profiles of people
Who was the 19th-century merchant Howqua?
“The late tycoon once dominated China’s trade market as the richest man on Earth.” | learn more
Tag: China
thoughts of food
China’s approval of gene-edited crops energizes researchers.
There are a lot of people to feed in China, so it’s probably a good thing that their new rules are less strict than the EU’s policy of Just Say No to GMOs. “Scientists say newly published guidelines will spur […]
on the blockchain
China’s underground crypto miners.
Though China’s official market share of mining is down to zero, “Experts estimate that as much as 20% of the worldwide bitcoin network remains in China.” The middle market of miners felt the worst impact, as the smaller ones could […]
retail therapy
The Amazon empire strikes back.
Stratechery: “Amazon’s owning the end to end supply chain makes it harder for merchants to ditch Amazon. Because the alternative logistics network form China are more expensive and more prone to failures. Investment years ago creates value and loyalty today.” | learn […]
on the blockchain
Notice on further preventing and disposing of the risk of hype in virtual currency trading.
This is the official title of China’s new crypto policy. “Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities.” | learn more
big ideas
Afghanistan, rare earths, and China.
“In this week’s Where Stuff Comes From Briefing: How and why Rare Earth Elements and Afghanistan are a massive opportunity for whoever seizes it (re: China).” | learn more
tech, startups, internet
Luckin Coffee stock jumps after financial restatement.
The Chinese coffee startup (founded 2017) was a high-flyer until April 2020 when it came out they had fabricated sales figures. I stopped paying attention then, but China really wants a domestic alternative to Starbucks. | learn more
fun facts
China’s WeChat bans nose-picking, spanking
“Besides nose-picking and spanking, other “vulgar” activities that are banned include putting underwear over one’s head and focusing the camera lens on sensitive parts of the body, such as the chest or buttocks,,.“ | learn more
retail therapy
Shein: the TikTok of ecommerce
I was unimpressed by this company when a Chinese friend showed me their website. I’ve made a complete reversal after reading this. “It reportedly did almost $10 billion in revenue in 2020, and has grown over 100% for each of […]