China’s President Xi is set to miss the G20 summit
The summit of the Group of 20 major world economies is happening in New Delhi, India, this weekend. President Joe Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be in attendance, along with leaders...
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Chinese video game designers experiment with AI
The Jimu Xingchuang company in Southwest China’s Chengdu city teaches street dancing through video games and animation. It was doing good business during the pandemic when everyone was stuck at home...
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Members-only retailers are a status symbol in China
Sam’s Club in Shanghai is surprisingly busy on a Monday morning with its steady stream of customers. At one point, I had to turn the shopping cart without hitting five others, all headed in various...
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One man’s crisis of confidence in China
Recently, I received a few messages from someone I’d met a few times before. “Hey, you in town?” he asked. “Can we talk?” We met outdoors in Shanghai, in a place where there would be less of a chance...
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In China, marriage numbers have fallen, but those who choose to marry have...
Wuhan’s emerald-colored East Lake in central China used to be one of Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s favorite vacation spots. Today, though, it is a popular wedding location. Wang Ai and Anzz Chen, both...
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How easy is it for foreign visitors to use Chinese apps?
At the Shanghai Global Food Trade Show, exhibitors from India Aditya Udgave and Jayant Punekar are visiting China for the first time. They are representing their company, an Indian spice and spice...
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Who’s better at my job, Chinese AI or me?
OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, is not officially available in China without special software to bypass the block. However, there are many Chinese alternatives. Baidu’s Ernie Bot is...
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In Shanghai, vacant storefronts abound, but it’s still a struggle to find space
Shanghai coffee shop owner Rose Liu avoided massive losses during the pandemic, partly thanks to a tarot card reading in early January 2022. The reading predicted her business would lose money that...
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In Taiwan’s election, young voters focus on inflation, wages and war
Dozens of people at a political rally in central Taipei for the governing Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, shuffle closer to the stage as a campaign song blares through the speakers. An elderly...
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Wellington marches on Shanghai, but at a cost
Most people in China probably heard of beef Wellington for the first time through a 2016 TV series called “To Be a Better Man,” starring top Chinese actor Sun Honglei. His character orders beef...
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As the Year of the Dragon dawns, many Chinese wish for a better economy
Taxi driver Cao Changyu, 56, said ride-hailing apps have been undercutting his business for years. Today, he said, the competition is even worse. “Driving taxis is hard work. It’s supercompetitive...
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The dramatic recovery of China’s Luckin Coffee chain draws fans and skeptics
One’s first visit to a branch of Luckin Coffee can be an unusual experience. Staff members do not take orders and there isn’t even a machine to order from. Instead, everything has to be done through...
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Bubble tea’s Taiwan origin story: economic boom, national identity and betrayal
At Chun Shui Tang teahouse in central Taiwan’s Taichung City, the perfect cup of bubble tea is boiled down to a science. A tea barista fills a tall glass with black tapioca pearls 2 inches from the...
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Sober times for China’s wine sellers
For over a decade, San Nian Jian, in Shanghai’s former French Concession area, operated as a wine bar where people could sip and relax. Founder Leon Liang would hold wine tastings to educate tipplers...
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One of China’s hottest toys sold millions. The inventor made $830.
College student Zhou Wenhao studies marine engineering in the central Chinese city of Wuhan by day. By night, he tinkers with 3D printing machines. In the summer of 2022, he printed a green and white...
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What if your deepfake was circulating halfway across the world in China?
In the last eight months, more videos of foreigners generated by artificial intelligence, or deepfakes, have been popping up on Chinese social media. In one video on TikTok’s Chinese sister site...
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Some families drop out of China’s education rat race
At this time last year, 8-year-old A Wu was in Wuhan City, central China. He seemed happy practicing English. “I enjoy speaking English. I want to communicate with the world. I want to change my...
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China’s consumers cautious about economy as top officials meet
Shanghai is having a scorching summer. Despite the heat, business at a newly opened coffee shop has been tepid. Owner Rose Liu spent months searching for the perfect location for her latest venture....
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China pledges tax reform. That is a big deal for this socialist country.
China’s infrastructure is impressive. Hop on a bullet train from Shanghai to central China’s Jiangxi province. The train goes over 180 miles an hour and tickets are affordable. Five hours and just $76...
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Can food tourism help China’s cash-strapped cities?
At a food alley in the industrial city of Zibo in eastern China’s Shandong province, every barbecue restaurant is empty or closed, except one. Mu Yang Cun Barbecue has some 100 people sitting outdoors...
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How can China make EVs that sell for less than $20,000?
In southwestern China’s Chongqing city, full-time driver Zhang Fenglian doubles as a local guide and takes visitors on a scenic route along the Yangtze river. Like many rideshare cars in China’s...
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He bought a property in China. Nine years later, he got the key.
After years of delay, the Qifu City condo project in Zhengzhou city, in China’s central Henan province, started handing over keys to homebuyers this summer. Staff on the property attempted to create a...
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E-payments are essential in China, but still tricky for foreign visitors
A couple of days before U.S. businessman Sascha was due to travel to Shanghai for a conference, he began preparing his cell phone. Marketplace is not using his surname to avoid identifying his...
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China ramps up exchanges with U.S. youths, including NYU teams
At the Henry Fok Stadium in Shanghai, some 1,800 spectators gathered to see the U.S. and China face off on the basketball court. The competition in mid-August between the men’s and women’s teams from...
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2024 U.S. election: views from China
At the visa unit of the U.S. consulate in Shanghai, dozens of people are in line by 7 a.m. waiting to go to America for work, study and travel. It can take months to get a visa appointment. Even with...
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