The Translation Detail Everyone Missed in the China Internet’s Incredibly Surreal Anthem

Posted on by Jason Li

In case you missed it, the New York Times, ProPublica, the Guardian and the Atlantic all wrote about this incredibly surreal but voted best of event anthem celebrating China’s glorious internet. Thanks to ProPublica we have a subtitled, Youtube video above.

As James Fallows at the Atlantic pointed out,…

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Book Review

Book Review: China Airborne by James Fallows

Posted on by Jason Li

china_airborne_cover

In China Airborne, Fallows skillfully uses the rise and uncertain future of the aviation industry in China as a parable for the development in China. An avid political-economic analyst and storyteller, Fallows’ account is surprisingly easy to read, given the complexity of his argument that China is “contradictory” yet exciting.

Fallows is a charismatic writer with a…

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Fact checking the hype around mesh networks and FireChat

Posted on by Jason Li

Being based in Hong Kong, my tech friends and I still occasionally get asked, “So what’s the deal with FireChat?” In case you missed it, FireChat, a smartphone chat app with basic mesh support, made headlines during the recent Occupy Hong Kong protests. Protesters on the ground here turned to it in late September when rumors began to circulate that the government would shut down…

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China Meme Report

Chinese video meme hit used for PLA recruitment ad

Posted on by Jason Li

Excerpted from Quartz’s excellent What China’s 2014 internet memes said about the country’s hopes and fears:

Little Apple. A retro-sounding dance hit by two former Youku stars, the Chopstick Brothers, is China’s version of “Gangnam Style.” The song xiao pingguo, or “Little Apple,” is irreverent, annoyingly catchy, and bizarre, with a politically incorrect …

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Book Review

Book Review: Understanding China through Comics, Volume 4: The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1912)

Posted on by Jason Li

UnderstandingChinaThroughComics4

The fourth volume of “Understanding China Through Comics” takes us through the final six centuries of imperial rule in China. In it, we find the final emperors of China attempting various reforms in the face of foreign invasion, occupation and, ultimately, humiliation.

Liu continues his formidable task of tackling the entirety of Chinese history, with an increasing focus on policy…

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China Meme Report

How the Umbrella ‘Revolution’ meme hurt the movement in Hong Kong

Posted on by Jason Li

HKClassBoycottSelfies

 

The ongoing protests for democracy in Hong Kong have been dubbed by many as the “Umbrella Revolution.” But days before the term was created, the dominant internet meme supporting the protests was built around student selfies accompanied by hashtags #HKClassBoycott and #HKStudentStrike. This was in line with what was then a students-only protest. Supporters participated by finding a photo…

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Ethnography of Tech

Drawing inspiration from China’s subtitling and dating communities

Posted on by jinge

Editor’s note: Our very own Jin Ge recently spoke at The Conference by Media Evolution 2014 on how designers can draw inspiration from China’s subtitling and dating communities. You can watch the entire talk above.

Some of the highlights include:

  • How his team at IDEO learned that subtitling groups, who volunteer to…

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