[Sick note🤒] instead of a 'Weekly', I want to show you...

My Chinese media recipe.

Hi hi, I’m still in recovery from a fever, which was likely to be caused by me not resting properly from a common cold. So, instead of burning the midnight oil as I often do, I'm considering taking a few days off — a "gap week", as the younger folks might say — to take a step back.

Before I sign off, I wanted to share some of my go-to Chinese news sources on WeChat. This is where the vast majority of Chinese people get their daily fix of information and gossip. Most of this content doesn’t make its way to the broader internet. Why bother when everyone's primarily reading on their mobile devices and especially on WeChat?

Even if you don't read Chinese, I hope this gives you a glimpse into the Chinese media landscape.

I'm subscribed to 1,585 WeChat accounts (though many are no longer active), and I frequently read content from around three dozen of them. The ones I find most valuable are tech and business publications, as well as the official accounts of government-affiliated agencies. Interestingly, some of these agencies often make WeChat-first announcements, only later updating their websites.

So, without further ado, here's my list:

FASHION & BEAUTY: 时尚商业Daily (@FashionBusinessDaily), LADYMAX (@imfashionnews), Jiemian’s fashion vertical ‘Ms. Jie in a T-shirt’ 穿T恤的界女士 (@teedevil2018), 青眼(@qingyanwh), Sustainable Fashion 时尚可持续 (@gh_1ceed4b14125).

FOOD & BEVERAGE: 咖门 (@KamenClub), FoodTalks食品资讯 (@FoodTalks), 威士忌国度 (@tmp_563365349), 云酒头条 (@YJTT), 知味葡萄酒杂志 (@tastespiritmag), FBIF 食品饮料创新 (@FoodInnovation), 餐饮老板内参 (@cylbnc), 火锅参见 (@hgcj6666)

CONSUMPTION: 新消费智库 (@cychuangye), 三亿时代 (@Sanyishidai), 有意思报告 (@youyisi_cn), 精练GymSquare (@GymSquare), 36氪未来消费 (@Islb168), 深响 (@deep-echo), 惊蛰青年 (@wakinglism)

MEDIA, MARKETING & PR: 数英DIGITALING (@digitaling), 传媒学术网 (@ChinaMediaResearch), 全媒派 (@quanmeipai), 新榜 (@newrankcn), 营销人星球 (@marketinginsightstar)

INVESTMENT: 远川投资评论 (@caituandzd), 证券时报 (@wwwstcncom), 银行家杂志 (@The-Chinese-Banker), 东四十条资本 (@DsstCapital), IPO早知道 (@ipozaozhidao), 真探 AlphaSeeker (@deep_insights)

ENVIRONMENT: 零废弃公益联盟 (@LFQGYLM), 36碳 (@carbon_36kr)

AUTO: 汽车产业研究院 (@autochanyeyanjiu), 电动知家 (@ev_home)

GENERAL BUSINESS: 界面新闻 (@wowjiemian), 联商网 (@lingshouzixun), 第一财经 (@CBNweekly2008), 市界 (@ishijie2018), 新零售商业评论 (@xinlingshou1001), 中国企业家杂志 (@iceo-com-cn), 虎嗅APP (huxiu_com), 中欧商业评论 (@ceibs-cbr)

TECH: Tech星球 (@tech618), 36氪 (@wow36kr) and its affiliates, 晚点 LatePost (@postlate), 互联网怪盗团 (@TMTphantom), 小众消息 (@WebNotes), 果壳(@Guokr42), DeepTech 深科技 (@deeptechchina), 中国电子报 (cena1984), 半导体行业联盟 (@icunion), 映维网 (@NweonXR), 亿欧网 (@i-yiou), CSDN (@CSDNnews), 未可知 x 知识 (@weikezhizhishi), AMZ123跨境电商 (@amz123net), 跨境电商跨境屋 (@kuajingzhaopin), 动森研究所 (@dongsenyanjiusuo)

I'm sharing three main types of Official Accounts (OA) on WeChat: accounts from established media, WeChat-native media, and what we term "self-media" or blogs.

After the rise of WeChat official accounts in 2014, many new media companies chose WeChat as their primary publishing platform over the years. This choice makes sense given nearly everyone in China uses WeChat, with Tencent reporting 1.327 billion MAUs. These companies often use other major portal websites, like Sina, Baidu, and Tencent, for republishing and expanding their reach (and make stats look pretty on media kits).

It's worth noting that these are not government-approved media accounts. The individuals behind these accounts engage in reporting, but they are only permitted to identify themselves as "writers" rather than "journalists". A significant portion of their revenue comes from charging companies for sponsored articles, often without labeling them as such. This practice has become the accepted norm.

Here are two more pieces about the methodology of China watching:

Also, in case you missed my call on Moutai latte being the most successful campaign of the year (ok, I didn’t exactly say that), here’s a recap:

👅 Review: it tastes and looks like a latte with Diageo's Baileys with *that* acquired, pungent, hint of baijiu. The ABV is under 0.5%.

The Moutai premix = 53% Moutai added to heavy ‘milk’ (I thought it should be heavy cream but the marketers rephrased because they don’t want to scary the calorie-conscious people. A Luckin store manager confirmed this.)

🧠 That makes sense — it’d be easier to ship and store. And Luckin staff basically work like machines, no one expects them to drip baijiu into small tumblers.

🤔 It's Moutai's way of reacting to the economic slowdown and discount culture. They know that young people don’t want to pay 80 kuai (>$10) for a cup of its ice cream anymore, and that product's life cycle is nearing maturity. But young consumers are more than happy to pay 1/4 of the price for coffee. And the move hits the bull's eyes. 🎯

Ok I’m going to go lie flat now. Ciao ciao! 🔚