Capital city of Zhejiang, China, population ~13 million
A roundup of recent food reporting highlights evolving tastes across the West Lake region, Shangri-La, Guiyang and Nanjing, with local eateries earning Michelin praise and traditional dishes facing changes as diners seek bold, communal experiences.
GPTZero, the AI-detection startup founded by Princeton graduate Edward Tian, has been acquired by Superhuman. The deal values GPTZero at over $88 million, with 19 million+ users and $30 million in annual recurring revenue; the integration will bolster authenticity tools across Superhuman’s platform while keeping GPTZero as a stand-alone product.
Alibaba has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the DoD’s 1260H designation labeling it a Chinese military-society link is baseless. The suit seeks removal from the list and challenges the process as unfair. Several other Chinese firms face similar actions as the government moves to tighten tech controls amid U.S.-China tensions.
New funding and product integrations are accelerating the deployment of humanoid robots globally. Investors back Zeroth in China, Unitree unveils an integrated Nvidia platform, and Morgan Stanley upgrades China’s market outlook as companies push from demos to real-world use.
Typhoon Maysak and Super Typhoon Bavi have unleashed heavy rain and flooding across Guangxi. The Liulan reservoir breach in Nanning has killed 26 people, with 9 missing. Rescue operations involve thousands of workers and boats, evacuations surpassing 130,000, and power restoration in hundreds of homes as officials warn more rain will come.
Typhoon Bavi has struck Zhejiang province after skirting northern Taiwan and Japans southern islands, forcing the evacuation of more than two million people and cancelling hundreds of flights and trains. Bavi has weakened to a severe tropical storm but is carrying large volumes of moisture that will produce prolonged heavy rain and flood risk across eastern and northern China over coming days.
The European Commission has fined AliExpress €1.2 billion for failing to stop the sale of illegal, unsafe and counterfeit goods on its platform. Regulators found weak staffing, bypassable checks, ineffective brand controls and recommendation systems that promoted flagged items. AliExpress says the penalty is disproportionate and will appeal; it must submit a compliance plan by 20 October 2026.
Chinese AI developers are releasing cheaper, high-end models that compete with leading U.S. options. DeepSeek’s V4-Flash is the cheapest major model, while Alibaba’s Qwen3.8-Max claims competitive benchmarks and a 1-million-token context. The wave includes Moonshot AI and ByteDance, intensifying global competition.
Dolphin has brought heavy rain and strong winds to Zhejiang, Shanghai and Fujian, forcing mass evacuations, grounding flights, and delaying transport as authorities warn of floods and landslides. The storm is moving inland and weakening, but the impact remains severe.
Typhoon Dolphin has made landfall near Yuhuan, Zhejiang, with winds up to 151 km/h. Authorities warn of torrential rain through Aug. 10, prompting mass evacuations, flight cancellations and transport disruptions across Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu as the storm weakens inland.
Beijing has faced an extraordinary rainfall event as Typhoon Dolphin’s remnants continue to drench central and eastern China, prompting mass evacuations, closures of tourist spots, and power losses across multiple provinces. Rainfall records are being broken, while authorities warn of ongoing floods and landslides as the weather system moves inland.
Unitree has filed for an IPO on Shanghai's STAR Market, seeking about 6.1 billion yuan to fund software, hardware, and manufacturing expansion. Subscriptions were oversubscribed, valuing Unitree highly and signaling strong investor appetite for humanoid and four‑legged robots amid U.S.-China tensions that could affect overseas growth.