Blog
Notes on trips to China
How benchmark tours, plant access and delegation planning actually work — with real examples.
Geely and Zeekr: How One Automaker Runs Seven Brands at Once
Geely is targeting 3.45–3.5 million global sales in 2026, splitting Geely, Zeekr, Lynk & Co and Volvo across separate price tiers and export routes.
Freshippo vs. Sam's Club: China's Offline Retail Race for the Same Shopper
While the world talks e-commerce, China's offline retail is having its own arms race: Freshippo is targeting 300+ new stores this year, and Sam's Club is finally beating foreign rivals at their own game. Here's what the numbers say and why it matters for anyone studying China's retail market.
From Gas Pump to Charging Hub: Sinopec and BYD Reinvent Retail While Great Wall Motor Logs 31,826 Orders in a Day
Sinopec and BYD turned a Shanghai gas station into a 1,500 kW charging hub and plan to convert 31,000+ fuel stations nationwide. Meanwhile Great Wall Motor's Haval H10 logged 31,826 orders in its first 24 hours. Here's what it means for anyone studying China's auto market.
Huawei's Comeback: How Foldables and the Mate 80 Are Reshaping the Global Smartphone Market
华为 / Huawei is the only major smartphone player posting growth, not decline, in 2026. Here's what the comeback is actually built on: a 20% share in China, 48% of the global foldable market, and the Mate 80 lineup.
Anta Sports vs Li-Ning: the gap that defines China's sportswear market
Anta closed 2025 with 80.22bn yuan in revenue and a 21.8% market share — almost 2.5x Li-Ning's. We break down why the gap between two domestic brands on the same market, against the same Nike and Adidas, is this wide.
CATL and BYD: two Chinese suppliers now control over half the global EV battery market
CATL captured 39.9% of the global EV battery market in H1 2026, and together with BYD the two now control 54.3%. We break down what that means for any automaker outside China.
Trip.com and Damai: How China's Travel and Ticketing Business Is Outrunning Pre-Pandemic Numbers
携程 / Trip.com is logging inbound bookings growth of more than 2x year-on-year, while 大麦 / Damai — Alibaba's ticketing platform — is taking its MAISEAT service abroad. A look at what China's booming travel and ticketing business means for people heading there with a delegation, not a suitcase for the beach.
China's Gold Fever: How 老铺黄金 / Laopu Gold Outplayed Western Luxury on Its Own Turf
While international luxury houses open flagship stores with in-house cafés in Beijing, a growing share of China's premium demand is going to a domestic gold-jewelry brand — 老铺黄金 / Laopu Gold. Why luxury in China no longer means "imported," and what that means for anyone working in retail there.
31,826 Orders in a Day and a Gas Station With No Gas: Two Faces of China Auto's Speed
Great Wall Motor set a pre-order record with the new Haval H10, while BYD and Sinopec turned an ordinary gas station into a 1,500 kW charging hub — two stories from the same week about how fast China's auto industry is moving.
China's Cleaning Robots: How Five Companies Captured 70% of the Global Market
Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal Robotics together hold roughly 70% of the global robot vacuum market — and won that lead through engineering, not discounting.
POP MART: How a $10 Toy Built China a Global Retail Empire
POP MART's revenue is set to grow nearly a third this year, with overseas sales expanding three times faster than domestic ones. We break down how the Chinese collectible-toy maker behind Labubu skipped the usual "cheap and mass-market" export playbook and built premium retail across three continents.
China's Domestic Beauty Brands Are Beating Global Rivals — and Rewriting Retail
Domestic brands now hold 57.4% of China's cosmetics market — the fourth straight year they've outpaced foreign players. We break down how Proya, Florasis and Perfect Diary got there, and why their stores no longer look like stores.
China's instant-retail price war: how Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com are burning billions of yuan over a 60-minute delivery window
In 2025, Meituan posted its first annual loss in years — 23.4 billion yuan — on revenue of 364.9 billion yuan. The reason: a price war with Alibaba and JD.com for the instant-retail market, projected to reach $126.74 billion by 2029.
Mixue: nearly 60,000 stores and a model you can't copy without the franchise
59,823 stores worldwide and CNY 33.56 billion in 2025 revenue — Mixue sells tea and ice cream for under a dollar and still grows net profit. We break down what the model runs on, and how Luckin Coffee is answering it.
Who owns China's smart home market: Haier, Midea, and Xiaomi by the numbers
China's appliance market is worth $117 billion in 2026. We break down three different strategies from three leaders: Haier's overseas brand acquisitions, Midea's vertical integration, and Xiaomi's software ecosystem.
Retail and foodtech trends in China: what's happening on the market right now
The unmanned-store market is growing 40% a year, AI checks whether kitchen staff washed their hands, and shelves explain products on their own. Launching a regular column on what's actually changing in Chinese retail.
How Proya overtook the global giants on their own turf
10.78 billion yuan in 2024 revenue, 21% growth for a seventh straight year — Chinese brand Proya has outgrown Estée Lauder and L'Oréal on their own Chinese turf. Here's how the guochao trend works.
BYD overtook Tesla — then ran straight into a price war at home
2.26 million EVs sold in 2025 and 804 billion yuan in revenue — a BYD record. But Q1 2026 brought a 25% sales drop and margins under 18%. Here's what's happening in the world's hottest car market.
Planning a corporate visit to Chinese factories: a working checklist
The recurring mistakes that turn a promising factory-tour itinerary into a wasted week, and how to plan around them.
Why benchmark tours to China work
What a well-built study tour actually delivers to a delegation: direct access to working lines, not a trade-show booth.