Starting Up in Shenzhen

How the internet is making hardware startups as fast as software in Shenzhen

Posted on by An Xiao Mina

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Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from ‘Created’ in China: Shenzhen is making hardware like Silicon Valley makes apps, written by An Xiao Mina and originally published on Fusion.

China is amidst a massive transition from a country primarily of manufacturers to one of makers. Lei Gao is part of this new generation…

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Debunking Silicon Valley myths about WeChat’s conversational UI & other findings

Posted on by Jason Li

The Nielsen Norman Group recently wrapped up a great study involving 26 individuals in Beijing and Tangshan about their use of WeChat. Their report, WeChat: China’s Integrated Internet User Experience is well worth a read. But in case you’re pressed for time, we’ve written up our annotated highlights below.

Early on, Cheng and Nielsen (the authors of the article) point out…

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Chinese Comics Review

The psychedelic art of an Adventure Time-inspired Chinese webcomic

Posted on by Jason Li

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Electrocat and Lightning Dog is an indie webcomic set in a futuristic world of talking animals, aliens and psychedelic strawberries. Inspired by Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time, it follows the tried-and-true formula of two best friends going on random adventures, except that Electrocat and Lightning Dog is even more zany and non-linear than its progenitor.

…

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Hong Kong’s Animation-Comic-Games Convention 2016: Mostly a frenzy of shopping with a shrinking presence of local creators

Posted on by Jason Li

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It was business as usual at this year’s ACG (Animation-Comic-Game) Con in Hong Kong. Big international videogame and toy brands dominated, and attendees diligently lined up to shop for Japanese manga merch, to play test games in VR, or to marvel at finely-crafted toy figurines from Japan or the US. This 90% off gacha booth was, for example, swamped…

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HK Book Fair 2016: 100Most steals the day, homegrown dim sum comics and a wuxia novels exhibit

Posted on by Jason Li

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The Hong Kong Book Fair 2016 continues the city’s longstanding tradition of hosting consumer-obsessed, discount-supermarket-style book fairs. As with previous years, it was mobbed with students towing suitcases to buy in bulk, 20%+ discounts all around, and bookstore-publishers cross-selling each other’s books (but promoting their own most prominently). The books themselves include both fiction and non-fiction, with a large selection of titles…

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China Meme Report · Multi Entry

ZHUANG B — (v.) to be a poser

Posted on by Christina Xu
Shanghai Fashion Week photo
This photo of the front-row at a Shanghai Fashion Week show is mine and intends no shade. The shady memes below were hand-foraged from the Chinese internets.

In Chinese internet parlance, to 装B (zhuāng bì) is to put on airs — worldly, moneyed, educated, eccentric, or any other combination thereof. In other words: to be a fucking poser.

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The History of Chinese Typewriters Needs Your $upport

Posted on by Jason Li
Photo of Chinese Typist
Chinese Typist In 1928
1950s Propaganda Poster Featuring Chinese Typist
1950s Propaganda Poster Featuring Chinese Typist

Tom Mullaney (professor of Chinese history + technology at Stanford) is running a Kickstarter campaign around exhibiting and preserving the fascinating history of the Chinese typewriter. One highlight of his exhibition will be centered around how Chinese engineers cracked the puzzle on creating a typewriter…

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Book Review · Starting Up in Shenzhen

An indispensable traveler & buyer’s guide for the electronics mega-market in Shenzhen

Posted on by Jason Li

Book cover photo

The Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen is a niche travel guide to the famed electronics market/complex – often referred to as SEG or Huaqiangbei – in Futian, Shenzhen. The guide draws on the author Bunnie Huang’s many years of experience as an engineer, entrepreneur and foreigner in Shenzhen. In a way, this guide is the physical, book version of…

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Multi Entry

Live-Streaming Meals: inviting your internet neighbors over for dinner in China

Posted on by Christina Xu

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Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from an article on Lucky Peach called I Eat, You Watch, written by our very own Christina Xu:

“Can you show me some of your favorites?” I asked, expecting her to share the latest Chinese memes. Instead, she giggled in embarrassment and scrolled through a feed dominated…

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