2018 in review: McDonald's, the World Cup, Didi scandals and more
This year, like any other, was action packed — let’s take a look back.
As a famous Chinese pop song opines, “Shijian dou qu na’er le (Where has all the time gone)?” Another year is upon us, so it’s time, once again, to take a look back at some of the topics I covered here this year, and also share some of the year’s top slang. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a quick ride!
Reform and opening-up: McDonald’s
In case you’ve been living in a virtual reality, you’ll know full well that this month marked the 40th anniversary of the enactment of China’s reform and opening-up policies. These policies have done a lot for China, and the world, not least of all helping lift hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty. Back in July I celebrated another milestone of the policies: Authentic American cuisine hit Shanghai in the form of the Golden Arches in 1994. Are we lovin’ it?
The World Cup
One of the biggest events of the year would have to be the World Cup. I don’t know the first thing about it, and couldn’t even tell you who won, but back in June I introduced you to one of the many women around China who give the guys a run for their money when it comes to all things sport.
Didi scandals
Two of the big tragedies of the year were when two women were raped and murdered by Didi drivers in different parts of the country. People around China were in an uproar, and many blamed the company for the girls’ deaths and asked whether it was safe anymore to use the service. Back in September I tried to cool the situation down a bit by reminding our readers that, while one rape and murder is one too many, the chances of meeting that fate when using Didi are one in 500 million — your odds of dying in a plane crash are much higher at one in 11 million.
It’s okay to be gay
Back in April, Chinese netizens revolted against Weibo after they equated homosexuality with pornography and bloody violence. They said they would “clean up” homosexual content from the Internet in a bid to remove offensive content. Even People’s Daily were shocked, penning an opinion piece reminding Weibo that homosexuality is not a disease. “Let’s hope that more people can lay down their prejudices, dispel misunderstanding and tolerate others,” People’s Daily concluded. “May every kind of love thrive, may each person live out their inner color.” Weibo quickly back-peddled.
Shanghai on top for expats, again
Back in April, Shanghai was crowned top city on the Chinese mainland for expats, for the sixth year in a row. Many aspects of cities around the country were considered, with one of the main attractions being that the Shanghai government seems to be spending a lot of time and energy recently to change cumbersome policies and cut red tape, as well as introducing brand-spanking new policies and incentives to attract and keep talented foreigners in the city.
Top buzzwords of 2018
This month a Chinese linguistics magazine released its list of the top buzzwords for the year. Here’re my favorite three.
C wei: ‘center position’
One of my favorite buzzwords this year would have to be C位, which basically refers to being in center position. This originally came from a reality show called “Produce 101,” and soon spread everywhere.
SKR: ‘cool’
This word (or more accurately, sound) was popularized by a celebrity people seem to either love or hate: Kris Wu. It comes from the sound of a car’s tires screeching. On the TV show “The Rap of China,” Wu uses it as a sign of praise for a performance well done. Now people use it online, too, by simply typing SKR to suggest something is “cool” or “dope.”
Pi yixia: ‘prankish behavior’
This phrase is often used to acknowledge someone’s prankish behavior. The pi here comes from the word “naughty” (tiaopi) and is a cute way of chiding someone who likes to play up. As an example, someone might say: “Pi yixia kaixin ma?” as a sarcastic way of asking someone who’s playing up if they are enjoying themselves.
