https://www.scmp.com/rss/500187/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com This article originally appeared on ABACUS China has long been a hotbed of digital piracy. In 2004, the country’s software piracy was reportedly as high as 90 percent. Piracy rates have declined over the years, but it still remains a significant issue in China. In fact, just recently, a Chinese streamer blatantly live-streamed a pirated version of the hit game Fire Emblem: Three Houses days before its release on the country’s Twitch-like live streaming site Douyu. With such a large base of... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029510/visiting-brothel-free-and-other-secret-code-words-pirated-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029510/visiting-brothel-free-and-other-secret-code-words-pirated-games?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 15:08:14 +0000 China has long been a hotbed of digital piracy. In 2004, the country’s software piracy was reportedly as high as 90 percent. Piracy rates have declined over the years, but it still remains a significant issue in China. In fact, just recently, a Chinese streamer blatantly live-streamed a pirated version of the hit game Fire Emblem: Three Houses days before its release on the country’s Twitch-like live streaming site Douyu. With such a large base of users and enablers, China has developed its own... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/visiting-brothel-free-and-other-secret-code-words-pirated-games-china/article/3020653?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/visiting-brothel-free-and-other-secret-code-words-pirated-games-china/article/3020653?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 15:08:14 +0000 Masha Borak Masha Borak This article originally appeared on ABACUS Despairing over the price of apartments or avocado toast isn't just for millennials in the US. In China, millennial angst has helped form an entire sub-culture of dejected 20-somethings with a knack for cynical, self-deprecating humor. But the country’s censors aren't finding it funny. WeChat announced on Saturday that it's banned more than 40,000 public accounts since the start of this year... and it’s only February. Among them were the usual suspects:... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029180/chinas-censors-want-purge-internet-millennial-angst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029180/chinas-censors-want-purge-internet-millennial-angst?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:24:00 +0000 Masha Borak Masha Borak Despairing over the price of apartments or avocado toast isn't just for millennials in the US. In China, millennial angst has helped form an entire sub-culture of dejected 20-somethings with a knack for cynical, self-deprecating humor. But the country’s censors aren't finding it funny. WeChat announced on Saturday that it's banned more than 40,000 public accounts since the start of this year... and it’s only February. Among them were the usual suspects: Vulgar and harmful content, scams and... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/chinas-censors-want-purge-internet-millennial-angst/article/3000932?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/chinas-censors-want-purge-internet-millennial-angst/article/3000932?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:24:00 +0000 In China, if you send your friend an ordinary smiley face 🙂, you might get an eyebrow raise 🤨 for it. That’s because the regular smiley face is usually reserved for bosses. Turns out the Chinese have their own etiquette when it comes to using emojis. For example, 👋 might mean waving goodbye for many of us, but in China, it could mean that you just said something really dumb and the sender doesn’t want to speak to you. Ouch! But even within China, emoji use varies. A report by WeChat, the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/emojis-you-use-dont-mean-what-you-think-china/article/3000764?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/emojis-you-use-dont-mean-what-you-think-china/article/3000764?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Feb 2019 13:47:31 +0000 The Chinese internet loves 666, slang that became popular online and then a phenomenon offline too. You can see 666 all over China: on t-shirts, store signs, even cigarettes. In the first of a series of weekly explainers on China's internet, we break down why people love 666 and how this became a thing. Written and voiceover by: Dolly Li and Timmy Shen Produced by: Dolly Li and Timmy Shen Shot by: Annie Hall Edited by: Annie Hall Mastered by: Victor Peña Additional Footage: Kuaishou https://www.scmp.com/videos/why-chinese-people-are-obsessed-666/article/2156399?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/why-chinese-people-are-obsessed-666/article/2156399?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jul 2018 03:45:45 +0000 No, it’s got nothing to do with the devil. If you chat on Chinese social media, or watch gamers on livestreams chatting, you’ll often catch the numbers 666 thrown out when players want to compliment someone. That’s because 666 means “awesome.” 666 in Mandarin is “liu liu liu,” which sounds like the Chinese words for “niu niu niu” (牛牛牛), or awesome. The slang term started to catch on a couple of years ago in online gaming, and it’s already spread to mainstream culture. Here two Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/all-merch-you-need-be-666-life/article/2155109?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/all-merch-you-need-be-666-life/article/2155109?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jul 2018 06:15:00 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Chinese kids are spending a lot of time and money playing games, leading some parents to blame the country’s biggest game company. Tencent’s answer? A digital guidebook on WeChat to educate parents about the games their children are playing. But the guidebook contains language which is either wrong, or in one example, highly offensive. One chapter lists out what it says are some of the most used gaming terms, so that parents can “gain more acceptance... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028641/tencents-guide-gaming-lingo-calls-unlucky-players-africans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3028641/tencents-guide-gaming-lingo-calls-unlucky-players-africans?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jul 2018 09:30:30 +0000 Chinese kids are spending a lot of time and money playing games, leading some parents to blame the country’s biggest game company. Tencent’s answer? A digital guidebook on WeChat to educate parents about the games their children are playing. But the guidebook contains language which is either wrong, or in one example, highly offensive. One chapter lists out what it says are some of the most used gaming terms, so that parents can “gain more acceptance from gaming teenagers.” For example, it... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/tencents-guide-gaming-lingo-calls-unlucky-players-africans/article/2155467?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/tencents-guide-gaming-lingo-calls-unlucky-players-africans/article/2155467?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jul 2018 09:30:30 +0000