Following the Yuan

Following the Yuan

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China explainer 📙

When crowds are back but money doesn’t follow 🤔| Following the Yuan
Has China's consumption gone back to 'normal'?
 • Following the Yuan
Navigating mainland China's regional archetypes | Following the Yuan
Chinese people have taken genuine pleasure in learning about and debating regional archetypes and stereotypes. Here are 6 of them.
How China found joy in being “cheap” | Following the Yuan
When being economical becomes a competition.
 • Yaling Jiang
America’s perceived downfall activated China’s soft power, what now? | Following the Yuan
adjusted from my panel speech at LSE's China Development Forum
 • Yaling Jiang
🗣️ Dialect renaissance: 10 Chinese dialect influencers to watch | Following the Yuan
Once upon a time, speaking Mandarin with an accent in China was looked down upon. That is not the case anymore (at least with these influencers).
 • Yaling Jiang and Rongrong Zhuge
Why anti-involution feels anti-Chinese? ⚙️ | Following the Yuan
China's overcapacity at the macro level and insecurity at the micro level are cultural, historical, and structural.
 • Yaling Jiang
⚠️ Three deadly sins of the Chinese consumer market: big narratives, copycatting trends, state subsidies | Following the Yuan
Their perils stand out even more in a downturn market environment.
 • Yaling Jiang
Will China’s first childcare subsidies work? [RSVP to Webinar] | Following the Yuan x ApertureChina
A 30-minute coffee chat with paid subscribers. RSVP for a Zoom invite to your email.
 • Yaling Jiang
How RedNote's commercial nature protects social progress in China 🌱 | Following the Yuan
The $26-billion platform’s consumer-driven roots make space for progressive voices within limits.
 • Yaling Jiang
The curious case of Labubu's Chinese identity 🎫 | Following the Yuan
Ambiguity is good, ambiguity is safe.
 • Yaling Jiang
Why Loewe, Arc’teryx, and Miu Miu nailed 2025’s Chinese New Year spirit🧧 | Following the Yuan
Fashion brands have the power to spotlight on local culture, local craft and local artists in their CNY campaigns, and they should make the most of that…
 • Yaling Jiang and Rongrong Zhuge
My op-ed on Time & other analyses of #TikTokRefugees on Red Note 🔴📝 | Following the Yuan
A roundup of reading lists and analyses on Xiaohongshu/Red Note and the great digital migration in terms of personal stories, internet culture, and…
 • Yaling Jiang
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