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  <title><![CDATA[Shanghai Daily: In Focus]]></title> 
  <link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/</link> 
  <description><![CDATA[Shanghai Daily In Focus]]></description> 
  <language>en</language>
  <copyright><![CDATA[Copyright 2001-2021 Shanghai Daily Publishing House]]></copyright>
  <webMaster><![CDATA[ShanghaiDaily]]></webMaster>
  
    
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Chinas-bubble-tea-boom-brews-rural-growth-overseas-presence/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>China’s bubble tea boom brews rural growth, overseas presence</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[ALTHOUGH the traditional spring harvest season is now over, in the humming workshop of a tea company in the city of Shengzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, the aroma of fresh leaves still lingers in ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		ALTHOUGH the traditional spring harvest season is now over, in the humming workshop of a tea company in the city of Shengzhou, east China&rsquo;s Zhejiang Province, the aroma of fresh leaves still lingers in the air while workers operate machines in churning out batches of vibrant green tea.

More than 4,000 kilometers away, Latifahtul Khoiriyah in Jakarta, Indonesia, took a taxi during her lunch break on a sweltering summer&rsquo;s day, making this trip especially to try out the bubble tea of Chinese brand Chagee. This white-collar worker in the finance sector learned about Chagee on social media like TikTok and Instagram.

&ldquo;It tastes good,&rdquo; she said, adding that compared with some other bubble brands, Chagee is less sweet, while its packages are of better design.

&ldquo;Jasmine has a light and rich floral flavor which is extremely refreshing, while the Oolong tea has a deeper aftertaste of roasted cream,&rdquo; said another customer named Raditya. &ldquo;It is evident that high-quality tea is used in Chagee.&rdquo;

Featuring diverse flavors, achieved by combining ingredients such as fresh fruits, tea leaves, milk and cheese, China&rsquo;s new-style tea beverage has expanded its market rapidly in recent years, capturing the hearts of customers across China and also overseas.

Data released by iiMedia Research showed that in 2024, China&rsquo;s new-style tea beverage market value exceeded 350 billion yuan (US$49 billion) &mdash; up 6.4 percent from a year earlier, while the market value is expected to reach 374.93 billion yuan by the end of 2025.

Fragrance spreading overseas

A report by Nanfang Metropolis Daily suggested that Chinese new-style tea beverage brands began opening outlets overseas in the 2010s at an accelerating pace.

According to the National Business Daily, Chinese new-style tea beverage brands had opened more than 5,000 outlets overseas by the end of last year.

While various Chinese bubble brands could be seen in many Western cities such as London and Sydney, Southeast Asia emerged as one of their major markets.

HeyTea, which boasts more than 4,000 stores worldwide, launched its first overseas store in Singapore in 2018. Naixue opened its first overseas flagship outlet last year in Bangkok&rsquo;s well-known shopping center Central World, sparking a frenzy among young consumers.

In April this year, Chagee opened three outlets in Jakarta. By July 15, this number had grown to eight. In its PIK Avenue outlet, sales topped 10,000 cups in the first three days of its opening, while the number of membership registrations exceeded 5,000 within one week.

Mixue is arguably the most popular Chinese bubble tea brand in Indonesia with more than 2,600 outlets. By the end of 2024, Mixue had created jobs for about 12,800 people in Indonesia.

Redefining tea culture

Chen Fuqiao, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that the popularity of new-style tea beverages reflected the aspirations of the people, especially the young who favor healthy drinks and emotional release.

The new-style tea beverage has become a window for people to learn the traditional Chinese tea culture, he said.

According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 46.9 percent of young Chinese gain a better understanding of traditional tea during the consumption of new-style tea beverages, and 74.3 percent expressed willingness to try traditional tea after tasting a new-style tea beverage.

The rapid rise of such brands has reshaped the tea supply chain in recent years. China produces about 3 million tons of tea leaves each year &mdash; involving around 80 million farmers.

Soaring demand for raw tea materials has opened up new opportunities for making use of previously underutilized summer and autumn tea resources, Chen said.

Xu Jie, deputy general manager of the Zhejiang Wafa Tea Co, said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve invested tens of millions of yuan in three digital production lines. Right now, we&rsquo;re rushing to fulfill base tea orders for several domestic tea beverage brands.&rdquo;

In the first half of 2025, Wafa Tea produced 1,300 tons of Longjing raw tea, supporting the development of more than 2,000 hectares of tea gardens and generating over 40 million yuan in sales. Full-year sales are expected to exceed 70 million yuan, according to Xu.

&ldquo;Longjing tea is one of Zhejiang&rsquo;s most iconic products,&rdquo; said Lu Debiao, a tea expert at the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

&ldquo;The integration of the Longjing brand with the booming new-style tea beverage sector has become a recent highlight, injecting new vitality into the traditional product.&rdquo;

Benefiting rural growth

Located in Shengzhou, the largest Longjing tea-producing area in China, Wafa Tea&rsquo;s development is a microcosm of the transformation of China&rsquo;s tea industry.

Shengzhou is promoting a &ldquo;three-season harvest&rdquo; strategy across its 14,000 hectares of tea gardens. In spring, farmers hand-pick high-end teas, while in summer and autumn, fresh leaves are harvested for targeted supply to new-style beverage makers and export processors.

In addition to tea leaves, Chinese farmers are also reaping benefits stemming from other agricultural products.

Goodme, for example, has set up an avocado base in Menglian County of southwest China&rsquo;s Yunnan Province, where the annual income of local farmers has been quadrupled from 12,000 yuan to 48,000 yuan.

HeyTea, meanwhile, has purchased matcha from Guizhou Province, also in southwest China, resulting in the scale of the matcha industry in the city of Tongren increasing by 15-fold in the space of three years.

No Yeye No Tea, a newcomer to the bubble tea market with more than 2,200 outlets across China, sources osmanthus flowers from Hubei Province in central China and gardenia flowers from Sichuan Province in the country&rsquo;s southwest.

&ldquo;Last year, we sold 7.4 million cups of osmanthus tea, using as much as 97 tons of flowers from the city of Xianning,&rdquo; said Liu Dong, who is in charge of the company&rsquo;s public affairs department.

In Sichuan, it has collaborated with the Longgushan tea company, which owns about 70 hectares of fields for the growing of gardenia.

&ldquo;Our collaboration encouraged local flower-processing enterprises to upgrade their production line, and gave rise to the growth of gardenia output &mdash; from 20 tons to 300 tons a year,&rdquo; said Li Jialu, general manager of the company.

Zhu Hong, a villager from Qianwei County of Leshan City, started growing gardenia and jasmine four years ago.

&ldquo;Qianwei is famed for its flower industry, but my predecessors had never thought to become wealthy by growing flowers,&rdquo; he said, adding that his parents had once even tried to persuade him to throw away flower seedlings and change his profession.

However, the rise in popularity of new-style beverages boosted the price of gardenia in the county last year, when the market price reached more than 40 yuan per kilogram on average, amounting to about 10 times the price in the past.

Thanks to this change, Zhu&rsquo;s income from flower growing skyrocketed 20-fold last year compared with 2023. This enabled him to buy a new car, while he was also able to contract more land for growing gardenia and jasmine.

&ldquo;Some of my friends even asked me for flower-growing tips,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have confidence in the prospect of new-style tea drinks.&rdquo;

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Chinese-firms-seeking-to-sell-overseas-take-TikTok-pivot/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Chinese firms seeking to sell overseas take TikTok pivot</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lu Feiran]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[A somewhat simple video on TikTok showing a huge rainproof canopy in different settings attracted 7,000-plus “likes” and more than 100 comments from Africa to Southeast Asia. The video shows the products ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		A somewhat simple video on TikTok showing a huge rainproof canopy in different settings attracted 7,000-plus &ldquo;likes&rdquo; and more than 100 comments from Africa to Southeast Asia. The video shows the products of the Guangfu Color Steel Structure, a small firm in Shanghai.

It&rsquo;s one of thousands of short videos developed for TikTok by Chinese companies eager to expand their marketing efforts to the popular global platform from traditional reliance on domestic trade fairs and sites like Alibaba.com for sales.

New businesses have sprung up to feed the trend. Shanghai-based LTS Industrial Technology is one example.

Based in Jiading District, LTS has been focusing on online marketing services for industrial products since 2021. Last year, it has shifted its focus from Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to its international version, helping Chinese firms access clients outside the country.

&ldquo;The rising importance of TikTok, driven by short-format videos, presents both significant challenges and opportunities,&rdquo; said Liu Lian, chief executive of the company. &ldquo;Large corporations that have established sales power don&rsquo;t really care about smaller possible clients found on social media, while smaller businesses often lack the necessary skills to chase them. This creates a huge business opportunity for us.&rdquo;

ByteDance-owned TikTok operates in 150 countries and regions with 2.1 billion global registered users and growth projections surpassing 3 billion. The popular platform allows users to post their contact information on the accounts, so with an Internet connection, business can be conducted anywhere in the world.

&ldquo;The success on Douyin made us realize that if we replicate our marketing mode to TikTok, where the customer base is much larger, it would yield far better results,&rdquo; Liu told Shanghai Daily. &ldquo;This has proven to be true. For some industries, we can generate over a thousand inquiries for a client in just one or two months.&rdquo;

Why is TikTok such a good salesman? Probably because its videos can directly show viewers how goods are produced.

&ldquo;The TikTok model is especially well-suited for industrial products, manufacturing, chemical raw materials and engineering machinery,&rdquo; Liu said. &ldquo;Buyers in these sectors are focused on more than just the final product; they evaluate the supplier based on production capabilities, assembly lines, certifications, warehousing and shipping services.&rdquo;

Because TikTok content doesn&rsquo;t change from region to region, companies don&rsquo;t need to localize their content for different audiences.

The development of artificial intelligence has made the format much easier than in the past. Liu, like most of his clients, doesn&rsquo;t speak much English, much less other languages.

AI allows Chinese scripts to be translated into dozens of languages through dubbing and subtitles.

Liu said he believes LTS&rsquo;s business will be in demand for at least a decade because the world marketplace still relies heavily on Chinese production.

&ldquo;It takes some time to build plants from scratch in other countries and more time to train employees, so now there is a big market, especially in the Middle East, with strong demand and low supplies,&rdquo; he said.

In addition to use in business-to-business commerce, TikTok is also attracting Chinese merchants in the business-to-consumer space, especially those that failed to gain traction on sites like Amazon and eBay.

Shu Zixuan from the southern city of Shenzhen is one of them. His C-BULL Global company, which mainly sells Bluetooth speakers and underwear, now enjoys sales volume of 200 million yuan (US$28 million) a year on TikTok.

&ldquo;I started my business in 2013,&rdquo; Shu explained, &ldquo;and initially 90 percent of our business was in China, with domestic sales reaching about 700 to 800 million yuan annually and overseas sales on Amazon of only 40 to 50 million yuan.&rdquo;

He added, &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t take overseas business seriously because the delivery costs on Amazon were too high, and we couldn&rsquo;t invest much more into it.&rdquo;

In September 2023, TikTok launched its shop in North America, and Shu found that many shop owners on Douyin were using it to expand business to the other side of the Pacific. He saw opportunity and seized it. TikTok, he found, suited his needs perfectly.

&ldquo;Amazon operates on a listing logic, so that if you have a large number of listings, your ranking will be high,&rdquo; Shu said. &ldquo;That makes it difficult for new sellers because they&rsquo;re starting from scratch with no accumulated history, and the only way they can compete is on price, which just leads to a race to the bottom.&rdquo;

He said China&rsquo;s Temu online sales platform is mainly for factory sales and doesn&rsquo;t work for little guys like him, who can&rsquo;t set their own prices.

&ldquo;TikTok, on the other hand, uses an algorithm,&rdquo; he said.

&ldquo;A new product, if it&rsquo;s any good, will automatically be recommended to users. So, any brand that starts a TikTok shop overseas will get traffic, which isn&rsquo;t true for Amazon.&rdquo;

However, the future of TikTok operations in the United States, its single largest pool of users, remains in limbo. The US Congress last year passed a law banning the platform from the US if it remains in the hands of China-based ByteDance, citing national security concerns.

US President Donald Trump, a big fan of social media, has delayed implementation of the law three times this year to allow negotiations on sale of TikTok&rsquo;s American unit to a US-backed consortium of private equity investors. The latest extension expires in mid-September.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Babyface-jab-profits-just-skin-deep/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>‘Baby-face’ jab profits just skin deep</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tan Weiyun]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[IN a sleek beauty clinic in downtown Shanghai, 32-year-old fashion editor Mia Ma smiles into a mirror after wiping away a numbing cream from her cheeks.

“This is my second round of filler this year,” ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		IN a sleek beauty clinic in downtown Shanghai, 32-year-old fashion editor Mia Ma smiles into a mirror after wiping away a numbing cream from her cheeks.

&ldquo;This is my second round of filler this year,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I just want to maintain my facial contour and make myself look fresh and awake.&rdquo;

Her treatment of choice is tongyan zhen (童颜针), literally &ldquo;baby-face injection,&rdquo; a poly-L-lactic acid, collagen-stimulating filler that over months coaxes the skin into producing its own collagen for a smoother, fuller look.

The injection has become one of China&rsquo;s buzziest trends in medical aesthetics, a market that includes botulinum toxins, hyaluronic acid and collagen stimulators, and is expected to exceed 380 billion yuan (US$52.3 billion) in value by 2027, according to a 2024 report by Deloitte China.

