Kevin Spacey, Daniel Craig Want You to Get on Taobao

One year ago today, Chinese Internet shoppers dropped a massive USD9.3 billion in 24 hours to snap up Singles Day deals on Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall platforms.

Jack Ma promised this year would be the biggest Singles Day yet – and indeed it took Alibaba just 12 hours to surpass the 2014 tally. The e-commerce giant has certainly pulled out all the stops to get consumers spending, calling in the big guns for their first ever Double Eleven Eve Gala last night – a four-hour televised variety show counting down to midnight.

Of course, a host of Chinese celebs made an appearance for Alibaba’s big show, but Ma somehow managed to rope in American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, who's in Beijing to promote Spectre – released in Chinese cinemas on Friday – and none other than Kevin Spacey, delivering a presidential endorsement of unbridled consumer spending from the Oval Office set of Xi Jinping’s favorite show, House of Cards. The Oscar-winning actor even manages to sneak in a sly dig at the Great Firewall.

Watch President Frank Underwood telling you to shop till you drop below:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=p017285u770&width=500&height=375&auto=0

Click "Read more" below for 11 things you need to know about Singles Day.