Book Review · Starting Up in Shenzhen

Looking at China and Seeing Ourselves: Two Ethnographies of Tech in China

Posted on by Jason Li

Two book covers. The first is for Blockchain Chicken Farm which features an agragrian landscape. The second is for Protoype Nation and features a ballerina in the middle of a factory.

Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China’s Countryside
By Xiaowei Wang
FSG Originals, 256 pp.

Prototype Nation: China and the Contested Promise of Innovation
By Silvia M. Lindtner
Princeton University Press, 288 pp.

It’s really hard to get an on-the-ground view of…

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The missing context that plagues tech reporting about China

Posted on by An Xiao Mina

An Xiao Mina writes in the Columbia Journalism Review:

One problem I see is that many journalists reporting on Chinese technology have limited experience reporting within and about China. They might not fully understand the economic and media aims of the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese language, or the underlying logic of global capitalism. China has a population of…

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Chinese Comics Review

This quintessential Chinese millennial is a seal, and she is adorable

Posted on by Jason Li

A cute, rotund, cartoon seal clutches things on these two book coveres

Upon first glance, Seal (海豹) looks like just another cute character dreamed up by the internet, lolling about on her futon, joyfully procrastinating with her friends. Seal embodies these positive qualities in her print debut, No Big Deal If You Like Me (喜欢我也没关系), and in the cult favorite Tumblr. But if you dig deeper into the larger…

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China Meme Report

Chaoyang Trap: a newsletter about the latest internet memes, media and subcultures in China today

Posted on by The Editor

Editor’s note: Below are some excerpts from the second issue of Chaoyang Trap about trending memes and subcultures on China’s internet. For more consider subscribing to their newsletter.

Nisu (泥塑) is an online subculture of female fans fantasizing about male celebrities being female, often in the role of a lover, a sister, a…

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What Lies Behind The Great Firewall: A Vast Great Shopping Mall Internet Complete With Mall Cops Moderators

Posted on by An Xiao Mina

An Xiao Mina and Xiaowei Wang write in the Knight First Amendment Institute blog:

In the West, we’ve become accustomed to reports of censorship in China as the result of a menacing authoritarian regime that threatens the core tenets of free expression. While a convenient construction, this centers authoritarianism as the guiding force for China’s social media platforms, missing…

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Ethnography of Tech

Debunking myths about China state control & surveillance in the age of COVID-19

Posted on by Tricia Wang

Editor’s note: Starting in January, Tricia re-connected with her former colleagues and contacts in Wuhan (where she did extensive fieldwork in the past) to find out more about the COVID-19 pandemic and the truth behind some popular myths that have been floating around on the Western mainstream media. Here, we document her debunking two such myths (with the help of Shayla Qiu and Reginald…

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Finding Solace & Entertainment Under Quarantine: China’s Netizens Pave the Way

Posted on by Jason Li

There’s been a raft of great coverage recently about how people in China are adapting to life under quarantine, especially the ways that they’re leveraging technology to entertain themselves at this stressful situation. Below is a recap of some of what we’ve seen (with a hearty shout-out to those who first reported on it).

Livestreamed “bedroom” concerts

A Bilibili livestream concert poster by Merrie Records featuring a set list behind a small TV surrounded by snacks (and a cat)
Merrie…

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As The Coronavirus Rages On, Cartoonists Lash Out With Irony, Quiet And Candor

Posted on by Jason Li
A muscular half person, half snake has wrapped a bunch of doctors and journalists in its arms and is gesturing for them to be silent.
Created by 撒旦君 Sadan via Weibo.

Despite dramatic measures taken to stem the tide, the coronavirus is still spreading across China and the rest of the world. Confined to their homes, independent cartoonists in China continue expressing their views around the epidemic through their works. Some creators have reached a state of detached irony, while others are…

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