Tiongs are not only copycats, they are fans of Angmo inventions

Howitzer · Sep 17, 2015

Tencent bringing Star Wars to China as Youku, Alibaba target US film and TV franchises for booming home streaming market

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 16 September, 2015, 12:46pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 16 September, 2015, 12:48pm

James Griffiths
[email protected]

Tencent is finally bringing Imperial Stormtroopers to the homes, if not the streets, of the Chinese public, along with the rest of the much-beloved Star Wars cast of characters. Photo: Xinhua

Streaming video users in China will soon be spoiled for choice for US film and television shows, with three of the country's major internet companies making strides into the entertainment business.

Tencent, China's social and gaming giant, announced this week that it had signed deals with Disney and 20th Century Fox to be the exclusive Chinese distributor for the upcoming Star Wars sequels.

On Tuesday, Youku Tudou, one of China's largest video streaming sites, announced a partnership with Paramount Pictures to bring more than a hundred top titles to its premium subscribers, including Transformers, Shrek, and Star Trek.

"The consumer-driven demand for premium online services in China is growing rapidly," said Victor Koo, chairman and chief executive of Youku Tudou.

Fans dressed as Star Wars characters shop at a toy store at midnight in Hong Kong on September 4 as part of the global event called Force Friday to release new Star Wars toys and other merchandise of the new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Photo: AP

"With top-branded content such as Paramount Picture's array of films, our commitment to enhancing our subscription services to create a premium experience and drive consumer-based revenue continues in earnest."

The move comes after Alibaba, China's market-leading e-commerce player, last week launched its Netflix-style Tmall Box Office, or TBO, streaming service for set-top boxes and smart TVs.

“Our mission, the mission of all of Alibaba, is to redefine home entertainment,” Patrick Liu, Alibaba head of digital entertainment said in June.

“Our goal is to become like HBO in the United States, to become like Netflix in the United States.”

reporters_club_dreamworks_experience_img_1273_37654401.jpg

Shrek was featured at the DreamWorks Experience at Cotai Strip Resorts in Macau in recent years. Now premium subscribers of Chinese video-streaming service Youku Tudou can enjoy access to 100s of titles like this from Paramount. Photo: John Kang

All three companies charge monthly fees of between US$3 and US$8 for access to their premium content, including overseas TV shows and films.

For global entertainment companies, the partnerships offer a potential way to create legitimate distribution channels in a market plagued by piracy, and potentially avoid China's official limit on non-locally produced films, currently set at around 34 titles.

Film production houses have long got around the limit by entering into co-production deals with Chinese partners, such as that signed between Paramount and Alibaba on the latest Mission Impossible film.

Tom Cruise takes the less trodden route as he embarks a plane in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, which Alibaba is helping to promote in China. Photo: Handout

Through its entertainment subsidiary, Alibaba Pictures, the e-commerce firm handled online ticketing, promotion and merchandising for Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in China.

Alibaba Pictures, previously known as ChinaVision Media Group, raised nearly 5 billion yuan (US$805.5 million) in 2014 from a share offer that put Alibaba in control of the company.

In June, it agreed to sell 4.20 billion new shares at HK$2.9 (US$0.37) each to independent investors to boost its share capital.

Leongsam · Sep 17, 2015

This proves that Ang Mohs are the best.

Ash007 · Sep 17, 2015

Star wars is a very "white" film. They have only one good black main character and he turns out to be "White" in the end!

eatshitndie · Sep 17, 2015

Ash007 said:
Star wars is a very "white" film. They have only one good black main character and he turns out to be "White" in the end!

they are on a massive marketing campaign to prepare the tiong market for the next installment....with a yellow jedi who will show kung fu moves. :p

Ash007 · Sep 17, 2015

eatshitndie said:
they are on a massive marketing campaign to prepare the tiong market for the next installment....with a yellow jedi who will show kung fu moves. :p

Indeed too bad no Ah neh sith lord. I thought that would be a nice addition.

eatshitndie · Sep 17, 2015

Ash007 said:
Indeed too bad no Ah neh sith lord. I thought that would be a nice addition.

don't speak too soon. this sith sutra lord will render the galaxy senseless by causing all lifeforms to laugh out loud.

