Just last year, Messi received a rock star welcome in Beijing when he played for his country in a friendly against Australia. Some 68,000 fans paid up to $680 for the chance to see him in action. He is also a spokesperson for big Chinese brands such as Huawei, Chery, Tencent, Mengniu, Chishui River Wine and J&T Express. BBC
Ben Hunt, equity retail analyst at Investec, said the interest in Currys reflected the fact that while “the news isn’t getting any worse” for many struggling retailers at the moment, with price rises easing and real incomes now improving, share prices remain low in the sector and do not reflect the potential for recovery. BBC
Ejiao producers used to use skins from donkeys sourced in China. But, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs there, donkey numbers in the country plummeted from 11 million in 1990 to just under two million in 2021. At the same time, Ejiao went from being a niche luxury to become a popular, widely available product. BBC
“But with Xi focussing on corruption, they’ll just ‘lay flat’. Mr Xi, of course, doesn’t want to allow this and is demanding that they work hard lest their corruption be exposed. But the crackdown has gone on for over 10 years now and officials have become used to it. If you chase me to do work, I’ll put in a bit more effort. If you stop using the whip on me, I’ll just take it easy for a while and ‘lay flat’”. BBC
Many of China’s nearly 380 million internal migrants only go home once a year – and the Lunar New Year, the most important festival for family reunion, is usually the time to do it. That is why the Spring Festival travel rush, known as “chunyun”, is the world’s largest annual mass migration. Authorities are expecting a record nine billion trips this time for the Year of the Dragon. BBC
A shame I couldn’t play in Hong Kong friendly – Messi Chinese officials have cancelled two Argentina friendlies that were due to take place in the Asian country after Lionel Messi did not play for Inter Miami in a match in Hong Kong. The world champions were set to face Nigeria in Hangzhou and the Ivory Coast in Beijing in March. Fans in China were angered when the Argentina captain did not play for his club against a Hong Kong XI on Sunday. Messi, 36, said he could not play…
Kevin Yeung, Hong Kong’s secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said government officials were repeatedly told that Messi would play. But with 10 minutes left in the match, they were informed that a hamstring adductor injury would prevent him from playing. BBC
“Some people didn’t receive heating in their accommodation over the harsh winter months, and they couldn’t leave their compound at all, not even to shop for necessities,” he said. Jung was allowed to make one trip outside a week, accompanied by others, but during Covid even this little freedom was removed, he said, and he was not allowed to leave his workplace for a year. BBC
“When Spring Festival coincides with a snowstorm: Residents could not leave the city of Wuhan three years ago [because of the Covid-19 outbreak]. Now, three years later, we can’t get into it,” according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The X user posted a video showing a packed railway station which had lines of people stuck on escalators because it was too crowded for them to move. BBC
“He is punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” his friend, Sydney academic Feng Chongyi, told the BBC in a statement. BBC