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Death of Pinduoduo Employee Sparks Discussions on Overtime Work

Pinduoduo’s ‘996’ culture is the talk of the day after the sudden death of a 22-year-old female employee.

Manya Koetse

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The death of a 22-year-old woman working at Chinese e-commerce company Pinduoduo is dominating discussions on Weibo today.

The female employee named Zhang died in the early morning of December 29. Zhang collapsed while she was on her way home from work with some colleagues at 1:30. She was soon taken to a local Urumqi hospital, where she passed away six hours later. Zhang was cremated on January 3rd.

Zhang started working at Pinduoduo in July 2019. She worked for the community group buying unit Duoduo Maicai (多多买菜) in Xinjiang.

On social media, her sudden death is linked to working overtime hours. Unverified screenshots reveal statements from acquaintances of Zhang and other people allegedly working for Pinduoduo, claiming the company’s overwork culture is putting an enormous strain on its employees.

 

Controversial Post on Zhihu

 

One of the reasons why the news of Zhang’s death has become so big on Chinese social media is a post published on Q&A social platform Zhihu.com on the morning of January 4th.

After news of Zhang’s death made its rounds on social media since January 3rd, one Zhihu user asked netizens about the case and whether or not the Pinduoduo company should be held responsible. The official Pinduoduo account on Zhihu then responded to the original poster:

Look at the people at the bottom [of society]. Who’s not exchanging their life for money? I never thought of it as a problem of capitalism but as a social problem. This is the era of hard work. You can choose to spend your days easy and comfortably. But you have to accept the consequences of ease and comfort. People can control their own efforts – we all can. ”

The comment triggered anger among social media users for being insensitive and suggesting that working around the clock, and the consequences that come with it, is also someone’s own choice. Many people argue that working overtime has become the norm in an employment market where leaving one’s job or turning down long hours is simply not an option for many.

Although the comment was deleted within minutes after it was posted, and Pinduoduo allegedly denied posting such a comment, Zhihu later confirmed that the account writing this comment was a verified account belonging to Pinduoduo.

Zhihu confirms the post was published by the verified Pinduoduo account.

Pinduoduo then apologized for the post, stating it was posted by a person who had worked for Pinduoduo’s marketing department during New Year’s Eve, after which they had not logged out from the official channel on their private smartphone.

The person had replied to the thread on Zhang’s death with their own personal point of view, and had deleted their comment the moment they realized it was sent from the official Pinduoduo account instead of their personal Zhihu account.

 

Young Professionals Working Themselves to Death

 

Despite Pinduoduo’s apologies, discussions about Zhang’s death have not cooled down. In many posts, China’s ‘996’ working culture – a common work schedule where employees work from 9:00 am-9:00 pm, 6 days per week – is blamed for harming the health of young workers.

China’s post-90s, younger (urban and well-educated) workers are at the heart of this discussion since they face stress and pressure when entering the highly competitive employment market to find the top job so many graduates are aiming for.

When they do land that in-demand job, they are often also stressed and pressured to keep it. These jobs might come with relatively high salaries and future possibilities to higher positions, but often also require working long hours and doing unpaid overwork.

Although (illegal) overtime may endanger workers’ health due to the excessive long working hours, it is still commonplace. Over recent years, some stories of young professionals literally working themselves to death – also known by the Japanese term ‘karoshi’ – have made headlines.

In 2011, the story of the 25-year-old PwC auditor Pan Jie went viral on Sina Weibo when doctors concluded that her overwork at the company might have played a crucial role in her death. Likewise, the behind-the-desk death of a 24-year-old Ogilvy employee in Beijing and the 2016 death of Jin Bo, deputy editor-in-chief of one of China’s leading online forums, all prompted calls for increased public awareness on the risks of overwork – especially among young professionals.

In 2019, Alibaba’s Jack Ma came under fire for praising the 996 work practice as a “blessing” (“福报”).

As 996 work schedules have become a big topic on Weibo again today, some are calling it a “tumor” of China’s work culture.

Zhang’s case is currently being investigated by the Shanghai Labor Supervision Department.

We will update on this story if more news comes out, please follow us on Twitter for the latest news.

By Manya Koetse, with contributions from Miranda Barnes

Featured image: photo by 偉宗 勞

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2021 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Digital

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Hailed as Asian “Solitary Hero” on Chinese Social Media

After the congressional hearing of the TikTok CEO, some called Shou Zi Chew “Mr. Perfect in the eye of the storm.”

Manya Koetse

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While there were enough people on Chinese social media swooning over celebrities this weekend during the Weibo Award Night, there were also many netizens admiring another person, namely Shou Zi Chew (周受资, Zhou Shouzi), the CEO of TikTok.

Earlier this week, Shou Zi Chew appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the United States, facing a four-and-a-half-hour hearing over data security and harmful content on the TikTok app.

The hearing took place in light of Washington’s increasing concerns over TikTok “as a threat to national and personal security,” with officials calling for a nationwide ban on the app’s U.S. operations – unless Chinese owners sell their stake in the social media platform (more here).