Howitzer · Sep 20, 2015

Sperm banks seduce donors with promise of iPhone 6s

Xinhua, September 19, 2015

Eager technophiles may not have to reach far to find the cash for Apple's latest model. According to an advertisement with the Shanghai Sperm Bank - all you have to do is donating.

"No need to sell a kidney...Shanghai sperm bank can make your iPhone 6s dream come true," says the ad which has gone viral on China's most popular social networking app WeChat this week.

Capitalizing on the country's lust for new technology, the sperm bank hopes to fix a shortage in donors ahead of the release of the iPhone 6s next week.

Those who qualify to donate can receive up to 6,000 yuan for 17 ml of semen. The latest Apple model is expected to cost around 5,288 yuan.

"Why sell your kidney when you can donate sperm? It's a great deed that can bring happiness to a whole family," said microblog Weibo user "Wojiushiwutong".

"To sell a kidney" has become a well-known metaphor for the fever pitch surrounding Apple products. It was coined after a teenager made headlines for selling one of his kidneys to buy an iPhone and an iPad in 2011.

A sperm bank in central China's Hubei Province posted a similar ad highlighting a picture of the new rose gold iPhone 6s, a color created mainly to attract Chinese consumers.

The Shanghai ad is bluntly titled "New Solution to Get iPhone 6s", evoking some criticism that the sperm bank is being insensitive.

"I don't like the idea of making money out of sperm donation to buy new iPhones. Sperm donation is a very serious cause for public good," one Weibo user said.

But a spokesperson with the Shanghai sperm bank told Xinhua the campaign has worked well so far, raising awareness and attracting potential donors.

While there are tens of thousands of infertile couples in China, all sperm banks across the country face donation shortages because many young men are unaware or too embarrassed to donate, forcing the banks to turn to social media.

Even if they do find a sufficient pool of potential donors, certain criteria must be met to be eligible. Donors must be between 22 to 45 years old, hold a college degree and have high-quality semen that can survive the rigors of freezing and thawing.

Jah_rastafar_I · Sep 20, 2015

Yeah right as if star wars and other American characters are not featured in other non western nations. Take India for example making their movie industry after Hollywood by calling it Bollywood

Cremo · Oct 26, 2015

Hans168 · Oct 26, 2015

I wonder who invented gunpower & compass???????????????????

Hans168 · Oct 26, 2015

Leongsam said:
This proves that Ang Mohs are the best.

I thot Burmese esp the Karchin or Karcheng?

NoAnswer · Oct 26, 2015

Hans168 said:
I wonder who invented gunpower & compass???????????????????

China i think

harimau · Oct 26, 2015

Who invented spaghettis? The Italians? Haha!

Howitzer · Nov 20, 2015

Man creates 12-meter high Bumblebee Transformer

China Daily, November 18, 2015

A man in Shangqiu, Henan province spent five months building a giant replica of Bumblebee, a character in the popular movie series "Transformers", Chinanews.com reported on Tuesday.

The giant robot is seen standing in front of a warehouse. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Li Futang, a 42-year-old amateur engineer, used pieces of scrap metal he collected from discarded cars to build the 12-meter tall and 22-ton jumbo figure.

As an environmentally friendly robot, it is equipped with intelligent systems including lights, voices and music. It can even swivel its head a full 180 degrees and spray a cooling mist from its chest.

Howitzer · Nov 28, 2015

America’s Black Friday turns an auspicious red for Chinese shoppers

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:25am
UPDATED : Saturday, 28 November, 2015, 12:27am

Alice Yan
[email protected]

Workers sort out packages at a sorting center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, for Singles Day. Photo: Xinhua

Mainland consumers and online traders are embracing Black Friday – the American shopping extravaganza in which retailers offer big discounts ahead of the fourth Friday of November – with some giving it a more auspicious new name: Red Friday.

