Trending in China: Jack Ma's Selfie With Steven Spielberg Sparks Questions

Today in China, people on social media are buzzing about Jack Ma's weird and special smartphone, NetEase CEO's prediction, and the supposed money issues of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin's only son. 1. Is Jack Ma holding a real iPhone? (See image above) Weibo is aflutter with chatter over an iPhone that Alibaba's Jack Ma is holding in a selfie he took with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg during their meeting last week when Ma was in New York. Some commenters said that Jack Ma was using a special edition iPhone that was tailor-made by Apple for him, while some others were joking that he was actually using a Huawei phone with an "iPhone look" since Chinese companies' high-level executives tend to show support for domestic brands. 2. NetEase's CEO predicted the invention of smart watches and Siri back in 1999 An interview video featuring Ding Lei, the CEO of NetEase, with China's Central Television (CCTV) in 1999 has gone viral on Weibo. In that interview, Ding said, "In the future, a computer will be as small as a watch that people can wear on the hand." He also predicted that human beings would be able to use our voice, and even our thoughts, to control the computer. The online community was impressed by the accuracy of Ding's words. 3. Popular live-streaming host accused Panda TV of wage infractions A Weibo topic called, "A letter from a South Korean live-streaming host to Wang Sicong" is trending on June 26. The host, Yin Suwan, is accusing Wang Sicong's live streaming website—Panda TV—for failing to pay her the RMB 200 million (29.2 million) that was owed to her for signing a deal to be a host on the site. "Has your company had any economic problems recently?" she writes in the open letter. "Maybe you should ask for money from your father, because I sometimes do it, too." Wang Sicong is the only son of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, the Founder of the real estate conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group. With a total fortune at US30.9 billion, Wang Jianlin was ranked the nation's richest man by Forbes in 2016. 4. Burberry's close friend Kris Wu becomes the judge of a reality show rap competition Kris Wu, the darling of many luxury brands including Burberry and Bulgari, has recently become the judge of a reality TV show called “The Rap of China.” In the competition, Kris Wu always asked the contestants if they know how to “freestyle rap." The concept of "freestyle" is thus being discussed by online users. 5. The "little fresh meat" Lu Han is about to release a new album This week, another popular Chinese KOL, Lu Han, is going to release a mini album called "Love." His fans are talking about this upcoming album on Weibo. "We are so looking forward to this album," one emphatic commenter said. Another added, "We will support you forever."

Trending in China: Jack Ma's Selfie With Steven Spielberg Sparks Questions

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Published June 26, 2017

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Trending in China: Jack Ma's Selfie With Steven Spielberg Sparks Questions