing-apologizes-defending-jdcom-ceo-richard-liu/article/2179523?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/dangdang-co-founder-li-guoqing-apologizes-defending-jdcom-ceo-richard-liu/article/2179523?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Dec 2018 09:45:00 +0000 Hong Kong is a city of contradictions. It is a concrete jungle where cookie-cutter homes and shopping malls are in abundance. Yet the sea and mountains are always a stone’s throw away wherever in the city you may be. In the past year, SCMP photographers Roy Issa and Winson Wong have been traipsing through the metropolis and capturing its beauty using drone cameras. Let their photos, above, offer you a new perspective on the city. https://www.scmp.com/society/aerial-photos-hong-kong/article/2179333?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/aerial-photos-hong-kong/article/2179333?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Dec 2018 08:15:15 +0000 The Chinese internet is a treasure trove of creativity. Every year without fail, Chinese internet users give birth to a wealth of new expressive slang and buzzwords (many of which are way less depressing than Japan’s word of the year). Every year the government-affiliated National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center releases a list of the top 10 Chinese internet buzzwords. While other slang is used to skirt internet censorship, this government-approved list is a little more anodyne... https://www.scmp.com/society/china-releases-list-top-internet-slang-2019/article/2178896?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/china-releases-list-top-internet-slang-2019/article/2178896?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Dec 2018 10:30:30 +0000 With a population of 1.2 million, Yiwu is a small city by Chinese standards. But every year, more than 400,000 foreigners, hailing from everywhere from Russia to Nigeria, fly into this city in eastern China to do business. “There are two places in the world where you can find at least one person from each and every country in the world. One is the United Nations, and the other one is Yiwu,” says Girdhar Jhanwar, an Indian businessman who moved to the eastern Chinese city about two decades... https://www.scmp.com/business/inside-yiwu-market-trade-war-yet-bite/article/2178676?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/inside-yiwu-market-trade-war-yet-bite/article/2178676?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2018 10:30:30 +0000 What was most Googled TV show of 2018? No, not Game of Thrones. Or Roseanne. Or The Handmaid’s Tale. The title goes to the Story of Yanxi Palace: a Chinese period drama featuring a group of scheming concubines who struggle for power and the love and attention of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty.    Not only has the 70-episode drama gained a huge following in China (where Google remains not officially available), but it’s also been a hit in Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam.  But why... https://www.scmp.com/society/story-yanxi-palace-most-googled-show-2018/article/2178685?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/story-yanxi-palace-most-googled-show-2018/article/2178685?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Dec 2018 10:15:15 +0000 Christmas is a festival celebrating Christ’s birth. This statement is by no means a revelation. But to many in China, who welcome Santa Claus as much as they embrace Colonel Sanders, the origin of Christmas remains unfamiliar. That’s because while many Chinese cities and their young, urban dwellers do celebrate Christmas, what the occasion means to them has been shaped by vastly different circumstances, both historical and contemporary, from their Western counterparts. Officially atheist The... https://www.scmp.com/china-translated/china-translated-does-china-celebrate-christmas/article/2178318?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-translated/china-translated-does-china-celebrate-christmas/article/2178318?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Dec 2018 10:30:15 +0000 Natural disasters are a fact of life in Japan, but 2018 has been so awful that the island country has chosen an unusual character to define the year. It’s 災 – which means “disaster.” The character of the year was revealed on Wednesday, when priest Seihan Mori of the Kiyomizu Temple – a Unesco heritage site in the ancient capital of Kyoto – wrote a five-foot by four-foot rendition of the character on traditional Japanese paper with a huge calligraphy brush. Japan has been battered by a series of... https://www.scmp.com/society/japan-chooses-kanji-character-disaster-represent-2018/article/2177779?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/japan-chooses-kanji-character-disaster-represent-2018/article/2177779?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Dec 2018 10:00:30 +0000 In the not-so-distant past, almost everyone in China was a pirate. In 2011, China’s digital music piracy rate was 99%, according to a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group. But the rise of streaming has completely changed the way Chinese people consume music. Now, just seven years later, 96% of consumers listen to licensed music – meaning that they enjoy their tunes legally. And the shift is paying off. Tencent Music Entertainment, China’s biggest... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tencent-musics-ipo-reveals-how-chinese-music-streaming-makes-its-money/article/2177477?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tencent-musics-ipo-reveals-how-chinese-music-streaming-makes-its-money/article/2177477?