Inside China Tech
Inside China Tech is brought to you by the South China Morning Post's on-the-ground reporters who explore China's ever-evolving tech scene, bringing essential tech background, trends, and analysis from China straight to listeners.
Wed, June 03, 2020
Post-Covid-19 world: are online services set to take over?
The world is witnessing an unprecedented growth and transformation of online services and consumption as a result of the Covid-19 crisis – are online services taking over the globe completely, and what changes will stick around? Further, will the rollout of ultra-fast 5G networks enhance this trend?
Tue, May 12, 2020
How technology has changed the way we die and mourn
People around the world are adapting how they mourn their loved ones amid the coronavirus pandemic. Live-streaming funerals are being organised, while social media accounts of the dead are being transformed into virtual memorial pages. However, one's digital presence can be vulnerable. On this episode, we look into how technology has changed the way we die and mourn. Music courtesy of DK (Unfinished Farewell) Cover design courtesy of Jiabao Li
Mon, April 20, 2020
Why Huawei has found itself at the epicentre of the US-China tech war
SCMP reporters dissect why Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has found itself in Washington's cross-hairs and where matters might go from here. You can read more about Huawei in a series of in-depth articles from the Post.
Sat, April 04, 2020
Online learning: Has the pandemic democratised education in China?
In China, one way or another, at least 260 million students and 15 million teachers had to migrate their entire offline learning and teaching activities online. Digital educational centres, applications and tools have seen a surge in demand. National curriculum classes are being recorded by teachers across all forms, and are being broadcasted on TV for free. We look into the technologies that facilitate this migration and ask: are we closer to education equality in China?
Wed, March 11, 2020
TikTok vs Douyin: why does China have its own TikTok?
We're digging deep into China's version of TikTok called Douyin. How different is Douyin from its international version TikTok? Why are there two almost-identical apps out there? And how are Chinese people using Douyin differently from users of TikTok? To truly understand Douyin, we attended a weekend class that costs about US$1,400 in Shenzhen, China, about how to get rich on the app.
Wed, February 26, 2020
How China has turned to tech like never before to combat the coronavirus
The impact of the countrywide lockdown on the economy has the potential to cut China’s GDP growth in the first quarter from 6 to 4.5 per cent. However, new tech opportunities and markets are emerging under the pressure of the public health emergency and tech companies in China are pulling out all the stops in helping the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease as well as facilitating the continuation of people’s daily life under the lockdown.
Tue, February 11, 2020
Life under coronavirus lockdown: personal accounts from two tech reporters
Two of the Post's tech reporters are among the hundreds of millions of people whose lives have been directly affected by the coronavirus lockdown. Reporter Celia Chen, who’s based in Shenzhen, China, and couldn’t go back home to Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province and the epicentre of the outbreak, talks about how her family spent this Lunar New Year bonding over news and mobile apps. Another tech reporter, Jane Zhang is going to tell us about being trapped in her hometown Enshi, Hubei.
Tue, January 21, 2020
What on earth is TikTok? We spent a day with a TikTok star
To better understand how TikTok works in domestic and international markets, our producer Yang Yang went to visit TikTok stars with millions of followers - one is a 16-year-old who initially moved to Los Angeles to develop an acting career; the other, coming up in the next episode, is a family of toddler triplets living on the outskirt of Zhuhai, a city in Southern China.
Tue, December 31, 2019
How to (re)introduce plant-based meat to China
China is no stranger to vegetarian food. If anything, the Chinese have invented countless vegetarian dishes that imitate meat throughout their centuries-old history of Buddhism. In this episode, we try Impossible Meat, we try its counterpart in China, we talk to people who sell it and who study the market, and we ask - how should companies introduce, or perhaps reintroduce, meatless meat to China?
Mon, December 09, 2019
Leaders in Tech: Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang on what's trending and what's next
E-commerce giant Alibaba started trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange on November 26, 2019. The company raised a whopping US$13 billion, making it the largest share launch of the year, beating out Uber and Lyft. On the back of its listing, we got a chance to speak to Daniel Zhang, executive chairman and chief executive of Alibaba, while he was in Hong Kong. Zhang spoke about how technology is transforming companies and reshaping consumer buying habits, with increased consumption now…
Mon, November 25, 2019
Singles’ Day explained
On November 11, also known as Singles’ Day, more than US$38 billion was spent in 24 hours on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms alone — that’s more than Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day combined. But what really sets Singles’ Day apart from other shopping fests? Why are people shopping on a day that’s not even a holiday? And … is that Taylor Swift at Alibaba’s Singles’ Day gala? Senior tech reporter Zen Soo and podcast producer Yang Yang spent the day where it all began: at Alibaba’s…
Mon, October 28, 2019
Leaders in Tech: what's spectrum and why does it matter for 5G?
