#Yuan delta

[askadvancewars]

Merry Christmas!

I just want to share the most exciting find Wars-related find I've probably ever had. A small Famicom Wars poster-leaflet that also doubles as a stragety guide! I think the most exciting part for me is the small comic strip that features more art of Yuan Delta--the general backstory presented is he created Famicom Wars the game to help train future COs. So in a way, what's seen here is the genesis of all the Wars series. It's pretty cool!

Hope you enjoyed seeing this as much I did and that you're having a good time wherever you are.

[famicom-wars-advance]

It's my birthday today and I happen to have a sibling that cares about me a bit too much

This isn't even everything, not everything has even come in yet, but for this post I wanna focus on Famicom Wars, specifically the manual, mainly because:

There's some art of Yuan that I haven't seen before in here!

This picture comes from the "QnA with strategist Yuan Delta" section near the end of the manual. It's taking about the 255 day timer in the game.

The rest of the drawings that include Yuan are all ones I've seen before (namely through Askadvancewars) but there are a lot of other ones that that don't include him that I haven't seen anywhere. Makes me miss when Nintendo games actually had manuals.

These ones are some my personal favorites from what I've seen so far (Sorry for the quality) The Famicom Wars art style really is adorable. Though it makes me even more sad about how Super Famicom Wars (who just turned 26!) never had the opportunity to have a manual. The little art it did get was also adorable in it's own right.

I was also looking at the manual for Gameboy Wars 2 which was almost entirely a comic! I may post about it later.

[lampulantern]

♠︎ hoyo sketches, ect. !

important note on bottom for use :)

a/n : if you do use the two doodles on the bottom, please do credit me

[watchrw]

The History Of Replica Watches

The Origin of Replica Watches

Replica watches, as the name suggests, are copies of world-famous watch brands (such as Rolex, Omega, IWC, Panerai, etc.). They are produced using molds taken from the original models, with an appearance identical to the authentic versions. The term "high-quality replica watch" first emerged in China at the end of the 1980s. When the national watch industry was established, to consolidate its own watchmaking influence, China imported more than a hundred thousand sets of watchmaking equipment from Switzerland. For the sake of overall harmony, it is estimated that this equipment was distributed among Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangdong. The former two have become what are now the Shanghai Watch Factory and the Seagull Watch Factory, while Guangdong has become the largest site for watch parts assembly. It was against this backdrop that high-quality replica watches slowly emerged. In 2013, NOOB Factory's replica watches, known as the "five great pieces", soared in popularity and kicked off the era of high-quality replica watches! To this day, Guangzhou's replica watch market attracts traders from all over the world on a daily basis, with trade covering the globe. Modern high-quality replica watches now widely use domestic movements that imitate ETA movements, and the quality of these movements is quite impressive. They also perform exceptionally well in terms of accuracy.

Some watch enthusiasts who love Swiss luxury watches used to disdain replica watches, viewing them as nothing more than cheap knock-offs with poor workmanship and quality. However, once they actually encounter the replica watches from major factories like N Factory, ZF Factory, and KW Factory, they realize that even though these watches may only cost around 2,000 yuan, their craftsmanship, water resistance, luminous effects, and other features can far exceed those of Swiss luxury watches that cost over ten thousand yuan. This is why high-quality replica watches have always been bestsellers overseas.

The Two Major Bases of High-Quality Replica Watches

1. Taiwanese High-Quality Replica Watches

Taiwan is the pioneer of the replica watch industry. Whether it's replicating electronic products or Swiss luxury watches, its technology can be considered world-class. While creating numerous billionaires, it has also given rise to many new stars in the field of high-quality replica watches. Neighboring Taiwan, Fujian was among the first to establish the replica watch industry in the Pearl River Delta, operated by people from Fujian. Due to Taiwan's legal system, the official crackdown on high-quality replica watches has become increasingly stringent, leading to a gradual shrinking of Taiwan's replica watch market, which is difficult to return to its former glory.

2. Guangzhou High-Quality Replica Watches

Currently, China's replica watch market is mainly concentrated in the Zhanxi watch market in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. After twenty years of development, there are no less than a hundred replica watch factories, focusing more on quantity than on quality. Since most of their orders come from undeveloped regions overseas, with virtually no after-sales issues, these watches cannot match the quality of Taiwanese replicas. However, in terms of watch movements, these factories have produced an uncountable number of them. Well-known domestic mechanical watch movement manufacturers include the Hangzhou Watch Factory, Tianjin Watch Factory, and Guangzhou Watch Factory. The movements made by the Guangzhou Watch Factory, known as Mingzhu movements, are commonly used in ordinary high-quality replica watches. Currently, there are many watch factories on the mainland, and any reputable manufacturer has its standout products, all of which are sources of high-quality replica watches, such as N, H, ZF, KW, TF, BP, MK, JF, V6, etc. As part of a grey industry, the replica watch market is full of mixed quality, and it's very chaotic. For instance, Factory N and Factory H might share the same case manufacturer... Each manufacturer has its own models they excel at, such as Factory N's Fifty Fathoms and the Master Compressor.

What Are High-Quality Replica Watches

Appearance High-quality replica watches are modeled directly after authentic products, made to the same proportions, and typically achieve a 1:1 ratio in comparison to the originals. The materials often used include 316L stainless steel, and some high-end replicas have started utilizing 904L stainless steel for increased comfort, virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article. In terms of polishing and the finer details, replicas can now match the original watches without discernible differences.

Movement As is well-known, the heart of any watch lies in its movement. Since domestic mechanical watch movements can only perform basic timekeeping functions and have yet to achieve the more complex chronograph functions, replica watches opt to use Swiss mechanical movements. However, Swiss luxury watch manufacturers have their own unique processes for creating movements, which they use exclusively and in limited quantities. These movements are not available for purchase by others to create replicas. Consequently, replicas now extensively utilize domestic movements that imitate ETA movements, and these movements are of quite high quality, performing impressively in terms of accuracy. Common imitations include ETA 2824, 2836, and 2892 movements, particularly the 2836 is often used in Rolex replicas.

Price In the replica watch industry, pricing is primarily determined by the movement utilized. As mentioned, replica watches largely use domestic movements modeled after ETA's 2824, 2836, and 2892, among others. Watches priced between 1,000 and 2,500 yuan usually feature something like the Seagull imitation of the 2892 movement, which, in terms of finishing and appearance, closely resembles the real ETA 2892. This type of movement is often used in ultra-thin watch models. Models ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 yuan typically incorporate chronograph functions using movements from Shanghai or Dandong watch factories, imitative of the ETA 7750 series. Fiyta's aviation series and Rossini's chronograph watches, for example, utilize the 7750 movement produced in Shanghai. Watches with manual winding often employ movements from Hangzhou or Seagull factories, modeled after the ETA 6497, and are used in replicas of brands like Panerai, with accuracy comparable to the real ETA movements found in authentic Panerai watches. Prices generally range from 3,000 to 6,000 yuan, with many featuring tourbillons. The tourbillon movements used in high-quality replicas are typically from Dandong and Beijing, although arguably the best domestic tourbillons are produced by Seagull. However, due to their higher price, they are less commonly used by replica watch manufacturers.

