Manya Koetse

In this China Trend Watch edition: – AI actors vs human storytelling – China’s deadly fireworks disaster – Chengdu car attack controversy – A blogger tracked down over pink river […]

Inside OPPO’s Mother’s Day PR fiasco and other failed marketing campaigns in China’s gender minefield

A new state-backed epic about the Qing conquest of Taiwan is stirring debate. Plus: the Shanxi mine disaster, a controversial prison film, hukou reform, and China’s top 5 rising books.

A response to a Dutch debate on China, and why nuance matters in an age of geopolitical polarization.

Why has Adidas regained cultural relevance in China while Nike is struggling despite its global strength?

How Adidas won and Nike lost, Japan's lost decades as a mirror for China, and why a possum is the new workplace spirit animal.

After the first complaints surfaced, Auntie Goose Legs admitted the truth about her business: she ha been selling duck legs all along.

If it walks like a duck, it might just be Auntie Goose Legs. A wrap-up of noteworthy trending stories in China. From the real Rolex recruiting fake crowds to diaper scares & a funny Deepseek moment.

How information surrounding the CITIC Tower crash was managed, from a five-day media blackout to a sixth-day official narrative.

Also: the Hong Kong bookstore arrests that did not go trending, AI bank cards, Haaland becoming China’s summer meme king, and a delivery rider winning the Lu Xun Literature Prize.