&ldquo;Right now, baby-face injection is by far our most popular service,&rdquo; said Xiao Xiong, a sales consultant at a beauty clinic on Huashan Road. &ldquo;Some people even book second appointments before the effects of the first ones have fully appeared.&rdquo;

She added, &ldquo;There are so many different kinds of treatment in the market now. Some focus on deep collagen stimulation, some add hydrating ingredients for a plumper look, and others promise a longer-lasting lift.&rdquo;

As of July, nine &ldquo;baby-face injection&rdquo; products have won approval for use in China, with another dozen in the regulatory pipeline. Prices, once hovering above 18,000 yuan per treatment, are already sliding toward the 10,000-yuan mark in major cities as competition bites.

Some aggressive newcomers have undercut prices of market leaders by a third, sparking disputes over product authenticity and medical qualifications.

In June, SoYoung, one of China&rsquo;s biggest medical aesthetics platforms, rolled out a cut-rate &ldquo;miracle baby-face&rdquo; injection treatment prices at just 5,999 yuan. It featured a 340-milligram dose of L&ouml;viselle, China&rsquo;s first approved collagen stimulator based on poly-L-lactic acid.

Developed by Changchun-based biotech firm SinoBiom, L&ouml;viselle positioned itself at the premium end of the &ldquo;baby-face&rdquo; market, with a suggested retail price of 18,800 yuan per syringe. When SoYoung launched a cheaper version under its own clinical brand name, SinoBiom hit back.

The company issued a public warning questioning SoYoung&rsquo;s supply channels, physician credentials and patient safety. SoYoung deleted the response statement from its platform, but the offer still appears on other online platforms in mid-August, drawing floods of bargain-hunters.

The pressure is on. Last month, two new products &mdash; Lizhenran, developed by Xihong Bio Pharma and exclusively marketed by China Medical System, and Olidia, co-developed by Anhemei (Hoya Beauty) and Korea PRP &mdash; received approval from China&rsquo;s drug regulator. Their arrival has further intensified what was already a brutal turf battle for customers.

At first glance, the collagen-stimulation market looks busy, but take a look closer and it&rsquo;s a house of mirrors. Many newly launched &ldquo;baby-face injections&rdquo; are strikingly similar in composition, using collagen-stimulating polymers with only slight differences in duration, elasticity and onset of effects. All promise nearly identical outcomes. Some medics have called the market &ldquo;a hundred versions of the same magic bean.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Customers don&rsquo;t really know the differences among all these brands, so it&rsquo;s all about speed,&rdquo; said sales consultant Xiao. &ldquo;Whoever gets there first wins.&rdquo;

In response, established players are ramping up social media campaigns and working with influencers to reinforce brand identity and fend off cheaper competitors.

That flood is washing away L&ouml;viselle&rsquo;s early-entry advantage. In 2022 and 2023, it was the star of the show. Today, it&rsquo;s one of many. And when differentiation fades, price erosion follows fast.

In aesthetic medicine, few products can hold the line on pricing for long. Botox and Juvederm are rare exceptions, backed by decades of branding, strict training protocols, and iron-fisted distribution. L&ouml;viselle? Not quite there.

It&rsquo;s a familiar arc. Star products often hit peak price in the first 6-12 months, then begin a steady slide unless buttressed by relentless marketing and tight supply control. By the three-to-five-year period, most injectables lose pricing power, especially as new approvals accelerate.

For now, the chase is on in a market where everyone promises glowing skin but profits may be skin deep.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Once-branded-slow-kid-Unitree-founder-emerges-as-a-tech-icon/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Once branded slow kid, Unitree founder emerges as a tech icon</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Wan Lixin]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[AS the founder and CEO of Unitree Robotics, 35-year-old Wang Xingxing has become a benchmark for youthful talent in hardcore technology, thanks to his groundbreaking innovations in humanoid and quadruped ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		AS the founder and CEO of Unitree Robotics, 35-year-old Wang Xingxing has become a benchmark for youthful talent in hardcore technology, thanks to his groundbreaking innovations in humanoid and quadruped robots.

Wang&rsquo;s journey is also a tale of transformation, evolving from an introverted student with limited English skills to a prominent figure in robotics. In his younger days, he was known for being so introverted that he often went unnoticed.

Born in 1990 to an ordinary family in Yuyao, east China&rsquo;s Zhejiang Province, Wang faced significant challenges in learning English, according to Thepaper.cn. Despite his diligent efforts, he struggled to grasp the language.

His schoolteacher once confided to his mother, expressing concern that Wang seemed sluggish and was at risk of not graduating from high school due to his poor grades.

Out of countless English tests, both big and small, Wang managed to pass only three times.

There&rsquo;s a humorous online anecdote suggesting that Wang named his company Unitree Robotics &mdash; a name that sounds like &ldquo;yushu&rdquo; in Chinese, which means &ldquo;Chinese&rdquo; and &ldquo;math&rdquo; but notably excludes &ldquo;English,&rdquo; one of the three main subjects.

Despite this challenge, Wang consistently ranked among the top students overall, excelling in math, physics and chemistry.

From a young age, he demonstrated exceptional hands-on skills, inventing impressive wind-powered cars, power banks and small jet engines.

Wang showcased his unusual talent during the critical national matriculation examination in 2009 when, despite scoring only 28 out of a possible 150 in English, he was still accepted into the mechanical and electrical engineering program at the School of Mechanical and Automation Control, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, in Hangzhou, Thepaper.cn story said.

His teachers described him as highly goal-oriented with exceptional hands-on skills. He viewed the school library as his &ldquo;fountain&rdquo; for recharging and the laboratory as his &ldquo;jungle,&rdquo; a place where he could apply his abilities.

During his freshman year, in his initial exploration of microcontroller units, he spent his pocket money on an Arduino board. During winter break, Wang purchased over a dozen 9g servomotors and used them to build a biped humanoid robot, boasting 14 degrees of freedom (DOF).

He proudly remarked: &ldquo;It cost even less than an electric fan.&rdquo;

From that point on, he continued to excel. In the summer of 2010, using hand-drawn blueprints along with cutting and polishing techniques, he developed a multi-DOF force feedback glove and 3D virtual reality force interaction software. In 2011, he filed his first patent for a device designed to achieve multi-DOF force feedback in fingers. That summer, he also enhanced his &ldquo;dexterous hand prototype&rdquo; to provide each finger with four active DOF.

In 2013, while taking the postgraduate entrance exam, his lack of proficiency in English disqualified him from Zhejiang University, to which he had applied. Consequently, he was admitted to Shanghai University through an adjustment process.

However, this setback did not diminish his talent. During his first year of postgraduate study, he developed a highly dynamic mechanical leg, garnering research support from his supervisor, Jia Wenchuan. Later, under Jia&rsquo;s guidance, he designed the XDog quadruped robot, which offered a low-cost, high-performance solution in the field of quadruped robotics. This achievement propelled him to global recognition within the industry.

In 2015, Wang published his electric drive design for the XDog, approximately a year ahead of Boston Dynamics, a prominent robotics company in the United States. He subsequently entered XDog in a robotics design competition in Shanghai, where he secured second place and received an award of 80,000 yuan (US$11,100).

This financial boost, in a way, helped solidify the future financial foundation of Unitree Robotics.

In early 2016, before completing his master&rsquo;s degree, Wang was recruited by DJI in Shenzhen. However, he chose to leave the position just two months later to pursue his own venture, Unitree Robotics.

Wang took on dual roles as both CEO and CTO at Unitree, which focused on creating affordable quadruped robots.

The years that followed were far from glitch-free. In the early days, robotics was not as popular as it is today. While Unitree&rsquo;s products were top-notch, sales were insufficient to turn a profit. Wang quickly exhausted the first round of financing, which compelled him to personally pay his employees. The company nearly came to a standstill for almost a year, leaving Wang feeling distraught.

The saving grace was the explosive AI boom, which allowed the once-struggling small company to secure a billion yuan investment, pushing its valuation to 10 billion yuan. Since then, Unitree has experienced a roller-coaster ride.

In 2017, Unitree launched its first product, Laikago (named after the dog that famously lost its life in early space exploration), which showcased Chinese robotics on the world stage. In 2019, the debut of Laikago Pro provided a Chinese solution for quadruped robots. In 2021, a robotic ox at China Central Television&rsquo;s Spring Festival Gala gave 1.4 billion people a glimpse of state-of-the-art smart Chinese manufacturing.

This was followed by Unitree&rsquo;s robotic dogs at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 and Chinese robotic dogs sharing the spotlight with their US counterparts at the Super Bowl pre-show in 2023.

Significantly, Wang and his team are redefining the application scenarios for robots. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, robotic dogs acted as all-around assistants, picking up discuses and serving as guide dogs. Unitree&rsquo;s palm-sized gyms bring a cutting-edge tech dimension to wellness in the fitness sector.

There is an insatiable desire to push the boundaries of the industry. In 2023, they released the H1, a general humanoid robot that combined a steel torso with an AI brain. In 2024, they introduced the G1 humanoid robot, priced at a minimum of 99,000 yuan, bringing science fiction to life.

While some dispute what robots can do, Wang and his team have already responded elegantly with results. In recent years, their robots have been everywhere, performing Yangge dances at the Spring Festival Gala and carrying 45-kilogram loads up Mount Taishan in place of laborers. Even pig farms are buying Unitree robots for feeding, cleaning and disinfection.

In response to netizens wondering if they could expect robots to care for them in their old age, Wang said that demand is being addressed.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Centuriesold-womens-script-being-embraced-by-younger-generation/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Centuries-old ‘women’s script’ being embraced by younger generation</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[AT a studio in central China’s Hunan Province, a teacher grips an ink brush, gently writing characters of a secret script created by women centuries ago and now being embraced by a new generation.

Nushu, ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		AT a studio in central China&rsquo;s Hunan Province, a teacher grips an ink brush, gently writing characters of a secret script created by women centuries ago and now being embraced by a new generation.

Nushu, meaning &ldquo;women&rsquo;s script,&rdquo; emerged around 400 years ago. Barred from attending school, the women secretly learned Chinese characters and adapted them into Nushu, using the script to communicate with each other through letters, song and embroidery.

Passed down through generations of women in the remote and idyllic county of Jiangyong, it is now gaining popularity nationwide among Chinese women who view it as a symbol of strength.

Student Pan Shengwen said Nushu offered a safe way for women to communicate with each other.

&ldquo;It essentially creates a sanctuary for us,&rdquo; the 21-year-old said.

&ldquo;We can express our thoughts, confide in our sisters and talk about anything.&rdquo;

Compared to Chinese characters, Nushu words are less boxy, more slender and shaped like willow leaves.

&ldquo;When writing ... your breathing must be calm, and only then can your brush be steady,&rdquo; Pan said.

On Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, the hashtag &ldquo;Nushu&rdquo; has been viewed more than 73.5 million times &mdash; mostly featuring young women sharing tattoos and other modern work incorporating the old script.

Student He Jingying said she had been enrolled in a Nushu class by her mother and that writing it brought her &ldquo;a deep sense of calm.&rdquo;

&ldquo;It feels like when the brush touches the paper, a kind of strength flows into you.&rdquo;

Elegance and rarity

Nushu is more than just a writing system &mdash; it represents the lived experiences of rural women from the county, said Zhao Liming, a professor at Beijing&rsquo;s Tsinghua University.

&ldquo;It was a society dominated by men,&rdquo; said Zhao, who has been studying Nushu for four decades.

&ldquo;Their works cried out against this injustice,&rdquo; she said.

The words are read in the local dialect, making it challenging for native Chinese speakers not from the region to learn it.

Teacher He Yuejuan said the writing is drawing more attention because of its elegance and rarity.

&ldquo;It seems to be quite highly regarded, especially among many students in the arts,&rdquo; He said outside her gallery, which sells colorful merchandise, including earrings and shawls with Nushu prints.

As a Jiangyong native, He said Nushu was &ldquo;part of everyday life&rdquo; growing up.

After passing strict exams, she became one of 12 government-designated &ldquo;inheritors&rdquo; of Nushu and is now qualified to teach it.

An hour&rsquo;s drive away, around 100 Nushu learners packed into a hotel room to attend a weeklong workshop organized by local authorities trying to promote the script.

Zou Kexin, one of the many participants, said she had read about Nushu online and wanted to &ldquo;experience it in person.&rdquo;

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a unique writing system belonging to women, which makes it really special,&rdquo; said Zou, 22, who attends a university in southwest China&rsquo;s Sichuan Province.

Animation student Tao Yuxi, 23, one of the handful of men attending the workshop, said he was learning Nushu to gain inspiration for his creative work.

He said his aunt was initially confused about why he was learning Nushu, as it is not typically associated with men.

As it represents part of China&rsquo;s cultural heritage, Nushu has to be passed down, he said.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that everyone should work to preserve &mdash; regardless of whether they are women or men,&rdquo; Tao added.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Hema-X-bows-out-of-membership-store-model-beset-by-big-problems/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Hema X bows out of membership store model, beset by big problems</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lu Feiran]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Alibaba will shut its last Hema X membership store at the end of this month, amid tough market competition with foreign retailers, pricing mistakes, supply-chain problems and a change in management focus.

Nine ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		ALIBABA will shut its last Hema X membership store at the end of this month, amid tough market competition with foreign retailers, pricing mistakes, supply-chain problems and a change in management focus.