Wearing High-Quality Replica Watches

High-quality replica watches can now emulate the functions of the original models, so correct usage and maintenance during wear are extremely important.

Water resistance depths of 30M and 50M do not mean that the watch can be submerged 30 or 50 meters underwater without allowing water in. The 30M and 50M ratings are for everyday life water resistance only, and these watches should not be worn while swimming.

General water-resistant replica watches are not intended for swimming or diving. Although they use sealing measures that prevent splashes and everyday sweat from entering, they should not be submerged in water. In real life, constant temperature and immobility do not exist. Therefore, wrist activities in water can significantly increase water pressure on the watch and, based on the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, the watch case may expand and allow vapor to enter the movement through the gaps and then condense into droplets. Over time, the movement could rust.

Leather straps, whether made of cowhide or alligator leather, have a lifespan. Generally, they should be replaced after two to three years of wear. During daily wear, try to avoid contact with chemicals and corrosive substances such as acids, alkalis, and salts to prevent damage to the appearance of the watch, affecting its look and use.

It is best not to wear the watch while engaging in outdoor sports. High-speed vibrations at the wrist can damage the movement of the watch. The anti-magnetic capabilities of general mechanical watches are limited, and if exceeded, the steel components within the watch can become magnetized. The hairspring may also be affected, leading to inaccuracies in the timekeeping, either running slow or fast, and in severe cases, the watch may stop altogether.

If a mechanical watch is not worn for an extended period, it should still be wound regularly.

Mechanical watches inherently have errors, and these are larger than the errors in quartz watches. If you absolutely cannot tolerate inaccuracies, consider purchasing a quartz or digital watch.

Calendar watches cannot use the quick-set mechanism to change the date during a certain period, known as the "forbidden zone". During this time, the date changing gear teeth are aligned with the gap on the calendar disc, and using the quick-set feature can obstruct the rotation of the calendar disc, potentially damaging the components. Therefore, do not use the quick-set date adjustment during the "forbidden zone". Do not adjust the calendar of the watch between 10 pm and 2 am as this can possibly damage the movement if done repeatedly.

If wearing a watch with a leather strap style, it's better to have an additional nylon weave or rubber strap for summer wear. Sweat can cause significant damage to leather straps due to the increased likelihood of perspiration in the summer.

Purchasing High-Quality Replica Watches

Due to the unique nature of the high-quality replica watch industry, sales are primarily conducted online, as it is not feasible to open physical stores and offer public sales. Currently, the NOOB factory is highly recommended among replica watch manufacturers, so many dealers name their replica watches after the NOOB factory. There are innumerable websites selling replica watches, and online you can find sites such as the "N Factory Official Website," "N Factory Flagship Store," and various sites claiming to be associated with the NOOB factory, leading to a lot of confusion. It makes it quite difficult for an end buyer to discern where to purchase.

Online, the term "N Factory" initially referred exclusively to the NOOB factory, but it has now become a synonym for all high-end replica watches. The so-called official websites for replica watches are actually just gimmicks aimed at attracting customers. Many NOOB factory models have ceased production, and the currently available noob watches include popular Rolex models like Submariner, Sea-Dweller, Datejust, Oyster Perpetual, Daytona, Yacht-Master, and a limited number of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and a few niche brands. It's unrealistic to sell only NOOB factory products. Websites typically named after the NOOB factory or N factory generally focus on NOOB factory products, supported by other major factory goods, and our website is no exception.

Our website is a replica watch dealer platform that directly cooperates with the NOOB factory, mainly used to stabilize market prices and release new models, but in the past two years, it has also collaborated with other factories. Watches on our site are straightforward, with clear categories, full range of styles, and you can find almost all major factory products here, which is convenient and reliable. The pricing is also reasonable, ensuring that customers won't be deceived. Everyone is welcome to visit and learn more.

Lastly, a few words from the heart: one should maintain a good mindset when buying high-quality replica watches. It can be said that particularly with mechanical watches, you should be prepared for the possibility of issues, and this is true even for authentic models. Although the replica watch industry may not be highly reputable, a lot of effort is put in. Do not underestimate a high-quality replica watch—the processes involved are nearly as extensive as those for the original, making the replica industry quite challenging.

[wangxianficfinder]

Hello, I wanted to know if someone has a collection of dowloaded fics that are no longer available in ao3. Some of my bookmarks are empty and I would like to try to find them, even when I don’t remember the name. Thanks for your time!

Does anyone have downloaded fics for them?

- Mod C

I have so many fics downloaded that I'd have better luck on specific fic asks for this haha ~Mod L

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imstillthinkingaboutithmm said: I have,

A price to pay and The devil's return by wangxianist

Monotone by seredemia

Delta delta flyboy and Empire of dirt by fireawayy

Not to be sobered by anything(like regret) by astrobandit

A forgotten pair of gloves by myhouseofstoneyourivygrowsrated

The authors haven't prohibited sharing them as far as i know

--

evadingreallife said: I have inevitavle 24 fuck texting by sectionladvivi, which i know for certain has been deleted because some people were looking for it a few months back. Besides this one, i have a few downloaded fics but i have no idea if they are still on ao3 or not. If anyone has a specific fic they're looking for i can see if i have it tho

--

bluekittenfire said: I have, When I'm gone by qiankun_pouch and I’m no Lotus

Oh, am I ruining this for you

The consequences of your hypocrisy

Being more like you

A–Yuan’s future

all by Red_Lotus.

--

Anon said: check out @cqlfic , post .(A further hot tip in future: include the title, author, and *work number* in your bookmarker’s notes—the last is the key to finding it on the Wayback Machine.)

Anon said: The beloved (and notoriously here-again-gone-again) urban fantasy horror fic medium blues, by darkterrible, which may have gone abracapoof from your bookmarks (possibly multiple times), was reposted and is presently up. what do you mean this goes in that, by lao_you_tiao, which was under wraps as part of a collection the compiler concealed without the author’s knowledge, is now back up.

[electronicsbuzz]

https://electronicsbuzz.in/delta-electronics-yuan-ze-university-sastra-launch-program-for-global-tech-talent/

[qocsuing]

Discovering Shanghai: A Comprehensive Visitor Guide

Discovering Shanghai: A Comprehensive Visitor Guide Shanghai, a bustling metropolis located on the Yangtze River Delta, is a city that seamlessly blends the old with the new. As China’s largest economic and trade hub, Shanghai offers a plethora of attractions and experiences for visitors. Whether you’re a history buff, a foodie, or an adventure seeker, Shanghai has something for everyone. This guide will help you navigate through the city’s top attractions, best times to visit, and essential travel tips.To get more news about shanghai visitor guide, you can visit meet-in-shanghai.net official website.

