By Zara Zhang and Hans Tung What is the most watched speech in the Chinese tech community? It is WeChat's founder Allen Zhang's keynote address at the WeChat Open Class PRO (WeChat's equivalent of Apple's WWDC or Google I/O) held in Guangzhou each January. Zhang is the mastermind behind WeChat, the super app with 980 million … Continue reading “Father of WeChat” Lays Out 2018 Product Roadmap
Lessons Learned from Organizing Harvard China Forum
At Harvard, I co-led the organization of Harvard China Forum, the largest student-run China conference in North America that attracts 1,200 attendees and features over 100 speakers each year. The speaker list is a who's who of prominent figures in the US-China cross-border world. It was not easy to run a large event as students … Continue reading Lessons Learned from Organizing Harvard China Forum
Has Tech Made China Less Friendly to Foreigners?
For every app that I use, there is a China equivalent that I put into a category on my phone called “China.” This screenshot reminds me of how self-contained China’s tech ecosystem has become. Chinese people use Chinese apps. Non-Chinese people use non-Chinese apps. Those who travel back and forth, like me, usually have … Continue reading Has Tech Made China Less Friendly to Foreigners?
Resources for those interested in VC
Recently, I have had at least a dozen friends ask me if I have any tips for those interested in the venture capital industry. I'm obviously still new to the field and trying to learn more myself, but here are some resources that I have found helpful. This is not meant to be an authoritative, … Continue reading Resources for those interested in VC
Why Sending WeChat Voice Messages is a Status Symbol
WeChat has a voice message function that allows you to press a button and record your message. For the uninitiated, this is just another way of sending messages that’s interchangeable with text messages. However, sending a voice message on WeChat is considered obnoxious in the Chinese professional world, and usually only tolerated if it is … Continue reading Why Sending WeChat Voice Messages is a Status Symbol
Why I Stay in Touch with China
The ability to understand, explain, and interpret China to a non-Chinese audience will be one of the most prized skills in the decades to come.
4 Philosophies Underlying the WeChat Mini-Program – Lessons from the Father of WeChat
The man who built WeChat, China’s No.1 communication tool with 877 million daily users, rarely appears in public. The 47-year-old Allen Zhang (Zhang Xiaolong) is a low-profile, chain-smoking, and hardcore programmer who prefers to let his product speak for itself. However, last December, WeChat held its own version of the WWDC in Guangzhou, where Zhang … Continue reading 4 Philosophies Underlying the WeChat Mini-Program – Lessons from the Father of WeChat
Beijing is Big
How big is Beijing? Let me count the ways. It’s land area is equivalent to 156 Parises, 20 New York Cities, 10 Londons, and is bigger than the entire state of Connecticut. Countries that are smaller than Beijing include Qatar, Jamaica, and Lebanon. It has 20 million people—which is more than the population of New … Continue reading Beijing is Big
There’s Nothing to See Where I Come From
When I’m asked about my hometown, the conversation usually goes like this. American: Where are you from? Me: China. American: Oh cool! Which city? I’ve been to Beijing. Me: I’m from the northeast. American: (losing interest upon knowing that I’m not from either Beijing or Shanghai) Ok! So it’s close to Beijing? Me: Not really, … Continue reading There’s Nothing to See Where I Come From
So What Did I Learn at Harvard?
One hallmark of graduation season is that every day or so, someone asks me: “So what was your biggest takeaway from four years at Harvard?” I always struggle to answer this question. They may as well have said: “Summarize your transformations over the past four years, and all the lessons you’ve learned in classes, extracurriculars, … Continue reading So What Did I Learn at Harvard?
