88 Bar is a group blog about technology, media and design in the Greater China region.
Latest posts by 88 Bar
How Chinese tech workers are organizing the online #996 labor movement, despite risks of censorship
In contrast to other social movements and memes on the Chinese internet, #996 has taken shape largely on GitHub.
Are You Scanning Me, or Am I Scanning You? The Power Dynamics of China's WeChat
"Our phones have become extensions of our social and physical selves. When these devices touch, it’s an intimate gesture with the ability to convey identity, power, and intention."
Six Ways Pro-Government Forces Went After Hong Kong's Occupy Movement
"The [Occupy Central] movement suggests that both the Internet and Hong Kong are at a crossroads, that both cannot take its freedoms for granted," writes Lokman Tsui.
A Driver's-Eye View of Uber in China
Despite a crackdown on ride-hailing apps, many still see Uber as worth the risk. For drivers, the pay is high. For passengers, the fare is cheaper than similar Chinese services.
Pictures of Chinese People Scanning QR Codes
Apart from mobile boarding passes and the occasional event ticket, in many countries QR codes have never quite caught on. In China, however, they're everywhere.
Cartoon Mascots in China Make Social Policing Cute
The mascots model “civil” behavior” and spread new norms about acceptable public behavior, specifically targeting newly urbanized migrants learning to share urban public spaces for the first time.
The Translation Detail Everyone Missed in the China Internet’s Incredibly Surreal Anthem
Below is an edited version of “The Translation Detail Everyone Missed in the China Internet's Incredibly Surreal Anthem“ by Jason Li, originally published on the blog 88 Bar and republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement. In case you missed it, the New York Times, ProPublica, the Guardian and the Atlantic all wrote about...
Fact-Checking the Hype Surrounding FireChat in Hong Kong's Protests
Pro-democracy protesters downloaded smartphone chat app FireChat in droves amid rumors of an Internet shutdown. In the rush to cover the phenomenon, media outlets got some things wrong.
Hong Kong Web Users Are Defending Originality As Game Clone ‘Tower of Saviors’ Hits It Big
Behind the commercial success of mobile game Tower of Saviors lies a mob of angry netizens who accuse the game of being a shameless imitation of Japan's Puzzle & Dragons.
Ready Your Smartphones: The Chat App Sticker Wars Have Begun
Japanese chat app Line has discovered a booming revenue model selling different sets of stickers. China's immensely popular WeChat is trying to catch up. Has it?
China's Pixar? A Sneak Peek From New Animation Studio Light Chaser
Below is an edited version of the post “A sneak peek from China’s new animation-house upstart” by Jason Li, originally published on the blog 88 Bar. Light Chaser Animation is a startup animation studio based in Beijing. “Little Yeyos,” a short film about seven spirits living in the mythological Chinese spirit world, is...