Top Attractions

The Bund The Bund: This iconic waterfront area is a must-visit for anyone traveling to Shanghai. The Bund offers stunning views of the city’s skyline and is home to numerous historical buildings that showcase a blend of Gothic, Baroque, and Art Deco architecture. Yuyuan Garden: A classical Chinese garden located in the heart of the city, Yuyuan Garden is a peaceful retreat from the bustling streets of Shanghai. The garden features beautiful pavilions, rockeries, ponds, and lush greenery.

Shanghai Tower Shanghai Tower: As the tallest building in China and the second tallest in the world, the Shanghai Tower offers breathtaking views of the city from its observation deck. The tower also houses a variety of shops, restaurants, and offices.

Shanghai French Concession French Concession: This charming area is known for its tree-lined streets, colonial-era buildings, and trendy boutiques. The French Concession is a great place to explore on foot and soak in the city’s unique blend of Eastern and Western influences.

Shanghai Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall: For those interested in the city’s development and future plans, this exhibition hall provides a fascinating look at Shanghai’s urban planning and architectural achievements. Best Time to Visit Shanghai experiences four distinct seasons, with spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) being the best times to visit. During these months, the weather is mild and pleasant, making it ideal for sightseeing and outdoor activities. Summer can be hot and humid, while winter is cold and damp, so plan your visit accordingly.

Getting Around Shanghai boasts an extensive and efficient public transportation system, including buses, taxis, and one of the world’s largest metro networks. The Shanghai Metro is the most convenient way to get around the city, with signs and announcements in both Chinese and English. For a more scenic experience, consider taking a ferry ride along the Huangpu River.

Shopping and Dining Shanghai is a shopper’s paradise, offering everything from high-end luxury brands to local markets. Nanjing Road is one of the world’s busiest shopping streets, while Tianzifang and Xintiandi are popular areas for unique boutiques and artisanal shops.

When it comes to dining, Shanghai’s culinary scene is diverse and vibrant. Don’t miss out on trying local specialties such as xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), shengjianbao (pan-fried buns), and hairy crab. The city also boasts a wide range of international cuisines, catering to all tastes and preferences.

Cultural Experiences Shanghai is rich in cultural experiences, from traditional Chinese opera and acrobatics to contemporary art galleries and museums. The Shanghai Museum, located in People’s Square, houses an extensive collection of ancient Chinese art and artifacts. For a more modern cultural experience, visit the Power Station of Art, a contemporary art museum housed in a former power plant.

Travel Tips Language: While Mandarin is the official language, many people in Shanghai speak English, especially in tourist areas. It’s still helpful to learn a few basic Mandarin phrases to enhance your travel experience. Currency: The local currency is the Chinese Yuan (CNY). Credit cards are widely accepted, but it’s a good idea to carry some cash for smaller purchases and street vendors. Safety: Shanghai is generally a safe city for tourists, but it’s always wise to take standard precautions, such as keeping an eye on your belongings and avoiding poorly lit areas at night. In conclusion, Shanghai is a dynamic city that offers a rich tapestry of experiences for visitors. From its historical landmarks and modern skyscrapers to its vibrant shopping and dining scenes, Shanghai is a destination that should be on every traveler’s bucket list. Whether you’re visiting for a few days or an extended stay, this guide will help you make the most of your time in this incredible city.

[greaterbayarea]

Residents from Hong Kong and Macau will enjoy greater convenience in Zhaoqing! The new policy is set to be implemented soon

On April 29th, the Zhaoqing Municipal Government held a press conference to announce the “Zhaoqing’s Measures for Facilitating the Lives of Hong Kong and Macau Residents.” The conference was attended by Zhu Jingliang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zhaoqing Municipal Government, Zhang Xiao, member of the Development and Reform Bureau and Deputy Director of the Greater Bay Area Office, Li Manjun, Deputy Secretary and Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Huang Cailing, Deputy Director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Li Jiaqiong, member and Deputy Director of the Medical Insurance Bureau. Chen Hanzhu, Deputy Director of the Zhaoqing Municipal Propaganda Department, hosted the conference.

In recent years, Zhaoqing has closely followed the new strategic positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, actively participating in the construction of the area. The city has greatly expanded both online and offline government service channels, achieving cross-border handling of employment, entrepreneurship, and elderly care services. Currently, 818 services can be managed cross-provincially within the Pearl River Delta, and 1650 services can be managed across cities within the province.

Zhaoqing has also deeply expanded its economic and trade cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau. By 2023, the number of investment companies from Hong Kong reached 85, with a total of 4979 Hong Kong-funded companies, attracting an investment of 1.29 billion yuan from Hong Kong, accounting for over 80% of the city’s foreign capital attraction. Additionally, Zhaoqing has established and operated 9 Hong Kong and Macau youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases, with a total of 402 enterprises and projects, including 102 from Hong Kong and Macau.

To accelerate the implementation of the “Bay Area Tong” project and promote regulatory alignment with Hong Kong and Macau, Zhaoqing has grounded these efforts in local realities, implementing key tasks such as facilitating the movement of people and goods as outlined in the “Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” along with national and provincial policies. Zhaoqing has summarized national, provincial, and municipal policies to formulate these measures, which were officially issued on March 18th this year.

The measures mainly cover the following five aspects: Facilitating living in Zhaoqing: The measures focus on applying for residence permits, purchasing homes, leisure and retirement, and transportation. Zhaoqing will provide a more convenient living environment and services for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Supporting employment and entrepreneurship in Zhaoqing: The city will actively support Hong Kong and Macau compatriots in finding employment and starting businesses in Zhaoqing, providing them with more opportunities and conveniences. This includes support in areas such as professional and technical qualification exams and professional title evaluations for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Supporting investment and business establishment in Zhaoqing: Zhaoqing encourages Hong Kong and Macau residents to invest and start businesses, providing a better development environment. This involves personal income tax financial subsidies and incentives, as well as facilitating Hong Kong and Macau residents in starting businesses in Zhaoqing.

Promoting medical facilitation in Zhaoqing: The city will further promote the medical services facilitation for Hong Kong and Macau residents, making it easier for them to access medical resources.

Promoting social and livelihood exchanges in Zhaoqing: Zhaoqing will actively facilitate exchanges between Hong Kong and Macau residents and local residents, including easing the clearance of import and export goods.

These measures consist of 19 facilitative policies and will officially take effect on May 1st, with a validity period of two years. This initiative aims to further strengthen the exchanges and interactions among residents of Zhaoqing, Hong Kong, and Macau, making life and development more convenient for Hong Kong and Macau compatriots in Zhaoqing.