Nine of 10 outlets have already been shut. The last one to go is the one that opened first in China &mdash; the Senlan Shangdu branch in the Pudong New Area.

Hema X is a unit of Hema, the grocery chain subsidiary of Alibaba that operates the successful Freshippo food stores. Hema X&rsquo;s original purpose was to tackle the market dominance of membership retailers like Sam&rsquo;s Club and Costco. At the onset in 2020, Alibaba projected 100 branches nationwide within three years.

So what happened and why has US-based Sam&rsquo;s Club and Costco survived in China while Hema X washed out?

Hema X megamarts typically span over 15,000 square meters, featuring a warehouse-style layout and operating with integrated online and offline sales. The stores offered delivery services to members within a 5 to 20-kilometer radius, with the fastest option being &ldquo;one-hour delivery.&rdquo;

The membership was tiered: Gold Membership cost 258 yuan (US$36) a year and Diamond Membership, 658 yuan. The fee structure was designed to attract a key demographic of middle-class and high-end consumers.

Hou Yi, former Hema chief executive, once described Hema X as a &ldquo;head-on battle with Costco and Sam&rsquo;s Club, which will quickly and effectively improve our own capabilities.&rdquo;

That vision began crumbling early on. An outlet in downtown Beijing closed only seven months after opening, and other stores eventually followed suit. Hou was replaced as CEO by Yan Xiaolei in March 2024.

Many industry observers attributed Hema X&rsquo;s demise to a change in management focus. Yan turned his focus on other Hema brands, especially Hema NB, a hard-discount store chain.

But there&rsquo;s more to it than that.

Competitors, especially Sam&rsquo;s Club, have proven that the membership store model works in China. Sam&rsquo;s Club entered in 1996, gradually opening 15 stores around the country. In 2016, a rapid expansion began. It now has 48 stores with more than 5 million registered members and annual fee income of 1.3 billion yuan.

Apart from competition, Hema X had problems in product selection, pricing and operations.

Some products marketed under the Hema MAX label were sourced from the same suppliers as Freshippo, Hema&rsquo;s non-member grocery chain, but were sold at a higher price. That made some Hema X customers feel like they were being overcharged.

Customers also complained about the quality of products.

Mo Li, a former Hema X member from Anhui Province, said he dumped his membership after six weeks following a series of problems.

One involved a steak with leaking vacuum packaging, another involved a missed delivery and a third was related to a &ldquo;funny-tasting pancake&rdquo; sold under the Hema MAX label, Mo explained. &ldquo;The experiences shattered my confidence because I had mistakenly believed that Hema X would be selling better products due to the membership fee.&rdquo;

A relatively weak supply chain also hampered the growth of Hema X. A membership warehouse store requires a robust supply chain to globally source high-quality, low-cost products.

Both Sam&rsquo;s Club and Costco have spent years building global procurement networks, allowing them to acquire premium goods at lower prices. But, Hema X&rsquo;s supply chain was not strong enough to compete on procurement costs and product variety. That resulted in uncompetitive pricing and a failure to provide members with a strong sense of value.

&ldquo;In many cases where products in Hema X overlapped with goods at Freshippo, the prices weren&rsquo;t much lower and sometimes even a bit higher,&rdquo; said Wang Zhiren, a member in Shanghai. &ldquo;So what&rsquo;s the point of buying a membership?&rdquo;

While the curtain has fallen on Hema X, Hema NB has become a popular shopping option.

In 2023, Hema NB&rsquo;s two trial stores in Shanghai achieved a daily sales volume of 150,000 yuan and a gross profit margin of 15 percent. The discount food retailer, patterned on a community-based marketing model, has 300 stories, mostly in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Its main competitor is German-based Aldi, which now has more than 70 stores in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Hema NB deliberately chose to avoid the high-end of the market, targeting instead densely populated communities with stable shopping habits. By using a price-anchoring strategy and precise market positioning, the stores successfully reach over 3,000 households within a 500-meter radius.

But soon the market will become even fiercer.

Rival Meituan has been reorganizing its business lines, including an overhaul of its community-focused operation Meituan Select and a nationwide expansion of its warehouse service Xiaoxiang Supermarket.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Dangerous-dreams-inside-Internet-influencers-sleepmaxxing-craze/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Dangerous dreams: inside Internet influencers’ ‘sleepmaxxing’ craze</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[FROM mouth taping to rope-assisted neck swinging, a viral social media trend is promoting extreme bedtime routines that claim to deliver perfect sleep — despite scant medical evidence and potential safety ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		FROM mouth taping to rope-assisted neck swinging, a viral social media trend is promoting extreme bedtime routines that claim to deliver perfect sleep &mdash; despite scant medical evidence and potential safety risks.

Influencers on platforms including TikTok and X are fueling a growing wellness obsession popularly known as &ldquo;sleepmaxxing,&rdquo; a catch-all term for activities and products aimed at optimizing sleep quality.

The explosive rise of the trend &mdash; generating tens of millions of posts &mdash; underscores social media&rsquo;s power to legitimize unproven health practices, particularly as tech platforms scale back content moderation.

One so-called insomnia cure involves people hanging by their necks with ropes or belts and swinging their bodies in the air.

&ldquo;Those who try it claim their sleep problems have significantly improved,&rdquo; said one clip on X that racked up more than 11 million views.

Experts have raised alarm about the trick, following a Chinese state broadcaster&rsquo;s report that attributed at least one fatality in China last year to a similar &ldquo;neck hanging&rdquo; routine.

Such sleepmaxxing techniques are &ldquo;ridiculous, potentially harmful, and evidence-free,&rdquo; Timothy Caulfield, a misinformation expert from the University of Alberta in Canada, said.

&ldquo;It is a good example of how social media can normalize the absurd.&rdquo;

Another popular practice is taping of the mouth for sleep, promoted as a way to encourage nasal breathing. Influencers claim it offers broad benefits, from better sleep and improved oral health to reduced snoring.

But a report from George Washington University found that most of these claims were not supported by medical research.

Experts have also warned the practice could be dangerous, particularly for those suffering from sleep apnea, a condition that disrupts breathing during sleep.

Other unfounded tricks touted by sleepmaxxing influencers include wearing blue- or red-tinted glasses, using weighted blankets, and eating two kiwis just before bed.

&lsquo;Damaging&rsquo;

&ldquo;My concern with the &lsquo;sleepmaxxing&rsquo; trend &mdash; particularly as it&rsquo;s presented on platforms like TikTok &mdash; is that much of the advice being shared can be actively unhelpful, even damaging, for people struggling with real sleep issues,&rdquo; Kathryn Pinkham, a Britain-based insomnia specialist, told reporters.

&ldquo;While some of these tips might be harmless for people who generally sleep well, they can increase pressure and anxiety for those dealing with chronic insomnia or other persistent sleep problems.&rdquo;

While sound and sufficient sleep is considered a cornerstone of good health, experts warn that the trend may be contributing to orthosomnia, an obsessive preoccupation with achieving perfect sleep.

&ldquo;The pressure to get perfect sleep is embedded in the sleepmaxxing culture,&rdquo; said Eric Zhou of Harvard Medical School.

&ldquo;While prioritizing restful sleep is commendable, setting perfection as your goal is problematic. Even good sleepers vary from night to night.&rdquo;

Pinkham added that poor sleep was often fuelled by the &ldquo;anxiety to fix it,&rdquo; a fact largely unacknowledged by sleepmaxxing influencers.

&ldquo;The more we try to control sleep with hacks or rigid routines, the more vigilant and stressed we become &mdash; paradoxically making sleep harder,&rdquo; Pinkham said.

Beauty over health 

Many sleepmaxxing posts focus on enhancing physical appearance rather than improving health, reflecting an overlap with &ldquo;looksmaxxing&rdquo; &mdash; another online trend that encourages unproven and sometimes dangerous techniques to boost sexual appeal.

Some sleepmaxxing influencers have sought to profit from the trend&rsquo;s growing popularity, promoting products such as mouth tapes, sleep-enhancing drink powders, and &ldquo;sleepmax gummies&rdquo; containing melatonin.

That may be in violation of legal norms in some countries like Britain, where melatonin is available only as a prescription drug.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended against using melatonin to treat insomnia in adults, citing inconsistent medical evidence regarding its effectiveness.

Some medical experts also caution about the impact of the placebo effect on insomnia patients using sleep medication &mdash; when people report real improvement after taking a fake or nonexistent treatment because of their beliefs.

&ldquo;Many of these tips come from non-experts and aren&rsquo;t grounded in clinical evidence,&rdquo; said Pinkham.

&ldquo;For people with genuine sleep issues, this kind of advice often adds pressure rather than relief.&rdquo;

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Novartis-Entresto-case-How-drug-exclusivity-dies-by-a-thousand-filings/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Novartis’ Entresto case: How drug exclusivity dies by a thousand filings</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tan Weiyun]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[ENTRESTO, Novartis’ blockbuster drug to treat chronic heart failure, lost its core US patent protection on July 16, opening the floodgates for global generics. China is already ahead in the race.

Often ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		ENTRESTO, Novartis&rsquo; blockbuster drug to treat chronic heart failure, lost its core US patent protection on July 16, opening the floodgates for global generics. China is already ahead in the race.

Often called the engine of global generic drugs, China produces nearly 80 percent of the active ingredients used in off-patent medications worldwide. Now it&rsquo;s stepping further up the chain.

At least 13 Chinese pharma firms have already won approval to sell their own versions of Entresto at home, with dozens more in clinical trials or waiting in line. Some are cutting licensing deals or challenging leftover patents to get an edge.

In truth, Entresto&rsquo;s legal shields in China began crumbling years go. China is the first major market where generics could legally launch, giving its pharmaceutical industry a head start. The question is no longer whether China can compete, but how far its generic drug makers are willing and able to go.

Novartis fights back

Entresto was Novartis&rsquo; top-selling product in 2024, with sales of US$4.05 billion in the United States and US$7.82 billion worldwide. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant says Entresto, since its 2015 launch, has reduced the risk of death and hospitalization for more than 2.5 million people with chronic heart failure.

That commercial success made Entresto a target. On July 16, a US district court denied Novartis&rsquo; request to block India-based MSN Pharmaceuticals from launching a generic version, ruling that &ldquo;the availability of a generic alternative to a life-saving medication is in the public interest.&rdquo;

Entresto is a prime example of what happens when patent exclusivity collapses, and a China case study in how quickly a drug can go from protected to besieged.

In 2018, Chinese generic drug makers launched a coordinated &ldquo;assault&rdquo; on Entresto&rsquo;s compound and crystal patents. One after another, challengers lined up &mdash; Shenzhen-based Salubris, CSPC Pharmaceutical, Nanjing-based Chiatai Tianqing. They weren&rsquo;t just filing applications; they were filing lawsuits.

By 2021, the Novartis patent on the cornerstone 2.5-hydrate crystal had been declared partially invalid. Novartis appealed the decision to China&rsquo;s top intellectual property court and lost.

That should have been checkmate, but the Swiss drugmaker didn&rsquo;t retreat; it regrouped.

First, it filed for patent term extensions, hoping to squeeze more time from whatever protection remained.

Then Novartis shifted its defenses to a lesser-known weapon: the &ldquo;0-3 hydrate&rdquo; crystal. Chiatai Tianqing obtained an implementation license for this crystal form but is still expected to wait until the 2.5-hydrate patent expires before it can launch its version.

Jiangsu Province-based Huahan also secured a license to produce Entresto under Novartis&rsquo; authorization, giving it a rare early-mover advantage.

The battlefield kept expanding. Some challengers took an aggressive stance with a &ldquo;Type 4.2 declaration,&rdquo; asserting that their products do not infringe existing patents &mdash; a risky move that can trigger a nine-month regulatory hold, but if successful, grant a 12-month exclusivity window.

Others, such as Changyao in Jiangsu and Qilu Pharmaceutical, chose &ldquo;Type 3 declarations,&rdquo; acknowledging the patents and pledging to wait until expiry before marketing their products.

By late 2024, more than a dozen companies had already been approved to market their generics, another 21 were in the registration queue and 15 more were conducting bio-equivalence trials.

The gates had been breached, but other pharma companies were still camped outside, preparing to launch their own assaults.

Facing challengers on all fronts, Novartis began choosing its battles: cutting selective licensing deals, granting crystal-form permissions and deploying administrative maneuvers to delay the inevitable.

It worked &mdash; briefly. Legal feints and settlements bought time, just enough to hold market share for another quarter. But the walls had been irrevocably cracked.

Precision strike

This was not only a patent expiration but a precision strike. Chinese drugmakers didn&rsquo;t wait for the gates to crumble. They mapped out every flank, from compound to crystal to formulation. Some slipped through with Type 3 declarations, promising to wait.

Others kicked the door with Type 4.2 filings, gambling for a head start and a 12-month prize. The more cautious drew up licensing deals. The boldest simply marched in.

&ldquo;The system aims to strike a balance,&rdquo; said lawyer Zhang Qiulin. &ldquo;If generics overwhelm originators, innovation dries up. If originators dominate unchecked, drugs become unaffordable. We need both good medicine and affordable access, so patients benefit in the end.&rdquo;

That balance, he added, is exactly what China&rsquo;s &ldquo;patent linkage&rdquo; system was designed to protect and not tilt the scales toward innovators or copycats. It aims to encourage innovation and higher-quality generics while safeguarding the public&rsquo;s access to safe and affordable medicine.

