China Insider

News.

What we're reading, writing, and arguing about — every week.

Marketing

Taobao just redefined 'football babe' — and it has nothing to do with cheerleading

World Cup marketing usually follows a predictable script: athletes, adrenaline, stadium roar.

Jul 42 min read
Fashion

CASETiFY Just Brought Toy Story and G-Dragon's PEACEMINUSONE Into the Same Room

There's a very specific Venn diagram of people who grew up with Toy Story and people who have a PEACEMINUSONE peace daisy somewhere in their wardrobe — and CASE

Jul 42 min read
Marketing

Xiaohongshu Threw a Cake Party for Its 66th Anniversary — and Let the Internet Decide Who Got a Slice

On June 6, 2026, outside Xiaohongshu's Shanghai headquarters on Madang Road, a cake appeared.

Jul 32 min read
Food & Beverage

China's Biggest Condiment Brand Just Launched a Water Bottle — and It's Free

Here's a sentence no one expected to write: one of China's largest condiment companies just entered the water bottle market.

Jul 32 min read
Food & Beverage

Heytea Is Letting Customers Invent Their Own Drinks — And Name Them

Heytea is handing over the lab coat.

Jul 22 min read
AI

Cursor's AI coding cafés are spreading across China

Cursor's rise over the past year has been one of the biggest stories in AI software.

Jun 302 min read
Marketing

Chinese E-Scooter Brand Taps Cellist Turned Fashion Icon for Y2K-Style Campaign

When Chinese e-scooter brand Aima wanted to launch their new Metaverse Oi model, they didn't just hire a celebrity—they created an entire Y2K fever dream 🌙 The

Jun 302 min read
Gaming

Wallace burger chain teams up with horror game Identity V in China's most random crossover yet

Wallace, China's ubiquitous budget burger chain, just dropped the most unexpected collaboration of 2024: a full partnership with NetEase's horror mobile game Id

Jun 301 min read
Food & Beverage

Heytea's Disney Store Just Got a Major Kaleidoscope Makeover

Heytea just unveiled the third iteration of its iconic Shanghai Disney store, and this time they're going full kaleidoscope mode 🌈 The popular tea chain reopene

Jun 301 min read
Fashion

A Chinese fragrance brand just opened a 'pharmacy' for your mood — inside a 700-year-old academy

Picture this: you walk into a 700-year-old imperial academy in Beijing, past ancient archways and quiet courtyards, but instead of a musty museum, you're greete

Jun 283 min read
Food & Beverage

That Time a Chinese Lemon Tea Brand Accidentally Made the Best Erling Haaland Merch

Here's a sentence I didn't expect to write: a Chinese lemon tea chain just stumbled into making the most charming piece of World Cup merch, and it involves a ti

Jun 282 min read
Entertainment

Shanghai turned SpongeBob’s background fish into the city’s most relatable summer attraction

If you thought SpongeBob and Patrick would be the biggest stars of a SpongeBob exhibition, Shanghai has other ideas.

Jun 271 min read