[mamun258]

Will Costco shake the foundation of its membership system by adding more and more?

As a representative of membership-based e-commerce, Costco’s every move has aroused a lot of speculation among industry insiders. No, Costco HE Tuber will open a delivery service in Shanghai. The topic is the same. Between selling goods and selling cards, Costco chose to sell goods in the short term.

The half-year-long "bidding" war between Hema and Sam's did not affect Costco on the surface, but to some extent it aroused the latter's desire to expand its service radius - Costco may be opening a new store in Shanghai Open delivery service .

Citing news from Oriental Finance on January 8, some consumers said they had recently received a questionnaire from Costco on delivery fees, asking whether they could accept a delivery fee of 15 yuan.

The media asked about two Kaishike stores in Shanghai. The staff both said that Kaishike may launch delivery services . "It may not be until next year. We are still making preparations." Whether it will be delivered on the same day or the next day is not yet certain. As for the issue of delivery fees, the other party said that they would send a text message to conduct a questionnaire to see how people accept it. Whether they will be charged specifically, and the standard of delivery fees, have not been determined yet.

Source: Xiaohongshu

The author used "Costco delivery" as the keyword to search on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and found that many Costco errands and purchasing agents are currently active in the Shanghai area. Although some consumers have expectations for Shanghai Costco to launch delivery services, practical considerations such as "online is more expensive than offline, so we can't choose" are also one of the reasons for their resistance.

Previously, Costco’s e-commerce business in Suzhou, Wuxi, Nantong, Ningbo, and Hangzhou was operated by a third-party service provider “Select Shopping”. Select Shopping mainly provides two services: immediate home delivery (same city) and home express delivery (next day delivery, JD delivery). In mid-2023, there was news that Costco was "testing the home-based electricity distribution business through cooperation with third-party service providers." However, the cities covered by this business did not include Shanghai.

Costco’s current choice to open delivery services in Shanghai does not mean that its online business has accumulated sufficient operating experience in other areas of the Yangtze River Delta. On the contrary, from the perspective of business motivation, timing and cost accounting, it is more like a response A step that must be taken in the fierce market competition .

01 Motivation

The phenomenon of "hotness" immediately after opening has happened more than once in Costco's mainland stores. There is no doubt about the strength of Costco's physical stores, but its online business has always been tepid.

"Premium delivery is not as beautiful as Sam's." "This thing is an officially authorized purchasing agent." "There are few items and slow speed, so express delivery is more difficult." There is no shortage of comments on Weibo, Xiaohongshu and other social platforms. Complaints about Costco’s “pick and choose shopping” service.

Source: Xiaohongshu

The author learned from the customer service office of "Select Shopping" that at present, the instant delivery service is only within 10 kilometers of the Suzhou store. 10kg of shipping is free for purchases over 199 yuan, and refrigerated and frozen products only support instant delivery. Express delivery is 299 yuan with 10kg free of charge. Wuxi, Nantong, Ningbo, and Hangzhou only support JD express delivery. The goods are picked, packed and shipped by the Costco Suzhou store, and the goods arrive normally within T+2 days.

Image source: “Pick Shopping” applet

Compared with its friends, it can be said that Costco’s online business is still in its infancy, and its choice to cooperate with multiple parties rather than operate on its own reflects the company’s own strategic swings. Regarding the launch of Shanghai delivery service, Costco obviously has not figured out how to do it, whether it is the launch time, delivery form, or charging standards.

As for Costco’s business motivations for launching delivery services in Shanghai, they are nothing more than the following:

First, increase online contact points, increase the frequency of members' "home" shopping, and ensure the card renewal rate of users in Shanghai's main base; second, broaden the service radius, regain their own market share from purchasing agents and errands, and focus on one "I want all the sesame and watermelon"; thirdly, cater to the market demand and make up for the shortcomings of online business. With the increase in the number of Costco stores, the hunger marketing of popular Internet celebrities is no longer so effective. From focusing on scarcity to emphasizing universality Sex, Costco is trying to establish an omni-channel mentality to solidify its market position.

02 Timing

Costco's move to expand its distribution business in Shanghai coincides with the launch of national delivery services at Sam's Club stores, and Hema's vigorous promotion of discounts and membership-free changes, while adding a RMB 1 packaging fee to online orders.

The practical consideration behind Hema's comprehensive discounting and abandonment of "membership first" is that it is urgent to find a balance point in the business model under the new economic situation. In this test about the membership model and loyalty, the early departure of the "seeded players" undoubtedly tilted the originally swinging "renewal" balance in favor of Costco and Sam's.

As for the additional packaging fee of 1 yuan per order for online orders, Hema explains that it is providing plastic bags for a fee in accordance with the "plastic restriction order", but the survival pressure reflected behind this cannot be underestimated.

In the blink of an eye, in the arena of warehouse membership stores, Costco and Sam's still have a brilliant record. However, in terms of online business, which Costco has always been absent from, Sam's has the advantage of being a pioneer and localized transformation because it is backed by Wal-Mart.

"Retail Business Finance" learned that as of now, Sam has deployed 47 stores in 25 cities across the country, and the stores can provide a variety of delivery services such as fast delivery, city-wide delivery, and nationwide delivery. According to Zhang Qing, chief purchasing officer of Sam's Club stores, the number of Sam's memberships has grown almost fissionally in recent years, and membership renewal rates and activity levels have also continued to rise.

In the past year, Sam's invested nearly 1 billion to achieve long-term price reductions on dozens of members' frequently purchased products, while Costco is more focused on store expansion. Three of the existing 5 stores (Shanghai Pudong store, Ningbo store, Hangzhou store stores) will be opened in 2023, and the first store in South China will be opened in Shenzhen on January 12, 2024.

Source: Company official website

It is not difficult to see from Costco's recently announced performance data that, like Apple, the consumer market from China contributes most of the company's revenue and profits, and Costco has always regarded China as an important strategic market.

"In 2024, we will also open a membership store in Nanjing and take the lead in trying the gas station business here. We will expand our business footprint to more regions in China in the future." Zhang Shuyun, general manager of Costco's mainland China region, said.

Faced with Sam's omni-channel advantage and price power offensive, Costco has focused its development on store expansion and business expansion . As for Shanghai's distribution business, the timing of the deployment is not too early, and the strategic determination is not firm enough . Whether "filling in the shortcomings" can be called a beneficial business supplement is still debatable.

03 Selling cards or goods?

The underlying reason why Hema insists on “different prices online and offline” is that online delivery costs are high while offline costs are low. The high cost of online fulfillment is in line with the laws of retail. Similarly, in the eyes of industry insiders, "members come to the store" is the core logic of membership stores.

Therefore, Costco's move to open a delivery service in Shanghai is likely to be understood as "choosing between selling goods and selling cards." It will obtain good sales data in the short term, but it is very likely to shake the foundation of the membership system.