With that framework in place, the system hasn&rsquo;t slowed generic challengers. It gave them coordinates. What once was a legal minefield turned into a battlefield. Under China&rsquo;s patent linkage system, every generics player had to show its hand before entering. No more shadow play. Everyone picked a lane &mdash; declare, delay or dispute &mdash; and moved fast.

The next battles won&rsquo;t be about winning. They&rsquo;ll be about how fast you lose. In a war where patents expire in waves and exclusivity dies by a thousand filings, speed is the new advantage. And in China&rsquo;s generics playbook, delay is defeat.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/AI-bands-havent-taken-the-stage-but-signal-new-era-for-music-business/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>AI bands haven’t taken the stage but signal new era for music business</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[A rising tide of artificial intelligence bands is ushering in a new era where work will be scarcer for musicians.

Whether it’s Velvet Sundown’s 1970s-style rock or country music projects “Aventhis” and ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		A rising tide of artificial intelligence bands is ushering in a new era where work will be scarcer for musicians.

Whether it&rsquo;s Velvet Sundown&rsquo;s 1970s-style rock or country music projects &ldquo;Aventhis&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Devil Inside,&rdquo; bands whose members are pure AI creations are seeing more than a million plays on streaming giant Spotify.

No major streaming service clearly labels tracks that come entirely from AI, except France&rsquo;s Deezer.

Meanwhile, the producers of these songs tend to be unreachable.

&ldquo;I feel like we&rsquo;re at a place where nobody is really talking about it, but we are feeling it,&rdquo; said music producer, composer and performer Leo Sidran.

&ldquo;There is going to be a lot of music released that we can&rsquo;t really tell who made it or how it was made.&rdquo;

The Oscar-winning artist sees the rise of AI music as perhaps a sign of how &ldquo;generic and formulaic&rdquo; genres have become.

AI highlights the chasm between music people listen to &ldquo;passively&rdquo; while doing other things and &ldquo;active&rdquo; listening in which fans care about what artists convey, said producer and composer Yung Spielburg on the Imagine AI Live podcast.

Spielburg believes musicians will win out over AI with &ldquo;active&rdquo; listeners but will be under pressure when it comes to tunes people play in the background while cooking dinner or performing mundane tasks.

If listeners can&rsquo;t discern which tunes are AI-made, publishers and labels will likely opt for synthetic bands that don&rsquo;t earn royalties, Spielburg predicted.

&ldquo;AI is already in the music business and it&rsquo;s not going away because it is cheap and convenient,&rdquo; said Mathieu Gendreau, associate professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, who is also a music industry executive.

&ldquo;That will make it even more difficult for musicians to make a living.&rdquo;

Music streaming platforms already fill playlists with mood music attributed to artists about whom no information can be found, according to University of Rochester School of Music professor Dennis DeSantis.

Meanwhile, AI-generated soundtracks have become tempting, cost-saving options in movies, television shows, ads, shops, elevators and other venues, DeSantis added.

AI takes all?

Composer Sidran says he and his music industry peers have seen a sharp slowdown in work coming their way since late last year.

&ldquo;I suspect that AI is a big part of the reason,&rdquo; said Sidran, host of &ldquo;The Third Story&rdquo; podcast.

&ldquo;I get the feeling that a lot of the clients that would come to me for original music, or even music from a library of our work, are using AI to solve those problems.&rdquo;

Technology has repeatedly helped shape the music industry, from electric guitars and synthesizers to multitrack recording and voice modulators.

Unlike such technologies that gave artists new tools and techniques, AI could lead to the &ldquo;eradication of the chance of sustainability for the vast majority of artists,&rdquo; warned George Howard, a professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

&ldquo;AI is a far different challenge than any other historical technological innovation,&rdquo; Howard said. &ldquo;And one that will likely be zero-sum.&rdquo;

Howard hopes courts will side with artists in the numerous legal battles with generative AI giants whose models imitate their styles or works.

Gendreau sees AI music as being here to stay and teaches students to be entrepreneurs as well as artists in order to survive in the business.

Sidran advises musicians to highlight what makes them unique, avoiding the expected in their works because &ldquo;AI will have done it.&rdquo;

And, at least for now, musicians should capitalize on live shows where AI bands have yet to take the stage.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/The-smart-talking-car-from-Knight-Rider-may-soon-become-reality/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>The smart, talking car from ‘Knight Rider’ may soon become reality</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lu Feiran]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[KITT in the TV series “Knight Rider” must be the dream car of many: It can listen and talk to you, give you suggestions and comfort you when needed. Now, about four decades after the series was on air, ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		KITT in the TV series &ldquo;Knight Rider&rdquo; must be the dream car of many: It can listen and talk to you, give you suggestions and comfort you when needed. Now, about four decades after the series was on air, the dream may become reality with artificial intelligence.

Smart cabins were a focus at the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai, with leading developers promoting smart in-cabin systems.

One example was the smart cabin operating system Agent OS unveiled at the event. Developed by Shanghai-based Jieyue Xingchen, Chongqing-based Qianli Technology, and Geely Auto Group, the cabin aims to foster a deeper, more intuitive relationship between driver and vehicle.

Unlike traditional AI applications, Agent OS understands users&rsquo; intent through sight and sound, and interacts more like a real person, according to developers.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no longer about converting user voice to text, then finding answers in a large model, and replying with an emotionless voice. Agent OS directly understands your emotions, sees your expressions, and even thinks about how to interact with you emotionally,&rdquo; said Li Jing, vice president of Jielue Xingchen.

&ldquo;It can serve as a &lsquo;living space&rsquo; that offers entertainment and gaming.&rdquo;

Agent OS can also be aware of different scenarios and respond, such as opening the trunk automatically when it recognizes luggage, dimming voice and music volume when sensing a baby sleeping in the car, and warning the driver about illegal parking.

Of course, the cabin also features a fully integrated map that merges 3D navigation with intelligent maps. It provides a comprehensive view of real-time surroundings, traffic data and navigation.

Banma Network Technologies, an Alibaba-backed autonomous-driving software startup, also held a demonstration of its smart cabin system.

The demonstration simulated a coffee ordering scenario, in which users can order a cup of coffee in a car installed with Banma&rsquo;s YuanShen AI operating system. Users can select the flavor and then place the order and make payment &mdash; all through conversation. Then a humanoid robot from a nearby coffee shop will deliver the coffee to the car window.

&ldquo;YuanShen AI is based on the Qualcomm 8397 platform, capable of achieving 90 percent of the smart cabin&rsquo;s service closed-loop entirely, that is to perceive, to make decisions and to execute, on the vehicle,&rdquo; said Si Luo, Banma&rsquo;s chief technology officer.

To date, YuanShen AI has collaborated with brands such as BMW and IM Motors, deploying its technology in more than 7 million smart vehicles.

The rise of smart cabins for vehicles can be traced back to the launch of Apple CarPlay in 2014, which was the initial formation of the smart cabin concept.

The Tesla Model S revolutionized traditional central console design with a 17-inch touchscreen, driving the industry&rsquo;s shift toward intelligence.

In 2016, Geely Boyue and Roewe RX5 were launched in China, introducing large central control screens to mainstream models for the first time and initiating an &ldquo;arms race&rdquo; for in-car large screens.

A decade later, mainstream car models are generally equipped with multi-screen linkage, voice control and other interaction methods, integrating functions such as navigation, entertainment and office work.

Recent data has highlighted a significant surge in smart cabin installation rates across passenger vehicles over the past three years, signaling a rapid transformation in automotive technology.

According to figures from Gaogong Intelligence and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, vehicles priced above 200,000 yuan (US$27,800) had seen near-universal adoption by last year.

Even entry-level cars that cost below 100,000 yuan, which had minimal intelligent cockpit integration in 2022, saw their adoption rate rise to 30 percent in 2024, demonstrating a clear trend of smart cockpit technology becoming a standard feature across all price points in the automotive market.

However, insiders said most smart cabins integrated in cars are still quite &ldquo;basic&rdquo; and cutting-edge systems with &ldquo;smooth interaction and perception&rdquo; are still of relatively low market penetration.

&ldquo;In fact, it is not just about automobile companies or AI developers, it is about the concepts of users as well,&rdquo; said Wang Yifei, CEO of JDO Auto, a Shanghai-based provider of automotive software and services.

&ldquo;For example, we as developers always pay attention to &lsquo;agents&rsquo; that have perception, autonomy and make decisions and actions. Yet some users may still be used to apps, and they may still want apps when there are better choices.&rdquo;

Wang said what developers need to do is to provide as many options for users as possible, and it still takes time to create needs that can be accepted by most.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Shanghais-visafree-business-zone-to-start-trial-operations-by-yearend/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Shanghai’s visa-free business zone to start trial operations by year-end</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Yang Jian]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[A new international business district that permits visa-free entry for invited foreign visitors will begin trial operations by the end of this year, Shanghai officials announced last week.

The Shanghai ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		A new international business district that permits visa-free entry for invited foreign visitors will begin trial operations by the end of this year, Shanghai officials announced last week.

The Shanghai Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone is situated near the Pudong International Airport and the upcoming Shanghai East Railway Station.

Spanning an area of 880,000 square meters, approximately the size of 120 football fields, the zone is part of China&rsquo;s larger initiative to enhance global connectivity and promote economic openness.

Approved by the State Council, China&rsquo;s Cabinet, in February 2024, the zone will be developed in three phases: Trial operations will commence in 2025, full enclosure with essential facilities will be achieved by 2028, and the project will be fully completed by 2030.

Three core regulations governing customs, immigration and operations have taken effect. Under these regulations, foreign visitors invited by registered companies may enter the zone without the need for a Chinese visa. They can stay for up to 30 days, with the option to extend it.

Entry and exit procedures will be streamlined. Visitors can enter the zone directly after arriving at the Pudong Airport, and later complete their departure procedures within the zone.

Huo Li, deputy chief of the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection, stated that invited visitors can bypass visa applications by presenting an invitation letter and their passports at the airport.

Those wishing to travel to Shanghai or other parts of China can complete the formal immigration process within the zone.

Domestic travelers can access the zone by obtaining a pass issued through an online platform.

The zone is expected to support three core functions: facilitating international business exchange, hosting high-end exhibitions and improving training services, said Wu Qunfeng, deputy director of the zone&rsquo;s administrative bureau.

Wu said the zone allows overseas professionals with certified credentials to work in legal, financial, consulting and other sectors. It is also a pilot area for foreign-invested hospitals, aiming to offer international-standard health care for business visitors.

The zone will include high-standard facilities for research and training, including biotech labs, artificial intelligence centers and aerospace testing centers. A mixed-use commercial complex will feature hotels, retail shops, entertainment venues and public leisure spaces.

Equipment and materials needed for operations can be imported under a simplified customs system with potential tax exemptions.

Visitors can carry reasonable personal items with only basic safety and quarantine checks. Companies may also use the zone for bonded testing, e-commerce and offshore business activities.

The zone will offer full-service support for international visitors, including multilingual assistance, airline and travel services, high-speed Internet and medical care that meets global standards.

Multiple payment methods, including international cards, mobile apps and cash, will be accepted to ensure a smooth experience for cross-border business and cooperation.

Officials said the next steps include pushing for more policy breakthroughs to meet the needs of international businesses.

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Humanoid-robots-citys-key-role-bedazzle-AI-conference/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Humanoid robots, city’s key role bedazzle AI conference</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Zhu Shenshen]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[ROBOTS were the stars at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference that ended in Shanghai on Monday, with over 150 models populating exhibition floors amid high expectations that this is only the start ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		ROBOTS were the stars at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference that ended in Shanghai on Monday, with over 150 models populating exhibition floors amid high expectations that this is only the start of a lucrative industry.

While Hangzhou-based Unitree&rsquo;s robot boxing matches continue to capture public attention, the larger story is how Shanghai is emerging as a powerful player in the development of humanoid robots.

Shanghai-based AgiBot &mdash; which recently listed on the STAR market, where its stock price surged 10-fold this month &mdash; unveiled its Genie Envisioner humanoid open-source platform at the conference. It integrates core capabilities of prediction, control and evaluation, providing an end-to-end, integrated solution for humanoid robot development.

The platform is expected to drastically lower the barrier for algorithm deployment and accelerate technological implementation, a significant step in the standardization, scalability and ecosystem development of embodied intelligence.

AgiBot previously built its own professional data collection site, becoming the world&rsquo;s largest humanoid development database.

&ldquo;Facing the desert of embodied intelligence data, we choose to plant the first tree, hoping it will become a forest. Large models empower humanoids with wisdom and soul,&rdquo; said Yao Maoqing, president of the Embodied Business unit at AgiBot.

AgiBot&rsquo;s models have found applications in industrial manufacturing, warehousing and logistics and power inspection. The company anticipates at least 2,000 humanoid robots will roll off the production line next year. Yao said the entry into factories will be followed by penetration in retail and service sectors, extending to homes within a few years.

Just a few steps from AgiBot&rsquo;s booth at the exhibition, Shanghai-based OYMotion, a company specializing in dexterous robotic hands, showcased its latest innovations in the critical component for humanoid robots to perform complex tasks. Robotic hands often account for over 10 percent of a robot&rsquo;s cost.

OYMotion said its hands are capable of &ldquo;picking up a potato chip without breaking it.&rdquo; Beyond dexterous hands, the booth also featured motion-capture gloves.

