Zeng Shi

Zeng Shi

Journalist, Lianhe Zaobao

Zeng Shi is a Guangzhou-based journalist with Lianhe Zaobao. She has been working at the Guangzhou station for more than ten years, covering South China financial news and societal news.

Most self-driving cars still have a safety driver in the driver's seat, but they only intervene in the event of an emergency. (Photo: Zeng Shi)

[Big read] Guangzhou remains at the forefront of the nascent autonomous car industry

Guangzhou’s open policies towards the development of intelligent connected vehicles have created a favourable business environment to boost the industry. However, autonomous driving for robobuses and robotaxis is still largely in the research and development stage, with small steps in commercial trials. It will be difficult for companies to achieve economic balance in the short term. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi speaks with industry insiders to learn more about this nascent sector.
Livestream recruitment hosts on various livestream recruitment channels. (Internet)

China experiments with livestream recruitment to fill job vacancies after Covid-19

Chinese companies have gotten creative in their recruitment process since the Covid-19 pandemic eased. Companies can now hit a bigger pool of talent at low cost by livestreaming job vacancies, while job seekers, especially blue-collar workers, can easily send in their resumes at a click of a button. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi looks at how the job market is changing due to this innovative channel.
An employee transfers items for delivery ahead of the Singles’ Day shopping festival which falls on 11 November , at a logistics center in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on 10 November 2022. (Photo by AFP)

China's e-commerce sector emerging from dark times

One major effect of the lockdowns in China has been disruptions to delivery and logistics services, resulting in many e-commerce businesses being unable to dispatch goods and fulfill online orders. Guangdong, an important light industrial area in southern China, with a comprehensive wholesale market system in its capital Guangzhou, has been particularly badly hit. Zaobao journalists Zeng Shi and Hedy Yang speak to e-commerce business owners and other players to find out more.
A sprinkler irrigates a corn field to mitigate the impact of drought brought by high temperatures, in Xiliangshi village of Boai county in Jiaozuo, Henan province, China, 20 June 2022. (China Daily via Reuters)

Pandemic could stymie China’s poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation efforts

The Covid-19 pandemic has badly hit the Chinese economy, with ordinary folk bearing the brunt of the impact. Migrant workers and rural farmers have had to pivot to other fields to make ends meet, and even then the outlook is still grim. Can the authorities safeguard its efforts in poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation? Zaobao journalists Miao Zong-Han and Zeng Shi look into the issue.
A couple poses during a pre-nuptial photography session in front of Drum Tower in Beijing, China, on 21 December 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Elderly Chinese want a second chance at love

Demand for matchmaking services and platforms is on the rise for China’s growing elderly population. Though these people have plenty of life experience, it seems they still conform to the expectations of society, be it assessing a mate by monetary criteria or fearing gossip for seeking a second chance at love. Under the weight of societal norms, their quest for love is riddled with obstacles. On a lighter note, the plethora of elderly matchmaking variety shows that have spawned do provide some entertainment and fun for this segment of the population.
This picture taken on 2 September 2021 shows a women looking at movie advertisements at a cinema in Hong Kong. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP)

From Hong Kong movies to Greater Bay Area movies: A new Hollywood of the East in making?

Over the past two years, the nine cities (Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai) and two special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau) of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) have ramped up efforts and combined resources to build a credible GBA Chinese film industry. The authorities aim to leverage the experience and expertise of the Hong Kong film and television industry in its heyday in creating a new paradigm for future Chinese movies. Indeed, many Hong Kong directors such as Tsui Hark have joined the ranks of those who are making this a reality. Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi notes that the GBA has policy support and capital, but can this nascent film industry make good productions and develop a strong identity of its own?
Students attend a flag-raising ceremony during the first day of the new semester in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on 1 September 2021. (STR/AFP)

Parents and teachers brace themselves for China's new school year under the 'double reduction' policy

Since September, primary and secondary schools across China have started to implement the “double reduction” policy. Among other measures, primary one and two students no longer have written homework or paper-based exams, while primary three to six students will have their written homework load significantly reduced. These measures are changing up the education ecosystem with students, parents, tutoring companies, teachers and schools all having to adjust. At the back of everyone’s minds is the thought that the rules have changed but competition has not gone away. What are some of their concerns and how will they cope?
A couple wearing face masks share a laugh as they take pictures a bridge at the Hou Hai lake in Beijing on 16 October 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP)

Love in the cloud: China’s emerging livestream matchmaking industry

It was probably a matter of time before online entrepreneurs found a way to meet the perennial demand for love and marriage in China — through livestream matchmaking. From the looks of it, it is a match made in heaven. Over the past two years, scores of people, particularly in smaller cities and towns, have used “cloud dating” mobile live-streaming apps to chat with prospective matches in real time. Seeing opportunity, various platforms like Alibaba, Tencent, Momo, Huya TV, Inke, and Huajiao have entered the fray. Covid-19 has made it even more common to seek out remote means of having one’s head in the clouds, basking in the novelty of new love. Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi has the details.
Pedestrians in a crowded street surrounded by small shops in the city of Changsha, China's Hunan province, 7 September 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

China's e-commerce giants saving youths from the brink of suicide

Statistics show that approximately 100,000 China youths die of suicide every year. In times of coronavirus, the risk of people having suicidal thoughts and possibly acting on them has also increased. Help comes in the form of “suicide interventionists” from China's e-commerce platforms. As online shopping becomes more prevalent, these portals are fast becoming the front lines of shopping for self-harm. Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi looks at how e-commerce companies are taking a proactive role in suicide prevention.