Day: April 5, 2026

TV drama regulators in China have taken aim at beauty-obsessed and traffic-driven programming in the industry, with a call for more “quality” storytelling. The National Radio and Television Administration’s drama department sent out the call on Thursday as it brought major streaming platforms and production companies together for a conference on “healthy aesthetics”. “[Efforts should be made] to avoid the tendency to value physical beauty above everything else and reliance on traffic-driven popularity,” the department said in a briefing posted on social media. Advertisement “Greater emphasis should be placed on…

Luxury is back. Following a relatively stagnant 2025, the industry is forecast to accelerate in 2026, with China’s long-awaited recovery emerging as a pivotal factor, even as the war in Iran casts a shadow over global markets, according to analysts. Estimates vary, but HSBC, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas all forecast global sales growth ranging from 5.5 to 6 per cent this year. “We believe it is time to look at the sector, as we think the organic sales growth rate should further accelerate in 2026 and return to growth…

When the American sitcom Growing Pains was first broadcast in China in the 1990s, it was the first window for many in the country into American middle-class life. In the series, a doctor father, a journalist mother and four children live in a spacious suburban home with room for mistakes and second chances. While the show lightly touched on serious social issues, it projected a picture of health, stability and security. Advertisement However, Chinese viewers have had a chance to rethink the show since state broadcaster CCTV and Shanghai Dragon…

Once dubbed the world’s tallest abandoned skyscraper, Goldin Finance 117 in northern China appears to be in the homestretch of a marathon construction effort – after nearly a decade of dormancy and a year of resumed work – even as the nation’s property market struggles to leg out a sustained recovery. Late last month, workers began installing a diamond-shaped crown on top of the building – designed to be 596 metres (1,955 feet) tall upon completion – in the port city of Tianjin, according to state media reports. Eighteen years…

The second crew member of a downed US F-15E fighter jet has been rescued, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday. Trump posted on social media: “WE GOT HIM! I am thrilled to let you know [he] is now SAFE and SOUND.” Earlier a US government official told Al Jazeera the airman had been located following a “heavy firefight”. Advertisement Trump said the US military had carried out a search and rescue operation over several hours, sending dozens of aircraft armed with “the most lethal weapons in the world” to…

Beijing should shift its strategy and improve ways to attract and retain top Chinese AI professionals as America’s accelerating integration of artificial intelligence into military and national security systems puts such talent in a bind. As geopolitical tensions rise, many highly skilled Chinese researchers working at US tech and research institutions are confronting a painful dilemma, according to Dai Mingjie, a researcher at the Institute of Public Policy at the Guangzhou-based South China University of Technology. Tighter security reviews, possible isolation from sensitive projects and identity conflicts were forcing them…