I usually sit down at the end of the year to summarise the activities of Jessica and me. […]
Blog (English)
Image generated with Copilot. This article is part of the first section of an October 2025 report Pinduoduo enters the […]
Pinduoduo’s Instant Retail Plans
This article is part of the first section of an August 2025 update on the Chinese webshop Temu […]
How Temu is rebounding from US tariffs
This article is the first section of a June 20 article on WeChat’s Send Gift function, published by […]
WeChat’s ‘Send Gift’ Function
This article is the first section of a May 23 article on the Chinese webshop Shein, published by […]
Alibaba’s Xianyu: more than just a second-hand marketplace
Original photo by Dan Congdon An earlier version of this opinion piece was published on LinkedIn because of […]
5 scenarios showing the REDnote refugee trend (unfortunately) won’t end well
This article is the first section of part 2 of an October 2024 update on the Chinese webshop […]
How Shein has diversified its sales models
This article is the first section of an August 2024 update on the Chinese webshop Temu, published by […]
How is Temu developing?
This article is the first section of an August 2024 update on the Chinese webshop Temu, published by […]
Temu: Data security
This article is the first section of an August 2024 update on the Chinese webshop Temu, published by […]
Temu: How is the semi-managed model doing?
Last year, in the Hit and Miss – The Ultimate Guide to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo) Store Formats series, […]
Whatever happened to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo)?
This article is the first chapter of a May 2024 update on the Chinese webshop Temu, published by […]
The current state of Temu
During the study tours we deliver with ChinaTechTrip, I often give lectures about WeChat and mobile payment in […]
I won’t be using WeChat with our tour groups anymore. Here’s why …
This series of articles looks at the different retail concepts that Alibaba launched under its Hema retail brand. […]
Hit and Miss – The Ultimate Guide to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo) Store Formats. Part 4: Hema towards the future
This series of articles looks at the different retail concepts that Alibaba launched under its Hema retail brand. […]
Hit and Miss – The Ultimate Guide to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo) Store Formats. Part 3: 2021 – Concepts for the ...
Note: Alibaba calls Freshippo (yes, with one ‘h’) in English, but in this series, we’ll continue to use […]
Hit and Miss – The Ultimate Guide to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo) Store Formats. Part 2: 2017 – 2019 – A ...
In this series of articles, we will look at the different retail concepts that Alibaba launched under its […]
Hit and Miss – The Ultimate Guide to Alibaba’s Hema (Freshippo) Store Formats. Part 1: 2016 – 2017 – How ...
Original image by OpenIcons. This is a follow-up article about Temu, the cross-border e-commerce platform of China’s 3rd biggest […]
Temu update June 2023 – Part 2: Pressure on staff, merchants and logistics partners
This is a follow-up article about Temu, the cross-border e-commerce platform of China’s 3rd biggest e-commerce company Pinduoduo. […]
Temu update June 2023 – Part 1: From $0 to $400 million monthly GMV in 8 months
Original images by Mohamed Hassan and Clker-Free-Vector-Images. In our previous part of the May 2023 update on Shein, […]
Shein Update May 2023- Part 2: Nearshoring and Amazonian Ambitions
Original images by OpenClipart-Vectors. Ranking based on US market share March 2022. This is a follow-up article to […]
Shein Update May 2023 – Part 1: Success Brings Scrutiny
I have been writing about Temu, the Chinese webshop that launched in the US in September 2022, since […]
First Temu order: good status updates, acceptable delivery time and half Amazon’s pricing
Many Chinese live in so-called xiao qu, which literally translates to ‘small district’. A xiao qu is usually […]
The rise and fall of community group buying – a recap
In this three-part series, we try to answer the question in the title by breaking it down into […]
‘How long before I know a bit of Chinese?’ – Part 3: ‘how long?’