Bargain prices for foreign brands, widely accepted payment methods such as Unionpay and Alipay, and the participation of Chinese e-commerce firms are contributing to the sales, once again underscoring the huge purchasing power of Chinese consumers – most recently witnessed during the November 11 Singles Day shopping carnival.

Beijing office worker Yang Qian started chasing Black Friday promotions two weeks ago.

The 36-year-old has spent nearly 20,000 yuan (HK$24,200) – close to her monthly salary – on boots, snow-proof footwear, bags, beauty products and lingerie for herself and relatives on foreign shopping websites including Amazon US.

Workers sort out packages at a sorting centre in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

“They are really good deals – a half and even a third of what Chinese retail stores charge – and include some of the latest designs,” Yang said.

“It’s now easy to make the payment with credit cards and Alipay both available on many shopping websites,” Yang said. “Compared with last year’s [Black Friday] promotions, more websites have opened international shipping services.”

Yang bought a few daily necessities and household appliances during the recent Singles Day (or Double 11) shopping extravaganza, but said the deals were much better for Black Friday, especially for foreign brands. Chinese e-commerce companies also hope to clock up big sales.

Over the past two weeks, ads for online shops that discount popular overseas-originated products to be sold on Black Friday have appeared in mainland city subway stations and office buildings.

Charlwin Mao, founder and CEO of social e-commerce shopping app Xiao Hong Shu, has launched Red Friday – red being the most auspicious Chinese colour – to entice local buyers with big discounts for foreign goods without leaving home.

The app is offering goods including cosmetics, personal care products, health supplements, food, small-sized home appliances and household goods at discounted prices until Tuesday morning.

Ymatou.com, another platform that sells only foreign goods, launched its Black Friday bargains last Friday. On that day alone, its customers made at lease two purchases each, spending more than 1,000 yuan, the China Business News reported.

The company had been preparing for the big day for the past six months by adding one more overseas logistics centre and upgrading its sales system to double its logistics speed.

Millions of internet users have joined the buying spree over the past fortnight, lured by deepdiscounts.

Online trading giant Alibaba saw its total sales on November 11 Singles Day surge 60 per cent year-on-year to 91.2 billion yuan (US$14.25 billion) – more than four times the sales figure in the United States last year from the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events combined.

Leckmichamarsch · Nov 28, 2015

Leongsam said:
This proves that Ang Mohs are the best.

ie angmoh tua kee?

ChinaSux · Mar 12, 2016

Backyard transformation: handyman in western China builds two-tonne Bumblebee in home courtyard

Pile of car parts and scrap takes shape over four months

PUBLISHED : Friday, 11 March, 2016, 4:31pm
UPDATED : Friday, 11 March, 2016, 4:31pm

Kathy Gao
[email protected]

The finished 6.8 metre model towers over the courtyard where it was built. Photo: China News Service

A farmer in northwest China’s Gansu province has built a 6.8 metre tall Bumblebee transformer from recycled car and motorcycle parts, used fire extinguishers and scrap steel, the China News Service reported on Friday.

The man, Zhang Song, spent more than four months building the model in the courtyard of his home in Hazhai village in Zhangye prefecture.

The finished Bumblebee transformer weighs two tonnes.

The Bumblebee Transformer takes shape. Photo: China News Service

Zhang said building the model required bending, cutting and welding the parts.

It measures 2.9 metres across the shoulders and is propped up by three poles.

READ MORE: Best dad ever? Chinese father keeps promise to son and builds giant model of Transformers robot in backyard

The American sci-fi movie Transformers is extremely popular in the mainland, where much of the US-Japanese toy line is manufactured, and from time to time there are reports of backyard hobbyists constructing giant models.

The raw materials before construction. Photo: China News Service

DeBruyne · Mar 12, 2016

Many Transformers fans :biggrin:

Howitzer · Jun 25, 2016

http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/1979283/days-after-disneyland-opens-walt-disney-shanghai-court-copyright

DaveGahan · Jun 25, 2016

my respect for tiongs.

Tiongs are not only copycats, they are fans of Angmo inventions

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