BUSINESS

Overseas, Optimized: How AI Is Driving China’s Next E-commerce Push

As AI tools become more accessible than ever, China’s business-savvy merchants are using them to better sell their products overseas—but questions remain about where the line lies between fair play and deception, artistry and theft

BUSINESS

How Livestreams Became China’s Newest Tool for Selling Books

Livestreaming has boosted book sales in China via its massive online traffic, but does it translate into real gains for publishers, or just a short-term ploy to cash in?

BUSINESS

As the “2D Goods Economy” Explodes in China, Can Fantasy Worlds Solve Real-life Woes?

With the sale of anime-related products now a multi-billion-yuan industry, there’s no sign of the trend slowing down. But who are the beneficiaries, and what impact has this explosion in popularity had on the subcultures it grew out of?

BUSINESS

How Beijing’s “Academic Bars” Are Helping to Democratize Knowledge

Bar-based lecture series are becoming increasingly popular in the capital, attracting students and workers looking to learn and find community outside of traditional educational spaces

BUSINESS

Smooth Operator: The Vending Massage Chairs Invading China’s Public Spaces

Amid the pressures of modern living, vending massage chairs have proven a cheap and easy way for young people to unwind. But is this trend built to last—or will it be over as quickly as the massages themselves?

BUSINESS

Can a Local Supermarket Save China’s Offline Retail Sector?

Despite the economic downturn, Pangdonglai, a once-obscure regional supermarket, is thriving—yet its success may be difficult to replicate

BUSINESS

Borderline Addicted: How Shenzhen Became Hongkongers’ Weekend Escape Plan

Once a shoppers’ paradise, Hong Kong now watches its residents head north in search of low prices, lush parks, and luxe experiences

BUSINESS

Scandals from China’s Annual Consumer Rights Festival in 2025

From repackaged sanitary products to fraudulent home repair services, here are the most shocking consumer rights scandals unveiled during China’s annual “3·15 Gala” this year

BUSINESS

Amid Snags in Global Trade, Chaozhou’s Wedding Dress Factories Battle to Survive

Faced with mounting pressures from overseas tariffs and dwindling labor and growing competition at home, the future of the city’s decades-long dress trade hangs in the balance

BUSINESS

As China’s Russian Goods Stores Proliferate, Just How Russian Are They?

After the opening of nearly 1,000 “Russian goods” stores in the country over the past year, consumers and authorities are beginning to question the true origin of their products