This week on Inside China Tech we look at why – for the first time – 5G has to tap into extremely high radio frequencies and why space agencies think this might mess with your weather forecast.
Wed, October 16, 2019
What can China’s DNA tests really tell you?
What are China’s DNA testing companies doing differently? What do your DNA test results really mean? We speak to 23Mofang’s CEO, and a geneticist from the University of Hong Kong, to find out.
Wed, October 02, 2019
Leaders in Tech: Yamibuy's Alex Zhou on building a US$100 million business on homesickness
Alex Zhou, chief executive of US-based e-commerce site Yamibuy, has built a business out of selling hard-to-find items for Asian immigrant communities
Mon, September 16, 2019
Leaders in Tech: Self-driving cars in China
We talked to Jianxiong Xiao, the founder and CEO of AutoX, a high-tech company working on self-driving vehicles
Tue, September 03, 2019
Leaders in Tech: How to create a successful podcast platform with lessons learnt from China
Castbox CEO Renee Wang looked to China for inspiration and then sold her idea around the world.
Tue, August 20, 2019
Inside a Chinese internet addiction treatment centre
SCMP visits one of China’s treatment centres for internet addicts more than a decade after such a disorder was classified as an official disease.
Mon, August 05, 2019
How AI counts accurate crowd numbers in Hong Kong protests
AI concluded that 265,000 people joined the protest on July 1, while organisers said 550,000 people marched and the police estimated it was 190,000.
Sun, July 21, 2019
Leaders in Tech: How CEO of Sandbox VR bet life savings on creating hyper-realistic VR games
How Steve Zhao staked his life savings for ten years to create a real-life holodeck.
Mon, July 15, 2019
Trailer: We thought VR was just hype till we tried Sandbox VR
Next episode on ICT, we try Sandbox VR games and learn about how Steve Zhao, CEO of Sandbox VR, staked his life savings to create a real-life Holodeck.
Mon, July 08, 2019
China still can’t compete with Silicon Valley. Can it ever catch up?
What makes Silicon Valley the global hub of innovation and will China ever catch up?
Wed, June 19, 2019
Trailer: Does top-down, state-led innovation work?
Silicon Valley was seeded with funding for military research at Stanford University.
Fri, May 31, 2019
Talking to people in China’s Silicon Valley amid the tech war
China’s Silicon Valley caught in crossfire of tech war as country’s most advanced technologies, from AI to drones and robotics, being developed in the area.
Fri, May 24, 2019
Here's how the US-China tech war is affecting small electronics companies
How much does the trade war affect small suppliers and distributors, and does China depend more on the US for its technology industry, or vice versa?
Fri, May 17, 2019
How facial recognition tech facilitates China’s surveillance
State surveillance camera makers largely benefited from the rise in demand for the technology after 9/11 terror attacks.
Fri, May 10, 2019
Explaining the blockchain revolution in China and how it's changing global banking
Venture capitalist and China tech expert Edith Yeung looks at how Beijing is embracing blockchain and its different approach to the West
Fri, May 03, 2019
Doors to America closing for Chinese graduates in hi-tech fields
The growing number of Chinese students in hi-tech fields face tightening US visa controls.
Fri, April 26, 2019
Exploring China’s rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape
We dive into the world of influencer marketing and Pinduoduo’s business model.
Fri, April 19, 2019
Analysing what’s behind the 996 GitHub protest in China
Millennial workers protesting against the grueling work schedules in China’s tech companies.
Fri, April 12, 2019
How live-streaming in China is monitored and censored
Analysing how one of China’s biggest live-streaming companies manages and censors the content from its 250 million monthly users, from cigarettes to cleavage, tattoos and protests.
Fri, April 05, 2019
Razer CEO on tattoos, Tencent and why he hates some tech CEOs
We talk about how a love for gaming built the world's biggest gaming gear company, while its CEO continues to play games all night long.