The company&rsquo;s hands are sold as components for AgiBot and other humanoid robot brands, while their bionic hands are already exported to the United States, the Middle East, Russia and other regions.

Flexiv, another Shanghai-based robotics firm, exhibited new models of robots that focus on force sensing, feedback and control as core capabilities. Force sensing is the sole means of determining an object&rsquo;s softness and smoothness, and whether it&rsquo;s stuck or clamped. That moves beyond long-standing reliance on single-dimensional visual perception.

At the company&rsquo;s booth, Flexiv&rsquo;s robots demonstrated intricate applications, like scooping ice cream and providing body massages. In the massage domain, the system precisely deploys professional techniques such as finger kneading, finger plucking and palm rubbing.

Xiao Feng, a young man who tested the massage robot on site, said he would be happy to accept a robot massage as long as the price didn&rsquo;t exceed a human massage.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m curious about the effect on acupoints,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s scientific and data-based evidence, I&rsquo;d be very willing to try it.&rdquo;

Shanghai is well on its way toward becoming a major global center for robotics development.

&ldquo;Shanghai hopes to develop humanoid robots that can tackle everyday chores and industrial tasks, and are not merely show performers,&rdquo; said Jiang Lei, chief scientist at the National and Local Co-Built Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center.

This center, a public platform for robotic training and data collection, showcased over a dozen different humanoid robots at the exhibition.

At a separate event, Shanghai-based SenseTime released its first embodied intelligence platform Wuneng, expanding beyond AI models for smartphone, vehicles and cameras. It provides powerful perception, visual navigation and multimodal interaction capabilities.

SenseTime Chairman Xu Li demonstrated a Wuneng-powered robot that was able to answer questions and draw conclusions after the interaction. With SenseTime&rsquo;s model, users need only to enter simple prompt &mdash; such as &ldquo;find something on the shelf in the kitchen area&rdquo; or &ldquo;enter the entertainment room, turn right, and then open the door to the yard.&rdquo; The robot then responds autonomously to fill the requests.

Tesla&rsquo;s anticipated introduction of new humanoid models, likely later this year, is also regarded as a driving force for the local industry. The company, which has major auto and battery-storage manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, is expected to produce new robotics models that will raise technology levels for the entire supply chain, said AgiBot&rsquo;s Yao, drawing parallels to how Tesla&rsquo;s Shanghai electric-car factory improved the entire Chinese electric car supply chain.

China Mobile, the world&rsquo;s largest mobile carrier, is also a strong player in the humanoid robot industry.

At the exhibition, it unveiled a special embodied intelligence community with open and shared data and models. The company announced that customized humanoid robots will be deployed in China Mobile outlets in Shanghai and Suzhou as guides by the end of this year.

Notably in July, AgiBot and Unitree secured a combined order from China Mobile valued at 124 million yuan (US$17.3 million), marking the largest single order for humanoid robots in China so far.

The humanoids market appears to be going from strength to strength.

&ldquo;At least one new robot is released every day,&rdquo; noted Wang Xingxing, Unitree&rsquo;s chief executive, who also attended the WAIC in Shanghai.

&ldquo;The pace of the entire industry, including industry implementation, development pace and shipment volumes, is extremely rapid.&rdquo;

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Chinas-economy-in-a-nutshell-with-a-10yuan-football-ticket/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>China’s economy in a nutshell with a 10-yuan football ticket</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Li Xueqing]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[NO rigged games, only blood feuds.”

In China, an amateur football league, featuring everyone from teachers and waiters to couriers, IT guys and even high schoolers, is blowing past Trump, trade wars ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		NO rigged games, only blood feuds.&rdquo;

In China, an amateur football league, featuring everyone from teachers and waiters to couriers, IT guys and even high schoolers, is blowing past Trump, trade wars and Labubu on domestic trending lists.

Tickets are as scarce as FIFA World Cup seats. Italian legend Massimo Ambrosini even sent in his resume, angling for a summer stint, and beer giant Heineken has signed on, too.

To truly understand the spirit and opportunities of China today, you have to look to the fiery rivalries that fuel this grassroots league.

Battle for the top seat

On the hot night of July 5, with temperatures hitting a scorching 40 degrees Celsius, a record 60,396 fans erupted in roars as two teams fought tooth and nail right down to the final minute.

The match between the cities of Nanjing and Suzhou was part of the sixth round of the Su Super League, officially known as the Jiangsu Football City League. The league features amateur teams from 13 cities in Jiangsu Province, a major economic region in East China.

The season runs from May to November, and of the 516 players participating this year, only 29 are professionals.

Rumor once had it that the championship prize was rice and cooking oil, typical promotional gifts from Bank of Jiangsu, the league&rsquo;s main sponsor. But what really stoked the intensity was the deep-rooted &ldquo;rivalry&rdquo; between the two cities.

Just as Milan looks down on Rome, and New York nurses a grudge against Washington DC, Suzhou has long been viewed as a rival nipping at Nanjing&rsquo;s heels for the title of provincial capital.

The rivalry stretches back centuries. Steeped in history and cultural cachet, Nanjing, once the capital of six dynasties, wields significant political clout in eastern China, while Suzhou, by contrast, has long reigned as the region&rsquo;s commercial juggernaut.

Today, while in most provinces the capital city also dominates economically, Jiangsu is the exception. Its GDP reached 13.7 trillion yuan (US$1.96 trillion) last year, roughly on par with Russia&rsquo;s entire economy. Suzhou alone contributed nearly 20 percent, with a GDP exceeding that of Finland. Nanjing was in second place, close to New Zealand&rsquo;s level.

So when Suzhou took on Nanjing in the Su Super League, it was jokingly framed as a showdown for provincial supremacy. Before kickoff, Suzhou&rsquo;s billboards boldly declared: &ldquo;First in football, first in GDP.&rdquo; Nanjing responded with banners in subway stations saying: &ldquo;Petite Suzhou, money doesn&rsquo;t solve everything.&rdquo;

More than 688,000 fans scrambled to snap up tickets for the match online. With odds of less than 9 percent, scoring a ticket was nearly as tough as getting one for the Qatar World Cup.

Japanese documentary director Ryo Takeuchi, who lives in China, was in the stands for the match.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve watched the World Cup and J-League,&rdquo; he posted on social media, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve never seen this many people at a match. The atmosphere was even more passionate than the World Cup.&rdquo;

This passion isn&rsquo;t just for one match. That week, the league drew an average crowd of over 39,000 per game, rivaling the English Premier League and German Bundesliga.

The league&rsquo;s success boils down to a popular online saying: &ldquo;No rigged games, only blood feuds.&rdquo;

A province fueled by rivalries

Jiangsu is practically hardwired for local rivalries. Roughly the size of Iceland, it&rsquo;s crisscrossed by rivers and canals &mdash; geography that has nurtured a rich tapestry of dialects and cultures. Long a strategic military crossroads in ancient times, those old feuds still simmer today, serving as the nourishment for creating topics to promote the league.

Take Xuzhou and Suqian for instance &mdash; hometowns of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, whose legendary clash unfolded over 2,200 years ago. Liu, the eventual winner, founded the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), a pivotal chapter that laid the groundwork for the ancient Silk Road. Xiang&rsquo;s poignant defeat gave birth to the enduring story &ldquo;Farewell My Concubine,&rdquo; later adapted into a Cannes Award-winning film.

When these two cities face off, fans throw their support behind the teams with fierce pride. It&rsquo;s as if those ancient generals have been resurrected on the football pitch.

Perhaps such sense of competition has been driving the cities in Jiangsu in development in every sphere, ranging from economic and industrial growth, to the tourism sector.

Today, the province has developed into one of China&rsquo;s most balanced economies. Even its lowest-ranked city, Lianyungang, hit a GDP of over 466.3 billion yuan last year, outpacing many provincial capitals. Globally, it&rsquo;s closing in on Myanmar&rsquo;s.

Each city has carved out its own industrial niche. Even many county-level cities and districts pack an impressive economic punch.

Donghai County of Lianyungang is a global heavyweight in handmade press-on nails. Last year, its sales reached 8 billion yuan, with nearly 40 percent exported. Danyang of Zhenjiang produces more than half of the world&rsquo;s eye glasses. Kunshan of Suzhou, known for its electronics and equipment manufacturing, has stayed top of China&rsquo;s list of 100 richest counties for 20 years.

This prosperity and diversity have forged strong local pride. People rarely refer to themselves as &ldquo;Jiangsu natives&rdquo; &mdash; instead, they say &ldquo;I&rsquo;m from Suzhou&rdquo; or &ldquo;I&rsquo;m from Danyang.&rdquo;

There is another saying that people from Kunshan never consider themselves Suzhou residents, unless &ldquo;Suzhou takes down Nanjing in the league.&rdquo;

Jiangsu isn&rsquo;t always this fragmented. When rumors spread that China&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s national team, currently ranked 77th in the world, might get involved in the league, fans from every city banded together to say &ldquo;Please don&rsquo;t.&rdquo; They were wary of scandals involving match-fixing of professional players.

In contrast, the Su Super League is not only genuinely competitive, but also showcases impressive skills.

Jiangsu&rsquo;s robust economy provides the resources to sustain high-quality grassroots football. The province boasts 1.36 football pitches per 10,000 residents on average, and every city has at least one stadium capable of holding 30,000 fans.

Many of the players come from over 200 youth training camps across the province. The top-ranked Nantong team, for example, includes 35 players who trained at a youth academy set up by a slipper factory owner.

Cheap seats, big impact

When the league first kicked off, it flew under the radar, with just six sponsors and average crowds of fewer than 8,000 per game.

But about two weeks into the season, on May 28, an article from Nanjing&rsquo;s official media ignited a surge in interest with a playful headline: &ldquo;Competition First, Friendship Fourteenth.&rdquo; Official media from the other 12 cities quickly joined in, trading playful barbs and good-natured self-mockery.

Online discussions about the Su Super League soon surpassed 100 million views. Attendance has since grown nearly fivefold, and the league now counts 29 sponsors, including known brands such as JD.com, Taobao, Pizza Hut and Heineken.

A survey by China&rsquo;s National Bureau of Statistics shows that nearly 80 percent of the league&rsquo;s followers are not traditional football fans.

As players battled on the pitch, the cities vied off it with cultural events and tourism pushes.

Lianyungang&rsquo;s halftime show starred the Monkey King, a nod to the city&rsquo;s fame as the hometown of the legendary simian from &ldquo;Journey to the West&rdquo;. Meanwhile, in Taizhou, 800 drones lit up the sky with a message: &ldquo;A kid may choose one, I want both friendship and victory.&rdquo;

Low ticket prices have made the league a powerhouse for local tourism. Backed by government subsidies and tax incentives, most tickets cost around 10 yuan, even cheaper than a cup of milk tea. In host cities, fans can use their ticket stubs to enjoy discounts on local attractions, accommodations and meals.

Changzhou&rsquo;s &ldquo;9.9-yuan ticket + pickled radish fried rice&rdquo; deal doubled sales of the city&rsquo;s signature pickled radish. In Yancheng, home to Asia&rsquo;s largest coastal wetland, a &ldquo;birdwatching + football&rdquo; package racked up over 20,000 bookings shortly after launch.

But the Su Super League is more than a local sensation. Behind Jiangsu&rsquo;s economic dynamism lies the greater Yangtze River Delta integration &mdash; China&rsquo;s most advanced urban cluster. Covering less than 4 percent of the country&rsquo;s land, it generates about 25 percent of its GDP.

The region comprises Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces and Shanghai. Cities are closely connected through transportation. Every day, more than 2 million passengers travel by train within this cluster.

With a complete and integrated industrial chain, the region hosts many world-class manufacturing clusters.

Take the new-energy vehicle industry as an example. The Yangtze River Delta region is home to headquarters, and key R&amp;D or manufacturing bases for brands like Nio, BYD and Geely. In the first quarter of this year, the region churned out 1.11 million NEVs, accounting for over a third of China&rsquo;s total output, according to Xinhua Daily. As the saying goes, &ldquo;Shanghai makes chips and smart networks, Jiangsu supplies batteries, Zhejiang specializes in die-casting and Anhui assembles the cars.&rdquo;

Beyond industry, Zhejiang is emerging as a leading contender to produce the next Su Super League. On July 6, Zhejiang&rsquo;s grassroots basketball tournament, the ZheBA, began, with teams from each of its 90 counties.

In terms of cultural diversity and balanced urban development, Zhejiang is on par with Jiangsu. As China&rsquo;s fourth-largest provincial economy, Zhejiang boasts deep-seated local pride and thriving county economies. Many county-level cities and districts turn out products that have made a name for themselves. For example, Yiwu, a county-level city under Jinhua, is known as the &ldquo;capital of world&rsquo;s small commodities.&rdquo;

Over the next six months, ZheBA will feature matchups like the &ldquo;Pearl Capital of China&rdquo; facing off against the &ldquo;International Textile Capital&rdquo; and the &ldquo;World Small Commodity Capital&rdquo; going head-to-head with the &ldquo;Hardware Capital of China.&rdquo;

One thing&rsquo;s certain: even the fragmented people of Jiangsu can agree on &mdash; Zhejiang folks are loaded!

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/From-2minute-plots-to-gender-shifts-Women-remake-the-microdrama/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>From 2-minute plots to gender shifts: Women remake the micro-drama</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:01:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Li Xueqing]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[JIN Huai sat in front of a vertical screen and called out: “Cut.” At just 30 years old, she has already directed 17 micro-dramas, one of which has received over 100 million online views.