On the one hand, if Costco chooses to sell goods, does its product strength, low prices, and service capabilities require the threshold of "membership fees" to support it? If you choose to sell cards, will purchasing consumption data online pose a challenge to the membership system itself?

On the other hand, the "small business" of purchasing agents and running errands is actually the epitome of Costco's prosperous ecosystem. Costco's opening of delivery services in Shanghai may add many new members who focus on online shopping, but it will also make many people prefer offline shopping. Some old members feel uncomfortable and even stop renewing based on their familiarity with the product, choosing to find another way to "borrow a card".

Source: Xiaohongshu

Mr. Wang, who has applied for membership cards for Costco, Sam's, and Hema X member stores, said bluntly: "I will never apply for a membership card in the future. Membership cards seem to be processed on an individual basis, but once online shopping is opened, there will be many problems Loopholes can be exploited, for example, one membership card can serve N addresses. In the Love and Love family community, you can chip in 50, I can chip in 50, or everyone can chip in 250 to create a card."

Source: Xiaohongshu

The Yangtze River Delta region is a "gathering place" for high-net-worth customers. When they start to spend their lives carefully on membership fees, the Costco that once made consumers rush to line up in the early morning and caused traffic congestion due to excessive customer flow will no longer exist.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Management as a Job

Administrative positions, or management that is on the same level as every other employee, is a thing. They get paid the same, they do the same amount of work, the difference is; their job is to ensure smooth operations of a company. They fill positions, they rate on employees they don't work with (a level towards objectivity), they analyze systems and processes and work with other divisions to identify flaws in those processes.

Literally, management's job.

The things they can't do are job specific. Training employees, organizing workflows, and above that, producing which jobs have greater value or priority to be worked on.

Also management's job. (But Job specific, stuff you need experience in the field to properly identify)

So why do we need people above that?

Let's look at "treasurer" or CFO "Chief financial officer" their job, is to not embezzle the money, and to identify wasteful and non-wasteful spending. The first one is pretty easy I think, the second, however, requires industry experience and communication with the admin responsible for organizing purchases (and inter department communications.)

President or CEO (Chief Executive Officer) this job is to wear all the hats. You need extensive knowledge of all levels of operations to know what's brought to your desk can or cannot be executed.

At these levels however, there's certain tasks you can and cannot give. A president/CEO shouldn't be responsible for firing an individual, because they don't know enough about their day-to-day tasks, but the more broad command "downsize" can be given.

The problem in many cases is the compensation in which to perform the duties. If your goal is to save the company money, you should first identify what the larger economic impact is (are we hemorrhaging money because we really suck at budgeting, or are we being impacted by the broader economy?) In which case, would it be more prudent to take a defensive position and weather the storm, or would it be more prudent to let go of all the experience that knows how to run the day-to-day?

Or, should we cut-costs elsewhere... Perhaps, executive paychecks that could save the company the most money to weather the coming storm?

But if we do that, how can I trust that the treasurer won't just take everything he can get his hands on and run?

That's really what lawyers are for. To penalize people that do that. But small people, we can't afford that protection. That's why companies have legal divisions and people, on average, don't.

Another problem is how we the little guys interpret compensation. An executive might get hundreds of thousands in non-monetary value things. Stocks, Benefits (like health and dental, company car and chauffer, company chef, company paid dinners with the staff, gift cards they get from companies they work with in-lieu of cash)

We only read that the executive gets paid 8 figures. 8 figures in what? Chinese yuan? Corpocoin Digital currency? (Read: stocks without government protections) Delta airlines points?

Most everything in this world is given a monetary value, and the announced worth of a good, is how much a consumer or little guy has to pay for it. And I know, you're thinking "it's stuff that I have to pay out of pocket" and you'd be right. And we should be mad at them for their benefits we don't get.

But in some case, they can't just cut those benefits in a way that actually saves real spending. Perhaps, the company could sell those non-monetary goods on some kind of free-market system that competes with those prices. You know, like doing this thing I heard about called "capitalism".

When the going gets tough you gotta save money somewhere, right? Or, make money by selling things you don't wanna sell, maybe even for less than what they're worth.

I tried that one time, I was told "cash only" and then they were legally allowed to take everything I owned in excess of what I owed.

[sadisweetomi]

New institute to focus on sensor research

Shanghai Magic Wheel Intelligent Sensor Research Institute will set up a number of innovative research and development systems that focus on the market and create value.

The Shanghai Magic Wheel Intelligent Sensor Research Institute was officially launched in the Shanghai Intelligent Sensor Industrial Park on August 18.

"We plan to carry out research and development and investments in sensor fields, overcome core technical problems, and jointly develop more projects to bolster areas of weaknesses with our partners in the Yangtze River Delta region," said Zhang Yufeng, chairman of the Shanghai Magic Wheel Technology Co.

According to Zhang, the institute will establish a number of market-oriented, customer value-driven innovation research and development systems to improve the conversion rate of technological achievements.

The institute plans to spend up to 100 million yuan (US$14 million) over the next five years to help grow two or three unicorn companies that will help the intelligent sensor industry grow.

The Shanghai Intelligent Sensor Industrial Park is home to nearly 100 companies involved in intelligent sensors, IoT (Internet of Things) chips, and related fields.

[findsuzhou]

Local 'green balls' appear on market

The first batch of qingtuan (green glutinous rice ball with stuffing) has already been on sale at Fengmen Hengjie Street葑门横街 of Suzhou after the week-long Spring Festival holiday. The price is basically the same as last year, which is around three yuan each. With a history of over 1,000 years, qingtuan is a seasonal snack popular in the Yangtze River Delta during the springtime and a must-eat…

[mishraabram]

Top 10 Major Ports in China

China is known for its manufacturing and shipping capabilities. It has a long coastline that is dotted with various harbors and small ports, which are used for a variety of purposes, including trading, fishing, and shipping.

China is one of the world’s largest importers, with its ports serving as major hubs for the transport of consumer goods, minerals, automobiles, and agricultural products to many countries around the world. The development of China has been heavily influenced by its shipping ports, which are a vital part of the country’s economy and play a key role in facilitating global trade.

If you’re interested in learning more about the major ports in China and their roles in the shipping industry, here is the list of the top 10 ports in China with crucial information about each port.

1. Port of Shanghai

In January 2003, the Shanghai Port Authority underwent a restructuring that resulted in the establishment of the Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. (SIPG), the operator of public terminals in the Port of Shanghai. In June 2005, it changed its legal status to a shareholder company, and on October 26, 2006, it commenced trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, becoming the first Chinese firm of its sort to do so.

