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The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this? Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
Chinese users aren't exactly drooling over the newest iPhone
Say what you will, but sometimes the internet is a magical place. Following the release of the newest iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models on Wednesday, Sep 11, the Chinese creative hivemind went to work on a cornucopia of spot-on memes. Weibo users then did their part and compiled great video compilations of said memes (watch above). Others went about renaming Apple (苹果 píngguǒ) as the homonym 苹锅 píngguō, as a pun on "pan" 平锅 píngguō. Hence the meme below.
While people were doing their worst on Photoshop, zeroing in on the distinctive three-camera lens design of the 11 Pro, other users were left baffled by Apple's announcement that they would not be releasing a 5G-enabled edition of the new iPhone 11. Many netizens are already calling the iPhone "outdated" and questioning how the American technology company could warrant asking such an exorbitant price for something that will soon (as they believe) be obsolete in the Chinese market.
READ: Here Are 3 5G Phones to Get You Ready for Beijing's Super-Speed Network
One of the most-liked comments points to the falling relevance of Apple products in the Chinese market: "I'm not thinking about apples this season. I'm thinking about hairy crabs," referring to the Chinese autumn delicacy. Other Weibo users continue to discuss 4G-only pots and pans under #iphone 11没有5g版本# (iphone 11 méiyǒu 5g bǎnběn, iPhone 11 doesn't have a 5G edition).
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If we cried "food scandal!" every time a Beijinger got food poisoning from a poorly washed piece of lettuce in a jianbing, or a chunk of "meat" from a questionable chuan'r, we'd be swimming in, well, a lot of food scandals. However, following last week's news that inspectors were making the rounds on school canteens and nearby campus shops, it seems that food safety is once again in vogue.
The latest edibles to land in Beijing's crosshairs are starch- and meat-based products, with authorities collecting 665 samples from a variety of biscuits, fruits, special dietary foods, and another six food categories. Ten of the sample batches in five different categories were found to be substandard, including violations ranging from finding trace amounts of veterinary drug residue in animal products (eggs), microbial contamination, excessive use of additives, and false labeling.
Contrary to the expectations, it wasn't only Chinese products that ran afoul of health regulations. One Spanish baby food brand was found to feature misleading nutritional value information, reporting higher nutritional benefits than it actually had.
Join the in on the discussion at #北京华联食品被检出质量不达标# (běijīng huá lián shípǐn bèi jiǎn chū zhìliàng bù dábiāo, Beijing food found to be of substandard quality).
RMB 7 million apartment floods after its first rainfall
Beijing is kinda cute when it rains if:
Last week, one Beijinger found that they were less than fortunate when it came to the last point, suffering what can only be described as a terminally leaky everything following heavy rains. Dodgy roofing has long been a problem in many a Beijing apartment, but it's especially worrying when you consider that this specific Fangshan-based house was brand new, and had just been purchased for a cool RMB 7 million.
The owner dutifully called his local news media, who interviewed the owners and filmed a tour around the flooded apartment to inspect the damage. Having watched the video, one netizen wrote: "These days, apartment quality is very low. It will become a hidden danger in the future!" Users are tutting over the awful construction quality under #700万新房逢雨就漏# (700 wàn xīnfáng féng yǔ jiù lòu, RMB 7 million new flat leaks when it rains).
READ (via this QR code): It's Still Not Too Late to Fly to Hong Kong for the October Holiday