China’s internet at 30 years old...
Hello TWOC readers!
This month’s newsletter is a special one, as we take a dive into the weird, wonderful, and sometimes unnerving world of the Chinese internet. Turns out a lot has happened online in almost three decades since the country first connected to the web in 1994.
Read on to discover:
Why Chinese websites are still so cluttered
What happened to the country’s pre-WeChat OG social media platforms
How seniors get hooked on (and frequently scammed by) social media influencers
What new indie Chinese video games you should check out
Thanks for reading! 👇
The Rise and Fall of China’s OG Social Media Platforms
Renren, Tianya, Maopu... These are just some of the formerly popular social media sites that have ended up on the scrap heap of China’s internet industry. Bulletin boards and chatrooms boomed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but most have fallen by the wayside. Hayley Zhao takes a deep dive into China’s OG social media platforms and finds that failed business strategies, bad investments, poor moderation, and a worrying trend of misogyny on some platforms are all to blame for their demise.
Why Are Chinese Websites Stuck in 2003?
Websites of Chinese companies are often cluttered, colorful, or simply don’t exist at all—why? Roman Kierst provides the answers, writing that since many people in the country skipped having PCs and went straight to owning smartphones, businesses reacted by avoiding websites entirely and instead using WeChat and other apps as their main platforms to reach customers. Meanwhile, the logographic nature of Chinese characters means some information may be more clear than it first appears to non-native speakers. Nowadays, live streaming and short video platforms have made websites increasingly obsolete.
How China’s Seniors Got Hooked on Short Video Influencers
Finally, Yang Tingting explores the Chinese internet from the perspective of the country’s elderly population. They are coming online in increasing numbers and flocking to influencers and livestream channels that invite them to duet songs together and offer companionship for the lonely. But with many falling foul of scams, or spending excessive time online (just as younger internet users do), a debate has opened on whether seniors are adequately protected online.
Listen too...
Our award-winning Middle Earth Podcast returns with an episode all about...TWOC! In this edition, host Aladin Farré finds out what it takes to make it to 100 issues as a magazine in China. Spoiler: the answer is a lot of hard work, flexibility, and commitment to bringing nuance to stories often already steeped in stereotypes. Hatty Liu, Liu Jue, and Doug Hughes talk about what TWOC’s story tells us about China, and what might be in store for the next 100 issues.
To read our special commemorative 100th issue, click here.
What we’re playing
Indie Games Aplenty at GCORES Beijing
China’s indie game developers showed off their newest titles at Beijing’s GCORES gaming convention earlier this month. A few titles caught reporter Roman Kierst’s eye. Summoning Spirits looks promising with its blend of Chinese mythology, urban legends, and its 1990s southern China setting; while S4U has players navigating workplace dilemmas, including sexual harassment by a supervisor. For those tired of Starfield and PUBG, China’s indie developers have much to offer.
But wait, there’s more...
Episode 4 of our video podcast is live!
Movies like “Everything Everywhere All At Once” have shown that films with Asian themes can make it big in the US. But what about literature?
Author Fiona Sze-Lorrain and translator Emily Jin talk about the challenges, expectations, and opportunities that Chinese diaspora writers face in the publishing industry.
Watch more episodes on our YouTube channel.
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