In the traditional ]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		JIN Huai sat in front of a vertical screen and called out: &ldquo;Cut.&rdquo; At just 30 years old, she has already directed 17 micro-dramas, one of which has received over 100 million online views.

In the traditional film and television industry, such numbers would be nearly unattainable for a young woman like Jin. However, in the rapidly expanding world of micro-dramas &mdash; short episodes filmed vertically &mdash; she and other young women are discovering opportunities rarely found in traditional productions.

Fresh paths for young creators

Jin directed her first micro-drama in 2023. She began her career as an assistant director on TV shows, where she managed transportation and make-up scheduling, after graduating from Renmin University of China with a degree in digital cinema and television.

During the COVID pandemic, film and TV production experienced a significant decline. Traditional dramas faced challenges in profitability, while micro-dramas gained traction across China. These vertically filmed programs usually consist of 60 to 80 episodes, each lasting 1.5 to two minutes, and employ garish, melodramatic narratives to capture viewers&rsquo; attention.

Jin explored this new format but found one of her early scripts perplexing: When the lead character is bullied, a crowd suddenly appears and refers to him as &ldquo;young master.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Looking back, it still feels ridiculous,&rdquo; she remarked. &ldquo;That would never happen in real life.&rdquo;

This script crafted for male-centric genres typically features storylines like &ldquo;loser-turned-mogul&rdquo; or &ldquo;hidden God of War.&rdquo; As China News Weekly notes, male-focused narratives dominated the early days of micro-dramas.

However, in late 2022, Cinderella-themed micro-dramas targeting female audiences began to rise in popularity. The micro-drama media outlet DataEye reported in 2024 that China was producing over 30,000 micro-dramas each year, with 61 percent aimed at women.

The average production takes one to two months and costs 500,000 to 1 million yuan (US$70,000-140,000), substantially less than traditional productions.

The massive market demand and low costs have flattened the competitive landscape in the industry.

&ldquo;While some implicit barriers remain, the micro-drama industry is moving much faster in breaking gender biases,&rdquo; said Zhang Chi, a Los Angeles-based producer.

Zhang worked in post-production on Hollywood blockbusters like &ldquo;Dune&rdquo; and &ldquo;Godzilla vs. Kong&rdquo; at Legendary Entertainment. She later shifted to micro-dramas and has produced several projects since.

She told Shanghai Daily that traditional sets rarely provided equal opportunities for women, especially in production roles. They were frequently viewed as not tough enough to lead.

However, with the rise of micro-dramas, she has noticed a substantial increase in female participation, particularly in areas such as screenplay writing, directing and executive producing. In some crews, female creators account for more than half the team.

&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re capable, decisive and resilient, the team will respect you, and platforms will trust you,&rdquo; she said.

Jin echoed: &ldquo;Traditional productions are huge and cost hundreds of millions of yuan. How could you ever get the chance to lead one? Now, the competition is more equal. If you have the skills, you can do it.&rdquo;

New heroines, new rules

Growing up during a period of rapid economic change and rising feminist influence in China, women now have more career options and enjoy greater financial independence, reflected in the stronger voices of female characters on screen.

Around 2010, dramas began to focus on strong female leads, moving away from earlier portrayals of women as dutiful wives and mothers framed through a male perspective.

A landmark example is the 2011 TV drama &ldquo;Empresses in the Palace.&rdquo; The lead, Zhen Huan, starts as one of the emperor&rsquo;s many concubines. After being framed, she concentrates on palace politics, skillfully navigating her path to ultimate power through the emperor&rsquo;s assassination. The show remains extremely popular today, not as a romance, but as a masterclass on career strategy.

&ldquo;The audience has changed. Women&rsquo;s purchasing power is finally being recognized, so it&rsquo;s only natural that content shifts to reflect their perspectives and needs,&rdquo; Zhang said.

This shift has highlighted the strengths of female creators, who tend to better understand female audiences.

Jin noted that female directors are also more protective of actresses and won&rsquo;t ask them to pose submissively on a bed just to please male viewers.

&ldquo;That empowers creativity,&rdquo; Jin said.

The market confirms this advantage. DataEye reports that women have directed several recent hit micro-dramas with over 1 billion views.

Women are making their mark in cinemas, too. One example is the 2021 film &ldquo;B for Busy,&rdquo; which proudly proclaims: &ldquo;No woman is complete without living her life for herself.&rdquo;

Another is last year&rsquo;s surprise hit, &ldquo;Like a Rolling Stone.&rdquo; Based on a true story, it follows a woman in her 50s who escapes domestic abuse and becomes a travel influencer with millions of followers. The film earned 124 million yuan.

Film school, 2 minutes at a time

Long-form series or films are the ultimate goal for many micro-drama artists.

&ldquo;We all want to create works with lasting impact,&rdquo; Jin said.

Micro-dramas are ideal training ground. They teach creators how to manage production teams, arrange complex scenes, and write captivating stories under budget and scheduling constraints.

Wang Yijie, born in 1998, has directed more than 30 micro-dramas and founded her own production company in 2021.

She explained that nearly every script features multiple banquet scenes, which serve as a hotbed for dramatic conflict. Coordinating the movement and tension among so many characters while maintaining audience engagement presents a significant challenge to any young director.

Jin compares micro-dramas to a hands-on directing class at film school. With much shorter production cycles than traditional projects, directors can experiment with various characters and storytelling techniques in a limited time frame.

&ldquo;Where else can you get that kind of practice? When it comes to building a fully rounded character, you&rsquo;ll already have a wealth of experience to draw from,&rdquo; she said.

Jin also mentioned that the genre&rsquo;s departure from realism provides creators with more freedom than traditional television.

This creative potential gained further recognition this year when the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu (RedNote) partnered with FIRST, a prominent indie film festival and incubator in China, to launch a funding initiative for micro-dramas. The program offers production grants and guarantees exposure to tens of millions of users.

Shao Yihui, director of &ldquo;B for Busy,&rdquo; was one of FIRST&rsquo;s earlier discoveries. The collaboration has sparked widespread discussion about the &ldquo;cinematization&rdquo; of micro-dramas.

Ambition vs. cliches

So, can these creators ever create something as profound and impactful as a short-form adaptation of &ldquo;Parasite&rdquo; or &ldquo;The Handmaid&rsquo;s Tale?&rdquo;

&ldquo;Not yet,&rdquo; Jin replied, because this format doesn&rsquo;t leave enough time to create a world like Gilead.

Also, audience is not ready. Most viewers want instant gratification; therefore, a show must grab their attention in the first 30 seconds. This is often at the expense of story development and logic.

Wang recalled a chat she had with a screenwriter: &ldquo;Why do eight out of 10 female-oriented micro-dramas start with a one-night stand?&rdquo;

&ldquo;This shortcut launches a quick emotional connection between the leads and sets the story in motion,&rdquo; the screenwriter explained.

Some creators said they try to resist this tendency by refusing to copy narratives and adding more emotional depth and rationale whenever possible.

However, their challenges extend beyond micro-dramas. The genre evolved from web novels and in-feed advertisements, which had similar themes and character cliches.

Web fiction, especially screenplays, often has to match public expectations, Tsinghua University lecturer Xue Jing said in a podcast. For example, female characters rarely make major mistakes and resolve every crisis on their own, almost like textbook examples.

&ldquo;Throughout the history of literature and film, truly compelling characters are those who connect with real people,&rdquo; Xue added. &ldquo;That connection usually doesn&rsquo;t come from moments of triumph, but from shared struggles, setbacks and detours.&rdquo;

Director Wang noted that viewers aren&rsquo;t always receptive to serious micro-plays.

She gave an example: &ldquo;Save Myself&rdquo; racked up 1 billion views within 10 days of its February release. The story revolves around a woman who transforms from a submissive &ldquo;tool&rdquo; to an independent person on a journey of self-discovery.

In the final scene, the subtitle reads: &ldquo;Save yourself from the adversity of this world. May every girl embrace happiness confidently.&rdquo; While this resonated with many viewers, it also elicited some criticism.

&ldquo;Some people said: &lsquo;Why are you preaching in an electronic pickle,&rsquo;&rdquo; Wang said about the slang term for simple, low-effort entertainment.

Jin said: &ldquo;People watch micro-dramas mainly for fun. If they want something serious, they turn to mainstream film and TV.&rdquo;

Most of Jin&rsquo;s classmates never worked in the film industry. She described her motivation as genuine passion.

&ldquo;I enjoy it. Meeting new people and telling stories never gets tiring for me,&rdquo; she remarked. &ldquo;And if the script is good, it feels satisfying.&rdquo;

