Business Times

Issue No. 2

C2B Storm on the Way

The consumer-driven fashion industry quietly progresses. During London Fashion Week in January Burberry took thousands of pounds worth of menswear orders for its autumn 2014 collection. Customers could reserve garments while watching the live show online， and even have clothes tailored to their tastes. This was the second time since last season that the made-to-order catwalk and “smart personalization” service was tried out， and more and more fashion brands are adopting this new marketing method.

The Internet now infiltrates all aspects of peoples lives and influences how they choose and make decisions. All consumerbased services are undergoing changes， regardless of how the business is configured or where it is positioned on the market. The Internet has reshaped all industries.

Consumer customization has become a sign of an enterprising firm. Whether Burberry or Haier， many businesses trying to keep abreast of the times are using C2B to reform their supply chains with noticeable effects.

The C2B platform is a test of courage and control for Internet age entrepreneurs. Challenging themselves and listening intently to what customers are saying motivates businesses efforts to avoid being eliminated from the market.

21st Century Business Review

Issue No. 3， published on February 14， 2014

World War in WeChat

“If anyone deems the quality of Chinese products as poor and of low technical value， I would ask whether she or he uses WeChat，” Tony Lee， a businessman from Kuala Lumpur who imports Chinese electric appliances， said to a 21CBR reporter. “I then would add that this app is from China.”

Tony Lee was talking about Huaweis P6 cell phone， which is gaining a share in the smart phone market in Southeast Asia， where WeChat， a mobile text and voice messaging communication service developed by Tencent， is becoming increasingly popular too. In addition to Chinas mainland， Hong Kong and Taiwan， neighboring countries such as Singapore， Indonesia， Thailand， the Philippines and India are all experiencing a WeChat craze.

Chinas Internet products had long been described as suffering from Galapagos Syndrome and not fit for international users. But Tencent executives drew a different conclusion， “WeChat has users in more than 200 countries and regions. In September 2013， active WeChat accounts reached 271.9 million.”

Oriental Outlook

Issue No. 7， published on February 20， 2014

My Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a persons love and longing for their hometown or things from their past. It is often an unresolved emotion in migrants， as well as a muchrevisited theme for writers and painters. Now， a central government conference on urbanization has pledged to preserve the idyllic charm and native culture of rural communities in Chinas urbanization process， ensuring the hometown remains a perpetual draw for its residents wherever they go. Nostalgia has been given a modern makeover.

President Xi Jinping gave a speech at the conference briefing the development of urbanization and the main objectives， basic rules and key tasks that would help promote urbanization while nurturing nostalgia. The conference emphasized respect for nature to let cities become part of the natural world. In the process of urbanization， original village features should be retained and the environment should be protected.

Oriental Outlook featured a series of stories on “My Nostalgia，” taking readers back to their hometowns to rekindle their memories of the scenes and people from their past and witness the development in the present.

Life Week

Issue No. 9， published on March 3， 2014

An Inquiry into Dongguan

Dongguan has become something of a ghost town after a crackdown on the local sex industry.

Over the past three decades， Dongguan was known as an exemplar city of Chinas opening-up and reform. Relying on its rich land resources， lowcost labor force and investment from Hong Kong and Taiwan， Dongguan grew from an agricultural county to a big city with a GDP of over RMB 500 billion.

For Dongguan， land was a key to prosperity. When investment from Hong Kong and Taiwan first entered the mainland， Shenzhen， the special economic zone in the immediate vicinity of Hong Kong， was the first option for investors. It， however， lacks both the space and the desire to accommodate too many export-oriented processing projects. Investors then turned their eyes to neighboring Dongguan.

In a sense， investors from Hong Kong and Taiwan jump-started Dongguans economic development. Meanwhile， they also created the need for a local entertainment market. The cost of constructing a luxury hotel in Dongguan was much cheaper than in nearby Shenzhen and Guangzhou due to the low price of the land. A good number of first-class hotels were built in Dongguan to meet the demands of visiting businessmen. At the same time， migrant workers from all over the country - male and female - provided sufficient service staff and customers for the local sex industry chain. Migrant workers， local landlords and businessmen formed a triangle that supported Dongguans sex industry.