China Insider

News.

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

Fashion

PUMA Turned Its 75-Year Archive Into a Shanghai Pop-Up Museum

PUMA has a habit of mining its back catalog, but this month it's going deeper than a re-release.

Aug 292 min read
Food & Beverage

This Chinese Snack Giant Just Gave Its Mascot a Debut Single

Sunflower seed giant Chacha — the brand behind those ubiquitous little blue-and-white packets — just did something no Chinese snack maker has pulled off before:

Aug 292 min read
Marketing

Taobao turned 'cute pets' into a crime-scene art exhibition — starring the wreckage

Every pet owner knows the moment: you open the door, the sofa has sprouted stuffing, the tissue box has exploded into snow, and the culprit is staring up at you

Aug 282 min read
Automotive

A Chinese EV Just Got Jimmy Choo's Signature Crystals — and Diana's Blue Satin

Jimmy Choo didn't just lend his name to a car. He designed one.

Aug 282 min read
Food & Beverage

Avène and Manner Team Up So You Can Get a Serum With Your Latte

Your next Manner order just got a lot more French.

Aug 271 min read
Fashion

HOKA Took a Trail Shoe and Turned It Into a Zen Garden

HOKA makes shoes for grinding out miles on technical trails. BEAMS is the Tokyo retail institution that has spent decades curating how Japan dresses.

Aug 272 min read
Marketing

Taobao/Tmall turned a pet trade show into a story about giving up half your bed

At the 28th Asia Pet Fair, one of the region's biggest pet industry trade shows, Taobao and Tmall's pet division didn't just set up a booth.

Aug 262 min read
Marketing

A $0.25 flop became China's box-office sleeper hit — and brands went feral chasing it

It opened in theaters and made 169 yuan — about 23 US cents — across its first nine days. No official account, no trailer, no poster.

Aug 262 min read
Marketing

At ChinaJoy, Taobao turned anime merch into literal grain — and collectors loved it

Every subculture has its own vocabulary, and in China's anime fandom, guzi (谷子) is the word that means everything.

Aug 252 min read
Marketing

Heytea Gave Qixi Back to the Weaving Women — Literally

Every year around Qixi, brands race to sell the most elaborate version of romance.

Aug 252 min read
Marketing

Kuaishou's Qixi Ad Ditches the Couples — and Gives a Village's Elders the Weddings They Never Had

For most of China's older generation, the grandest thing about their marriage was the paperwork.

Aug 242 min read
Food & Beverage

MARNI turned one of China's most famous teas into a Gelato — in Hangzhou, of course

MARNI's traveling flower shop has been doing something quietly clever for over a decade.

Aug 212 min read