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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
On 14 April, Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta launched its latest collaboration. This time, it’s not with a brand, an IP, or even an artist, but a poet: Yu Xiuhua (余秀华, b. 1976). After several teasers, Bottega Veneta released a video of Yu Xiuhua reciting her poem, “I am In This Moment” (我在此刻), which includes the tagline of the collab: “If I were a tree, I wouldn’t demand a spring”.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
While China and the United States are hit with tariffs, many US importers and consumers are trying to find ways to offset the cost of the indispensable ‘Made in China’ goods. Against this backdrop, an unassuming Chinese app has suddenly risen to viral fame in the United States and the world to an extent—DHgate (敦煌网). Founded in 2004, DHgate is a cross-border B2B wholesale platform.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
On 13 April, French luxury fashion house Celine opened the doors to its latest pop-up space at Zhangyuan (张园 or Zhang Garden) in Shanghai. The pop-up shop is inspired by the nostalgia of holidays spent on the French Riviera, with the image of the location on the screen, as well as the summer season, or “été” as Celine calls it in French. It also serves as a warm-up ahead of Michael Rider’s debut collection at the Maison.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
From being found lacking in size to fake pads made from scraps, sanitary pads have faced scandal after scandal. People have taken to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun’s comment section, pleading for the brand to make a pad that they can trust. Both Xiaomi and high street fashion brand VANCL (which also went viral after being worn by Lei) were found to have registered trademarks for their feminine hygiene lines.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
The final stream of IShowSpeed’s now legendary China trip in Changsha, Hunan, was one of the most watched and most discussed streams of his tour.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
On 10 April, Chinese sportswear giant Anta Sports announced that it had entered an agreement with Topgolf Callaway Brands to acquire 100% of its shares in the German outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin. The agreed price is 290 million USD, and the deal will be completed in late Q2 or early Q3 this year if all other closing conditions are met. Jack Wolfskin is affectionately called “Wolf’s Paw” (狼爪) in China after its iconic logo. The brand was founded in 1981, with its German headquarters in Idstein.
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1 week ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
It’s been exactly 2 months since JD.com announced the launch of its food delivery service, JD Takeaway. With 0-commission perks for participating restaurants and rider welfare, it has been hailed as a “catfish” (meaning disruptor) in the food delivery sector. Now, to further its viral popularity, JD.com founder Richard Liu has made it to Weibo’s Hot Search list again, this time with Li Bin, founder and CEO of EV maker NIO.
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2 weeks ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
The tariff war between the United States and China has intensified as the week progresses. China has put its 84% retaliatory tariff on the US, and President Trump is already in talks to hike US tariffs on China to 125%. With US tariffs on all other countries on pause, Chinese people, netizens included, feel a sense of being singled out. Official online channels in China, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), have largely maintained their bravado and insist on calling Mr Trump’s bluff.
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3 weeks ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
Just as Rednote showcased its spring trend forecast with “lulicore”, a pastel plus brownish combination at the REDGALA, Douyin Mall, TikTok Shop’s Chinese sister app, also brought out its own spring 2025 trend, the “auracore”. Douyin was behind hits such as dopamine dressing and the Maillard style, but this time, the two platforms’ predictions are surprisingly close.
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3 weeks ago | 
daoinsights.com | Yimin Wang
On 27 March, French luxury jeweller Boucheron opened the doors to its latest exhibition in China. This time, it is at the Green T. House in Beijing. With celebrity ambassadors present, the Boucheron exhibition transforms the Beijing teahouse into a veritable Parisian garden from the Nineteenth Century, honouring the heritage and elegance of the Place Vendôme maison.
