The article examines the Chinese livestream scams known as “Beng Laotou” and “Beng Ayi,” interpreting them as manifestations of emotional capitalism, analyzing their three operational stages, trust‑signal dynamics, and the technological and market forces that turn them into a scalable industry.
After three years offline, Tianya.net returns, sparking nostalgic comments, yet the article argues that the platform’s revival cannot bring back the “slow internet” culture it once embodied, which has been eclipsed by today’s algorithm‑driven, short‑form, real‑name web.
The 2019 analysis details how major Chinese internet firms—Tencent, Xiaomi, Baidu, JD, Meituan, and Alibaba—restructured their technical committees and leadership to shift from a saturated user‑growth model to a technology‑driven growth strategy, emphasizing open‑source, cloud integration, AI, and R&D management.
This article chronicles the strategic shifts of Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent over the past decade, analyzing how Baidu’s late entry into cloud storage, its focus on AI, and its unique technical choices allowed it to outlast rivals in the fierce cloud‑storage battles that reshaped China’s internet landscape.
