A spicy invitation with a tech twist
Revolution is in the air. China is on the road to becoming a technological behemoth.
Forget being the workshop of the world — that’s yesterday’s news.
This nation has set a path toward a future of innovation and invention, harnessing its vast imaginative and entrepreneurial skills with a vision of becoming a middleclass society with high tech at its core.
In many ways it’s already well down the road to accomplishing its mission. Technological marvels are everywhere to be seen.
One of my favorites is WeChat. Using this popular Chinese app, as everyone surely knows, you can chat to your friends, shop, read
This Day, That Year
ItemfromJuly24,1994,in ChinaDaily:China’sconsumerelectronicsindustryis soaring.Duringthefirsthalf oftheyear,productionwas worth36.3billionyuan,up 35.6percentoverthesame periodlastyear...
Officialssaythatthegovernmentismakingeffortsto buildtheelectronicsindustryintoapillarofthenationaleconomyin10years.
Smart electronics have become an industry trend in China as consumers pursue convenience and a green lifestyle. articles and pay for purchases by scanning a QR code to take money from your virtual wallet.
I love those little “pings” I hear when someone contacts me on WeChat. It could be a pal sharing a joke, a colleague discussing a work issue or — best of all — someone new wanting to be my friend.
As a matter of fact, I had a friend request a few days ago. A very attractive-looking lady — if her picture was anything to go by — pinged my phone and asked me to add her. Was it a colleague, someone I had met? I couldn’t tell because her name was in Chinese, as was her message. She also sent me a QR code.
I added her to my friends list and replied, asking for a translation of her message — but none was forthcoming.
Puzzled, I asked a Chinese colleague at work to look at the message and tell me who my new “friend” was. She
Environmentally-friendly air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and a host of other household products are now widely available.
The country is becoming a major player in technology and product design.
More than 1,500 Chinese companies participated in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, accounting for 42 percent of all exhibitors.
Many companies, including Huawei, Changhong, TCL, LeEco and DJI, had large pavilions at the event, giggled: “It’s a lady. You don’t know her. She wants to get to know you.”
“Is she ... a naughty lady?” I asked, quickly putting two and two together and getting 10. I didn’t want to be too specific with my demure colleague. “Yes, she is.” Well, this was a revelation. I had apparently been contacted by — let’s mince words here — a scarlet woman. But not just any old escort. This one had a QR code — just scan it with your phone, choose from the drop-down menu of services, no doubt, and pay from your virtual wallet. Not so much online gaming as being on the game online.
Wow! China had taken its ingenuity for innovation to a new frontier — your fantasies fulfilled with the scan of a code.
Being a respectable married man, a pillar of the community and all that, I wasn’t tempted. But what showcasing smart home devices and services.
Haier, which bought GE Appliances early last year, displayed its U+ system, featuring the company’s smart home products.
The company has also established an internet of things network in cooperation with China Telecommunications Corp to roll out an array of new interconnected household products.
Last year, Chinese home an interesting story.
Before writing it, I thought I’d better double check with my colleague to make sure I wasn’t in danger of besmirching an innocent woman. I showed her the messages again. Did she really think they came from a lady of the night?
“Maybe it’s just someone who just liked the look of you. Or maybe she has a shop and wants to sell you something. Or the code could be there to protect her until she knows she can trust you.”
This was not what I wanted to hear. This was not the lascivious scenario I had mapped out in my head. This was my story evaporating before my eyes.
But never mind, I’ ll write it anyway.
As many a journalist will tell you, never let the facts spoil a good story.
Contact the writer at david@chinadaily.com.cn appliances manufacturers reported 120 billion yuan ($18 billion) in profits, up 20 percent from the previous year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.