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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/A-traditional-1930s-apartment-reimagined-for-modern-living/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>A traditional 1930s apartment reimagined for modern living</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:40 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Yang Di]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Set in a traditional 1930s building on Julu Road, Jack Harrison’s apartment is a modern, contemporary home in the heart of Shanghai. It reflects years of living across different cultures, combining practicality]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		Set in a traditional 1930s building on Julu Road, Jack Harrison’s apartment is a modern, contemporary home in the heart of Shanghai. It reflects years of living across different cultures, combining practicality with a sense of ease and character.A founding partner at ArcOn Brands — a brand management business whose current portfolio spans luxury hospitality, retail and lifestyle names like Aman Resorts, Mandarin Oriental, MSC Explora Journeys and Charbonnel et Walker — Harrison is no stranger to detail. After 17 years working across Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong, he relocated to Shanghai last year as part of ArcOn’s expansion, helping grow the team from their new office at HKRI Taikoo Hui — just a 10-minute cycle from home.Finding a home with history and a community soul was the goal. “I’m drawn to contrasts, and Shanghai is full of them. It’s a city where old meets new; East meets West. I wanted to create a home that embodied that,” Harrison said. “There’s a buzz to Shanghai that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived here.”Convenience was a top priority. New to the city, Harrison wanted to be close to the energy — and few places capture that quite like Julu Road.He looked at more than 25 apartments before finding the rare gem: a well-built, contemporary 120-square-meter apartment inside a 1930s heritage building. “My landlord, Shirley, who owns the apartment, had done a great job with the wood floors, windows and navy curtains. The essentials — heating, air conditioning — were already in place, and the apartment had real potential,” he said.But what mattered most was the building’s history. “You can feel it when you walk down the halls. These walls could talk,” he said.Harrison had a vision for his apartment: modern comfort whilst remaining full of character. “I wanted a place that worked for solo downtime but also transformed easily when friends come over.”One of the apartment’s distinctive features is a red Chinese window frame that sets the tone — a welcoming focal point designed to draw people in from the end of the corridor. As you walk in, a bright olive-green accent wall, bold yellow artwork and a built-in bench create an inviting entrance.The layout had to be tweaked. The previous tenant had used one of the rooms as a bedroom. Jack’s friends Georgina and Arthur, who live nearby, suggested turning it into a TV snug, which opened up access to the terrace. That change meant the living room could remain a screen-free space for conversation and entertaining.Working with his friend stylist Edda Joyce Garcia, founder of Estilo, the two designed a space that channels the ambiance of clubs like Soho House and Maison Estelle. “Lived-in luxury” as Garcia called it — refined, but never too precious.The living room ceiling was a bold move. It’s painted a daring deep brown, giving the open-plan space a visual anchor and separating the kitchen and dining space. A retro light fixture draws the eye, while beautiful KEF speakers flirt with nightclub sound quality. “Some of Shanghai’s best bars surround me, so I wanted to recreate a bit of that vibe from the comfort of my home, relaxed but a touch indulgent,” Harrison said. Music’s a big part of my life and helps set my mood, so there are Sonos speakers in every room. It’s essential.” The color palette throughout is mostly warm and muted, designed to create a calm atmosphere, punctuated by the occasional bold detail to keep things interesting.One of the standout pieces in the living room is a striking painting — brought back from Bali, Indonesia — by a playful artist named Riz.“His work is a bit wacky and wild, lots of animals, naked women, flowing wine,” Harrison said.This piece is titled “Pride, Love and Glory” and depicts ceremonial war-like figures, lions symbolizing pride, a watermelon, said to represent abundance, and a woman calling out for love.Harrison reads a lot, so books and magazines are scattered throughout the space.“I dream of one day building a home library, given the right space. In a world dominated by screens, reading feels more meaningful than ever — it requires a conscious choice not to reach for your phone,” he said.The dining area flows from the living room. A travertine high table with cider-toned upholstered chairs creates a subtle divide from the living room, perfect for dinners that stretch long into the night.The bedroom started by matching the curtains with a midnight blue headboard. Layer by layer, Harrison and Garcia added warm orange linens, a turmeric yellow bench, a green rug and colorful wallpaper behind the bed that unexpectedly tied the story together. “There’s almost a narrative happening between the animals in the wallpaper and the artwork we had already put in,” Harrison said. “Total accident, but it just worked.”The third room is a clever multi-use space offering everything Harrison had in mind — a spare bedroom, office, snug, gym and spot for meditation. It opens onto a balcony where he keeps his ice bath. The room feels snug, creative, and energizing, with wallpaper covering the entire space. It’s a multifunctional space. He could start the day there with meditation and at the same time finish it with a late-night work call.The overall design is elegant, but it’s also built for living. Harrison is up early, using his coffee machine in the open-plan kitchen and living room. For him, it’s about creating a layered experience, with lighting, layout, music and meaningful objects.“Edda encouraged me to add more personal mementoes. Not cluttering every empty space which I can feel myself being pulled toward — just things that carry meaning,” he said.“It’s a place I genuinely love returning to — rooted in the heritage of Shanghai yet modern and unmistakably my own. It sets the tone for a good start to the day and offers a sense of calm to wind down in the evening. Having lived here for a year, I think Shanghai is one of the world’s great cities, and I am thrilled to call it home.”
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/AIgenerated-video-becomes-more-convincing-rattling-creative-industry/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>AI-generated video becomes more convincing, rattling creative industry</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:40 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Gone are the days of six-fingered hands or distorted faces — AI-generated video is becoming increasingly convincing, attracting Hollywood, artists and advertisers, while shaking the foundations of the]]></description>
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		Gone are the days of six-fingered hands or distorted faces — AI-generated video is becoming increasingly convincing, attracting Hollywood, artists and advertisers, while shaking the foundations of the creative industry.To measure the progress of AI video, you need only look at Will Smith eating spaghetti. Since 2023, this unlikely sequence — entirely fabricated — has become a technological benchmark for the industry.Two years ago, the actor appeared blurry, his eyes too far apart, his forehead exaggeratedly protruding, his movements jerky, and the spaghetti didn’t even reach his mouth.The version published recently by a user of Google’s Veo 3 platform showed no apparent flaws whatsoever.“Every week, sometimes every day, a different one comes out that’s even more stunning than the next,” said Elizabeth Strickler, a professor at Georgia State University.Between Luma Labs’ Dream Machine launched in June 2024, OpenAI’s Sora in December, Runway AI’s Gen-4 in March 2025 and Veo 3 in May, the sector has crossed several milestones in just a few months.Runway has signed deals with Lionsgate studio and AMC Networks television group.Lionsgate Vice President Michael Burns told New York Magazine about the possibility of using artificial intelligence to generate animated, family-friendly versions from films like the “John Wick” or “Hunger Games” franchises, rather than creating entirely new projects.“Some use it for storyboarding or previsualization” — steps that come before filming — “others for visual effects or inserts,” said Jamie Umpherson, Runway’s creative director.Burns gave the example of a script for which Lionsgate has to decide whether to shoot a scene or not. To help make that decision, they can now create a 10-second clip “with 10,000 soldiers in a snowstorm.”That kind of previsualization would have cost millions before.In October, the first AI feature film was released — “Where the Robots Grow” — an animated film without anything resembling live action footage.For Alejandro Matamala Ortiz, Runway’s co-founder, an AI-generated feature film is not the end goal, but a way of demonstrating to a production team that “this is possible.”Still, some see an opportunity.In March, startup Staircase Studio made waves by announcing plans to produce seven to eight films per year using AI for less than US$500,000 each, while ensuring it would rely on unionized professionals wherever possible.“The market is there,” said Andrew White, co-founder of small production house Indie Studios.People “don’t want to talk about how it’s made,” White pointed out. “That’s inside baseball. People want to enjoy the movie because of the movie.”‘Resistance everywhere’But White himself refuses to adopt the technology, considering that using AI would compromise his creative process.Jamie Umpherson argues that AI allows creators to stick closer to their artistic vision than ever before, since it enables unlimited revisions, unlike the traditional system constrained by costs.“I see resistance everywhere” to this movement, observed Georgia State’s Strickler. This is particularly true among her students, who are concerned about AI’s massive energy and water consumption as well as the use of original works to train models, not to mention the social impact.But refusing to accept the shift is “kind of like having a business without having the Internet,” she said. “You can try for a little while.”In 2023, the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA secured concessions on the use of their image through AI.Strickler sees AI diminishing Hollywood’s role as the arbiter of creation and taste, instead allowing more artists and creators to reach a significant audience.Runway’s founders, who are as much trained artists as they are computer scientists, have gained an edge over their AI video rivals in film, television and advertising.But they’re already looking further ahead, considering expansion into augmented reality and virtual reality — for example creating a metaverse where films could be shot.“The most exciting applications aren’t necessarily the ones that we have in mind,” said Umpherson. “The ultimate goal is to see what artists do with technology.”
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Its-survival-of-the-fittest-in-Chinas-brutal-EV-market/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>It’s survival of the fittest in China’s brutal EV market</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:18 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lu Feiran]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Shanghai-based Hozon Auto, which manufactures electric vehicles under the Neta brand, was hailed as a startup star in the industry just three years ago, outselling rivals like Nio and XPeng. Now it is]]></description>
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		Shanghai-based Hozon Auto, which manufactures electric vehicles under the Neta brand, was hailed as a startup star in the industry just three years ago, outselling rivals like Nio and XPeng. Now it is under bankruptcy reorganization and hoping to find new investors to restart production.The company reported losses of 18.3 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) from 2021-23, according to a prospective for an initial public offering filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange in June 2024.“The company’s operations were halted in November 2024,” Hozon said in a statement. “Despite the halt, our production line remains operational. We have also retained over 400 employees, including the management team and core technical staff, indicating a readiness to resume manufacturing.”Hozon is not alone in finding itself a victim of brutal competition and price wars in China, the world’s largest car market, where electric and hybrid vehicles account for 53 percent of all sales.According to incomplete statistics, over 24 auto companies have either folded or undergone reorganization since 2022 — half of them in the electric and hybrid vehicle segment.Consolidation and ‘casualties’It’s all part of a major restructuring of the industry.One recent casualty is Ji Yue Auto, the joint venture brand of Baidu and Geely. It was reported to have entered into bankruptcy liquidation earlier this year, becoming the first 2025 EV brand to collapse.Another notable casualty is Shanghai-based WM Motor, which filed for bankruptcy reorganization in October 2023. Once a peer to prominent electric-car startups like Nio and Xpeng, WM Motor suffered technological problems, a drastic reduction in research and development investment and mounting legal disputes.Where did these companies go wrong?Ivan Chen, a senior researcher with a world-leading automotive technology supplier, told Shanghai Daily that high-risk automotive brands typically exhibit several common characteristics: over-reliance on low-price competition, hollowed-out technological capabilities, fragile cash flow and excessive dependence on a single market.The Neta brand is a prime example.“Neta Auto’s excessive reliance on the business-to-business market ultimately backfired,” Chen said. “Sales in that commercial segment accounted for a staggering 68 percent of Neta’s total sales in 2023. However, after the ride-hailing market, one of its prime customers, became saturated last year, the company shifted to consumer sales. That led to a drop in sales from 152,000 units in 2023 to a mere 64,500 units last year.”Even more critically, investment in research and development was only 4.7 percent of company revenue, far below the healthy industry standard of 10-15 percent. This technological vacuum became increasingly apparent, with its flagship Neta V model evoking a 33 percent complaint rate for in-car systems.Simultaneously, the Neta brand found itself trapped in a self-destructive price war. After dropping the price of the Neta V to 59,900 yuan, the company incurred a loss of 82,000 yuan for every car sold, contributing to its accumulated losses over three years.A market polarizedChen said that the current new-energy vehicle market in China is polarized.On one hand, there’s an intensifying concentration of leading players. Giants like BYD and Geely dominate the market, commanding a combined over 42 percent market share due to their technological prowess, cost advantages and global reach.Meanwhile, technology companies have been moving into the automotive sector, vying for a share of the market. Companies like Huawei and Xiaomi that started their corporate lives as phone makers and went on to branch out into new technologies, are leveraging their ecosystem strengths, initially capturing 6.9 percent of the electric car market. Xiaomi last month unveiled its second vehicle, the YU7 SUV, that attracted pre-order sales of 289,000.On the other hand, tail-end manufacturers are facing accelerating pressure to exit the market. Of 73 new electric car startups, 41 are struggling with monthly sales of less than a thousand units. Their survival space is being continuously squeezed.“Adding to the mix, the government exemption of vehicle tax on electric and hybrid models will be slashed by half next year,” Chen said. “That means manufacturers relying on the subsidies to sell cars have less than 18 months to adjust their strategies.”He added, “I believe over the next three years, the polarization in the EV industry’s landscape will become even more pronounced. The Matthew principle — when the strong get stronger, the weak get weaker — will intensify.”Inevitable pathThe ongoing consolidation in the industry is not necessarily a bad thing, but rather an inevitable path for the maturing electric car industry as it transitions from quantitative growth to qualitative transformation. In the “do or die” environment of the next three years, survival will hinge on possessing technological depth, operational precision and a global vision.Technological breakthroughs will be the decisive battlefield where the industry landscape is determined.Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s biggest manufacturer of batteries for electric cars, has announced 2025 mass production of solid-state batteries with a charge range exceeding 1,000 kilometers. Xpeng’s XNGP urban intelligent driving coverage has now reached 90 percent, boosting user payment rates from 8 percent to 25 percent.“To survive this tech war, car companies must maintain annual research and development investment at over 15 percent of revenue, focusing on core technologies like battery safety and closed-loop algorithms, or they risk elimination,” Chen said.The era of unbridled growth was never going to be sustainable.Human Horizons Group, parent of the HiPhi Auto brand, filed for bankruptcy last year, reporting a loss 8.2 billion yuan that resulted from blind expansion. Its two factories, with a combined annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles, were operating at a 6.8 percent utilization rate.“Car companies must return to rational operations to firmly establish themselves in this capital-intensive struggle,” Chen said.Companies in stress are prime targets for mergers and acquisitions. Under reorganization, the HiPhi Auto brand has received investment from the Middle East. There’s talk WM Motor might be taken over by another Chinese auto firm. Hozon Motor has denied rampant speculation that it will be bought out by Toyota.What lessons have been learned by automakers will shape the future of the industry, experts believe.
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Feel-the-pulse-of-Shanghai-247-from-quiet-parks-to-latenight-gyms/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Feel the pulse of Shanghai 24/7: from quiet parks to late-night gyms</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:15 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		Heping LibraryIf you’re longing for some quiet time with a book, you won’t want to miss this gem – Heping Library, a 24-hour library tucked away in a Shanghai park. This serene space sits inside Heping Park, a green oasis in the heart of the Hongkou District.You can read and borrow books here. However, most of the collection is in Chinese.Note on access: Some 24-hour reading places require library cards for entry and book borrowing. Shanghai Library cards are valid at all citywide public libraries. You can get one at Shanghai Library or Shanghai Library East Branch with your ID or passport.Address: 891 Tianbao Rd, inside Heping Park (near Gate 5)Zikawei LibraryThe library, designed by British architect David Chipperfield and completed by Yu Ting, takes its name from Xu Guangqi’s handwriting on the facade. A reading room and terrace overlooking Xujiahui Catholic Church are on the second floor. The ground-floor outdoor reading area is open 24/7. To borrow or return books, use a self-service machine (library card required).Note: The main library is closed on Mondays. Use the nearby plaza to enter the 24-hour reading area.Address: 158 Caoxi Rd N.East China Normal University Press 24-hour reading spaceLocated inside the campus of East China Normal University in the Yifu Building, this outdoor reading area on the ground floor is open to anyone entering the campus. Just scan your ID card or passport at the gate for access. Grab a book, relax and enjoy coffee in a scholarly setting.Address: 3663 Zhongshan Rd N.The City Never SleepsThe bookstore is open 24/7 and its minimalist design and large glass walls reflect the skyline and street life, creating an open, bright, industrial-chic atmosphere. With roughly 6 meters of vertical space and dual floor-to-ceiling windows, the space feels airy.The floor-to-ceiling shelves are filled with a diverse selection of literature. Upstairs, a calm and orderly study area features desks, adequate lighting and power outlets, ideal for reading, studying, daydreaming or a cup of coffee.Address: Unit A109, Bldg A, 18 Jinhai RdJing’an ParkJing’an Park, named for its location across from Jing’an Temple, is more famous for its chubby cats. Discover a garden-within-a-garden called “The Eight Scenery Garden,” a miniature garden showcasing the “Eight Views of Jing’an.” Entry is free.A teahouse offers open-air and private indoor seating for a quiet time in exquisite settings.Address: 1649 Nanjing Rd W.Fuxing ParkFuxing, which symbolizes national revival, is a 24-hour green oasis located in Huangpu District, adjacent to Xintiandi. As one of the city’s oldest, Fuxing Park is notable for being the only largely preserved French-style public park in China, with a history that spans nearly 120 years.Within the park, visitors can explore sunken flower beds, a rose garden, camellias and rhododendron beds, all reflecting the refined beauty of classical French landscaping. Following a renovation in 2021, it has become better integrated with the neighborhood. A new attraction, the “INS Fun Zone,” has gained popularity as an after-work gathering place for young crowds.Address: 516 Fuxing Rd M.Gucheng ParkGucheng Park, named after the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall and moat, has traditional Chinese garden design and modern urban functionality. Built in 2002, it is located near the Bund.From July 1, 2024, the park began allowing 24-hour access. Entry is now through Gates 1, 5 and 8, with Gate 4 just added. Night-time safety is reinforced with more patrols, better illumination and increased surveillance.Address: 333 Renmin RdDaning Park
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/The-four-art-Districts-of-Shanghai/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>The four art Districts of Shanghai</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:57 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Burton]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Shanghai’s aspirations to become one of the top cities for visual arts in Asia and the world have been gathering steam for decades, with a strong gallery scene now buoyed by two respected art fairs every]]></description>
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		Shanghai’s aspirations to become one of the top cities for visual arts in Asia and the world have been gathering steam for decades, with a strong gallery scene now buoyed by two respected art fairs every November and more new museums, galleries and nonprofits opening every year. Indeed, the sprawling metropolis is not content to just have one art scene: four districts of Shanghai have art clusters that, even as standalone, would still make most cities envious. Each has evolved its own distinct personality, community and offerings.Contemporary art in Shanghai first started in 1996 downtown with the first location of ShanghArt in the hallway of the Portman, followed by a charming little room in Fuxing Park from 1999, before expanding into the spacious industrial buildings on Moganshan Road near the Shanghai Railway Station. Downtown, particularly the Xuhui District  around Anfu Road, has remained popular with more independent spaces. The stately heritage architecture of the Bund draws others, and unsurprisingly boasts the bluest chip of credentials. On the southwest Xuhui shores of the Huangpu River, the government-backed developers behind West Bund have been erecting what they hope will be China’s version of London’s Museum Mile, with several high-profile museums and galleries alongside one of the city’s main November art fairs.Largest art concentration: M50The old textile warehouses along the Suzhou Creek date back to the early 2000s, when Shanghai’s art scene first began to gain critical momentum. Initially more scattered, demolitions chased galleries like ShanghArt and Eastlink into the complex of old textile warehouses at 50 Moganshan Road. Now dubbed M50, the lively collection of galleries, studios, design shops, cafes and offices continues apace. “Alongside the galleries and the artist studios, art centers, design firms and designer shops, coffee shops and restaurants, there are all sorts of hidden surprises. It’s a very diverse environment, which keeps it interesting,” says Lise Li, founder of Vanguard Gallery, which mostly represents early and mid-career Asian artists, 20 years ago in M50 — though the gallery  has now moved to a bigger space further east along the Suzhou Creek. “As a cultural area, it has an ecological symbiosis that is a little wild and vibrant, and never boring,” says Li.On sunny weekends, M50 is the site of both experimental performances and elaborate wanghong photo shoots, which can be hard to differentiate at times. Other top galleries there include Antenna Space, founded by Simon Wang in 2013, which represents many of China’s top conceptual talents and frequently holds provocative group shows. Area founder ShanghArt now has a flagship space over at West Bund, but keeps its old premises as a project space, mostly showing younger artists. Ofoto remains one of Shanghai’s few photography-focused galleries. Areas further east along the Suzhou Creek have started gathering steam again since the 2021 opening of UCCA Edge, a branch of the Beijing museum. While the Shanghai location of the OCAT nonprofit has shuttered, its premises are now occupied by several galleries, including Vanguard.The area first garnered prominence in the 2000s with the opening of experimental space Creek Art, in a historic warehouse that currently remains empty. With photography museum Fotografiska and multipurpose destination Suhe Haus, both opened in 2023, the creek has become the city’s fastest-growing art destination. Fotografiska is also home to Mona, a restaurant that has become consistently booked  (it’s pet-friendly). The area around the Bund has surprisingly ebbed and flowed over the years since its first space, Shanghai Gallery of Art, opened in 2004 at Three on the Bund. SGA is now only infrequently active, and the heart of the district has passed to the behind-Bund area of Huqiu Road — appropriately named Museum Road from 1886 — that since 2010 has been home to one of the city’s prominent institutions, Rockbund Art Museum. Now reopened after a long facility upgrade, RAM has returned to the thoughtful, diverse shows it is so beloved for. Situated in what was once the Royal Asiatic Society building, RAM will open a new library on its top floor this year.Smack across Huqiu Road sits the Amber Building, another renovated heritage site that holds the Shanghai premises of top global galleries: England’s Lisson and France’s Almine Rech and Perrotin. The Shanghai branch of Japanese gallery Ota has also opened in the new, northern part of the Rockbund development. Around the corner on Yuanmingyuan Road is the Shanghai headquarters of global auction giant Christie’s, while another block west on Beijing Road is a branch of Beijing’s Hive Contemporary. On the actual Bund itself, at the sweet spot intersecting with Nanjing Road E., the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in the former Palace Hotel hosts an artists’ residency. The back Bund area is also home to several spaces with eclectic and exciting programming, like galleries Vacancy  and Around Space and the nonprofit project SNAP.Global dreams: West BundShanghai art has always run in parallel to its oldest gallery ShanghArt, now among the top dealers in Asia, representing some of the biggest international stars in Chinese art, with additional locations now in Beijing and Singapore. Its longstanding West Bund flagship last this summer, but it has found new premises in a new luxury mall nearby. Korean gallery Arario is also in the area, and nonprofit Pond Society has taken over the building formerly home to the now-closed Shanghai Centre of Photography. The Pompidou-collaborating West Bund Art Museum sits regally across the street.East along the waterfront are Start Museum and the West Bund branch of Long Museum. Nearby, the former Longhua Airport is being transformed into a library. The area has that formal feel of centralized planning, but glimmers of its history remain.Organic and independent: downtownArt spaces are thick on the ground all over downtown Shanghai, but the main concentration is around Anfu Road in Xuhui District. There is a loose community of independent art spaces coordinating as the Anfu Arts District. The area’s cultural roots go decades deep, with the Shanghai Theater Academy on Huashan Road. Down a winding lane across the street in an old garden villa, Capsule Gallery presents mostly younger Chinese and international artists. Close to Wulumuqi Road next to Alimentari sits the Shanghai location of Spain’s El Instituto Cervantes, which along with its language courses, offers cultural programming and an exhibition venue, its shows pairing Chinese artists with their counterparts from Spanish-speaking countries. The Terraza Cervantes center shows video and interactive art in its large street-facing windows to passing crowds. Galleries Art Labor and Linseed have recently joined the heady mix on adjacent streets.At Fuxing and Huaihai Roads, Xuhui Art Museum presents an eclectic mix of projects. A tad further, at Huaihai and Wukang Roads in the photogenic Normandy Apartments, Urban Cross is a project to document and educate about Shanghai’s architectural heritage. It has closed its location on Huaihai, with a new location to be announced. One to watch: Pudong risingThe waterfront Modern Art Museum Shanghai helped stake the claim that “Pudong is the future” in the early 2020s, followed in 2021 by the Museum of Art Pudong, a glass-and-steel leviathan backed by state oil money and curated in part through partnerships with London’s Tate and the British Museum. Nearby looms the unmistakable China Art Museum, housed in the crimson crown of the former China Pavilion from Expo 2010 — a symbolically loaded structure where its collection of socialist realism and early modern Chinese art anchors it firmly in national narratives.The neighborhood’s newest arrival is more intimate but no less ambitious: the Centre d’Art Rodin, a contemplative offshoot of Paris’s sculpture museum, installed just steps away in the former French Pavilion of the World Expo Shanghai 2010. Where its neighbors impress through scale, Rodin’s Shanghai outpost whispers with quiet gravitas, offering bronzes like “The Thinker,” “Balzac” and “The Gates of Hell” without the barrier of glass, inviting a proximity rarely permitted in major institutions.Further inland sit older institutions such as the Himalayas Museum, still grappling with its original commercial-hotel complex setting, and How Art Museum, which has struggled to maintain visibility despite early promise. None yet form a tight cluster, spatially or thematically. Whether Pudong matures into a genuine cultural ecosystem or remains a constellation of scattered stand-alone monuments hinges less on architectural ambition than on curatorial vision — and on the commitment to draw in artists and exhibitions with enough gravitas to contribute to Shanghai’s evolving art stature.Ambitious wishes of the past have already materialized into so much art all over Shanghai, and Pudong would have to hustle to ever catch up. The artists, administrators, audiences and collectors that the physical venues facilitate are also growing in ranks and maturity. More has always meant more to the city, and despite current challenges, Shanghai art remains an undeniable juggernaut.
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		<link>http://www.shanghaidaily.com/in-focus/Chinese-firms-see-fat-profit-potential-in-weightloss-drug/shdaily.shtml</link>
		<title>Chinese firms see fat profit potential in weight-loss drug</title>
		<category><![CDATA[In Focus]]></category>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0800</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tan Weiyun]]></dc:creator>
		<description><![CDATA[Fatness, once a scourge only in advanced Western countries, is no stranger to China nowadays, with an estimated 400 million overweight or obese adults. Small wonder that the nation’s pharmaceutical companies ]]></description>
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		Fatness, once a scourge only in advanced Western countries, is no stranger to China nowadays, with an estimated 400 million overweight or obese adults. Small wonder that the nation&rsquo;s pharmaceutical companies have joined foreign rivals in racing to develop drugs that help people lose weight.

