Homie Weekly | News Update for This Week (Nov 22, 2024)

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1、China KOL Li Ziqi makes surprise comeback in craftwork video

Renowned China influencer Li Ziqi who practically disappeared from the internet for more than 1,000 days has made a strong comeback by releasing three video clips about Chinese culture, delighting her fans both at home and abroad.

Li has a huge fan base around the world thanks to her previous videos which depicted poetic and pastoral countryside life.

She stopped uploading clips in 2021 as she was embroiled in a legal dispute with her agent.

The thriving career of the 34-year-old vlogger, who hails from southwestern China’s Sichuan province, began in 2015 when she shared picturesque videos of growing crops, preparing food ingredients and cooking.

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3286527/china-kol-li-ziqi-makes-surprise-comeback-craftwork-video-garners-140-million-views

2、Shein and Temu to go head-to-head in UK High Court in 2026

In early November, it was reported that the two Chinese overseas e-commerce rivals, Shein and Temu, are preparing to go to trial at London’s High Court in late 2026. The two platforms both accuse each other of copyright infringement and anti-competitive behaviour.

In 2023, Shein filed its first lawsuit against Temu in the UK for breaching the copyright of product photos.

In February this year, Temu countered the lawsuit by accusing Shein of breaching competition laws in the UK by using exclusive agreements to tie suppliers to the platform.

Temu has been fiercely competing with its fellow low-priced platforms in the global market. Despite only launching in 2022, Temu’s gross merchandising value (GMV) reached 16.4 billion USD in 2023, while Shein was close to 45 billion USD.

https://daoinsights.com/news/shein-and-temu-to-go-head-to-head-in-uk-high-court-in-2026/

3、Amazon Global Store launches official flagship on JD.com ahead of Black Friday

Amazon Global Store officially launched its flagship store on JD.com on Nov. 19, offering Chinese consumers access to more than 400,000 international products from 12,000 brands.

The launch coincides with the “Amazon Global Store Black Friday Shopping Festival,” which will go live on JD.com starting Nov. 21.

Amazon first entered China in 2004 by acquiring Joyo.com, a books and media retailer. It later expanded to include domestic e-commerce, cross-border shopping, cloud services (AWS), and Kindle e-readers.

However, facing stiff competition from local giants Alibaba and JD.com, Amazon began scaling back operations in China in 2019. The company stopped third-party seller services in July 2019, shut down the Kindle e-bookstore in June 2023, and ceased desktop shopping on Amazon.cn in January 2024.

Amazon remains active in China’s cross-border e-commerce sector through partnerships and the Amazon Shopping app.

https://technode.com/2024/11/20/amazon-global-store-launches-official-flagship-on-jd-com-ahead-of-black-friday/

4、World Internet Conference 2024 kicks off in Wuzhen

The relationship between people and artificial intelligence will be a major topic at the World Internet Conference (WIC) 2024, which opened in the picturesque water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday.

This year's event, themed "Embracing a People-Centered and AI-For-Good Digital Future," marks the 10th anniversary of WIC and the expo.

The WIC expo, a highlight of the conference, features a range of technologies from 665 exhibitors across 53 countries and regions.

Tech giants including Alibaba, China Mobile, Huawei, Tencent and Tesla are showing their latest innovations in AI, cybersecurity, autonomous driving, and low-altitude technologies.

https://www.shine.cn/news/nation/2411195873/

5、Douyin tests AI avatars for 24/7 livestreaming

TikTok owner Douyin is piloting a new AI-driven feature, dubbed the V Project, introducing virtual avatars designed to mimic creators’ personalities and habits, enabling 24/7 interactions with users, according to Chinese media outlet Tech Star.

According to the report, the AI avatars are powered by the Doubao large-scale model algorithm and were initially introduced under the name AI Space. Testing began earlier this year within the Douyin app, and in November, the platform officially rolled out the feature and began actively promoting it.

https://technode.com/2024/11/19/douyin-tests-ai-avatars-for-24-7-livestreaming/

6、China starts 5G+ industrial internet pilot program in 10 cities

China on Tuesday initiated a pilot program to advance the integrated application of 5G+ industrial internet in 10 cities, aiming to accelerate the technology's high-quality development and large-scale application.

Nanjing, Wuhan, Qingdao, and seven other cities were selected as the first 5G+ industrial internet pilot cities. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), these cities will focus on developing 5G-powered industrial clusters and innovation ecosystems with pace-setting effects at both regional and national levels.

The MIIT highlighted that these cities are set to harness the latest advancements in 5G and industrial internet technologies to pioneer the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and provide new impetus for new industrialization.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2024-11/20/content_117558235.htm

7、China's 'Black Myth: Wukong' nominated for TGA Game of the Year

At The Game Awards (TGA) 2024, China's groundbreaking video game "Black Myth: Wukong" has made history by becoming the first Chinese game nominated for Game of the Year (GotY).

Beyond the top honor, Black Myth: Wukong received nominations in three additional categories: best game direction, best art direction and best action game.

Released on August 20, "Black Myth: Wukong" achieved remarkable commercial success, generating $53 million in pre-sales and selling 4.5 million copies within 24 hours worldwide. Inspired by the classic novel "Journey to the West," the game follows the steps of Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King.

TGA, established in 2014, will announce the winner on December 12 in Los Angeles, U.S., with voting beginning Tuesday.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-11-19/China-s-Black-Myth-Wukong-nominated-for-TGA-Game-of-the-Year-1yF8lZXlCnK/p.html

8、Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike's son, 12, goes viral after winning Chinese-language contest

British actress Rosamund Pike's 12-year-old son Solo Uniacke has gone viral in China after winning the global championship at a Mandarin-language competition.

On October 28, Solo was named the winner of the Chinese Bridge contest for primary school students.⁠

The pre-teen, whose Chinese name is You Zijun, started learning the language when he was just three. Solo said after his victory in the contest that he would continue learning the language until people regard him as 'the first Chinese with blonde hair.'

Rosamund, 45, while promoting her film Gone Girl in 2015, shared that her other half had given her the Chinese name Péi Chúnhuá, and encouraged the Chinese media to refer to her as Péi as doing otherwise 'would disrespect Chinese cinephiles.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14101279/gone-girl-star-rosamund-pike-son-wins-chinese-contest-viral.html

9、Bing Dwen Dwen snake version continues Beijing Winter Olympic legacy

Following the tiger, rabbit and Chinese dragon version of Bing Dwen Dwen in recent years, a snake-themed mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was unveiled in Beijing on Tuesday.

As a part of the Beijing Winter Olympic legacy, Bing Dwen Dwen appeared in new designs of the Chinese zodiac to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Snake.

The design of Bing Dwen Dwen's snake version drew inspiration from the Chinese folk love story "The Legend of the White Snake" with delicate decorations on mascot, indicating the best wishes for happiness.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2024/1119/c90000-20244525.html

10、Zebrafish experiment on China's space station sets new record

A closed aquatic ecosystem established on China's space station proved to be successful, as four zebrafish kept in it completed their life stages from growth to development and reproduction in 43 days, according to an article recently published by The Innovation journal.

It set a new record for space ecological experiments, said the article.

Hailing the achievement as a milestone, the article said the experiment not only means progress in China's space ecosystem technology but also provides valuable data and technical support for closed-loop ecosystems in space missions.

On April 25, four zebrafish, four grams of aquatic plants, and three Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship went into space. On November 4, the Shenzhou-18 crew returned to Earth and brought back water samples from the space ecosystem.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202411/15/WS6737

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