Tencent, the Chinese Internet giant that is known for its instant messaging software QQ, has apologised for describing Apple's new CEO Tim Cook as a "sufferer of homosexuality" ("同性恋患者") in a recent article on its content portal. more ›

A young post-90's (90后) mother in the Fujian city of Zhangzhou (漳州) reportedly strangled her 10-month son to death during a live broadcast Saturday morning on QQ.com. The 19-year-old mother, surnamed Zou, announced to netizens that she would kill her child and broadcast the murder live on a QQ chat. She apparently murdered her son after having an argument with the baby's father. more ›

Tencent aired this commercial during the CCTV Gala last week, the most expensive air time on Chinese television. It resonated with the thousands of Chinese working and studying abroad, and probably with anybody else who's ever felt that thousands of miles can sometimes bring you closer to the ones you love. more ›

So after almost two years in beta mode, QQ International - the English-language and other version of the wildly popular QQ chat platform - is finally officially released. You can read about it here with Techcrunch or in this older exclusive on Cnet, or you can just give it a whirl by downloading it here. And you may not remember this, but Shanghaiist actually has a QQ group: 35321512. We promise to get on it now that it's for real. more ›

In a startling case from earlier this week, it seems that courts in Zhejiang Province have ruled that Tencent, the makers of the super popular QQ chat program, is 10% responsible for a student who killed himself. "Fan" responded to a "suicide invitation" by "Zhang" on QQ, and the two agreed to meet up and commit suicide. Only Fan died, when Zhang gave up because of the "unbearable pain." more ›

Just in time for Mark Zuckerberg's rumored China visit (he and his gf travel 2gthr every Dec!!1 ZOMG! lol so romantic) Tech Rice brings us a look at just how Facebook might fare against the local competitors IF (and it's a big if) the market were free from intervention and there was no censorship or invasive meddling among the internetz by the government. Still, they make some interesting points worth noting, considering most have approached Facebook's China rumblings with reactions mostly fluctuating between dismissal or disbelief. Boiled down, here's what Tech Rice has to say: more ›

Resonance China points out a fun little graphic, apparently from Ogilvy's China social media team, demonstrating the typical users for five of China's most active social networks. more ›

Yesterday morning, Changchun (长春) became a sensitive word on QQ. The best thing about it: Not only is 长春 a city - making it "The first Chinese city to ever become a sensitive word in China" - it's also the name of the current CPC Propaganda Chief. more ›

Who knew Shanghai could be so educational. This week, you could learn about QQ International, 1930s gangster films, or even some slammin' Nordic poetry at the Shanghai Lit Fest, and end your week with Irish song, drink and dance. more ›

If you follow us on our twitter, you've probably noticed that, every now and then, we'll ask you to chat with us on the new QQ International. What's QQ? It's the chat platform that's taken China by storm - basically any local with an internet has a QQ ID. QQI is the International English version of the platform, which now gives you a window into the China chatting world (download it here). And we're on it. If you want to join our group, talk to some of our writers and generally shoot the breeze about China and everything else with other Shanghaiist readers, here's our QQ ID: 35321512. more ›

If you're reading this blog in China or if you've got one of your own here, you're part of a national trend: having blogs is about five times more popular in China than it is in the US. If you're listening to some music online and instant messaging at the same time, you're an even more typical Chinese Internet user. more ›

Most social networks and web businesses generate their revenues from online advertising - but it looks like some do it much better than others. more ›

QQ, China's wildly popular instant messaging service with over 690 million registered users, 360 million monthly active users and 130 million daily users, is now available in English, under the new portal IMQQ.com. As far as we understand, QQ has had an English version of QQ since 2005 but those earlier versions met with little success. With the launch of its new English portal, is Tencent Inc (the company behind QQ) finally setting its sights on the world? Well don't start scoffing at the idea because Tencent did make its millions way before MSN figured out how to monetise its Messenger service. Anyhow, for those of you that are interested, start downloading the QQ2009 Beta for Windows and the Mac version 1.0 beta to begin chatting with your Chinese friends. more ›

Hot on the heels of the Asus eeePC and the meteoric rise of the netbook, Tencent has leaked that it is planning to launch a "lightweight, long-life notebook computer" next year. JLM Pacific Epoch says that it will be themed on the instant messaging tool. Our guess is that it will just be another ultra-light netbook with a penguin sticker on it. more ›

Following their somewhat bizarre picture last month of Obama and a "dapper" donkey, the latest person to grace Baidu's homepage gives a slightly clearer message. The picture is of "Wheelchair Angel" (as she's been dubbed in some sections of the press) Jin Jing clutching the Olympic Torch to her chest, a position she adopted when pro-Tibetan protestors tried to snatch the flame from her in Paris last month. Clicking on the picture takes you through to a page headlined with the words "Protect the scared flame, make China faster, higher, stronger!" more ›