Those of us living in China might have been spared the tumultuous drama that our US counterparts have experienced in 2017, but like always, the Middle Kingdom has had its own fair share of attention-grabbing headlines. From the boom of shared bikes to a presidential visit from The Donald, our team has put together a list of 2017’s most unforgettable viral stories, recounting major events that defined the worlds of sports, tech, arts, fashion and food. Here’s to another year of eclectic, weird and wonderful life in China, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
For more, follow our full 2017 Year in Review coverage.
Here are some of the biggest stories to make headlines in China in 2017, in no particular order.
1. Bike Share Mania
First came orange Mobike, then came the yellow Ofo. Now
there’s a bunch of other providers that make up China’s rainbow-colored bike share craze. The two-wheeled bubble, however,
began to show signs of a burst in mid-November when
China’s third largest bike-sharing startup Bluegogo ceased
operations.
2. China Gets Trumped
All eyes were on Beijing in November when President Xi
Jinping met with US President Donald Trump during the
latter’s three-day visit to the Chinese capital. The lavish visit
included an exclusive tour of the Forbidden City with the
wives, Peking opera performances, meetings, and plenty of
photo ops in between. @realDonaldTrump even managed
to tweet across the Great Firewall, too!
3. Party Congress
In October, the country's top leaders met in Beijing for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Convening every five years, the National Party Congress sees the election of a new Central Committee, essentially passing the torch from one generation of leadership to the next. The seven members of China's Politburo Standing Committee were unveiled at the conclusion of the Party Congress, with no major surprises in who was picked. All of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) members are over the age of 60 and near the age of retirement, indicating no clear successor to Xi for the next term. Some speculate that this puts Xi one step closer towards staying on for an unconventional third term.
4. Imported Soft Cheeses Get Banned, Then Unbanned
China-based cheese lovers had a tumultuous autumn.
First, came news that imported soft cheeses like Brie,
Camembert, Roquefort, blue cheese and goat cheese
would be temporarily banned from the Middle Kingdom.
A few weeks later, the ban was lifted and cheese lovers
could go on with their lives again.
5. Stricter Controls Over Chinese Social Media
While it’s no surprise that
the Chinese government is
monitoring our social media
activities, the Cyberspace
Administration of China (CAC) issued new regulations in
September to “better develop
China’s online environment,
protect the legal rights of
Chinese netizens, online organizations
and safeguard national
security and public interest,”
according to China Daily. Along
with these new regulations is
the Public Security Bureau’s
list of nine topics banned on
online group chats. Effective
October 8, sharing things like
politically sensitive information,
violent or pornographic content
could lead to fines or police
detention. (Think twice before
you send off that racy WeChat
sticker).
Meanwhile, several Chinese platforms — including WeChat, Weibo, Alipay and QQ — are said to be developing new online social credit system, which, along with the restrictions on group chats and online content, was recently required by the Chinese government. (Click here for a complete English translation of the new online rules). Some believe this was the reason why users were temporarily prohibited from changing their profile pictures on WeChat back in October.
6. Continued Pollution Woes
China’s poor air quality is an ongoing
problem, but just how bad
is it? According to a recent study
by the Energy Policy Institute at
the University of Chicago, the
pollution can take an average of
3.5 years off people’s lives. If you
live in Tianjin, where, according
to the study, the smog problem
is the worst in the nation, it can
shave 7.1 years off.
Beijing took extreme measures this year in its efforts to decrease pollution by 15 percent, including shutting down factories, halting construction until March of 2018 and making a (short-lived) complete switch to natural gas. So far it doesn't appear to be having much effect, however, with the smog worsening, fewer 'blue-sky days' and the transition from coal to natural gas not exactly going according to plan.
7. Tough Times for Western Tech Companies
New iPhone releases used to be big
deals in China, when flocks of legit fans
and scalpers would line up for hours
outside Apple Stores to get their
hands on the hottest new device.
This, however, didn’t happen for the iPhone 8 release on September 22.
According to photos on social media,
there were more barricades and security
guards than actual shoppers at
Apple Stores across the country.
Apple wasn't the only Western tech company to have problems in China this year. Over the summer, WhatsApp experienced disruptions in service, though the app currently remains usable on a sporadic basis. Several messaging platforms that don't require real-name registration have reportedly experienced problems due to China's recent crackdown on anonymous accounts.
And in October, Skype — the Microsoft-owned Voice Over IP (VOIP) internet phone call and messaging service — disappeared from Chinese app stores for violating local laws. Apple was also forced to remove several VPNs from its App Store, including Astrill, ExpressVPN, Onekey and more in the summer.
On the flipside, it was a pretty good year for Chinese tech companies. In November, China's biggest tech company (Tencent) surpassed Facebook's total market value to become the fifth most valuable company in the world, joining the likes of Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft and Amazon. Meanwhile, rival firm Alibaba — fresh off record-breaking Singles' Day sales of RMB168 billion — moved close behind Facebook in terms of total valuation that same week. Over the past year, both companies have seen their shares double.
8. ‘McDonald’s' No More?
In China, McDonald’s is no longer called Maidanglao. Since October 12, the official Chinese company name has been changed to Jingongmen (金拱门), which literally means ‘golden arches.’ Chinese customers are apparently not lovin’ the change. Some say it sounds like a Peking duck restaurant’s name. Internet users, however, poked fun at the name by making memes of other company name changes that would literally reflect their company’s logo (like ‘Green Bubble’ for WeChat).
9. Nationwide Smoking Ban
At the end of 2016, it was announced that China would be rolling out a nationwide smoking ban. The news came just a week after Shanghai announced that its no-smoking laws would go into effect in March 2017, making it the second city to ban smoking in public places after Beijing implemented similar legislation in 2015. Both Beijing and Shanghai's citywide bans appear to be working, and smoking is now prohibited at all indoor public venues, workplaces and public transportation, as well as outdoor areas at schools, historic sites, children's hospitals and stadiums. Meanwhile, Chinese people have increasingly turned to vaping, an industry which has rapidly developed over the past year thanks to a boom in popularity.
10. Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Lands in Shanghai
The American lingerie brand made a big splash in China in 2017 with the opening of two flagship stores (in Shanghai and Chengdu) and the 'Hai playing host to this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion
Show, which saw dozens of models descending upon the city to walk
the runway at the star-studded event (those who got a travel
visa did, anyway) in November. Jane Zhang, Harry Styles and
Miguel provided the entertainment, but it was Shanghainese
model Ming Xi, who stole the show when she took a tumble
during her walk. (Ouch!) Taylor Swift and Katy Perry were
previously rumored to be part of the performance lineup as
well, but couldn’t make it in the end… because there would
be too much ‘bad blood’ on stage, right?
For more 2017 Year in Review coverage, click here.
0 User Comments