The Port of Shanghai, located in the center of the eastern shore of the Chinese mainland, is where the Yangtze River, often known as the “golden canal,” and coastal transit routes meet. It has access to both China’s southern and northern coasts, all of the world’s oceans, the Yangtze River basin, the inland rivers of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, as well as the Taihu Lake basin.

The Port of Shanghai is located in a key geographic area with exceptional natural characteristics and a strong hinterland economy. It is served by well-connected road and railway networks as well as fully established cargo collecting and distribution systems.

Key Information

Monthly throughput record: 4.20M TEU

Total annual container throughput: 43.5M TEU

Vessels in port: 2290

Annual cargo tonnage: 514 million

Number of employees: 13,546

Top exports: Cars, integrated circuits, computers, telephones

Top imports: Processors and controllers, iron ore concentrate, gold, medium-sized cars

Top trading partners: United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Germany

2. Port of Shenzhen

The Port of Shenzhen is located in China’s Guangdong Province, south of the Pearl River Delta. It is one of China’s most significant harbors in terms of foreign trade. Several ports along Shenzhen’s coastline are referred to as the Port of Shenzhen. It covers 260 kilometers of coastline. The Kowloon Peninsula also divides the port into two sections, the eastern and western ports.

The port is home to about 40 shipping companies’ headquarters, which have also opened about 130 international container lines. The Port of Shenzhen is also serviced by 230 international container routes. More than 300 ports in more than 100 nations are connected to Shenzhen.

The future of Shenzhen Port will see the implementation of the “two wings, six zones, and three main ports” layout. The east and west port groups are referred to as the “two wings,” while the “six areas” are the east’s Yantian and Dapeng port areas and the west’s Nanshan, Dachan Bay, Dachan Island, Xiaochan Island, and Bao’an port areas. Yantian Port, Nanshan Port, and Dachan Bay Port are the “three main ports,” emphasizing container shipping and highlighting Shenzhen Port’s fundamental competitiveness.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 27.7 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 194.9 million tons

Coastal line: Stretches along 260 km of coast

Container lines: 130

Number of employees: 12,454

Top exports: Mechanical and electronic products, computers, data processing devices, mobile phones, audio and video equipment

Total foreign trade, including imports: 3.45 Trillion Yuan

Three main ports: Yantian Port, Nanshan Port and Dachan Bay Port

3. Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan

The port is a large state-owned company of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Seaport Investment & Operation Group Co. Ltd., i.e. Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co. Ltd. (referred to as Zhejiang Seaport Group).

Zhejiang Seaport Group owns and runs more than 310 businesses with about 30,000 employees. Its primary businesses include the development and utilization of marine resources, investment in the marine industry, management and capital operation of resources related to the sea and ports, investment in the design and operation of ports, shipping services, storage, trading, and processing of bulk commodities, construction of marine engineering, and design and supervision of port engineering, among other things.

The group progressively combines port resources across the province per the idea of unified planning, building, branding, and operation. The group is dedicated to creating an integrated operating system and a top-notch contemporary port cluster by managing port assets in an integrated, extensive, and intensive manner.

With a coastline that stretches for 220 kilometers, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has a sizable port area. In addition to owning more than 200 big deep-water berths for boats over 10,000 dwt and more than 115 large and super-large deep-water berths for vessels over 50,000 dwt, it has 19 port regions. Most large and super-large deep-water facilities in Mainland China are owned and operated by Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

Since 2005, Ningbo Zhoushan Port has experienced a sharp increase in cargo volume. Ningbo Zhoushan Port’s container throughput in 2019 totaled 27.535 million TEUs, solidly placing it in third place globally. The total cargo throughput was 1.12 billion tons, putting it first globally for 11 years.

Key Information

Container throughput in 2019: 27.535 million TEU

Number of employees: 17,425

Top trading partners: European Union, United States and ASEAN

Total assets: 124.1 Billion

Total value of imports and exports at the port: $270.77 Billion

Largest import: Crude oil worth 153.48 Billion Yuan

4. Port of Guangzhou

The primary seaport for Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, is the Port of Guangzhou. Guangzhou Port Group Co. Ltd., a state-owned enterprise, runs the port. It is currently South China’s largest all-encompassing port. Over 300 ports in more than 80 nations and regions throughout the world are served by its international maritime trade.

The port is also the major transportation and economic hub for the Guangdong province and the Pearl River Delta. It is an important transportation center for businesses in provinces nearby, including Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, and Hubei.

In South China, the merger of the three most significant rivers, the Dongxiang, Xinjian, and Beijing, is where Guangzhou Port is located. A vital transportation hub is created by the intersection of the waterway, railway, motorway, and air routes for all three rivers. In the Pearl River Delta region, it serves as the primary port of concentration.

Key Information

Container traffic: 24.2 million TEU

Cargo tonnage: 600 million tons

Minimum wage: US$300

GDP growth rate: 8.3%

Number of terminals: 8

Top exports: Tea, silk, paper, copper, iron, gold and silver

Major trading partners: U.S, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand

5. Port of Hong Kong

A deep water seaport near the South China Sea, the Port of Hong Kong, is mainly used to transport manufactured goods in containers, with raw materials and passengers coming in second and third. The natural harbor and deep waters of Victoria Harbor, which play a crucial role in Hong Kong’s economic development, offer perfect conditions for the berthing and handling of all vessel types.

In terms of maritime movements, cargo handled, and passenger carries, it is one of the busiest ports in the world. For many years, the port was among the busiest—container ports in the world. From 1987 to 1989, from 1992 to 1997, and from 1999 to 2004, it ranked as the busiest cargo port in the world. In 2016, 25 869 container ships with a net registration tonnage of 386,853 tons passed through the container port in Hong Kong.

There are currently 11 separate yard sites used only for mid-stream activities, taking up 27.5 hectares of land and 3,197 meters of waterfront.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 19.6 million

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 258.5 million tons

Land area: 279 hectares

Available berths: 24

Main exports: cement, blank audio media, oscilloscopes, metalworking transfer machines

Major imports: Equipment, manufactured goods and articles, chemical, mineral fuels

Top trading partners: Taiwan, USA, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and India

6. Port of Qingdao

The Port of Qingdao is a seaport on the Yellow Sea in the vicinity of Qingdao, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China. It is one of the ten busiest ports in the world.

In 2011, the Qingdao Port in Shandong Province, East China, joined forces with three other Chinese ports to form a strategic partnership with the largest port in the Republic of Korea (ROK). To establish a maritime and logistics hub in Northeast Asia, the ports of Qingdao in Shandong, Yantai, Rizhao, Weihai, and Busan in the ROK have joined forces to form the alliance.