In this three-part series, we try to answer the question in the title by breaking it down into […]
‘How long before I know a bit of Chinese?’ – Part 2: defining ‘knowing Chinese’
Original silhouette image by Mohamed Hassan When people show an interest in learning Chinese we are often asked […]
‘How long before I know a bit of Chinese?’ – Part 1: defining ‘a bit’
In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce from China. Since there have been many developments in […]
Cross-Border Update: Pinduoduo’s Temu (part 2)
In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce from China. Since there have been many […]
Cross-Border Update: Pinduoduo’s Temu (Part 1)
In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce from China. Since there have been many developments in […]
Cross-Border Update: Shein
Original drawing by Oberholster Venita In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce from China. […]
Cross-Border Update: JD & Ochama
Original image Gr0gmint, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce […]
Cross-Border Update: Bytedance & TikTok
Original image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images In the summer of 2022, I wrote extensively about cross-border e-commerce from China. Since […]
Cross-Border Update: Alibaba
Have you ever considered learning Chinese but told yourself it was too difficult? Do you ever wonder whether […]
Do you think you can learn Chinese too?
I wrote the blog below at the end of 2012 on the day I married Sun Hui. A […]
Getting married in China
As early as the first weeks I spent in China, being trained in the capital of Beijing, I […]
18 gates: a walk around Xi’an’s historical city wall
Original images by mohamed_hassan In the previous four articles in this series, we have seen how Bytedance has […]
How Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, broke into e-commerce – Part 5 – Failures and success
Original image by Geralt. In the previous three articles in this series we have seen how Douyin, the […]
How Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, broke into e-commerce – Part 4: Building an e-commerce infrastructure
Original image by Mohamed Hassan. In the previous two articles in this series we explored how Bytedance diversified […]
How Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, broke into e-commerce – Part 3: want a meal with that video?
Original image by Ulrike Leone. In the previous article in this series on Douyin’s e-commerce initiatives we saw […]
How Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, broke into e-commerce – Part 2: becoming an e-com powerhouse
In the past months, ChinaTalk has taken a deep dive into cross-border e-commerce from China; Chinese platforms and […]
How Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, broke into e-commerce – Part 1: Diversify or die
In recent months I have been exploring the world of cross-border e-commerce from China. Many Chinese internet companies like […]
Pinduoduo, China’s third biggest e-commerce company, opens a webshop in the west
When I was living in China in 2012, I installed WeChat on my phone. Previously I had already […]
Book reviews: ‘Influence Empire’ and ‘The First Superapp’ about Tencent and WeChat
Original pictures by Mohamed Hassan and iXimus In the past weeks we have elaborately explored cross-border e-commerce initiatives […]
Challenges for cross-border e-commerce from China
Original images by OpenClipart-Vectors, Sergeyspbphotografer and iXimus. In the previous article in this series on cross-border e-commerce from […]
TikTok’s struggles with (cross-border) e-commerce in western markets
For background information on Didi’s clashes with the government and the cybersecurity investigation it was placed under in […]
About the $1,19 billion fine for ride-haling company Didi Chuxing
After having made 1.000 different authentic Chinese dishes I needed a new challenge. A chat with a friend […]
Yes, you can cook plant-based versions of authentic Chinese dishes!
Original image by Mohamed Hassan In the previous three articles in this series we’ve seen how Amazon banned […]
How TikTok moved into (cross-border) e-commerce
Original images by Mohamed Hassan In the first article of this series we read how Amazon aggressively recruited […]
Why cross-border e-commerce from China has become a serious threat
Original images by Clker-Free-Vector-Images and bluebudgie In the first article in this series on cross-border e-commerce from China […]
Cross-Border E-Commerce: Chinese factories have come for your wallet
Original image by Pete Linforth Seven years ago, I was writing about cross-border e-commerce to China. Now I […]
Chinese merchants flooded to Amazon … then thousands got banned
In the first part of this two-part article on Ochama’s WeChat messages to the Chinese diaspora in The […]