Aurora Seeks Birth Family, Labubu Takes On America ABCF Weeks 31 and 32 Update

Chinese influencer in Thailand shares trafficker-taken photos online to find birth family | South China Morning Post
A Chinese online influencer based in Thailand has told how she was trafficked when she was a little girl and now hopes to find her biological family.
The woman in her early 20s, who is known as Aurora online, has 5 million followers on social media.
She has also been dubbed “Sister Toufu” because of a viral video showing her buying the food, Jiupai News reported.
Her videos are usually about her life studying in Thailand, travelling across the country and trying Thai food.
On June 30, however, Aurora released a sad video in which she told of her kidnap ordeal.

Labubu, soft power of a stealthy ‘ugly-cute’ sort, takes on America | South China Morning Post
Alexandra Schmauch, who works at a property company in Dallas, Texas, was initially sceptical of the Labubu doll craze. As she watched the commotion build on TikTok and many of her friends became avid collectors, however, curiosity got the better of her.
Eventually, after several attempts, she managed to secure a couple of Labubus, relishing the “blind box” surprise of not knowing which Labubu character was inside.
“A lot of the fun is how hard they are to get,” said Schmauch, aged 28. “I was lucky enough to get two. It’s kind of fun not knowing what you’re going to get.”

Working in Hong Kong, living in Shenzhen: why people are making move to mainland city | South China Morning Post
Cheaper housing and easier access to services are encouraging people to base themselves north of the border despite lengthier commutes
At 8.30am on Monday, 24-year-old Lisa Sun leaves her flat in Shenzhen and begins her long commute to work.
It starts with an e-bike ride through her neighbourhood, followed by a packed Metro journey, a border crossing intermission, and a similarly packed MTR trip. Ninety minutes later, she steps out into the bustle of Causeway Bay in Hong Kong – ready to start her day at the office.
She repeats the same journey in reverse after work, finally getting home close to 9pm.

Will China win renewables race while US pivots to fossil fuels and nuclear? | South China Morning Post
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act dramatically reverses American support for clean energy in a world racing towards decarbonization

American Mathematical Society fellow Li Hanfeng joins China’s Chongqing University | South China Morning Post
Leading mathematician returns to China to take up prestigious role as US funding cuts prompt brain drain
There are four top-tier journals in mathematics academia: Annals of Mathematics, Inventiones Mathematicae, Journal of the American Mathematical Society and Acta Mathematica.
These journals put out only about 100 articles each year, and publishing even one is a mark of a leading mathematician. It is very rare to publish in all four.
Li Hanfeng published 10 in total across all four between 2005 and 2019.

China’s high-speed rail nears 50,000km milestone – but debt and profit concerns mount | South China Morning Post
After a construction boom spanning nearly two decades, China’s high-speed rail (HSR) network has made record-breaking strides. But to ensure long-term sustainability, analysts said the government needs to address challenges around commercial profitability and mounting debt.
The warnings came ahead of the next five-year plan, covering the years 2026-2030, in which policymakers will decide whether to take on more debt to expand the 48,000-kilometre network – already the world’s largest, surpassing the combined lengths of those in Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
On one hand, Beijing has succeeded in building the network at a breakneck pace, while maintaining safety and achieving record travel speeds. Recently tested maglev trains have topped 600km/h, and a new generation of bullet trains capable of 400km/h could cut travel time between Beijing and Shanghai – China’s two main cities – by more than one hour, reducing the four-hour journey to three.

China’s new breed of academic paper mills promising a shortcut to grad school | South China Morning Post
The agency’s advertisement promised just the kind of “cutting-edge” expertise that Chris Wong was looking for.
The 21-year-old arts student was aiming to get into a graduate programme overseas after completing his studies in Australia, and the “commercial research” firm could give him a ticket in.
For nearly 20,000 yuan (US$2,800), the Beijing-based agency would guide Wong through a three-month independent online course of study in his field to produce a research paper that would be published in a leading journal.

China’s ‘green great wall’ eases desertification but triggers hay fever misery: scientists | South China Morning Post
For Ma Bo, a resident of Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, late July marks the beginning of another round of suffering.
He has suffered from hay fever – an allergic condition triggered by inhaling pollen – for many years. His symptoms have gradually worsened since 2018, progressing from sneezing and conjunctivitis to an allergic cough and, eventually, bronchial asthma.
The artemisia plant, which is widely cultivated in northwestern China to contain wind and sand erosion, has been identified as the trigger for his symptoms. Its pollen is particularly active from late summer to mid-autumn.

China’s Shaolin Temple scandal: disgraced head monk defrocked, firms deregistered | South China Morning Post
Companies linked to Shi Yongxin, the disgraced head of China’s renowned Shaolin Temple, have been deregistered, and his Buddhist credentials revoked – with authorities citing “severe damage” caused to the image of the order.
The swift move to erase the institutional footprint of the abbot of China’s most famous Buddhist sanctuary came a day after temple authorities said Shi was under investigation for criminal charges, including embezzling funds and temple assets.
The Buddhist Association of China, the national governing body for Buddhist affairs, expressed its strong support for the investigation and the subsequent actions taken.

Chinese eyeing US degrees turn more discerning – is the opportunity still worth the risk? | South China Morning Post
Jason Lin of Xiamen surprised his mother this year by applying to 10 undergraduate schools in the United States and receiving a US$15,000 annual scholarship from Brandeis University near Boston. There, he intends to earn a master’s degree in economics over the next five years.
But to his mother, it’s like he’s venturing into the wild, compounding the anxiety parents often feel when their adult children leave the nest.
She’s afraid of “instability” in the US. And Lin, 19, has concerns that even a traffic ticket could get him deported. But he weighed the pros and cons, laid it all on the table for his mother, and decided on Brandeis in time for the coming fall semester.

