I have been writing about Temu, the Chinese webshop that launched in the US in September 2022, since […]
Blog (English)
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 […]
Ochama’s wonderous WeChat account – Part 2: pick-up locations and price comparisons
I thought I’d written all I wanted to say about JD.com’s Ochama ‘omnichannel’ stores. Until I stumbled on […]
Ochama’s wonderous WeChat account – Part 1: Deals you get … when you are Chinese
In the past months I have shared several articles about things that surprised me when moving to The […]
A Chinese’s first impressions of The Netherlands
Photos: Olivia Martin-McGuire Getting married in China comes with some oddities. One of the special aspects of a […]
Film review: China Love
Over the past 10 years I have extensively researched and written about China’s online developments and new retail. […]
Book review: The Future of Global Retail – Learning from China’s Retail Revolution
I was born and raised in China and ten years ago I met and eventually married a Dutchman. […]
How Dutch behaviour nearly ruined my marriage
Stijn Kamphuis is one of ChinaTalk’s students of Chinese Language. In October 2021 he temporarily moved to Shanghai, […]
Locked down in Shanghai
Original image by Teguhjati Pras. When we discuss the Chinese internet, it often conjures up thoughts about creepy […]
China is leaving the west behind in regulating deepfakes
An earlier, shorter version of this article was published on ChinaTalk in 2017. This year, I have been […]
How the Netherlands changed my habits
This article was originally published on ChinaTalk in Dutch. In April 2013, at the age of thirty, I […]
The Netherlands through Chinese Eyes: Ten Surprises
Original image by Geralt. In the previous article in this series we’ve seen how Xi Jinping stressed the […]
Where does China’s digital economy go from here? Part 2 – The future of the platform economy
In recent decades, hū you (忽悠), or bamboozling somebody, has almost been elevated to an art in China. Some Chinese […]
Wanted: White Foreigner! The face job industry in China
Original image by geralt After last year’s tidal wave of regulations and fines for the internet industry, many […]
Where does China’s digital economy go from here? Part 1 – The New Real Economy
Since 2017 I have been researching and writing about new retail in China. I have spent many weeks […]
JD.com’s Ochama stores – Part 4: proposition vs reality
Since 2017 I have been researching and writing about new retail in China. I have spent many weeks […]
JD.com’s Ochama stores – Part 3: web, app and store evaluated
Since 2017 I have been researching and writing about new retail in China. I have spent many weeks visiting and […]
JD.com’s Ochama stores – Part 2: ordering
Since 2017 I have been researching and writing about new retail in China. I have spent many weeks […]
JD.com’s Ochama stores – Part 1: the introduction campaign
2021 was the year of rectification in China’s online platform sector with companies like Alibaba, Meituan and Didi […]
Is China showing us the way in regulating algorithms?
In the first part of this article we’ve looked at the origins of the term ‘common prosperity’, how […]
Common prosperity dissected – Part 2: Is Xi going after the rich?
A question I have been asked frequently in the past months is if I can explain ‘common prosperity’ […]
Common prosperity dissected – Part 1: Going for the olive
Sisyphus, a king In Greek mythology, was punished for cheating death. In the underworld he had to roll […]
The Sisyphean tasks of Pinduoduo’s gamification – Part 4: ‘Duo Duo Crush’ and conclusion
Sisyphus, a king In Greek mythology, was punished for cheating death. In the underworld he had to roll […]