When Will Mobile Internet In China Be Widespread? (Updated)
Last year I went off on a part business part pleasure trip to Japan. One of the highlights of my ten-day adventure was when I met up with Bill, an alumnus of my alma mater who has been working as a web designer in Osaka for almost twenty years. The laowai from Massachusetts met up [...]
88: It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye
An SMS and online spin on a contemporary form of farewell
Before your first visit to China you ask your Chinese-speaking friend for a quick lesson in Mandarin Chinese. She tells you:
â€œä½ å¥½â€ ni hao.
Hello.
“谢谢†xie xie.
Thank you.
“å†è§â€ zai jian.
Goodbye.
After you arrive in Beijing, you are eager to start practicing the only three phrases you know with [...]
Observer ABC: Making Sense of the Message
Many of you may have been curious about the meaning of the SMS message in my previous post covering the bulk SMS phenomenon in China. The content is not the most relevant to the Chinese marketplace, but it is still an interesting lesson on Chinese culture.
I found the SMS message online on xf1.cn. It is [...]
SMS & IM: Communication Tools For “Indirect Directness”
How much money do you make? How much did you pay for your apartment? These are just a few of the typical questions that you may be asked the first time you meet a new Chinese friend or coworker. Why then would that same person be hesitant to be equally direct when it comes to [...]
Spread the message, China Mobile’s cashing in
3…2…1 RINGGGGGGGGG! When the clock strikes midnight on the eve of Chinese New Year fireworks are not the only cacophonous sound in the air. Millions of people’s mobile phones start ringing simultaneously as their friends and family send them bulk text messages (aka SMS messages) filled with New Year’s wishes.
That is how the bulk text [...]