TikTok is a super popular short video app by Chinese company Bytedance, which also runs Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of the international Tiktok app. TikTok has over 150 million users in the U.S. alone.

Being grilled about concerns over China’s influence over the Beijing-based Bytedance and China’s access to American data, Chew emphasized that ByteDance is a private business and “not an agent of China or any other country.”

During the hearing, Chew faced various questions from officials. One clip that was shared a lot on Twitter showed Arizona Republican Congresswoman Debbie Lesko asking Shou Zi Chew:

– “Do you agree that the Chinese government has persecuted the Uyghur population?

“It’s deeply concerning to hear about all accounts of human rights abuse,” Shou answered: “My role here is to explain – ”

– “I think you’re being pretty evasive. It’s a pretty easy question. Do you agree that the Chinese government has persecuted the Uyghur population?

“Congresswoman, I’m here to describe TikTok, and what we do as a platform, and as a platform, we allow our users to freely express their views on this issue and any other issue that matters to them,” Shou replied.

– “Well, you didn’t answer the question, ” Lesko said while interrupting Shou.

Another moment that was widely shared was when Congressman Richard Hudson asked Shou Chew:

– “Does TikTok access the home WiFi network?

“Only if the user turns on the wifi,” Shou replied: “I’m sorry I may not understand the..”

– “So if I have TikTok on my phone, and my phone is on my home wifi, does TikTok access that network?“, Hudson asked.

“It will have to access the network to get connected to the internet, if that is your question.”

– “Is it possible then that it can access other devices on that home wifi network?” Hudson asked.

“Congressman, we do not do anything that is beyond any industry norms. I believe the answer to your question is no,” Chew replied.

On Chinese social media, the hearing received extensive discussion and analysis.

 
A “Collective Cursing Activity”
 

Chinese blogger Chairman Rabbit (兔主席), a conservative political commentator who often comments on US-related issues (read more), analyzed the hearing in a recent blog.

According to Chairman Rabbit, the hearing was a one-way conversation from the Congress side, and was more like a “collective ‘cursing’ activity” (“一场集体”骂娘”活动”) than dialogue, with the American officials not giving Shou the time to reply and basically – and rudely – answering their own questions.

The blogger also suggested that Chew was questioned as if he himself represented the Communist Party of China, even though he is Singaporean and the CEO of a private company. Regardless, the Americans seemed to take this time of questioning Shou as an opportunity to vent their anger at the Party and the Chinese government at large.

The main gist of Chairman Rabbit’s blog was shared by many others on social media, with some calling the hearing not much more intelligent than a “kindergarten fight” (“比幼儿园吵架高明不了多少”).

One meme making its rounds on Weibo and Wechat showed a photo of Apple CEO Tim Cook in China versus TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in the U.S., suggesting that while the Chinese side treated an American tech giant CEO with warmth and kindness, the American side had treated a Chinese tech giant CEO with coldness and paranoia.

Political cartoon by Singaporean editorial cartoonist Heng shared on Weibo, also published on Twitter by Lianhe Zaobao.

Another image circulating on Weibo is a political cartoon by the Singaporean artist Heng that was also published on Twitter by Lianhe Zaobao, the largest Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper.

The image shows the TikTok CEO tied to a tree, and a pile of wood stacked around him. Three ‘executioners,’ including Uncle Sam, are about to burn Chew at the stake with the help of some “Anti-Chinese Sentiment” fuel.

 
Shou Zi Chew: Mr. Perfect in the Eye of the Storm
 

Meanwhile, Chew himself has become super popular on Chinese social media, including on Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, where he has become idolized by some (“I won’t even compare you with the stars, you’re much better than the stars.”)

Some bloggers and commenters noted how Chew fits the supposed idea of a ‘perfect Asian’ by staying calm despite unreasonable allegations and emphasizing business interests over culture. One Weibo user (@老叔开画) called Shou Zi Chew “Mr. Perfect in the eye of the storm.”

Mostly, people admire how he stood up against Congress despite being “bullied” by American officials and “defended” China’s interests although he is Singaporean himself. Some called him a “solitary hero” (“孤胆英雄”).

Popular image shared on Weibo shows a Shou where he is today versus how his journey began as a young student.

Then there are those who praise the Singaporean businessman and entrepreneur for his career journey and his work ethic. The now 40-year-old studied in London and graduated from Harvard, he previously worked at Goldman Sachs and Xiaomi, and became the CEO of TikTok at 38 years old.

On the Xiaohongshu app, Chew is mentioned as a source of inspiration on how to remain calm and professional when facing a difficult situation.

Lastly, many fans just think Chew is “charming” and “handsome” – and they focus on details of Chew and his life that have nothing to do with the contents of the hearing. Some Weibo users pointed out how he came to his hearing well-prepared with four bottles of water, others discuss his personal life, including his wife Vivian Kao.

 
From Weibo to TikTok: Criticism from Two Sides
 

Besides receiving support from Chinese social media users, Chew’s handling of the hearing was also praised on the TikTok app by international users, including many Americans.

