For young women in China pursuing online celebrity and the big income that can follow, the surgically provided ‘online-star face’—big eyes, long nose, high forehead and sharp chin—is an important investment.
To judge potential borrowers, lending app Yongqianbao collects more than 1,200 data points, from the usual credit information like a bank-card number to what phone a person uses and how many calls go unanswered.
In China, tech-industry leaders and investors hail Elon Musk as a genius and visionary worth cheering on. So it comes as no surprise to them that Tencent, the country’s most valuable company by market capitalization, invested $1.8 billion in his electric-car maker, Tesla.
As ambitious as they are, China’s tech firms are behind the likes of Google, Facebook and Microsoft when it comes to artificial intelligence. With the resignation of Baidu chief scientist Andrew Ng, their ability to retain top foreign talent is in question.
When it comes to groceries, most Chinese still rely on their neighborhood markets. But that’s starting to change as Alibaba and JD.com use a new form of courier service that works like the Uber of delivery.
So what if the CIA can spy on devices? In China, Big Brother already does, columnist Li Yuan says.
For many tech companies in China, one thing is certain: They are feeling a heavier hand from the government, columnist Li Yuan says.
Huawei’s effort to shift its image from a copycat to an innovation leader suffered a setback with the design of its new campus, writes China Circuit columnist Li Yuan.
Some Chinese technology employees work a dreaded schedule, writes China Circuit columnist Li Yuan. The rule of thumb is “996”: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.
China’s QQ network is attracting users with features that appeal to teens. Far from being made obsolete by the newer WeChat, QQ has essentially filled the niche taken up by Snapchat in the U.S., writes Li Yuan.
China’s most popular short-video platform features life in rural and small-town China. Its sudden emergence is prompting reflection about China’s widening socio-economic divide, writes columnist Li Yuan.
