China Digital Digest Weekly: Exploring the Chinese Digital Landscape

Hi folks, ClickInsights has launched its weekly edition of China’s Digital Digest, wherein we would bring you weekly updates on China’s digital space. The report takes a quick glance at China’s complex and rapidly evolving social media landscape by providing updates on the latest happenings across the social media industry. Here are the major highlights of the report.

1. Twin Brothers Amass 100 Million Followers on China’s Version of TikTok

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3198468/top-influencers-chinas-version-tiktok-are-twin-brothers-over-100-million-followers

Twin brothers who star in their own video skits about daily life have become the most popular influencers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, amassing more than 100 million followers in four years.

Their account, under the name of the Crazy Yang Brothers, mainly consists of short video clips about daily life, with supporting roles from their father and girlfriends. The twins, from Anhui province, originally started their short video career in 2015 on Kuaishou, the country’s second-largest video platform, according to a report by the Phoenix E-commerce Research Institute.

2. Chinese State Broadcaster Takes 1 Percent Stake in Short Video App Kuaishou

https://variety.com/2022/biz/asia/chinese-government-stake-in-kuaishou-1235426160/

A state-run media outlet has taken a small stake in Kuaishou, China’s second biggest short video platform after TikTok sister app Douyin, in a move that could give Beijing direct influence over one of the country’s most popular internet platforms.

Beijing Radio and Television Station, controlled by the Beijing municipal government, invested 1.01 million yuan (US$140,000) for a 1 percent stake in Beijing Kuaishou Technology, the mainland Chinese entity of the short video giant, according to records on Chinese corporate data provider Qichacha.

3. Shein Faces New Competition from Pinduoduo’s Fast-Growing New App, Temu

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shein-rival-app-chinese-e-093000695.html

A quiet play to rival Shein in the US is paying off for Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, whose Temu platform became the most-downloaded shopping app across US app stores in early November, according to analytics firm AppMagic.

Launched in September, Temu is still nowhere near as popular as Shein, the hit shopping platform also started in China that has found huge success overseas selling fast fashion and other items at rock-bottom prices. However, Temu’s rise comes just ahead of the holiday shopping season in the world’s largest consumer market.

4. TikTok Tells European Users Its Staff in China Gets Access to Their Data

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/02/tiktok-tells-european-users-its-staff-in-china-get-access-to-their-data

TikTok is spelling out to its European users that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China, amid political and regulatory concerns about Chinese access to user information on the platform.

The Chinese-owned social video app is updating its privacy policy to confirm that staff in countries, including China, are allowed to access user data to ensure their experience of the platform is “consistent, enjoyable and safe”.

5. Amazon’s New Warehouse in Eastern China Will Get Shoppers Overseas Goods Faster

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3198771/amazon-sets-warehouse-eastern-china-faster-overseas-e-commerce-signalling-confidence-consumer

US e-commerce giant Amazon.com plans to set up a bonded warehouse in Ningbo, a major shipping hub in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, to expedite deliveries of foreign goods, showing confidence in Chinese consumer spending in an otherwise weakening economy.

The forward bonded warehouse, a first for Amazon’s Global Store business, is expected to open in 2023 to help Chinese consumers buy from its UK and Germany platforms, the company announced over the weekend at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, an annual event promoted by the Chinese government to woo investors.

6. Huawei Cloud Launches Spark Incubator with 1st Cohort

https://www.theedgesingapore.com/news/startups-entrepreneurs-digital-economy/huawei-cloud-partners-imda-launch-spark-incubator

Huawei Cloud launched the inaugural Spark Incubator programme as part of its partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) PIXEL Innovation Hub.

It targets early-stage Singapore-based start-ups in the pre-seed and seed space from sectors including FinTech, Web3, Metaverse and Software as a Service (SaaS) focused enterprises. The programme aims to support their growth to Series A and expansion in Singapore and Asean region.

7. Huawei Releases Pocket S Foldable Smartphone and Other New Products

https://technode.com/2022/11/03/huawei-launches-budget-foldable-phone-pocket-s/

Chinese telecom giant Huawei introduced the Pocket S, a budget flip-style foldable phone, on Wednesday in China. The phone has a lower price range compared to other foldable phones, priced between $819 to $1,025.

Huawei is also looking to appeal to a broader audience with the product, and some phone cases have been specifically designed to attract female users, whose tight-fit attire may not have enough pocket space to hold a traditional smartphone.

8. Gap Sells Greater China Business for $40M

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/baozun-acquires-gap-greater-china-104643468.html

Brand e-commerce service provider Baozun Inc has signed definitive agreements to acquire Gap Greater China in an all-cash transaction with a primary consideration of $40 million. Gap Greater China is a subsidiary of the American specialty apparel company Gap, Inc.

Since December 2018, Baozun has served Gap Greater China as its e-commerce service partner, enabling it to expand its e-commerce business in Greater China.

9. CEO of China's Bilibili to Manage Gaming Unit in Bid to Boost Revenue

https://www.reuters.com/technology/ceo-chinas-bilibili-manage-gaming-unit-bid-boost-revenue-2022-11-07/

The chief executive of China's Bilibili Inc has taken over direct supervision of the company's gaming department, according to an internal email seen by Reuters, as the Alibaba-backed company looks to boost revenue growth.

The human resource department of Bilibili, best known for its YouTube-like video-sharing platform, issued an email last Friday informing employees that those in its gaming department will report to Chen Rui, the company's CEO, and no longer Zhang Feng, a senior vice president at the company.

10. Tencent WiFi Manager to Halt Operations on Dec 1

https://www.techgoing.com/tencent-wifi-manager-will-be-officially-discontinued-on-december-1/

Tencent WiFi Butler has now issued a service discontinuation announcement that due to business adjustments, Tencent WiFi Butler will officially cease service from 00:00 on December 1, 2022.

According to the announcement, users will not be able to use any of Tencent WiFi Butler’s functions and services at that time. After the discontinuation of services, Tencent WiFi Butler will delete users’ information and other data in accordance with the law.

11. Tencent Says Claims of Unauthorized Wechat Logins a ‘misunderstanding’

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3198466/tencent-defends-wechat-privacy-saying-claims-unauthorised-logins-misunderstanding

Tencent Holdings said claims of unauthorized logins on its WeChat super app were a “misunderstanding” related to a technical issue, in the latest example of the social media giant trying to calm user concerns over personal privacy issues.

WeChat, with more than 1.2 billion monthly active users, was caught up in controversy after users raised questions over records that showed login activities from unknown devices, with some taking place at midnight when they were asleep.

Wrapping Up

The vast and diverse nature of the Chinese Social Media space makes it incredibly challenging to keep a tab on the rapid developments taking place. However, China’s Digital Digest brings you all the latest updates from there to keep you abreast of all the evolving trends.

To delve deeper into the findings of the October report, click here.