Forget gym memberships, salad diets or self-control, China&rsquo;s middle class has discovered that the faster way to weight loss comes in a pre-filled syringe. It&rsquo;s a huge market for domestic drug companies.

As Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk&rsquo;s Wegovy brand of semaglutide smashes global sales records, Chinese pharma companies are no longer standing idly. One Chinese pharma company has just launched its first semaglutide version. Another is building drug-manufacturing factories even before clinical trials are completed. And local governments are now treating weight management as a civic duty.

Stocks investors are piling into domestic pharma share, betting on big returns.

Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, semaglutide mimics a nature hormone called GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide, which tells the brain you are full, slows digestion and improves insulin response. People using the drug have been shown to lose up to 15 percent of their body weight in under a year, with results often showing up within weeks. It&rsquo;s weight loss backed by science. No treadmill required.

&ldquo;The GLP-1 class has the potential to crown the next generation of blockbuster drugs,&rdquo; said Chen Tielin, a pharmaceutical equity analyst. &ldquo;For the China market, this is more than a moment of innovation. It could mark the beginning of the country&rsquo;s pharmacological weight-loss era. For Chinese drugmakers, it&rsquo;s both a catch-up game and a chance to leapfrog.&rdquo;

Chasing GLP-1 gold

Indeed, more than 60 GLP-1 drugs are in development across China, with over 20 companies chasing semaglutide generics. Industry heavyweights like Innovent Biologics, Huadong Medicine, Jiuyuan Gene and Hengrui Pharmaceuticals are deep into clinical trials.

With semaglutide&rsquo;s China patent set to expire in 2026, the window is wide open, and local drug companies are moving quickly to grab a share of a market projected to swell to 40 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) by 2030.

China is viewed as the world&rsquo;s largest untapped markets for such metabolic therapies.

In recent months, Shanghai and other local governments have begun including obesity and the prevention of other chronic diseases into their health policies. That shift is fueling broader acceptance of pharmacological solutions and positioning GLP-1 therapies as more than a just weight-loss fad, but rather a long-term tool for managing a growing national health problem.

Innovent Biologics last month made headlines with Mazdutide, the first Chinese-developed dual-target GLP-1/GIP agonist to reach the market. Approved in June, the drug offers weight-loss efficacy comparable to versions sold by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, at a price tag that could appeal to cost-conscious consumers.

Meanwhile, Huadong Medicine, a company with established diabetes franchises, has advanced one of its GLP-1 candidates into Phase III trials. In April, its new drug application for a semaglutide injection was officially accepted by the National Medical Products Administration.

Hangzhou-based Jiuyuan Gene has partnered with academic institutions to accelerate development, while Jiangsu Province-based Hengrui is leveraging its next-generation delivery platforms, including oral GLP-1 formulations and dual/triple-agonist injections, to build a competitive edge in both efficacy and patient convenience.

Of the 60 or more GLP-1 drugs in the pipeline across China, some are biosimilar, while others are so-called &ldquo;me-betters&rdquo; that tweak the molecule for longer efficacy or fewer side effects. Several players are already pouring money into manufacturing facilities ahead of time, betting that supply won&rsquo;t catch up with demand anytime soon. That urgency now extends far beyond labs and boardrooms. Across the country, hospital clinics are feeling the pressure from patients seeking weight-loss therapeutics.

&ldquo;I probably now prescribe more GLP-1 drugs than some endocrinologists,&rdquo; said Han Xiaodong, an obesity surgeon at Shanghai Sixth People&rsquo;s Hospital. He noted that many of his patients fall into a gray zone &mdash; overweight but not obese enough for surgery, and often discouraged by failed diets and gym routines.

&ldquo;For these patients,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;the drug is not a shortcut; it&rsquo;s a bridge. It gives them just enough physiological help to regain control over their weight.&rdquo;

But Han is also cautious.

&ldquo;Roughly 60-70 percent of GLP-1 inquiries we get aren&rsquo;t suitable,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Some people have unrealistic expectations, thinking one injection will solve everything. Others don&rsquo;t meet the clinical criteria, and using the drug could even backfire.&rdquo;

Still, he said he believes GLP-1 therapies mark a turning point in how China approaches obesity, not as a cosmetic issue but as a chronic disease requiring sustained medical-grade intervention.

This real-world enthusiasm is mirrored in China&rsquo;s stock market.

Shares of companies with GLP-1 pipelines have soared in recent months, as investors bet on a new generation of blockbuster drugs.

Leading the pack are Changshan Biochemical Pharmaceutical, Shengnuo Biotec and BrightGene Pharmaceutical, whose stocks have more than doubled this year.

But investors should keep their expectations in check, warned analyst Chen.

&ldquo;Most of the domestic GLP-1 candidates for obesity are still in the clinical phase,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That means the risk of delays or outright failure is real.&rdquo;

And with an increasingly crowded playing field, competition is only going to intensify, he added.

For now, the stock market is rewarding optimism. But as clinical deadlines approach, the difference between hope and hype may become harder to ignore.

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