Today in China, people on social media are buzzing about the following news, people and events that you shouldn’t miss:
1. Jack Ma Says China Is the future#
At Alibaba's "Gateway 17," the two-day small business conference in Detroit, Jack Ma made a bold statement to over 3000 business owners who traveled from all over US to attend: “In the past 30 years, US economy is the growth engine of the world, but today if you are not selling to China, you are missing opportunities.” Jack Ma promised, “Alibaba want to help other business to become e-commerce giant themselves, to compete with Amazon and IBM one day.”
Weibo user reaction:“If you come to US, you will be sued of copyright every minute!”
2. Shanghai Film Festival: All Eyes on the Star and the CEO#
The Shanghai Film Festival, which kicked off on June 17 and runs through June 26 has been a hot topic on Weibo. And sponsoring luxury brands including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bulgari and Cadillac have been a visible presence. Chinese actress and director Zhao Wei, the brand ambassador for Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, was on the red carpet and was also the subject of many memes because she was wearing the same watch as actor Jing Boran. Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, who participated in a panel, “The Art of Life from Chinese/Italian Film," was also seen pictured with actor Chen Bosen to promote the brand.
Weibo user reaction: “Great to see Bvlgari's CEO again, he is so cute and handsome!”
3. Paris Fashion Week: Huang Zitao x Loewe#
With over 23,000 posts about him at Paris Fashion Week, Chinese pop star Huang Zitao was dominating Weibo today. One of the "Little Fresh Meat” celebrities, Huang is also the first mainland Chinese male celebrity invited by Loewe to come to Paris Fashion Week. The hashtag ZITAOxLOEWE generated more than 17,000 posts. A majority of the comments under this post are by his fans thanking Loewe for the invitation.
4. Tom Brady Explores the Great Wall in Under Armour#
NFL player Tom Brady visited China's centuries-old Great Wall on June 18 and threw a football for a promotional event for his endorser Under Armour. For some reason, it was trending today. We didn't mind.
Weibo user reaction: "How can we get a ticket to see him. Really don't want to miss the opportunity. @underarmour"
5. More Than 20,000 Apps Are Taken Off the Shelves of the Apple Store#
Today, the news of more than 20,000 apps shut down on the Apple Store stirred heated discussions on Weibo. People debated the subject across more than 54,000 posts. It comes on the heels of the battle between Apple and WeChat over WeChat's "tip" function (where writers and other content producers could be given tips via mobile wallet accounts), and where Apple decided that the "tip" function in Chinese messaging apps would be considered in-app purchases and that Apple would take a 30-percent cut of every transaction. So, it's no surprise that Apple's recent move would cause some raised hairs.
Weibo user reaction: “Thank god I switched to Android. I am counting down the days before Apple leaves China. ”