One popular Chew quote during the U.S. congressional hearing that came up on TikTok is how Chew said:

I don’t think the [Chinese] ownership is the issue here, with a lot of respect, American social companies do not have a good track record when it comes to data security and privacy, just look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica – and that’s just one example.”

Another popular quote was Chew defending TikTok, saying:

There are more than 150 million Americans who love our platform, and we know we have a responsibility to protect them, which I’m making the following commitments to you and all our users. Number one: we will keep safety, particularly for teenagers, as a top priority for us. Number two: we will firewall protect the U.S. data from unwanted foreign access. Number three: TikTok will remain a place for free expression and will not be manipulated by any government. And fourth, we will be transparent and we will give access to third-party independent monitors to remain accountable for our commitments.”

Many TikTok users are not just fond of the app – and do not want it to get banned, – they also criticize the U.S. officials for how they handled the hearing, with their lack of technological knowledge and unfamiliarity with the TikTok app shining through in their questions.

Some TikTok creators suggested that the officials missed an opportunity to gain actual knowledge of TikTok’s data handling, and should have asked things like (suggested by TikTok user @sharonsaysso):
– “Are you collecting any passive data from the back end of the phones, even if the person isn’t logged in?”
– “How long are you storing this data for?”
– “What data is being passed to advertisers?”
– “If a user would like to have their data expunged from your systems, is there a process in place with them to easily and fairly quickly have that done?”
– “Have you ever willingly or unwillingly relinquished any of your user data to the government of China or any other country?”
– “Please explain in detail what elements your algorithm considers in its optimization process?”

After American media outlet NBC reported about how TikTok users declared their support for the platform and its CEO after the hearing, screenshots of the article were also shared on Chinese social media.

Chinese political commentator Hu Xijin (@胡锡进) wrote a lengthy post about the TikTok hearing on Weibo, and he also criticized how Chew was facing questions that were already framed and filled with “imaginary accusations” against China.

Hu Xijin and others do not necessarily hail Chew as a “hero,” but instead point out the arrogance and biased approach taken by U.S. official during the hearing.

“They give a dog a bad name and hang him,” some say, with others agreeing that this matter is no longer about the actual facts regarding TikTok’s operations, but about how American authorities have already set their agenda on how TikTok content is problematic and how the app is controlled by Beijing and cannot guarantee the security of U.S. users’ data and privacy.

Some commenters are already predicting the outcome of this matter: “You should prepare for the possibility of being banned or forced to sell.”

Watch a video of the hearing on YouTube here.

 
By Manya Koetse 

With contributions by Miranda Barnes and Zilan Qian

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in the comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Digital

Meet Ren Xiaorong, People’s Daily AI Virtual News Anchor

Although their functions are still limited, AI news anchors such as Ren Xiaorong are a sign of the future.

Manya Koetse

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Ren Xiaorong (任小融) joined the Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily as a virtual presenter/news anchor this week.

Ren Xiaorong is the AI-powered host of an app allowing users to ask questions related to the Two Sessions, the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that have been taking place this week.

Through the People’s Daily app, you can ask Ren Xiaorong to tell you more about various topics covered during the Two Sessions, including education, epidemic prevention, housing, employment, environmental protection, and many other issues.

According to the introduction video launched by People’s Daily, Ren is also available to discuss other news topics people would like to know more about.

Ren Xiaorong is interactive to a certain (very limited) extent; users can select the topics they want to learn more about, but the app does not yet allow to ask specific questions.

A related hashtag went viral on Weibo on Sunday (#人民日报AI虚拟主播#), triggering discussions on the use of virtual news presenters.

Ren Xiaorong is not the first People’s Daily virtual news anchor. In 2019, the very first AI-powered presenter was unveiled at the 2019 Big Data Expo (#人民日报首位AI虚拟主播#). Guo Guo (果果), aka Little Guo Guo (小果果), was based on the real-life Chinese reporter Guo Xinyu (果欣禹).

Guo Guo and Guo Xinyu

China’s state media outlets Xinhua, Beijing TV, Hunan TV, and CCTV previously also unveiled their own AI-powered virtual news anchors at a time when China’s virtual idol market started to explode.

During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, there was also a virtual host and China’s first AI sign language presenter.

Although news media outlets have started experimenting with virtual presenters for some time now, some netizens are still not convinced about the actual purpose of having virtual TV hosts and news anchors, especially when their AI-driven interactive functions are still limited.

Weibo blogging account ‘Media People Online’ (@传媒人在线) writes: “I’ve never really understood this, is there a shortage of broadcasting talent, or are AI anchors better at it? Why would you use a robot to broadcast the news? Are you spending so much money on an AI presenter just to show technological progress?”

But other bloggers (@夏日之阳新闻传播考研) think that virtual anchors could improve the quality and availability of news, since they could broadcast around the clock while saving on manpower, alleviating the pressure on newsrooms.

Whether people approve of virtual news readers or not, most agree Ren Xiaorong, along with her virtual colleagues, is a harbinger of the digitalization of the media at a time when artificial intelligence has already come to play a pivotal role in everyday activities.

Want to see Ren Xiaorong at work? Click this link on mobile.

By Manya Koetse 


 

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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