Lakeisha Leo

The low-profile 40-year-old is winning widespread praise for keeping artificial intelligence costs affordable and giving Western firms and tech entrepreneurs a run for their money.

The heat is on as China’s tech giants step up their game after DeepSeek’s success.

Waking up at 2.50am, marching 25,000 steps a day — former PLA soldiers-turned-influencers captivate netizens in China with their stories.

Chinese companies are imposing various measures to stamp out toxic workplace culture and overcompetition, which officials have warned fuels the rat race.

Chinese companies are imposing various measures to stamp out toxic workplace culture and overcompetition, which officials have warned fuels the rat race.

In the last of an eight-part series on China's regional influence, CNA explores how the cultural pull of Chinese entertainment - from dramas to animation and games - is reshaping perceptions of Beijing.

Education authorities are enforcing full weekends off to boost student welfare. But with the gaokao - the all-important national college entrance exam - approaching in June, many final-year students still get just one rest day a week, or even every two weeks.

“As I learnt during my six years studying here, this land does not belong to me, and I will always be a foreigner,” a Chinese student studying in the US tells CNA.

Known as “lao shu ren” in Chinese, the youth-associated phenomenon describes those with lifestyles like a rat - nocturnal, low-key, and surviving in the margins with no set path.

Experts say that influencer content might help China humanise its global image - but overly positive portrayals risk online backlash.