Early Pictures Emerge of Zhang Zetian, Face of E-Commerce Giant JD#
Zhang Zetian, the 24-year-old face of e-commerce giant JD.com (and the wife of its founder), is trending on Weibo again after one user posted photos of her in dance practice. JD.com has been in the news a lot lately, most prominently for its acquisition of a nearly 400 million stake in shopping site Farfetch and for its criticism of Alibaba for being 'monopolistic.' And as Zetian is the unofficial face of the company, when the company's in the news, interest in her spikes online. The latest instance is the release of a set of black-and-white portraits of Zhang that seem to be done professionally, featuring her elegant dance moves. Netizens in China are swooning and have started a heated discussion about how a 23-year-old like her can be successful in both career and family life. Given her connection to the company, one has to wonder, is someone trying to boost its image?
Weibo Comment: “Don’t know if her husband even has the time to appreciate how pretty she is.”
Lu Han’s L’Occitane China Campaign Helps Boost Sales#
China’s ‘little fresh meat’ Lu Han has recently been made the face of L'Occitane’s China campaign of its cherry blossom skin care line. Photos of Lu holding the brand’s signature cherry blossom moisturizer is dominating its official Weibo page. L'Occitane customized the campaign with the actor’s last name “Lu,” which is homophonous with “deer” in Mandarin and featured pink antlers on the cap of the product bottles and the free totes that come with purchases. It is reported that L'Occitane’s sales in China have been booming in the first two quarters.
Weibo Comment: “I’m getting the Lu Han limited edition set RIGHT NOW!”
Survey Shows that 1 Cup of Bubble Tea Equates to 8 Red Bulls#
A new survey circulating on Weibo is taking the internet by storm today. The survey, allegedly released by Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee details the organization’s investigation in 27 popular Bubble Tea brands, including ones that have international locations such as Gong Cha and CoCo. Among the 51 cups of different flavored milk teas tested, the average caffeine content in each of them is the equivalent to 5 Red Bulls; the highest one contains 8 times the caffeine in one bottle of Red Bull. It also found that not one of the “no sugar” option in any of the stores surveyed resulted in a sugar-free milk tea.
Weibo Comment: “Why are people complaining? One cup of milk tea is so much cheaper than 8 bottles of Red Bull. You are saving money!”
YSL Mocked after "made in China" and "made in Italy" Label Mix-up#
The luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent is in a bit of legal turmoil after a lawsuit was brought against Kering over eyewear products that were labeled, or mislabeled (depending on whose side you take), as having been made in China. Chinese netizens have taken the chance to mock the never-dying counterfeit industry in China and share their stories and experiences with YSL counterfeit products. A side-by-side guide with pictures was posted on Weibo by a user name “Female Thinker”, detailing the ways consumers can identify authentic YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipstick. The guide included pictures of the packaging and swatches of both lipsticks. It even summarized the colors that are more likely to have counterfeits.
Weibo Comment: “I definitely wouldn’t be able to tell the real one from the fake one, but then again I always go to the boutiques to buy them.”
