Hello from Peking University,
It has been a summer full of news about Chinese bike-sharing. Mobike and Ofo are going global (UK, Italy, Japan) and their media coverage has been almost overwhelming.
I have been looking at these and other Chinese “sharing economy” companies a lot. And I just did a visit to Mobike’s headquarters in Beijing, which I have written up (see below).
This is my monthly recommended China reading list. If you would like to be on this list, you can sign up at www.jeffreytowson.com.
Cheers, Jeff
– Articles –
China’s Youth Flock to Bilibili With Their Own Content
This is a really interesting summary of an online platform for creators (videos, music, anime, etc). The content is fan created and fan supported – and is doing well with younger Chinese.
https://www.techinasia.com/bilibili-profile
The China Market: Unrecognizable from Five Years Ago
Mark Tanner is a great person to follow for China consumer trends. Here is a good summary of how much things have changed.
Capital of China’s Drone-Making Industry Clips Wings of Freewheeling Users
China has become the drone capital of the world. But already in 2017, like 700 fights have been delayed due to drones in the the airspace.
https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-07-27/101122489.html
– Books and Reports –
Inside the Investments of Warren Buffett
By Yefei Lu. This is not on China but is really fantastic. It is a detailed look at specific investments, which I think is really the key to understanding Buffett. I spend a lot of time reverse-engineering his deals.
No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends
By Jonathan Woetzel. I’ve recommended this before. It’s by my sometimes co-author and co-professor Jonathan. It’s a great summary of global trends that are huge disruptors.
https://www.amazon.com/No-Ordinary-Disruption-Global-Breaking/dp/1610397355
Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built
By Duncan Clark. I’m reading this right now. Pretty interesting. And I’m always a big fan of company histories. Lots of good detail.
– My Recent Articles –
Starbucks’ Big Success in China Has Been Surprisingly Painless.
Starbucks, which is having tremendous success in China, is doing so in a surprisingly pain-free way. It hasn’t faced significant regulation. It hasn’t faced significant competition from a state-backed entity or other. In fact, after 18 years in China, it still does not have a serious competitor in the Mainland. That’s pretty unprecedented and very strange.
My Visit to Mobike Headquarters and What I Learned From Founder Hu Weiwei (Part 1 of 2)
I had a fascinating visit to the Mobike headquarters and left with a better appreciation of the rocketship ride they have been on. Here is a summary of my trip. Part 1 of 2.
5 Things I Learned From My Visit to Mobike Headquarters (Part 2 of 2)
Here is the second part, which is more about business thinking and lessons learned.
https://jefftowson.com/2017/08/5-things-i-learned-from-my-visit-to-mobike-headquarters-pt-2-of-2/
Discussion on CGTN Global Business About China vs. US Tech Innovation
A video of my recent appearance on CGTN. We discussed where Chinese tech is probably now superior to the West – and where it is still lagging.
https://jefftowson.com/2017/07/cgtn-july-28-2017/
– A Final Funny One –
Ford Is Trying to Get Rid of “New Car Smell” to Attract Customers
They have hired 18 smell testers to try and get rid of that new car smell, which apparently Chinese consumers really don’t like.
https://qz.com/1035991/ford-is-trying-to-get-rid-of-new-car-smell-to-attract-chinese-consumers/
———
I write and speak about “how rising Chinese consumers are disrupting global markets – with a special focus on digital China”.
Photo by Stefan Wagener on Unsplash
