Posts relating to China or the Chinese culture.
When I first started commemorating Matariki a few years ago, I had figured out, since both ancient Māori and Chinese worked out the lunar calendar, that it was roughly five lunar months after ours. I was also told that it marked the Māori New Year. Maybe it’s due to local iwi, but my recollection was […]
Read More… from The very simple Maramataka and Chinese lunar calendar conversion table
Finally, a happier post. For many years (since 2004), my dear friend Stanley Moss has been publishing his Global Brand Letter, which is not only a wonderful summary of the year (or the last half-year, since he often writes every six months) in branding, but an excellent record of the evolution of culture. He […]
Read More… from Stanley Moss’s latest Global Brand Letter out now
I can’t yet reveal why, but I’ve come across the work of Hong Kong-trained and based designer Caroline Li, and it’s really good. She’s done a lot of book covers, and I know first-hand how hard it is to have a small canvas to work from. Maybe I’m just used to magazines. Check out her […]
There were a few surprises switching to Xiaomi. First up, it asked me to do a voice identification by saying these four words, 小爱同學. Only thing is, it doesn’t understand Cantonese. The default weather app was able to give me details based on exactly where I am (location service turned on, and I […]
Top: Decent enough specs for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 5G. Above: Very respectable download speeds (in the header) as the phone updates 71 apps. My Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 5G is here, and it’s proved better than the reviews suggested. First up, kudos to the seller, YouGeek on Aliexpress, who not only […]
Read More… from Some surprises on day one with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 5G
I’m starting to understand Xiaomi’s naming conventions but it’s a mess, especially coming from a marketer’s point of view. I ordered the Note 9, which is superior to the 9. So far so good. But what I’m getting is not what’s called the Note 9 here (or in any export market, from what […]
My Meizu M6 Note has had to be retired, due to an expanding battery, something which I probably shouldn’t have tolerated for so long (it began happening months ago). I only made the call to stop using it last week after the volume buttons could no longer function, and I probably should have stopped […]
It’s bittersweet to get news of the Chevrolet Corvette from what’s left of GM here in New Zealand, now a specialist importer of cars that are unlikely to sell in any great number. And we’re not unique, as the Sino-American firm pulls out of entire regions, and manufactures basically in China, North America, and South […]
Read More… from GM and Ford keep falling down the top 10 table
What a real honour to promote my reo! Thank you, Dr Grace Gassin and Te Papa for spearheading the Chinese Languages in Aotearoa project and for this incredible third instalment, where I get to speak and promote Cantonese! Obviously I couldn’t say anything earlier, especially during Chinese Language Week, but I am extremely […]
Read More… from On Cantonese, for Te Papa’s Chinese Languages in Aotearoa project
Big Tech often says that if they’re broken up, they won’t be able to compete with mainland China. Folks, you’ve already lost. Why? Because you’re playing their game. You believe that through dominance and surveillance you can beat a country with four times more people. The level playing field under which you […]
Read More… from Big Tech: you’ve already lost against mainland China