Four sections of the Qingdao harbor serve as independent ports. Dagang and Qianwan manage cargo and container traffic. The Qingdao port is an international terminal, whereas Qianwan predominantly deals in domestic containers. A sizable facility for handling iron ore cargoes is also present at the Qingdao port.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 18.26 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 600 million tons

Alliance: Busan Port, South Korea

Number of Employees: 9,218

Major cargo handled: Grains, steel products, fertilizers, finish product oil, aluminum, frozen Products

Top trade partners: ASEAN, the United States and the EU

7. Port of Tianjin

Tianjin, formerly known as the port of Tanggu, is the biggest port in Northern China. It is also acknowledged as Beijing’s primary maritime entry point.

Every year, this port handles 500 million tons of cargo on average. It has undergone massive expansions through the years to accommodate the significant volume of goods it handles. To boost its capacity rate, the port is being developed constantly. This port in China is constantly open. It serves both people and various kinds of freight.

The port is renowned for moving bulk liquid and oil cargo. Its handling of freight containing liquid lye and propylene is one of its outstanding offerings. Additionally, it features roll-on and roll-off terminals for grain and other edible oils.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 15.97 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 428.7 million tons

Top imports: Fixed-wing aircraft, unladen weight, soya beans, electronic integrated circuits, iron ore, medium-sized cars

Top exports: Telephone sets, processors and controllers, bicycles, cargo containers

Major trade partners: United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam

8. Port of Dalian

The Dalian port has been in use since 1899 and is currently operated by the Dalian Port Corporation. The port is situated on the Liaodong peninsula in the Liaoning province. It is the most northern Chinese harbor where the water doesn’t freeze. The port has more than 80 berths as well. Ships carrying more than 10,000 tonnes of cargo can be docked at 50 of them.

The port mostly reloads refined oils, coal, grain, and mineral oil. More than 300 ports in 160 nations send ships to Dalian. The Dalian port serves over 90 trade routes, both domestic and international. It ranks as China’s second-largest transshipment hub.

The northern port of Dalian serves large portions of the Pacific coastline. It manages a sizable amount of the cargo and container traffic from Pacific Rim countries to North and Eastern Asia. It is a deep-water port that serves both the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, and it is the second-largest transshipment hub on the Chinese mainland. Over 160 different countries’ ships are serviced at 300 ports.

Seven berths that were once held by Nippon Yusen, Singapore Dalian Port Investment, and PSA China are now operated by the Dalian Container Terminal (DCT). Rail and vehicle connections to the port are good. For goods and containers, there are also sizable storage areas. Deepwater berths that have been modernized typically have a depth of 16 meters.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 9.77 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2017: 455 million tons

Major trading partners: Japan, European Union, Saudi Arabia, United States and ASEAN

Number of employees: 11,227

Majorly handled cargo: Coal 15 million tons

9. Port of Xiamen

Xiamen is a deep sea port situated on the island of Xiamen along the Jiulongjiang river. It is ranked 17th in the world for cargo throughput— one of the few ports that can handle mega boats and sixth-generation ships. The Xiamen Municipal Government owns the bulk of Xiamen and manages it through the Xiamen Port Authority. It became one of the biggest ports in the world in 2010 after merging with the Port of Zhangzhou. Currently, it is South-East China’s largest port.

The port has 74 total berths spread across 12 separate operating zones. Nine are specifically designed terminals for handling containers; the remaining are for cargo. On average, these berths can process 10,000 tons of cargo, while some can handle 100,000 tons. The port extends across 30 kilometers of the harbor, with an average anchorage depth of 17 meters. Haitian, Liwudian, Dongdu, and Heping are a few operational zones.

Xiamen has cutting-edge technology and provides service to all major shipping lines. It handles almost 500 vessels per month from more than 50 nations and regularly runs 70 routes via the busiest ports in Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Additionally, the port runs a little passenger ferry that connects Xiamen to other ports on the mainland. Regular ferries run between Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Wenzhou; service is also offered to Kinmen island.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 10.7 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 218 million tons

Major exports: Tea, salt graphite powder

Major imports: Wheat, cement, chemical fertilizers, coal, rolled steel, sugar

Major trade partners: ASEAN, U.S and European Union

10. Port of Yingkou

Yingkou Harbor is one of China’s smallest ports, but it is bigger than the largest ports in other countries. This port, which the Yingkou Port Group Corporation runs for the Republic, has 27 berths as well as numerous smaller docks and piers. The primary imports in this country are grain, coal, steel, and cars.

The main exports are foodstuffs, electronics, mass-produced commodities, containerized goods, and machinery parts.

The Old Yingkou Port on the Daliao River and the Bayuquan Port on the Bohai Sea are the two functional areas of the port. The seaport provides loading, pipeline transportation, pilotage, communication vessels, transportation by road and rail, and other services to incoming ships. Chinese Shipping Corporation (COSCO) and the port authorities jointly built the primary Bayuquan container terminal.

Key Information

Container traffic in 2018: 6.5 million TEU

Cargo tonnage in 2018: 21 million tons

Main imports: Grains, coal, steel, vehicles, oil tar, minerals

Main Exports: Container transfers

Major trade partners: Japan, Korea, the U.S and the European Union

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[theculturedmarxist]

China stands alone in the world for its Zero-COVID strategy. As a direct result of the policies it has adopted, millions of lives have been saved. Not one person has died of COVID-19 in China since April 17, 2020. More than 800,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States since that date. The Zero-COVID policy of China demonstrates that the staggering worldwide death toll of the past two years—official numbers show nearly six million dead—was entirely preventable.

The policy adopted by the major capitalist governments, Washington foremost, has been one of social murder, letting the pandemic rip through the population because the necessary public health measures to prevent its spread would infringe on the production of profit. This policy is directly responsible for both mass death and the emergence of new variants, such as Delta and Omicron, as the pandemic has been allowed to spread and mutate.

Far from being treated as a model for public health, China has become the focus of sustained and vicious, even unhinged, attacks. The saving of lives has been turned by the western media into something monstrous, an authoritarian trampling on the rights and lives of the Chinese people.

An article on the front page of the New York Times on January 13 was among the most vile yet published in this campaign against China. Originally published online under the headline, “The Army of Millions Who Enforce China’s Zero-COVID Policy, at All Costs,” the article compared China’s public health measures to the Holocaust, with health care workers functioning like Nazis.

The author of the article was Li Yuan, a New York Times correspondent based in Hong Kong with a regular column, “The New New World.” Focused on an ongoing lockdown in the city of Xi’an, Li wrote, “For the officials, virus control comes first. The people’s lives, well-being and dignity come much later.”

It is a lie breathtaking in its enormity. What do “people’s lives, well-being and dignity” mean to the American capitalist class and the Biden administration? By repudiating virus control, they compel the working class to live with mass death. The milestone of over one million COVID deaths looms. There is an element of apocalyptic unreality to American social life. It is becoming impossible even to grieve. The dead are no longer given faces or names in the media, just numbers, and soon even those numbers will not be reported.