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Dec 2018 09:45:45 +0000 A prominent anti-sexual violence organization in southern China has shut down, dealing a blow to the country’s growing #MeToo movement against sexual abuse. The Guangzhou Gender and Sexuality Education Center announced its closure on Thursday in a statement published on messaging app WeChat. “We are sad but winter has come. A long road lies ahead and I hope we will see each other in the future,” the center said in a comment. A person with knowledge of the matter told Inkstone that the center had... https://www.scmp.com/society/feminist-center-shuts-down-amid-chinas-crackdown-feminism/article/2176864?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/feminist-center-shuts-down-amid-chinas-crackdown-feminism/article/2176864?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Dec 2018 10:15:45 +0000 What’s the biggest problem with hit romcom Crazy Rich Asians, according to Chinese moviegoers? It’s a “banana” – yellow on the outside, white on the inside. That’s a term often used to describe “Westernized” people of Asian descent, particularly Asian-Americans. Take it from film review site Douban user Zhuge Ruojian: “It’s a banana version of Cinderella,” he wrote. “There are lots of jokes typical of blockbusters. But it isn’t really Asian but pandering to the European and American... https://www.scmp.com/arts/crazy-rich-asians-tanks-chinas-box-office/article/2176134?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/crazy-rich-asians-tanks-chinas-box-office/article/2176134?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2018 10:00:45 +0000 China is undermining America’s core freedoms. That’s the view of more than 30 prominent international  China experts, who have released a report calling for greater vigilance against China’s campaign to expand its influence in the US. They include Winston Lord, who was part of the US team that normalized relations with China in the 1970s, and Francis Fukuyama, the eminent political scientist. The report, published by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, warns that China could be undermining... https://www.scmp.com/politics/5-key-takeaways-new-report-chinas-us-influence/article/2175799?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/5-key-takeaways-new-report-chinas-us-influence/article/2175799?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Nov 2018 10:45:00 +0000 Walking is good for you. It can improve heart health, make your bones and muscles stronger and boost your mood. But for employees of a property firm in south China, every step counts – and not just because of the health benefits.   If they don’t walk a set number of steps, their pay gets docked. Xiao C, a human resources officer in Guangzhou, told local newspaper the  Information Times that her company had deducted her October salary by $14 because she had failed to reach the monthly goal of... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-firm-docks-pay-employees-who-dont-walk-6000-steps-every-day/article/2175571?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-firm-docks-pay-employees-who-dont-walk-6000-steps-every-day/article/2175571?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Nov 2018 09:59:28 +0000 After lying low since news of the possible creation of the world’s first gene-edited babies broke this week, the Chinese researcher behind the controversial experiment has resurfaced in Hong Kong to justify his actions. He Jiankui, dubbed in some corners “China’s Dr Frankenstein,” told a packed auditorium at an international genome editing conference that he was “proud” of his research, which some fellow scientists have criticized as unethical or even monstrous. “There are millions of families... https://www.scmp.com/science/scientist-he-jiankui-defends-gene-editing-babies-leaves-questions-unanswered/article/2175418?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/science/scientist-he-jiankui-defends-gene-editing-babies-leaves-questions-unanswered/article/2175418?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 10:15:15 +0000 Etta Ng, the estranged daughter of international movie star Jackie Chan, has married her Canadian girlfriend. The couple married in Toronto in early November 2018, but they only shared the news on social media weeks later. “There is nothing greater than true love found,” Ng, who came out a year before, said in an Instagram post. “Love always wins.” Ng has returned to Hong Kong with her wife, 31-year-old social media influencer Andi Autumn. The marriage has attracted extensive media coverage,... https://www.scmp.com/society/jackie-chans-estranged-daughter-etta-ng-has-married-canadian-girlfriend/article/2175215?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/jackie-chans-estranged-daughter-etta-ng-has-married-canadian-girlfriend/article/2175215?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Nov 2018 10:00:45 +0000 A year ago, Taiwan looked set to become the first place in Asia to allow same-sex couples to marry after a landmark judgment ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. It was a moment of triumph for LGBT activists on the self-ruled island. The top court’s decision also cemented Taiwan’s image as a beacon of democracy and progress. But the referendum results over the weekend showed that Taiwan was a lot less liberal than the headlines last year suggested.   About 70% of voters agreed... https://www.scmp.com/society/after-voters-reject-same-sex-marriage-taiwan-whats-next/article/2175016?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/after-voters-reject-same-sex-marriage-taiwan-whats-next/article/2175016?