Chen Jing

Chen Jing

Shanghai Correspondent, Lianhe Zaobao

Chen Jing joined Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk recently and will be posted to Shanghai this year. She has been working at Zaobao for more than eight years, covering financial news and societal stories in Singapore.

A woman shops for frozen items at a supermarket in Beijing on 13 August 2023. (Pedro Pardo/AFP)

Why China’s consumers are boycotting pre-made meals in restaurants and school canteens

While China’s pre-made meals are quick and convenient for eateries to provide to general consumers, there has been a recent controversy over bringing them into schools. There is also concern over the ingredients used and what goes into the meal. Given the current lack of regulation in pre-made meals, how will the authorities handle the rapidly growing industry?
Li fired back against netizens, stating: “Sometimes you should reflect on yourself to find out why your salary hasn’t gone up after years of work. Have you been working hard enough?” (Internet)

How China's 'lipstick king' lost 63,000 livestream followers overnight

A livestreamer’s comments over the cost of an eyebrow pencil recently brewed a public opinion storm in China. While the incident may be stirred by the livestreamer’s insensitive comments, it speaks to the public’s deeper discontent with the grim economic outlook and employment prospects. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing tells us more.
This photo taken on 20 June 2023 shows a view of a complex of unfinished apartment buildings in Xinzheng city in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. (Pedro Pardo/AFP)

Can new policies revive China's home sales?

In a bid to boost home purchases in what has normally been the peak sales period of September and October, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have announced preferential policies for homebuyers. However, Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing notes that market confidence is still at a low; are the new policies enough to boost the Chinese property market’s recovery?
Dreame Technology’s second-generation bionic robot dog and general-purpose humanoid robot. (Photo: Chen Jing)

China’s humanoid robots catching up with US and Japan?

Humanoid robots have become the latest trend in the tech industry, with US and Chinese tech firms trying to beat each other to the punch in releasing their robots. While China is still lagging behind in software, the hardware gap between China and the US and Japan is expected to shrink.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.

How Fujian’s tea capital became known as a 'scam town'

At least half of the Chinese men who were recently charged in a billion-dollar money-laundering probe in Singapore are from Anxi — a province in Fujian known for producing tea but is now frequently linked to its involvement in scams. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing visits the county to find out how prevalent fraudulent activities are and the impact on its locals.
Cosplayers walk on a shopping street, in Shanghai, China, 31 July 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Big Read: Young women are the driving force in China's consumer market

With the rise of e-commerce, traditional department stores are having a hard time attracting customers, especially following three years of the pandemic. While some stores have managed to re-style themselves to tap into the younger generation, others have struggled to move past the fashion of 20 or 30 years ago and are closing their doors as a result.
An electronic board shows stock indexes at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China, 21 March 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China’s new measures to attract foreign capital may not be enough to boost confidence

The Chinese authorities have been working to restore confidence in the economy, especially among foreign businesses and investors. The latest policy move is a raft of 24 measures aimed at attracting foreign capital. However, it seems that there has been a lack of attention on these measures, and it is still unclear how far they will go in drawing investments back.
Medical workers wheel a patient at a hospital in Shenyang, China's northeastern Liaoning province, on 21 October 2021. (AFP)

China’s medical crackdown has unintended repercussions

Over the past month, China’s medical sector has been swept by a wave of anti-corruption efforts, with nearly 180 hospital directors and secretaries under investigation so far. Some people cheer the aggressive effort, but it has also created a lot of unintended repercussions. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Chen Jing discusses her own experience seeing doctors in China and warns of the potential drawbacks of a stern crackdown.
People walk on a street as they shield themselves from the sun, amid a heatwave alert in Shanghai, China, 11 July 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Low consumer confidence will dampen China's push to boost consumption

The Chinese government is pulling out all the stops to boost domestic consumption, including a list of 20 measures from the National Development and Reform Commission. However, given that these measures do not include direct funding policies, how effective will they be in getting people to spend?