The policy of social murder adopted by Washington and followed around the globe has left China encircled by the pandemic. The immense achievement of eliminating the virus must be repeated again and again in its border cities, as new cases and variants are carried into China from the pandemic-ridden wider world.

The city of Xi’an in northwestern China has over the past month had to take aggressive measures to contain and eliminate the most serious outbreak of COVID-19 in China since April 2020. It is these events which the Times singled out as authoritarian.

The city’s thirteen million residents were placed in strict lockdown, mass testing and contact tracing were deployed throughout the city, and the infected and exposed were quarantined in specially constructed facilities.

The lockdown is a massive disruption of everyday life, requiring real sacrifices, as everyone strains to a common end: the prevention of the spread of the pandemic. Since the lockdown in Xi’an began in late December, the entire city has undergone mass testing for COVID-19 every few days. More than 45,000 residents volunteered to arrange the delivery of food and other basic necessities.

The paramount concern is locating unconnected cases as these indicate a wider, as yet undetected transmission of the virus. In early January the last unconnected infection was detected. From a peak of 180 new cases per day, the number of new cases was down to six as of yesterday.

It appears that Xi’an will soon be reopening, neighborhood by neighborhood, as the virus is eliminated. Over the course of the outbreak, more than 2,000 cases were quarantined. No one has died.

Over the course of the lockdown there have been abuses and several tragedies. Food shortages strained the delivery system and in a few instances led to desperate hunger. A pregnant woman miscarried when she was denied care until she could provide a negative COVID-19 test. A man from a “medium risk” district was denied care and died of a heart attack.

The tragedies of Xi’an—the stillborn baby and the heart-attack victim—are the subject of fervent national discussion on social media. Countless comparable tragedies occur every day in the United States, deaths in overcrowded hospital waiting rooms, miscarriages of mothers denied maternal care. These things go unreported. The Times saves all of its moral outrage for China.

The Times seized on these events to present the Zero-COVID policy of China as repressive and inhuman. Li wrote that there was “a ruthlessness to the single-minded pursuit of a zero-COVID policy.” Ordinary health care workers were imbued with this spirit of authoritarianism and became the agents of repression. “A vast army of community workers,” she stated, “carry out the policy with zeal” and in the process they became the “enablers of authoritarian policy.”

Each of these lines drips with the self-satisfied moralism of the upper middle class mobilized in service to the geopolitical interests of US imperialism. In Li’s account the health care workers, their sleepless careworn faces bearing the nearly permanent imprint of an N95 mask, are the agents of authoritarianism. They represent a culture that does not value individual lives or dignity. There is a long, racist history behind such claims. It was the foundational myth of the “yellow peril,” the lie of nineteenth century imperialism that China and the “countries of the Orient” represented a racial threat to the Western world.

The Times did not stop there, however. Li compares China’s Zero-COVID policy to the Holocaust. She cites philosopher Hannah Arendt’s phrase the “banality of evil,” which Arendt used to describe Adolph Eichmann, a leading Nazi. Arendt saw in Eichmann a man of bureaucratic mentality, lacking critical thought, who simply carried out what he was instructed to do. Eichmann’s motivations were in fact driven by historical and social factors of far greater complexity than Arendt’s quasi-psychological explanation. The Times adopts Arendt’s phrase, coined to describe one of the greatest criminals in human history, and applies it to the health care workers of Xi’an.

This is beyond repugnant. Many of the health care workers, the medical and nursing staff of Xi’an, gave up going home and stayed on their posts because of the difficulties of lockdown and the needs of the population. The Times compares them to Nazis, just following orders in imposing an authoritarian regime.

The article’s imagery, in a calculated fashion, underlined this idea. Images of faceless health care workers line up shoulder to shoulder, in an article with the headline word “army.” Workers spray canisters of disinfectant fog in a manner menacingly suggestive of gas.

Li attempts to attribute the phrase “banality of evil” to Chinese opinion, claiming that Arendt is being widely cited by intellectuals in the country in reference to the authoritarianism of Zero-COVID. She cites as evidence of this a post from user @IWillNotResistIt on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Weibo is more widely used than Twitter. It has more than half a billion active users every month. Li cherry-picked a quotation from a random user with 87 followers and wrenched it out of context.

The user @IwillNotResistIt followed the line about the “banality of evil” with this roughly translated passage: “All the frontline workers, including the staff at the epidemic prevention site in the last video, are really hardworking and they shouldn’t be blamed. Think about the suffocating feeling of wearing protective clothing and N95 all day long, not to mention the work.”

These were written as part of a larger discussion on Chinese social media, critical of the failures of Xi’an, calling for compassion. They were not written to demand an end to Zero-COVID, but rather to insist upon its proper implementation.

The Chinese government is authoritarian, but it is not a totalitarian dictatorship. Under intense pressure from the imperialist powers and international capital to roll back its Zero-COVID policy, it confronts in the Chinese working class an immense barrier, as there is massive popular support for the public health measures that defend their lives.

The slanderous, historically malignant comparison to the Nazis originates entirely with the New York Times, and not with Chinese public opinion.

The equating of public health measures with Nazis and the Holocaust is not new. This is the much repeated argument of the far right and fascists in the United States and Europe about vaccine mandates, masks and quarantine. It is with these social forces that the Times is solidarizing itself.

On the same day that the Times published its slanderous attack on China, the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement, “It’s never appropriate to compare requirements for public health with the tactics of Nazi Germany. As we’ve said too many times to count, minimizing the Holocaust in this way is deeply offensive and harmful.” They were not writing in reference to the New York Times, but to fascistic Congressional Republicans who compared vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany.

There is an almost unhinged level of desperation in the rhetoric of the New York Times about China. It expresses the desperation in the American ruling class and in particular the Biden White House. This has increased drastically over the past year and finds expression in Li’s own articles.

On January 4, 2021, shortly before Biden took office, Li wrote an article for the Times in which she characterized life in China, “While many countries are still reeling from Covid-19, China—where the pandemic originated—has become one of the safest places in the world. … The country reported fewer than 100,000 infections for all of 2020. The United States has been reporting more than that every day since early November.”

Li continued, “China resembles what ‘normal’ was like in the pre-pandemic world. Restaurants are packed. Hotels are full. Long lines form outside luxury brands stores. Instead of Zoom calls, people are meeting face to face to talk business or celebrate the new year.”

A year later, China’s COVID death toll has not gone up by one human life, but Li speaks of the “banality of evil” and authoritarianism. She has received her marching orders. This is not about developments in China, but about the crisis in the United States, where the ruling class has demonstrated an utter contempt for human life. The death toll will go up, but so will the stock market and that is all that matters.

The success of China’s Zero-COVID policy, the very fact that it has prioritized human lives, is a demonstration to the working class that there is an alternative to mass death. For the ruling elite, this is intolerable. It is this that drives their hysterical slanders against the scientific public health measures that are now only being implemented in China.