Xu Gao: Why curbing investment can backfire in China (eastisread.com)
In a recent article published in June, Xu Gao argues that in a system where the state and firms retain a hefty share of income and direct those returns to accumulation rather than households, effective demand, not capacity, is the binding constraint on economic growth. To stop savings from congealing as idle balances, investment expands as the residual absorber. China does not consume too little because it invests too much; it invests so much because it consumes too little. On this reading, recent drives to rein in investment and deleverage have tightened the demand bind and heightened the risk of deflation and decapacity.

Henry Huiyao Wang: China must ensure its green energy leadership is good for the world (pekingnology.com)
Yet China’s competitiveness also poses a problem. To fight climate change, we must overcome a growing trust gap. China’s rise up the value chain has already begun to displace incumbents in developed economies in areas such as automotive manufacturing, but displacement need not be the logic of China’s rise.
To anchor itself and support the green transition, China must build trust through action and do so in a way that does not deprive local economies of opportunity. It will need to continually embrace a global “going out” strategy, one that is “in the world, for the world” by tangibly investing in foreign markets to expand the capability of Chinese business and spread the rewards of economic integration.
The world can benefit from endeavours such as Longi Green Energy’s joint venture in solar manufacturing in Ohio and BYD’s first EV plant in Thailand. Chinese-built transmission lines, for example, can bridge solar farms in North Africa to power grids in Europe.

Don’t Fear Tesla’s Lead: Hu Xijin Warns Against Online Nationalist Overreaction (eastisread.com)
Dongchedi recently partnered with a state television broadcaster to test intelligent assisted driving systems across a wide range of electric vehicles (EVs), producing a video program that has ignited significant public controversy. The reason lies in the videos, which revealed the limitations of the intelligent driving functions in the flagship EV models of nearly all well-known brands familiar to Chinese consumers. These videos served as a public reminder of the capabilities and safety boundaries of assisted driving technologies.
Among the tested vehicles, Tesla performed relatively better. In response, many domestic automakers declined to comment on Dongchedi’s evaluation. Meanwhile, numerous internet users lashed out at Dongchedi, accusing it of favoring Tesla while suppressing domestic brands. Subsequently, the state broadcaster that co-produced the program removed the word “collaborated” from its social media posts, seemingly distancing itself from Dongchedi….
Regarding the dissatisfaction caused by the test results, Old Hu offers the following perspective. First, as long as the two principles mentioned above—professionalism and fairness—are upheld, I believe our public discourse should, in general, accept the outcome of any evaluation. If manufacturers are willing to identify their shortcomings through such tests and use that insight to drive their own improvement, this should be regarded as a constructive attitude.
Objectively speaking, China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry has developed at an extraordinary pace. It is entirely normal that some shortcomings still exist. China’s EV sector possesses a complete and integrated industrial supply chain—even Tesla relies heavily on Chinese-made components. The idea that China’s EV industry might lose its market position simply because its intelligent assisted driving systems are not yet advanced enough is, frankly, highly improbable. We should take a calm and rational approach to the discovery and identification of problems. At the very least, public discourse as a whole should reflect such an attitude. It’s important to recognize that China still has ample time and space to address these challenges.

China adds science funding for young global talents as Trump cuts U.S. research budget (eastisread.com)
The government-run National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has just opened an extra batch of funding opportunities wooing scientists from outside China with PhD degrees under the age of 40, as the Trump administration slashed federal funding for science and technology research

Gansu Travelogue 2: Off the Beaten Track in Linxia City (feelingthestones.com)
If you're a fan of Sino-Islamic architecture, Linxia City is the place for you. This small city with a population of ~370k is the capital of the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (AP) in southern Gansu. If you don’t know what I mean by Sino-Islamic architecture, or didn’t know there was such a thing, then keep reading…

Wuchang, Wukong, and China’s AAA Game Boom: Gameplay, culture & China’s soft power – with Jianlin Zhong (gingerriver.com)
This week on Inside the China Room with Jiang Jiang, I’m joined by Jianlin Zhong — a Shanghai-based investor and lifelong AAA gamer — to unpack the rise of Chinese AAA games and how titles like Black Myth: Wukong and WuChang: Fallen Feathers are reshaping global perceptions of China’s game industry.
Set in a dark fantasy world at the end of the Ming Dynasty, WuChang: Fallen Feathers is China’s latest Souls-like title. It topped Steam’s China preorder chart earlier this year and officially launched worldwide on July 24. But beyond gameplay, it’s part of a growing wave of single-player Chinese blockbusters aiming for global reach — a trend that began with the buzz around Black Myth: Wukong.
In this episode, Jianlin and I share our first impressions of Wuchang, explore its cultural depth, and discuss how Chinese studios are making their mark — not just at home, but globally. We also dive into the business side: how Jianlin evaluates studios and what the future might hold for China's AAA game scene.

Why Every China Watcher Must Be on WeChat - by Zichen Wang (pekingnology.com)
WeChat (微信 Weixin) is not just another messaging app in China – it’s essentially “the operating system for daily life” in the country. With over 1.3 billion users worldwide (covering almost 80% of China’s population), WeChat has grown from a simple chat app into a ubiquitous “everything app.” In fact, it has become so deeply woven into Chinese society that businesses and individuals often ask for a WeChat ID instead of a phone number or email when exchanging contacts. For anyone involved in China news, research, or analysis, not using WeChat is a nearly insurmountable handicap in staying connected.
 

This weekly newsletter is put together by DeLisle Worrell, President of the ABCF. Visit us at Association for Barbados China Friendship | (abcf-bb.com).
Thanks to everyone who sent contributions for this week’s Update. Please send items of interest to me via the contact page at ABCF-BB.com or to info@DeLisleWorrell.com