Headlines From China: Six Brand Collaborations Chinese Consumers Loved in April

Six Brand Collaborations Chinese Consumers Loved in April

Top Pick: Sotheby’s x Jay Chou

Asian megastar Jay Chou returns to his roots as the son of an art teacher, partnering with Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for an upcoming collaboration that will be revealed in June. Although few details have been released since Sotheby’s made an announcement of the partnership on April 19, the “King of Mandopop” has publicized the event on Instagram to his 6.4 million followers to much speculation of what’s to come. Read more Jing Daily

China’s Digital Yuan Gets Access to Alibaba’s 1 Billion-Person User Base

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.’s online grocery service and food delivery units are included in China’s digital yuan pilot program, giving the sovereign electronic currency system access to the internet giant’s 1 billion users. Users of Alipay, Alibaba’s mobile and online payment platform, find a “digital yuan” option in their payment options. Now users can make payments using digital yuan in Alibaba’s ele.me food delivery system, Tmall supermarket, and Hema grocery stores. China is accelerating the rollout of its virtual yuan. So far, several cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Suzhou, have used the digital currency to provide millions of yuan of coupons to local residents since October as part of ongoing pilot programs. Read more Caixin Global