Fri, March 29, 2019
Talking e-commerce with Lazada Group president Yin Jing
Talking e-commerce, livestreaming for vendors and last mile delivery logistics with the head of Lazada Group, and whether China’s methods of connecting consumers with vendors would work in South East Asia.
Fri, March 22, 2019
The AI startup using brand and gait recognition for marathon runners
Zen Soo speaks with Miro founder and CEO Taylor Hun about facial recognition technology at marathon running events and how companies are using the data
Fri, March 15, 2019
Meituan vs Ele.me: what’s next in China’s food delivery battle?
China’s app-based business model has set the scene for intense rivalry between tech giants: Meituan and Ele.me compete for market dominance.
Fri, March 08, 2019
Analysing China’s Two Sessions and the influence of tech company chiefs
What was announced - and what was left unsaid - at China’s annual political summit and policy meetings in Beijing.
Fri, March 01, 2019
The 2019 Mobile World Congress and what next for foldable phones
On the scene at the 2019 MWC in Barcelona and debating the state of the foldable phone revolution: are they fad, farce or foundational change for smartphones?
Fri, February 22, 2019
2019 Mobile World Congress preview - is it the Year of the Foldables?
Senior analyst Bryan Ma from IDC Asia Pacific tells us why he thinks foldable phones will dominate at Barcelona this year, and takes a deeper look at why and how China’s smartphone giants Xiaomei, Opo and Huawei achieved world dominance.
Fri, February 15, 2019
Analysing China’s race with the US for AI dominance
In the race to develop AI, how does China compare with the US? And how is this affected by the Huawei and ZTE bans – and the US-China trade war?
Fri, February 08, 2019
How technology is changing Lunar New Year
Zen Soo and Chua Kong Ho look at how technology has changed the Lunar New Year celebrations in China: from digital red envelopes to online market stalls and facial recognition for train tickets.
Fri, February 01, 2019
Analysing the Huawei case
Zen Soo speaks with economist, author and academic Christopher Balding about the Huawei case, its impact on the company and its broader implications for China’s other tech companies.
Fri, January 25, 2019
Two very different start-up CEOs talk smart helmets and AI-powered apps
He’s from Singapore, based in Hong Kong, and is generating worldwide hype with his smart bike helmet; she’s a 14-year-old from New York, developing an AI-powered app. Both talk to Zen Soo about the passion and pitfalls of their companies.
Fri, January 18, 2019
WeChat changes focus, new social media players and short video
SCMP tech editor Chua Kong Ho speaks with reporters Iris Deng and Celia Chen about WeChat, its new competitors and the short video craze enveloping China.
Fri, January 11, 2019
Live from CES 2019 in Las Vegas
Zen Soo reports from the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show on the big tech announcements, major trends and cool new gadgets on display.
Fri, January 04, 2019
2019 preview: Forecasting the year ahead for China tech
SCMP tech reporter Zen Soo and colleagues Sarah Dai and Yingzhi Yang give a forecast for the year ahead for China's smartphones, AI, cryptocurrencies, e-commerce, electric vehicles and other hi-tech industries.
Fri, December 21, 2018
2018 review: Huawei, share bikes, AI buses, electric cars and more
What a year of upheavals for China's tech industry, beginning and ending with massive setbacks for Huawei. SCMP tech reporters Zen Soo, Sarah Dai and Yingzhi Yang break down 2018, starting with Huawei’s first major shock in January, as well as looking at the share bike bubble, the major changes for the operation of Didi Chuxing, updates on self-driving vehicles and major investments in the electric car industry.
Fri, December 14, 2018
How the Huawei case is impacting US and China tech
The arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is reverberating on Chinese social media and tech circles. What does it mean for for the company, for US-China trade talks, and for China's 5G ambitions?
Fri, December 07, 2018
How AI apps are changing our lives
Tech reporter Meng Jing was inspired by covering the famous Alpha Go contest to use AI apps to find a way to get her newborn baby to sleep.
Wed, December 05, 2018
Death or rebirth for bitcoin?
An update on the bitcoin collapse, from inside China's tech hub of Shenzhen.
Mon, November 26, 2018
The woman scooping apps and revealing secrets
Jane Manchun Wong is a Hongkonger building a global reputation for her skill at reverse-engineering apps and revealing the secrets Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are hiding in their code.
Fri, November 16, 2018
Dissecting Singles’ Day and talking short video and its massive growth
The aftermath of Singles' Day - China's massive consumer event.
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