li-xin

China’s Lao Gan Ma Takes the Heat for Alleged Layoffs Due to AI

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

The famed chili sauce brand has come under fire after an official reportedly said the company cut 500 jobs to implement AI-powered pepper sorting.

In Stitches: Why Young Chinese Are Buying Clothes They Can Throw Away 

Young Chinese are buying clothes tailored to destinations from sunny beaches to snowy peaks and designed to be worn once or twice for as little as a few yuan.

China Approves Nation’s First Brainstem Implant for Deafness

The device is intended for young deaf children who cannot use traditional cochlear implants due to inner ear malformations.

When China’s Family Heirlooms Need More Than Tape, Glue, or Luck

Independent restorers are using social media to make an obscure craft more accessible to families hoping to salvage damaged books, paintings, and records.

Two Chinese Books Shortlisted for US National Translation Awards

This week’s shortlist announcement included two works of prose originally written in Chinese. A separate Chinese anthology was also longlisted for the poetry prize last month.

Divorcés Starring in TV Romances? China’s Internet Isn’t So Sure

“Against the Current,” the country’s current top TV drama, features a high-ranking Ming dynasty divorcé who marries his former maid, part of a trend of shows featuring divorced men.

Duolingo Launches Shanghainese Lessons, Its 2nd Chinese Dialect

The team of creators said they hoped to make dialects “cool” and preserve local language and culture.

Chinese Users Get Back at AI Male Teen, Casting Him as a Grifter

Seniors are falling prey to ads featuring Xiaohai, an AI teen depicted as needing help and lacking affection, leading users to create their own versions portraying him as a criminal.

17,000 Shipwrecked Relics Given to Chinese Research Centers

The artifacts, discovered aboard a trading vessel shipwrecked in waters off eastern China, consisted mainly of celadon bowls, plates, and cups from a renowned 1,700-year-old kiln.

Ticket to Trouble: Scalping Row Disrupts Shanghai Comedy Show

Police placed three ticket scalpers in custody, and three others received administrative penalties after attendees who had purchased tickets through unofficial channels were denied entry to the venue.

Pizza Bao, Spaghetti Stir-Fry: Chinese Students Hack Home Cooking Abroad

To save money and recall nostalgic flavors from home, Chinese students abroad are increasingly posting videos online of themselves making Chinese classic dishes, with some innovative, low-budget takes.

China Pushes for Homes to Be Completed Before They’re Sold

Top government regulators across multiple industries have issued policies encouraging the sale of finished homes in response to recent shifts in the housing market.

China’s Beloved Beef Noodles Are Getting a Rebrand

Lanzhou pulled noodles, a beloved food across China, are often sold by people from Qinghai, not Gansu, as the name suggests. Now, their branding is changing to fit reality.

Chinese Supermarket Chain Recruits Ex-Cons for 2nd Consecutive Year

Pangdonglai, known for its comparatively healthy working conditions and benefits, has announced it will recruit 20 former convicts who have served at least five years in prison.

China’s Post-Gaokao Teens Are Spending Big Before College

This summer, 18-year-olds who have just completed the nation’s grueling college entrance exam are spending tens of thousands of yuan on vacations, electronics, and new hobbies before they start university.

A Chef Caught in a Middle East War Is China’s Latest Hit

“Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” one of China’s top-grossing films this summer, centers on a Chinese restaurant owner who saves local orphans during a war in the region.

Too Many Cooks: China’s Culinary Titles Face a Credibility Test

From chefs and restaurants to entire cities and towns, prestige titles have become a powerful branding tool. Now authorities are tightening rules around who can award and use them.

Video Game Accounts Can Be Inherited, Chinese Court Rules

The case marks a major instance of a domestic court ruling that game accounts can be inherited, overriding user agreements with gaming companies.

Chinese Village’s Viral Cicada Harvest Comes Under Fire

Scientists say that the uptick in cicada nymph collection, popularized by livestreaming, could damage local ecosystems.

China’s Largest Bookstore Launches Nationwide Same-Day Delivery

Experts say the value of the service lies not in profit but in how it can help bookstores reconstruct their connections to readers.