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Showing posts with the label China

Dalian Davos - Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015

Hans Tung, Managing Partner of GGV Capital , alerted me to the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2015 that is taking place in the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian from September 9-11 2015, as part of the Davos World Economic Forum series of events. Bringing together over 1,500 participants from business, government, research and media, the ninth Annual Meeting of the New Champions focuses on innovation, science and technology, and is a natural fit for everyone interested in finding new and innovative solutions to the many entrepreneurial and social opportunities and challenges facing our planet as we grow beyond a population of seven billion. This video from last year's meeting in Tianjin, China, captures a vivid glimpse of the vitality, variety and experience brought together under one roof to create, as one participant puts it, "lightbulb moments every hour." Another says, "It really feels like you are experiencing the future, wher

Zhao Wei: So Young So Successful - And A Billionaire!

It's fantastic that Chinese actress/director/singer Zhao Wei , about whom I blogged repeatedly in 2013, is now a billionaire, according to Forbes.   Her directorial debut, So Young , about a group of college students, was a huge success, earning $118 million in mainland China alone and making it the fifth highest grossing Chinese movie of all time when released.  (I wrote about the film's opening week success in a post titled Zhao Wei's So Young So Successful In China. I also posted video of Zhao Wei on the set of her directorial debut, So Young .)  As Forbes reports, it is Zhao's shrewd investments, as much as her huge success across many fields of entertainment, that have earned her the nickname, "China's show-business Buffet." In particular, Zhao acquired a 9.18% stake in her close friend Jack Ma's company Alibaba Pictures in 2014, for an investment of $400 million. Ma had invited Zhao to invest, in order to add so

Zaijian Shanghai - We Will Miss You!

And so, as we say our fond farewells to the impeccable staff of the Peninsula Shanghai - who have pampered us, cared for us, and, when needed, overlooked so much (not least Paradise's pet white mouse and Husky Go-Go's antics) - we prepare f or the long journey by air and  sea back to California, where I must write and be otherwise occupied for a time. First to the frenzy and humidity of Hong Kong, then a Flying Clipper to San Francisco, then onward up or down the California coast, as the whim may take us. The Boeing 314s are a wonder to behold: flying boats that offer the true meaning of luxury, with a perfectly elegant dining area staffed by chefs from four-star hotels (my one bone of contention: why not five-star hotels?), plus dressing rooms and bunks for overnight accommodation. They are so large, these flying boats, that a man - a mechanic - may stand up inside the wing while in flight and perform maintenance, should it be required. One

The Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland Hotel - Amazing!

THIS is where we're going to be living next in Shanghai...it may be 48 clicks outside of town, but how many other hotels can boast an underwater restaurant? This is the Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland Hotel , set to open in 2014 or 2015 at the foot of Tianmashan Mountain. It's tough, because the W Shanghai is opening around then, too - and Hudson has a very special relationship with the W.

fearless-in-beijing - New Stella McCartney Boutique

All photographs courtesy of fearless-in-beijing. This post is mostly an excuse to show some beautiful clothes and beautiful women, but it's also to promote Gabrielle Bonheur's wonderful blog and Facebook page fearless-in-beijing   北京街头风格   - which captures the spirit and energy of the New China perfectly. These pictures are from the opening of Stella McCartney's new boutique in Beijing , and display a truly elegant collection in white. As Gabrielle notes on her blog, the prices of Stella's clothes for the Beijing boutique are accessible only to China's rising middle class - a $300 bag, for example, represents a full month's salary for many in China. But China is changing fast, and there is a rapidly growing sector of the population who both aspire to and can afford these prices - and who represent a major culture shift in China's recent history. China is at a great turning point, and the growth of boutiques like Stella