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 10:30:45 +0000 If you’re going to splurge and spend a night at a five-star hotel, it would be fair to expect impeccable service and a spotlessly clean room. But in China’s top hotels, the rooms could be a lot less sanitary than you’d hope. A secretly filmed video shot by a Chinese blogger has gone viral on the Chinese internet. The video shows stealthy footage from 14 five-star hotels across China, as housekeepers clean – or rather, don’t clean – their rooms.   A cleaner is caught on camera wiping cups, the... https://www.scmp.com/society/viral-video-shows-chinas-luxury-hotels-have-cleaning-problem/article/2173375?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/viral-video-shows-chinas-luxury-hotels-have-cleaning-problem/article/2173375?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Nov 2018 10:15:00 +0000 In May, celebrated Chinese novelist Ma Jian, 65, spent a month in Hong Kong as writer-in-residence at a university in the city. The weeks went by quickly and without incident. Ma, who lives in exile in London, had a pleasant time teaching and discussing literature with promising students, though his work has been banned in China since the 1980s. Half a year later, Ma returned to Hong Kong once more, a city where he had previously lived for a decade. But this trip was very different: he struggled... https://www.scmp.com/arts/chinese-novelist-ma-jian-1984-happening-now-china/article/2172960?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/arts/chinese-novelist-ma-jian-1984-happening-now-china/article/2172960?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Nov 2018 10:45:15 +0000 There’s something strange about this news anchor.   He’s not human. Instead, this is the latest technological achievement touted by China: a digital news anchor, powered by artificial intelligence. Developed based on the faces, voices, lip movements and expressions of human anchors, its inventors say the AI anchors will be able to deliver news 24 hours a day, seven days a week – as long as they’re given a script. The AI anchors, developed by state news agency Xinhua and Beijing-based search... https://www.scmp.com/tech/xinhua-and-sogou-show-news-anchors-powered-artificial-intelligence/article/2172460?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/xinhua-and-sogou-show-news-anchors-powered-artificial-intelligence/article/2172460?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Nov 2018 10:15:45 +0000 Karaoke fans in China are upset that they can no longer belt out some of their favorite songs. That’s because more than 6,000 songs have been removed from KTV machines in the country on copyright infringement grounds. Many of these songs are massive hits by artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan. It’s actually the latest attempt by authorities to crack down on copyright infringement in China, a widespread problem which has attracted criticism from other countries. Among the affected songs – many of... https://www.scmp.com/society/more-6000-karaoke-songs-are-removed-china-because-copyright-infringement/article/2172264?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/more-6000-karaoke-songs-are-removed-china-because-copyright-infringement/article/2172264?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Nov 2018 09:15:30 +0000 At the United Nations on Tuesday, a host of countries called on the Chinese government to address concerns over its suspected mass detention of Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang. China insisted that its facilities, which it claims to be “vocational and training centers,” aim to prevent terrorism by integrating ethnic minorities into the local economy. But a new study published by US think tank the Jamestown Foundation has challenged Beijing’s narrative that its camps exist to... https://www.scmp.com/politics/new-study-refutes-chinas-new-narrative-xinjiang/article/2172100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/new-study-refutes-chinas-new-narrative-xinjiang/article/2172100?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Nov 2018 10:15:45 +0000 The first edition of Hong Kong’s oldest English-language newspaper was published on this day exactly 115 years ago, when China was at a crossroads. By 1903, China had been ruled by the ethnic Manchus of the Qing court for more than two centuries. Widespread corruption had weakened the Middle Kingdom, with multiple foreign powers – including Britain, Russia, France and Germany – carving out their spheres of influence. The country was also reeling from the humiliation of a surprise defeat by... https://www.scmp.com/politics/south-china-morning-post-was-founded-support-revolution/article/2171939?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/south-china-morning-post-was-founded-support-revolution/article/2171939?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Nov 2018 09:15:45 +0000 Public outrage has followed a police decision not to press charges against a father who was filmed kissing and caressing his young daughter on a train in southeastern China. In a video, which went viral this week, the 30-year-old man is seen fondling a young girl sitting in his lap. The man lifts the child’s shirt, strokes her back and tries to kiss her on the mouth. The girl appears to be trying to push the man away. “The father then put his hands under her pants. The girl then said, ‘father,... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-internet-enraged-police-clearing-father-accused-molesting-his-young-daughter/article/2171403?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-internet-enraged-police-clearing-father-accused-molesting-his-young-daughter/article/2171403?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:45:00 +0000